Friday, December 28, 2012

In Honor of the Nickel-Nasties

**ALL spots are now claimed! Stay tuned for a month of romance-inspired articles!**

In honor of my first scathing Amazon review (1 out of 53 ain't bad), I'm hosting a new series for the month of February. I thought about crying and going on a week-long chocolate binge...ok, so I did the latter. Hey, I got chocolate in my stocking for Christmas! Don't judge!

Anywho, I want to honor all the "nickel-nasties", as the trollish reviewer called A Ranger's Tale. I'm assuming this term refers to any stories with s-e-x in them *gasp*, so writers and readers of romance, whip out your pens. Let us unite to inform the world why we write, read, and love the romance genre. 

What I want from you :  guest posts related to the romance genre, 500 words or less, along with your bio, profile pic, and if you're an author--book cover(s), blurbs, & buy links.  Send your completed guest post (with all the other info attached) in a Word doc to mystiparker@yahoo.com.

 **For the sake of our mixed audience, please keep all submissions PG.**

To make the whole process (hopefully) easier to schedule, here's this little linky I set up so you can just type in your name and your preferred date in February when you would like your post to appear here on Unwritten. 


Just in case, please also leave a comment here with your preferred date so I can make sure things are working correctly.

Schedule so far:

Vallory Vance-Feb 1
Lisa Tapp-Feb 4
Mysti Parker-Feb 5
Leona Pence-Feb 6
Jody Vitek-Feb7
Donna Michaels-Feb 8
Bellakentuky-Feb11
AJ Joseph-Feb 12
Tori L. Ridgewood-Feb 13
L.K. Killian-Feb 14
Josie Malone-Feb 15
Travis Casey-Feb 18
Ruth J Hartman-Feb19
Tara Fox Hall-Feb 20
Cristina Rehn-Feb 21
Sandy Loyd-Feb 22
Jenny Twist-Feb 25
Lindsey Loucks-Feb 26
Von Rupert-Feb 27
Misty Rayburn-Feb 28

Topic ideas:

  • When did you first fall in love with romance?
  • Who have been your favorite romance authors of all time, and why?
  • How do you respond to criticism against your genre or written works?
  • How do you write (or prefer to read) love scenes in romance?
  • Your views on the latest trends in romance (vampires, weres, etc).
  • Your preferences on reviewing and being reviewed.
  • True stories of your own experience with love.
  • Unique marketing ideas for us nickel-nasty authors.
  • Or whatever you wish, as long as it relates to romance!!



Here's to all the nickel-nasties out there, their authors, and readers. Let's make the month of February worth a whole heap of nickels! ~Mysti



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38 comments:

  1. LMFieldsDecember 28, 2012 at 9:25 PM

    Bravo Mysti!

    You are to be commended for turning a negative into a positive. I have read my share of books that I did not care for and some of those were by best selling authors! Writers can't please everyone though they all try.

    I believe in giving and reading reviews, living by the rule that when it comes to novels I won't leave a review if I can't leave a 4 or 5 in good conscious. Why? Because the story is a piece of the author's soul in some way. The writer created life where there was once only a blank sheet of paper. That is a great accomplishment that warrants praise if nothing else. Now, I may never read an author again if I FEEL the writing is that bad, but I won't leave a negative review either. Everyone has their own opinions and stories connect in different ways for each reader.

    Though I don't really care for the usual Romance Novels as I have come to know them to be, I have seen your work, Mysti, and I love how you blend story and romance with fluid skill. Don't you ever remove all those wonderful parts that make your story sizzle! These are your babies and they all deserve to shine for those who can appreciate the talent you have.

    So you go girl! Let those who don't have eyes to really see become the Gollums of the reading world. Those who know the talent you have will always cheer you on.

    Hugs to you!
    Linda

    LM Fields
    Author & Artist of The Dark Seeds series

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:17 AM

      Thank you, Linda! I think everyone has their own views when it comes to feedback, and the most important thing I've learned is to not respond in a negative manner.

      I'm with you, though, and tend to leave reviews for things I enjoyed. I have given lesser ratings, but am conscious of how I word things, because it IS a real person's work after all. I never fully understood just how much work goes into a novel until I started writing them myself :)

      Delete
    2. Ruth J. HartmanJanuary 11, 2013 at 10:30 AM

      I'd love Feb 16th :).

      Delete
    3. MystiJanuary 11, 2013 at 10:51 AM

      I'm just doing weekdays, so looks like Feb. 19 is yours, Ms. Ruth :)

      Delete
  2. Lindsey R. LoucksDecember 28, 2012 at 9:52 PM

    Awesome idea, Mysti! I signed up. I think I'm headed in the right direction for a nickel-nasty mind - when I read 'whip out your pens', I thought *ahem*, well, I thought it said something else! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:19 AM

      LOL! You crack me up, Lindsey.

      You can whip out whatever you want, but keep it to yourself, dear. ;)

      Delete
    2. Leona~AuthorDecember 30, 2012 at 1:58 PM

      LOL Lindsey, you gave me my laugh for the day.

      Delete
  3. Hope WelshDecember 29, 2012 at 6:23 AM

    I haven't read the book-but I read the sample, and found the plot interesting and the writing to be great.

    Some people just don't like romance in any form, I guess--perhaps a hardcore fantasy fan?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:20 AM

      Thank you! And who knows? Maybe just a bad day. Not sweating it. At least it's a well-written and creative review :)

      Delete
    2. CatharinaFebruary 24, 2013 at 1:03 PM

      Those "some people" are in the minority. The most sold genre IS romance. I believe Mysti is correct when she claimed that the reviewer just doesn't like s-e-x in any book. I guess s/he (the reviewer, not Mysti) is more of a Barbara Cartland type of reader. I, myself, preferred the more daring Kathleen E. Woodiwiss who, back in the 70's, was pretty racy for her time.

      Delete
  4. Hope WelshDecember 29, 2012 at 6:27 AM

    oops, I think I picked two dates--either is fine with me--hopefully, you'll let me know which date so I can get it ready early and send it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:21 AM

      I'll check it over and let you know. Thanks!!

      Delete
    2. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:28 AM

      Hey Hope, let's get yours in on Feb. 5, ok?

      Delete
  5. MystiDecember 29, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    Ok, so far, we've got Lindsey on Feb 26 and Hope on Feb 5.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AmeliaDecember 29, 2012 at 9:32 AM

    Hi Mysti - I've signed up for February 12th and am looking forward to posting about romance, romance, romance :) Thanks also for the topic ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownDecember 30, 2012 at 12:07 PM

    You have the right attitude, Mysti! :)

    Don't let it get you down, girl. It is one person out of how many? lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 30, 2012 at 12:31 PM

      Thanks Diane! I'm not down. I'm actually giggling about it and glad I can turn some nasty criticism into something constructive :)

      Delete
  8. Tori L. RidgewoodDecember 30, 2012 at 1:32 PM

    Hey Mysti, I'm with you! I've signed up for February 13, and I'm looking forward to it. It's so tiring when people ask, "Why do you write romance?" I like the stories that sizzle and pop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 31, 2012 at 4:38 PM

      Don't you hate that?? There's also the "Why do you NEED to write/read romance?"

      Like we're some desperate housewives or something. Could it be we just LIKE it?

      What if I asked murder mystery lovers if they read those because they've always wanted to kill someone? :)

      And Feb. 13 is good! Thanks!!

      Delete
    2. Tori L. RidgewoodJanuary 2, 2013 at 12:06 PM

      YES!!! Exactly! lol…

      Thanks, Mysti!

      Delete
  9. Leona~AuthorDecember 30, 2012 at 2:00 PM

    OK.Mysti, sign me up. Any day is fine with me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Tara Fox HallDecember 31, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    Sign me up, too. 19th or 20th, please :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiDecember 31, 2012 at 11:12 PM

      Looks like Tara's on for Feb. 20! Thanks, Tara!

      Delete
  11. VonJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:10 PM

    Hi Mysti! I think I signed up for Feb. 27. Thank you. :)

    P.S. When my husband told his co-workers (all writers, BTW) I was working on a romance novel, they asked why I was wasting my talent writing porn. :( I just let it drop. Some people will never get it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiJanuary 2, 2013 at 3:04 PM

      What an atrocious thing to say!!! I'm mad for you. It irks me that some people have such a skewed view of the romance genre. Then again, let's just prove our worth and write a damn good story! :)

      Delete
  12. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2013 at 6:45 PM

    Hey Mysti,

    I 'think' I signed up for Feb 14th. I can't believe Valentine's Day was open - the most romantic day of the whole year. I'll try to do it justice.

    Linda in Bama
    L.K. KILLIAN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiJanuary 6, 2013 at 10:02 PM

      Looks like you're on for Feb. 14!! Looking forward to what you've got in store. :)

      Delete
  13. Travis CaseyJanuary 10, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    I hope you'll accept me for who I am and I don't have to sport a dress or call myself Tina. I've asked for 18 Feb but would gratefully accept any date you may have if you'll have me.
    Travis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiJanuary 10, 2013 at 10:13 PM

      No cross-dressing necessary! Thanks for participating :)

      Delete
  14. Cristina RehnJanuary 18, 2013 at 8:15 PM

    Do you still have a day open? If so,I'll take one. Just assign me a date.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cristina RehnJanuary 18, 2013 at 8:48 PM

      Okay, I actually read the instructions and did the Doodle pool. I took February 21st.

      Delete
    2. MystiJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:37 PM

      That works!! Thanks so much for participating! :)

      Delete
  15. MistyJanuary 23, 2013 at 7:08 PM

    Mwahaha last spot is mine. What will the good twin have to say..hmm :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiJanuary 23, 2013 at 9:33 PM

      Something completely evil, I hope! Hee hee. Thanks for participating :)

      Delete
  16. CatharinaFebruary 24, 2013 at 1:10 PM

    :-( Dagnabbit!

    I didn't get here on time. I would have loved to do a guest post for your blog since I'm kind of hidden as an author and could use all the help I can get.

    Anyway, what I love about the more racier type of romances these days (no matter what subcategory) is that I had always found most romances in the past were lacking in the passion department.

    Maybe I'm just a peeping-Jane, but I always wanted to get the intimate details of the two MC's as they explored, finally found, and then consummated their love. It somehow gives a real feel to the characters. It makes them more human, 3-dimensional to me as a reader. I guess that's the reason why I eventually took to writing my own stories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MystiFebruary 24, 2013 at 7:44 PM

      Completely agree with you, and thanks for stopping in, Catharina! I appreciate well-written love scenes, no matter how detailed they are. I love the physical combined with the emotional energy, the plot tension, and vulnerability of them.

      I'm thinking of doing a March giveaway event, so if you have something you can giveaway, be thinking about that!

      Delete

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