Philip Glass - Duet From The Movie "Stoker"

Music To Screw By

I originally posted this at the Naughty Nights Press web site, but I've decided to expand it here.

I've been thinking about music lately, especially since reading about the most relaxing song ever recorded. The article includes a list of ten songs deemed to be most relaxing. It wasn't a scientific study since it was conducted by a bubble bath and shower gel company, but it was interesting nonetheless. Enya made the list. I'm not surprised in the least.

So that made me wonder about songs appropriate to listen to when writing certain types of scenes. These songs could inspire me in my writing. My list of songs and the scenes they'd influence are below. How about you? Do you listen to music as you write? If you do, what do you listen to?

"You've Lost That Loving Feeling" - The Righteous Brothers

Yup, they broke up. I has a sad.

 "Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green

She left him for a wealthy man. Bitch.

   "I'm An Asshole" - Dennis Leary

Her jerk ex shows up on the scene to make trouble for her and her new love.

 "Hey Pretty" - Poe

My characters are flirting like mad and eager to get out of the pub and hit the bedroom. The passion in the air is so palpable you can ignite it.

"The Principles Of Lust" - Enigma

My characters are hot and bothered and getting it on! They're so full of lust they make little squeaky kitten noises as they knock boots.

"Sledgehammer" - Peter Gabriel

It's two hours later and my characters are still going at it. :)

"Truly Madly Deeply" - Savage Garden

My characters are so much in love they break out in dance for no reason, accompanied by an invisible orchestra.

"At Last" - Etta James

Walking down the aisle, she's in her glowing white dress, and he's trembling in his boots - with joy!

And now, more songs!

"Wise Up" - Aimee Mann

He's being an idiot. A real wander. She's reduced to tears by the way he's been treating her lately, but she's no shrinking violet. He'd better shape up, or he's history. This is an opportunity for growth.

"Goodbye Horses" - Q. Lazzarus

It doesn't matter what he's done or hasn't done. Everyone will think he's a serial killer. 

"Loneliness" - Blank & Jones, feat. Bobo

The moment at the dance right before her true love discovers her sitting on a bench dressed in chiffon with daisies in her hair, alone and sad.

"Flaming June" - Blank & Jones, feat. Elles de Graaf

Relaxing at the beach in the warmth of the sun, her true love by her side. Life is good.

"Counting Clouds" - Blank & Jones

Same couple, lying on their backs, counting clouds.

Okay, enough Blank & Jones. (I like Blank & Jones. So sue me. LOL) Now for some other music.

"Besorg's Mir" - Blaulicht 112

I can't speak a word of German, but this is great screwing music.

"Love Theme" - Brett Rosenberg, soundtrack to the movie "Half Light"

This love theme is so beautiful it gives me goose bumps. The movie is good, too. The entire soundtrack is amazing. 

Okay, that's more than enough music to tide you over for an hour or two. Writers, what music inspires your characters and scenes? And readers, do you like to listen to music as you read? If you do, what kind?

All that music made me want to dance. Now I must end on the Happy Dancing Cat image. Meow! Until later. 

Asphodel - A Poe-Inspired Short Story

Here's a head's up for my dark fiction fans. Have you picked up your copy yet? My Poe-inspired short story "Asphodel" appears in the January, 2014 issue of Twisted Dreams magazine. This story has erotic (lesbian) undertones.

Twisted Dreams Magazine - January, 2014

Visit my other blog - the dark fiction, fantasy, and horror writings of E. A. Black.

Romance Novel Radio Show Jan 21 at 4 PM EST

Romance is in the air! Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, I'm co-hosting the radio show "A Good Story Is A Good Story" with Marsha Casper Cook. Guests are Jacqueline Hopkins-Walton, Jean Joachim, and Sable Hunter. We're talking about romance and reading from our works. Be there at 4 PM EST for a fantastic show. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2014/01/21/romance-books-and-hot-topics--woi-host-marsha-casper-cook

Top 17 Ways To Ensure I'll Never Accept Your Facebook Friendship

I'm sure I'm speaking for lots of people when I say Facebook is a pain in the ass.

You have little privacy. Facebook changes its rules every five minutes without telling anyone so we have to figure out what to do to protect ourselves on our own. Now you have to pay money for more friends to see your updates. Photos of men kissing or mothers breastfeeding are banned as inappropriate or pornographic whilst videos of beheadings and animal torture stay up as free speech. Erotic romance writers have seen their book covers tagged as pornographic. You can be put in Facebook jail for a week or longer for inviting new people to friend you or for accidentally hitting the "no" button when you do friend someone and Facebook asks if you know that person.

That said, Facebook is still better than places like that ghost town Google+. You know what they say about Google+…

Despite all of Facebook's problems - and there are plenty - I get quite a bit of good use from it as a writer. I find calls for submissions in various Facebook groups. My readers find me there. I'm able to reach a broad audience. I enjoy hanging out with other writers, readers, editors, and publishers. I also am delighted when I make new writer and reader friends, especially when we've discovered each other on another's timeline or in a group.

However, I do have my limits. There are certain people I will never friend on Facebook. Here are 17 top examples. Do any of this, and you will find yourself in my "nuke" bin.

1. "Hello I'm sorry to bother you but you are so beautiful I would like to know if you would like to get to know me better for friendship and possibly more."

2. Don't even introduce yourself or say hello but message me to tell me about your Kickstarter campaign and then beg me for money.

3. Dear Ms. Black, you have won $1,000,000,000 in the Russian Lottery! To accept payment, please send your banking information and a deposit will be sent to you as soon as possible.

4. E. A. Black, you too can have a larger penis! (E. A. Black is my other pen name. I use that one for dark fiction and horror.)

5. "I know where you live. I'm your greatest fan!"

6. "I'm a writer, too! Please read and review my book." (You attached it. Without offering to do the same for me. Even if you did, I probably wouldn't accept.)

7. "I saw your Facebook page. Would you like to submit a story to our web site? Of course, we can't pay you, but you'll get exposure!" (Gag me.)

8. "I see you're a writer. Are you interested in a week-long blog tour for only $700?"

9. "I see you write erotic stories. I like female domination, spanking, humiliation, electro-sex, and furries. I wanna be your slave. Wanna meet up?"

10. "You must accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior or you will be damned to Hell for eternity! I am only looking out for your soul. Jesus loves you. Obama is the anti-Christ. Please repent before it is too late."

11. "Hi! You're in my jury pool. I'm on trial for murder. Wanna be friends?"

12. Mom, if you knew what I posted on my Facebook page you'd die of a heart attack. LOL

13. If you have no profile picture, no friends, and no posts or very few vague posts, I won't friend you. You'll have to stalk me some other way.

14. "You're friends with [well-known writer]. Could you introduce us?"

15. If your profile picture is of your boobs or your dick, I won't friend you. If your wall is full of hard core porn, I won't friend you.

16. In middle school, you used to write on me with blue Magic Markers, snap my bra strap, pick me last for softball, and make braying noises when I walked by in the hallway. Why on earth would I want to friend you now? Yes, Mrs. Naugahyde said you only did that stuff because you had a crush on me, but I thought she was nuts. If that's how you act when you like me, how the heck would you act when you hate me?

17. You're a guy whose posts are written in a language I do not understand, and all your friends are women. Taking selfies. With duck face. Dressed in skimpy bikinis. Holding kittens. Nope. No thank you.

Oh, don't let me forget the cats. Facebook (and the internet) would not be complete without cats. I approve. :)

*Sigh* Miserable Blue Monday

Welcome, 2014! Today is Epiphany, also known as Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. Now that the holidays are over, the highs I felt from listening to Christmas music, baking holiday cookies, and being on a two-week vacation has passed, leaving me in the doldrums.

I'm not alone, according to this article about Blue Monday.

On top of the blues from needing to put away all my Christmas gack, I received a royalty notice for £1.35. Wow! A windfall! I'm trying to laugh about it, but this news has all but killed what little desire I had to write. That's okay, since I intended on doing nothing other than watching season 3 of "Downton Abbey" today. I'm not quite ready to end my vacation yet.

Instead of letting this day get me too down, I'm reiterating my goals for the year.

1. Finish "Alex Craig Has A Threesome" and submit it to publishers. If rejected, I self-publish it.

2. Finish "Full Moon Fever" and submit it to publishers. If rejected, I self-publish it.

3. Finish four stories for one of my publishers. This won't be easy to do since I feel no motivation to write whatsoever, especially these particular stories.

4. Sock away money for the Stanley Hotel Writers Retreat in October. This will likely be the highlight of my year. I get to work on my first horror novel, "Hell Time", and I will turn this retreat into a two week vacation with my husband. Ah, to be snowed in where "The Shining" took place around Halloween, yet. That's something to look forward to.

5. Publish a few short stories in anthologies. I hope I have better luck with this than I did in 2013.

6. Do more radio shows. Enjoy the live chats with readers. Post more blog posts. Guest blog more often.

7. I've eliminated a lot of promotional nonsense from my life. I cut back on Yahoo group promotions. No more paid online book tours. No more so-called reader's forums where writers are either ignored or attacked. Plus hanging out hasn't resulted in book sales for me, so I wont waste my time anymore. I'm cutting out a lot of the social media time suckage that hasn't made a bit of difference for my sales.

8. Finish editing and find an agent for my thriller/family saga "Secrets and Lies"

9. I'm going to do my best to not get depressed over rejections, lackluster sales, and other frustrations. It won't be easy, but I'll do my best.

10. I'll get away from the computer more often. Go out. Read. Watch movies and TV. Hang out with my husband and son. Garden. Definitely make a habit of walking on the beach with my morning coffee once the weather warms up. I miss those morning walks. They made me fee fantastic.

11. I'll work on more illustrations this year. I'd like to illustrate my self-published books in 2014.

Well, that's everything off the top of my head. The only way 2014 will be a great year is if I make it that way. Even though it would be very easy for me to slip into the doldrums on a daily basis since I'm wired that way, I can't let it happen. Here's hoping for a lovely 2014!

First Story For 2014 - Asphodel

My Poe-inspired horror story "Asphodel" is available in Twisted Dreams Magazine's January 2014 issue. Available in PDF at Lulu. My first publication of the year, and hopefully one of many. 

This story is for adults due to the mature content. Enjoy!

http://www.lulu.com/shop/various-authors/twisted-dreams-magazine-the-magazine-for-those-whose-blood-runs-a-darker-shade-of-red/ebook/product-21368831.html