So I’ve got this client, right? We’ll call her Stevie. (go figure)

Stevie dropped me a note the other day, asking about romance. Did it have to be erotic?

She’s been trying to write a romance set in the hockey world. As in: the romantic lead is a hockey player. But everything she is finding is erotic. Or if not erotic, more explicit than she’d like.

We were messaging and not e-mailing, which is a shame because I had to give her a truncated answer, never something I like to do. But I told her that yes, there are a ton of options within romance. There’s clean, there’s closed door, there’s explicit, there’s BDSM, there’s m/m, there’s menage… the sky is the limit these days. (Of course, there’s my passion, Rock Fiction, but wrong category. She’s going sports — specifically hockey romance with this one, so why confuse the issues?)

She asked for titles. I can only think of one: Liana Laverenz’s Thin Ice. I have a copy of it around here somewhere that I can give her, because she’s one of those cool people I know in real life. (which might mean she’s not an editing client, per se, but she came to me for help, so we’ll call her a client.)

Anyone got other suggestions? We’re looking for … not explicit. Relatively tame, in terms of heat. I don’t think they have to be totally clean, just … on the tamer side.

And again: hockey romance specifically.

Leave titles in the comments and I’ll have her peruse the list.

No, I am NOT asking for you to review me. Sheesh. I haven’t been called Short Stuff in years. Guess people got tired of having their kneecaps boxed ’cause that was as high as I could reach.

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West of Mars friend Faith Cotter is about to release two short pieces — one a short story and the other a short narrative essay — and would like to enlist the help of friendly people who’d be interested in leaving some reviews to help her launch these properly.

I’ve read some of Faith’s earlier works. She wrote wonderful essays about life at Scout Camp — the same Scout Camp I used to take my son to until he wasn’t a Cub Scout anymore. But while there’s a hint of nostalgia about those earlier works for me, the fact that she also holds a Journalism degree from Point Park  University and has won awards for her writing ought to help bolster the cause.

Grab a hold of this chance to help a new-to-the-scene writer, why don’tcha? No, I didn’t edit them (sadly) and I haven’t read them. But Faith sure wishes you would.

Drop her an e-mail if you’re interested.

Author GG Vandagriff is in need of some help. Her newest Regency Romance, Lord Grenville’s Choice, was released last week.

Talking about books has been proven to be the best way to draw attention to the good ones (and, sadly, the really bad ones; I have heard over and over from authors whose sales spike after a bad review). And one of the best ways to get people talking about a book is to start the conversation yourself.

So…

Anyone who’d like to read and leave a review of Lord Grenville’s Choice, GG wants you. Amazon, GoodReads, heck, even Paperbackswap.com or any other outlet you can think of. Reviews help foster conversation about books, and conversation is what it’s about.

Unsure if you are reviewer-caliber? Well, I’ll make you a deal. Drop GG a line via her website. Work out the details of getting yourself a review copy. Then come back to me once you’ve written the review and my team and I will help you polish it up.

Not want to be that intense? That’s fine. Even a review that says, “Loved this. Felicity and Elizabeth make life difficult for our poor hero!” or “Wow, this book shows why men are stupid.” … Yes, ten words can make a difference! (However, please pick ten words that aren’t the exact words I used above.)

C’mon. Be that difference for an author. Drop GG a line and pay the kindness back with a review. You’ll be glad you did!