Blogging Madness

by Olivia Starke

For new authors and those looking for ways to get their name to the general masses, there’s no greater gift than blogging. Start your own blog, blog hop, guest blog, blog, blog, blog. This should be your new favorite word (and I’m not just saying this cuz Valerie Mann is holding my favorite teddy bear at gunpoint—don’t do it Val!)

Not only do you have the opportunity to advertise your wares, aka writing style, to folks, you also learn the joy of 

     1)   Coming up with brilliant ideas starting from absolute crap—much like today’s blog. As writers we’ve all encountered the terrifying blank screen of death. When faced with a promised blog date (and sometimes hostage situations) you learn to perform on cue regardless of what you have to work with.

     2)   Exploring and tweaking your writing style. Every writer has an inner muse, and learning who that muse is takes us on a journey. Sure I can write sappy, sometimes it’s called for, but it’s more fun for my muse to be a little snarky. I’ve worked with this since starting on my own personal journey into blogging madness.

     3)   You get to be the cool kid in school. I mean how many of us got to be prom queen or class president? Here is your opportunity to be the center of attention and have everyone hanging on your every word? Enjoy the limelight!

     4)   It’s practice, practice, practice. It’s so important to write every day to keep our creative muscle in shape. It’s easy to skip free writing for, say, time spent with family. But if you have a pile up of pending blog dates, then you have to sit down and brainstorm and write.

          5)   You meet lots of new peeps. Even if you’re a total introvert like me without alcohol, you’ll have new friendly faces to look forward to socializing with.

Thanks everyone for joining me today! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a teddy bear to go rescue.

Olivia Starke 

www.authoroliviastarke.comhttp://romancingthepentoday.blogspot.com

Author Bio: Olivia Starke calls a little town in southern Missouri home. Some of the most beautiful country in the U.S., she loves the Ozarks and hikes, runs, kayaks, or rides horses whenever possible. When not working at her laptop or in her retail management job, she’s playing mom to an ever expanding collection of dogs, cats, and horses who find their way to her little farm.

1NS: Familiar Desires

Ashley Adams signed up with the 1NightStand service in hopes of stirring up some cougar passion in her lackluster life. When she meets tall, dark, and oh-so-sexy Justin, the sparks fly. But something deeper lies in their magical connection, something she isn’t prepared for. Will a casual one-night stand change her life forever? 

Say What?

by Olivia Starke

I got bored the other day and decided to look up some wacky sex laws. I thought I’d share some of the best with you.

In Bozeman, Montana, you can't perform any sexual acts in the front yard of any home, after sundown, and if you are nude.

A law in Oblong, Illinois makes it a crime to make love while fishing or hunting on your wedding day.

In the state of Washington there is a law against having sex with a virgin under any circumstances (including the wedding night).

In Texas, sixteen-year old divorced girls are prohibited from talking about sex during high school extracurricular activities.

Clinton, Oklahoma, has a law against masturbating while watching two people having sex in a car.

The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.

In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act.

In Romboch, Virginia, it is illegal to engage in sexual activity with the lights on.

In Minnesota, it is illegal for a man to have intercourse with a live fish.

It is illegal to have oral sex in Missouri.

In Arkansas oral sex is considered to be sodomy.

In New York women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.

Connorsville, Wisconsin, it's against the law for a man to shoot off a gun when his female partner has an orgasm.

Oxford, Ohio, it's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture.

Tremonton, Utah, no woman is allowed to have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance. 

In addition to normal charges, the woman's name will be published in the local newspaper.

In Arizona you may not have more than two dildos in a house.

Olivia Starke

www.authoroliviastarke.com

http://romancingthepentoday.blogspot.com

1NS: Familiar Desires (available now at Decadent!)

Blurb: Ashley Adams signed up with the 1NightStand service in hopes of stirring up some cougar passion in her lackluster life. When she meets tall, dark, and oh-so-sexy Justin, the sparks fly. But something deeper lies in their magical connection, something she isn’t prepared for. Will a casual one-night stand change her life forever?

Getting Familiar with Olivia Starke

1. How did you start your writing career? I’ve been writing ‘seriously’ since Jr. High when I finished my first romance between a Pegasus and Unicorn. Estranged species, my Pegasus was a head strong heroine who decided to beat the boys at their own game, while my Unicorn hero was the quintessential alpha charging in to save the day. I still love the story and want to rewrite it someday.

2. Tell us about your current release.1NS: Familiar Desires, a paranormal erotic romance in the Decadent’s popular One Night Stand series.

     Blurb: Ashley Adams signed up with the 1NightStand service in hopes of stirring up some cougar passion in her lackluster life. When she meets tall, dark, and oh-so-sexy Justin, the sparks fly. But something deeper lies in their magical connection, something she isn’t prepared for. Will a casual one-night stand change her life forever?

3. Do you believe in ghosts?As a paranormal author who has worked ghosts into stories, you’d think I’d be a diehard believer, but I’m not. I’m obsessed by TV shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, I guess as Agent Mulder put it “I want to believe.” In the future I have plans to travel the country (and the world) visiting haunted areas, just to check things out for myself and maybe get some inspiration.

4. What was your first sale as an author?Actually my first sale was a poem I wrote in high school that my mom got published in a collection. At the time I was really embarrassed she did it without asking, as most teens would be, but it’s kind of cool now. Other than that, Mind Games, a paranormal Tryst still available at Cobblestone Press.

5. What is the hardest part of writing your books?Not getting distracted by the plotline of another! Ugh, darn ADHD lol. It’s impossible for me to focus solely on one story at a time. Eventually one gets done, but it takes a while. Also, real life as most authors have to deal with. I have a stressful job that involves being a direct line thinker, which wreaks havoc with the muse.

6. Do you have critique partners or beta readers?Good crit’ers are invaluable! It’s hard to find ones that are either too easy on you, or try to make your story into theirs. This is where I’m going to give a shout out to the fabulous Stephanie Beck, my crit’er extraordinaire! I have a couple of other gals as well, Kienna Riley and Vanessa Devereaux, who are wonderful authors. It’s great when you can exchange stories and bounce ideas off one another.

7. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?Either a veterinarian or a paleontologist. I’m horrible in emergency situations, especially if an animal is hurt, so the vet thing was out. Travelling the world and digging up dinosaurs and reconstructing their lives still appeals to me, who knows maybe I’ll have a second career someday. The Jurassic Park trilogy is still three of my favorite movies (next to Hidalgo and The Black Stallion.) I know what you’re thinking “Wow I can’t believe she’s single!” lol

8. Do you have any suggestions for beginning writers? If so, what are they?Take writing classes—everything from magazine writing, to romance, to suspense and poetry. Seriously, get your brain working, plus you may find you like to moonlight in other areas. Write everyday—even if it’s just something you think is silly. I know when I get out of that habit, it’s twice as hard to sit down and produce anything presentable. Find friends in the industry! They will keep you going through rough edits and reviews, and celebrate your successes.

9. What hobbies do you actively pursue?Writing of course and reading to see what I’m up against in the industry. I love outdoorsy stuff so I run, hike, kayak, and I’m jumping back into horse stuff like riding and training. I still like to do a little bellydancing, I used to be in a troupe, but it disbanded, so now it’s for fitness and fun. Really, I’m a huge tomboy, so it’s a chance to be girly.

10. Morning Person? Or Night Person? How do you know?NIGHT PERSON! Anyone who has ever woken up with me in their house knows this-sometimes the hard way. Anyone who has had to work an early shift with me knows not to talk to me until the caffeine has kicked in. I’ve learned if I get a workout in first thing post-coffee then morning life gets easier, but I would much rather stay up until 5 am than get up at 5 am.

I want to thank Daily Dose of Decadence for allowing me to indulge in a little narcissism today! Be sure to check out my website www.authoroliviastarke.com and http://romancingthepentoday.blogspot.com

Wild Wednesday just got...wilder!

 

Welcome to Wild Wednesdays at Daily Dose of Decadence! I’m Olivia Starke and I write paranormal erotic romance. My latest release (if you’ll allow a little shameless self-promotion here) is available at Decadent Publishing. A 1NS titled Familiar Desires, it’s my current pride and joy so feel free to check it out.

Anyhoo, today I’ve been given free rein to blog, and being the erotic writer I am I thought I’d push the envelope on topics and blog about your secret friend and mine—sex toys. Yes, these clever little gadgets come in all shapes, sizes, and sorts. From plastic, latex, glass, the materials are numerous and of little consequence, it’s all about how they tickle our fancy.

Being a psychology major in college, one of the most fascinating things I remember from an abnormal psych class was the creation of the first vibrator to cure Victorian women of “female hysteria.” Built in the mid-1800s, it was steam powered and looked as if it could power a small airplane. Doctors of the time were stuck with the tiresome task of massaging the woman’s woohoo until she found release through “paroxysm” (the way of saying orgasm way back when.) This brilliant blessing of science relieved the doctors of manual orgasm duty, and of course helped those poor sufferers of hysteria. Leave it to the Victorians to make horniness an illness for women, but hey throw in a steam powered love machine and I think I’m feeling a bit hysterical, too!

If we go further back in history we find all sorts of naughty tidbits on what our ancestors were up to when it came to spicing up the naked tango. The Chinese have the first documented cock ring in 1200 A.D. Not made from the nubbed polyurethane you and I know and love—no, these babies were hardcore and made from goat eyelids. If you’re finished cringing, we’ll move on to our loyal and always ready standby, the dildo, a gift from the Greeks right around 500 B.C., marketed toward bored ladies who needed a little polite company.

When it comes to sex toys we all have our personal preferences as did our ancestors (albeit creepy at times) but the point is, sex is supposed to be fun! Whether you view our ability to spice up our love lives as a fluke of biology or a gift from God, take it from your great greatgreatgreat grandmother and throw in some kink ;;)

www.authoroliviastarke.com

http://romancingthepentoday.blogspot.com