Blog Hop Thursday 13th
This happens weekly at Alternative Read: BLOG HOP
Thursday, OCT 13th
QUESTION: Character physical descriptions, do you like a lot or a little? How do you make sure your readers see your character they way you want them to? Question provided by author: Amy Romine This is a Blog Hop!
Personally, I don’t mind a lot of description or a little, as long as the author creates a vivid picture of a character in my mind. By vivid I don’t mean I need a clear picture of height, weight, eye and hair colour. I don’t go to this length of details in my own work, because no matter how you ‘paint’ someone in words, the reader’s perception will always be influenced by what they do or don’t like. I prefer to give the reader a good impression of a character, and that has as much to do with personality as it does features.
A Heartfelt Plea
Please don’t buy any of my titles published by Aspen Mountain Press. Although it sounds like and even feels as if I’m shooting myself in the foot, the fact that I’m not receiving royalties from this publisher means I’m doing the opposite.
I’m not receiving royalties (which were already in arrears when they ceased). I’m not receiving calls. I’m not receiving emails or anything in the mail. The owner, Sandra Hicks, hasn’t even appeared on the AMP authors’ official loop for sometime — has even banned authors from there possibly coincidentally after they have spoken out and ask pertinent questions. When she did stop by it was to make statements that did not address the serious issues her writers are asking her. Issues including why do out of contract works — in some cases MONTHS out of contract — continue to be sold despite repeated pleas from the authors for them to be removed. In the last email I received from Sandra Hicks I was promised two of my out of contract works would be down end of September quarter, and yet they remain up for sale. I can only speak for myself and comment on things I’ve seen and heard, but I have been assured by many of the writers at AMP that they have received similar promises in the past all to no avail. I have emailed Sandra Hicks to tell her I do not wish to be associated with a company dealing in illegal practices — I have received no reply.
Fortunately, many of the subsidiary sellers have been paying attention and are starting to remove AMP books from their sites. The owner of AMP has failed to respond to them as well, and I’m assuming they also have to consider the long-term legal implications of breaking copyright. A heartfelt thank you goes out to them from all the authors involved.
Do not purchase my titles. You will be putting the proceeds into another woman’s pocket, not mine. Should you stumble across any AMP titles by other writers I suggest you contact those authors or read their blogs to see if they feel the same.
When cases such as these occur there’s often split reaction as to whether the authors should remain silent or not. My view on this is that it ‘depends’. Certainly in the beginning one tries to reach an amicable solution with the publisher, but when a publisher goes AWOL what can one do? AMP is now listed at many warning sites and in all conscience that is a relief — the 40+ writers mired in this mess would hate for any newbies to walk into this. So please, if you’re considering submitting to Aspen Mountain Press, I must advise you to think twice…and then a third time and a forth. You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache.
Trouble at Aspen Mountain Press
I will not be issuing anything except the most simplest factual personal statements, and my hope is not even to do that.
For those of you wondering what is happening at Aspen Mountain Press, please see this post at Writer Beware: http://accrispin.blogspot.com/
Illegal sale and non-royalty payment notices
IMPORTANT: Please note illegal sale and non-royalty payment notices. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE ILLEGAL TITLES FROM ANY OUTLET. Thank you.
Bitter and Intoxicating released!
Dancing around hugging copies of Red Velvet and Absinthe featuring my story Bitter and Intoxicating. I am so delighted with this, although anyone who read it will likely think I’m weird, if they don’t already.
The submission call was for Gothic Erotic Romance of the more literary variety and, oh, did I pen a very twisted strange tale!
Red Velvet and Absinthe is out now, available to order from all good outlets including Amazon and the Book Depository!
Unleash the comet…
Going on the adage better late than never, here’s a little book trailer I’ve put together for a series with three men who will always be close to my heart:
Grab a book bundle at AMP
From the 1st of August until September 30th, grab a book bundle at AMP. Yours truly has two books featured in the m/m collection of Del Fantasma right at the very top of the page. Yayyy.
This is to celebrate AMP’s sixth year of existence. So just click the book cover to get yourself along to AMP and pick up a bundle and save yourself a bundle, too with a 20% discount.
A selection of four m/m titles set in vampire Cody’s Del Fantasma bar from a pair of bestselling AMP authors: Jade Buchanan and Sharon Maria Bidwell. Kick back with these erotic paranormal tales—Virgin Special, A Slow Fuzzy Screw, Black Wolf and Duck Fart—for a perfect cocktail of reading.
Just a snippet
For today only (Sunday 24th) you can pop along to http://www.paragraphplanet.com/ to read just 75 words detailing a very strange experience I once had. (All work is transferred to the archives at the end of each month.)