An American Male? Heck Yeah!

I’m luvin'-life proud to announce that I’ve nearly finished the third book in my Calum’s Curse Trilogy titled, The Tudor Revival. This novel has been a long time coming and it’s surprised me at every turn. Why you ask? Well, frankly, I never knew an American hero could be SO FREAKIN’ HOT!

I know, odd thing for an American female romance writer to say but seriously… who knew? I’ve lived in the land of sexy highland Scots for so long that when I came up for a breath of air (that sounded dirty, but you know what I mean) it turned out the series had led me to a male born and bred on my very own soil.

A Boston guy to boot!

But the fact of the matter is I do love my New England boys. In fact, I married one. Perhaps it was because we shared a local, traditions, viewpoints, but mostly because I thought he was so damned fine.

Back to the point of why I posted this article. I’ve published over ten titles and all have had foreign heroes. Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Italy, you name it. Without doubt it’s because I've traveled and dated men from other countries but more than that it had to do with the country’s wonderful heritage and my extreme passion for the foreign experience. And c’mon ladies, those international loves keep on keepin’ on!

Now that I’m writing about an American guy, I’ll admit that there's a wicked freedom to it. Not only is he USA born but Seth is into the paranormal. He’s the dare-devil of ghost hunters. Almost like a sexy, supernatural warlock version of Zach from Ghost Adventures… you know the type. *winks*

I don’t have to worry about an accent with Seth. After all you can’t read how we ‘get tha butta out of the fridge’ here in New England. *hee hee* I can blissfully leave Goodwill Hunting’s attempt at our accent OUT of my book. Phew! I’m just saying it like I see it… like I know it.

I’m finally writing about a male who I know drove down F'ing 93 at rush hour. He dealt with traffic on Storrow Drive when the Red Sox were playing. And yep, he was RIGHT THERE when the New England Patriots were welcomed home after too many Super Bowl wins to count. Heck yeah, he sure as hell gloated!

Not gonna lie… all of this gives me the warm fuzzies. It’s super comfy writing about the American male. He’s nothing short of dish-me-up-sum-more wonderful. A truly tantalizing hero!

Truth told, I'll continue to travel the seas in my writing but this whole American hero thing is intoxicating and fun. No doubt about it, I’ll be back.

What are your thoughts? Does nationality really matter? In my world it always has, specifically that tasty breed out of the UK. But name the male, name the country, I’d bet he deserves his hay day…even my very own super delicious American males.

xo

Author Apps. Are They For You?

I'd jump on board! Wouldn't you?

I recently indulged in the latest marketing tool because I feel it’s the wave of the future. And what is that you ask? My very own app!

It sounds amazing. In fact, it sounds downright ‘best seller’ aye? I mean seriously, people live on their cell phones now. I know I do. Yep, guilty. In fact, if my cell phone is out of my reach for over an hour I start going all wild eyed.

Am I alone?

Somehow I doubt it. Since the creation of the iPhone and Android, the world has entered the next level of technology. Yee haw! Absolutely LOVE it. And still not sure how I survived my childhood in the Atari and DOS ‘80’s. *winks* (Lots of ‘Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.’)

But we’ve arrived in an era in which I’m super thrilled to call my own. Things are going faster and faster. Every day there’s more and more. As far as tech goes, that’s just fine. A little overwhelming sometimes but still OMG’ish, right?

So now I have an author app. Yep, I took the digi plunge. Was it cheap? Not really. At an average of $400 a year, I’m hoping it will pay for itself. After all, people are starting to read books on their cell phones. In its own way an author app serves two purposes. The first, an instant Newsletter with daily status updates for fans AND a quick ‘click’ for readers to download your books while you’re on their minds. It’s all about quick turnover in this day and age. People want ‘right now quality’ and if it’s not a click away, they’re moving onto the next interesting thing. (No offense, I’m the same way. It just is what it is.)

My concern?

The mad crazy amount of apps out there. My husband looked at me when I started this venture and said, “You do know that there are billions of apps out there, right?”

“Sure,” I responded while secretly cringing.

Now I’m thinking, is this one more thing that needs to be overly promoted or does it fall into the category of ‘found easily by readers.’ Is everyone diving into the same pond at once? What makes an app survive? What makes an app drown?

I’d love to hear feedback on this topic from authors and readers alike. What do YOU think about author apps? Is it just too new to risk right now, writers? And readers, would you be thrilled to find that your favorite author had an app? Would you download it or would other apps take priority?

Feel free to check out my recently launched app on Android and iTunes.

I’m excited to see how it does. And, despite my reservations, I’m THRILLED to be part of the future. *grins*

Sky

It's All About YOU This Mother's Day.

I hope that all of you mom’s out there are completely spoiled this Mother’s Day. Luckily the weather here in the northeast is supposed to be fairly nice so I intend to take a break from writing and enjoy some gardening. I know that doesn’t sound very self-indulgent but it really is for me. There’s something about getting my hands dirty (no gloves for this gal!) that I love. Giving plants a new home is so soothing and therapeutic.

This year my Birthday falls on Mother’s Day so I’m even more thrilled by my plans. However, my six year old son is less than impressed. How could I NOT want cake and presents??? I know who really wants to eat the cake! *winks*

So what are your perfect plans for Mother’s Day?

Three lucky commenters will be chosen. The prize? Any book from my backlist! (You don’t have to be a mom to comment)

Contest ends Tuesday, May 15, 12 PM EST.

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!

Sky

Want More Readers? HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Blog Event.

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Blog Event

Ready for some hot summer nights at A Writer’s Mind?

It’s been some time since I hosted one of my infamous ‘A Writer’s Mind’ blog events and I miss them. I enjoyed connecting with all of my wonderful co-authors and I miss the fabulous readers who always pop in especially for these events.

So here’s what I’m thinking…

I’d like to feature authors with books that take place during the warmer months of the year. Any romance genre goes. Any publication date, be it ten years ago or tomorrow, is fine. I want readers to buy your books and relate with the setting. Relate with the romance that blossoms when the air is hot and humid and the nights are long and romantic. Naturally, this blog event is an ‘in’ for all authors with settings in the Deep South or warmer parts of the world. *winks*

This blog event will start June 1st and run through the summer. Up to two authors will be featured a week. The guidelines to participate are simple. Please lead out with a brief intro about WHY you wrote your book. Include one book cover, blurb, excerpt, Buy clicks (up to 3) and four links (I recommend your Website, Facebook, Twitter and Blog) but any links are totally fine.

Like my Christmas event, I’m asking that all participants include a giveaway. Anything you like!

If interested, please email me at Sky@SkyPurington.com with your information and I’ll shoot you a date.

Cheers,
Sky