An announcement from Katrina Strauss

This is to advise everyone that as of Sunday, September 30th, I will be handing my duties as Aphrodite's Apples Review Coordinator and Media Contact over to my very capable assistant, Rhiannon Rhodes aka Rose. Between my burgeoning writing career, and the recent decision to homeschool 2 of my 3 children, I find I have less time to devote to my Aphrodite's duties than they properly deserve. I have embraced the opportunity to help HS Kinn and Angela Skaggs build Aphrodite's Apples from the ground up, but now it is time to let go and allow someone else to step in and ensure that their vision continues to grow.

I have been working with Rose the past month on how to go about the various duties associated with her new position, and I am confident that am leaving my associates, contacts, and the Aphrodite's authors in very good hands. As an avid reader with a good eye for talent, Rose is excited about the opportunities that e-publishing has to offer for both authors and readers alike. She brings a refreshing dose of exuberance to the table, and I am certain others will find her as much of a delight to work with as I have!

As for me, I have enjoyed getting to know so many in the industry who share the common goal of making romantic and erotic e-publishing a viable and legitimate genre. I'll still be making the rounds here in e-pub land, just strictly as a fellow author. :)

Take care and goddess bless,
Katrina Strauss
Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd
http://www.katrinastrauss.com/

The Big H is watching us...

From what I understand based on discussions elsewhere, this is the first mainstream print publisher to release their entire frontlist catalogue in electronic format:


Harlequin Joins the E-Book Side

By Josh Kerbel -- Publishers Weekly, 9/21/2007

Harlequin said yesterday that from this point forward it is making its complete frontlist catalogue available in e-book format. Active in the e-book marketplace since October 2005, with an initial publication schedule of nine titles a month, Harlequin will now be releasing more than 120 titles per month in both print and digital formats.

Harlequin’s e-books will be priced slightly lower than their print books and be available in Adobe, Microsoft Reader, MobiPocket, Palm and Sony formats. The company said it is launching this initiative because its customers embrace the immediacy and portability of the format and the titles do not go out of stock.

Source:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6480604.html


This isn't the only lead Harlequin is following from erotic/romance e-pub. Taking their cue from Ellora's Cave's Quickies, Phaze's Heat Sheets, and Red Rose's Petals, Harlequin is now releasing short 'n' spicy quick reads:

http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1264&chapter=0

It's like watching what happened back in the early 90's with alternative music and small label indie bands. Very very interesting developments indeed...

Because sometimes it's not what you think it is...

Derek's breath pooled down Blue's neck in a warm cascade, his silken mane draping them both as he pressed against Blue from behind in the bathtub. One palm cupped Blue's waist, the other gripping his wrist to guide his hand with sure, hard strokes.

"Yes," Derek murmured, his lips tickling Blue's ear, sending shivers down Blue's spine, "just like that. Up, then down. Grind it, right there. Harder."

"My back hurts," Blue muttered. "Can't I take a break?"

"Not until I say you're done. We'll do this all night if we have to." Derek's teeth tugged at Blue's earlobe in a playful nip. He licked Blue there, then paused with an exasperated groan. "Back up again, over here. You missed a spot. How many times do we have to go over this?"

Blue grinned to himself. "Sorry, sir. I'll do better next time."

The truth was that he'd purposely missed a few spots in the tub grout, just so his neurotic perfectionist of a master would correct his mistakes. On cue, Derek moved his hand and helped him swirl the toothbrush in the paste of baking soda mixed with a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

"Next time?" Derek grumbled, guiding his hand back to spot on the wall. "You should do it right the first time."

"Guess you'll just have to spank me," Blue teased, wriggling his ass, delighting in the scratch of Derek's trousers against his sore, bare flesh. "Sir," he added with a smirk.

"I think you've come to like that a little too much." Derek tilted his pelvis, teasing him back, then released him and stepped out of the tub. "How about I don't spank you. For a week."

"You're mean," Blue said with a mock pout.

* * *
Copyright 2007 by Katrina Strauss
Unedited excerpt from
Some Kind of Stranger
Available from Loose Id January 2008!

Musely Inspirations

After two months of distraction over such things as, oh, relocating to another state, I was finally able to focus the past few days on drafting chapter one of Close to Me. (This would be the sequel to Some Kind of Stranger, which will be out in January from Loose Id!) I was so immersed in my work yesterday that I experienced "missing time syndrome", which means my Muse is officially back in gear! Of course, it helps that I have such lovely sources of inspiration as the very talented Chinese artist, Heise, who adds a breathtaking dose of realism to the bishie boy aesthetic. I've been particularly struck by the image below, as this seme and uke remind me of my own, Derek and Blue:



To see more inspirational images by Heise, including beautiful Asian men with fabulous hair that look real, and a ball joint doll collection I wish I owned, check out her deviantArt gallery at http://heise.deviantart.com/gallery/

Mobipocket and the new Kindle

For those of you who prefer Mobipocket for your e-book reading pleasure, I now have two titles up through two different publishers here at my author page on Mobipocket.com, with the remaining two titles of the Eldritch Legacy to be added soon.

For those of you who are still hesitant about this whole e-book thing and wondering where to start, it might interest you to know that Amazon is slated to release their Kindle E-Book Reader next month to compete with the Sony Reader. One differences between the Kindle and the Sony? The Kindle is backed by Mobipocket rather than Adobe. So it looks like I'm up at Mobipocket just in time!

~ Katrina S.
Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd
http://www.katrinastrauss.com/

Latte Art

I may write "Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd", but honestly I prefer my cup o' joe with milk or creamer. Though these lattes are too pretty to drink:





I think I'll have some latte now, though mine will be decidedly less artistic...

Cheers,
Katrina S.
Romance for the Black Coffee (or Latte Drinking!) Crowd
http://www.katrinastrauss.com/

Cookies and Kimchi

I'd like to thank everyone for such an overwhelming show of support after I went public last week about Secrets Revealed being plagiarised a year ago. The link to my journal post made the rounds at such high profile sites as Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books and Karen Knows Best which, along with disturbing details about other recently-closed e-houses, led to some much-needed discussion about the pro's and con's of the e-publishing industry. Best-selling romance author Nora Roberts even showed up to weigh in on the issue. Though over the course of chatting blog-style, I inadvertently offended "The Nora", as she's known in the business, with my comments about the "cookie cutter print industry". Ms. Roberts informed me that she does not cut cookies! Man, I sure know how to make an impression, don't I? *laugh*

Now that I've had a chance to warn others about potential plagiarists and get this incident off my chest, I'm ready to make good on that vow about moving on and just getting back to writing. For the next few weeks, I'll be focusing on edits for Some Kind of Stranger. Then it's back to the first draft of the second Blue Ruin book, which I worked on yesterday and am pleased to say is taking cohesive shape! I'm writing a scene in a Korean food restaurant, as my seme Derek is 1/4 Korean (think Keanu Reeves or Brandon Lee in regards to appearance), so I may take the kids out for Korean this weekend as "research". Anyone here ever tried kimchi? Is it as spicy as it sounds??

~ Katrina S.
Romance for the Black Coffee Crowd
http://www.katrinastrauss.com/