Hump Day Hook - Week 3

 This week's hook is from my January 1 release, a erotic sci fi, MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI. Marissa's best friend Jennifer is a sales representative for a dating service, so naturally she's always trying to set her up with eligible bachelors..

I’d rolled my eyes so many times when she’d inquired about my love life (or should I say non-existent love life), my eyeballs were falling into semi-permanent oh no she’s going to ask me again, orbit. I’m an underwater meteorite specialist, obsessed with space rocks that plunge into oceans. Why can’t she understand that men don’t hold a candle to meteorites, microscopes, and diving expeditions? I’d rather run my fingers over the smooth body of an iron meteorite than a guy’s gluteus maximus any day.  

Would you like to read some more hooks? Click here...

The man who makes Marissa crazy is the only one she wants. But it's a bad time to let lust call the shots when a comet cloud is careening toward Earth and Marissa's the only one who can save everyone. 

Hump Day Hook - Week 2

My Hump Day Hook for the week  comes from my January 1 release, Message from Viola Mari, published by Extasy Books. Meteorite scientist Marissa Jones is presenting her latest research at a conference in Prague. After her session, she decompresses with a stroll through the historic city.

I explored the narrow cobblestone streets, stopping first at Old Town Square to see the Orloj, a medieval astronomical clock. Gathering crowds gazed up the face of Old Town City Hall’s ancient stone wall, waiting for the top of the hour, when the Apostles and other moving sculptures stepped out of the clock. Every street in Old Town offered a different surprise. Above arches, beneath pillars and along many of the buildings’ ancient rooftops, shirtless men with rippling muscles flexed and dresses draped fleshy, curvy women. All the statues looked like superheroes—the men’s chests and abdomens were perfectly chiseled and the women’s dresses looked like capes or wings. I admired their fortitude. I imagined myself standing on top of a building, the wind rustling my wings, rather than my jacket. Now my reality is fantasy. A blissful laugh escaped my lips and echoed through the narrow cobblestone corridor.

I walked back to the hotel and ventured into the noisy hotel bar, slipped off my jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. I ordered a Chardonnay and glanced around the smoke-filled room. A moment later, the bartender set a wine glass down in front of me with a clink and asked if I’d like to start a tab.

“Let me pick this one up.” A broad-shouldered blond man plunked down in the chair beside me and leaned in my direction. “And please bring me a glass of Schnapps.” He straightened his dark gray jacket and gazed at me.

“Have we met before?” The Nordic man with the sexy bass voice looked vaguely familiar.

“Stefan Andersson. We met briefly last year at the Stockholm conference.”

“Oh, yes. I recall your fascinating presentation on SNC meteorites.” I noticed how his muscular thighs pleasantly filled out his tweed slacks.

“Well, thank you, Miss Jones. I’m quite flattered. But I didn’t come over to discuss meteorites.” His gaze dropped down toward my breasts and he licked his lips.

“Really?” I sat up a little straighter in my chair, pulling my jacket lapels in toward each other. “So what did you want to discuss, Mr. Andersson?” I tugged my skirt down a little lower when his blue eyes drifted from my bust line to my calves.

You can read Hump Day Hooks by other authors by following this link. If you enjoyed this excerpt from MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI and would like to read more, you can order it on Amazon.

The 2012 DA14 Asteroid

On the same day a large asteroid 2012 DA14 passed within 17,200 miles of Earth - too close for comfort for most of us - a meteor exploded over Russia, shattering windows, and injuring more than 1000 people.

Catastrophic impacts have been a part of Earth's history. If we didn't have oceans, erosion and plate tectonics to smooth over the evidence, our planet's surface wouldn't look much less cratered than the moon. Several years ago, I met famous meteorite hunter, Geoffrey Notkin, in a Tucson memoir writing group.  Since I have a Masters degree in geology, I've always found science fascinating and Notkin’s submissions about meteorite collecting trips to some of the most remote regions in the world had a special appeal to me. He eventually published his exhilarating stories as a book entitled Rock Star:Adventures of a Meteorite Man. After meeting Notkin, I found myself reading more about meteorites and catastrophic asteroid and comet events, which contributed to some of my plot ideas for MESSAGE FOR VIOLA MARI.

I couldn't help but feel a shock wave of irony when I watched Lisa Sylvester's CNN interview with University of Maryland scientist, Melissa Hayes, who shares the same first name as my female protagonist (also a meteorite scientist).

At least for now, we can let out a sigh of relief and say, "Whew, that was close." If you'd like to read a fictional tale on how scientist Melissa Jones reacts to evidence a comet cloud is headed this way, you can immerse yourself in this not-so-unbelievable erotic sci fi tale on Amazon.

Author Interview

Today, I was a guest in Susana's Morning Room. During the interview, I answered questions Susana Ellis asked me about when I started writing, my writing habits, my new release, MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI, and even what's under my bed (this is when the answers really start getting interesting...). If you'd like to see more, please go to http://susanaauthor.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/guest-interview-author-sabrina-devonshire/

Guest Blog on Virtual Writers - Coping With Writer's Block

If you could use some strategies for coping with writer's block, please check out my post today on Virtual Writers. http://authoressentials.virtualwritersinc.com/2013/02/coping-with-writers-block-by-sabrina-devonshire/

Hump Day Hook - Week 1

Here's my first attempt at a Hump Day Hook...This selection comes from my January 1 release, Message from Viola Mari, published by Extasy Books. Meteorite scientist, Marissa Jones, is squirming her way through a first date with her attractive-as-hell writing professor, Justin Lincoln.

Once the waitress placed our plates on the table, I reached for my fork, thrust it into the Mahi Mahi on my plate and sliced off a piece with my knife.

Justin’s brows tipped inward. “I bet you don’t get asked out on many second dates.”

“Excuse me?” I poised my fork ominously in his direction.

“You heard me.” His gaze dropped down to the V on my low-cut dress and he licked his lips.

A rush of desire surged between my legs. Damn men. The black widow female spider has got it right. Better to fuck them and then kill them off before they do permanent damage. “Can’t you look me in the eye when we speak? Anyway, where did you get your information about my relationships?”

“If you had dates galore, your mom wouldn’t have you lobbing balls over the fence and into the sand pit at the Beach and Tennis Club, would she?”

My Husband - the "What I Just Read About" Guinea Pig

If I want to see my husband bolt like greased lightning from the room, all I have to do is say, "I just read about this in a romance novel and wondered if I could try it on you?" Since I say this pretty often, I'm thinking he might be fast enough to qualify for the next Olympics by year's end.

I devour books like some people go for chocolate - voraciously. I've already read several books this month. As an erotic romance author, I'm drawn to books spilling over with deliciously sexy scenes. Naturally, whenever curious me encounters a modality I haven't experienced before, I want to try it out with my husband. While other wives nag their husbands to repair broken toilets, I say, "honey, will you take off your clothes?" or "I have this little gadget I'd like to try on you." And this is totally justifiable. Everyone knows the importance of writers doing their research...

"Do you think you would like this?" I often ask. Usually, his face turns fifty shades of white before his blurred body flies from the room. Sometimes he rolls his eyes. On a good day, he'll say, "All right, why not?" Today happened to be one of those days...

Why I Write First Drafts During the Super Bowl and When I Want to Avoid Chores

After I Facebook posted that I wrote 2800 words of a work in progress during the Super Bowl, I got a variety of public and private message comments. A few people thought I was a little nutty to forgo  beer, food, and four letter words just to get words down on paper (me nutty? okay, so, please tell me something I don't know already). Others remarked on what a disciplined genius I am (yeah, right). Others wanted to know how I could write with all that chaos going on. Here's the answer to that question...

I happen to be one of those people that write first drafts that come out like vomit - the great ideas are in there (the chunks), while the rest is a mush of cliche central, too many dialogue tags, overused descriptions, word repetition, corny or awkward sounding dialogue, plot holes you could drive a Humvee through - well, you get the picture...Eventually I concluded that some fortuitous times to write these early works of trash, which pretty much had to be reworked or blown sky high several hundred times before publication are on the following occasions...

1) Keeping my husband company while he watches something on TV that doesn't interest me.

2) Anytime I'm desperate to avoid doing housework.

3) When I know if I keep working for another half hour, my husband will do the grocery shopping for me.

4) After a glass of wine or a beer.

5) While sitting on a plane or in an airport restaurant.

6) Intermittently while cyber-stalking.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a serious writer. But when it comes to first drafts, whether there's complete silence or a football game happening or a YouTube video blaring on my son's computer, it doesn't much matter, my first drafts always come up and out with a splash. If you're one of those people who can sit in a room at a writing conference and compose a masterpiece in five minutes, all I can say is I'm happy for you (not so much) and you don't know what you're missing (enjoying a change of scenery and avoiding non-preferred activities while writing vomitoid drafts).