Notable Novels 2012

2012 has been one helluva year. It started with Ivan and I getting a publishing contract for our erotic romance series, The Winemaker's Dinner. This opened up a world of new opportunities and possibilities. In April, we travelled to Chicago to attend the RT12 convention. We continued writing, working on book two in the series, and on July 31st we  launched the first book. With the help of  our amazing publicists at Omnific Publishing, Diva Moms, Mollydooker Wines, and Aflio, the launch party was a huge success. But between travelling, writing, editing, and promoting The Winemaker's Dinner series, that hasn't left me with a lot of time for reading. However, I have read several notable novels this year. Now, I'm not going to give a full blown review of each book, but I will tell you why I loved each and every one of them.

So let's start with 50 Shades of Grey. I, like millions of other women across the world, fell in love with this series. Earlier this year I wrote a post entitled "Why I won't read 50 Shades of Grey."  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I had anything against reading the book(s), but I don't like to read books in the same genre that I'm writing for fear of being influenced by another author's writing style. But alas, I caved in and read it (along with several others that I'll get to later in this post). For me, 50 Shades of Grey wasn't about the hype, or the steamy sex, or the gorgeous ,twisted, damaged hero of the story. Albeit, Christian was an added bonus. It was more about the empowerment this book gave women. For once it was okay to be seen sitting in public reading an erotica novel. It gave women the power to be more open and confident about their sexuality and to not be ashamed to tell their partners "Tie me up!" Granted, this book may not be for everyone,  but I would recommend it to anyone that's looking for a good, steam, heartfelt read.

 

 



Next on my list, and my favourite read of the year, is the Gabriel's Inferno series by Sylvain Reynard. Not only does this story take place in Toronto (my hometown), but it's the perfect blend of sensuality, romance, and angst that makes this book the ultimate love story. The characters are lovable and believable, and Sylvain Reynard captures the true essence of sexuality in the sex scenes without using one iota of vulgarity. Kudos! That's not an easy task. This is definitely one series that I will reread for many years to come. Oh, and did I mention that there's third book on the way? That's my most anticipated read of 2013.

 

 



Another notable novel I've read this year is from friend and fellow author, Tiffany Reisz, entitled The Siren (The Original Sinners series). Now, trust me when I say that this novel is not for the faint of heart. It's edgy, twisted, dark, and downright awesome. What I love most about this book is that the author isn't afraid to break the boundaries of what some may consider mainstream fiction. If you like BDSM and hardcore erotica, then this is definitely the book for you.

 

 

This brings me to the last book on my list of Notable Novels 2012, Wallbanger by fellow Omnific author, Alice Clayton. Talk about ending the year with a bang!!! I've only just begun reading this book, so I've very little to say about it at this point, but I can tell you this... buy it, read it, love it! You won't be disappointed. I'm only a few chapters in and already it's one of my favourite reads of the year.

 

 

 

And what kind of author would I be if I didn't include a bit of self-promotion in this post? The second installment, TWD: Entrees, is being released December 18th and is available through Omnific Publishing. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should. ;) Well folks, that just about wraps up my list of literary highlights of 2012. If you'd like a little more info about my series, The Winemaker's Dinner, please be sure to check out the website and Facebook page for updates.

 

 



 

The 50 Book Pledge

Last Year I focused a lot of my attention on writing, which meant that many other things got swept under the rug or put on the back burner. What suffered the most was my reading. By the end of 2011 I had a stack on books on my desk that not only collected dust, but were screaming at me to be read. One day while I was on Twitter I stumbled across the #50BookPledge hashtag. Essentially, it's a pledge to read 50 books during the course of 2012. How difficult can it be, right? Well, between writing, editing, the horses, the dogs, and all the other fun stuff I have to do, it can be near impossible to find the time to pick up a book. But this year I'm pledging to read no less than 50 books. You can follow the #50BookPledge hashtag on Twitter to join in the discussion or see what other folks are reading, or you can visit the Savvy Reader website to learn more about the pledge. If you want to see what books I've read, or which books are on my reading list, just take a look below. I'll update the list as the year progresses.

Read

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth

2. Seven Day Loan by Tiffany Reisz

3. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
4. The Woefield Poultry Collective (Am Reading)

To Be Read

1. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2. The Jane Austen Bookclub by Karen Joy Fowler

3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

4. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

5. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

6. Swoon by Nina Malkin

7. Hotel Verdome by Danielle Steel

8. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
9. The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
10. Sepulchre by Kate Mosse
11. Sherlock Holmes the Collected Works
12. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstein
13. Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
14. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
15. Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts by Mitzi Szereto
16. The Woefield Poulrty Collective by Susan Juby
17. Arranged by Catherine McKenzie
18. Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

19. Everneath by Brodi Ashton



Count My Blessings

Every morning I wake up and count my blessings. I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and a relatively normal family. Sure, they're quirky and dysfunction, but they're MY family, and I can't even begin to express how much I love each and every one of them.

My life is mundane. I live on a farm, have 2 dogs, 1 guinea pig, an often indolent brother, 3 amazing nephews, and a vast collection of signed books. Oh, and I write smut. Okay, so maybe my life isn't all that mundane, but you catch my drift.

I write smut and I do it with pride. Why? Because I enjoy it.  But this is were the awesome family part comes in. My mom, who is also my biggest fan, proudly tells everyone she can that I write "sexy stuff". My aunt and sister-in-law get annoyed if I don't send them each chapter as it's written, and have become self appointed editors of everything I write (so blame them for any mistakes you find). I also have a 65 year old aunt who finds the whole idea of my smut writing hilarious, but in a very good way, and who feels the need to frequently remind me that she knows more about sex than I do. I also have 37 first cousins, 100+ second cousins, 29 aunts and uncles, and hundreds of friends and extended family members. The amazing part is that each and every one of them support what I do.

I know what you're thinking, this post has nothing to do with erotica, but I felt it necessary to take a minute and thank my friends and family for their love and support. Without them my writing would probably still be scribbles in a notebook.