Box O' Love
December 18, 2014
Happy winter holidays! I can't believe they're already in swing (Hanukkah came up fast? No, probably it didn't, I'm just losing my mind), but I hope everyone celebrating something has a beautiful one. I know I haven't been around much since GRL, but I have a good excuse: my back problems are being horrible, making typing a pain. Like, literally. Apologies for silence, but I'm working on getting back to form this winter. A long, arduous process, but so worth it.
In the meantime, stories I can't write/finish are building up in my head. So expect a burst of activity the moment my discs start behaving again. I've got more Superpowered Love (obviously!), the 'Air' installment of the Elementals project, and a new series I'm cooking up with a writing buddy of mine that puts a different spin on superpowers.
I just, you know. Need to be able to use my arms to write it all down.
In the meantime, you know what'd make a super-amazing last-minute gift? A Superpowered Love Boxed Set.
Yeah, that's a thing! New from Loose Id, all six of the Superpowered Love e-books in a bundle, for all your holiday needs! Bonus: discounted for ViP members. Shiny, right?
GRL Pre-Game Party
October 15, 2014
Tomorrow we take off for Illinois! Tonight, I'm just getting my ducks in a row. Here's the pre-game warm up:
1. Still a few more hours to get a Willoughby Spit t-shirt if you're not coming to GRL! If you are going, be sure to stop by my reading at 10am on Saturday for a shot at one of your own. As my friend Hayley said, "Confuse your hipster friends!" Hard to pass up, right?
2. A lot of people have been asking about "Fuck Me, Etienne" t-shirts. All I'll say is they're definitely a thing, but they gotta be hand made, Brady-style, you know? Maybe I'll do a giveaway for one of those later, made-to-order. In the meantime, you will know me at GRL by my Brady-wear, for sure.
3. I'll also have Willougby Spit CDs! You can of course always get the story it contains for free at any number of places, but the packaging is pretty cute, and once I'm out, I'm out forever. Reading, author lounge event (Thursday at noon!), featured author signing, sitting around in the bar somewhere, totally just wander up to me and poke me to request one of your own.
... okay I probably won't have them on me at the parties, but we can arrange to meet up later and I'll get you one. :D
4. All weekend long, I'm gonna be jotting down emails to put in a drawing for my most fabulous of all giveaways. Remember the Fire and Ice bracelet giveaways, with the gorgeous Superpowered Love Bunique Beads designed bracelets? Yeah, well, I've got Lightning to give away at GRL, and wow.
Talk about lightning in a bottle. These beauties are labradorite--which is basically lightning in mineral form, aesthetically speaking. The pendants are amethyst and ametrine--I've got the ametrine one right now, but we can totally trade if the winner likes it better. (Yes, I asked Bun to make two of each, one for me, one for the winner. Because shiny.) And the most unique feature of this one is that the pendant can come off and be worn on a chain. Which is totally how I'll be wearing mine at the Casino Royale party btw. Ha! Here's a really bad selfie of me in my pajamas trying it on when I was going through my jewelry earlier tonight...
Can't see how sparkly it is cuz my tablet's camera is crap but you get the idea. It's way cute.
So yeah. Definitely add your name to my list while we're all there, because this is the last superpowered jewelry giveaway and it's suuuuuper fab.
... and on a personal note, I would like to thank that terrible selfie for reminding me that I need to deal with my eyebrows stat bc what is even going on up there?
Anyhow! See you at GRL, or when I get back and see you here. ♥
Come get your Brady Swag!
October 8, 2014
Man, I seriously cannot believe GRL is so close! But I've mostly got my ducks in a row: books, swag, special clothes for the parties, etc. Cannot waaaaaait ugh.
For the record, I'm part of the Author Lounge event on Thursday at noon, and I have a reading on Saturday at 10am (with Heidi Cullinan and possibly someone else but it's not on the schedule yet if so!). People I get to talk to there and at the signing on Saturday afternoon will be part of a very special giveaway, but Heidi and I are also planning a little something for the reading, so please come!
Need more convincing? Okay, okay, cool. If you like imaginary punk bands, I can do that. Well, just the one imaginary punk band, actually: WILLOUGHBY SPIT. Yes, yes that magical Pittsburgh quartet with the hot-ass bass player called Brady from Riot Boy, that imaginary punk band. Because guess what I've got to give away...
People who ran into me at AAD or GRL last year will remember the Willoughby Spit CDs, which contain the free short you can get here, but with some neat little packaging that makes it look like it's an actual EP by the band. I'll have some of those to pass out, too, if you missed it then!
But this year... Willoughby Spit band shirts.
I only have a few and they will never be sold--they exist totally as giveaway Brady Swag. (I may or may not also make me some "Fuck Me Etienne" goodness for myself, but hey, that's gotta be done by hand or it ain't right, you know?) And I mean to make a few of them part of the reading giveaway. So come and listen to me (and Heidi Cullinan fjlsajfakf excuse me while I fangirl) read some superpowered stuff--I'll even do the voices! Sexytimez guaranteed!--and possibly get your hot little hands on one of these babies so you can show your love and support for totally imaginary bands.
Oh also, they're super soft and feel sooooo nice. And I've got everything between sizes S and 3XL. And and and. They're amazing okay. Willoughby Spit rulez.
... and I'm just throwing in this pic because I think it's funny that George the Fox--you know, the little dude Brady keeps on his amp--managed to sneak in the pic. I didn't even mean to do that. Ha!
And here we have a stylish variation on the t-shirt theme. AKA Katey constantly hacks up her t-shirts and redesigns them. See, the possibilities are endless! ... okay I've only shown you two possibilities but still.
But you know what. This is kinda unfair. Just because people can't come to GRL, it doesn't mean they shouldn't get a chance for a punky shirt of their own. So how about we do this:
If you are not attending GRL (or aren't sure if you can but might--that counts too!), leave a comment on this post. Be sure to include your name and an email/twitter/tumblr handle where I can find you. On the day I leave for Chicago (a week from today, October 15!) at 10am, I'll choose two people to win WILLOUGHBY SPIT t-shirts.
Re-Entry Burn + GRL
September 30, 2014
Good news to take us into GRL month: Re-Entry Burn has gone into print!
Cover by PL Nunn
You can get it at the usual suspects, Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or anywhere that stocks a lot of LGBTQ erotic romance, I reckon. If you know such a place. (Email me if you do. I want to go there.) And I'll of course have copies on hand at GRL if you want to pick one up at the bookseller there and get me to graffiti it up.
Speaking of, I'm over at Love Bytes today being woefully frank and open about authoring with anxiety. And why, in particular, GRL erases a lot of that for me. I had so much fun last year, seriously, I can't wait to go and have a reading of my own this time.
There also HAPPENS to be a rafflecopter drawing for a free print copy of Re-Entry Burn at the end of the post so. You know. Check that out if you have time ♥
Bi Awareness -- and pretties
September 23, 2014
Oh I had to say something, of course! It's Bi Awareness Day/Week. Be aware of the bisexuals in your life, community, and world. It'll be a novel experience for them. Okay, no, no bitterness, only love, so let's do some celebrating, bi folk and allies alike. And, because they get left out sometimes, this is a special shout out to all my biromantic and bi asexual lovelies out there, too, today. You are loved ♥
Let the party begin!
-Feel like getting out and proud? Check out bisexualweek.com for events in your area!
-Here's some #bihistory via BiNet USA. All kinds of fun bi facts, including important bisexuals in LGBTQ history, plus great 'learn more' links. They've got a different hashtag going every day this week, woo~
-Take Autostraddle's suggestions, which I fully endorse. Good stuff here, and like that last one, some really excellent links.
And here, have some pictures of really pretty bi characters as drawn by Astro, because what better celebration can there be but to look at pretty art? I mean, right?:
~Malory Claremont~ The Angriest Bisexual
~Callum Race~ The Most Batman Bisexual
~Jody Aguirre~ The Most Precious Bisexual (coming soon!)
~Geordie Rogers~ The Trippiest Bisexual (also coming soon!)
~Rajini Srinivasan~ The Hottest Bisexual (also also coming soon!)
That's a lot of boys... and mostly white boys, which is unfortunate. Too bad I didn't have Genevieve from my closest-to-finished in-progress book (The Playhouse) drawn yet, but I will eventually! Oh well. My point is: give some love to bisexual people this week--not just the fictional ones--because we're pretty too.
Have a rad week ♥
Giveaways and Guardians
August 16, 2014
I return from the ether! Well I wasn't actually off in the ether, I was kind of hanging out and doing family stuff. Either way, I'm here now, and it's back to work.
A couple of exciting points:
1. There's still time to win the Ice Bracelet created by Bunique Beads for the Superpowered Love series! It's made of a beautiful piece of sea glass, Swarovski crystals, and silver-plated beads. Freaking gorgeous and I've already worn mine out several times. Check out The Novel Approach for the giveaway. Thanks for hosting it, guys!
2. There's a new review for Designated Bottoms over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. Melanie gave it a 4 out of 5, which is so very yay, and had something to say about each of the stories. Thanks, Melanie!
3. If you have not seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet... look I don't know what to tell you except just do it. Like yesterday. If the idea of a hilarious action movie with the best sound track ever and great characters, one of which is a fabulous green assassin, two others being a raccoon with a gun bigger than him who gets carried around by a sweetie pie gigantic muscley tree...
Here's another reason:
Designated Bottoms and Other News
August 3, 2014
In aid of keeping everything nice and organized here at the site, I've created a little page called 'one-shots', which is where I'll keep links to stories and anthologies that aren't in a series. I'm updating all the places Designated Bottoms can be found there, for those who prefer to get their lovin' from particular places that aren't Torquere itself.
Hopefully I'll have lots of stories to put there someday. I miiiiiight be working on something right now for another anthology, but I'll wait and see if I can pull it off before crowing too much.
The Other News is that I'm also working on the next Superpowered Love book, and the working title is The Playhouse. Which... is not what it sounds like, probably, since it's actually about a theater. Called the Playhouse. However, I've long been thinking it's past time to inject a little f/f into this particular pen name of mine, and so it will be done!
I'm taking next week off, though. So if you don't hear from you, never fear, I'm not disappeared. Just cleaning my house, visiting with family, and playing video games forever because finally my new computer will be here and I won't be exiled to this ancient crappy one anymore!
I might be a little excited yes. I feel like Pete and Samir would approve of that last activity though.
ETA: Totally forgot! Check out the Author Extra in re The Mistell at Torquere's blog for Five Fun Facts ♥
ETA: Totally forgot! Check out the Author Extra in re The Mistell at Torquere's blog for Five Fun Facts ♥
It's here, it's here! Designated Bottoms is live today at the Torquere site, and I couldn't be more excited. No really. It would be impossible. All new stories from B.A. Tortuga, Julia Talbot, Shannon West, Kiernan Kelly, KC Wells, and Sean Michael... and me. Yes, I got to be on that list.
Sorry I'll stop squeeing in a moment. Probably.
All these bottom-starring stories are conveniently collected right here. But if you want to sample them one at a time, you can do that too. The Mistell, my offering about a hottie gamer who finds someone via a few chat misfires, is here.
More places will have the books soon, but obviously we love publisher direct. [ETA: Designated Bottoms at ARe // The Mistell at ARe]
Since the descriptions of the full book and The Mistell are already there on the Torquere site, I figure I can offer up something different. So here's a little first kiss excerpt from The Mistell...
[Samir] reached up high, cat-like, eyes closed, shirt lifting to expose a line of skin and hard abs that made my mouth water.
I wondered if he was thinking of leaving. And I didn’t want him to. So I said, “Shots?”
“It’s late.” He lowered his arms and smiled. “And I gotta drive back to Morgantown.”
“Stay,” I said before I could stop myself.
He licked his lips, gaze darting away from mine.
I didn’t even realize I was licking my lips in response until it was already done. My face heated up of a sudden—holy shit, was I actually embarrassed? Okay, but so was he, which was good, probably? Holy shit. I cleared my throat. “Uh, I didn’t mean that in a skeevy way. I mean, um.”
He scratched at the back of his neck, laughing quietly. Yep, he was definitely going a little pink, too. He totally felt it. “I didn’t think you were being skeevy.”
“Well, now that we’ve been super awkward, we can get on with it?” I suggested.
He chuckled out loud. “I don’t do awkward. It’s cool. I mean, it was gonna happen eventually.”
“Yeah, there’s definitely a little...” I gestured between the two of us, grinning.
“Definitely.” He looked almost relieved. Ugh, how adorable.
“You’re way hotter than I expected.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” he admitted. His body language had totally changed back to easy, rounded (broad) shoulders, comfortable stance, charming little grin.
“Okay. No awkward. Just a shot.” I gestured and led the way to the kitchen. He followed silently, and as I got down the glasses and bourbon, leaned against the counter to watch. I said, “And then...” As I poured.
One of his dark eyebrows shot up. “And then?”
God, the eyebrow thing was hot too. Okay, fuck it, I was just gonna go for it. He was into it, I was into it, what the hell. I finished pouring and handed him a shot glass. “Kiss?”
He laughed. “Right. Let’s try it.”
“One. Two. Three.” We both slammed our shots when I finished counting, then set aside the shot glasses. I reached out, grabbed the front of his super soft t-shirt, and pulled myself closer, tilting my face just so.
He went with it, reaching out to put a hand on my hip and tilting to match. Our lips met, cool from the bourbon, closed at first, but not tightly. He opened up a little and I went with it, tasting liquor from both of us, and let my tongue just barely flick at the place where our mouths met, lips pressed to lips, then sliding as we readjusted it.
He was good. Gentle, not pushing for anything more, but a kind of thoughtful kisser. I was a huge fan of kissing, but it had been a long time since I’d just let myself enjoy it for what it was without thinking about what came next. Maybe that was why it gave me that feeling, like pinpricks of electricity all over my skin, slowly warming my blood. Or maybe he was just that good. Didn’t matter; I liked it. A lot.
With a soft sound, he closed it off and pulled back a little. Hand still at my hip. “That’s good.” He almost sounded surprised, whispering as his long eyelashes fluttered open.
The eyes were just straight up unfair. I had to clear my throat again before I could say, “Yeah.”
He blinked quickly. “Is that bad?”
“No.” I shook off my stupor a little faster, then. “Hell no. I just—“
He laughed and pulled away, reaching for the bottle. “I get it. Another shot?”
“Another kiss?”
“Both.”
Updates and Upcomings (vaguely NSFW image)
July 14, 2014
Okay so "upcomings" is probably not a word. Definitely not a word. I like it anyhow.
I had the extreme good fortune to be at Authors After Dark in Savannah last year and meet BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot. It was at this convention where the idea for Designated Bottoms was born. I'll let Julia Talbot's fabulous intro to the collection tell the story, though. And here we have the cover...
How is that for some adorable cheesecake? I love it! Suuuper proud to be in a title with these fabulous authors.
My story is called "The Mistell", and it is my first ever non-paranormal. GASP! It's okay, though, I made up for it with a ton of nerdery--as the title might lead you to suspect. A 'mistell' is basically when you're in-game (Massively Multiplayer Online games, generally speaking) and you send a chat message to the wrong person or group... which can get a little embarrassing, if you're talking about the wrong thing.
Or, you know, cybersexing while you're supposed to be helping your buddies kill a dragon.
So that'll be live on July 30 from Torquere Press, yay!
In other news, Sammy over at The Novel Approach did an awesome thing last month. Well, okay, I think it's awesome, and I guess I would, but. She did reviews of all the Superpowered Love books in a week! Woo!
Equilibrium (4 stars)
Riot Boy (5 stars)
Nobody's Hero (4 stars)
Losing Better (4 stars)
In Distress (5 stars)
Re-Entry Burn (5 stars)
They can be read in any order, of course, but she did them almost in the order they were written, which is cool. I thought about quoting some of the review but I think I've reached my limit of talking about myself for the day, so maybe just check em out if you've got the time! Great fun, and really deep-digging stuff in those reviews. Thank you to Sammy and to TNA for giving them a shot.
GRL shinies!
June 25, 2014
Hello hello! busy weeks here this first month of summer--hope everyone is enjoying theirs.
Joyfully Jay is my host blog for the GayRomLit blog tour, and today marks a really cool giveaway we've got for you. Thanks to the most excellent Bun at Bunique Beads, I've got two remarkable bracelets representing the fire element in the Superpowered Love series. Bun used fiery Swarovski crystals and charred-looking beads to design these gorgeous wrap bracelets.
And one of them can be yours! (The other one, obviously, is mine. >.>) Want to see them?
Snag Your Copy of Fairy Bound
May 20, 2014
Looking for some wingsex this week? I know. Who isn't?
Here are the currently available ways to get hold of your copy of Fairy Bound, the third installation of the Fairy Compacts series of novelettes.
1. Get an all-formats zip file from my Gumroad shop.
2. Download in multiple formats from Smashwords.
3. Get it from All Romance eBooks.
More are incoming, but that'll do for this exact moment. And be sure to check out my guest post to celebrate the release over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words today, too. Going live this morning. ♥
ETA: Here's the post--comment to win all three books!
ETA: Here's the post--comment to win all three books!
PS: Don't forget, the first book in the series is totally free!
Coming Tuesday: Fairy Bound! (At last!)
May 18, 2014
That's right, it's finally time for Fairy Bound to hit the stands. Well, the virtual ones, anyhow. At first it'll be available through Smashwords, ARe, and my Gumroad shop, all of which have convenientm secure payment options so it's not a huge pain in the butt. Barnes & Noble takes a little longer, but it'll get there too!
So why not Amazon? Welllll, Amazon is complicated. They won't let me make the first novella free, and I don't want to charge for it just there because that'd feel like cheating. But all of the immediately available options have Kindle-friendly formats among all the others, and I'll do an omnibus edition with less art for Amazon sometime this fall.
In short, these versions will be way cooler. Why? Okay, here's one really good example...
|
| Awela and Aeron from Fairy Bound, art by Ruxandra Lache |
Gorgeous, right? Ruxandra is a wonder, it's true. You can see thumbnails of all of her illustrations on the excerpts page (but this is the only big sneak peek!), and... a tasty little pre-wingsex warm-up of an excerpt, with Aeron being bratty as hell. Well, at first.
“Are you coming?” Aeron asked.
When Tam turned around, Aeron was in the tub, arms hanging over the sides, wings tucked up behind him tight. Tam failed to answer immediately, mesmerized by this sight, and so Aeron made a face. “Fine,” he said. “Don't.”
But Tam did. He peeled off his long shirt and trousers, knowing he was being watched, almost relieved by it. The resultant heat that rose in him had nothing to do with the bath water, but with Aeron’s long, pale limbs beneath its wavering surface and the glint of the firelight off his smoky-silver wings and smooth, dark hair.
Aeron ducked beneath the water to wet it, then began soaping his hair as Tam watched. Eventually, Tam couldn’t resist, and so reached out and ran his fingers up the curve of Aeron’s slender, hard calf underwater. Aeron ignored him, going on with his soaping—though he didn’t pull away—leaving Tam with no choice but to get on with washing his own hair.
After long moments of this treatment, the torment became intolerable. ...
Click here to read the NSFW continuation! See you for more on Tuesday ♥
2014 HAHAT - On Representation
May 17, 2014
There's a rallying cry in fandom: Disregard canon, acquire representation. For those who don't live their lives neck deep in fandom (like me ahem >.>), the short version is that it means when you're sick of seeing cis, white, straight dudes as the stars of all the stories, bend that shit. Write about bisexual transgender Captain America. (You know who you are and I love you.) Roll around in the Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy 'ship. Read lifetimes into that shared look of intensity between Lagertha and Siggy. And while you're at it, racebend the hell out of Jane Austen.Why? Well, for one, it's fun, so why not?
But for another, if we're not gonna get representation, we'll make our own. The stories we read and see become a part of us--that's why we feel so 'unf' when something connects and hits that right spot. Living in someone else's head, having someone else's adventures, they become ours. We internalize the way the people and situations are presented in those stories. The beauty standards, the morality--even if we're actively fighting it, it seeps in sometimes, especially when we're young. If we don't conform to that naturally, it often results in internalized ____phobia, right? What's wrong with me? Should I be something else? Oh god.
Speaking as someone who's seen the horror wrought by internalized biphobia, lemme tell you. It's no joke.
When we do get representation. Magic happens. Like this letter from the the letters column of Young Avengers #17 by Allen Heinberg. WARNING: This letter contains a non-explicit reference to a suicide attempt:
Powerful right?
Not all representation is perfect. It's important for those who consume the product to call it out, and for creators to not be a dick about it when they screw up. But all that conversation can't be anything but good, in the end, and that's what's important. So that's my main idea for this year's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia : representation is where it's at. I'm gonna work harder at it, myself, and I'm gonna celebrate it where I see it.
In that spirit, one commenter on this post will be chosen by the magical random.org fairy to get a trade paperback of an awesome comic that represents--and a decent romantic subplot. The winner can choose from:
Young Avengers Volume 2, #1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. The teenage love affair between Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman might save the world... or break it. The series also includes several other LGBTQ teens, including David Alleyne (Prodigy), America Chavez (Miss America), and, of course, Loki.
or
Astonishing X-Men: Northstar by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins. Contains Marvel's first LGBTQ wedding between Northstar and longtime boyfriend Kyle Jinadu. Bonus: interracial relationship FOR THE WIN. (I might be biased there. But still.)
Just drop a comment and some way I can contact you--email, twitter, tumblr (make sure your ask box is open!), whatever works for you. I'll random.org it after the hop is over.
Happy hopping, y'all!
GRL Blogs~
May 15, 2014
So heyyyy, who's going to GRL in October? Hey, me too! I had such a kick ass time in Atlanta that I had to do Chicago this year--except this time I'm going as an author, so no slacking off :D The new blogger program means they've engineered a massive blog tour, for which the dates are all right here. So far, I've been hosted by three lovely blogs:
THE NOVEL APPROACH had me on last month to talk about the Fairy Compacts series and working with illustrator Ruxandra Lache.
MY FICTION NOOK had a chat with me about By the River and the magical realism.
PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE just had a post go live this week (the contest is still live, too!) where I talked about the Superpowered Love mixed tapes--one of my favorite parts of writing the stories.
Thanks so much to the amazing staff at these blogs! Y'all are way too much fun to hang out with. In the coming months, the same blog tour will see me at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, The Blogger Girls, Love Bytes, back at The Novel Approach, and of course with my GRL designated blogger, Joyfully Jay. There will be giveaways--of books and some other goodies, too, as the time gets closer--at all of these blogs, so keep an eye out for them.
PLUS, more immediately, I'll be at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words on Tuesday, May 20, for the release of Fairy Bound, the final installation in the Fairy Compacts series. I'll keep you updated there, but check back soon for excerpts and an art sneak peek. Don't forget, the first book is free!
~Various~
April 28, 2014
Yes, today I have ~various~ updates to share.
First, I'm hanging out with the fab folks at The Novel Approach today talking about working with the wonderful Ruxandra Lache on the Fairy Compacts series. I'll be revealing one of her illustrations here on the blog, and of course there will eventually be thumbnails of them all on the excerpts page, but one thing at a time, right? There's also an opportunity to win a copy of the second book in the series, Life as a Fairy Thrall. And don't forget, the first book, The Dangers of Fairy Compacts, is a free read.
Second, I have some reviews to share from the last few weeks, wee~
1. In Distress got 4.25 stars from Melanie over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words--and a really fantastic, thoughtful review. Thanks so much, Melanie.
2. Equilibrium got 4.25 stars from Teresa at Prism Book Alliance--which just made me so happy. Sam and Hansen! My first babies. ♥
3. Elizabetta at Love Bytes gave In Distress 3.5 stars--and excerpted one of the silliest bits of the whole thing, which also makes me very happy. (Cum-cicles. IDEK sometimes, with Eddie. This guy.)
4. By the River got not-quite-4 stars from Sandra at My Fiction Nook: ...something to take with you to the beach on a hot Summer day to devour while the wind is in your hair and the sound of crashing waves in your ear. Awesome.
And I'm gonna hop over and visit Sandra next week, too, so I'll update when that happens. Until then, just over here finishing work on Fairy Bound to get the for Raven contributors their Special Editions asap. Everyone else, look for it late May. For now, there's some inspiring music that's just been added to the excerpts page. Excerpts themselves to come soon.
Cover reveal
April 23, 2014
After my month of social madness, I'm back for good and kicking the Fairy Compacts finale prep into high gear. It is my absolute pleasure to reveal the cover of the final installment, Fairy Bound, by the talented and fabulous Ruxandra Lache.
We decided to try a different route, going with--well, I won't spoil the story by explaining who or what lives in this lovely tree-house she's painted, here. I seriously cannot wait to reveal her internal illustrations to you either, but there are thumbnails of the ones she did for Life as a Fairy Thrall on the excerpts page, so definitely check them out there!
Next week I'll be doing a blog visit to talk some more about the book pre-release. For now, you can add the book to your goodreads shelf, if you like! The official blurb is there, too. ♥
WiP Wednesday
April 9, 2014
It's been a while since I've done this, but I think it's time for a WiP Wednesday snippet, this time from Fairy Bound. In this final installation, Tam and Aeron's last adventure in Faerie is coming back to haunt them. As in threatening their home, maybe their very existence. Not to mention there's still that little issue of reforging their bond...
Tam thought about it for a while, then finally, about halfway home, said, “We could just move.” It was hard to get out, but it was the only solution he could see. It seemed inevitable that Suchi had been telling people—well, the truth. Tam kept a fairy lover at his house in the woods. And he couldn’t blame her, considering what she’d been through. What else could they do?
“I saw that,” said Aeron.
Tam frowned. “Saw what?”
“Under here.” Aeron reached out and tapped Tam on the chest, just to the left. “The way your heart cracked when you said it.”
Tam blinked against a sudden burning sensation in his eyes.
“This has always been your home,” said Aeron, as if it were really that simple. “It will always be your home.”
Tam wanted to agree, wanted to believe. But, “I would choose you over it any day. And there's nothing we can do, if Suchi tells everyone.”
“We're hardly powerless.”
Tam frowned even harder.
Aeron said, “Perhaps I could live in the tree-cellar for a while. My kind prefer underground, after all.”
“For sleeping.” The thought of Aeron hiding himself any more than he did, of him not coming out into the garden, not being able to even stretch his wings when he already couldn’t flybout properly, lit an angry fire in Tam’s middle. He straightened his spine and stuck out his chin, resolved. “No. You're right. We're not powerless. I'm being silly.”
“As usual,” said Aeron, a slight smirk pulling at his pretty lips.
“You love it,” came out before Tam could stop it. They hadn’t said it again, not since that night when Aeron had told him that he didn’t know what love was.
But Aeron just smiled and said, “Yes. I do.”
Drama! Danger! Wingsex! Coming at the end of this month!. I'm off this weekend, but when I return I'll have a cover to reveal. Yay! In the meantime, don't forget Book 1, The Dangers of Fairy Compacts, is totally free, and you can get Book 2, Life as a Fairy Thrall, for just $1.99.
And in other news, in celebration of the new Missed Connections books, LI has put In Distress and Marie Harte's Stepping Out on megasale, so check it out on the Daily Deals page this week.
Weekend Update
April 4, 2014
Happy Captain America Weekend! Well, that kind of gives away my plans for it, huh? Sadly I was not in the midnight showing crowd last night, but my best friend will be here tonight, and we're going tomorrow, so hey. I win!
A few exciting things are going on right now though, so here's a quick update:
Thing 1. The Blogger Girls were kind enough to host me as a guest blogger this week! I'm here talking about nerdlove... which is a thing of mine, clearly. There's an opportunity to win a copy of In Distress, too, so please check it out. Thanks, Blogger Girls!
Thing 2. While In Distress was making its debut, I've been hard at work on my next book. I'm about a year late on this, for which I apologize (and will continue to apologize) profusely, but at long last the final installment of the Fairy Compacts series, Fairy Bound, is coming together. I'm polishing off the big climax now--and polishing up the rest shortly after, and hope to have to have the special editions to the For Raven contributors before the end of the month.
What's so special about it? Well, it has an extra illustration, of course! Ruxandra Lache, so who so beautifully illustrated Life as a Fairy Thrall, is back on board and wow, are her sketches utterly gorgeous. She's outdone herself again, truly, and I cannot wait to show them to you.
Never fear, though, those who weren't around for the For Raven campaign will still get her cover and two fantastic illustrations in their edition, as with Fairy Thrall, which will be available a week or two later. So definitely hop on board for the end of Tam and Aeron's story. It's a big one, and I'll be talking more about it in the coming days.
Let the Captain America Party begin!
Release day for Eddie and Callum!
March 25, 2014
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| Cover by PL Nunn |
Yay, In Distress exists! As usual, for the moment it is only available at Loose Id, but Amazon should follow shortly, and others after that. I'll keep this post, the book's page, and the sidebar over there updated as developments unfold.
And I know that's inconvenient for some, but hey, LI has all the formats you need (mobi = prc), plus they're doing an awesome sale on Equilibrium, for those who'd like to see where this whole Superpowered Love thing began. Sam and Hansen for only 2.99. Wowwwww, right?
How shall I celebrate all this fabulousness? Well, with a bottle of prosecco obviously.
Wait no, not til 5 o'clock. Honest. Okay, 4.30. >.>
In the meantime, there's all kinds of great stuff going on. Over at Joyfully Jay, there's "a nice, dirty excerpt" happening along with a contest to win a copy of the book. Thank you for hosting my oh-so-nsfw excerpt today, Jay ♥ and I hope y'all enjoy it.
She said she's reviewing it today too, so I'll update this post --
ETA: Oh look, here it is! A super-thoughtful and fabulous review culminating in 4.25 stars. Thank you so much! /ETA
ETA: Oh look, here it is! A super-thoughtful and fabulous review culminating in 4.25 stars. Thank you so much! /ETA
I'm also over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words talking about the inspiration for Eddie's story, in all its weirdness, and the Missed Connections collection--and there's a chance to win a copy there, too. Thanks for the spotlight, Melanie ♥
Phew okay! I think that's it for the moment. Woohoo, Missed Connections: In Distress!
ETA 3.30pm: In Distress on ARe. Yay!
ETA: 9.20pm: In Distress on Amazon~
St. Patrick's Day Means Kelly's the DJ
March 16, 2014
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| Jamie and Kellan on St. Pat’s by Astro. |
Ah yes, it's time for the return of DJ Kellan--a title Kelly (of Nobody's Hero) doesn't much like, but will live with if it means he gets to listen to loud Paddy Rock and drink all day. For the last two years, his list has remained the same, but this year Kellan has an all new and improved St. Pat's playlist for everyone. He'll be taking over my tumblr as usual (and the posts will go to twitter, too), for those who'd like to rock Irish-American and/or Canadian and/or Australian and/or whatever Irish transplant and/or actual Irish style.
Both the old and new tracks are in my DJ Kellan tag, but if you just want the new tracks, hit up the DJ Kellan 2014 tag. One track an hour will be posted, plus some of Kellan's typical grouchy commentary. Because Kellan.
On a more serious and personal note, the Sheas--Kellan's large and loud Irish-Catholic family--seem to have struck a chord with some readers. That means a lot to me, because not only did I think people would find them unbelievable, what with all the music-making and large family parties and other hilarity, but because they're directly patterned on my mother's side of the family. Well, except Mom's family had eight kids, not seven, but hey. We've had a lot of really hard hits this year, in particular the loss of two beloved family members in a three month period. We also had good stuff happen--like a big old wedding, which we always make the most of, in between our tragedies. But it's been a hell of an emotional ride.
So while Kelly will be dedicating the occasional song to people in his life, I just want to say that the whole thing is dedicated to my family, just like the book was. We fight and yell and cry and love and always stick together. If I didn't have them, I'd never believe in love enough to actually write about it.
Now excuse me while I listen to loud obnoxious paddy rock and slam Guinness all day tomorrow. (It's a food, too. Really.) I'm sure my cousins are doing the same, scattered as we are.
Excerpts Ahoy
March 10, 2014
Woohoo, Excerpts from In Distress are up! We had a hard time picking them, but these are two that I think really express the whole tone of the book, which sort of hearkens back to the weirdly fun-loving, fast pace of the Equilibrium days--but with Eddie's special brand of weird. Which, after the emotional roller coaster of Malory's life in Re-entry Burn, was a welcome shift of gears, lemme tell you. They're entitled "The Rescue", which is the very first scene in the book...
So maybe I’ll just blame the fire on italics. Because that stove, oh my God, I don’t know what even happened, but it set some shit on fire about six months later. And there I was, sleeping like a cliché-baby on my futon, dreaming about that guy who plays Jon Snow inGame of Thrones. About him crawling up that giant ice wall with my thighs wrapped around his waist, saving me from the attacking Wildlings. Me shifting my hips (gotta keep warm on the Wall somehow) and whispering into his ear, “Faster, baby. Winter is coming.”
I have weird dreams sometimes.
And "Hero Reversal", which, well. The book's title makes sense after reading this one, I reckon...
I picked up a pretzel and pointed it at him, narrowing my eyes. “You know what? Fuck you.”
His mouth fell slightly open. God, it was unfair how pretty his lips were like that. All I could think of was them around my cock last night. Even as my face was flushing with anger for his stupid, highhanded crap, I wanted to yank him under the table and feel them again, right there in the middle of the bar.
I dipped the pretzel into cheese sauce pointedly, like I was drowning his objections in nacho-flavored goodness, or some other horrible metaphor. Then I bit it off and chewed even more pointedly. Yeah, take that. “You think you’re being noble, don’t you? Protecting me from myself. You say you’re not my knight in shining armor; then you treat me like a damsel in distress.”
So click on through to read the rest of these bits~
Alas, nothing too hot yet... but that's coming soon. I've got a special one selected to celebrate the release in a few weeks, and it should be fun times. That one, I'm calling 'Forelplay: Cold-Thermal Style'. Those of you who've read Superpowered Love books before can sorta guess what that means. Mwah! ♥
In Distress, covered!
March 7, 2014
Guys, I cannot deal with these precious babies. I am so pleased to share with you the cover for In Distress, by the one and only PL Nunn!
Cutiessssss! Apparently so cute I have lost my powers of articulation. Whoops. But. Look at them! Gah! Exclamation points!!!!1!1!one!
Excerpts will be arriving soon, and the book itself in just a few weeks. In the meantime, if you want to get to know Eddie and Cal and see where they're headed, head over to the In Distress page for their vital stats and official blurb.
And keep an eye on the Missed Connections page at LI, too, because some of the other stories in the collection are popping up now... So much excitement. I just. I can't.
♥
Re-Entry Reviewed~
February 6, 2014
So today I had a really nice surprise when I cruised over to MM Good Reviews and spotted Re-Entry Burn's cover! I gotta say, in the middle of a craptastic winter and on the tail end of a taxing year, I was starting to get into my Winter Writer's Funk. Thanks to Thommie at MM Good for pulling me out of it with this incredibly thoughtful review.
Trust me when I say this, you will adore Mal’s voice. You will freaking love him and his point of view. I just couldn’t stop reading once I started and was taken so much by surprise I found myself finishing this book in the early morning hours, exhausted, yet screaming in my head because it ended.
... Okay I just c&p'd and erased that like five times because I feel ridiculous posting it to my own website, but hey, I am in need of a pick-me-up, as I say. It's nice to feel like y'all get it. Even when it comes in a package as, uh, difficult as Malory. (Mal sez: I been called way worse by much nicer people.)
So totally check out the review, if you like, or if you want more info about the book, hit up the Re-Entry Burn page here for excerpts, character stats, pretty drawings, etc.
♥
More info about In Distress coming up soon. Mid-Late March release--sooner than it seems when I'm buried in all this snow, still! Yay!
A Little Brady for Jay's Birthday
January 23, 2014
Well okay, I cannot actually send Jay Brady for her birthday, though I'd like to, but this is as good as it gets. It's Jay from Joyfully Jay's birthday this weekend, and Loose Id is doing an excellent sale of fifteen of her faves in her honor. PLUS, Jay's got what she loves about them listed on her site, and a giveaway. So if you haven't stopped by to wish her a happy birthday and enter, head on over.
Yeah, Riot Boy's there, and in some excellent company. (I want to recommend specific things, but then I'm just like "Oh but this one too. And this one. And and and... all of them...) I am so excited! If you haven't read it yet, here's a good excuse. It's a great place to start the Superpowered Love books because it's from the point of view of a 'sleeper', aka someone without superpowers, so as Etienne learns about superpowered secrets, so do we.
Still not sure? I know, I know, it's a big step. One thing you can do to gauge your interest risk-free is check out "Willoughby Spit". Some spoilers for Riot Boy follow, though nothing major. Major spoilers for certain things are in the story itself, but it's entirely possible to read this short first, if you don't mind that:
Since the events of Riot Boy, Brady's been loving his quiet life in Pittsburgh with Etienne. He's also been writing songs for his band, Willoughby Spit--and people are starting to sit up and take notice. A golden tour opportunity could be right around the corner... if Brady can stop panicking. Rather, if Etienne can convince him to stop panicking.
This story takes place two years after Riot Boy, the week Re-entry Burn starts.
Get "Willoughby Spit" for free:
My Box.net folder (separate zip files for mobi, epub, pdf, and htm--take whatever you like!)
Smashwords (all eBook formats)
Oh, and if you ever see me in person somewhere, be sure to ask me for one of the CDs...
Magneto comics not included >.>
Happy birthday, Jay, and thanks, Loose Id!
Sci-Fi Extravaganza~
January 3, 2014
So yesterday was National Science Fiction Day, and so LI is having a sale through midnight on the 5th to commemorate it, with a ton of Sci Fi themed books a dollar off. Woohoo! If you've never read sci-fi romance, I defffffinitely recommend giving it a shot. If you already have--hey, have a field day!
I absolutely love it, and some of my favorite authors are on sale here. I know I talk a lot about comics, but I was also raised on Star Trek (I have an extensive collection of figurines and books that I will someday enshrine in a "Star Trek Room", I assure you), so... yeah. I love it a lot. Aliens, space pirates, werewolves... I mean you can't lose, right?
And if you've been waiting to read the very first Superpowered Love book, Equilibrium, it's part of the sale, too!
Yyyyeah Loose Id has really been doing some awesome sales and incentives since they revamped the whole website for the slicker experience--and all the stuff they used to do too, like curating the 'staff picks' (Re-Entry Burn is on it for the first part of this year. *So proud*). So if you don't normally go over there, maybe put it on your list of stops. Deals all over the place, lately. Of course, authors always love it when you buy from the publisher. We might be a liiiiiittle bit biased. Ahem.
And in other news, I am happy to report that In Distress (Superpowered Love 6--god have we come that far already?) has been submitted in its earliest form to my fabulous editor Raven, and now we shall see what comes of it. Eddie and Cal were so. much. fun to write. And after the frankly horrible year that was 2013, finishing on that note was just the thing I needed. It's a lot more in the fast-paced Equilibrium vein than the thinky Re-Entry Burn one, but part of the thing I love about writing the SL books (and for LI!) is that it gives me the freedom to mix things up like that. I hope it keeps y'all from getting bored with them, too.
So if you haven't met Eddie and Callum, definitely hop over to the In Distress page and say hi.
Back with more news soon!
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