by Mlissa | Apr 10, 2014 | Authors After Dark
Authors After Dark is coming QUICKLY and OMG this year is going to be INSANE!
As always AAD is about the readers, and the amount of awesome we have put together for you this year, you would be INSANE not to attend….
First, our amazing Master of Ceremonies is none other than Alexandra Ivy! She will be doing a cool little event to celebrate your favorite gargoyle, Levet on Friday! Wanna know more? Check out the FB group where Alex will be talking about the awesome that she has going on!
Torquere and authors BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot will be Sponsoring our Welcome Event, the Midnight Rodeo… And it looks like We will have some VERY COOL goodies and… Riding… happening… *SNICKER*
How about Parties? This year we have a special event called the Leather and Lace Ball! Curious? We thought so! Take a ride on the wild side and let your inhibitions fly with five New York Times Bestselling Authors of erotic romance. Cuffs and corsets encouraged.
With:
J. Kenner, Liliana Hart, Carly Phillips, Janelle Denison, Jasinda Wilder and Lorelei James
The ladies will be talking more about this on the FB group starting soon!
New for 2014 is the Paranormal Party! Join over 20 Paranormal authors who will be giving away goodies, some books and hanging out with you to snack and chat! Wanna know what authors are involved? You will have to join the FB group to see!
And of course, we have the amazing Masquerade Ball! This year it’s the SINS AND VIRTUES BALL! Are you a sin or a virtue? Join us for a wild costumed event! Prizes for the best costumes, including a 200$ gift certificate to Lori Ann Costumes!
Your Sins and Virtues Sponsors:
Sin Lust
Boone Brux
Opal Carew
Sin Pride
BA Tortuga
Andrew Grey
Sin Envy
Stella Price
TJ Michaels
Sin Gluttony
Desiree Holt
Saranna DeWylde
Sin Greed
Ann Mayburn
Heather Long
Sin Sloth
Lizzie T. Leaf
Julie Morgan
Sin Wrath
Stacey Kennedy
Marianne Morea
Virtue Charity
Kerry Adrienne
Trista Ann
Virtue Chastity
Jenn LeBlanc
Annabel Jospeh
Virtue Humility
Milly Taiden
Donna McDonald
Virtue Kindness
CJ Ellisson
Alexandra Ivy
Virtue Temprance
J. Kenner
Sidney Bristol
Virtue Diligence
Denise Grover Swank
Jenna McCormick
Virtue Patience
Lousia Bacio
Kallypso masters
And if THAT isn’t enough awesome that will be going on… This year we have an amazing off site costumed event… the Ladies on the Green event sponsored by the AAD Anachronistic Society! This will be an hour and a Half on the famous GREEN in Charlotte (a half block from the hotel). It will be a Costumed event (though Costumes are not required they are encouraged!) to celebrate Gothic, Victorian, steampunk dark historical literature! Your hosts will be: Sahara Kelly, Amanda McIntyre, Leanna Renee Hieber, A.L. Davroe and S.A. Price. Prizes and readings will happen, as well as photo ops!
And NEVER forget the Amazing Open bar with Mel Schroeder and friends! They have SO MUCH awesome set up for you just before the Bookies… you do NOT wanna miss that!
Getting excited yet? How about some info on the AWESOME mini events we have going on? Ready?
On Wednesday night, join Sasha White and Joey W. Hill for a wild party and Q&A, Also, the Blind Date Book Party will be open to start your con right! (If you have never done a BDBP, you are MISSING out! You need to attend, Get your blind date book, find the author that wrote it, and hang out with them!)
Thursday? Panels up the wazoo, and the Bookie Awards—– goodies and books to be given out! The hangout with The GNO girls lead by CJ Ellisson and Boone Brux for some crazy fun! And if that wasn’t enough? Readings and a Blogger Sleepover party as well!
Friday? More panels, a games carnival with Nina Gooden and Pals, Name that Author with Cat Johnson, and some other fun surprises!
Saturday? A few panels, the Big Ass booksigning with 100 authors, the Cowboy Stampede party, the Readers Mad Tea Party with Hildie McQueen, An after the bookies event with a special publisher sponsor, And Jess Michaels’ Birthday Extravaganza!
SEE? SO MUCH AWESOME! All the authors that are involved with parties will be talking about their involvement on the FB group, so join up and get ready to rock.
Oh? You say you’re not registered for AAD yet? You need to be! All registrants get put in the hat for the welcome party prizes, and these prizes are AMAZING! Breakfast with authors, Booze and Books, side trips to Carowinds… We have a minimum of 90 special prizes… So…
You need to rock this con! And as if this wasn’t enough… AAD will be giving away something really awesome to registrants… Wanna know what?
How about 5 VIP registrations for THE NOVEL EXPERIENCE 2015 in LAS VEGAS? YES… 5!
And…
How about this… If we hit 100 more registrations from TODAY April 10th to June 10th, we will give away 2 AAD registrations for 2015… 2!!!!! So get registered, get your room and get ready for one HELL of an amazing year with us!
JOIN US! WE CANT WAIT TO HANGOUT WITH YOU!
AAD REGISTRATION
by Mlissa | Aug 12, 2013 | Music
Today’s Music Monday post is not going to be very inspirational. Cute, maybe. Downright roll your eyes 80’s pop, definitely.
This week is Authors After Dark in Savannah and I’m not going to be there. I’m going to be down and depressed so y’all should just brace yourselves now.
If you’re going to AAD, I hope you have a wonderful time. It’s a great conference and there are so many incredible people and events to attend.
If you’re not going, you can wallow in misery with me… 😉
~lissa
by Mlissa | Jun 13, 2013 | In the kitchen with...
Yeah, it’s me. But you know, I was thinking, we should have some guests come by specifically for kitchen days. I mean, I have several guests who are coming by over the next month or so, but none for In The Kitchen With…segments. I’m going to have to work on that.
In the meantime, you’re stuck with me. I don’t have anything new that I’ve cooked or baked or made.
I just got back from Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together in Cincinnati and while it was a good time, the food at conferences leaves a lot to be desired. This is not the coordinator’s fault. This is… I don’t know. Maybe it’s our fault. We choose this diet or that diet, this fad or that fad. We have more medical issues and allergies. We have more choices of sugar-free, fat free, carb-free or low carb, dairy free, soy free, gluten free, nut free, etc… Conference hotels can’t handle this. A lot of restaurants can’t handle this without it being a big deal.
Even hotel restaurant changed their menu and upscaled it and that just didn’t fit with a lot of us. But then, we’re not their typical clientele.
I was witness to this with a dear friend…she’s a reader, completely self-less with her time, one of the least judgmental people I know. She’s beautiful. Doesn’t ingest chemicals or sugars or toxins into her body. She eats a certain way and has to. She’s very disciplined about it. And conference food doesn’t cut it for her. It can’t. She’s one of several hundred people, quite a few of who can’t or choose not to eat what is fixed for the masses. Because of this, a good sized handful of us eat at surrounding restaurants. (It’s good to have choices).
I watched her order dinner at a restaurant. She was good to go with their gluten-free menu, but once she started asking questions, the process became more difficult, more delicate, more intricate. Having worked in restaurants and hotels myself, I can appreciate both sides of the issue. Trying to please the majority, but still being flexible enough to take care of the minority. Sauces and bases and coatings and such are pre-made in a lot of cases. The pace of a kitchen is frantic at best. There’s not always time to make a special sauce or another batch of eggs without the things you can’t have. Some can be altered, some can’t.
They took care of her in the end, but I was completely enthralled by the process. She’s very diligent and very disciplined. She’s an amazing woman and I learned a lot about tolerance from her over the weekend. She was patient and kind and even with that, I think she scared the shit out of one of the waiters.
I remember at Authors After Dark last year, a girl needed a gluten free plate and when she asked the wait staff in the hotel for one, she was given a plate of vegetables.
There has to be some consideration, some back up plan, especially when dinners and lunches are made mandatory or schedules are so packed with activities and running from point A to point C because there’s not enough time to stop at point B.
That being said, I bring a load of snacks with me. I don’t eat white sugar, white flour but maybe a few times a month, or several other things that are common at conferences. I don’t eat out a lot either. Maybe two or three times a month at best. It messes with my stomach and I’m miserable for a week or so after. So I bring snacks and drinks and coffee and I am constantly drinking water. I eat a lot of whole grains, whole foods, and organics. So, there are ways around it all until I can get outside and go to a restaurant where there are more choices.
As much as I love food, it’s the one part of conferences I don’t enjoy having to deal with.
Needless to say, I’m glad to be home. It’s been nice being in my kitchen, eating the way I’ve become accustomed to eating. I’m glad to have my organic milk, my sprouted grain breads, my Bear Naked granola, my organic half and half, Trader Joe’s. I feel better and not near as fuzzy brained. So, yes, even I’m difficult.
I have another long weekend coming up next week of conference hotel food and eating out. I’ll have a little more than a month to get my system back in line before Authors After Dark.
These coordinators for these conferences to the best they can, work with the best information they have. They can’t and the hotels can’t please us all with all our different issues. And yes, it’s an inconvenience to bring coolers of food and stuff, but if it works in the long run and allows for a more enjoyable time with readers, then it’s worth it.
(Of course, the Cincinnati Marriott in Westchester did have ice cream on the menu, by the pint, and I was able to buy ice cream for one of my very favorite friends and authors, Amanda Usen… That right there, was worth everything else.)
~lissa
by Mlissa | Oct 28, 2012 | Authors After Dark
I have never had a book nominated for an award before. This is exciting for me. This is awesome for me. I was completely shocked and surprised and in awe. You know when people say they were honored just to be nominated? Yeah, it’s a real feeling. I’m my first, last, hardest, and worst critic. I always see where I could have done better, where I could have written something smoother, hotter, sexier, deeper. I always see the imperfection of what I’ve created. But that there were people who thought the two stories nominated were worth it… Yeah, for me, it is a definite honor and very humbling.
Here’s the link to the full list of nominees in all categories: Authors After Dark: 2013 Bookie Award Nominees. The actual voting for the winners opens on November 1.
Committed: An Erotic Valentine’s Tale was nominated for Erotic Short Story of the Year
Melting Jane was nominated for Ebook Only Short Story of the Year
I am still like WOW!
Committed: An Erotic Valentine’s Tale is available for free all the time HERE on my website in PDF form, as well as on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks. Please download a copy…
Melting Jane is going to be on sale both in honor of the Bookie Award Nomination and as part of a fun two week sale organized by my friend Skye Warren.There are several wonderful authors participating and I’ve read most of them, love them, too. You can click on the graphic and it’ll take you directly to the sale page…
The normal price for Melting Jane is $2.99 but it’ll be on sale for $0.99 from now until November 14th on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks. If you haven’t read this book, now is your chance…
Graham Hall is a twenty-six year old Texan with the job of his dreams: being a freelance travel writer for a national publication. He’s just finished his latest article about small winter resort destinations in Colorado and has earned some personal down time. With the six month lease not yet up on the small cabin he rented, Graham decides to stick around the area for a while and in the process, finds himself agreeing to a blind date with a feisty, down on her luck in the love department, candy maker named Jane.
After all, what could it hurt?
Jane, completely oblivious to the set up, arrives at Graham’s isolated little valley cabin to deliver a box of her handmade Chocolate Kick truffles. From the moment Graham opens the door, Jane is tongue tied and ticked off. Edward, her business partner and most certainly former best friend, set her up. When she regains her ability to put two coherent words together, plus size, mid-thirties Jane apologizes for intruding and assures Graham that she will take care of the mistake.
What ensues is a series of encounters and confrontations between Jane and Edward, Jane and Graham, and Edward and Graham. At the heart of it all, is Jane’s happiness. Edward wants this for her more than anything. Graham finds himself caught up in her tart tongue and curvy body and isn’t about to call his all too real pursuit a failure, no matter how many times she says no.
With her inability to continue denying herself the man she affectionately refers to as Cowboy Surfer in her head, she gives in and is rewarded with scorching hot sex and a lot of follow-up phone calls after she learns the truth of Graham’s attraction. His persistence leads Jane to believe that life doesn’t have to revolve around chocolate truffles, but rather should revolve around a delicious, well traveled and well built younger man.
**This book was previously published and titled as Sugar Rush. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release.**
I have some awesome readers and I am more grateful to you than I can say for allowing me into your lives through my books. You give me the opportunity to earn a living doing something I love. Thank you…
~lissa
by Mlissa | Aug 13, 2012 | Authors After Dark
I know there are several authors who are feeling the same kind of conference hangover that I am. And I didn’t drink while in New Orleans!
LOL!
I didn’t. I fully admit to being a stick in the mud and to have held up several of the hotels walls. Afterall, it was an older hotel and all that… 😉 It truly is amazing what one can learn when one simply observes… I loved the panels I was on. They were incredibly fun and informative. I was on them with some very wonderful and accomplished authors… Carolyn Crane, Melissa Schreoder, Andrew Grey, Tilly Greene, Joey W. Hill, L.A. Witt just to name a few. I met some fantastic people…readers, bloggers, authors. I think I have come away with several new friends even. I spent some time picking the brain of m/m author Damon Suede. He is incredibly genuine and forthright. I was captivated by his enthusiasm.
Wonderful aspiring authors and readers who made me feel amazing in my accomplishments. The petting and good natured ‘fighting’ over Vinter always makes me smile. I signed posters and post cards and one day will have books to sign. I sat next to Teresa Meyers, who writes historical and steampunk. She was so nice and down to earth and so open. She liked looking at the men in my posters but really, who could blame her, right? And debut author Amanda Carlson, who was all smiles and even nervous like me.
I spent a ton of time with new people and spent a ton of time with familiar faces and friends: Eliza Gayle, Cat Johnson, Mari Freeman, and Samantha Kane. I don’t know what I’d have done without them. That Mari, Samantha, and another friend Marti came to the Male/Male panel one because they love the genre and two because they were there to support me. It meant the world to me that they were there and though I thought it would make me nervous, but it didn’t, it rather eased me.
I’m not good speaking in front of people, but I love talking about books and writing so as I got into the panels I was able to be more and more at ease. The friendly faces I saw eased the nerves.
Then of course, there was the incomparable and completely wonderful Dakota Cassidy. There are no words beyond my being totally and completely and utterly in love with her. She’s the most fantastic and fabulously charismatic author and woman I’ve ever met.
My new friend and aspiring author Kristin took me to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. They were so amazing and delicious and everything that I’ve ever heard they were.
And don’t despair, there are so many new story ideas in my mind right now… Just y’all wait! There will be a new one titled Up Against The Wall, thanks to the constantly smiling and laughing author Siobhan Muir. It was also impressed upon me how many people want me to write another book in the same vein as Pink Buttercream Frosting. I am deeply considering it. Thank you to those who have given me their support and desire for more…
I think that is all for now. I have edits to attend to. I love y’all so very much! Oh, and whatever you do, never stay in a hotel where there is NOT a coffee pot in the room! Grins…
~lissa
