From the Hermit Hovel

Hi! My name is Allure Van Sanz! Remember me? I used to be an active participant in this blog and others. I used to comment, run contests, see how many tweets I could get out in a day--and I used to be on Facebook 24/7. Yeah! *That* Allure Van Sanz.

LOL These days it feels like I'm an unknown to my friends, and if that's the case, what does that say for my chances at making new friends and fans.

But the reason I'm never around these days is because of how busy I am! I'm a social network/Internet hermit, true. I'm in my own little area, popping out only to say that I'm still alive in a tweet or on FB.

In the "real world", though, I'm becoming more productive.

Why?

I found myself spending so much time doing contests, giveaways, and blogs--I ran out of books to give out. I ran out of blog topics to speak about. I ran out of new readers to give freebies to. LOL

So I developed a schedule. ::gasp!:: I know! Who would've thought AyVee would ever go schedule. Well, I had to. I lacked discipline, and what's a writer without a book? Other than...not a writer? Ha!

Once you write a book and see it out there on the shelf or in cyber space where people pay to see what you created--you're an author. But in my eyes, you're not a true author if you throw out a couple of books and quit. You're a hobbyist. And I saw myself headed down that path. Sure, I had ideas, but unless I was going to learn how to play guitar and head down to the local Bohemian tavern to talk the stories out to the audience while I strummed--well, I needed to get my ass back behind the computer screen. Out of FB-Tweet-Blog-ville and into--what is commonly known as--the writer's cave.

Having a kidlet, too, (only child) who is of the age where she needs to learn to swim, bike, skate and socialize--I realized I didn't have the luxury to social-network my butt off all day then throw in some words between tweets. That would leave me about a half-hour to spend with the munchkin before the sun went down.

It just wasn't happening.

The fix? Yup--that schedule thing I was talking about. "Allure are you there?" "You okay, Allure? Haven't seen you in a while." I wish I could explain how awesome it is to know people actually notice when you go MIA and stop commenting, stop appearing. It's seriously, one of the best feelings in the world. I hate making people worry or wonder what's wrong with me, so I thought I'd share my schedule for those interested. (And it gave me a blog topic. ::grins:: )


Now, Mon-Fri, I:

- wake up and force myself to do my workout (formerly, I used to do it when I got around to it)

- take a shower, dress, feed the daughter and the dog.

- head to the library for two hours of uninterrupted romping with my laptop and newest WIP. (Lately, it's Savor the Kill--sequel to Murder Creek.)

- get home in enough time to kick the kid outside for some vitamin D and neighbor pummeling while I do some sort of housework (whichever part of the house is starting to look like an episode of Hoarders)

- get dinner started and check my 5 email accounts for good and bad news. (I still have a YA on Submission and fan emails are always good news ;-) )

- after dinner, teach the munchkin how to ride a bike, swim or skate (which usually backfires into an episode of "let's just go feed the ducks", but quality time is quality time)

- at night I put the angel to bed and flip through some TV stations while pulling up Facebook and Twitter and my blog so I can state the obvious. (I wrote today! #amwriting)

- realize I still don't have anything to promote or to 'yay' about, so I poke a few friends, try to atta-girl or atta-boy a few deserving peers and fall asleep so I can get more words done the next day--and maybe, just maybe get out of this writing Hermit Hovel with a shiny new book soon.

Sat-Sun:

- All Daughter! Except for Sunday nights where I try to respond to Six Sentence Sunday posts from awesome authors who post their snippets. And every other Saturday morning where I throw garage sales. ;-)


There you have it! Why I'm in the Hermit Hovel. I miss you all, and hope to be back to bugging everyone very soon.

Enjoy your summer all.

Awareness Month

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the spring weather. May is an awesome month for me, mostly because my daughter was born in May, Mother's day means a great brunch, and I usually do something fun and informative for Fibromyalgia Awareness day (which is tomorrow).

This year, I decided to mix things up a bit, and I came up with the idea for May Awareness Project.

MAP began May 6th and will last until June 1st. Romance and erotic authors from all types of venues (print, Ebook, indie) have come together to help bring awareness to conditions that affect us all.

The human spirit is such a beautiful thing to witness, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped pull this together. Authors who donated books, swag, and even their time to do write-ups. You are pure souls, and I am humbled by your generosity.

Noble Romance Authors came to me first with their time, books, and helpful suggestions and I just wanted to use my time today, to not only invite everyone to come and participate in the amazing giveaways over at http://allurevansanz.blogspot.com ... but to thank Noble authors for being an amazing group of exceptional human-beings.

All my best,
Allure Van Sanz




Giveaway rules and participation for May Awareness Project: Each day a cause of a human condition is highlighted, there will be a discussion and a link to the chosen charity for donation. Participants do NOT need to donate to win the giveaway…though I hope you do. ;) Simply add your thoughts to the comments over at http://allurevansanz.blogspot.com and you will be eligible*.

*For all shipping prizes US and Canada only entrants please. All EBook prizes are fair game!

The Thrill of a Release!

Nooo, not that kind of a release, though hey--definitely thrilling.

I'm referring, of course, to new book releases. I've discovered, so far, the excitement over a book coming out doesn't diminish after the first book. If anything, my excitement builds. I know some of what to expect: The guest blogging, the self promotion, the subtle threats against family and friends who don't snatch up my book right away. But there's definitely new hope with every release.

Will this be the release that changes my career somehow?


I'm lucky in the sense that I not only have a release out today with Noble (Love Revisited: Davit and Jenova), but I also have a recent release on Amazon of a book I wrote many moons ago with a friend of mine (Murder Creek).

I'm having a blast promoting two books at once. It's double the work, of course, but well worth my time. I write fast. Faster than the industry can accept and offer a contract. ::grins:: And I need to be kept busy. I have too many stories in my head to sit back and write a book at a time. I have to at least have three stories going. It keeps me from hitting a writing wall and staring at the same page of a manuscript for three days in a row. If I'm unsure where to go next, I hop over to the next story and keep on working.

I hope this isn't the last time I'll be promoting two books at once, and I hope, friends and fans, that you all have the time to check out both stories.

Today, I'll be running an easy contest. Leave a comment, get a chance to win. Friend me on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall and get another chance to win. Make sure you mention the contest. If you're already a friend, you only have to write on the wall. For a third shot, "like" me and leave a comment on my fan page wall. (Again, mention the contest.) At stake: a free copy of Love Revisited: Davit & Jenova or a free T-shirt. One lucky winner will get both.

If you miss today, don't worry. The contest goes on one more day on another blog where I'm a guest on Tuesday. You'll have to see my Facebook page for details.

Have a great day all, and Good Luck!


All my best,
Allure

Spring Inspiration

I feel like an excited puppy straining the leash at the edge of a dog park. Every end of winter this happens. Right when the sun stays up a little longer and a few of the inches of snow that's piled up starts to melt, I beginning plotting.

Not just stories (that never seems to stop) but all the things I'll do over the spring and summer.

I'm going to go to the beach more.
I'm going to ride my bike more. (Oh wait, my bike has a flat tire.)
I'm going to get my tire on my bike fixed, THEN I'm going to ride my bike more.
I'm going to take more trips to AZ and go hiking!
I'm going to sell more books, which means I need to write more, so I'll need to stay in more. Because I know if I try to write outside, I'll only be distracted.

Hmm.


...

I'm going to go to the beach--after I write 2000 words.
I'm going to ride my bike--after I edit a chapter.
Oh wait. I'm going to get my tire fixed after I get an advance check and THEN I'm going to ride my bike--after I edit a chapter.
I'm going to take more trips to AZ, but only if I write the whole time at the airport and on the plane to and from.


This is what March does to me. I have all these great plans, but in truth, I know it's all just a touch of Spring Inspiration. Not that it's a bad thing, but it is kinda like the flu. It'll flush itself out eventually but some of the symptoms will linger. Here's hoping something sticks!

What symptoms of Spring Inspiration do YOU have?


All my best,
AyVee

Allure Van Sanz
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/AllureVanSanz
http://allurevansanz.blogspot.com

Love of Tragedy

Around Valentine's Day, everyone seems to gush about love. They remember how they met their significant other, they rejoice in the fact they found love, or they get a game plan as to how to find a new love. Yes, love is in the air. And I, too, take a moment to be grateful for the love I'm lucky to have--from lover to friend.

But...when I see paper hearts, I think about how easy they tear.

I wouldn't say I'm a negative person, exactly. I'd say I'm the type to appreciate the phoenix cycle of life. I don't look at the pretty bird and ignore the burning or the ash. There, in the searing and the soot, lies the forgotten heart. Life's natural fertilizer for future love. Tragedy.


Inside every story I cannot forget, within the pages of every book that sticks in my head and inspires me, is a tragedy that has made my heart hurt, my eyes sting, and my throat constrict with emotion. And in that sorrow I feel...alive.

Is there any moment better in a book? The hero and heroine were torn apart. One of them dies while the other watches in despair, struggling to overcome the grief that comes with total loss. You're clutching the book (or your e-reader) and flipping through the pages, wanting to know more, needing to get to the point of happiness where the two souls meet again, and this time, get it right. Or how about the hero losing his wife, and walking around in a bleak existence...until he meets a woman who makes him feel again. Powerful.

Perhaps these stories are why I often find myself reflecting back to relationships that might've been. Not because I'm looking to repair what went wrong (though I do find that exercise worthwhile in writing), but because they've made me realize, without those losses, I wouldn't have experienced living life to the fullest, finding the strength within myself to heal, and triumphing over the trials of heartbreak.

What do you think? Does love taste sweeter after tragedy?


In my opinion, yes! I've loved, deeply, more than once. I've lost the best, discarded the worst, and will never forget the love that was cut off before it had time to reach it's full potential. I carry these tragedies around in my heart like a portable graveyard, and I get to revisit the tombs every time an author writes a passage that screams against the injustice of love. It's a bitter and beautiful reconnection.

Instead of resenting sorrow and loss, I'm encouraged and invigorated. I hug my Love tighter, I squeeze every drop of happiness out of every second I can. Because for me, tragedy is the pavement on the road to the next bliss.

So on this V-Day, don't just stare lovingly into the eyes of your love, take a moment to remember the grief that got you there, and experience the kind of gratitude some never feel.

By the way...If you look around and find yourself alone, just remember--you're on your path. In the future, this moment will be the ash you rose from.

May you all continue to be inspired to move forward.
Best,
Allure

The Best Present Is New Fans!

When you get a little older, the amount of presents you get on your birthday is vastly different from the pile you were lucky to get on the day you blew out seven candles on your cake. But I have to say, I've realized over the past decade that I care a lot more about giving than getting presents.

I love to buy Christmas/Yule presents. I love to buy birthday gifts. And I don't ask people what they want anymore because I want to give them things that have a meaning instead of buying Grandad a package of the socks he likes. Where's the surprise in that??


Writing is a lot like gift-giving. I write the books I think you all would like to read, or at least a good portion of you. And those I don't get with one book, I'll try to get with another...and another. No one is safe. Muahahaha!

Over Christmas, I gained a few new readers with my free read, and that helped to remind me why I do what I do. I can write all day long for myself and get some pleasure from it (because I love to write), but NOTHING compares to having readers wanting more, making me feel like I've got a golden touch. "I love it! What else do you have?" "Anything new coming out? I can't wait."

Comments like these make me get all sappy and wanting to hug the world. Why, yes, I will have something new coming out, and it's because of you! Not just those who are fans, but for those who aren't, too. You push me, inspire me. I want to make you all happy, make you read until all hours of the night, and make your breaths catch along with my characters.

To up my chances of making that happen, this year I set a goal for myself to write a short per month. I'm making no guarantee, since I've never tried writing on a disciplined schedule before, but I'm going to do my best because nothing beats new books or getting new fans with those new books.

I had a contest I planned to run for Christmas, but my hosting hour went by so fast, I never got to it. So what better way to celebrate my birthday today than to blatantly attempt to bribe new fans my way (and give longtime fans new gifts)?

You can enter by leaving a comment or by emailing me at allurevansanz (at) aol (dot) com. In your comment or email, tell me a short story you'd like to read and chose the names of your main characters.

For example: "I'd like to read a medieval M/F short. I want his name to be Sir Licks-a-lot and her name to be Lady Takemenow." or "I'd like a M/M" or "F/F".

Get as detailed as you like with looks or keep things vague. Makes no matter to me, whatever your comfort level.

OR...

If you'd rather just get a free book, you can request that, too. There's "From the Ruins" "Handling Gwen" or "Candied Cane"(the gift I handed out for Xmas). Just tell me the book you'd like to receive in your comment for a chance to win it, because today is all about you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me today.

All my best,
Allure