Guest Post & Contest: Liz Borino’s Mine

Writers: Sadists and Masochists

The profession of fiction writing requires a lot of skills beyond putting words on a page. There’s marketing, editing, dealing with criticism—constructive and not so constructive—and choosing or making cover art which best represents your book. All of these skills make sense when you consider the career of an author. However, many people don’t consider that developing the aforementioned abilities sometimes involve a personality shift. For a writer to be successful, they must be a Sadist and a Masochist.

Whoa! I can just hear the protests now. What about the writers who stand up for non-violence, gun control, and equal rights? How dare I call them Sadists?

To that I reply, take a deep breath, have a Xanax, and let’s look at the definition of a Sadist. A Sadist is someone who gains pleasure from causing another person pain. As authors we put our characters through a lot of pain. Breakups, death of a family member, crimes committed against them or a love one, the list goes on. But this pain? Is important. Pain encourages growth in fiction as well as real life. Without trials and hardships, the characters wouldn’t have anything to work towards or desire. Therefore, no plot.

Sure you say, authors cause pain, but a Sadist must enjoy the process. Um, how many fiction authors do you know who don’t love writing and want to continue to write better? I don’t know many. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my characters, but because of that devotion, I want to see them be the best they can be. That means hurting them… okay and causing drama without impacting my day to day life is fun.

Now, how are authors masochists, people who gain pleasure from pain? For a couple of reasons. In marketing there’s a term: Return on Investment (ROI), which basically means how much are you getting for the work you’re putting out? Authors can have the best book in the genre, a solid marketing plan, and stellar reviews, and still not sell more than a handful of books. Why? Part of this industry is a luck factor, as hard as that is to accept sometimes.

Actually, let’s talk about reviews. These books we right are our babies, our pride and joy. We raised them from the blank page to the pretty book in your hand. Get reviews, we’re told. Of course we assume people will see the gold in our work just as we do. Most of the time, we’re right (if said genius has gone through the proper editing process). However, no matter how much praise our babies receive, the first one or two star review is always like a knife to the gut for an author, especially a new one. The pain of seeing someone else rip apart our babies sometimes feels like too much to bear. But… we do. We keep going through the pain. Review after review and book after book. We keep selling, hoping to find the audience who gets it, who wants to see the characters succeed as much as the author.

Why? Simple. We love it. Authors do more work than they’ll probably ever get paid for, they bare their souls to the world through their work, and at the end of the day the pain is worth it. Yes, that’s right. Like all good masochists, authors turn pain into pleasure. It allows us to grow stronger, and possibly most importantly, find the audience who connects with our work. Because that is what it’s all about.

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Title: Mine: Volume 1 by Liz Borino
Publisher: LazyDay Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Erotic, Romance, BDSM
Length: 486 pages

Summary:

From the moment Steve Michaels met actor Zack Greene in the men’s room of a press conference, the director knew his snarkiness mixed with angelic features, excited him. What he wasn’t prepared for was the vulnerability underneath the hardened exterior. And he really wasn’t prepared to fall in love.

But they did.

Zack needed some positive press and a second chance after getting out of rehab. He found the director of Ben’s Life, the series he planned to audition for. Steve helped him within a loving structured relationship.

Follow Zack and Steve as they face the challenges of work, family, injuries, and pasts together as they redefine family.

Warning: Contains spanking, Light BDSM, Dom/sub relationship, and two men who can’t get enough of each other. Vol. 1 includes Casting, Action, Cutaway, and That’s a Wrap (Book descriptions are below). E-book * Paperback

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Casting: Steve Michaels had one goal for the evening: drink just enough to get through the press conference in promotion of Ben’s Life, the new television series he’s directing. Plans change for him when the seedy producer of the show zeroes in his seduction efforts on Zack Greene, the bad boy of the moment. Now, Steve has to make sure Zack doesn’t sue.

Instead of finding the hardened bad boy he expected, Steve finds a vulnerable man whom life has beaten down. Can Steve help build him back up with a loving structured relationship? Find out how being cast in right roles enriches their careers and lives. Smashwords

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Action: When the bright lights and flashing cameras of Hollywood capture your every move, how can you fulfill your deepest desires? For Zack Greene, a formerly out-of-control actor, and Steve Michaels, the director who unearthed the heart of the man beneath the ego, it’s a constant struggle.

In public, Steve and Zack are the picture of professional partners. However, behind closed doors, their partnership is taken to a new level. They engage in a carefully constructed Dom/sub relationship that not only brings them pleasure, but keeps Zack from slipping back into his wild ways.

Their delicate balance is thrown askew when a producer on the show threatens to expose their lifestyle, while taking advantage of Zack in a moment of vulnerability. Will Steve be able to ease the pain and save the love they share? Or will they come apart when they need each other most? Amazon

Read my review of Action HERE .

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Cutaway: Two years after Steve Michaels called, “Action!” on a new phase in his career as co-producer on the television show Ben’s Life, the lights go up again on his Dom/sub relationship with actor Zack Greene, but Hollywood cameras don’t always capture the truth.

A mention of Steve’s past in the BDSM scene has Zack craving new ways for them to connect. All of the couple’s concerns fall away when Steve and his ex, Peter, are in a car accident. The last ones to know, Zack and Josh, Peter’s slave, rush to the hospital. The injuries from the accident force the dominant man to set aside his pride and accept help from Zack. Will the couple get to explore new boundaries in their relationship or will the dependency Cutaway the structure holding their relationship in place? Amazon

Read my review of Cutaway HERE.

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That’s a Wrap: As the bright lights of Hollywood dim, futures, relationships, and identities are thrown into question. The once successful television show, Ben’s Life, is in big trouble. For Steve Michaels, the director, in a long-term Dom/sub relationship with Zack Greene, the lead actor, this means impending unemployment.

Through training Josh as their domestic slave, coupled with the care he received during recovery from a debilitating car accident, Steve opens himself up to role reversal in his relationship with Zack. The occasional release of control on Steve’s part, and Zack’s adeptness at taking it, grants them freedom and stability to meet challenges as a unit.

But when the life they had planned is put in jeopardy by one phone call, Steve and Zack will need to expand the safe haven they’ve created together to include one more. Priorities shift and a different light shines the way to new beginnings. Amazon

Read my review of That’s a Wrap HERE.

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Ms. Borino is giving away a digital copy of Mine to one lucky commenter. To enter contests at Book Reviews & More by Kathy:

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It’s that easy! The winner will be selected using random.org. Ms. Borino will e-mail one lucky winner the eBook of their choice in their preferred format. The winner will be posted HERE on Saturday.