Mia Downing's Blog - Posts Tagged "mia-downing"

I find it interesting this time around, doing the writing thing. Music has been a driving inspiration and something I can credit for the huge amount of words I've put to the page.

I've done the go around thing many times. Pick up the pen, believe the evil voices that I suck, put the pen down, battle the evil voices with great loss of blood and self esteem. Then I listen to one single voice that says who gives a royal crap. Of course I do give a crap, but right now, the writing voices are stronger than the evil voices.

Maybe because I have new inspiration. Music. It's not a new inspiration because I've written to it before, but I've discovered something new. If I find the right song for the character or scene or moment, I can write faster, as if that bit I'm writing is channeled on the notes needed to for transportation.

This new book was interesting to write. It's my first m/m erotic romance, which is something I said I would never do (yes, hell is frozen, so go get a snow cone while you can.)

Hero A's song is a hard dance beat sung by the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, it's about abuse but also finding empowerment. The hero isn't abused,nor is he a woman, but the journey this book leads him on is a battle of empowerment and self, and he needs to find the strength to unleash the real man inside.

Hero B's song is by Snow Patrol and a song of ending things. His song actually fits at times, because he feels he's at the end, and he wants one last chance to enjoy things before Hero A sells off their island paradise.

Scenes that are full of angst are accompanied by 30 Seconds to Mars, "The Kill," the acoustic version, which is very sad and beautifully haunting. The song is about losing your mind, and neither character do, but they share one common bond--grief.

How do I know I have the right song? Oddly, when I start to write, I don't hear the song anymore. Not at all. If I can hear it, then usually the focus has changed and I need a different song.

I find songs different ways. The radio, of course. Youtube is a mecca of new song goodness. I also have a friend who is a college student--they seem to be up on the current stuff. I buy the song through Itunes or listen to it on Youtube if the song isn't available (the acoustic version above isn't, so it's all Youtube. Jared Leto is very distracting in a delicious way.)

How does music inspire you? I'd love to know.

So excited for release day! This is my second release but my first, full-length novel. So it feels like I've gone from a training bra to the real thing (and yes, I need that real bra badly.)

Visit my blog at Mia's Blog and leave the name of your favorite fictional spy and your email addy to win a copy!

Visit Long And Short Reviews for an interview and more fun information and another book giveaway!



Spy Games: Trained for Seduction is available at:

The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.com

Okay, how can anyone not admire that gorgeous chest and want to lick the water droplets from those abs? And that's just the cover!

The Blurb:
Lifeguard/artist Gavin White has been holding the ripped shreds of his life together by the seams. Facing the anniversary of his sister's death, he fights the dark call of dependency and is at the edge of succumbing when his best friend since preschool returns to his life. Handsome geek-turned-hunk, Erik Clarke, wasn't afraid to come out and had been bold enough to kiss Gavin the last time they were together. Damn that kiss. Gavin wants more. So much more, but he was never brave enough to tell Erik his dreams. With his future hanging by a tattered thread, Gavin must trade one temptation for another or risk ripping his life apart.

The Juicy Bits:
Ripped was supposed to be a short, fun m/m for the Boys of Summer series. I like conflict, and one of the heroes, Gavin, has a bit of baggage, which wasn’t revealed to me until I got to a certain shower scene. He’s a child of an alcoholic, and he suffers a lot of guilt and pain from that past. This wasn’t a direction I really wanted to go, seeing I am also a child of an alcoholic, and some of Gavin’s issues were my issues. But I considered it a way to purge, so I wrote it. The story is in no way autobiographical, and I think Gavin had the harder road to travel.

Two interesting things I discovered while writing Ripped. One was how I still have a very strong concept of ‘safe,’ meaning safe havens, safe people, safe jobs. When your home isn’t a safe place as a child, you tend to create these pockets of safe in your life. I had a huge upheaval of safe places this summer when I lost a job of 12 years due to sale of the company, and that was hard.

The other interesting thing was that Erik, Gavin’s best friend since preschool, never knew the extent of Gavin’s suffering. I have a friend I’ve known since I was ten, and she verified that no, I don’t talk about that aspect of my life. She knew my dad yelled, but she never knew why I practically lived at her (safer) home.

Anyway, that's a little bit about what went into the story. Since you've been good and read to the end, leave me a comment and I'll put you in the running for to give away a copy of Ripped, your choice of e-format. If you're not into m/m (silly rabbit) then I'll give one of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction or Exceeding Boundaries.

Hello. My name is Mia Downing. I write erotic romance.

The definition of that, from Wikipedia, is:
Erotic romance novels are stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction.[1] The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline.

Yep. That's exactly what I write. There are books out there that blur the rules, and some of those books have become really popular. That makes it hard for us who write to the rules, because the newbies to erotic romance expect everything to fall in line with the book they read and loved, not realizing there's a whole system to the madness, already in place.

I joke that there aren't many rules, and some of the few include don't love the dead people or pets, harm children or rape people. I'm good with all of those, because that doesn't excite me or my characters, and it's morally wrong. But did you know there are actually quite a few rules I have to follow, if I want to be published? Here is a list of the big rules.

1) Heat it up, fast!
That's a hard one, because the true readers of erotic romance (and my publisher) want the sizzle right from the get-go. I don't get 30 pages to slow-burn the lust between the characters and let them get to know each other over crumpets and tea. They want it fast, they want impact, they want a connection. That's hard, because if you have characters that are strangers to each other, you have to somehow make the attraction believable.

2) Lots o' sex!
Yep, the readers and publishers want this, too. Lots of sex, lots of details. I try very hard to show character growth, conflict, or motivation in my sex scenes so it's not just tossed in there for fun and giggles. I do a lot of dialogue and toss story line pieces into the sex, too. It's hard to write sometimes and I'll admit, sometimes I'm like, "really, who would read that?" Usually, that sex scene ends up to be the favorite one of test readers. Who figured?

In the sex, it's important to note there's a certain level of frank language that's expected. We call those 'buzz words.' So if you've read a book where the heroine might be referring to her delicate bits as 'down there' realize that's not at all par for the genre. In fact, in an erotic romance, the hero would probably demand she call her delicate bits what he calls them. Or vice versa. Do I like using buzz words? Hell no. It makes me cringe sometimes. But quite honestly, when I read books that use something flowery instead of the buzz word, I get a little cranky.

3) No 'I love you' until the end.
I never get to write the wedding scene, because in erotic romance, any romance really, once they say I love you, it's definitely over. Some authors don't even get to have characters say that, if they have a happily-for-now ending. Why? That's not what the reader/publisher wants. They want that romance formula, the chase, catch, release, suffer heartache and then resolve formula that works so well. Delving deeper, into a committed relationship or marriage, doesn't happen because usually, they say 'I love you' and the book is done. Unless they have an epilogue, or they're in a series (like my Spy Games series) you get a glimpse of what the future held for favorite characters.

This is a rule a few books break, because they go into a series that cumulates over the character's relationship. A lot of erotic romance publishers don't take serial/saga books. It will be interesting to see if guidelines change. However, from what I've seen, readers really hate that a book's conflict/romance isn't solved in a book. Hence why my series consists of stand-alone books with characters that cross-over. But each romance gets the happy ending at the end of their book.

4) Sometimes, you don't have any say in story length
It's interesting to see reviewers or readers complain about story length. Sometimes the author just doesn't have a say. If they want in on that series or anthology, an author has to come up with a story that fits the word count specified. That's really hard. I don't like to write short, and had a hard time doing so with Ripped. My Spy Games books are all full-length novels, and if they'd let me, they would have been longer. But you can only do so much sometimes.

5) Sometimes, the title and cover isn't what you wish it to be
If you want to sell sexy, your title and cover have to reflect that. I am horrible with titles, so I tend to name them after the character then brainstorm with my editor after she reads it. I know the title I pick isn't going to be sexy enough, and I've come to terms with that flaw. I also want a horse on every one of my covers, but I don't get one unless I write a Cowboy Kink. Now, I only have one book with a horse in it, but whatever. I can't complain at all about my covers--they're sexy and hot, and I love them all. But I won't deny that at times, I just want one of those tame covers with scenery and a cottage or something. A horse. If I want that, I have to go to a different genre, because that is not what sells.

So those are the rules I live with in my genre, erotic romance. Did they surprise you?

I'm also blogging over at Desiree Holt's blog so if you want a chance at free stuff, go there. But a comment here might win you something good...

They say as long as the voices don't tell you to do something heinous, like kill someone, you're okay. I'm not so sure about that, but I don't have to worry, because my characters don't speak to me. "What?" you shriek. "But you're a writer. What do you mean, they don't speak to you?" I know. I feel the same way.

Actually, mine speak to each other. It's like watching something on Netflix. They boot up, and sometimes it starts before I'm at the computer. That's a lot like real life because the family starts shows without me all the time. And then I sit there. I watch and listen, typing furiously as they do whatever it is they're doing, like fighting, or getting to know each other, or...well...other things I shouldn't probably watch but it's really fun and naughty.

Watching them is better than Netflix, because it has that theater feel to it, but I can hit rewind if I want. Sometimes I skip forward and write parts they're ready to rehearse. I don't have to write in order if they don't want to. Unfortunately, if they don't want to do their scenes, they don't have to. I don't know where they go when they hide, but it probably involves whiskey and Coke if it's Jake. I have to wait until they up and decide it's time to get stuff done. It can be frustrating the other way, because if they're on, then they are ON and they are not waiting. So type faster, writer lady.

Someone asked once if I'd do a character interview for Chase Sanders, my hero from Spy Games: Trained for Seduction, and I was surprised. First, he's never spoken to me, so I don't even know if he knows who I am. Second, he's a spy boss, so I'm supposed to think he works for the IRS or something. I'm not supposed to know who he is, and he'll be pissed as hell if he thinks his cover is blown. We won't even talk about what he'd do to me if I asked about his relationship with Kate. He's a very private person. He can snipe stuff at over a mile away and you'd never see it coming. Do I really want to tempt the man? Really?

Probably the only ones I could interview would be Kate Wells, Chase's woman, or Aaron James. Kate's new to the spy business so she has a hard time lying still. Aaron is an actor, and you haven't met him yet. He gives interviews all the time, but again, he's a fairly good liar, given the acting and he's Jake's brother. Kate would probably get her butt paddled for speaking with me, but since her ménage with Jake and Chase, she doesn't mind paddling. Jake would just lie and make stuff up, but he'd be charming as hell. Jake also wouldn't let me near Tia for an interview, seeing he's as protective as Chase about his woman. Charlotte...I wouldn't get the time of day with her.

So I'm sad they don't talk to me. I'd like to do a character interview someday, damn it. Maybe I need to find more friendly characters.


So my question is, do your characters talk to you? Am I the only crazy one who doesn't get a conversation?

Team Chase? Team Jake? Undecided? Who Cares?

Well, when there's free stuff involved, everyone cares! Read on to get to the free stuff.

Agent Jake Anderson is one of my favorite charmingly smart spies. His personal slogan: Lovin' me should be dirty. He is featured in a book coming out NOVEMBER 2, 2012. Spy Games: Lethal Limits is book 2 in the Spy Games series. (Shh, don't tell him it's erotic romance. He loves the kinky stuff, but he's afraid of love. He thinks he's in an action spy book with explosions and gunfights.)

Now, if you're afraid to read out of order, don't be. Our Team Jake fan club president was hooked as a cold turkey beta reader. It pisses Chase (book 1) off, but Jake needs love. Come. I'll introduce you to Jake.

Secret Agent Jake Anderson is the perfect best man, best friend, best partner. He hates running, courier runs and anything to do with barfing women, even if they are his best friend's wife. He secretly loves Paris. He openly loves missions that end in gunfights and exploding cars, anything kinky, fantasy role playing, and his favorite love--tying up willing women and making them scream his name. He's not boyfriend material, not one bit. He doesn't fall in love. So why the hell is he suddenly feeling all weird about his best friend's wife?

Jake's worried it might be love, but he's not so sure. He's is loyal enough to his best friend, Chase Sanders, to want to run and abandon his buddy's barfing wife--his work partner--in their Paris hotel room. It doesn't help that downstairs, in the bar, waits a willing woman--Tia Richards--one he had once tied up and run out on, leaving her unfulfilled. It wasn't his fault work had issued a 9-1-1 to the airport, and he did untie her before leaving. Jake has these odd feelings for Tia, too. She's wild and twisted, and he's quite happy with not adding notches to the bedpost with Tia in his life. But these silly emotions for Tia also smack of something deeper, things a man whore shouldn't be experiencing.

Poor Jake! He spends most of his adult life avoiding love and now he has not one woman, but two, he's feeling iffy things for. So what's a man whore to do? RUN.

GIVING STUFF AWAY!

I don't wish to live like a hoarder, so I'm pimping 2 print copies of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction on GoodReads to make room in the clutter. Plus it's sort of a party, for Jake's big day! He loves a good party. I have no clue where it shows up (I just put it on line) so try here: Mia's page or click the book cover.

SPECIAL UPDATE!

Edits are underway for something fun. Jake is a little pissed his birthday menage is off-screen between books 1 and 2. You don't turn thirty-five every year, and he thinks he deserves a short story.

So check back for the release of his story, featuring a bit of background for the last book, Spy Games: Endgame. Is there much plot? No. It's some office chatter and a whole bunch of sexy Chase, Kate and Jake action. Jake gets to be 'hostess,' which is code for him being in charge. Jake at the wheel of anything could be dangerous, and he does like missions that end in gunfights and exploding cars.

If you read this far, you deserve a cupcake! Or a present! Leave a comment if you're Team Chase, Team Jake, or undecided. You'll be tossed into the running for an advanced e-copy of Spy Games: Lethal Limits (Jake!) OR an e-copy of book 1 (Chase!) Spy Games: Trained for Seduction.

Ready for some tortured Chase?

Chase Sanders has never had trouble being the boss before, until he met sexy spy Kate Wells. He's been assigned the task of training her to learn the art of seduction, for her first--and possibly last--mission. Yeah, he's feeling a little conflicted right now, because how can he send her off to die when all he wants is to love her? Enjoy!



“You’re sorry for what?"

“I’m sorry for being the man you’ll learn to hate.” She opened her mouth, and he shook his head. “You will hate me. I’ll send you to hell and back, make you do horrible things, and though the safety of America is worth it to me, I’m not so sure it’s worth it to you. I hate my job for taking someone I saw as so pure and beautiful, and turning her into a fucking hot, killing machine.”



Available at:The Wilder Roses Catalog AmazonBN


Want to play? The rules are easy. Visit Six Sentence Sunday, sign up, then come Sunday, post yours! Go check out the links to other great blurbs!

Besides FFA in high school, I was never really in any clubs. But I am now!

The Chick Lits are hosting Spy Games: Trained for Seduction as their October book read. The hostess for the month is the fabulous Christi Snow and she left a great review right here at GR.

Christi is giving away 2 print copies of Trained for Seduction if you leave a comment on the blog link above.

I'll give away two e-copies on my blog if you'd rather read it the newfangled way. You can leave a comment below, or at Mia's other blog.

And for your enjoyment, a nice, long excerpt from Spy Games: Trained for Seduction. This is the longer version of the six sentences posted for Sunday. Chase has never had a hard time being the boss, until he met Kate on an undercover assignment under the alias Alex Bishop. He has to come to grips with the fact that her first--and maybe last--mission will probably end in her death. How can he send a woman to hell and back when she loves him? And more importantly, how can he send her if he's the one with feelings...

Excerpt from Spy Games: Trained for Seduction

Kate looked away, unsure, and then her glare returned. “If you weren’t ordered to make love to me this weekend, would you have?”

She didn’t believe him, probably because she assumed he was as shallow as he was attractive. He swallowed again, not wanting to tell the truth. He had to, though. It was time for her to see the boss side of him. The man who would send her away to do God knows what with a madman.

“No. We would never have made love. Ever. I would have been your boss, and you would have been my spy. Period.” She stiffened and he hastily added, “Not for the reasons you think. This isn’t about you, not one iota. You are so damned attractive to me. The entire package. But this heavenly weekend of sex with you means our work life is going to be hell from here on out. I would have avoided that at all costs, but it was taken out of my hands. You don’t understand what kind of man I am, Kate. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry for being the man you’ll learn to hate.” She opened her mouth, and he shook his head. “You will hate me. I’ll send you to hell and back, make you do horrible things, and though the safety of America is worth it to me, I’m not so sure it’s worth it to you. I hate my job for taking someone I saw as so pure and beautiful, and turning her into a fucking hot, killing machine.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking tough, mulish. “I don’t regret it one bit. I’m happier now than I ever was in my life, Chase. I’m trapped, sure, but at least there’s some say. At least I know the rules up front.

"With my father, there were no rules. I was smart in the lab, but he found fault with every other aspect of my life and was mentally abusive. He was crazy, delusional, and it would have been a matter of time before he turned on me. He tried to sell my virginity to you, so what else would he have done? I don’t regret Alex kissing me, taking me to third base. And I don’t regret Chase being my first. I don’t regret becoming a fucking hot, killing machine. I feel free.”

“You’re still going to hate me.” He felt as if he were drowning, and she was standing on shore with a life preserver and he couldn’t ask for it, not even to save his life.

“Maybe. But isn’t there the possibility that we might end up loving each other? We have something special. I feel it. I know you do. Our lives don’t have to be hell.”

Chase sighed, closed his eyes for a second, and kissed Lady Luck goodbye forever. “Don’t go there, Kate. Please.”

Kate squared her shoulders, and Chase held up a finger. He wanted to tell her the truth, that he already loved her, to let her love him in return. The part of him that was the boss knew what was in store for her. He would destroy her eventually. He couldn’t live with himself if she loved him.

He steeled his heart and said, “You cannot fall in love with me. Don’t. If you feel that coming on, then kill it hard and fast. And run. Love doesn’t work for spies. I did that, once. It ended miserably. And I’m telling you, you will hate me.”

She looked so sad, lost, and he hated twisting the knife when he’d already stabbed her with it. But it was the kindest thing he could do at this point. Better she go back to thinking he was the devil. The egotistical bastard she hated. She needed to move on, fast, so if she lived, she could have a somewhat normal life, with a man who wouldn’t have to crush her.

She swallowed. “Are you telling me this as my boss?”

“I’m telling you this as Chase. Me. Just don’t, Kate. Please, just hate me a little now, so it’s easier on you later, when I destroy you.”

Big Changes!!!

My awesome publisher, The Wild Rose Press, is a business that tries to stay with the times. I think in this economy it's hard to stay ahead, so as long as we're jogging along with reality, I'm a happy girl. Because of their forward thinking, they're trying something a little different to get product out to the readers in a bigger fashion.

So...Jake (Spy Games: Lethal Limits) has been released today as a Amazon KDP select book!



Amazon Buy Link


Blurb for Spy Games: Lethal Limits (book 2)
Secret Agent Jake Anderson would rather have the measles than love his best friend's wife. So when she gives him a mission--to find his own woman to love--he knows just the woman to target. Exotic beauty Tia Richards--his new partner--is wild, twisted, and has no limits when it comes to adventure, in bed and out. She's perfect for him. Now he just has to get Tia and his heart to agree.

Sexy spy Tia Richards has a problem, and the solution is Jake. The last time they hooked up, he left her bound and begging, unfulfilled, so close to finally getting the fireworks she deserves. But Jake loves his former partner, and Tia refuses to be second best. Will she listen to the ache in her heart that whispers she has what it takes to be first in Jake's life, or will lethal limits separate them forever?

The great thing is this will allow us to take advantage of all of the perks the KDP program is famous for--days we can offer a story for free to thank readers, days we can offer sales. In the future, it will make longer erotic romance books quicker on the release schedule. We have to wait at least 8 weeks after the final galley is approved before the print copy is ready for publication. This way the e-book can be available first, and the print copy can be prepared within the time frame.

I'm sad we won't release in print or other distributors until January 11, 2013. However, if you're a Nook or other e-reader client, I'll make sure to have Nook e-copy contests to make the book available for you. Of course, Kindle is an application you can download to your PC or other device for free. I use Kindle for PC and I love it. I believe books are also readable through Cloud, too.

And also....

Announcing the impending release of

Birthday Games (Spy Games 1.5)


I'm releasing a short menage story featuring a few of my favorite spies--Jake Anderson, Chase and Kate Sanders as a Amazon KDP select novella. Here's the blurb:

What do you give the spy who has everything for his thirty-fifth birthday? A menage, of course. Secret Agent Jake Anderson can't believe his good fortune. He's always had the hots for his best friend's blonde bombshell wife, but Kate is also his partner and he knows better than to cross the line unless Chase gives the word. But all lines are erased for a night of sinful pleasure with is best friends, and even better, Jake gets to be in charge. Since Jake loves nothing more than missions that end in gun fights and car explosions, he's gearing up for one smokin' hot birthday party.

Birthday Games (Spy Games 1.5) is a short, erotic story featuring Chase and Kate Sanders and of course, Jake Anderson, spies from the Spy Games series by Mia Downing. This sexy, hot read gives eager readers a glimpse of what happens between books 1 and 2. There is nothing revealed that you won't learn eventually, but sometimes having advanced knowledge is half of the fun!

Jake's Gift contains: Explicit language, really graphic, smokin' hot, kinky sex between consenting adults. Expect to enjoy light BDSM, spanking, m/f/m action, birthday cake, Jake's crazy birthday games and more!

Here's my Six Sunday Sentence offering from Spy Games: Lethal Limits! 

The set up: 

Secret Agent Tia Richards doesn't know what to make of her sexy new partner, Jake Anderson, on their first afternoon of an ordered R&R weekend. She expects him to want to start right in with the sex like all the men in her past, but he's been nothing but a gentleman all afternoon, and he's now pulled her into his arm for a sweet slow dance in the kitchen while dinner cooks. Not at all what she expected from the infamous man whore, and she finds she wants more of this man!
Six Sentences from Spy Games: Lethal Limits