It is my pleasure to share a guest post from author Eve Langlais, who gives us...
My take on critique groups
by Eve Langlais
by Eve Langlais
First and foremost, authors and readers alike need to remember everyone’s taste is different. What works for one reader, what truly elevates a story for them will be something another reader will hate. I was too shy when I first started writing to let anyone see my stories before publishing. But I made an exception with Bunny and the Bear, I sent it to one of my avid readers to see what she thought. She hated it. Thought it was silly. And it was, that was the whole point of the story and to this day is still one of my most popular titles. Another example is Naomi. Some readers truly disliked the heroine in Delicate Freakn’ Flower, while others absolutely adored her ballsy attitude. Always remember, taste is subjective. We all have things we like and hate. With that in mind, I don’t use a critique group. I have a ‘writing voice’ and I trust it to be able to give me what works. My stories might not always follow trends. It might not have a heroine or hero, everyone can love, but for every person that doesn’t feel a connection, there will be a reader with whom it resonates. And whatever that story is—even if it involves shapeshifters or aliens or cyborgs--it will work for that couple because the book is about their meeting and journey to a happily ever after. This isn’t to say critique groups aren’t useful. To some people, they are an invaluable fount of feedback, it’s just not for me.
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Can he embrace the beast within?
I’m a monster. That’s what Brandon
thinks when he flees the medical institute that changed him. Living a normal
life isn’t in the cards for him because, while he can hide his scaly skin, his
wings are hard to miss. So he runs and lives in the shadows where monsters
belong. What he didn’t expect to find were others just like him, and they call
themselves dragons. Or so Aimi with the violet eyes tells him when she pins him
to the ground.
Seriously, though, dragons?
He doesn’t want to believe, but the
evidence is mounting. Not helping his resolve is the fact that the woman with
the silver hair doesn’t fear the monster and wants to claim him.
However, before he can think of his
own happiness, he has to rescue his little sister. Uncle Theo kidnapped her,
and Brandon will do anything to get her back, even if he must embrace the
monster within to become the dragon.
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EXCERPT
“What
do you mean, what am I?” Her brow crinkled. “I am the same thing you are.” Her
shoulders drew back, her head tilted imperially, and for a moment, shadowy
wings glistened silver at her back. “We are dragon.”
At
her serious claim, he gaped then snorted before he outright laughed.
“Why
are you giggling?” She seemed perturbed at his reaction.
“Men
don’t giggle. We guffaw. And I’m guffawing because that is the most ridiculous
thing I’ve heard. I’m no dragon. I’m nothing anymore but a fucking mess.”
Bitter words for a bitter fate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A New York Times & USA
Today Bestselling Author
Hello, my name is Eve. I’m a
stay at home mom who writes full time in between juggling my three kids, hubby,
and housework, I write hot romance with a bit of a twist. I like strong alpha
males, naked chests and shifters. Lots of different breeds of shifters. I am
also extremely partial to aliens, you know the kind who abduct their woman and
then drive them insane…with pleasure of course.I love to write, and while I
don’t always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it
will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a
happily ever after.
Web page to find out all
there is about Eve
Twitter: @evelanglais
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GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The tour dates can be found here
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by!
DeleteThank you sharing :D
ReplyDeleteI love dragons! Thanks for coming by (and sorry to be so slow to welcome you). I hope the tour is going well!
DeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Rita. I hope you get a chance to read it!
DeleteI'd read this one just because I love the cover so much:).
ReplyDeleteI'm always fascinated by dragon stories, Victoria, so I was intrigued by that! Thanks for popping in!
DeleteAll the covers for this series are eye catching and delicious. The third one is especially vivid for Dragon Unleashed...
DeleteTrusting your instincts is good!
ReplyDelete--Trix
That's true, Trix! Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteThis book sounds excellent! Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI love helping folks find something new to read, Emily! Thanks for visiting.
DeleteWhat books are you looking forward to reading in 2017? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteHi, Bernie! I hope you've been lucky thus far this year. I am afraid the author may not have time to come back and answer your question. For me, my TBR mountain is thankfully a mile high, lol.
DeleteI am looking forward to the next Charley Davidson book by Darynda Jones lol.
DeleteHappy Weekend! Looking forward to checking out this book!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fun story, Ally. Hope you had a great weekend!
DeleteI can see how critique groups can be helpful - or not.
ReplyDeleteSometimes they are very helpful, as long as the criticism is constructive and not hurtful. Thanks for popping in, Mary!
DeleteCongrats on the book. Thanks for hosting. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteI love that you said that the story belongs to the couple. I've definitely read some books where I hated the characters, but others simply loved the book.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely different strokes for different folks, Kim. Thank you for coming by, Kim.
DeleteI am really enjoying following this tour, thank you for all the great blog posts and excerpts!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying it, Nikolina!
DeleteLove your characters and glad you continue to entertain us with a range of different personalities and perspectives!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read and love all your books!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDelete