Fans have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up to the popular, sexy, angsty, paranormal mythological fantasy (yeah, it's all those things!) Blood Flows Deep in the Empire, and it's here! Blood Stained Tranquility is mere days away from publication. Read to the bottom of this blog post to enter to win each title in the highly-rated Szolite series, which "pits free-will against Destiny, Destiny against Fate, and love against brutal desire."

Please note that N. Isabelle Blanco is a blog guest, not a Romance Refined client.

Rachel: Thanks so much for stopping by on your blog tour! When you were writing Blood Stained Tranquility, was it a private affair until it was time for submission, or did you seek early feedback as part of your self-editing process?

N. Isabelle Blanco: I actually have an entire team of people (most importantly, my fellow business partner and author, Elena M. Reyes) that are with me during the entire writing process. I can’t write “blind” and need to have opinions on how I’m doing as I go.

Rachel: If I were an author, I think I’d be much the same! How tightly do you hold onto your original plot and character ideas, even if you feel they aren’t coming together?

As an editor, education and awareness are ongoing endeavors for me. Grammar rules, spelling, and style preferences get updated; plot trends are constantly in flux; industry operations are changing rapidly these days; publishers, agents, editors, and organizations are interacting with "the public" like never before, offering up-to-the-minute insight; and I try to stay abreast of it all as best I can.

Here are some of my favorite clicks from last week:

• "Top 3 Reasons Why Manuscripts Get Rejected": Three tips each from a literary agent, an editor, and an author. (Authors Publish Magazine)
• "The Real Men Who Read Romance": Romance authors might have a larger fan base than they think, and could expand it even further with different marketing tactics. But should they? (Huff Post Books -- The Blog)
• "Highbrow Media's Sexist Blind Spot: Romance Novels": What will it take for the romance genre to be taken seriously? (Salon)
• "Publishers Are Warming to FanFiction, But Can it Go Mainstream?": Another new viable avenue to becoming a published, money-earning writer in this ever-changing publishing landscape. (Wired)

Did you find any of these links helpful? Have you stumbled across some goldmines of your own this past week? I'd love to see your comments!

Blurb: Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission... for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.

But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.

Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.

Or die trying.

Why I read this book: I love masters of romantic suspense. I read my first Brockmann book last year and knew I had to have more, so when I saw Do or Die on offer at NetGalley, I jumped on it! The fab cover, the blurb, and the name Brockmann were enough of a draw to make it jump the queue of other books I was dying to read.

I don’t know if I can adequately convey how much I loved the main hero and heroine, but I’ll try. But first, know that I blasted this comment on facebook and twitter while I was reading: “YOU GUYS. I have a new favorite book. A new favorite book couple. My head is spinning with how impressed I am with the way this couple is written. I want to bow at Suzanne Brockmann's feet, because this is the TALENT. I just, wow, yeah. And I'm only 70% into the book, the book which I HAVE TO put down and resume work, which is killing me. #cantstopgrinning”

As an editor, education and awareness are ongoing endeavors for me. Grammar rules, spelling, and style preferences get updated; plot trends are constantly in flux; industry operations are changing rapidly these days; publishers, agents, editors, and organizations are interacting with "the public" like never before, offering up-to-the-minute insight; and I try to stay abreast of it all as best I can.

Here are some of my favorite clicks from last week:

• "How to Say 'This is Crap' in Different Cultures": After 4 years in England, I definitely know this advice to be true! Although this article is aimed at business environments, it's pertinent for writing dialogue for characters from a country other than the writer's own. (Harvard Business Review)
• "10 Things I Wish I Knew as a Beginning Writer": Do you know what to expect? (Authors Publish Magazine)
• "The Three Stages of Editing (and Nine Handy Do-It-Yourself Tips": Just like it sounds! Tips for authors to re-write, edit, and proofread their work. (Aliventures)
• "Confessions of a (Retired) Grammar Cop": There's a difference between being helpful and critical. (Craig Forsyth)