Guest Blog & Contest with Ashlyn Chase!

This week I have two author guests for you to enjoy! First up - is author Ashlyn Chase.

I came across Ashlyn when I read her book 'Strange Neighbors' back in June this year. I absolutely loved it and the idea, so I was glad to see that the book will become a series. The Werewolf Upstairs is not due out till February but I already have it on my pre-order list. I can't wait to see what happens next in that paranormal filled house!!!

Anyway it seems that Ashlyn has been writing for a while and that 'Strange Neighbors' is just her first big paranormal release! Ashlyn has quite a few erotic books with her name on and today she is here to tell us a little about an upcoming release and how she ended up writing with another author. There is also a little sneak peek of the first chapter in her new book called Strokes and a chance to win a copy of one of Ashlyn and Dalton's steamy stories!

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Writing with a Partner

Half the work—Twice the fun

Ashlyn Chase and Dalton Diaz

“Help! I’m stuck and I need more than a critique partner to finish writing this damn book.” Those are the words I said to myself before considering a writing partner. I had a great premise, a promising start, but I was missing something—something major…and I knew I couldn’t complete this challenge on my own. ~ Ashlyn

“OMG, a multi-published author in my dream genre wants to write a book with me?” Once I calmed down and changed my shorts, a few other questions came to mind. How would we mesh? What if I disagreed with anything? I already had a writing partner, what would she say? ~Dalton

I was lucky. I happened upon a great writer with a similar voice whose strengths were my weaknesses and vice versa. We knew we’d be splitting the royalties, but even if I’d managed to write the book alone, it would have suffered. I would have suffered. Instead it turned into a fun collaborative effort and a product we’re proud of.

Sounds good, right? Well, the first order of business is to figure out whether or not you would benefit from having a writing partner. That’s why we’ve created the:
Top Ten Reasons to Write with a Partner

1. Built in critique partner
a. 2nd pair of eyes to catch typos, tenses, and those damn dangling participles and ending sentences with a preposition we always speak of.

2. Two brains are better than one
a. And sometimes two brains equal one.

3. Sharing the promo costs
a. Yes, you share the, er, don’t-quit-your-day-job wealth. But you also share the cost of things like bookmarks, postcards, doodads, love cuffs…

4. Automatic commenter on your blog
a. 2nd person to get your name out there

5. Their relatives have to buy the book, too.
a. ‘nuff said

6. Twice the lifetime of experience to draw on
a. If one of you hasn’t experienced something, chances are the other one has or knows someone who has. If you write erotica, you’ll be getting real comfy real fast.

7. Someone to finish your thoughts
a. and sentences

8. Double the vocabulary
a. Especially if one of you lives with a retired English teacher

9. Someone to do the parts you just aren’t into
a. Burnt out on writing sex scenes? Hate plotting, outlining, writing a blurb, synopsis? If you have 2 people throwing ideas against the wall, something is likely to stick.

10. Someone to crack the whip
a. Be careful here. Everyone has limits, and those limits are different for each person. Be aware of outside time constraints, and be flexible.



Our latest collaborative effort is Strokes, Available Aug. 3rd from Ellora’s Cave. It’s part of the “Arts” line.

Book Reviewer Darcy Dennison wants to ring her artist neighbor’s neck. That’s a crying shame considering how gorgeous he is, but she needs peace and quiet to get her work done. Models throwing fits in his apartment don’t help.
On a temporary work visa, Paolo Santori has little time to paint his nudes before returning to Italy to marry a woman he doesn’t love. Then Darcy bursts into his life. The solution is simple, she’ll model his favorite subject while she works.
Making her glisten thrills them both, but falling in love could mean losing everything he’s ever known.

Chapter One

Darcy Dennison stuck her head out the window and yelled, “Hey, Michelangelo! If you don’t knock off the racket, I’ll come up there and shove your brushes down your throat!” Honestly, how can one artist, an easel and some paint manage to make so much noise?

Another loud smash infuriated her. How was she supposed to finish the book she had to review if this madman didn’t stop with all the banging? Sleep deprivation from staying up half the night to meet her deadline didn’t help her mood.

Thud.Thud.Crash! What the hell? Had he taken up sculpture? The sounds resembled a hammer breaking off chunks of misbehaving granite.

Darcy grabbed her three-hole punch and climbed onto a chair. She pounded the ceiling with brutal thuds. “There. See how you like it!”

The offensive noise stopped. “Ah…” she sighed.

Just as Darcy prepared to dismount, plaster assaulted the back of her head and sent her into a less than graceful swan dive onto the carpet. Damn! It was as if gravity and her new Italian neighbor Paolo wanted to drive her crazy.

Suddenly she didn’t care how sexy the Roman God was. Stomping upstairs as if each step bore a picture of his brooding expression, she tried to formulate what she would say. So much blind rage clouded her brain, she couldn’t think clearly. It would serve him right if she simply screamed in his face, although he might not understand the English curse words she wanted to hurl at him.

She raised her fist to pound on the door just as it flew open. A petite blond yelled obscenities and nearly mowed Darcy over in her haste to leave. The girl mumbled an apology and charged down the stairs.

Darcy peered into the studio apartment. A disheveled Paolo crouched on the floor with his head in his hands. Broken lamps, dishes, tipped over furniture, paint tubes and brushes littered every inch of floor space. His easel and a blank canvas lay on the floor next to him. The only item untouched was the full-sized bed in the corner.

Darcy entered cautiously. “Paolo, are you all right? What the hell happened?”

He looked up at her with sad, brown eyes. “I think…my model…she quit.”

Darcy almost laughed at the understatement of all time. Covering her mouth, she squelched the sound, then asked, “Did she say why?”

Paolo rose and raised his arms in a loose shrug. “I hired her to model nude. Perhaps she did not realize. When I asked her to take her clothes off and climb on the bed…” He gestured around the room.

Darcy couldn’t suppress her laughter any longer. It bubbled up from her toes and erupted.

Link to all of Ashlyn's Ellora's Cave books

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Contest Time

Ashlyn and Dalton want to offer an e-copy of Love Cuffs if an International reader wins. Option of a signed print copy if a US reader wins. That's their other 'together' book.

How To Enter

If you could pick someone to write a book with, who would you pick?

No person = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

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You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 22nd of August 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.