In some of my bios, I mention the idea of the writer’s
theme. It’s not the theme of a book; it’s the theme of all that author’s books. Whether or not we writers realize it, an
all-over pervasive theme usually emerges in every book by a particular author.
I’ve come to realize my theme has to do with characters who reinvent
themselves.
I’m well qualified to write it too. I’ve reinvented myself
many times—both as a writer and a person. I began by attending Massachusetts
College of Art, hoping to become a famous artist and travel the world showing
in premier galleries. Then I got real.
Reinvention number one: From artist to nurse. Nursing
doesn’t allow for a lot of creativity. In fact, it’s actively discouraged. You
follow doctor’s orders, period. And if they
get “too creative” it’s your job to reel them in. But as you might have
guessed, I’m a creative person and that trait doesn’t stay buried easily. Most
artists will tell you they become very uncomfortable—physically, emotionally,
apiritually—if they can’t create. I’m no different. To satisfy my creative
urges, I took a course in screenwriting. It wasn’t as messy as painting and I
had since married a neat-nick.
Reinvention number two: From nurse to writer. I tried a
couple of other things along the way. I trained as a hypnotherapist and an
interior designer, but for some reason my clients eventually began smoking or
gaining weight again, and it was discouraging. I never earned a dime with my
Interior Design training. There were just too many pitfalls, so I used my
knowledge to design my own home and offer opinions to friends—if asked. But it
was writing that stuck.
Reinvention number three: From hot suspense to hot comedy. I
was a published author. I had a few devoted followers and some great reviews,
but something was missing. My joy and spontaneity. I wasn’t having as much fun
as I would have liked. Writing these books had turned into work. Then I had an
experience that changed me again. I wrote my first erotic comedy. I let myself
go buck wild, and it just poured out of me. What resulted was an off-the-wall
novella that every reader and reviewer loved. It was nominated for a CAPA and
an Eppie award. And I loved it too, plus I loved the experience of writing it.
The story was Oh My God.
Reinvention number four: From short to long: I had heard
that what readers and publishers wanted were not one, but several related books
in a series. So I tried to come up with an idea for a hot humorous series.
Let’s see…write what you know…use your voice…and try to make it a long, rich storyline
that can go on and on and on…
The Strange Neighbors series set in Boston began and was followed
by a spin-off series. Flirting with Fangs. These were loooong books and took
forever to write. Six months each. Yup. Six months of my life for one of those
suckers and a voracious reader will devour it in a day. What? Wha…?
I’m in mid-reinvention again. I want to write shorter and
more. My story Oh My God was happily resurrected, rewritten to dovetail nicely
with a storyline by my dear friend Dalton Diaz, and then we were fortunate enough
to score a bonus story by USA Today Bestseller Terry Spear!
Thus, Gods Gone Wild was born and Oh My God was reborn. I
hope you love it as much as we do!
Gods Gone Wild
Ashlyn Chase
Dalton Diaz
Bonus story from USA Today Bestselling Author Terry Spear
Two Gods are in big trouble with Zeus. Gods will be gods and
when these two taunt Pele for their own entertainment, she erupts, literally,
creating a whole new Hawaiian island. But Zeus is not amused and must teach
them a lesson they won't forget. Who knew their punishment would lead to
finding the loves of their lives?
Great Zeus! (Dalton Diaz)
Epimetheus knows he screwed up. Well, he knows it since Zeus
pointed it out with a lightning bolt or two. He’s willing to take his
punishment like a Titan, but all bets are off when his beloved dead wife
Pandora shows up. Pandy has no memory of him. Epimetheus has no powers, and no
forethought. What could possibly go wrong?
Oh My God (Ashlyn Chase) Rewritten and expanded version of
2009 Eppie nominee, same title
The Greek God of wine, women, and party, falls off a balcony
during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Now he has amnesia. All he knows is that they
call him 'Big D', and he drinks too much and ought to give up alcohol for Lent.
Mandy and Brenda flashed Dionysus right before he fell.
They're nice enough to take him to an AA meeting, and then back to their homes
until he recovers his memory. Fortunately, they're not too nice to be naughty.
Bonus Story: Goddess in Training (Terry Spear) Previously
published 2010 Indie, same title
In a game of the gods, librarian Lisandra, who has never
been loved, is chosen to be the goddess of fertility. The demi-god of pleasure,
Assarian is ordered by Zeus to train her in the hallowed halls of Mount Olympus
to prove to his wife, Hera, goddess of marriage, mortals and immortals alike
only need be physically satisfied to find fulfillment, to which Hera
disagrees—all creatures must have love to be whole.
This book is getting lots of 5 star reviews! If you enjoy
erotic comedy, please pick up a copy and feel free to leave a review of your
own.
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/qdpsaby B&N http://tinyurl.com/q5cytzn
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/qdpsaby B&N http://tinyurl.com/q5cytzn
Thank you!
5 comments:
Lots of reinventions. Interesting life.
Book sounds great.
Tweeted.
You weren't kidding about re-inventing yourself. You must be gutsy too to have done so much. I'll state that I am very happy that you've been so proactive in your life :). Thanks.
You're amazing, but I already knew that!
You are fascinating! Congrats on the new release :-)
Thanks for looking at it that way. For a while I wondered why some people climbed a single ladder all the way to the top, and I kept switching ladders. LOL
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