Language, Location, Customs and Slang!

by Jude Mason

Readers might thing writing erotica or romance is easy. Yup, just come up with a sexy afternoon where hubby and the wife sneak off to the bedroom for some fantasy horseplay (ahem!) and write it all down. Want something longer, easy-peasy, extend the session into a long weekend and voila, you have a novel!

If only it was that easy.

Hell, if it was that easy, anyone reading this, or anywhere in the country, could create their own book and then where would I be? Gasp!

When I really took up writing as a career, it was almost that easy for me. I concentrated my efforts around the area here and wrote about things I was at least familiar with. The stories were fun, the plots thin, and the readership next to zip. Oh, there were a few friends who were kind enough to read the short stories and who commented kindly, but no real readers.

First publisher cleared all that up for me, in one hell of a hurry. I needed a plot. I needed to get into my characters. I needed to travel and do things--or my characters did. Some of it was still something I found relatively easy. I've always been able to fall into my characters, but actually getting a plot moving took a little time. Deciding on what to do, well that took even more time.

First novel, a pony boy epic that I had to research. What the Hell! I adored the characters. I loved the plot. I was gah gah over the genre. But, what would a backwoods Canuck know about pony boy or the training of them, or the gear? Not much.

Online was the answer. I mean it's not a topic you can just bring up with the local Fish and Wildlife Association is it? We might have an equestrian club somewhere in the area, but I truly doubted if they'd be able to help me with this. I actually knew a lot about horses and tack, but converting it to people was a challenge. I also found out that the horse fetish seemed to lean more towards women being the animal, men being the trainer. WTF! Google it, you'll see.

I did luck out and found one couple who would actually discuss it with me. He was her horse, and very proud of himself for it. He was one hell of a brute, but from what his wife/trainer said, easy to handle. *G*

That might not be the kind of research most authors do, but it definitely worked for me and has worked for other books. Not so much digging for the written page, but finding people who are willing to share information.

Years after the pony boy book, I delved into the vampire genre. I wrote two books of a possible trilogy before the publisher folded. The first book took place in the US and was fairly easy to write. I did little research, but the way the book unfolded it wasn't necessary. The second book was a completely different story. I was urged to take my vamps to Britain. Now, I'm of Brit decent, but I've never actually been there, and the place I wanted to take my vamps to, well, it's not a place I'd have visited even if I had traveled there. Sigh.

Yes, I did some Googling. A lot of it. I also have a very good friend who lives fairly close to the place I'd chosen. Truth be told, it was his idea to take my vamps there. Whitby has a rich history of vampires and ghosts. It was the perfect place. An old Abbey, some very cool ruins and a graveyard that'd make the hair raise on the back of your neck and a dark and stormy night... oh my! It was perfect!

I had my friend visit Whitby with his camera twice. I had him and his wife traipsing up the 99 steps and visiting pubs, measuring how big things were, naming streets for me, you name it, I put the poor man through. It was GREAT! I also found a forum of ghost hunters in Whitby who were more than happy to help me if I needed it. I did. I wanted to have my vamps chase along the top of the cliffs and needed to know if it was possible. They were only too happy to help. Seems people love to help out a struggling author. *G*

The book came out and I was ecstatic. It did well, for the short time it was out. The publishing house folded and I was done.

The story here is, if the book you're working on, and it doesn't matter if you're writing fetish, kink, love stories or the greatest epic every told, if you don't know something, you'd better be prepared to find out about it. If you fake it, chances are you'll be fine, but there's always the chance a reader will call you on it. I've heard of that happening to some of the big romance writers. The smart ones admit they messed up and thank whoever confronted them. The ditzes puff out their chest's and refuse to admit they didn't do their research well enough.

More recently, Jenna Byrnes and I worked on a series of changeling books. Both of us were fairly familiar with some of the lore, but not all of it. Add that we used three, then four different animals, and we needed to cover our butts by knowing something about them. We also had to make sure the flora and fauna worked, we didn't use plants from two completely different areas, things like that. Untamed Hearts has been doing incredibly well, our wolves, bears and cougars have gotten rave reviews and so far, touching wood, we haven't been called on anything we included in the books. In fact, they've done so well, our publisher is afer us to add to the series and we're now working on Stallion's Pride.

In one of my upcoming releases, I decided to go native, literally. I took my modern day hunk and dropped him into the local area before the white man's arrival. The research for this was incredible and I found myself easily side tracked and found websites where the language was actually spoken. Course writing it was an interesting challenge, but it was fun too. LOL Finding Home, will come out later this year and I'm really looking forward to seeing if I did my homework well. It's gratifying when you know you did well.

So, for those of you who think romance or erotica author have it easy, think again. We do the same kind of research as any novelist, plus we have to be able to take the readers into the most intimate places with ease. Perhaps the next time someone asks me why I don't try writing something more serious, I'll simply ask them to write a pony boy story, or even a sensual spanking. What do you think? Could you do it?

Nekkid in the great outdoors!

by Jude Mason

A childhood spent closer to the outdoors than many of you were lucky enough to enjoy led to a great love of skinny dipping, sun and wind on naked flesh and the joys of outdoor lovemaking.

I never felt as if I had to hide away in some dark and dingy room to free myself of clothing when I was younger. Living in a small town surrounded by woods or ocean, there simply wasn't a need. We camped and fished, and us kids were encouraged to swim or go play on the beach. There really is nothing like the feel of a cool breeze on your supposed-to-be-covered flesh.

As the town got bigger and I grew older, more civilized mores took hold, much to my annoyance. It became dangerous, as well as illegal, to go traipsing around nude, so swim suits and shorts became the norm. But I will always cherish my carefree youth of skin and sun, and all over tans.

Now, I write about those situations or surroundings allow if not urge nakedness. Sometimes the 'forced' nudity is the kink in a story. Sometimes it's more along the lines of my upbringing. Who doesn't love a hunky guy living in a cabin somewhere in the woods. His closest neighbor miles away, his backyard the wilderness with only the odd deer or wolf to worry about.

Cat's Claw is one of those books. The death of a long time friend, leads Morgan Fields on an extraordinary quest into the backwoods where she finds love and so much more. Joshua Lansing, the son of her deceased friend helps her explore the heritage she never knew was hers. Those backwoods are the backdrop for the entire book and I took advantage of it to share some of the pleasure there is in racing through the trees unhindered by what society might think of as appropriate attire. Joshua lives there and Morgan soon learns to love it as much as he does. Here's a little snippet about why and how it comes about:

Morgan held her breath. If she breathed, she was sure she'd scream. Her heart felt like it was going to strangle her; it was beating so hard and so fast. The sharper sense of hearing was gone; all that remained was the loud drumming of blood pounding through her veins and the deep, steady breathing of the naked man in front of her. Sweat covered her, adding to the scents she couldn't escape—lust and fear—a heady mix.

"Are you all right?" He spoke so softly, she was sure that if she ignored him, none of it would have happened. She could close her eyes and drift off to sleep. It would be just another one of her strange, nightmarish dreams. Why hadn't she brought her meds? "Morgan," his voice was more insistent that time, harder to ignore. He still hadn't moved, perhaps afraid he'd scare her. "Are you okay? Morgan, please say something."

She blinked and took a deep shuddering breath. Cool night air brushed her nipples, erecting them and making her shiver. Naked. She was naked in the woods. She opened her eyes. He was staring right at her.

"Yes," she whispered. It couldn't be a dream then. As soon as she'd spoken, the spell was broken. When she took another deep breath, it came out as a sob. Biting her lip, she fought to keep from screaming.

"You're not alone." He smiled. His entire face lit up when he did, and she found herself drawn to him all over again. His gentleness, he didn't reach for her, like so many men would have. Her fear slowly faded as her desire leaped ahead. He knew—he understood what was happening to her. Glancing downward, she felt heat wash over her. He was naked. She knew he was, but until that moment, her mind hadn’t comprehended it.

In one incredibly smooth, easy movement, he sat up. Morgan followed him with her eyes, and when he offered her his hand, she reached for it. That first touch was magic. A thousand fireworks flared and she sensed something special between them.

"Not alone. Never again," she murmured, unaware that she'd actually spoken, until his reply. "No, never alone again. I'll be with you." He drew her up to a seated position, kept hold of her hand, anchoring her to their present. "If that's what you want."

She went effortlessly into his arms. She felt as if she was on fire when his cooler chest touched hers. Her nipples were so hard they ached, and she longed for him to suckle them, to ease the pain. There bodies melded together, two halves of a whole. His breath fanned her face, and she inhaled the wild scent of him. His hands pulled her in, and hers leapt to help him. She slid her arms around his neck, sighing when his face moved in closer to hers. His lips parted. He kept his eyes wide as she leaned forward, into the kiss.

His tongue slid across her lips, wetting them, tasting her, teasing with its tip, until she couldn't stop them from parting. He tasted of wildness, of mint on his breath and a heady cedar tang to his flesh. She caressed his neck and shoulders, all the while, lost in the sensual passion of his mouth on hers. Entwining tongues dueled, stabbed at each other, hot breath wafted across fevered cheeks. Breathless, he pulled his mouth from hers and smiled at her when she came forward, seeking more of his lips. "Here, or would you rather go back to the cabin?" He smiled wickedly, mischievously.

I believe this was the first changeling book I wrote, but it definitely wasn't the last. It felt wonderful to share that special feeling I had with the wilderness. And if readers enjoy it too, then what better thing to focus on. When Jenna Byrnes and I decided to try some writing together, we knew the genre we were going to target for a little while at least. Male/male was selling well and we both enjoyed writing it. Now, what better thing can you imagine than two, or more, not guys frolicking in the woods?

Our series, Untamed Hearts goes into the wilderness of western Canada, or the US, if you're more comfortable there, and each of the changeling clans has their own special part of it. Cougars, bears and wolves, so far, share the immense area and manage to live in peace thanks to the amulets they wear.

Check out the covers. Do these look like wild hunky men? Oh yeah! Tame me baby!


I believe this was the first changeling book I wrote, but it definitely wasn't the last. It felt wonderful to share that special feeling I had with the wilderness. And if readers enjoy it too, then what better thing to focus on. When Jenna Byrnes and I decided to try some writing together, we knew the genre we were going to target for a little while at least. Male/male was selling well and we both enjoyed writing it. Now, what better thing can you imagine than two, or more, not guys frolicking in the woods? Oh, and #4, Stallion Pride, is in the works!

There just seems to be something amazing about getting back to nature for the most natural thing in the world two people can share. Being able to shed what society dictates is proper, even if only for a little while, is incredibly refreshing, even rejuvenating.

Now, if you can tease a man into shedding his clothes, then lure him into a naughty chase in the great outdoors, that's even more special.

What do you all think? Got any special outdoorsy stories you'd like to share? Do you like skinny dipping? What about making love on the bluff overlooking some gorgeous lake?

Location, Location, Location...

By Jenna Byrnes

Hey to everyone out there in Grip-land! This is my first official 'Jenna' post but I feel like I know you already. *sly grin* This week our topic is 'setting the scene', which is a part of creating a book or story that I really enjoy, so let's get right to it.

Sometimes, my plot or characters are all that matter. I've written a few stories where the location was never named. Usually in novels, the setting matters so I pick a spot from the wide variety of places I have traveled...home--> Walmart--> grocery store.

Okay, I have traveled a bit more than that, but not much. That's where the beauty of the internet kicks in. When I was a kid, I'd have had to drag my rear to the library to research the kind of stuff that can now be found online. Jude and I are in the middle of a Phaze Rocks series called Slippery When Wet-- all the heroes in these novellas have recently been released from Corcoran State Prison in California. I promise you, I've never been inside COR. But I have half a dozen sites bookmarked which gave us tons of great insider information.

In our Untamed Hearts shifter series, Jude and I created an undisclosed location, near a small village we made up, somewhere in the north. This works because shifters are other-worldly, and don't necessarily need to be located in California or Chicago (two of my location favorites!)

For our Kindred Spirits series, Jude secured this picture (with sexual favors, I think) and I fell in love with it. It made the cover of the series, with an eerie glow added by the cover artist, to fit our ghostly theme. In the reviews we've recieved on Ethan's Choice so far, people don't know if Whiskers' Seaside Inn is a real place or not, but they love the homey feel we've given it. Jude and I love to hear that, it's exactly what we were after.

Sometimes, when I don't want to focus on a lot of research, I'll make up a town. I do that often if I don't want readers to get bogged down in a location they're familiar with, and spend half the book thinking, "Hey, Main Street never intersects Whazzup Aveune!"

I've been to Seattle and have used that as the backdrop for a couple books. I like Chicago for when I need a big city where lots of things could happen.

At the end of the month I have a story in TEB's Pleasure Bound anthology and I had to pick a vacation spot. I chose Hawaii, and borrowed a tourist guide book from someone who used to live there. That, with the internet, gave me lots of tidbits to toss into the story. The added benefit was me, walking around for a month, saying "Howzit, bra?" like Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Bottom line for me, location isn't the first thing I think about when planning a story, unless it's for a themed call. But I do like to use a variety of places, and thanks to the internet, I think I get away with it reasonably well. Aloha. *g*

Thank you, Nora Roberts

I've mentioned before that I grew up reading the series of Nancy Drew mysteries. While they were indeed a series, not much ever changed in Nancy's fictional 18 year-old world. I'm still not sure if she ever kissed Ned Nickerson, George and Bess were her unchanging best friends, Nancy's father, defense attorney Carson Drew, and faithful housekeeper Hannah Gruen were always present in the background. I loved those books at a certain age, just as I grew to love another type of book.

Hey, this isn't the Nancy I remember! Maybe she did kiss Ned! Maybe she dumped Ned and kissed that blond in the background!



Danielle Steel introduced me to the romance novel, with the romance part behind closed doors. Danielle writes stand alone titles, which means not only does she have to come up with one hell of a lot of ideas because she's very proliofic, but also, if we loved characters, like Oliver and Charlotte in Daddy, we never got to see what happened to them in the future. Sure, there were the Lifetime TV movies, but Patrick Duffy and Lynda Carter were never my idea of the Daddy lead roles. *sigh*




Then I discovered Nora Roberts. Not her early category romance stuff (though many of those titles were brought back, spiffed up with new covers and eventually rereleased.) I loved her series. The Key Trilogy, The Three Sisters Trilogy, In the Garden Trilogy, and my favorite, Night Tales, with four connected stories in one. The first book centered around DJ Cilla O'Roarke, who plays requests in the Denver area. One night during the show she gets a threatening phone call from someone who says he's going to kill her. Although Cilla is stubborn and doesn't want to call the police, the manager of the radio station does. Enter Detective Boyd Fletcher... Of course they end up together, and the next three books are about her sister, his partner, and his sister. In each book we get to see how far Boyd and Cilla have evolved: marriage, children, and so on. There was even a fifth book about Boyd and Cilla's grown daughter, now a cop. That was a very satisfying series to read and enjoy.


That was the kind of series I was after. Sex, with a thread of continuing plot line and characters that changed over the years. Thank you, Nora Roberts. Exactly what I was looking for. Those books inspired me to write my Unexpected Love Trilogy.

Three tales of unexpected love and unadulterated lust!




Nothing to Lose: Bailey Montgomery travels to 'Small-town America' with one purpose in mind—settle her late mother's affairs and leave as soon as possible. She doesn't appreciate nosy neighbours, especially Doug Kenny, all around handyman, who meddles his way into her bed and heart.

Worth the Risk: Sarah Stevens isn't looking for romance when Sam Buchanan leases her loft apartment. Her sister-in-law Bailey, almost nine months pregnant, hires Sam to take over her job. Sarah's unnerved to discover her tenant is a very handsome man. Dating with a teenager in the house is titillating, forcing Sarah to re-examine her priorities and decide if Sam is Worth the Risk.

Having it All: Mandy Stevens is away at college when she meets handsome Nick Westchester. She's had little experience with men, but suspects Nick's intentions are less than honourable. Nick is captivated by Mandy, and though he starts out wanting to seduce her, he ends up falling for her, hard.

Three women, one amazing family. Three times the passion, three times the fun!
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That feeling of continuity is also behind the new series Jude Mason and I are writing for Total E-Bound, Kindred Spirits.

"Welcome to Whiskers’ Seaside Inn. Do you have a reservation?"

Whiskers' Seaside Inn doesn't sound like the most exotic location for a weekend getaway, but it's certainly intriguing. Ethan Roberts is smitten the moment he sees the weathered clapboard inn and finds out it’s for sale. He’s even more taken with the establishment's hunky handyman, Cade Wyatt.

The inn has two paying guests, but Ethan discovers another cast of characters who come and go as they please. Cade might be nonchalant about the ghosts, but Ethan's not sure he feels the same. He wants Cade more than anything, but Cade won't leave the inn. Somehow, Ethan must find a way to live with the spirits as well as the man he's come to love.

Can I ever make this place my home? He knows he could, in a heartbeat, if the inn was truly as serene as the face it presents to the world. Deep inside, something’s festering. He’s tried to ignore it—or not to believe in it—but he’s past that, now. There are ghosts or spirits at Whiskers’, plus one batty old woman, and he needs to know more about all of them.

"Annie, Laura and Ben," Ethan repeated dully. "The ghosts."

Chuckling, Cade faced him. "Actually, they’re spirits. You really don’t want to believe in them, do you?"

"Ghosts—spirits—aren’t real," Ethan insisted. "I believe that."

"Well, Mr. Roberts, I have a feeling your beliefs are about to be tested."
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A bunch of different people will pass through the doors of the Whiskers' Seaside Inn. (Okay, most of them are hot, gay men.) But we get to see the evolution of Ethan and Cade's relationship, which Jude and I had a blast writing, and continue to enjoy as we work on more titles in the series. As Lisabet mentioned yesterday, a series like this requires a 'big picture' mentality, but to me, that's part of the fun. Keeping track of details can be interesting, but so far there have been no major gaffes.

The other type of series I've done is the similar setting, different cast of characters. Jude and I did this with our Untamed Hearts Series, three sets of shifters in one particular area. While the characters have a common setting, and might touch on each other, their stories aren't deeply interwoven. Same with my Rose & Thorn Society series. All the books share the common backdrop of the same BDSM club, but the tales aren't related and don't have to be read in order.

Saturday, our guest blogger will be Carol Lynne, creator of the Cattle Valley series and many others. Cattle Valley is a town for gay people, which sounds odd until you read the first book and discover the poignant way it came into existence. Carol writes gay and straight novels, but no lesbian stuff. I became involved when she decided it was time to bring some women to Cattle Valley. My first lesbian title, CV: Truth or Dare, was released last fall. My second lesbian title, CV: Fool's Gold, comes out in June. They were so much fun to write. Carol has created a town of memorable characters, and I got to stick some new people in and amongst them. It was great.

I'll continue to do stand alone titles because I don't want to scare readers off. (Get back here, Ray.) But I love writing series!