Hell's Music contracted!

I'm pleased to announce that the next Therése von Willegen contemporary erotic romance, Hell's Music, has been contracted to Lyrical Press. It still being early days, I'm not quite sure when the release date is, so it could be late 2011 or early 2012.

Hell's Music follows the story of a young woman who lives in a self-induced Luddite lah-lah land after her boyfriend leaves her for a man. She spends her days either cloistered in her second-hand bookshop or hiding in her home, to the despair of her younger sister, who looks up to her sister, who used to be quite the rebel.

This can't go on indefinitely and, when a famous shock-rocker (think a blend of Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson with infinitely sexier looks) inadvertently stumbles into the bookshop, it results in some rather, erm... interesting developments for the older sister.

Like all my contemporary novels, this one is set in Cape Town, South Africa and, while there is quite a bit of erotic content, the novel is very much narrative-driven with emphasis on character development.

* * * *

Tainted Love: http://www.bookstrand.com/tainted-love

Go get it while it's hot!

Yup, my puppy's been loosed on the world. I apologise for not blogging yesterday because, well, life has a funny way of tripping me up once in a while.

So, without further ado, you can go check it out here: http://www.bookstrand.com/tainted-love

And, a little excerpt to tantalise:

Marianne arrived home much later than she’d intended. She’d told Carl she’d gone out for drinks with Judith, but now, as she took the stairs up to the first-floor apartment she shared with her boyfriend, she realised she’d have to tell him about her taking shifts at ImperialHouse sooner than later.

No, make that a correction—she needed to tell him. After all, it wasn’t like she could really hide the fact that she was stripping once she started buying some of the outfits Katja had briefedher on. Killer heels and skimpy thongs were the least of it.

Carl was watching some cop show on telly and didn’t offer her more acknowledgement than a cursory grunt when she paused on her way to the bedroom. Acting on some strange impulse, she looked at him. Really looked at him, examining this man she’d spent a good few years of her life with.

Already at twenty-six his features were softening, his skin pasty from too little time spent out of doors. Soft, mousy curls were thinning at the top, though he made a valiant effortto gel his hair in such a way to lessen the effect. Marianne took a deep breath. She had to do this. She had to talk to him.

“Carl?”

He glanced away from the screen for the barest moment before looking back. “What?”

“Can we talk? Without the telly on.”

He sighed. “Can’t it wait? This is the penultimate episode. They’re probably leaving this one on a cliffie, and I need to find out who killed Derek.”

Marianne rolled her eyes. She hated it when he talked about the people in the shows as if they were real. “No. I need to talk to you now.”

He gave no reaction, the screen painting his face in flickering of light.

“Carl?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Marianne, can’t you see I’m busy watching the show? I’ve had a shit day dealing with pushy clients who want everything yesterday. All I want to do is relax a little and not listen to you bitching all the time.”

Marianne snapped her mouth shut. She didn’t want to point out to him that he was working late most nights. That would only lead to further trouble. They hardly spoke as it was. He glared at her until a sound from the television set distracted him and he resumed watching the show.

Taking a deep breath, Marianne said, “I’ve decided I’m going tostart stri— dancing at a revue bar. I’m not cut out for working in call centres, and, besides, we kinda need the money right now.”

Carl made a non-committal grunt, and Marianne took that as her cue to go to the bedroom. Still, it hurt. How had their relationship come to that? She thought back to the earlier days, when she’d still been in college. It had seemed exciting then to be dating an older guy who drove his own car and had a steady income, who’d whizz her off to have dinner at fancy restaurants or take her into the country for a dirty weekend. Now…

It was difficult equating that suave creature belonging to her memories to the slightly doughy fellow who was so absorbed by a stupid TV show. Marianne had barely passed the couch when Carl’s hand snaked out, the fingers closing on her wrist. “You’re what?”

Good. She’d gotten some sort of reaction after all.

“I’ve taken some shifts dancing at a revue bar.” It’d be better notto say “strip club.”

He frowned. “You’ve what?”

“I’ve taken three shifts a week doing erotic dancing. Look, why don’t you go back to watching your show. I’m going to bed.”

Carl wouldn’t let go. “What the fuck are you playing at?”

A low groan escaped Marianne’s lips. “Look, we need the money…” Should she tell him about that fateful night Judith dragged her out for the amateur contest? No. “And the job I have with the medical aid scheme is driving me a bit bonkers.”

He continued staring at her for a bit, and Marianne assumed Carl was processing the information she’d passed on to him.

“No.”

She almost started laughing. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I won’t have it. It’s not right.”

“Yet you and Paul have regularly had your ‘boys only’ nights.”

“It’s not the same,” Carl said.

This time Marianne did laugh. “What do you mean it’s not the same? How’s you getting a lap dance from some bottle-blonde Russian sloozie any different from me giving a lap dance to some old codger who’s going to slip a fifty in my bra strap?” Granted, there was a difference, but Marianne was too miffed at Carl’s reaction to want to think too long or hard about her suggestion.

“You’re cheapening the meaning of our relationship by even considering this.”

“And you’re not while you’re busy getting a hard-on.”

His eyes bulged. “No way.”

“So you just went for shits and giggles, is that it? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, Carl. There’s no use trying to hide from me that you and Paul have gone to Blue Velvet or Imperial House more than you’ve admitted. So, you’d like to look at those girls, get all hard, yet you don’t want me to be seen as a sex symbol when you’re happy to be the object for someone’s desire. Even if you have to pay her.”

Carl’s mouth opened and shut. Marianne realised belatedly that he reeked of beer and his eyes were just a little too glassy. He went very pale and rigid. When had she ever gripped his shoulders as though she would shake him? Marianne had not been aware of becoming the aggressor in this conversation. A pang of guilt informed her this was not how her mother had raised her. She let go abruptly, stepping back.

Her boyfriend staggered to his feet, his gaze never once leaving hers. “I will not be spoken to like this.” He wiped his mouth as though he’d tasted something bad. “Bitch.” He breathed the word while scrabbling for his wallet and keys. When he made for the door after grabbing his jacket, Marianne knew she’d pushed him too far.

“Where are you going? It’s late!” She rushed at him.

Carl shoved her away. “Out.”

“We need to talk!”

He snarled at her before turning on his heel. The slam of the frontdoor resonated through not only the apartment but throughMarianne’s very being. She’d crossed some sort of invisible threshold. Why did it feel so final?

Tainted Love cover art!

Well, at least part of today brightened considerably when the cover art for Tainted Love popped up in my inbox. Will still confirm the release date (which is, at present, December this year) but hell, this artwork leaves me with little doubt as to what is contained within the book!

Author profile live

A quick update from the one behind the keyboard: I have the first-round edits for Tainted Love, which are looking good. Nothing drastic needs to be changed with regard to the novel's structure. For the idly curious, my author profile went live recently: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/theresevonwillegen/

More news later when I have cover art but, so far, things are looking good.

Therese has to start somewhere

My sister in the written word said I should start blogging, so I guess this is where I kick off. She gave me a few questions just to help me and said she'd help me manage my PR stuff (because I hate computers) so if you have any questions, direct it to her and she'll get back to me. Since I still absolutely refuse electronic media, this should be interesting... I know it sounds horribly old-fashioned but bear with me, please. I had no idea any publishers would like my writing so all of this is quite new to me.

1) When did you start writing and what motivates you?

I've been writing since I can remember. Putting words down on paper (I write everything long-hand and my sister types it for me) is good for my mental health--therapy, if you will--since I can't afford the psychologist's bill. I host dinners almost every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a formal lunch on most Sundays, so I meet many people. Some of the stories are fascinating and I've been collecting notes for years.

I do become very lonely in that great big house of mine, and although cats and pugs are good company, they don't have much to say, so to have my stories down on paper serves to help me forget about my own troubles for a bit.

2) Who are your favourite authors?

This is very difficult because I read so much. I like William Burroughs, John Fowles and a host of other "serious" authors but, by equal measure, I do read a fair bit of contemporary romance... Just can't think of any authors who jump out at me at the moment because I'm in a bit of a fog after a few glasses of red wine too many this eve.

3) What inspired you to write Tainted Love and when is it releasing?

A very close friend of mine came to visit and let slip that she used to be a dancer. The story flowed from there once she'd shared some of her horror stories. It was very entertaining and I truly take my hat off to my friend for having the guts to share. The novel is releasing in December this year.

4) Was it difficult getting published?

This is my first novel and I got a whole pile of rejections but because my sister (who is a well-established dark fantasy author in her own right) gave me a lot of encouragement and helped me revise, I think it went a lot easier. It was still nerve-wrecking, however and I had many self-doubts. I persevered, however, after many cups of Earl Grey tea.

5) Do you have any other erotic novels in the pipeline?

I am currently completing one entitled Hell's Music which is about a lady who falls in love with a shock-rocker celeb. It's been absolutely marvellous to write. The next step is for my sister to go read the manuscript and make suggestions, so it's going to be a while before I start submitting.

6) Any advice for beginner-authors?

Read as much as you can, both within and outside your genre. And the other bit of "revise, revise, revise." I totally recommend reading Stephen King's On Writing.