Ava James ~ Romance To Last A Lifetime

I have been weighed down with the daily goings on of my split life-style, i.e. writer by night, teacher by day. To uphold the wholesome home front and then write the erotic behind closed doors, is a fence it seems many of us straddle.


Like so many other Americans, I have a graduates degree and no job to show for it. The stress of facing yet another year without a "real" job has caused my creativity well to run dry. I have been writing for the past few evenings, a few hundred words here and there. Now that I reread what I wrote, I realize that it is all worthless crap. My writing lacks the life that it showed before. I am sure that some of you have experienced this before. It is a temporary thing that will pass. But the troubles of the daytime seem to bleeding over into my evenings more and more. Why is it that a decent, hardworking, reliable, and well educated individual cannot find employment? Half of the jobs I apply for, I am over qaulified, the other half, I lack the expereince they are searching for--so what is it that I am to do? You know, I passed up a decent job outside of my intended feild to accept a temporary job in order to gain the "experience" necessary, and I feel that all my hard work was an exercise in futality. I have left college (grad. of 08) with a very expensive piece of paper and the student loan statements to prove it. Before now, when I put my mind to something, it worked out. But this past year, nothing has. My paternal grandfather passed away, I did not get a job offer for this school year, my father died, my maternal grandfather and grandmother died, and thus far I still have no job prospects. You know, if my dog ran off I could write a damned good country song here ;P





Here is to better days ahead--b/c I damned tired of feeling like Llyod Dobler holding that boom box over my head while Peter Gabriel sings Your Eyes.

Keta Diablo was kind enough to drop by and leave us a little snip-it of her latest. You can find out more about Ms. Diablo on her blog, http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com

Enjoy! And Thanks Keta for sharing!

CROSSROADS

Phaze Publishing, http://www.phaze.com/index.html
Keta Diablo, http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com
A male/male novella

About the book:

Handsome ex-cop Frank McGuire is on a quest to locate his dead partner's missing son. Rand Brennan has an identity issue, exacerbated since the death of his father. Hoping to find himself, Rand drops out of college, takes to the streets and doesn't realize he's embroiled in duplicity and murder.. In order to save Rand, Frank must confront the nefarious killers and . . .. confront his long-suppressed feelings for Rand.

Elements: scenes of intense sexual activity

Excerpt:

From the corner of the candlelit bedroom, an outline of a body beneath the bed sheets flooded Frank’s vision. At a foot-dragging pace, he inched his way forward, praying Rand was alone in that bed. He meant to put the fear of God in him, and his plan would only work if he didn’t have company for the night. Images of the young man behind the bar flooded his brain. He strongly resembled the seventeen year old who stood in front of his father’s casket at the cemetery five years ago. It was Rand all right in that bed. A box had been tucked under his arm on the walk home, and now, Frank intended to find out what was in it.The kid must have sensed a presence. He sat up in bed, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and glanced around the room. His body tensed and his eyes widened―forest green at the moment and glistening like jack pines after a summer storm.His voice barely a whisper and strained, Rand asked, “Who’s there?”Frank put the gun to his cheek. “Get up.”With trembling arms, he pushed the covers off, dragged his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. The whites of his eyes gleamed stark against the dark shadows in the room. “What do you want?” Frank had taken the bullets out earlier, but the kid didn’t have to know that. He placed the gun to his forehead and grabbed a shaft of his thick, dark hair. “I’ll ask the questions.” He flicked the switch on a dim lamp beside the bed. “Do you understand?”Rand swallowed hard, nodded and stared at the black hood covering his face. A fleeting moment of recognition passed over his face, but it wasn’t possible he could make out Frank’s features behind the disguise.His lean, well-muscled body sent a shiver down Frank’s spine, every inch taut and smooth, covered only by a pair of blue boxer shorts. His dark hair rested above his shoulders, glossy like his mother’s, and streaked with mahogany. Reflected light caught the angular planes of his face, the carved cheekbones and generous mouth. This was going to be harder than Frank thought. Determined to scare the shit out of him if need be, he had to find out what he was up to and he had to get his hands on that box.Rand’s voice faltered. “I don’t have any money, no jewels, not even a pack of smokes, if that’s―”His head reeled to the side when Frank delivered an open-handed slap to his cheek. “Keep your mouth shut! Unless I tell you to speak, you say nothing, got it?”Another nod.For emphasis, Frank slapped him again on the other side of his face. “Where are the drugs?”“Drugs?” Anger and fear slithered through his voice. “You’ve come to the wrong place if you’re looking for smack or coke.” Frank holstered the gun, grabbed him by the hair again, and shoved him toward the wall, face first. A fine bead of sweat had broken out on his forehead and his hands were clenched tightly at his sides. “You call me sir when you address me.”“Yes, sir.”“What’s in the box you carried home tonight if not drugs?”“You followed me?” Rand cranked his neck around to look at him. Frank pushed his face into the wall and kicked his feet out until his legs were spread wide. “Put your hands on the wall, palms flat. You even twitch, I’ll drop you quicker than butter melting in a pan, got that?”“I ain’t got no drugs, man . . . I mean, sir.”“Such a smart, pretty boy, and a quick learner.” Acutely aware of the smooth, tanned skin of his shoulders and back, mere inches from him, and the sinewy muscles of his forearm stretched out to the wall, Frank sucked in a quiet breath. To heighten the tension, Frank put his hand on his back and snapped the elastic band of his briefs. “You know what they do to little boys in prison?”







Crossroads Decadent Land of Falling
Deceptions Stars

Welcome Ms. Maddie James! Let’s get right into it. Maddie, tells us a bit about how you started writing.


Hi Ava! Thanks so much for having me on your blog. I started writing years ago, before I even conceived that I could be a writer. I’d jot down scenes and exchanges of dialogue, and then I’d fold them away in a notebook or in my underwear drawer. Then I’d tell myself, “You’re not a writer, you’re a teacher,” and off I’d go and do the teacher thing. But before too many years passed, I couldn’t ignore it any longer and it became more than an occasional thing, it became a way of life. I started out writing and publishing non-fiction locally and kept working on the fiction all the while. It took ten years of writing and learning about writing, before I published the first book.


Isn’t it funny how the writing bug bites you to get working on those budding ideas we all have. I see that you have been published in print and epublished. Do you have any advice for newer writers out there?



Keep writing. Think writing. Do writing. Every single day. Make it a lifestyle. Finish the manuscript, polish it up as pretty as you can, and market it. Then start the next one. Most of all, don’t give up.


Easier said than done, but you are proof that it can be done. I am hoping to enter print in the near future. I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN…
In three words, tell us how your best friend would describe you.


Creative. Witty. Smart.

Hum, those are all polite ways to say opinionated and troublesome—I would know since my friends describe me in much the same terms. Hey, we witty and smart women have to stick together and shine.
Moving on to one of my favorite questions…What do your heroes wear underneath their trousers, faded jeans, or leather pants?


Oh, boxers. Of course! Unless it’s nothing at all.


I agree. Although, I think nothing at all takes away from the suspense. LOL
What genres do you write? Do you have one that is your favorite to read or write? I am a lover of Sci-fi movies, but the writing and reading it is a whole different ballpark.


My friend Jan Scarbrough used to say, “Maddie, focus! Find one genre and stick to it!” I think she’s given up on me and frankly, it’s difficult to pin me down. I write time-travel with a hint of suspense and paranormal and oh, a little erotica thrown in there (how is that for a sub-genre?) I also write romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and erotica. I’ve just come out of the closet with a new pen name for my erotica—Mia Jae. You can read more about her at www.miajae.com


I think the technical term for women like us who float around the genre and subgenres to write whatever comes to mind is genre whore. LOL


Here is a fun question, who is your Favorite and Least Favorite Hollywood Actor/Actress?


My new favorite actor is Nathan Fillion. Sigh. Have you seen him on Castle? ABC, Monday evenings. 9 p.m. Don’t miss it.


Did you see him in Firefly or Serenity? Yummy! I love him as a thieving scoundrel. Honey, I will be watching his new show as faithfully as possible—darn my day job.


As far as actress, I’m a huge Sandra Bullock fan, and Julia Roberts, as well.


Can’t argue with them. They are each fabulous and seem like genuine people, unlike so many in the spotlight. I hate to end this, but why don’t you tell us where we can find you lurking online?


Oh heck. I’m usually bantering about with my SisterWriters (my critique and writing partners) on our own little loop. We also banter about on our SisterWriter blog, http://sisterwriters.blogspot.com. I check in with a few reader loops now and again. I blog (semi) regularly at my own blog, Life, Unedited, www.maddiejameslifeunedited.com and I also blog once a month on the Resplendence Publishing blogsite.
I also have my own yahoogroup, too. Feel free to join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maddiejames_newsandchats/ Oh, and I’m always a www.maddiejames.com LOL

Thanks so much, Ava!

You are more than welcome. It was a pleasure having you and I wish you many more sales in the future Maddie!

Maddie Jameswww.maddiejames.com
The Matchmaking Chef series, Perfectly Matched, Available Now!www.resplendencepublishing.com
See Mia Jae’s Nice & Naughty at www.miajae.com
Check out my Examiner page at http://www..examiner.com/x-4981-Romance-Novel-Examiner

I am personally sick and tired of irresponsible people. They are the reason that so many of us are out of jobs. The reason so many people who work actually make less than the ignorant (meaning lacking knowledge) individuals who are no good at any profession except sloth (and baby making--more welfare money in that don't you know).

This my "Soooo sick and feed up!" moment.

All of you know my usual sarcastic and smiling demeanor. But I am feed up with irresponsible individuals making decisions that ultimately affect every part of my life. Financially, most of us will never have the chance to recover from the nonsensical decisions made by a few with their own interests. Why the hell should my tax money go to better the lives of people who have never paid taxes and completely inept of any discernible skill?

"Here, please take the money that could pay off debt, and fund more welfare. I mean if we are all on welfare, then we have appropriately socialized and degraded our self worth down into the level of learned helplessness that will support the current idiotic beliefs of this blatantly wasteful system."

I think I'll move to Australia.