Guest post: Deanna Wadsworth talks about A Cupid's Wager

Please welcome Deanna Wadsworth to the blog today. She's here promoting her recent release, A Cupid's Wager, which was part of Dreamspinner Press' A Valentine Rainbow. If you haven't picked up the set, I highly recommend it! All of the shorts are a fun take on the holiday.

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My name is Deanna Wadsworth, and my latest book A CUPID’S WAGER is in an anthology of 14 Valentine stories called A VALENTINE RAINBOW. Along with Bru’s book CAMPFIRE CONFESSIONS twelve other amazing Dreamspinner authors have created a collection of love stories just as delicious as that leftover box of chocolates I picked up on February 15^th—but with none of the calories! LOL

The main character of A CUPID’S WAGER is a cupid named Lio. After he gets caught shooting a closeted man with a gay lust arrow—a big no-no at the Inner-Dimensional Association of Cupids—Lio has a barters a deal with the Aztec god of the winds. Using a very twisted use of Roman and Aztec mythology, I tried to create a funny but very sexy ride for my readers. Heck, this story even has penis piercings! LOL

I hope you all pick up this awesome collection, A VALENTINE RAINBOW, because every day should be filled with love.

Thanks for hosting me, Bru! I brought along an excerpt of A CUPID’S WAGER to share and I hope you all enjoy it!

~Deanna

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A CUPID’S WAGER

BLURB: The name’s Lio, and I’m a cupid working for the Gay Division of the Inter-Dimensional Association of Cupids. An Aztec god, whose modern name, Ethan, doesn't make him any less scary, just busted me shooting a closeted human with a gay lust arrow. I might find him sexy with all those tattoos and piercings, if I didn’t have a rule against getting it on with other supernaturals—especially ones working for the Straight Division. Now, to save my butt I'll have to strike a bargain with this tough god. But what I didn't see coming was my little wager not only risks my career, but places my broken heart completely in Ethan's hands.

EXCERPT:

“Shit!”

I was so gonna get my ass chewed for this.

And not in the good way.

I snapped my fingers, and my quiver of arrows disappeared into the cosmic nothingness where magical things went when demigods snapped their fingers. No clue where that nothingness was, and in my hundreds of years of existence, I’d never bothered to find out.

However, right then, such mysteries were the furthest thing from my mind because I had just nailed another cupid’s mark. Now the glittering trail of purple dust from my lust arrow was like the laser sight of a sharpshooter’s rifle, pinpointing my exact location.

I was so fucked.

Again, not in the good way.

The explosion of both purple and red dust in the street below meant the aftershock of my lust arrow striking the human first had deflected a love arrow. I was pretty sure the owner of said arrow would be coming to bitch me out any second. Cupids could be such whiny little cunts when they wanted to be.

Believe me, I would know.

I’m a cupid.

The name’s Philomenus, but I answer to Lio. Just one of Eros’s many, many offspring, I’m employed for eternity by the Inter-Dimensional Association of Cupids, or the IDAC. Contrary to what paintings and sculptures depicted, cupids are not fat, naked baby boys in diapers. While on the small side, we look just like regular folks. No wings either. Involved in every aspect of love, from puppy love and first kisses to weddings, the IDAC is militantly organized. They take their task of giving the humans love very seriously—like a supernatural FBI, complete with orders, rules, and procedures.

And I just broke about a hundred of each.

Before I could conjure a location to send myself, a pop sounded behind me.

Huge steel-like hands grabbed the collar of my leather jacket and yanked me around.

“What the hell, Lio?”

Bodily shoved against the ledge of the rooftop, I let out a tiny yelp of surprise when the magic inside my body surged white-hot, almost as if it recognized something…. WTF?

That had never happened before.

Then again, I’d never been busted shooting closeted gay men with Class 4G lust arrows either.

Righting myself, I flipped unruly blond curls out of my eyes and faced my attacker, arms out in a show of surrender. “Hey, ease up, pal.”

“What the hell?” that menacing voice growled again.

Thanks to all the gossipy cupids in the IDAC, I recognized the god immediately, though I’d never seen him before.

Éhecatl, the Aztec god of the winds.

Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.

Facebook │ Twitter │Blog│goodreads

Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook seller

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Dreamspinner's Dr. Feelgood heats up the hospital on Feb. 10

Two new release announcements in two days! I've been a busy bee, and it's paying off this February. My Valentine's Day short Campfire Confessions will be out Feb. 11, and I just found out that Dreamspinner Press' Dr. Feelgood anthology will come out the day before.

All of the stories in the anthology look great--I'm a sucker for medical dramas and romances, and Dr. Feelgood looks like it delivers plenty on that front. My short, Rx for Sex, features a heaping helping of steamy on-call room sex with a little relationship angst thrown in for good measure.

     Dr. Feelgood

Dreamspinner Press

 Release date: Feb. 10

Ebook      Paperback

Whether they’re paramedics, nurses, therapists, doctors, or even actors who play them on TV, the men in the medical profession must contend with job stress and long hours that can make finding love a challenge. These dedicated professionals aid patients from the severely injured to those just needing some help with a bath, and along the way find creative ways to release some tension, reconnect with past partners, and even forge something that might last a lifetime.

Injuries, huge workloads, dedication to duty, self-doubt, and fear of coming out of the closet are only some of the obstacles standing in the way of the men committed to easing pain and those in need of treatment. But with hard work, some humor, some steamy on- and off-the-job trysts, plenty of patience, and open hearts, doctors and patients alike can find the healing they need, whether it comes from a lifelong commitment or a quickie in the staff room.

The men in this anthology are looking for relief, and they’re in luck—the doctor is in.


Rx for Sex by Bru Baker
Hero Worship by Kris T. Bethke
Pain Management by Megan Charlier
Tourniquet by Kaye P. Hallows
Differential Diagnosis by Anna Martin
To the Next Level by Laura Mathews
In My Own Skin by Thea Nishimori
Iron Man by Meg O'Brien
Night Shift by Casey O'Neill
Mend What Is Broken by Fil Preis
Kind by Samuel Scott Preston
Right-hand Man by Rob Rosen
Doctor in the Desert by S.C Wynne
First and Last by Sara York

Campfire Confessions is available for preorder!

My latest short, Campfire Confessions, is available for preorder on the Dreamspinner Press site!

I'm excited to be part of A Valentine's Rainbow, Dreamspinner Press' first-ever Valentine's Day daily dose anthology--you can buy all 14 stories as a set or buy Campfire Confessions on its own. Visit my website for an excerpt!

Campfire Confessions
Release date: Feb. 11 
Preorder

Best friends Case and Mitchell are so inseparable everyone assumes they’re dating. Case’s dad even buys them a joint gift—a camping trip. Even though Case hates the woods, he wants Mitchell to have a good time. When they discover the trip is a couples’ retreat, they have to fake a relationship. Case can’t understand why the trust and intimacy exercises the other couples struggle with come so naturally to them. After all, they’re not really boyfriends….

Top 10 things I've said this polar vortex

The kids did some snow
experiments before the
temperature plummeted.

This post also could have been titled "The reason my manuscript isn't finished yet," since the uber cold weather and foot of snow has extended the kids' winter break and kept them home this week. 

These are precious days I'm losing, since Finding Home is due Jan. 15. I'm in the home stretch, but it's hard to write with a chorus of "MOMMY!" and "S/he took my..." in the background.

We sent Hubs out in his ski gear to blow
bubbles when it was -13F. They froze!

We live in the Midwest so cold winters are nothing new, but this blast of arctic air is more than even we hearty Hoosiers can handle. Indiana's in a deep freeze the likes of which I've never seen, and I've lived here on and off for the last thirty years. Luckily we haven't been part of the tens of thousands here in Indianapolis who have lost power during the cold snap, so at least there's that. We do have a few frozen pipes (they haven't burst yet, fingers crossed!) and a definite case of cabin fever, though.

Since I'm not writing useful words for my manuscript, I thought I'd at least share what's going on here in the Baker household instead.

Top 10 things I've said this polar vortex:

10. Did you remember to leave a faucet dripping?
9. Put on some socks.
8. I don't care if you don't like them, in this family we wear pants when it's below zero.
7. Get off of your sister/brother.
6. No seriously, put on some socks.
5. Please don't cancel school, please don't cancel schoo...shit.
4. Yeah, well, that's what happens when you run in the house.
3. If I have to separate you two myself no one is going away happy.
2. DO YOU WANT TO LOSE A TOE? PUT ON THE SOCKS.
1. Go to your room.

 U.S. friends, wherever you are, I hope you're staying warm and safe. And if you're one of the lucky bastards in Anchorage where it's 32 degrees, don't forget the sunscreen when you go out in your bikini. 

Is it research or procrastination? Bump up your word count by getting lazy

I've often had people ask me about my writing process, and I rarely give the same answer. It's not that I'm being evasive, but more that my process has changed over time and even changes day-to-day. Some days I sit down and struggle to write anything at all, and other times I sit down and bang out 10,000 words in less than 24 hours (in a hotel room over Thanksgiving shared with my husband and two young kiddos, no less).

My most successful writing days come when I can zone out and just write. I'm a world class procrastinator, and if given half the chance I will wander way from my manuscript and do just about everything under the sun other than write. So when I really need to get things done, I don't worry about researching specifics or finding the perfect word. I just channel my characters and write.

A peek at notes from my latest WIP, Finding Home.

Will I need to do more work later on those parts? Definitely. My draft for my current WIP, Finding Home, is littered with notes like __need to research terminology on how rowers talk about strokes__ and __insert fancy-sounding craft beer name here__. Sometimes I can't find the right word to flow with the sentence, and I leave myself notes like __a word that means flighty but isn't flighty__. Or I realize that I can't remember some minor character's name even though I know I introduced him at the beginning, so I might write __the dude from the coffee shop from chapter one___ instead of breaking my concentration and going back to find the name itself. It's amazing how much more productive I am when I let the smaller things go instead of following a tangent down a rabbit hole and ending up spending an hour researching the craft brewing process when all I really needed was a throwaway sentence on how microbrews are conceived.

That's not to say that I don't research. I do, like a fiend. When I wrote Island House I didn't know a catamaran from a kayak, let alone how to tie anchor bend. (Now that I've brought it up, you know you can't resist learning the knot. Go ahead, there's the video...you wouldn't be reading about how to zone out and write productively if you could effectively avoid temptations like that one) I let myself get sidetracked by research, and as a result it took me almost three years to finish the manuscript.

I learned my lesson after that. I'm now 3/4 of the way through the follow-up to Island House, and the new outlook I've adopted on writing is definitely paying off. By giving myself permission to leave those places undeveloped so they don't interfere with the writing flow, I've taken away my excuses for procrastination and the roadblocks between me and a decent word count. Of course, there are still those inevitable days where I just can't seem to bring myself to string more than a sentence or two together. Now instead of being frustrated by them, I use them to go back and do the research I skipped and finish the scenes that I'd have gotten hung up otherwise.

This won't work for everyone, especially those of you who write linearly and need to perfect a scene before you move on. But it's a godsend for me, since if I'm not moving forward I lose interest. Or, you know, let a tiny bit of research hang me up so much that I put an almost completed manuscript on the back burner for three years before buckling down and finishing it.

A Dutch author actually hooked himself up to a gaggle of electrodes to monitor his brain function while writing. I have to say that while I'm curious about what goes on in my head while I'm writing, I don't think I'd take it that far. How about you?

Snippet from Finding Home

Buy on Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Island House came out earlier this week, and I've been having a blast visiting blogs talking about it. Right now you can enter to win a free copy on Andrew Q. Gordon's blog.

Be sure to check out the posts if missed my release party over on the Dreamspinner Press blog. I shared snippets from the book and the inspiration behind some of my favorite parts of the novel. Don't fret if you missed the giveaways--there will be more chances to win goodies like the metal anchor bookmarks and the ceramic oil warmers from the prize packages on Twitter throughout the month.

I'm hard at work on the second book in the Dropping Anchor series, Finding Home. Here's a sneak peek at some of the dialogue from  today's writing session:

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Letting Clare choose where they ate would mean something vegetarian, or worse, vegan.

“Can we stop for something on the way? You know she's not going to let us eat anywhere with actual food,” Ian pleaded.

“The last time I did that she smelled the french fries the second she got in the car. I ended up on a three-day juice cleanse,” Niall said with a shudder that told Ian he wasn't exaggerating.

“I did a juice cleanse once,” he offered.

“A two-day bender where all you did was drink pineapple juice with rum is not a juice cleanse,” Niall retorted.

“Lost six pounds,” Ian continued, ignoring the interruption.

“Probably more from dehydration from all the sex than because of the juice,” Niall deadpanned.

Ian considered it, then nodded. College spring break weeks were a guaranteed good time on Tortola. “Possibly.”

--Finding Home, due out summer 2014

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On the topic of beverages, apparently you can get Butterbeer at Starbucks! It's pretty chilly here in Indianapolis today, so maybe I'll treat myself to a magical hot drink this afternoon.

Release day!

It's been three years in the making, but release day is here for Island House! Even better, it's debuting with a 4.5 star review under its belt, courtesy of Nikyta at Sid Love.

It's especially awesome because Island House was my NaNoWriMo novel in 2010, and in a nice parallel, its spin-off Finding Home is my NaNo project this year. It's been a challenge to stay on top of the daily word counts while prepping my blog tour for Island House and getting ready for all the awesome release day festivities I have planned, but it's well worth a little lost sleep.

I'll be over on the Dreamspinner Press blog all day today doling out snippets of Island House, insights into my favorite parts of the book, and most importantly, prizes!  That's right, I'll be giving things away all day long to readers who come to my virtual release party at Dreamspinner. Head on over at 9 a.m. EST to enter the first giveaway, a chance to win a free ebook of Island House.

If you can't come play with us today, don't worry. I'll be giving away Island House goodies all month long on Twitter, so you'll get another chance at swag. You can also catch up with me on my blog tour. Last week I talked about where I got inspiration for Island House's setting on Kim Fielding's blog, and today I'm be sharing a steamy prequel scene on Charley Descoteaux's blog in celebration of her Kink Month. Tomorrow catch my Q&A on Andrew Gordon's blog (and check out Island House and other great new releases in his Monday new release round-up today!)

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Island House

Available from Dreamspinner Press

Unable to move on after the death of his lover, British expat Niall Ahern clings to Nolan's dream of living in the Caribbean by moving to Tortola. Once there, he finds that not even the beauty of the island can fill the hole in his heart. Broke and spent in nearly every way imaginable, Niall wants out of the lonely, miserable, guilt-ridden life he's carved out for himself.

When Ethan Bettencourt, a wealthy tech guru, shows up in British Virgin Islands looking to purchase a second home, he gives Niall hope that he can move on. Both men fall hard and fast, but Niall finds piloting his yacht in the midst of a hurricane is nothing compared to weathering life's simple misunderstandings. As their troubles come between them, Niall is left to wonder if he and Ethan are over before they've begun.