Making a Change...

Hi Visitors,

Well, my new website (and blog) is up and running to the extent that I will no longer update this blog beginning today! So if you want to keep up with the goings on with Denny S. Bryce - please, please, please come and visit my website at http://www.dennysbryce.com or my blog at http://www.dennysbryce.com/blog. I'm also uploading all my content from this blog, so if you need to find something from the past, you can search and comment there.

Next week, I will turn off all comments on this blog, but will leave the blog itself up for a while since I can't remember all of the places I've linked to this blog...

Now don't forget, my new blog's URL is http://dennysbryce.com/blog/

See you soon!

Denny

Six Sentence Sunday and Denny's Eye Candy: Week 32

Captain America:)

My Six Sentence Sunday contribution is from my urban fantasy, Gideon. In this snippet, the heroine is being lectured by her best friend.

“We don’t have time for you to go through the seven stages of grief. You’ve already lost your innocence on the good versus evil train. Accept that the shit has hit the fan, and we’re in the middle of a war.” Darla's voice strained to reassure. “Just know you have more power than any witch you’ll ever meet, including Privilege. The only difference is he's an expert at his magic while you’re in a race against time to learn.”

PS:Also visit my new website at www.dennysbryce.com! 

Six Sentence Sunday & Denny's Eye Candy - Week 31

BBC's Being Human's vampire "Hal" portrayed by Damien Molony -- Series 4 is absolutely brilliant. I loved Mitchell, but this vampire is intensity personified (plus he's cute:).

My Six Sentence Sunday contribution is from my urban fantasy, Gideon. In this snippet, Gideon is having trouble on a helicopter trip from Chicago to Wisconsin.

Gideon clutched his chest. His ribcage felt as if it had collapsed into his lungs. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted backward from one hundred. He was falling, and his mind couldn’t catch up to his fear. Calm down, the crash won't kill you. Just maim and disfigure him for the rest of eternity.

Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to go and visit the other Six Sentence Sunday posts, and happy Daylight Saving Time:)...

Six Sentence Sunday and a photo borrowed from Lola Gets Life on Tumblr. The SSS is from my WIP called The Vampire Lust Club.


Twelve stories above Massachusetts Ave, Casey squatted on the rooftop of the Securities and Exchange Commission, her fingertips clinging to the gutter as she calculated the distance to Pepperdine’s apartment building.

Slowly, she rose to her feet. Knees wobbly, she took three steps back.

If there were any other way to break into a human only building at four o’clock in the morning, she'd be all about it.

Then her legs moved fast, arms swinging, as she jumped, soaring between the buildings until she smacked down onto the tarmac on Pepperdine's roof.

"Damn, ain't doing that again anytime soon."

Six Sentence Sunday & Denny's Eye Candy - Week 26

Blair Underwood, still fabulous


Six Sentence Sunday is back. This is from a story I haven’t worked on in a while. It’s about a time traveller who is looking to save his father’s sanity. In this scene, John, the protagonist, is at his younger sister's house for breakfast.


Mary wiped the tears from her cheeks and then sat on the stool next to him clutching her coffee cup with both hands. Only twenty-six, she looked like she could be his mother. Thick around the middle, drab eyes and choppily cut brown hair pulled into a unfalteringly thin ponytail, she was the sister who wasn’t going to get a handle on her life anytime soon. 

John didn't like what that implied, ‘get a handle’. Was she supposed to hold back her anger until it broke her in half? Or was there some other purpose to reducing her pain to a cliché?

Don't forget to visit the other authors who hang out at Six Sentence Sunday. 

Francis Ray - New York Times Bestselling Author - (A Repeat Appearance)

Last Friday, I interviewed Francis Ray - yep, I sure did:)! She joined me over at the Waterworld Mermaids:)...blog. So today, I've decided to repost in case you missed it.


I will be giving away a copy of her book to those who comment today - so comment and Francis may well stop by to answer your questions.


Q.  What's your full author name, website, your latest new release, the WIP that is keeping you up at night, your publisher, editor, agent, how long have you been writing…your successes? Yes, I want the mini bio right here, right now!

Francis said: I am a native Texan and live in Dallas. A graduate of Texas Woman's University, I was nominated for Texas Woman's University Distinguished Alumni Award. I also gave the winter commencement address in Winter 2010.  I am extremely pleased that my titles consistently make bestseller's lists such as Blackboard and Essence Magazine. INCOGNITO, my sixth title was the first made-for-TV movie for BET (Black Entertainment Television). I have written forty-five titles to date, and my awards include Romantic Times Career Achievement, EMMA, The Golden Pen, The Atlantic Choice, Borders 2008 Romance Award for Bestselling Multicultural Romance and Written Magazine 2010 Book of the Year. 

My latest release is A SEDUCTIVE KISS with a January 31, 2012 release date!! I'm currently working on AFTER THE DAWN, the third book in a new mainstream series. My publisher is St. Martin's Press, and my editor is Monique Patterson, Senior Editor. Since March 2010 my agent has been Holly Root with the Waxman Literary Agency. I've been writing since the early 90's.

THE TURNING POINT, my first mainstream, was a finalist for the prestigious HOLT Medallion Award. At the release event for THE TURNING POINT in May 2001, I established The Turning Point Legal Fund to assist women of domestic violence to help restructure their lives.

Three 'KISS" books will continue the Grayson Friends series - A SEDUCTIVE KISS - January 31st, WITH JUST A KISS - February 28th, and A DANGEROUS KISS - June 26, 2012. WHEN TOMORROW COMES, a mainstream title, will be in stores June 5, followed by another mainstream as yet untitled in January 2013.


Q.  What's the best kept secret about your writing process?


Francis said: I don't have a secret.  Wish I did.  It might make this process easier.


Q.  What character have you written or are writing that keeps you up at night - just one, please:)?

Francis said: Lilly Crawford in TROUBLE DON'T LAST ALWAYS was probably one of the most difficult characters to write because of her transformation from being a victim of domestic abuse to a strong survivor.


Q.  What real person, television or fictional character has had the greatest influence on your writing style and why?


Francis said: Dwight Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer probably influenced me the most in my writing because the book and meeting Mr. Swain gave me a greater understanding of characterization.  Characters, to me, are the backbone of a good book.


Q.  What book title is the current "hot read" on your bookshelf?


Francis said: I'm waiting for Bette Ford's CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU due out late January.


Q.  What's your favorite drink on a cool Sunday afternoon in February - and who (fictional or not, friend or family, celebrity or historic figure) would be sitting at your side enjoying that drink with you?


Francis said: Favorite drink is Pepsi. My daughter would probably be with me.


Q.  What has been the biggest change in contemporary African American romance/multicultural romance in the last five years, last decade?


Francis said:  Borders was really African-American author friendly. Each year at RWA they gave an award for the best selling Multicultural Romance of that year.  No other retail outlet did this.  Borders also sent out coupons that made it worth readers while to shop there for their books. Unfortunately, I'm not sure other chain bookstores know our products as well or will have frequent discounts. Many of my readers tell me they're buying less books because of Borders closing. Yes, many have ereaders, but many of us still prefer books.


Q.  What would you write, or are planning to write, other than contemporary romance or erotic romance (which you've also written:)?


Francis said: If I had the time I'd write another historical, and have a Christian fiction series.


Q.  As a highly successful romance author who has published more than 45 titles, what advice would you give writers breaking into today's publishing industry?


Francis said: Learn the genre, read widely, don't compare yourself to anyone, and join a writing organization.


Q.  How can readers contact you?

Francis said: Readers can visit my web site at www.francisray.com or email me: francisray@aol.com.


Comment below to be a part of the drawing for a copy of Francis' new release, A SEDUCTIVE KISS!

Six Sentence Sunday and Denny's Eye Candy: Week 26

Photo of Aldis Hodge (Hardison on Leverage) snagged from the Internet. I just like him!

Six Sentence Sunday is back (so fast!), and I went into the story archives and pulled out six sentences from my WIP called The Fixer about the CEO taking his technology company public and a Securities lawyer. It started out as a series romance, but by the time I'm done, pretty sure it will be romantic suspense....here's a mini introduction to the hero...

Jake Jacobi slept with Keisha regularly, not exclusively, but at least twice a month for the past six months, which was regular enough for him. She fit well into his lifestyle. Required little effort outside of sex and he never felt guilt about meeting her at a hotel for a late night supper just to slip out of her bed at dawn.

She never asked when they'd get together again or pressured him about feelings. She was the perfect part-time girlfriend, and the perfect fuck.

Then how come as he lay in bed next to her was he thinking about Shayna Marigold, the beautiful crazy woman he'd met three hours ago who announced to a room full of people (including his mother) that she intended to make him her perfect husband?

Thanks for dropping by, and go read more six sentences - Six Sentence Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday and Denny's Eye Candy: Week 25

Photo snagged from the Internet by Denny S. Bryce. I find this not so much eye candy, but animalistic in its feral depiction of a body poised for action.

Here's my contribution to Six Sentence Sunday from my YA paranormal WIP...no working title yet (there is, but I don't want to say just yet:)...It's a story about a sixteen year-old girl who grows up in a small town and then moves to a city on the ocean with her two aunts after her mother and brother are killed. This is the heroine's POV. Her name is Asia.

Do you understand time? How it quivers in and out and disappears and reappears? Consider how one time long ago, my mother wasn’t dead. How my brother used to laugh. How I never liked chocolate or the ocean. Time changes everything sooner or later and I just need to get a grip on how to deal with it.

Read more SSS entries here.

Six Sentence Sunday & Denny's Eye Candy - Week 24

Photos of Sendhil Ramamurthy snagged from the Internet by Denny S. Bryce.

It's Six Sentence Sunday. My six continues with an excerpt from my WIP, The Vampire Lust Club, an urban fantasy. Here the heroine and her partner have some questions for another vampire.  

Leo looked about as uncomfortable as a vampire could look, his back pressed against the unyielding dining room chair, arms locked at the wrist with silver chains. Whitney was in the far corner of the room in her wheelchair, twirling a strand of dark hair so sharply Casey thought she was going to yank it out of her head at the root. Her brown eyes smoldered with hate as she stared at Leo. If she could stand up, she would have put a foot down his throat.

“I have no idea why you’ve done this, but it won’t work,” she said flatly.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan," Casey said, smiling at Leo.

Six Sentence Sunday & Denny's Eye Candy - Week 23

Photos snagged by Denny S. Bryce from the Internet of TNT's Leverage, various episodes. Sunday night, January 15, season finale!

It's Six Sentence Sunday. My six is from my WIP, The Vampire Lust Club, an urban fantasy. In this excerpt, the hero is working a multiple homicide crime scene in the labyrinth of tunnels beneath Washington, DC (circa 2045).


Detective Michael Pepperdine stood at the top of the second set of broken escalators and pushed his sunglasses up on his nose. The heat from the LED lighting system could dust a Stage Three vampire in twenty seconds. The same lights shattered a human being's optic nerves in less than fifteen. A pair of specially treated sunglasses and a hell of a lot of sunblock were always in his equipment bag and considered more important than a fingerprint kit, camera, or iPad 25. Shit, the only other tool he needed this far beneath the ground was a wooden stake. Old school, yeah, but he'd take the classics any day over this new age bullshit, especially when it came to hunting vampires.

Don't forget to visit Six Sentence Sunday and check out the other writers' six sentences. Enjoy!

Six Sentence Sunday & Denny's Eye Candy - Week 22

OTP OTP OTP - From Leverage - Parker and Hardison - photo snagged from Tumblr.

It's Six Sentence Sunday. My six is from my WIP, The Vampire Lust Club. Here are a few lines from a scene where the heroine is in conflict with the vampire hierarchy.

If the old vampire didn’t shut her mouth Casey was going to rip a chunk of flesh out of her ass. Screw the Council’s laws on killing rogue vampires. Was she supposed to just wait for the rabid beasts to wipe out every soul in Washington, D.C? 

“I know what you want me to do.” Casey scooted to the edge of the sofa and looked Dr. Vapula dead in the eye. “I won't do it.” 

Don't forget to visit Six Sentence Sunday and check out the other contributions! Happy Sunday.

MY NEW WEBSITE IS ALMOST DONE! What Do You Think?

Happy New Year and Happy Thursday!!!

Well, you know, while I was away (I've been on an extended vacation and writer's retreat) I made some decisions about my writing I'll share as the weeks go by. But today, the big one is I am close to finishing up my new website with the assistance of my design team Limb Design and in particular Corey Chow (lead designer).

As part of the marketing tips thing I like to do now and then, I wanted to share with you examples of the graphics and the process Corey and I have gone through to create the 'look' for the website.

Here goes:

Guess which one I like? You'll see when I launch the site:)...

Now, the photos will change and are really more 'place holders' - but I think you get the idea that as an author I write urban fantasy, but also have other stories I want to tell.

Here are some other tips. We are using a $35 template from Mojo Themes for Wordpress. Go here to see the template I'm using. It's cost effective and cuts down (way down) on the price for working with a design team. My palate is orange (power color, I'm told:)...but I also LOVE cities and that's the skyline. I must admit I'm not sure about the font (lettering) for my name - but what do you think?

And oh, in case you are wondering - no, I am not published. I am pre-published and an optimist. I also know that branding and marketing are critical components that agents and editors expect authors to bring to the table. And don't even mention self-publishing. This is part of what you MUST do there.

So I ask again, what do you think? And thanks in advance for your feedback.

Six Sentence Sunday and Denny's Eye Candy: Week 21

BBC's Being Human cast in a sexy photo op snagged from a friend at Tumblr.

Happy New Year!

Kicking off the first Six Sentence Sunday of 2012 with a blurb from my WIP, The Vampire Lust Club...:)...The heroine is visiting the owner of the club and she's intrigued by his new look...

“And what’s up with that dirt beneath your lip?” Casey asked.

“All the cool men rock this look, baby girl.”

“And you joined the cool men club, when?” Not entirely unattractive, Henry still wasn't the hottest man in the District by a chubby mile but he was the only human Casey didn’t mind teasing. “You know, back in the day, me and my girls used to call that tuft of hair beneath a man’s lower lip a flavor saver.”

The tip of his tongue flicked at the small patch of hair, and then he said slowly, “I get that.”