Sunday, January 31, 2010

ARe 50 percent off this weekend

Hey everyone, if you haven't heard already, a little birdie told me All Romance ebooks (ARe) are having a 50 percent off sale!
Woot!
That means Demon of Desire, and many many other books are half off ARe!

You should go and stock up....

:) Chloe

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

1Romance ebooks

Phaze and 1Romance ebooks are working together to get Phaze books on their site. I am just loading up my profile before I head out to class today...

1Romance ebooks

Friday, January 22, 2010

Oh no! How do I get this genie back in the bottle?

Today's entry is a follow up to my earlier post about disclosing about writing erotic romance . If you read my comments from that, you may guess certain family members visited today.

And the plot now thickens.

After my entry was read by some of my family, my mother put my Stepdad on the phone to explain it was not that he couldn't finish it, it was he didn't finish it.

I had assurances he would reading it today and this brought up a bunch of other issues.

I tried to explain he did not have to, and failed. Can I articulate here why? I am going to try.
Sex invokes a lot of feelings...no pun intended:) We all have attitudes and mores about it. In families and in life, we also have boundaries around this and many other things.

I fully understood if he was unable to read it. In fact, I had suggested he not read it, and read other writing I had. I was, though, upset if he had started reading it, and had to put it down because it made him uncomfortable. That was my concern, and the fear I and probably other writers may have when deciding who to tell.

I would be both boorish and bullying if I demanded people read my work, knowing it was beyond their interest or comfort level. The concept of "supporting me" doesn't give me a carte blanche to do this.

I remember a friend from years ago who started dancing. Yes, the pole kind. She wanted to have friends in the audience for support. I felt very awkward to be there but didn't want to deny her request. It is still hard to define why I felt the way I did. I know it's just a body. I guess I felt she was a friend, and there was a line I shouldn't cross. I felt I was witnessing something I shouldn't. I did sit in the audience as she asked, but my eyes were somewhere else. I think that while these situations are pretty different, the same principle is there.

We all have boundaries and comfort zones, and we have to respect them. And respect others.

My last post was really more about my own comfort level, and deciding what to share. Worrying about it, sometimes needlessly.

It's kind of too late to get the genie back in the bottle about this whole situation. I am glad we cleared up any misunderstanding, but it was never important that he read my work, this particular genre anyway. I know whether my Stepdad reads it or not, how he feels about me. And that includes the other friends or family I don't tell.

I just hope he understands how I feel about him. I love him.

I guess I just needed to know he was in the audience.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

"Coming out" of the Erotic Romance Writer closet ..or is my mom reading this?

Having my first novella published by Phaze, I had attained a dream I never thought I'd achieve. Getting published was one of the most exciting moments of my life, but there was one thing missing.

People who knew me, knowing about it.

Coming up with my alter ego Chloe Waits, I 've learned to slowly navigate blogs, myspace and even doing some set up with my own website. These were all big successes for a technophobe like me, but with each update, I could only slap myself on the back.
Well my husband could too. Or a few close friends.

The truth was I had limited people I felt I could share my news with.

Because I am writing about..gasp, the horror....sex!

It may seem ridiculous, but by writing erotic romance, I felt like those furtive men in shady book stores hiding things in plain brown wrapping. I started to build it up in my mind like I was leading a double life no one should know about. Ever.

My husband, bless him, encouraged me to tell a few members in my family. I got encouragement from a few others too. Slowly and haltingly I started to disclose, starting with my mom.

I remember stuttering to respond when asked exactly how much sex was in it as I made vague descriptions of the book.

In the end, my mom did read it. And loved it. And was, best of all, proud of me and excited for me.

I still haven't told everyone. My stepdad told me he couldn't finish it. My bio Dad and others, um still don't know.

I guess this is a personal choice for writers. An alter ego, pen name whatever you call it, allows us a bit of privacy. It may not be our experiences, but it's our imaginations, and sometimes that can feel pretty personal when we chose to write about intimate things.

To tell or not to tell.
I am half in, and half out.
How about you?

Demon of Desire a Top Pick at Book Vamps

Book Vamps (All Romance Ebooks) gave Demon of Desire a Top Pick!

I was really excited to get this review from Book Vamps:.

Book Vamps--November 10, 2009

Review from Book Vamps: "Demon of Desire by Chloe Waits was a steamy tale of self-discovery with a happy ending. Sarah's journey is one many women can relate to-afraid of love, afraid of rejection, more willing to give her body than her heart, she must break through the barriers in her mind to experience the possibilities life presents."

Thanks for reviewing my work, Book Vamps!


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