Jaci Burton’s Muse

Well I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. I found out this week that some idiot had taken one of my ENTIRE books and plagiarized it. Online, changing only the names of the characters. Didn’t even have the intelligence to change the name of the book, just switched the names of the characters, called the story her own and called it ‘fan fiction’.

Fortunately a wonderful author came upon it and notified me. When I want to the site and looked it over, reading MY words being attributed to some other author, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe someone would have the chutzpah to do this. To claim my hard work as her own. Oh, and the kicker was, she’d called it not very good, one of her ‘earlier’ works, a fluff piece. Geez, thanks. Not only did she steal my work verbatim, she had the gall to insult it. I’d like to sue her on that alone.

What possesses someone to do something like this? Has the internet given people license to think they can get away with stealing? That no one will ever find out? That they are above the law? Did this moron not realize she was violating copyright? That she could be prosecuted or sued for this?

The stolen fiction on her website has been taken down and though the fanfiction link is still there, the books she plagiarized are gone. But the damage has been done already. So now what? How can we prevent these kinds of things from happening? Can we?

Part of me wants to hurt her in some way, to make her pay, to make her see that what she did cannot go unpunished. Part of me wants to laugh at her because she’s so incredibly stupid, so obviously lacking in talent that she had to steal from others because she clearly has not a shred of creativity on her own, had to resort to stealing not only from me but from several other authors, too.

Sometimes I just shake my head…

My wonderful friend Melani Blazer has not one, but two books released and is on the Ellora’s Cave Homepage twice. She’s such a diva. *g*

Here’s snippets from her two books. I’ve read them both. They’re fabulous. Buy them. Trust me on this.

The Last Bite By Melani Blazer

Once the hunter…

Laura hasn’t seen her partner in six years—when an easy bounty capture went horribly wrong. She’s back with a secret that threatens the man she once loved, who still sets her blood on fire with little more than a look.

Now the hunted…

Elliot has his sights on one vamp—his brother’s killer. He’s swayed from his mission only by the reappearance of his former partner. Their blistering passion makes him forget her cryptic warning, until he’s forced to face it. Will Laura fare as well when his secret is revealed?

And in the anthology Things That Go Bump In the Night V:

Haunted Redemption By Melani Blazer

He isn’t the Scott she once knew. Lili never expected to see him again, but when she does, the sparks between them make Halloween a night to remember. It had been at a haunted house ten years earlier that Scott had disappeared. Lili has no intention of letting history repeat itself.

Scott returns, desperate to see the woman he’d left behind, knowing he’ll have one night—one night to savor for an eternity. He hasn’t counted on the power of their attraction—and the devastating effects his secret will have on the woman he loves.

I love Mel. Not only is she a great, supportive friend who has always been there to laugh with me, to cry with me and to occasionally kick the shit out of me when I desperately need it (which, sadly, is quite often *g*), she writes also write beautifully. The way I want to write someday when I grow up and learn how to actually add incredibly breathtaking descriptive prose in my books. Sigh. If you haven’t tried her books you’re missing out.

BUY THEM!

A question for the writers out there….

Who writes more than one book at a time?

And if you do, how many?

And if you do, how do you do it? Do you have a set schedule where you write one day on one book and one day on another? Do you write so many words on one book then switch to another book?

I’ve never been able to write more than one book at a time, but I know many authors do and are successful at it. Now that I’m juggling more than one publisher, I’m looking at writing more than one book at a time and tearing my hair out at the prospect.

Inquiring minds wanna know ;-)

Be afraid, yard spiders. Be very afraid. I bought these kickass boots this weekend and your days of jumping on my feet and biting me are over.

I shall have my revenge, and look damn good doing it, too! Bwahahahahahaha!

Okay I really just want to show off my really cool kickass cowgirl boots. Aren’t they great? *wiggle*

I get plotline ideas in the weirdest ways.

I got one last week while taking a shower, though it had nothing to do with showering. Probably because in the shower I’m not thinking about anything, and I’m always thinking about something. I got a YA book idea. No, I don’t have time to write a YA novel, but it was a really cool horror idea so I got out of the shower and quickly jotted it down in a MS Word file and filed it away in the ‘plotlines’ folder.

Yesterday I got bit by a mosquito. Or a spider. Not sure which one. Anyway, on my upper arm between the bicep and elbow. Swelled up to about dime sized. By last night it was REALLY swollen. This morning it’s big and red and hot and the size of a tennis ball.

Which of course immediately gives me plotline ideas. And yes, my plotline ideas HAVE been a bit off the wall lately. But hey, I sold DEMON ISLAND which I thought was really strange, so who knows what really sells these days. So off to jot down this idea and save it in the plotline folder.

Sometimes I fear the well has run dry and I’ll never get another plot idea again. Then other times I’m deluged with them and they come from the oddest places.

Now how I’m going to turn these bizarre plot ideas into romances, I have no clue. I’ll figure that out later.

I had one the other day about rats and a plague, but I’ll spare you the details…..

The new season of LOST premieres tonight. I can’t wait. I loved last season, sat riveted to my couch (not that it’s that difficult for me to become one with my sofa *g*) every Wednesday night, glaring at the phone or any human who dared interrupt that one hour of total bliss.

Why? One word - Characterization.

Okay, tons of hunky man meat didn’t hurt either. But as a writer, I ate up the characterization in this series. If you missed it, buy the first season DVD because you - seriously - missed - it. Vivid characterization, no good guys or bad guys in black and white. Everyone is shades of gray. (Or is it grey? Somebody please tell me which is right cuz I never know). It’s a fabulous study of characters for a writer and I simply can’t get enough of it. And it’s a fabulous mystery and just enough spook-factor to give me the shivers and keep me guessing.

Love me some LOST. Gimme gimme gimme. Pop the popcorn, turn off the telephone, put the kids to bed and turn it on.

Oh, and enjoy the hunky man meat, too. Cuz there’s plenty of that. ;-)

I’m very excited to announce that MIDNIGHT VELVET is now available in print at Borders, Waldenbooks and any online bookstore!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NCA Intelligence analyst Nevada James, code name Velvet, has just been given the opportunity of her dreams. She’s about to enter the NCA field agent training program. But a chance encounter with sexy field agent Midnight turns her world upside down, putting her life and her heart in danger. She doesn’t want to think hot, passionate thoughts about her superior officer, but she’s unable to control her body’s desires where Tyler is concerned.

The mission is everything to NCA agent Tyler Call, code name Midnight. Nothing stands in the way of getting the job done. But when Nevada ends up under his protection and he’s charged with supervising her field training, he knows the mission and his goals are in trouble. How can he concentrate on work when sultry Velvet tantalizes him every waking moment of the day?

They’re stuck with each other, running for their lives as a traitor tries to kill them. Passion and danger explode, forcing a moment of truth neither are ready to face.

REVIEWS:

ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKCLUB MAGAZINE
4 STARS!

This is great erotic suspense! Burton does an excellent job of marrying the plot with the intense sexual tension between Nevada and Tyler. As they run from whomever is after them, they race toward each other at breakneck speed. The love and lust between them is palpable and the love scenes and action are hot ! Stephanie Schneider

ECATAROMANCE
5 STARS!

Cops and Robbers is one of the classic games we all play as kids and one of the classic sexy plot lines that appear in romance novels. Ms. Burton takes the old formula and adds new kick in Midnight Velvet. Not the same old thing with a helpless damsel in distress and a knight in shining armor type swooping to the rescue. It is endearing for both the main characters to be extremely strong and still very vulnerable. The electricity between Tyler and Nevada is tangible and amazing. I love the way tensions of all kinds built to explosion and kept me so interested I finished this little diamond in a single setting. ~ by Keely

BUY MIDNIGHT VELVET HERE!

If it’s Angela Knight it’s great!

Jaci

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“Warfem” featured in KICK ASS by Angela Knight
(Berkeley Trade, September 2005)

They’re sexy. They’re smart. And they aren’t afraid of a little danger-not even when it comes to matters of the heart… Four of today’s hottest authors present a quartet of stories about bold women who take no prisoners-either in a fight or in love. Whether it’s in the bedroom, in the outer limits of the galaxy, or out on the mean streets, they kick heart-stopping action to the next level. These are women who can hold their own and aren’t to be trifled with. The men in their lives know that-and they love it…

In “Warfem,” Alina Kasi reunites with her lover Baird Arvid after two decades apart. Passion instantly blazes between the two superhuman warriors, but old enemies and new lies may tear them apart. And Alina dreads what Baird will do when he finds out about the secret she’s been keeping for the past twenty years. But she soon discovers she’s not the only one keeping secrets.

Excerpt:
http://www.angelasknights.com/warfem.html

ABOUT ANGELA KNIGHT
Angela Knight’s first book was written in pencil and illustrated in crayon; she was nine years old at the time. But her mother was enthralled, and Angela was hooked.
In the years that followed, Angela managed to figure out a way to make a living — more or less — at what she loved best: writing. After a short career as a comic book writer, she became a newspaper reporter, covering everything from school board meetings to murders. Several of her stories won South Carolina Press Association awards under her real name. For more of Angela’s interesting bio, visit her website: http://angelasknights.com/bio.htm

REVIEWS

WARFEM got 4 ½ stars from Romantic Times, which said, “Passion and intrigue are plentiful in Knight’s ‘Warfem.”

Speaking of the whole anthology, Jill Smith wrote, “It would be hard to find a more exciting way to spend a few hours. Settle in for tons of fun and enjoyment.”

In Warfem, Angela Knight gives us a fantastic story of a love that never died and another look at those yummy Warlords! – Pam L at A Romance Review. Four and a half Roses http://www.aromancereview.com/reviews/index.php?app_state=show_event&bookid=6065

These four women live up to the title so anyone who enjoys strong women kicking butt and hog tying their beloved will enjoy this fun often amusing but always exciting anthology — Harriet Klausner

Website: http://www.angelasknights.com

Saturday

Husband at work for the day - check

Stepdaughter at her mom’s for the weekend - check

Puppies down for their morning siesta - check

Four chapters of current mss received back from Mel, sufficiently bludgeoned and bloodied and ready for me to fix (thank you, Mel)- check

Migraine - check

Whoa. Wait a minute. Back up here. Migraine?

No. No no no no no no. Migraine is so not on the list for today. I’m on new migraine preventative meds. They’ve been working. Haven’t had a migraine since mid-June. New meds working great.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Was it the bacon I had at IHOP last night? Maybe the Butterfinger or M&M’s I snuck at work yesterday (bad me). Not enough water and I’m dehydrated. Not enough sleep lately. What? what? what? Is Mercury in retrograde?

*sobs* I NEED this day all alone to write and clean up this mess of mss.

*off to find the sample *take these for when you actually GET a migraine* meds doc gave me and to flip off the fates*

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a brief news bulletin. The temporary BLAH-ness of Jaci’s blog is due to a hang-up with graphic file storage. I’m working on it and the pretty graphics should return very soon.

Any and all complaints should be directed to Charlie.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.