Thursday, June 23, 2011

Taboo Tens: Day Twenty Three Pia Valeno

Greetings and welcome to day twenty three of the Taboo Tens!


Today, I'm happy to have Pia Valeno on the bloh with a guestpost. She's also offering a choice of one of her books to a lucky commenter which I'll talk more about when she's done.


Please give her your undivided attention!


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Recently a friend tagged me in one of those chain letters for blog posts. At first, I rejected the idea. After I walked away from the computer, I started thinking about it. Not about participating, but the prompt: Writing Is.

Well, yeah, writing is storytelling. Right? But, that’s not the point and, to be honest, it’s like calling a Jehovah’s Witness pamphlet tucked under your windshield wiper the next epic bestseller. Writing is so much more than words, or even a tale to tell. Any writer will tell you that.

Writing is more than making a buck (which is about all there is when someone buys an ebook). Writing is something I can’t help but do. If no one bought my books, if the trolls got their way, if Silver Publishing and Loose Id never said YES, I’d still be writing.

Why? Because writing is passion. Writing is a breath of life. Writing is a cathartic meditation of reality, desires, and imagination. After a long day, whether it be a family holiday full of bickering or a day at the office catering to men who make more in a day than I’ll see in a year, sitting down with a world that I create, control, mold, and love is healing.

Writing is what I do when I don’t have a release due out for two more months, and my last one was three months previous, yet I’m guest blogging. I’m not promoting anything. I’m just writing.

Writing is.



Hi, I’m Pia Veleno, and I’m addicted to writing. I have three stories with Silver Publishing, and one in the works with Loose Id. There are two more first drafts waiting for attention and a houseful of hastily scribbled notes on scraps of paper waiting to become a Happily Ever After. I’m taking a break from formatting a free short story set to appear on GoodReads.com’s M/M Romance group page in July to write this blog post. Translation: I’m hiding from the need to format HTML into the Word doc. Oh please, don’t make me fiddle with HTML!

Since I’m not here for shameless self-promotion (and because I know there are naysayers who might doubt it) I’m not going to share an excerpt or buy links. Instead, I’m going to tell you about my weekly free reads. Yes, FREE. Good deal, huh?

Crandall “Crank” Jacobsen and Mike Vranken are roommates, lovers, bandmates, and vampire hunters. Busy? Hell yeah. Happy? Mostly. Neither one of them wanted to be a hunter, but it’s in their blood. Literally. One bite from a vampire, and inherent abilities surface. Oh, and didn’t I tell you? So does some unknown that makes them a living beacon to any fanged beast in the area. Yeah, no way out of it, fellas.

Happy staking!

You can read CRANK from the beginning here: http://www.thecrank.wordpress.com/about

New installments are posted every Sunday evening.

Thanks for visiting. Drop by and visit me anytime. You can find me on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/piaveleno), Twitter (http://twitter.com/piaveleno) and my website (http://piaveleno.com)

"Oh, um, hi again. MM has just reminded me I promised a giveaway. Right. I really should write these things down. So, last minute as it is, let's keep it simple. Pick your prize. Comment here with which of my releases you'd like to read. You can see cover art, blurbs, and chapter one excerpts by clicking HERE.

Yes, I definitely have to write this stuff down. I could've blogged about the Tootsie Pops instead. That wouldn't have sounded hypocritical with a giveaway at the end. ;-)" 


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What a  great blog! I couldn't agree more.

Writing is my passion as well. It's what drives me to the point of insanity and makes me forget about my cares at times.

I love getting lost in my characters and their worlds. 

Writing is definitely in my top three and I hope it shows in what I create.

Thx for the blogpost Pia!

So today, Pia is giving away a choice of one of two of her books. Manwhore, which is pictured in the top left or Fallen. Please comment on a chance to win one of the two.

Winners will be picked and announced Sat!

Hope you enjoyed the post.

Join us tomorrow for another Story Orgy author and one of my faves, Lee Brazil.

Until then...





13 comments:

S.Lira said...

TY for visiting Pia!

Angel Martinez said...

Writing is a disease. One I'm pleased to have contracted. And now...I have to say...

I LOVE CRANK! And Mike, of course, poor darlin', lol. (If I had to pick a release, much as I hate picking one over the other, I'd have to pick Man Whore, for the title alone, :D )

Pia Veleno said...

Thanks for having me!

Yes, Angel, a disease may be a better word for it. It can definitely feel that way sometimes.

Thank you for reading.

~Pia

(PS my office computer doesn't play nice with Blogger, so I may not be able to reply to comments until this evening, but I promise I'll get back you you, dear Readers.)

Lee Brazil said...

Writing is as necessary to a writer as air is to everyone else. Publication is pure oxygen rush... but unnecessary... :) Great thoughts!

Pender Mackie said...

Hi Pia. I enjoyed your blog. If I won the giveaway I'd enjoy either book but Fallen has a beautiful cover.

Havan said...

Writing is a way to get the voices in my head under pseudo-control . . . and my vacation from my real life. I like to pretend it's the place where I'm finally in charge - but please reference the voices comment again! *face palm giggling*

Great post Pia! And those boots! WOW!

S.Lira said...

Wonderful comments everyone! :)

TY for the visits!

Pia Veleno said...

It's always fun to hear how others view writing. What everyone always has in common is an insane drive to do it. I wonder if other creative people suffer the same? Do painters scrawl out notes to themselves about how to pose the next model? Do architects see a plot of land and find the need to sketch a new condo irresistible?

I can't answer that because I have something to write. ;-)

Pia Veleno said...

Thanks for the comments everyone, and thanks for putting up with my visit.

~Pia

Pommawolf Emeraldwolfeyes said...

Late as usual!
Love Alaska but its the pits sometimes...
Love the cover & the pics!
Hot!
I have put this on my gotta have asap list!

I really want Bound By!

Thank you!

Darcy

pommawolf @hotmail.com

She said...

Good post. I'm not a writer (someone has to read what you've all written) but reading is a passion to me. I need it to survive. It takes me to places I cannot go. All your books sound good. I love the cover of Bound. Fallen would be my choice.

smg5775@yahoo.com

Erica Pike said...

I'm probably too late too, but in case I'm not, I'd choose Fallen. I've seen that cover quite a few times before and it sounds great.

eripike@gmail.com

Pia Veleno said...

Thanks for dropping by everyone. The drawing (and this time I don't have to remember) will be tomorrow, so I'm sure our late-comers are in too... but then I'm just making up rules as I go along.