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Friday, August 10, 2012

Guest Post with Author Lilou DuPont and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome Lilou DuPont to the blog. Lilou is currently celebrating the release of her book Dangerous Love and has stopped by to chat. Before I give the floor over to Lilou, lets get to know her a bit.

Lilou DuPont graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Philosophy and studied Erotic Writing at The New School in New York City. She lives in Washington, DC where she enjoys a successful advertising career and a large circle of friends. Dangerous Love is her first novel. She is at work on her second book, a spy romance set in Bucharest, Romania. Vampires? No. Gypsies? Yes.

Places to find Lilou:


Thank you for inviting me to be a guest blogger on Ramblings From This Chick! Dangerous Love, my debut novel, was released on 8.6.12 by Crimson Romance, a division of F+W Media.

Plotter or Pants-er? A Plotter outlines. A Pants-er tells the story by the seat of her pants. As I rarely wears pants, I prefer the label of Skirts-er.

For my first – and extremely rough – drafts, I write in longhand. I use a black Flair marker and wide-ruled, spiral notebooks (80 pages per notebook, lightweight and easy to carry, wherever I go). I write in short energetic bursts. I can compose one page (125 words) in seven-and-a-half minutes. With a modest daily goal of four pages, I can reach my target in 30 minutes! Apply the math to a 60,000 word manuscript and a first draft can be done in four months … by writing just one half-hour per day! Are you inspired to write your novel? It can be that easy.

It is not, of course, that easy. Some days, I skip (shame on me). Other days, I scrawl out 12 pages (in two 45-minute bursts). What I like about this method of Skirts-ing is that in those mini explosions of creativity, I discover my story, the characters, and what is going to happen next. Because I write in longhand, there is no backspacing, revising, or second-guessing. Keep moving! And yes, my arm does get tired.

Editing comes later. I can cross out now, but why bother? I can always choose not to include that passage at the next stage – typing.

Recently, in penning my second novel, a spy romance set in Eastern Europe, I wrote a uniquely kinky sex scene. Where did that come from? I wondered about the hotel room guacamole being used as a lubricant. That is too weird. Embarrassing! I should cross it out. But I did not cross it out. If I had been composing on a computer, I might have hit delete. The guacamole prop is for me the most vivid image of my next book. For now anyway, it is a keeper!

Admittedly, I did not apply this method to the writing of my first novel, Dangerous Love. I was studying Erotic Writing at The New School in New York. Several chapters comprising the first half began as class assignments. Yet I wrote the first draft of each of these by taking pen to paper. Describe a person: I introduced Sergei, the third player in a threesome. BDSM: The scene featuring suspension bondage. Eliminate punctuation: Blow job administered in public by our heroine, Laura. (See the chapter, “Euro Rail.”) Intrigued? I hope you are and will enjoy the book … with all punctuation marks now in tact!

What is your writing method? Comment below and enter to win a Dangerous Love eBook or $5 eGift Card. There will be one randomly drawn winner of each prize at this blog stop.

For more tour info, please go here. Thank you!


In Prague, Laura feels that she has met her soulmate. Yet how can her soul merge with the son of a Nazi?

After being passed over for a promotion at a Chicago advertising agency, Laura cashes in her stock options, quits her job, and moves to Prague. There, she begins an erotic romance with Byron, only to discover that he is German and his father was in the Hitler Youth. As an observant Jew, Laura has deep misgivings about becoming involved with the son of a Nazi, but the attraction between them is so strong that she cannot resist.

When a woman from Byron’s past – the darkly exotic Zsa Zsa – comes between them, can the true love of Laura and Byron survive?

Places to Purchase:


Want to win some goodies from Lilou? Check out whats up for grabs.


Up for grabs:
  • 1 lucky commenter will win an Kindle copy of Dangerous Love.
  • 1 lucky commenter will win an a $5 Amazon Gift Card

To Enter:
  • Please answer Lilou's question: What is your writing method?
  • Fill out the Rafflecopter form. 

Good Luck =)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments :

  1. Thanks for hosting Lilou today, Dani! :)

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  2. Thanks for a great post and giveaway! I'm strictly a reader so kudos to anyone who has the ability and drive to write!

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    1. Thank you, Erin! Good luck with the giveaway and have a fabulous weekend!

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  3. Excited to be on Ramblings From This Chick! Thank you for hosting me.

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  4. I am mostly a reader although if I was to write I think I would be more of a pantser. I tend to have ideas and then just expel them all at once.

    kesummer69 at gmail dot com

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    1. I know what you mean, Kelsey! Thank you for visiting Ramblings. Good luck in the drawings!

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  5. I'm just a reader, dont do much writing unless it's a paper for school. Thx for giveaway.

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    1. Thank you for entering the conest, Lona! Have a wonderful weekend!

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  6. sorry but I am not a writer just a reader.

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    1. What would writers be without readers? Thank you for being a reader, Gale!

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  7. I discovered the book "Save the Cat" a while ago and have moved from pants-er to plotter. There is still lots of latitude in the writing but I feel like I waste less time using a map.

    Great blog!

    Christy McKee
    http://christymckeewriter.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Christy, I love "Save the Cat"! It is my favorite writing book. Even though my first drafts are freely composed, I go back and structure my stories according to Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure. I was very sad when Blake passed away suddenly in 2009. I had emailed him twice. Both times, he responded to me immediately. He was such a generous and insightful man. So many writers miss and are indebted to him.
      Thank you for commenting on "Save the Cat" in this blog post.
      Best wishes to you!
      Lilou

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  8. I just started writing short stories so I am a total panster right now. Carin
    mawmom(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Carin, Thank you for stopping by. Good luck with your stories! I hope to read one of them someday soon!
      Lilou

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  9. I couldn't write to save my life. Love to read though.

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    1. Hi Marybelle, Thank you for being a reader! Without readers, writers would be ... ? Dreamers? Nowhere? Thank you for stopping by & have a great weekend!

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  10. Very nice post. I don't write.

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    1. Good luck with the drawing! Have a great weekend, bn!

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  11. I mostly start with a short ideal and then start writing from there...sometime I don't even write in order...I'll have to go back and fill in the gaps to connect it all together. I'm also very much a reader as well :)

    authorleighsavage@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Leigh, Thank you for commenting! The 1st half of Dangerous Love was written out of order and I had to put it together. Amazing that you read that way, too! Good luck with the drawing.

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  12. I am not much of a writer, definitely a reader!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Megan G.

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    1. Hi Megan, Thank you for stopping by Ramblings From This Chick! That is great that you are a reader. Writers definitely need readers! Good luck in the giveaway!

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