Down With Cupid: The Must Have Conclusion

Ok. One or two people felt they must have the conclusion. I'm going with it. Here's the links so far where you can pick up Down With Cupid, the follow up to Weekend Lover. Now hold onto to your shorts because there's about to be some serious linkage in this blog. First...

Here's the blurbage:

Two months have passed since Nicole Harrison’s weekend of forbidden pleasure. It should have been more than enough time for Nicole to forget Sebastian’s charming smiles and wicked kisses. Except, during those nights together, she managed to leave behind her driven lifestyle as a publicist and took what she wanted, experiencing freedom and the wild abandon of their reckless agreement of no last names, no shared details. The woman she was with him is the hardest part to erase from her memory.

Unfortunately, one detail was tantamount—Sebastian Clark is a publicist and now he’s gunning for her job.

Sebastian never allows himself to get tangled in knots by a woman, and, yet, he can’t stop dreaming about Nicole’s silky thighs and ripe lips, how she'd shuddered under his touch. He doesn’t need a woman who is more of a shark than he when it comes to PR, except he’s seen every, single soft inch of her. Now they’ll have to work side by side and somehow ignore what feels like unfinished business.

Will the weekend they spent together turn out to be more than they could have ever imagined, or will past hurts and career ambitions stand in their way? Only Cupid knows...   Here's where you can get it:   Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
ARe

If you haven't picked up Weekend Lover or any of the Down With Cupid Shorts, don't worry...There are bundles.

Amazon
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

Barnes and Noble
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

ARe
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

Ha! This title has a rating already on Goodreads. You can see Weekend Lover's ratings here.

Ok. I think that about covers all the serious linkage. And that's it for my 2012 publishing schedule.

Maybe.

But, totally for now 'cause I'm going to go take a nap.

Weekend Lover Unleashed

The weekend that started it all...

Sebastian Clark's and Nicole Harrison's boundaries are clear—no last names, no shared details. A single night of giving in to temptation turns into three, and their naughty little weekend becomes more than just sex.

As a publicist for Snapshot, Sebastian's days are long and his moral code is to always keep things light. Until he touches Nicole and lust fades any last hold on common sense.

On the fast track for a promotion at Limelight, a PR boutique, Nicole has given up dating, especially handsome men. One kiss, one touch, one night won't break her own rules.

One weekend of shared passion sets Sebastian Clark and Nicole Harrison on a course that could ultimately destroy them both, or bring them a love for all time...

Amazon: The price is $1.67 http://tinyurl.com/cphfpj8

B&N: The price is $1.67 http://tinyurl.com/bnoj7x5

For free:
Smashwords
http://tinyurl.com/9d4mquh

ARe
http://tinyurl.com/8kp8efv
Kobo
http://tinyurl.com/d69x29z

Like it, love it, hate it, leave a review if you are so inclined.

Why I Screamed "Give Her The Book" For Twenty Minutes

* Warning: This is a long, rambly post. Stick with it, I promise it has a point. 

(Or, the importance of a MacGuffin. Loosely defined as the tangible thing a character wants. It also serves the role of a representation of the intangible thing a character wants.) 

One of my all time favorite movies is (500) Days of Summer. It's a bittersweet movie featuring a male lead with an incredible, INCREDIBLE movie soundtrack. So, when I heard about another movie (older) that also had a male as the central character that also had a bittersweet ending, I was in. 

The hero tells a mystery love story. The viewer doesn't know who he'll end up with, but soon I had a top favorite. This heroine had all the ear marks of a romance heroine. Or at least my Achilles heel type of heroine—she doesn't want to fall in love, especially not with the hero.  

Anyway, before they really become great friends she tells him a story about how she's looking for a book. This isn't just any book you can find at B & N or order off Amazon. (Hell, during the time period of this story I don't think Amazon existed.) This book has an inscription from her deceased father. Time moves forward (years) and one day hero finds THE BOOK.

At this point, I'm a puddle on the floor. They could have ended the movie right there and I'd have known how it would end. The hero had the MacGuffin. Since the writers hadn't been sleeping on the job the MacGuffin actually meant something. Since the characters just weren't people serving a plot or being sacraficed on the altar of plot, the MacGuffin said something. And because I checked the running time on the movie, and the writers weren't sleeping on the job, that damn MacGuffin needed at least one more damn beat. 

So, like any respectable romance writer faced with a decent love story I started to scream at the TV, “GIVE HER THE BOOK!” *

The point? 

Yes, a MacGuffin means nada without great character. No parts of your story means anything without great character. It's one of those things that goes without saying. But, a MacGuffin (with great character) can cinch the hell out of character arc, it gives the reader something to hang onto (or in my case a reason to scream), it can even be the way in to create deeper character. 

For me this was a great lesson to be reminded of. I've been having trouble nailing down my character. All I had to do was ask: What is the one thing in this world she wants most? 

What are some of your favorite MacGuffins? What are ways you cinch the character arc? What are some of the ways you create a character with depth?

* Because the writers weren't sleeping on the job, there's a twist. But, he gave her the damn book.

* I didn't name the movie because this post is one long spoiler.