Discussion Time: Bad Boy vs. Good Guy

I was chatting to an author friend of mine the other day about bad boys and good guys. We were discussing the merits of both types of love stories.

The ones where the bad boy is turned around by the love of a good girl is appealing. There is something very sexy about it, yet also redeeming. I think it's easy to be attracted to a bad boy. There is something dangerous and sexy about them. The only thing I don't like about it, is the way these female characters put up with being treated like crap. Because sometimes bad boys are just bad boys and there is no redemption for them. I read a great book last month by Anna Cruise - If I Fall and it was actually refreshing to read about a bad boy, who actually stayed bad, because at his core he was a callous jerk. It made the good guy in the story so much cooler.

Which leads me to the good guys.
I love good guys. I love the idea that they exist :) Because they do. There are plenty of amazing men in this world who really care about their women. They want to protect and cherish their girl and I love writing characters like that. They may not be quite as dangerous and sexy, but they are just so incredibly sweet and good, we don't need them to be.

This discussion got me thinking about all the love interests I've written in my books and I've quickly come to realize that I like writing characters that are now good, but used to be bad - like Dale Finnigan from the Betwixt Series. He has been one of my favourite characters to write. Because of his bad boy years he has a depth of character that I love.

Who are you attracted to in books?
Do you like the bad boy? The good guy? Or the guy who has redeemed himself and become worthy of the girl's love?

Me personally - I like reading all three. Variety is the spice of life, right?

COVER REVEAL - Say Yes by Tara West

It is my total pleasure to be a part of Tara West's next cover reveal.

 Say Yes by Tara West 

(Something More #2) 

Publication date: October, 2013

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Andrés, why can’t it be enough that I love you? That I want to spend forever with you. Why must you expect so much more? I’m not ready for marriage and a family. I don’t know if I ever will be.

Christina, I need to know that what I’m putting into this relationship isn’t all for nothing. To me, you mean everything. But I won’t be your stepping stone. Because as much as it would kill me, if you refuse to commit to something more, I will walk away.

Will Christina ever be ready? Will Andrés stay or walk? Will their love endure or is it doomed before they even have a chance?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/series/107866-something-more

******

A former Texas high school teacher, I enjoyed coaching the writing team and even the hectic deadlines that came with running the school publications. After taking a break to raise my baby girl, I now work from home as a cover artist.

In my spare time, I loves to read, exercise and spend time with family and friends. I contribute the cover art for my Whispers Series and have designed covers for over 500 other books. 

Please visit me at http://www.tarawestauthor.wordpress.com/ or www.tarawest.com where you can check out my Whispers series and sample my artwork.

Website: http://tarawestauthor.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaraWestauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1731936.Tara_West

COVER LOVE: September Edition

This week is all about COVERS. Yay! I have a cover reveal for Tara West on Thursday, but today, I want to highlight some of the new covers that have really caught my eye.

The first cover that really caught my eye this month is from Lizzy Ford's upcoming book. The cover for her upcoming release is STUNNING and so powerful. I'm not really into witches and voodoo and stuff, but this cover takes my breath away.

Ella James has redone her Love Inc. Series. The new covers are gorgeous. I really liked the old ones too, but these ones have a very different feel and I think they work brilliantly.

Redoing covers can be an excellent way to ramp up sales or find a new audience. Because of this, I am giving my Elements Trilogy a make over. Keep an eye out for the Cover Reveal - Oct 1st and the One Day Sale to celebrate - Oct 2nd.

New Release - Before by Melissa Pearl

(A Betwixt Novella #0.5) (Betwixt Series)

Book Description:

Dale Finnigan is a teenage rebel; he lives for parties, girls and joy riding in stolen cars. In spite of his uptight parents' constant warnings and lectures, he continues to run wild. His crazy lifestyle is the only way he can live and feel free…until his reckless behavior takes him down a path where there is no going back.

In this prequel to BETWIXT, find out who Dale Finnigan was before he became known as “scar-face”—the unassuming hero everyone underestimates.

WARNING: This book is intended for mature teen readers due to coarse language and mature content.

Purchase Links:

*On SALE for only 99 CENTS!*

Amazon

Smashwords

Excerpt:

The car horn sounded like a trumpet, making me laugh hysterically. Hugh was anything but subtle. Jamming my feet into my Converse shoes, I tie the laces in a hurry and rush for the door.

"Where are you going?"

My mother, one of the shortest people I know, tries to block my way. I gently nudge her aside as I zip up my hoody. "I'm going out," I mumble.

"No you're not. It's Friday night. You have youth group. Your father is expecting to see you there."

"Well he's going to be disappointed...again. How many times do I have to tell you guys I'm not interested? I don't want to sound snarky, but I can't help it. I hate youth group. I hate church. I hate that my minister is my dad who is constantly harping on about it and forcing me to go to stuff that is as boring as hell. It's bad enough they force me to the Sunday morning snore-fest each week. I decided a few months ago, that my parents could stop stealing my Friday nights as well. I used to sneak out after youth group all the time, but it was getting tiring. The last few months of just skipping it have been much easier, although I could do without the arguments.”

"Dale, stop."

I don't bother holding in my sigh as I pause by the front door. My mother's voice, usually so soft and sweet has taken on a hard edge. It's been doing that a lot lately.

"You know the rules."

Do I ever!

"You must attend youth group. How do you think it looks to the parishioners when their own minister's son doesn't even show up?"

"I don't care how it looks." I spin around to face her. "I don't care what any of those people think. I'm not here to impress them. I never asked to be a minister's kid."

"Dale…"

"No! I'm going out."

Her expression crests with sadness before bunching into a tight frown.

I race out the door before she can stop me. Her voice chases me down the path all the way to Hugh's car. I slam the door shut, trying to block out the, "Dale, you get back here right now!"

"Go, man, go!"

Hugh nods and screeches away from the curb, but not fast enough for me to miss the tears welling in my mother's eyes. I shouldn't have looked back.

I hate that. Why does she have to go crying about it and making me feel bad? Maybe if her and Dad would stop lumping so many rules on me, and actually listen to what I had to say, I wouldn't have to cause her so much pain. This had been brewing for years, mostly without me knowing it, but at the end of my freshman year I just snapped. I couldn't play the role anymore. I refused to keep following the rules I thought were stupid. They weren't doing it because they loved me, they were just worried about what the damn church goers thought. It was all about appearances to them. I refused to follow some religion I wasn't even sure I believed in. Hypocrites were the worst kind of sinners, and I wasn't going to be lumped in with them.

No, I had chosen to swing to the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Having spent a lifetime living by the letter of the law, I was now doing my best to live as far from the law as possible. 

Add it to your TBR list on GOODREADS!

Melissa Pearl’s September Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway

Wow! This month seems to be all about the giveaways! Bring it on :D

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I am celebrating the release of Before (this week!!!!) and also acknowledging the fact that Christmas is less than 4 months away (sweet!!!) by running a giveaway.

A bunch of fabulous authors have also donated towards it, so there are four luscious prize packs including all the books listed in this picture.

Entry details are below.
Good luck and have fun!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Dauntless Indie Giveaway!!

Everyone loves a good giveaway and this one is EPIC! A few of my books have been thrown into the mix so I wanted to let you know about it. This is a great chance to discover some new authors and be in with a chance to win some great prizes.

Entries details below.
Have fun and good luck :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW RELEASE: Wilder Mage by CD Coffelt

Now this book isn't strictly YA, but it's written by someone who has reviewed my books in the past and as a way to support her, I want to tell the world about her latest release!

The earthquake wasn’t his fault. Not this time.
Justus Aubre is a wilder. A mage unbound to the Imperium, and therefore a dangerous wild card in their eyes. The Imperium wants him, wants his power, but Justus has hidden for many years and now has some semblance of a normal life. All that’s about to change when Sable Rounds walks through the door of his antique shop, looking for work. Justus instantly knows what Sable is, he just doesn’t know the danger he’s in.
Alone, also on the run from the Imperium, Sable longs for a normal life. For somewhere to belong. She finds this when Justus hires her, but she knows it’s temporary and fragile, an illusion. Though she hates to think about it, she knows that one day she will have to move on.
The Imperium is always behind her, waiting. When they finally find Sable, they find Justus. And all hell’s about to break loose.

Bio:
CD Coffelt lives outside Maryville, Missouri with a bemused husband and way too many cats. She adores all things fantasy with a special love for urban and epic.
 
With a passion for good writing and Doritos as companions, locating Middle-Earth on a dusty road in rural Missouri wasn’t difficult. All it took was a little Magic, hours of reading, and an overactive imagination.
You can visit her blog at www.spiritcalled.blogspot.com.

Wilder Mage
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The Ultimate Guide to Editing and Revising by Sandra Miller

Being a good writer is one thing, while being a good editor is completely different. There is a great possibility that someone is going to ask you to edit or review some type of document at some point of your career. It may be your boss who needs you to expand a certain report that has been started by another employee, or it may be your friend who is asking for help on proofreading a paper.

Whatever the task is, proofreading and editing someone else’s work can be a real challenge. First of all, it is not easy to determine the weak sports and the changes that need to be made, as you could end up making the writer unhappy with the changes, especially if you alternated their style of expression. Becoming a good editor takes finesse, but as anything else in life – practice will make you better. Before you start practicing, take our editing and revising tips into consideration and make your work much easier!

Measure twice before you cut!

This saying may sound as a cliché, but it is very applicable in this situation. Before you make any types of changes in the document, you should think carefully and take the entire picture into consideration. Proofreading the document without reading its entire content first can mislead you into making improper alternations. It is very important to read the text before you start making corrections, since that is the only way to get an understanding of the writer’s tone, style and intentions. Being familiarized with the subject matter is more than necessary if you want to deliver good editing work.

Another recommendation we can provide is to ask the writer about the goals they want to achieve with the editing. Some editing tasks require information checks, others require the document to be expanded, and some writers simply want the editor to take care of the spelling and grammar mistakes.

Watch out for the most common errors: Homonyms

Microsoft Word has a great spelling and grammar check tool which can take care of most typos, but some of the mistakes within the document still go by unnoticed. Usage of the wrong word is one of the most common errors writers make. For example, the use of ensure instead of assure is quite common. If you are a careful and diligent editor, you will easily spot these mistakes and correct them.

Pay attention to style corrections

As an editor, you will sometimes need to alter the style of the writing. For example, some style guides prefer writing e-mail over email, while others prefer the latter. The best way to be sure of what you are doing is to consult the style guide of the company or industry the document belongs to. If there are no such guidelines, you should correct the writing according to your preferences, but make sure to keep the style consistent throughout the entire document.

Editors need to research too!

When you are sure that some pieces of information within the writing are wrong, but you aren’t sure how to correct them, doing some research is your only option. The clues of the context may lead you towards figuring out how to make the correction, but do not make guesses if you are not 100% sure of what you are doing. You can make a note within the document and consult the writer (or another person responsible for the document) to ask if they are aware of the mistake and if they can provide you with instructions.

Forget your personal preferences

Sometimes you just won’t like the writer’s style and your instincts will tell you to change it more than necessary. If your job is to only correct the obvious mistakes, the writer may be offended when you deliver a document that has been completely altered and doesn’t sound like they have written it themselves. Your job as an editor is to clean up the mess within the writing while maintaining the writer’s voice and the meaning of the original sentences.

Conclusion: Editing is a rewarding job

Being an editor is definitely not easy, but it is a job that helps everyone in the end. You, as an editor, will practice your skills and become a better writer through this work, you will make the writer look smarter in the readers’ eyes, and you will provide the readers with a better document. 

Sandra Miller is a freelance writer, lives in New York. Two times a year watches Friends sitcom, loves salsa. Uses editing service to write great material. Her passion is Latin American culture.

You can find Sandra Miller on Google+