How long should a sex scene be in a book?

Guess you can tell I'm back to writing. All true, but I'm still reading my 2 - 5 books a week also. Well this novel I'm reading now--Nameless Book--has a threesome that, I swear, takes up 3 chapters. I kid you not. After reading all that rubbing, and kissing and **********and********* for doggone near 30 pages, I was exhausted just like the characters.

And don't get me wrong, it wasn't that the writing wasn't up to par. It was. I just wondered if it was overkill and kinda of pushing the envelope to let the menage-a-trois become the plot versus the action/adventure plot it began with. Here I am ready for the next sex session while forgetting the reason the book was written in the first place.

So, how long (minutes reading or pages) do you think a sex scene should be. Would 30 pages be too long for the same characters? I would love to hear from you.

Hello World!

Wow, folks, it's been a minute since you've heard from me. I was hit hard, hard, hard by the death of my number one supporter and encourager--my mother--in May. My writing muse tactfully decided to go into mourning with me and I must tell you, I've written barely a conherent sentence since that time. But then this past weekend....something just "clicked."

Seriously. I felt an easing of grief and lightness to my physical being. And let me tell you, delicately, the activities in the wee hours of the morning were....off the chain! So as my spirits lift, my writing will return. And I'm in the middle of some very "interesting" ones. Stay tuned and strap on your seatbelt. Payback, Inc. is on its way.....

Sex Weed

Think you've had some Mary J, uh uh, not until you read Sylvia Hubbard's "Sex Weed!" She's headlining at The Pout, www.thepout.blogspot.com . The two installments I've read so far will definitely hook you. So take a ride on the wild side and enjoy the read while you are at it.

Syd

Sylvia Hubbard Headlining for April!

Good folks, Sylvia Hubbard, suspense author extraordinaire will be headlining in my alter ego site--The Pout (Pout Erotica) for the month of April. Please take time to stop by. If you haven't read her works, you are in for a treat.

www.thepout.blogspot.com

10 Things You Didn't Know About Author Sheila Goss

1. Although my name is spelled "SheLia," it is pronounced exactly the same as the more common spelling "Sheila."

2. Ideas for my books come to me in my dreams.

3. As much as I love to read, I can't read while a car or plane is in motion because it makes my head hurt.

4. According to my Aunt Carole Lee, I've been reading since I was four.

5. My first published work was not a novel, but a poem back in 4th grade.

6. I wanted to be a Southern University Dancing Doll, but was too scared to try out.

7. At one time, my career goal was to be an FBI agent; which is probably why I enjoy reading and writing suspense stories.

8. I have no kids.

9. I had a crush on my college professor - Mr. W. (& a crush on LL Cool J).

10. When writing in other genres besides women's fiction or romance, I use a pen name.

Visit one of Shelia's blogs: http://www.ohnosheliadidnt.blogspot.com/ or her website: http://www.sheliagoss.com/.

Sheila Goss will be Guest Blogger on Thursday!

Best selling author, Sheila Goss- My Invisible Husband, Rose are Red, Violets are True- will be the guest blogger on Mental Ruminations tomorrow. Stay tuned to see what she has to say.

Peace out.

Syd

Beating the Buying Curve--In Fiction [Reprint]

Thought this was a unique outlook on determining what to write in order to sell.

When you write fiction to SELL, you don't need to know what is Currentlyselling on the bookshelves, you need to know what's GOING To Sell. Books take time to write, and even more time to get published; like a yearor more. By the time the novel appears on the bookshelf, the market (thebuying readers) may have already started looking for something else. To beatthe buying curve you need to plan ahead of the game. I do it by Cheating! -- But then, I do everything by cheating. (grin) A quick perusal of the top box office hits tells us point blank whatstories the general public liked Best.

TOP 10 AMERICAN FILMS of All Time
1. Gone With the Wind (1939)
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
3. The Sound of Music (1965)
4. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
5. The Ten Commandments (1956)
6. Titanic (1997)
7. Jaws (1975)
8. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
9. The Exorcist (1973)
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The TOP 10 AMERICAN FILMS for 2006
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Historical FantasyPG-13)
2. Night at the Museum (Suspense/Fantasy PG)
3. Cars (Contemporary Fantasy G)
4. X-Men: The Last Stand (Contemporary Fantasy PG-13)
5. The Da Vinci Code (Mystery/Suspense PG-13)
6. Superman Returns (Contemporary Fantasy PG-13)
7. Happy Feet (Fantasy - G)
8. Ice Age: The Meltdown (Historical Fantasy G)
9. Casino Royale (Action/Suspense PG-13)
10. The Pursuit of Happyness (True-Life/Inspirational PG-13)

The TOP 10 AMERICAN FILMS this past weekend
1. 300 (Historical Fantasy R)
2. Wild Hogs (Contemporary Adventure PG-13)
3. Bridge to Terabithia (Contemporary Fantasy PG)
4. GhostRider (Contemporary Fantasy PG-13)
5. Zodiac (Horror R)
6. The Number 23 (Horror R)
7. Norbit (Contemporary Romance PG-13)
8. Music & Lyrics (Contemporary Romance PG-13)
9. Breach (Contemporary Adventure PG13)
10. Amazing Grace (Contemporary Suspense PG)
(Note: I'm using American movies because I live in America and I am sellingto an American audience.)

-- Take all this information and ask yourself:What type of Characters were featured...? Themes..? Love / Revenge / Honor / Duty / Friendship / Trust / Faith / Loss?Setting..? Contemporary / Fantasy / Sci-fi / Historical?Endings..? Tragedy / Comedy / Attainment / Defeat?

Take all this information and ask yourself: -- "How can I add Sex to these stories?" WHY Movies? -- When designing a car, why stop to reinvent the wheel if someone else has already done all the research and done it better? Why work when you don't have to? Why struggle trying to find a good story, and interesting characters, when the data on what people already like is right there in front of us? When it comes to figuring out what is popular in a story, Hollywood has streamlined just about everything: plot, setting and character. A quick perusal of the top box office hits tells us point blank what stories thegeneral public liked Best.

"Wait a minute! Isn't that STEALING?" -- Not according to Broadway or Hollywood. Borrowing whole plots didn't stop WEST SIDE STORY the Broadway play, (adirect and unashamed 'Romeo & Juliet' rip-off,) from being a tremendous hit,or the Broadway play CAMELOT, (a rip off of TS Elliot's 'Once & FutureKing') or MY FAIR LADY, (a rip off of the Greek myth 'Pygmalion'.)Seriously, Hollywood ransacks and renovates all the time. There must be amillion and one Frankenstein, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, and SherlockHolms adaptations. The movie "UNDERWORLD" was openly marketed as a gothic 'Romeo & Juliet'. STAR WARS is a carbon copy of Kurosawa's Samurai/Ninja movie 'The HiddenFortress'- including the comedic antics of two highly recognizable 'Laurel &Hardy' characters. (For goodness sake, they're Still in Japanese costumes!)

In case you haven't spotted it, Walt Disney ransacks and renovates EVERYBODY, and makes a ton of cash doing it too. Just about every single Walt Disney Adventure movie, from BEAUTY & THE BEAST to THE LION KING to HERCULES to MULAN to TARZAN was ransacked from elsewhere. TREASURE PLANET is a very unashamed rewrite of 'Treasure Island' - and one of my favorite movies.

The book market is no different. Think of all those vampire novels on theshelves... Can you say: 'Dracula'? Think of all those BDSM books... Can you say 'Story of O'? To be Perfectly Clear... -- I am NOT saying you should copy anyone else's work. I am merely suggesting a way to jump-start a story by modeling it after a story that's already been proven to work, through popularity, then make extensive changes to disguise the original source. As long as you shift genres, change the characters around a bit, and don'tuse any trademarked names or designations, you won't step on any copyrighted toes.It's not what you HAVE -- It's what you DO with it. -- When it comes to making Original Fiction, it's NOT how unique the plotis, it's Your VISION of that plot that makes it fresh and different!

* Alice in Wonderland + CyberPunk = THE MATRIX
* Treasure Island + James Bond = NATIONAL TREASURE
* Robinson Caruso + Space Aliens = ET
* Romeo & Juliet + the Old South = GONE WITH THE WIND

Hollywood ransacks and renovates, then mixes and matches whole plotlines all the time. Look at all those box-office smashes. What other proof do you need?

In Conclusion:If 'ransacking and renovating' is not something you want to do, GOOD! Less competition for me. If you think I'm a hack for doing so, that's okay too,but just so you know, I'm crying all the way to the bank - along with just about every top author in the writing biz, and in the movie biz.It all boils down to your personal choice:

* Do you really want to spend your whole life searching for, and perfecting, something Original?

* Or do you wanna make money? I don't know about you, but I need the cash. I don't have the time to waste'reinventing the wheel' when so many others have already spent their livesperfecting it. I have books to write and bills to pay.

Morgan Hawke

Ten Things You Did Not know About Shai Davis!

1. I don't like English, don't shoot me scholars.

2. When I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher, then a beautician, and then a business executive. Never a writer.

3. My full name is Shai(rhymes with hay) Lynn Kai Davis. Shai Lynn is my first name. My mom says Kai is pronounced Kaia. I changed the pronunciation and it rhymes with sky.

4. The first poem I ever wrote was called Alone and it is the only poem I know by heart.

5. My only international publication has been in Essence magazine.

6. I have been writing poetry off and on for 20 years, I never planned to share it with the world. Then I shared it publicly in 2000.

7. When I was a teen, I was fascinated with Billie Holiday, I used to sit in the library for hours reading about her.

8. I love to research as a hobby.

9. I used to suck my thumb until I was 9 and I got an orthodontic device to stop it. I was nicknamed Jaws.

10. Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven was my favorite poem in high school.

Visit Shai's Blog at: http://drawn2words. blogspot. com

A Treat!

Hello all. Tomorrow, Thursday, we will have a special guest--Ms. Shai Davis! So sit back, relax and lets enjoy what she has to say. I'll be visiting her wonderful blog at http://drawn2words.blogspot.com. Stop by and show your love!

Peace out.

Syd

Sizzling Sex?

Recently, I joined a promotional blog which and one of the things they suggested is tracking to see which keywords garner people towards your site or blog the most. Believe it or not, the most traffic is garnered whenever the word S-E-X is mentioned. LOL. Guess we all know what's on people's minds most of the time.

That brings about another point. Erotica is gaining ground--finally--but I've always been amazed at how many book fairs, writing contests, etc. specifically state: NO EROTICA. Do they believe people are sexless just because they wish it to be? In this day and age, we should embrace, express and be realistic about sexuality(ies). I've often wondered if this "sweeping under the carpet" mentality is why HIV is still on the rise despite the very basic message of abstinence or safe sex. Either way, sex is here to stay. Let's deal with it!

Contest Winners!

Wow! I've got two (2) contest with winners to congratulate.

First, congratulations to Vanessa Johnson who won a faux emerald ring/bracelet combo in the "Satisfy Me" and I'll Satisfy You Contest!

Next, many thanks to all who participated in the Psst...Wanna be my Publicist Contest! helping to spread literacy and the message in Devil's Orchestra

Now, the moment many have been waiting for...Congratulations to my top five (5) Volunteer Publicists!

1. Rachelle- Mezzolavender
2. Linda Bass
3. Marilyn Dow-Harris
4. E. Garciea Vaughn
5. Landa Knight

Please send me your mailing address and your MP3 players will be on their way!

Time's Winding Down...

For those of you who want a go at one of the MP3 players I'm giving away! The Psst...Wanna Be My Publicist contest ends 2/28/07 at the stroke of midnight. And the beauty of it? It doesn't cost a thing! All you have to do is spread the word about Devil's Orchestra...and let me know about it. The top 5 volunteer publicist are rewarded with an MP3 player. No sweat, no stress, but BIG payoff.

So, if you can click, consider sending info along about Devil's Orchestra. For full details about the contest visit here: www.devilsorchestra.blogspot.com.

And as always, THANK YOU!

Peace out,

Syd

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Can you tell a chick has been to Mardi Gras? Yep, this was my first time and I had a ball! It's everything they say and more! Yep, I saw the folks baring their chests--and behinds--for trinkets thrown from the balconeys and girls were doing the same for the huge crowd below. Liquor flowed freer than water and guess what? Nobody was complaining. The people were nice as all get out even though we were packed in Bourbon Street like Sardines. I walked, ate and gawked for 12 hours straight!

Of course the highlight was the parades. I managed to see three, the last being the Krew of Bacchus, the god of wine. James Gandolfino--The Sopranos star- was the honorary King? for the night. Forgive me Louisianians, if I don't have all the venacular down pat. He looks just like he does on television too!

Okay, so back to writing for me. It was a great mini-vacation and I'd definitely recommend it to any and every one! BUT don't drink too much, bathrooms were precious commodity!

Peace out,

Syd

Damp weather, damp muse

I'm one of those persons who suffers from the winter blues--Seasonal Affective Disorder--is the proper terminology. No matter how I try to make sure I eat correctly, take mineral/vitamin/herbal supplements or fool my mind, just as soon as the sun hibernates, I want to also.

I'm the sun-loving, too hot to breath weather type of woman. The hotter, the better. Bring it on! Right now, its rainy and cold in Mississippi. Blah!!!! This 3 weeks of cold weather makes me itch! My muse is even crying, moaning, refusing to come out and spark a neuron or two that can be transcribed into legible prose.

BUT, the beauty of nature is that it is cyclical. By March, I'll be in short sleeves; by April short pants and sweating as I take my daily walk. So, until then I'll keep repeating my latest mantra (it changes weekly): "Spring is coming, spring is coming."

Congratulations Angie!

Congratulations to my Hump Day Pick Me UP Winner!- Angie!!! Hey chick, please send email addy and full address. Thanks!

Syd

Give a Positive Shout Out!!!

I'll be honest, I need a pick me up! It's cold as Anartica (exag.) here in Mississippi- around 35 degrees--and I stayed up until, get this, 2 am reading the latest Charles Martin novel. Boy, can this man write!

Aywho, since you are here, why don't you tell us what you are feeling positive about? I'm listening and reading! Smooches!

Authors behaving badly

Yesterday, I read a commentary by a fellow author and was struck at the nice-nastiness of it all. Apparently, she and another author share the same name but one was traditionally published (indignant one) and the other self-published (totally unawares). Well, the traditionally published author left not a trace of hide on the SP author's unaware back as she made sure everyone understood that the other author's work was inferior just because they were not traditionally published. In fact, she urged her readers to return any book they accidentally purchased in "that other author's name" as well as write a strident letter to Amazon.com letting them know how miffed they were at the mistake. In fact, indignant author had written a letter to Amazon.com demanding that they take steps to seperate the two authors.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. In our irritation, it always pays to remember that there is no need to trash another just to promote yourself. There is room for every good writer, self, trad, e-pub, audio, etc. Like the old saying goes, "If you can't say something nice...just hush."

Y'all have a good one!

National Girlfriends Day!

You know I'm a sucker for animals...and a great friend! I'll be the first to admit, the crazy, wild-eyed dog sponged what sense I had out of my head when I saw it. Kind of funny since, this would be the animal I'd already know we would need to muzzle when I laid eyes on it at the clinic. LOL. Submissive exercises send help!

But, ladies and gents, remember your girlfriends, sister friends, friend girls and sweeties today. Small gestures reap huge rewards! Smoochies!!!!!

Yes, I mean EVERY^^^ word!!!

Psst...Want to be my Publicist? [Contest]

Help me spread the wonderful message contained in Devil's Orchestra and win a great prize to boot! How to enter? It's fairly simple. Use your vast creative imagination to let folks know about Devil's Orchestra. It can be via email contact, group announcements, placing notices on various reader sites, etc. Whatever strikes your fancy, I say give it a try. Just CC me (sydneymolare@yahoo.com) whenever you send out an email and/or send me an email listing the links directly.

So...what do my top five (5) volunteer publicists win? A MP3 Player!

That's correct, the 5 persons who email me with the most "contacts" made wins one of these MP3 players. There is no purchase required, in fact, if you look below, I've tacked on a synopsis and a link to a "meaty" excerpt to boot!

Contest ends midnight, 2/28/2007. Thanks for your help and good luck to all!

___________________________________________________

Read Excerpt Here

Devil’s Orchestra

How far would you go to get what you want?

Tab McGrifth- #1 radio personality on the Eastern seaboard. He made his money the old way--by stepping on one person at a time. He's lied, cheated and "misrepresented" whatever needed to be as he clawed his way to the top of the pile. Now the man that taught him everything he knows, his old mentor Whitey Ford, has returned....

Deva- Hip hop princess extraordinaire. Many are under the impression that she is just a gorgeous airhead. But nothing could be further from the truth. With her shrewd business mind and amazing "luck", Deva is worth somewhere in the upper nine digit range. Deva, like all of us, has her faults. She loves the money--and what accompanies it--just a bit TOO much. In fact, she is slap out of control. When an old friend from back home, Ed Burris, confronts her about her lifestyle, things get explosive...

Juan Rodriguez- gay author and proud of it too. With his life partner, Zeus and son, Loam, Juan's life is definitely on track. That is, until Bodie pops back into his life. Bodie. Blond, beach boy tan, Juan's first lover. He put the w-h-o-r in whore...and doggonit if Juan wasn't still feeling him...

And then there's Luke...

Devil’s Orchestra…whose side are you really playing for?

www.sydneymolare.com; www.devilsorchestra.blogspot.com

2007

Happy new years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!