I Won!
In terms of writing, I had a pretty great weekend. I submitted my first erotic romance novella, and on Friday I got word that Romantic Times gave Relentless a 4 star rating with a glowing review, so that was pretty great. But as of about twenty minutes ago, something even better happened.
I just found out that Cover of Darkness won first place in the romantic suspense category of the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Awards contest! I get an engraved trophy and everything. And, as if that wasn’t reason enough for me to think about drinking a celebratory mojito (because I rarely touch alcohol), No Turning Back won second place. You know what? I’m totally okay with coming in second to myself 🙂
I had my suspicions when I wrote the books that COD was the best of the series. I love NTB too, but it’s really graphic and I wasn’t too sure how readers would feel about that. I’m so happy people are loving my books! Luke’s is due out in a couple months, so I’ve got high hopes for that one too because it’s the most emotionally wrenching of the five. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what the consensus is.
I haven’t gotten a trophy since my last years of competitive softball in my mid-twenties, but you can bet I’m putting this one right on the mantle in my bedroom so I can see it every day. It’s going to come in very handy for those days when I doubt my ability as a writer. Fingers crossed that people will love Absolution as much as I do! Now let’s hope this will help generate a few more sales for this series 🙂
I’m a Finalist!
Just got the word that both Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back are finalists in the romantic suspense category of the Heart of Excellence Readers Choice Awards (held by Ancient City Romance Writers). The contest moves into the final phase of judging now, where librarians and booksellers make the final decisions. Winners aren’t announced until September, but I’ll keep you posted!
Reviews: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Getting a good review is a huge relief for us writers. It affirms that a) we can in fact write our way out of a paper bag, and b) that someone out there liked our stuff. At heart, I think most of us are pretty insecure and sensitive creatures. Why is it that negative criticism carries so much more weight than the positive? Even if the positive is 90% or more of the feedback you receive?
Just last week a writer acquaintance of mine stopped by for a visit, and we got talking about writing. He’s not a romance fan, but he did read my first book out of support and maybe curiosity. Anyway, I’m sure he was trying to be helpful, but he went on to tell me all the things I could have done to make it a better book. It could have been he was trying to point things out to help strengthen my future projects, but really, why tell me all of that when the book’s already been published and there’s not a thing I can do to change it? It’s not perfect, of course not! It was my first book, after all. But it also won an RWA published Laurel Wreath award for best romantic suspense of 2009, so it isn’t awful.
In happier news, I have received several glowing reviews so far for Cover of Darkness. Trust me, I so needed some good news right now in my writing world, so they couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m going to post a couple of lines here for future reference, when I might be tempted sometime in the future to strangle myself with my laptop power cord because my writing isn’t going well 🙂 And because I realize not all the feedback I’ll receive in the future will make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Dana Dean of Got Erotic Romance gave it 5 stars and said:
Wonderful. In Cover of Darkness Ms. Cross did exactly what a writer should do. Almost from the first page I wanted to be the heroine even when danger and chaos lurked around every corner. I admired Bryn’s dedication to a father she rarely saw, her strength and determination to do whatever it took to survive, and her compassion. Mostly, I envied her opportunity to be rescued by several hunky men. Although Dec is obviously and spectacularly the hero in this story, the other men who circle Bryn like satellites should not be disregarded. In fact, I suspect they won’t be. Cover of Darkness tells Bryn and Dec’s story, but it also drops tantalizing hints about the lives of several others and left me wanting more. I enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see whose story is next. Well done, Ms. Cross.
Camelia at Long and Short Reviews gave it 4.5 books and said:
The many intriguing secondary characters and their motivations, the subterfuge, hate, and the love make Cover of Darkness a breathtaking and a heartbreaking story of life in a war zone and what it takes to survive. The price is sometimes high. The excitement, fear, and horror keep the adrenaline pumping at top speed as the story unfolds. How love survives and even thrives in such times is a mystery and a miracle.
Kaylea Cross’ writing style plunks the reader down into the middle of the action, traitorous deals, and the horrors of war as she mines the best and the worst of human nature to create a phenomenal love story.
Reese over at Night Owl Reviews gave it 4 stars and a “top pick rating”. She said:
Kaylea Cross writes romantic suspense at its finest. She does an amazing job bringing to readers an exciting new Navy Seal romance. Dec was HOT HOT HOT. The details in the story were believable and there is a great blend between the romance and the military details. Readers will also be sucked into Luke Hutchinson’s own personal problems. Cross is an author to keep your eyes on.
(Yay, because Luke is my favorite and I want everyone who reads my books to be sucked into his personal problems!)
And while this is not exactly a rave review, a reader from Nights And Weekends wrote:
At the beginning of the novel, I was tempted to compare it to Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series, which is also about Navy SEALs. But as the novel progressed, I saw that I couldn’t compare the two. Cover of Darkness is very pro-America and pro-military, whereas Brockmann’s novels are written from more of a liberalistic viewpoint, which doesn’t accurately portray the military mindset.
Unlike Brockmann’s “heroes,” Declan McCabe would never be caught dead questioning whether or not Americans are the good guys or why they were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place. He might be concerned about, say, collateral damage, but he never doubts his mission. I will grudgingly admit that Brockmann is the better writer, but I feel more connected to Cross’s characters because they think more or less the way I do. I also think that Cross writes far more believable military men—men who think the only good “tango” (terrorist) is a dead tango. But Cross is also very careful to show “good” Muslims, the people who live their day-to-day lives by the actual teachings of Islam (there is one elderly woman who—despite grave danger to herself—shows compassion to Bryn) and not the more twisted fanatical teachings.
(Okay, I’m just tickled to be somewhat favorably compared to Suzanne Brockmann, one of my favorite authors of all time. Who’d have ever thought that would happen?)
That’s it so far, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for other good reviews in the future.
Tribal Fusion Belly Dance
Okay, if you’ve never seen Tribal style belly dance before, this is going to look mighty odd to you. It’s an edgier, slinkier version of belly dance, and in my opinion, the hardest form to do. Let alone do well.
The costumes are a wild and funky fusion of Gothic, tribal and urban elements. The music has a techno edge with a heavy beat. And the dance itself? It’s belly meets break dance. The muscular control this takes is unbelievable, and you can take my word for it. I started out with the Egyptian style (cabaret style, mentioned in earlier posts), but this form intrigued me from the first moment I saw it. It’s so sinuous and sharp at the same time. Mesmerizing. And really damn hard. Ever tried moving your rib cage independently from the rest of your body while remaining absolutely still everywhere else? It’s called a rib cage isolation, and if you want six pack abs, this is the exercise workout for you.
Try this: stand with your feet hip distance apart and bend your knees slightly. Tuck in your butt and hold your abs in by sucking your belly button back toward your spine. Nope, nope, you can’t hold your breath. Keep breathing. (This is hard enough already, right?) Now move your ribcage to the right. Just your ribcage. Hold your spine, head, and lower body completely still. This is called a rib cage slide. Try a set of ten. Keep practicing. Hard, eh? Feel the pull/burn in your upper abs and between your shoulder blades? You haven’t let go of your lower abs, right? Uh oh. Busted. Gotta keep holding everything tight to be able to isolate the muscles and make the movements crisp and sharp. Now move your ribcage to the left and do a set of ten. Try moving it outward (forward, by sticking your breasts out) and then back (contract those upper abs so your ribcage sucks backward). If you’re feeling adventurous by this point, try moving your ribcage in a smooth circle without moving your hips even a fraction of an inch. Uh-huh. Feel all those muscles pulling that you never knew you had? Good. Now imagine being able to isolate every part of your body like that and you’ll have the merest inkling of appreciation for what these dancers can do.
One of the most famous tribal dancers is Rachel Brice (excuse me while I have a fan girl moment). I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing her live yet, but I own about four of her teaching DVDs and my abs scream every time I use them. Love it.
Here’s a clip of Rachel from a few years back so you can see what I mean. I want you to watch this with an open mind if it’s your first time seeing this dance form. Pay special attention to her abs and the way she can isolate one part of her body in a lock while the rest of her remains absolutely still. Really. You have to see it to “get” it.
Okay, so even if that style isn’t your cup of tea, you’ve gotta give it to the woman. Have you ever seen abs like that in your life? She’s a vegan (which explains her extremely low body fat percentage) and a massage therapist (yay us!). What stuns me the most is her muscular control of her abs. With a lot of practice I was able to learn to “roll” my belly up and down, but not nearly as smoothly as she can. I can even isolate my upper abs from the lower ones and do some belly locks, but I’ve never seen anyone who could isolate their abs into three or four separate zones like Rachel can. She’s slinky and snakey and strong all at the same time. And even with all that makeup and harsh costuming, you’ve gotta admit she’s pretty damn sexy. Whew. Wish I could move like that!
Here’s another clip, and this time I want you to watch how flexible yet amazingly strong she is. Guess that comes from her years as a devoted yoga teacher/practitioner. Jeez, maybe I should get into the yoga thing.
Is your jaw hanging open? Did you see the part when she bent in half and then fell back to the floor (on purpose)? And then got up without using her arms while still managing to look graceful and sinewy? I mean, crap-on-a-cracker, man. The mind boggles. FYI, In Cover of Darkness Bryn does that same move (because she’s got abs just like Rachel), using a blend of Egyptian and tribal styles in the scene where she’s onstage performing for Dec in the crowded club. If that kind of display wouldn’t raise a man’s blood pressure, I don’t know what would.
I’ll probably post more about tribal style belly dance later, but I hope I’ve made you admire the sheer talent of these incredible dancers.