My Manucript’s Synopsis

April 12, 2012 Writing

I’ve written a lot about my manuscript in this blog, but I haven’t revealed what the story is about.

Since I’ve entered Passionate Ink’s Stroke of Midnight contest and I had to submit a synopsis with my entry, I thought I’d post the synopsis of my novel.

Here it is:

Mark is attacked by guilt after each encounter with Rachel. Having an affair with your brother’s wife can do that. Unfortunately for him the self deprecating episodes don’t actually lead to him ending it… She’s an all consuming need that can’t be denied.

One morning, after a heated night of pleasure, the guilt shows him a cowardly way out. He tries to follow through, but, yet again, finds it impossible when confronted with the fiery mix of feelings she inspires.

The words he uttered trying to bring their affair to an end didn’t have the effect he intended, but there are other consequences. Rachel starts asking questions and discussing issues they had always left alone, merely concentrating on their passion; and she won’t be deterred in her pursuit of answers. In a way he never imagined possible, his botched up attempt at a break up sets in motion the demise of his brother’s marriage and he will have to live with that for the rest of his life.

His whole family’s world is set upside down when Rachel and him go to the next level, and in the middle of that turmoil Mark must decipher what their relationship means to him and where it will lead now that the rules of the game have changed. His desire never falters; struggling for legitimacy strengthens their bond, but is that all there is? Is he prepared for more? Mark must come to terms with his feelings and his actions and mature along the way if he wants to build a new life with Rachel… Is he up to the task?

I hope the story appeals to you.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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Contest Straight Ahead

April 11, 2012 Writing

I’ve been working on the revision of my manuscript and really focusing on that first chapter.

Everyday I’ve read it out loud and in my head and found the passages or words that detract from the flow and from engaging the reader from the get-go and worked on improving them.

I’ve made what I feel is a lot of progress and have decided to take the leap and enter it in the Stroke of Midnight contest that Passionate Ink has once a year.

Passionate Ink is the Romance Writer’s of America erotic romance chapter and they’ve been holding the Stroke of Midnight contest for the past 7 years.

If I’m to “come out” as a writer, what better way than by entering a contest. Just by entering I come one step closer to my goal.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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A Lot of Reading… A Lot of Thinking

April 10, 2012 Reading, Writing

I’ve read a lot over the past 2 weeks.

I’ve come across several e-books that have made me think about the themes and characters that I want to write about. Not only that I want to write about, but that I can write about.

Even though as a reader there are certain ero-rom subgenres I gravitate to, or a certain level of graphicness in language that I don’t mind, I don’t come up with the same kind of stories when I write.

Nonetheless, I believe that all the erotic romance novels that appeal to me have the same core experience of love as a life changing experience, and that is definitely something I want my writing to have.

So much reading, and so many different love stories, with varying degrees of steaminess, diverse kind of obstacles and settings, sent my creative mind racing: so many possibilities, so much to learn in terms of what to do and what not to do with my own writing.

It also got me thinking about where the stories that I want to tell fit in the erotic romance marketplace. There are historical/cowboys/menage novels, contemporary/interracial/fantasy novels, futuristic/May-December/suspense novels, and the permutation of settings and themes goes on and on.

It can be a bit overwhelming, but I’m starting to get my bearings and to accept that this is a work in progress.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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“Love Unspoken” Review

April 9, 2012 Reading

Thanks to an unexpected attack of insomnia I found myself searching on the Siren Publishing website for an e-book that I’d bought and read in the past, but that I no longer had in my laptop.

I didn’t find it, but I bought another e-book that caught my eye “Love Unspoken” by Delilah Hunt.

Even though the book is very basic in terms of plot, character development, and narrative structure, the story moved me somehow.

I’ve been thinking about it, wondering how this underdeveloped novel had such an effect on me. I especially wonder because the language used for the love scenes can be crude at times and there really weren’t that many of them either.

I think that at the heart of my positive experience is the male character, Cole McKinney, a “Gentle Giant” of sorts. He’s a tall, sexy, mute who feels deeply and works tirelessly for those he loves. As a ranch hand he’s “the boy from the wrong side of the tracks” for the female protagonist, Noelle Williams, a petite recovered drug-addict afraid of ever disappointing her family again.

The fact that Cole can’t speak, can’t orally express his emotions and thoughts, permeates the story. He’s not a simpleton, but he is simple and uncomplicated in his feelings and wants. He also has a strong presence thanks to the personal inner strength he’s developed to withstand the injustice of being judged by his disability instead of by his skills.

In a way, Cole’s large physical build, the apparent fact that his family’s ranch is all he knows, and the way his emotional self-preservation have led him to have but 2 sexual partners in his life, also make him a modern version of the “Noble Savage”.

The result is that the sex scenes are full of primal emotions, of untainted sexuality, as well as of raw desire. Cole uses his body, his visceral need of Noelle, to express his love. His sex becomes an offering to the woman he worships and it also provides her with comfort at the same time it fuels her hunger for him.

Cole dared to dream about Noelle, and dared to become her lover because she wanted him. He dared to love her even though he didn’t think she’d ever feel more than a lustful affection for him and that he thought that she deserved more than the poverty he had lived in.

There’s a warm innocence in the way Cole loves Noelle that makes him proud of the deep hunger they feel for each other, of the way their bodies can tirelessly pursue pleasure when they’re together.

Most definitely what I enjoyed more about this erotic romance I found in between the lines, in the interesting creative concept that is Cole McKinney. I wonder how such a powerful story element could be used in a more polished novel.

I hope to be able to find that book someday!

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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“Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” Review

April 5, 2012 Reading

I just finished reading “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” by Kate Pearce and have to admit that I’m a bit confused.

Reading the first half of the novel was easy. The story moved along at a good pace and, part of what kept it moving, were the love scenes between the main characters, Lauren and Grayson. (That’s always good!) The scenes strike a nice balance between steamy and sweet. It seems that whenever the actions or the words go to one extreme (steamy/sweet) something happens or is said that evens things out.

Everything starts when Lauren and Grayson, literally, bump into each other in Las Vegas and act on the immediate attraction they feel by first, sleeping together, and then, getting married. Lauren runs away the morning after determined to get a divorce.

Grayson wants to give the marriage a try and gets Lauren to agree to spend one weekend with him at his ranch and for him to spend one weekend with her in San Francisco.

It was when the second weekend (the one in San Francisco) started that I found myself skimming over passages and feeling a shift in the pace of the novel. It almost felt like the main characters where responding to the setting and becoming other people. The erotic action didn’t diminish but it took on a totally different dimension.

The fact that once Lauren and Grayson find themselves in San Francisco they are both forced to own up to the familial/emotional hang ups that are at the core of the issues keeping them apart, also has a direct impact on the development of their love story.

The issues are shown very superficially through dialogue and a couple of convoluted incidents, to their detriment because what is hinted at are some very serious problems that make, specially Lauren’s level of independence, seem unlikely. Needless to say that the problems are not even remotely resolved, only shoved under the carpet in a way that makes them less annoying.

I felt there was a connection between Lauren and Grayson, but I also felt that Grayson’s character was more drawn out than Lauren’s was, with the nagging result that her emotions seemed questionable.

It just seemed that she didn’t know who she was besides her father’s victim. For all her talk of being a professional business woman and past lawyer, her identity, beyond being the child of a powerful and scary man, isn’t completely understood by her or the reader.

So when Lauren says she loves Grayson it’s hard to believe that she knows enough about herself to know that or that she has enough confidence in herself to assert the value of this relationship in her life.

It’s Grayson you root for throughout the novel. He knows enough about himself; who he is, who he isn’t, to recognize the worth of what he feels for Lauren and to fight for it. As a reader, you want to see that kind of unconditional devotion be rewarded, especially when he’s willing to lavish his lady with pleasure and love.

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Searching for New Titles

April 4, 2012 Reading

Hello.

I’ve been a reader of erotic romances for a long time. I’ve visited the Ellora’s Cave, Siren Publishing, and New Concepts Publishing websites many a times searching for something interesting to read.

I discovered Sara McCarty at Ellora’s Cave and was simply amazed by the length, the whirlwind of emotions, and the eroticism of her love scenes in the Promises series. In “Promises Prevail” specially Clint’s and Jenna’s lovemaking goes on for pages on end.

I was also taken with Lorelei James’ “Long Hard Ride”. I hadn’t read a cowboy erotic romance before and I was hooked by her series featuring the gorgeous McKay clan.

I’m sorry to say that just as I’ve found authors and stand-alone novels that I’ve really enjoyed, I’ve found more then my share of duds. So I’m always on the look out for another great reading experience in the erotic romance category.

It’s been a while since I discovered something new. My most recent reads were in series I was already familiar with, so I’ve been trolling the Amazon search engine for new titles to try out.

After going through several titles, reading several first pages, and getting acquainted with books’ reviews, I settled on “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” by Kate Pearce.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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Goodreads

April 3, 2012 Reading

Hello.

I understand that becoming a part of the Erotic Romance Community means jumping in and finding my place within it.

Even though I’m working on being a writer within said community, I’ve been a part of it for a long time, as a reader. It makes sense then that one of the online profiles I create be on Goodreads.

I started rating novels I’d read when I signed up and can barely believe that I’m up to 55 titles already, specially since there are many e-books that I’ve read that I don’t remember the title of, or simply don’t remember.

This is the link to my profile: http://www.goodreads.com/sbgabriel, and I’ve added a widget to the sidebar of my blog so that you can see what I’ve read (my shelf).

I’ve only written a couple of reviews, but hope to add more over time.

I’m just starting to explore Goodreads but it seems like a great place to find new books to read and to find people with similar reading tastes.

I hope to connect with you there.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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A Lesson in Writing

April 2, 2012 Reading, Writing

Hello.

I just finished reading “The Alibi” by Sandra Brown. It isn’t an erotic romance novel, but it does have some sensual elements since the plot revolves around the first night together between the main character and his love interest.

I picked the book up in the library. I was actually looking for a mystery or thriller and the title made me think that the story would have a whodunit mixed in. I wasn’t wrong in that respect, but what made me check out the book was reading the first few pages and admiring the writing style of the author.

The writing had a terrific flow to it; it was simple and effective. It was very easy to imagine the movements and actions of the characters. They were really 2-dimensional but what we learn of them is what we need to know to make the story plausible and to keep the plot in perpetual motion.

Even though “The Alibi” isn’t an erotic romance novel, it was a lesson in writing nonetheless, and that’s always valuable.

Sandra Brown definitely knows how to reel the reader in and to keep her storytelling dynamic. That’s something that any book, no matter the genre, is in acute need of, and seeing (or reading) how it’s done is important for learning to improve as a writer.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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What About Strategy?

March 30, 2012 Reading, Writing

Hello.

This blog has come about because I’ve decided to take my writing vocation seriously. That means of course, identifying myself as a writer, but it also means building the foundations of my writing career.

Through this blog I work on both: I write about creating this new identity and I try to find someone out in the online world to which my writing will appeal.

I’m learning a lot in the process. The most interesting and complex part of this journey is that I have to write (fiction), I have to write about my writing life (blog), and I have to spread the word about both (erotic romance community).

That means that besides having this blog I have had to research to find where erotic romance readers and writers are hanging out. I keep doing that research and, I’m pretty sure that over time, as I find my place within this community, it will stop being research (me on the outside looking in) and will become involvement (me as an active participant).

On the sidebar of this blog I’ve identified some websites that I’ve found valuable as a result of this research and will keep adding more as I make more interesting discoveries.

This is definitely a balancing act that will keep me busy and challenged.

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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Creative Routine

March 28, 2012 Writing

Hello.

So, I think I’m finally hitting my stride and starting to understand what my creative routine will have to be like for the next few months as I strive to make my first erotic romance novel as polished as possible.

The first draft is ready. I’ve let it “stew” for more than a year and over the past 2 weeks I’ve read about editing and have also read other erotic romance novels in order to get a since of what I should be focusing on in this next revision/rewriting stage of my manuscript.

I definitely feel the characters and the plot require more fleshing out and I think that providing more contrast between the people they are in the relationship and the people they are outside of it will help with that.

I want to preserve the angst that’s there but I also want to add an element of joy or humor to add that contrast and create balance, or a more rounded story.

Back to my creative routine… I’ve decided to write for at least 2 hours a day. I’ll try to write as much as my day job allows, but no less than my established 2 hours.

I’ll continue to look for, choose, and read books that can give new perspectives, new tools, or simply more motivation to my beloved craft, as well.

Wish me luck!

Write to you soon.

S.B. Gabriel

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