Musing With Imari

Just in time for Halloween

Halloween Hijinx

http://www.midnightshowcase.com/Hijinks.htm

Love Never Dies, Imari Jade

Donovan Flowers follows a woman no one else sees. She naked…waiting. Perhaps it’s a trick, but it’s not a treat he’ll refuse.

At The Stroke of Midnight, Lanette Curington

Although Olivia DeBenning doesn’t realize it, she’s already had three brushes with death in her lifetime. During a masquerade party, Death visits one last time.

The Cat’s Meow, Mae Powers

On All Hallows Eve, Prince Draemond must seek a new bride; especially one that won’t cheat on him with his mistress.

The Kissing Frog, Jen Bokal

What’s a girl to do when she discovers her deceased Grandmother’s book of spells? Try a little practical magic of course.

http://www.imarijade.com/

Setting the Mood for Romance

The lights are dimmed, the kids are napping, and it’s raining outside. What a perfect way to set the mood for writing.

So how do you set the mood for romance in your story? It all has to do with the five senses. Use them when you’re about to develop a love scene. As a romance writer we have to come up with different and unique places for romance to take place. Tried and true, the bedroom, the shower and in an airplane restroom has been done to death. Usually before the story is even told I try to come up with the when and where I want to sex to begin. Things to take into consideration:

1. The characters – what makes them unique? She’s a librarian and he likes to read. Love among the shelves in a place where silence is golden. Make it romantic and try to keep them quiet.

2. Character’s job – Is he a manager of a high-rise apartment building? Rooftop love? Don’t knock it until you tired it. Is she an actress or a ballerina? Why not be adventurous and steal a kiss behind the curtain.

3. Character’s hobbies – Is he into martial arts – On the floor of the dojo might be a perfect spot for a rendezvous. Does she like to sail? On the deck of a charter boat on the crystal clear ocean can set the mood for some interesting fun.

4. Think about your own experiences. Have you ever found yourself in a unique situation that you never dreamed you’d find yourself in a million years? Like in the backseat of a car or on a Ferris wheel with the man or woman you adore?

In Oasis, my characters are riding on a camel in the desert in Africa. One thing leads to another and the desert floor becomes the perfect make out spot.

The possibilities are endless. The bed is nice, but less face it, beds are for sleeping.

I also like to use sound to set the mood. The sound of rain makes me feel relaxed, so I try to put my characters in a relaxed state of mind when they’re dealing with each other. And depends on who I’m with, rain makes me very amorous. (Wink, wink, get the picture?)

Music – There’s not a better prop to use than music – Put in a CD or turn on the radio. Let the type of music you’re listening to set the mood of the story. If I’m listening to the Beatles while I’m writing, I’m in a lively mood and it reflects in the words I chose. If I’m listening to Michael Jackson, I’m in a youthful mood and my words tend to get a little giddy and joyous. If I’m listening to Tina Turner, I’m feeling empowered and my female characters are bound to be a little over the top. And when I’m listening to Barry White, it’s no hold’s bar. Clothes are flying off all over the place and my characters are getting down and dirty.

In this case music does not soothe the savage beast. It brings it to the surface.

Food – Oh my gosh. Food can really set the mood. Whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate syrup. (Yummy). Fried oysters and champagne (ooh), macaroni and cheese (?) Hey, young mothers need love too.

What goes through your head when you kiss someone who just drinks your favorite wine? Do you find icing on a spoon sexy when you see her eating it? Does a beer gut turn you on? Have you ever watched your best girl eat a banana split? The possibilities are endless.

Touch and Props – The single sexiest feeling in the world is having someone touch you. What do you like? Having your head, feet or back massaged. Getting your hair combed or styled by the opposite sex. What do you do with someone gently runs a feather up your spine or kiss your fingers or the back of your legs. It can be as simple as the heroine reaching up to remove his glass and innocently touches his eyebrow.

Like I said earlier, the possibilities are endless. So when you hit that roadblock, just think about what turns your own. Remember your characters are an extension of you. If you like it, I’m sure they will too.

Imari Jade

http://www.imarijade.com/books.html

Having a pretty good day. Woke up this morning and watched the Biography Channel. They featured a few of my favorites, Donny and Marie Osmond, Smokey Robinson, and Davy Jones. If any of you out there don’t know who these people are, then you are much too young to be visiting this blog. (Smile).

I started out my writing day digging out disks (Floppies) that were stored away in a drawer. I had one of those hare-brained ideas to work on a novel featuring some characters I developed a couple of years ago. I felt it was time to get it out of the house and hit while the fire is hot. It’s about vampires and you know they’re what are currently happening. I’ve been working on a series for years. I call it the Southern Slayers. I think the vampires are hot and sexy and they’re dangerous. It took a while to find them since I have so many floppies. I’m still in the process of converting them to the latest storage/backup drive. Once I moved it over to the zip drive I printed out the information I had, three-holed punched it and put it in a binder. In the process I ran across another manuscript I’ve been working on about wolves. So now I’m sitting here working on both and trying to get them ready to submit.

I got on the Internet for a while to search for guidelines and Calls for Submissions. I picked up a couple of places to submit my work. I transferred the information to a Word Document that I update weekly.

I’m checking my email periodically. One of my editors emailed me a new review site, so I stopped what I was doing an email a copy of Death Takes a Holiday to be reviewed. That took a little while because I had to get a PDF copy ready. Now I’m taking a break and eating cookies.

I think the most remarkable thing about today is that I actually got a chance to do with I liked to do. I’m not baby-sitting at the moment. I better not say that too loud because the doorbell might ring. I should be doing something constructive like getting my stuff ready to go to work tomorrow but I’m not. I’m not cooking either. They can eat leftovers.

So how am I going to spend the rest of the evening? Working on these two books. I have the DVR programmed to tape Fox’s Sunday night line-up. Earlier today I did get a chance to watch a few episodes of Entourage and Supernatural. America’s Best Dance Crew is showing re-runs of last season’s shows. I’m listening and watching every now and then. Luckily I can do several things at one time. My main focus for tonight is to get the character outlines done and to get the scenes in order. Well I better get back to work, but first I have to get the cookie crumbs out of my bed.

Imari Jade

Been a good week. Two of my books have been released.

Happy Labor Day!

It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm freezing to death because my children are warm-blooded creatures who think it's appropriate to have the central air-conditioning unit on sub-zero.

While they're snug in their beds I'v been up since before the rosters working on my non-working holiday. I've mopped the floors, paid the cable bill, renewed a membership, read my email and started promoting on-line.

Why am I up and busy so early in the morning? Because I'll be baby-sitting from 9:00am until 4:00 pm and my family really don't think I have a life.

We're expecting rain today in New Orleans, so bar-be-quing might be out. Maybe not. It just depends on my son's mood. Should he decide to become chef for the evening does not free me from my duties. I have to do the side dishes. It's Monday in Louisiana, so that means mama will be cooking a big old pot of red beans to accompany the chicken and whatever else he throws on the grill.

Later this evening I'm stopping in to give some support to my writer friend Trent Kinsey who will be chatting at Eternal Press and promoting his new horror/scifi book "10:15." Please join us.

I hear my daughter-in-law stirring, trying to creep out of the front door to go to work. That means I need to get off this thing and go cook breakfast before the babies get up.

Imari Jade

I know I'm a day early, but I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July.  I have big plans for tomorrow. The entire family is getting together for a crawfish boil and a barbeque. That means I'll have a lot of people at my house and a lot of work to do.

I'd also like to remind everyone that my lastest novelette, "Damanation" is available at:  www.midnightshowcase.com

And my lastest erotic novel "Body Heat" is available at:  www.sugarandspicepress.com

Also check at out my latest book trailer "Body Heat" at U-tube. Just type in Imari Jade.

Happy Fourth of July

Imari Jade

I want to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Years! At the stroke of midnight I was in bed watching an Inuyasha video while trying to block out the din of the fireworks exploding outside my window. I was told that I would be doing the same thing next year as I was doing when the New Year arrived. Well, being in bed being lazy all year won?t be a problem except I?d be outside looking in for not having money to pay bills, and I don?t think I can take a year long headache. I could watch Inuyasha all this New Year without a problem. December has finally come to an end and I?m glad.

I started off the yesterday at 6:00am. I woke my eldest son up and sent him off to work. (For those of you who don?t know, I have three grown sons whom I thought I got out of the house so I could have a life. That was until Hurricane Katrina played a nasty trick on me and sent them back, along with their significant others and their kids). I had just taken the first twenty pages of my latest manuscript off the printer to edit when his wife walked in with their eleven month old son. He was woke and nothing she did put him back to sleep, so naturally she brought him to Maw Maw while she went off to put some clothes into the washer. Normally he screams his head off when she leaves him for a second, but not this time Maw Maw had Sesame Street on the television. He?s usually very hard to entertain, but he stopped wiggling around and sat down and watched. (Tomorrow I?m going to go out and buy up a load of Sesame Street DVDs). His mother came back in and we talked for a while. The telephone rang and it was my ex-daughter-in law and the mother of my eldest granddaughter. She called to inform me that she was coming over for a visit in about three hours. Unfortunately she had arrived and my second eldest granddaughter had awakened.

To her Maw Maw is her world and she acts more like she?s my child instead of theirs. She wants to spend her every waking moment with me. It might sound cute except she?s pretty bossy and wants me to do everything for her, which includes take her to the potty (she?s old enough to go by herself) and carry her big butt around the house. She turns the computer off if I?m on it and does not understand that Maw Maw is busy and have deadlines. This went on until about five that evening when her father came home. He took me to the grocery but they had sold out of cabbage and greens. I did manage to find some black-eyed peas. Both kids went with us and were whining me away for no reason what so ever. My ex-daughter in law called around eight to inform me that she had been trying to reach me by phone for the last three hours. Mind you, I only went off for about a half-hour. I have no doubt why she?s an ex-daughter in law. She showed up around nine and stayed about a half-half hour. That was long enough for me. She not only came with my granddaughter but her five other children from previous relationships. Add the two that were already in my house and you have a mess. I was in bed by ten thirty, and then she had the audacity to call again around that time. I was in bed watching Inuyasha and I only picked up the phone because I thought something might have happened. No, she was having an issue with one of her friends and she thought I was interested in hearing about it. I didn?t get her off the phone until eleven-thirty. Like I said, it?s been a long year, and I have enough daughter-in-law drama for one lifetime. Hopefully this year they?ll get lives.

Welcome to my new Blog Page. I'll be keeping you abreast of what's going on in my writing career. Please feel free to stop by and join me anything.

Imari Jade