Friday, October 31, 2008

It wouldn't be Halloween without....

EDIT 11/02 The WINNER IS.....michele. Drop an email to bsher213 AT yahoo.com and let me know which book you'd like and in what format.

Smexy ghei Vampires!



Happy Halloween from Mr. Shu & Friends.

But where's the treat you ask?

Can't have the treat without the trick, right, so how about a question. Tell me your favorite book in the mad world of The Dragon's Disciple universe OR your favorite cover and why it's your fav in the comments section here and tomorrow we'll pick a winner for a "winner's choice" e-book from our backlist.

edit: You guys can comment from now all through Saturday 11/1 and I'll post the winner here in this post on Sunday

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I can't think of anything to talk about









So, I'm going to give you some pictures instead.




This is my Halloween Tree. I have various vintage and reproduction blown glass ornaments I've collected over the years. I have various Dias De Los Muertos figures from Mexico, devils from Venuzela and Columbia as well.





This year I created my offrenda for Vincent Price. Put my various Shakespear plays from the 1900s, a glass black cat (he did a movie "Black Cat"), my peruvian pot (he was vary into Native American art), my Dharma cloves (he smoked all his life...couldn't find what brand though), bowls of candy (his family owned one of the most sucessful candy companies), my life sized vampire skull...and flowers of course.

We didn't quite get around to making Alfreniques (sugar skulls this year...although the spawn and I whipped up some chocolate ones.

As you can see, my walls are pretty much painted for Halloween year round. And, much of what I have and use for decoations, well you can find it out and about on shelves and such, if you look close.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Actually, It's More Like Auburn

I just got back from a romance writers’ conference. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen romance writers moshing at the after-party, but that’s a whole other blog. This one is about how everywhere I went I heard editors, agents, booksellers and writers on the topic of romance being the red-headed step-child of the publishing industry.

You’d think, considering romance’s market share—and according to booksellers, the power of romance’s recession-proof sales to voracious readers—that our industry would be more like the 800-pound gorilla. (Now I have an image in my head of a gorilla with a scarlet mohawk. Damn my imagination.)

The perception of our work as trash or vacuous is pervasive. I got into the elevator with a man who looked like an avid footballer from Australia. (He had the accent; I made up the footballer part.) He eyed my conference badge and asked what we were all here for.

When I told him, he said, “Shouldn’t you be having it at night, by candlelight with flowers?”

“That’s a good idea. I’m just running back to my room because I left my feathered boa in my suitcase.”

I had a great time chatting with Jess Andersen who writes romances where the characters are trying to prevent an apocalypse. The one in 2012 as predicted by the Maya. (Would it be horribly selfish of me to think that if the world is going to end, it would definitely be convenient if it did those few months before I turn a particularly scary round number in age?) Jess has her doctorate in genetics. When people discover she writes romance their response is an incredulous “But you’re so smart.” We all know how easy it is to write a book, right?

As I walked to a workshop being given by the romance buyer for Borders Group International, I ran into another friend who said to me, “Man, if romance is the publishing industry’s red-headed step-child, you guys (meaning we m/m romance writers) are the red-headed step-child’s red-headed step-child.”

I am very proud of what I write. I write about people falling in love, enjoying that incredibly amazing adult activity sex, and getting to live happily-ever-after. I don’t need any more bad endings to read about in this sometimes frightening world. I’ll take my vacuous, candlelit, flowery trash over realistic misery any day.

I don’t mind that the woman who wore a dead fox at her hip as a purse all weekend stopped by my table at the signing to express her disapproval of “that sort of thing,” or that some people gave me a wide berth as though gay were contagious and going to jump off the table and convert them. I sold books. I made friends. I bonded with people over our love of happily-ever-afters and, oh what the hell, steamy sex. I saw the power of change.

A woman quickly sidled past in the hope that the bored looking fifteen-year-old girl she had in tow wouldn’t see anything untoward. As soon as she was past my table, the fifteen year old turned back and gave me a quick thumbs-up. I may have done a fist pump in joy. There’s our next generation of readers. Say hello to that red-headed gorilla of a step-child. Here we come.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

NaNoWriMo 2008 Looms

Between the cold from hell and tech week, my life has been little more than sleep, cold meds, and musical theatre for the past week and a half. Sadly this has left little to no time or brainpower for m/m diversions. However, I'm taking my Vitamin C and looking ahead to the annual creative insanity that is NaNoWriMo. This will be my third year participating and I'm hoping to be a three-peat winner. I'm also hoping that this year, like 2006 and The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing, I will turn out something publishable. (I haven't yet tried selling the m/m novel I wrote for NaNo 2007; it's still with the betas.) I have two story ideas bouncing around in my head like tennis balls in a clothes dryer:



My fantasy universe with two new heroes – a Marthan priest and his healer/naturist lover – with Jimothy and Ricky as a secondary storyline, all dealing with a border dispute between the Rabbinical Diocese (yes, you read that right) and some Dusitan farmers encroaching on their land



and/or



A departure for me – a contemporary paranormal story about a team of ghost hunters who are hired by a coffee shop owner who thinks that the ghost haunting his Classic 1963 VW Beetle is expanding its territory to his home and business. There will undoubtedly be comedy to be found here. I can already tell that the gear guy for the company is a bit of a goof.



Needless to say in either case, hot m/m sex will occur. ;->



It's as likely as not that I'll end up writing on both over the course of the month. Hey, whatever it takes to reach that 50,000 word mark, right? Still, I'd love to hear what you think about these potential stories. Which, if either, appeals more to you as a reader?

Monday, October 27, 2008

The holidays are coming...

Those automatic reminders are great! :) I've been so busy the past couple of weeks with a variety of projects, that I'd forgotten today was my day to blog. *sigh* So, I thought I'd do a little promoing for my upcoming holiday books.


See my pretty, drool-worthy new cover! :P Perfect for my new M/M and more holiday story from Loose-Id, A Gift Worth Sharing. It's set for release Dec. 9th.
Nate and Kyle, from A Master's Love are back.

The holidays have arrived and Kyle can't wait to get away with his lover. What he doesn't know is that Nate has a special surprise waiting at their destination. As old memories of a failed attempt at a threesome surface, Kyle's determined to face them. But will it strengthen their relationship or break what they've been building for the last two years?

No Ordinary Holdiay is a M/M/F holiday story that's due to be released Dec. 8th at Phaze. It focuses on Devyn, whom we met in last years holiday story enWrappture (Christopher and Mason's story). However, it has some yummy manlove in it also, so it's still appropriate. ;)
As a descendent of Kris Kringle, a.k.a. Santa Clause, Devyn Rhodes has been bestowed with special abilities her family has coined as the gift. Only her late husband and those of blood relation has ever given her reprieve from the flashes and noise that surrounds her. That is until Cam and Jacob come knocking on her door. The silence aside, her unusual attraction to both men is almost overwhelming as the gift can be.

What’s a woman to do when she’s snowed in with two arousing men and lust comes caling?

Note: This is related to two previous Phaze Heatsheet releases, but is a stand alone story.
I'll get together some excerpts together by my next turn to post.
Now that you've seen what I have coming out come December, what are your favorite holiday stories? Do you have one you read every year?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Re-release!

It was just a coincidence that I got a postcard in the mail for my 20th high school reunion the same week that Torquere Press asked me if I'd like to recontract a book that had fallen off the catalogue. I wrote The Sound of Cicadas over a year ago in anticipation of this very event. (The reunion, not the contract ending.) In any case, it's now once again available for purchase and I'm pretty excited about that!

The story of Jackson and Kenny isn't a long one, but I really enjoyed writing it and trying to capture that feeling of seeing someone again after many years. Have they changed? Have you? And if the answer is yes, is it for better or worse? Here's a little snip from Jackson's point of view...

The bar miraculously appeared in front of him and Jack leaned both elbows on it while he waited for the bartender to look his way. He was glad it was busy, he needed the few minutes to compose himself and wonder why he was so surprised. It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected to see Kenny, it was just that… he hadn’t expected to see Kenny. Jack shook his head and stared at the polished wood grain in front of him. Damn.

It had been several quick rendezvous under the bleachers for a couple of months. Jack had stupidly assumed no one had known they were there, but then came that night when Tyler had admitted to seeing them and Jack had grown paranoid. They took to meeting in the woods near Kenny’s dad’s trailer, finding a secluded spot where the trees and brush hid any sexual activity they chose to engage in.

And there had been plenty of sexual activity, up to but not including actual intercourse. Hand jobs, blowjobs, heavy petting, rubbing off over each others’ clothes, Jack could recall with perfect clarity how creative they’d gotten without actually fucking each other. He’d sort of assumed he and Kenny would get there eventually, but then the thing with Kenny’s father had happened and… well, there was no fucking. No more anything, since Kenny had moved away halfway through senior year.

Jackson realized he was getting bogged down with unexpected memories and looked up to see how close the bartender was. He was about to do the obnoxious thing and snap his fingers because damn, he really needed that drink, when a strong arm in an expensive dinner jacket leaned against his own.

He kept his eyes on the bartender. “Hey, Ken.”



Mmm, tension. I love that. Anyway, just tooting my own horn, here at Slash and Burn, because I really like this little story and it's only $2.25. If you've ever been to a reunion or run into a lost love, give this one a try.

The Sound of Cicadas available here.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

I got nothing


You'd think with two pending November releases I'd be excited to share something. However, neither are straight M/M stories. Both have MMF elements, however, so if you are so inclined I hope you will consider picking up Excitable Gals from Loose ID and Dare to Dream from Phaze Books. I'm especially happy to announce that the fourth Dareville novel will be November's Book Club pick at All Romance eBooks! I feel like Rocky on the comeback trail.

For now, I am blocked about what to post today. I did start a new M/M piece to be called Long Awaited Friend, but I think I might have mentioned that here earlier.

Well, how about a half-nekkid pic of Daniel Craig?


Mmmmmm....

What was I talking about now?

Friday, October 24, 2008

Movie: "Long Term Relationship"


Yeehaw, it's Friday again! I'll be buried up to my elbows in art projects and writing this weekend (drive-by promo alert: only five weeks before Pawprints: Giving & Taking's release date!) BUT, all work and no play makes for some pretty lousy creative burnout. So I'll be popping a DVD into the player tonight, and the feature presentation is "Long-Term Relationship".

I've already seen the film before, and it's both sweet and funny. Yes, sometimes the acting comes off as flat, but overall it's just a fun movie. And there's a little political twist to the love story that made me chuckle... ;)

See the trailer for Long-Term Relationship

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Pirates!

I recently had the chance to have lunch with Lorna and Shawn, the owners of Torquere Press. One thing we talked about was what's hot in romance right now. Pirates were on that list, and didn't that make me happy!

Ian and Silas found their start in 'Fool's Gold', my pirate novella in the Galleons & Gangplanks anthology from Torquere. Since then, I've written one other short with them for the Rings Toy Box (also from Torquere).

I love them, dearly, as do my readers. So when the idea of pirates came up, Ian and Silas were right there, ready to talk. So... they're getting their own Chaser series.

High Seas is the collective title for what is sure to be a classic pirate adventure full of danger, drama, hot sex, and of course, the usual banter between the cynical forty-something Ian and his youthful, acid-wit partner, Silas.

So stay tuned for more! ;)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Spring Awakening

I'm going to New York City next month and I'll be seeing Spring Awakening on Broadway. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I'd heard good things about the show when it debuted, but didn't really give it a lot of thought. After I got the tickets (second row!), I bought the soundtrack from iTunes and listened to it on repeat on a train ride.

Now I am hooked.

The last time I fell so hard for a musical, it was RENT and I was in university. Ah, the good old days. I'm probably too old to be fangirling over a teenage musical now, but that's never stopped me before. Besides, the star of the show likes older women. *g*

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Ally's busy day

Sorry, y'all, but I don't have a blog for today. Well, I suppose one could argue that this is, in fact, a blog post. But, it's not a very good one. So I apologize for that.

The thing is, my daughter had to head back to college from Fall Break today. She and her best friend had a ride lined up, but it fell through at the last minute. Last minute, as in we didn't know she didn't have a ride until we showed up at said ride's house and her father told us. Oy >_< So, I drove the girl-child and her friend four hours back to school. We went to dinner, went to the store so they could stock up on the necessaries, then I drove four hours back home. Just got back like half an hour ago and my brain is mush. Thus this poor excuse for a blog post. LOL.

Maybe y'all can help me turn it into something useful. Anyone see any story ideas in this fiasco? College boy in need of an emergency ride meets.... a hot guy of some description. Whatcha think? Hm? Anyone? C'mon, y'all are smart, let's hear your ideas!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A little pre-Halloween Treat

Spree
A Cheating Chance Humor Short

By
James Buchanan
(c)2007



Brandon pushed a bright red shopping cart though the isle, chasing after Nicky. He had to slalom between snot nosed kids running around unattended and moms talking on cell phones. It felt a lot like driving the 91 at rush hour. “What are we doing here again?” He called at Nicky’s back. Where the fuck was he headed? Dish soap, laundry soap, hair gel, and toilet paper: yep the mental shopping list pretty much matched the contents of the cart. In Brandon’s mind that equated to done and ready for the check-out counter.

“Shopping.” Nicky didn’t even turn around.

No shit shopping. “Shopping for what?”

Turning and walking backward, Nicky threw his hands up. “Well,” he piled on enough enunciation for three people onto that one tiny word. Brandon cringed. If Nicky went any more flaming on him in the store, Brandon was going to resort to justifiable homicide. “You keep complaining that you have nothing stylish in your place. So we’re here to find you stylish stuff.” Stylish and stuff were punctuated with flicks of Nicky’s wrists in the general direction of Brandon.

That was it, Nicky was fucking insane. “Nicky, this is a chain store.” Brandon grumbled. “Like one step up from a discount house. Stylish don’t live here.” If it weren’t for the low slung black jeans, combat boots, and tight black western style shirt, Brandon would have bailed. The sexiness of it all, the promise of what was bulging up the front of those jeans; kept him trailing behind his lover like a puppy. “I mean, really, what the fuck are we going to find in the Halloween department?” Maybe Nicky wanted candy? Nicky’d promised a treat when they got home from the domestic slog. Brandon’s hopes centered on more of a nekkid and condoms--than mini-chocolate bars--kinda party.

Nicky stopped Brandon when he grabbed the front of the cart and leaned over. “Cool stuff.” His leer shot shivers down Brandon’s spine.

Right, not in this store. Just to be a jerk Brandon jeered back. “Look, cool stuff.” Quick and dirty he scanned the shelves to grab the first bit of junk he found. “A motorized rat.” It dangled from Brandon’s hand by its tail.

With a swat to the mechanical horror, Nicky turned and disappeared into the next isle. His disembodied voice floated back. “No, real cool stuff.” Brandon tossed the rat back on the shelf before following Nicky’s ass. “You just have to know where to look.” Nicky made another turn. Swearing under his breath, Brandon swung the cart around the corner and nearly ran into that tight ass.

An open area played host to a graveyard of sorts. Ranks of tombstones and resin critters guarded a six foot high grim reaper in their midst. The reaper’s scythe formed an arch to a shelving unit nearby. Jaw held open in permanent scream, he seemed to protest the kitsch surrounding his base and the ninety-nine dollar price tag. Nicky picked up the nearest plastic creation. He held it out for Brandon’s inspection. “See Gargoyle planter.”

Brandon shrugged. “Okay, yeah, that’s nice.” Actually, it was pretty damn ugly. Three knobby, beaked things braced a funeral style urn between their wings. Fake stone, in tones of blue and greenish-gray, gave it a sickening pall. “Not my thing.”

“True,” Nicky set it back among the others in the display. Once up and once down, Nicky looked him over. “You’re more the macho, techno, edgy, park my big ass Harley in the living room goth.”

“Fuck you.” Brandon choked out. Then he grimaced an apology when a mom toting a baby and trailed by three school age kids glared at him.

“Here?” With an all-too-obvious seductive wiggle, Nicky prowled around the edge of the cart. He hooked his hands on the side, behind his back, and propped his butt against the plastic lattice. Rolling his head to gaze sidelong at Brandon, he teased in a sex kitten purr, “Like in the middle of the costume isle? Going kinky on me here?” His tongue snaked out to run across his upper lip. Brandon swallowed. “Taking your whole public sex fetish to a new level?”

Damn, everything that could go hard…went hard. To mask his excitement, Brandon growled, “I could stuff you in that life sized coffin and leave you there.”

Nicky ignored him and pushed away from the cart. “Hold that thought.” Some bit of eye candy on the shelf in front of him got the same attention Brandon merited only seconds earlier. For a second, Brandon went insanely jealous over a piece of junk. Then he shook it off. “Here we go.” Nicky held up a rectangular block of pseudo-crystal, maybe as long as Brandon’s hand. Inside, a laser cut out of a skeleton danced. “Put this on a light base--blue--it’d be wicked.”

That particular dust collector was rather cool. Brandon took it from Nicky’s hand and tested its weight in his palm. “Okay, so one thing in the store that’s not cheesy.” Why fight fate? If it got Nicky out of the Halloween section, Brandon would buy it. He put the cube in the basket.

“Oh, companion piece.” Nicky knelt and snatched something off a lower rack. Brandon groaned. As he stood, he ran over the merits. “Skulls: but rather modern totally you.” He offered it for Brandon’s inspection. A rectangular plate of frosted glass, it didn’t look like it belonged among the Halloween supplies. Then Nicky flipped it up. Black scroll work wound around the edge. A skull in the center, also painted in black, jeered at Brandon. With a quick glance at the back, Nicky noted the price. “And only eight bucks.”

“Nice.” It galled him to admit it. “Really nice, we could buy that.” As Nicky set the plate in the seat of the cart, Brandon picked up a Lucite bowl. Random peaks jutted from the rim. A black painted spider’s web spun across the surface. “That’s kinda cool.”

“Set of ‘em and you got breakfast bowls.”

“Naw.” The bowl went back on the shelf. “But I’ll take the statue and the big plate thing.”

“See now you’re into the spirit.” Pleased, Nicky grinned. “Wait, I know you weren’t thrilled with gargoyles but look at this guy.” He pointed to another half foot tall tchotchke. A small monkey like figure crawled over a ball. Wings spread to either side as though providing him balance. His face drooped with a bulldog’s smile and sad puppy eyes stared up from the shelf. “You’ve got to admit, this one’s not your run of the mill.”

The puppy eyes got to him. “Well, yeah, he’s fun.” Cursing his own lack of will, Brandon fingered the statute.

“Get him?” Nicky’s hand ran over his own. Chills worked up Brandon’s arm at the caress.

“Oh, what the fuck,” he breathed, “get him.”

“Great!” Nicky snatched it off the shelf, shoved it next to the plate, and began to wheel the cart away. One hand in the air, he pointed off into the recesses of the store. “On to house wares!”

Fuck! Weren’t they done yet? “Why?” Brandon sputtered and jogged after Nicky.

“Dishes.” Nicky laughed over his shoulder. “I saw online they have these really cool Asian inspired square dishes on sale. They’re black with a little red leaf on them. Whole set.”

Brandon yanked them up short by grabbing Nicky’s belt loop. “Nicky,” he hissed, hoping no one heard or saw, “I have dishes.”

“Okay,” Nicky half turned, his hip bumping Brandon’s, “You have other people’s cast offs. None of them match.” Tracing a pattern on Brandon’s bicep, he chided, “Time to grow up, Brandon, and start living like a twenty-five year old.”

Twenty-five year old? “Nicky, I’m almost thirty. My birthday’s like five days before Halloween, two weeks from now.” Nicky’s smirk said it all. What he implied smacked Brandon upside the head. “Oh, you mean I’m way past when I should have started this.”

“Yep.” The smirk slid into a soft smile. “And I know about your birthday, that’s why I’m paying for this shit.”

“Well, hell,” Brandon grabbed the cart and took off, heading toward where they’d just come from. He called back to Nicky, “If you’re paying, I want the fucking grim reaper for my living room!”




~end~

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Want To Meet My Sidekick?





YAY! It’s my new cover! That’s Joey in the front and Aaron in the back.

I’m very excited about Collision Course, my December 9 release from Samhain. My heroes did an amazing job telling me the story, my editor did an amazing job making sure there were no plot holes, and then Anne made this amazing cover. And me? I got to hear sexy bedtime stories from two hot guys for a couple of months.

When I needed a friend for Noah to talk to in Diving In Deep, I never planned on giving Joey a book. Back in February, Joey started whining (loudly and incessantly) in my head about wanting his own hero. I pointed out that I’d already given him a new boyfriend after he and Noah broke up, but he complained that Mark was too much of a marshmallow. So I thought up the most difficult hero I could for him. Joey and Aaron took it from there.

To get to the point of my blog (beyond shameless self-promotion) Noah and Cameron, the heroes in Diving In Deep, make a couple of appearances in Collision Course and I learned some interesting things. Sidekicks and secondary characters can say all kinds of things that heroes can’t get away with. I knew Cameron had a dry sense of humor, but I didn’t know he could be that sardonic. I knew Noah and Joey had some unresolved issues from their previous relationship, but I didn’t realize how much of an edge could pop up in their conversations.

When I write a secondary character, I know that he considers himself the star, but without point of view, a secondary character usually stays where I put him. I’ve never set out planning to turn a book into a series, as much as I’ve always enjoyed reading them. Turning a sidekick into a hero is fun, even if it sometimes requires creative gymnastics to fix things that a sidekick can do that a hero can’t. But what I was most unprepared for was the way my other brain children would look in a newly anointed hero’s point of view.

As a reader, I enjoy the visit from old friends when an author writes a series. As a writer, the experience was full of surprises. I think I’m going to try that again. (Yes, Tony, I’m getting to you, just gimme a month or two, okay?)

And by the way, for those of you who were fortunate enough not to grow up with my friends, the correct answer to the title question is “No.” Otherwise, the questioner kicks you from the side. Violence in puns. Go figure.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Inspiration, Chocolate, and Music

Tory Temple's blog on Sunday reminded me that I, too, have taken inspiration from Paula Deen and her guest stars. She's had a particular pastry chef on Paula's Party at least twice now. He's undoubtedly the sexiest pastry chef in the US, possibly the world, and damn but he knows how to flirt. Rowr! His name is Johnny Iuzzini and when I was creating one of my heroes it didn't take much to realize who I was describing. I even gave the character a couple of tattoos before I ever knew Johnny had any.


Oh, and I mentioned he was a pastry chef, right? On this episode, he made Chocolate Pudding with Candy Roses. ::sigh::

And on a completely different note, I leave you with this hilarious and completely un-PC video link. I Love the Gays

Monday, October 13, 2008

Help homeless youth

As I was gathering information for Marketing For Romance Writer's Discovery Bulletin (a promoting/networking newsleter for the group), we were sent information on how a publisher was taking October to help some homeless youth. And since it helps a GLBT shelter, then I thought it fit well on this blog.


Dreamspinner Press Needs YOU to help homeless youth!

Did you know that it's estimated that a third of homeless youth identify themselves as GLBT??? In New York City , this means that something like 8,000 to 10,000 youth are without shelter each night. Visit the website for Queer Streets, a soul-stirring documentary about this situation, for more info.

During the month of October, 5% of all Dreamspinner Press' profits will be donated to Sylvia's Place, which helps out teens in NYC.

Visit Dreamspinner Press today and take a look at our M/M titles. Whether you're in a mood for a long novel to a short story, find out why we are the place where dreams come true. Check out our newest releases and what's coming soon. Be the first to find out our latest projects!

Winter is coming….Please help us, help them. Together we can create a real happily ever after.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Boys in the Kitchen

I was watching Paula Deen last night on Food Network and salivating over the stuffed filet mignon she was making. But she wasn't making it alone, oh no she wasn't. She had Jason Priestly there with her, and this was after she'd already made a raspberry-sherry trifle with Carson Kressley. That Paula, she loves to cook with men.

Of course, that got me thinking how absolutely delicious (pun intended) it would be to watch two beautiful boys working together in the kitchen. Men doing anything together is usually slash-worthy, at least for me, but to watch them cook would be amazing. Assuming they weren't cooking for guests, there would be licking of fingers and offerings of tastes right from the pot. They would trail a hand over the other's back as they moved back and forth from stove to counter to sink. If sharp knives were involved, one would always watch protectively as the other one chopped or diced. There might be a little making out against the table while they waited for the oven timer. And when the meal was finished, they would feed bites to each other, and probably take dessert to bed with them.

I'm a writer, okay? I make things up.


Saturday, October 11, 2008

Sneak Preview: Excitable Gals by Leigh Ellwood

Excitable Gals, my omnibus novella from Loose-ID, bows November 25, just in time for your Turkey Day manlovin' madness. Don't let the title fool you, there is some good manlove and menage there for your enjoyment. I'm working on final edits and the cover now, but in the meantime here's a juicy bit to savor:

"Leading Lady" from Excitable Gals by Leigh Ellwood

"This won't work."

Kray looked up from the row of winking candles arranged on the bureau. The overhead lights were dimmed, soft music wafted from the small bedside radio, and room service champagne chilled in a bucket stand by the bed. A scene for seduction was set as best as the two could arrange it.

Everything seemed workable to Kray, save for the combination of burning vanilla and lavender that stung his nostrils. He had forgotten how noxious the scents were to him, yet this was what Dina Joseph liked, according to the information they had on her. For this to work, everything had to go as planned, and that meant for Kray to control his olfactory discomfort and for Lane to not act so skeptical.

"This won't work," Lane said again.

"We'll have to suck up the odor." Kray nodded to the candles. "It's a nice night out. Maybe if we open the balcony doors it won't bother us as much."

"I don't mean the candles, Kray, I mean this whole thing. This. Us." Lane paced their hotel room, clad only in a pair of jogging shorts, tension evident in his gait. "I don't think we can pull this off. She's going to see right through us."

"She won't. She's used to meeting up with odd people at these conventions. Whatever quirks that slip past, she'll attribute to some kind of science fiction fanaticism she thinks we're harboring." Kray perched on one corner of the bed and tracked Lane's every movement. Lane was beautifully sculpted, from his strong arms to his taut, bare legs. The obvious anxiety Lane exuded overrode the discomfort from the candles' too-sweet aroma. Kray felt suddenly dizzy and wobbled.

"Lane." Kray scooted farther into the mattress and gestured the fairer man to sit between his legs. He ground his fingers into Lane's shoulders, untying the knots bunched in the other man's muscles. Lane was always a delight to touch. He felt his cock stir between them. It had been a while since they had made love, and Kray felt well the effects of withdrawal. The scent of Lane so close taunted him. It was all he could do to keep from thrashing Lane back onto the mattress and straddling his gorgeous body. Two days since Kray last felt Lane's delightful tongue teasing his erect shaft and puckered hole…two days too long.

Patience, Kray reminded himself. They had to save something for Dina.

"Dina is beautiful." Lane's voice was soft.

"So are you." He brushed a kiss into Lane's hair.

"I can only hope I'm worthy of her, and that I'll please her."

"You are, and you will. And she will love you. Everything is going to be fine," Kray assured Lane. "By morning, Dina will be crazy for us, and willing to leave this nothing of a life behind her."

"By morning, we'll be in prison after she has us arrested or committed." Lane caught Kray's hand as it slid down his shoulder. "She's a smart woman. What makes you think she'll believe us?"

"Faith, my love. She is the one for us." Kray leaned forward and kissed the bend in Lane's neck.

"How do we explain these?" Lane tapped at a pointed ear. "How do we explain they don't come off when she asks us to remove them?"

"Eccentricity." Kray let Lane guide his hand across Lane's broad chest. He rolled a toughened nipple between his thumb and forefinger, satisfied as Lane relaxed. "We're science fiction fans. We want to ravish the luscious Mayda Moran while dressed as those Narciscan characters on her old TV show." That was the agreed upon cover, the fetish excuse they planned to deliver should Dina question the ears. "I'm sure others have made similar concessions with her, some even stranger than pointed ears."

"We're not science fiction fans. We're elves," Lane said, though the edge in the voice softened significantly as Kray's hand found the soft sac between his legs and squeezed. "We're not even from this lifeline! She's not going to believe we're from an alternate reality, much less that we're not human, that I'm not, anyway. You're half-human, at least."

"I don't look it, though. Don't presume to know what's going to happen, Lane. You might be surprised with how well our plan is executed."

"She finds out these ears are real, we'll be executed when she dies of fright." Lane's voice was heavy. "They'll think we killed her."

Kray nipped at Lane's earlobe. "Such delicious ears, too. Dina will love them as much as I do. She'll be fine." Lane appeared to fight his caresses, but Kray could feel his partner continue to succumb.

"Weren't the Narciscans the villains on that show?" Lane asked. "Why would any of them want to sleep with an officer of the Jupiter?"

"We can fill in plot holes later, love." Kray pressed a finger to Lane's chin and forced him closer for a light kiss. "Tonight, we claim Dina Joseph as our own." Lane's worries were unfounded. By the time they were through with the lovely Dina, the actress would willingly take her place in the triad, and take on her new role as the queen of her husbands' hearts.

Lane was completely relaxed now, falling forward to straddle Kray's hips as the two men kissed. This was exactly what he had wanted to prevent, but it felt too nice to ignore any further. Kray's cock pressed against Lane, aching to be inside him; Lane was a sensuous, giving lover, and Kray blessed every day they were together. To have Dina finally join them would be heaven. No way would the consummate actress turn down the role of a lifetime...the role of an alternate lifeline, and a life much better than the one she currently lived.

Kray kissed Lane's throat, his collarbone, his breastbone, and continued a soft, loving trail down Lane's body. He loved the way the handsome elf tiffened with every kiss. Lane was going to love having him and Dina doing this…forever.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Weekend Recs

Hellooooo, weekend! I hope everyone has some nice plans for the next couple of days, which might mean running around town to start looking at Halloween costumes for the kiddies. But don't forget to make some time for R&R, and hopefully that means enjoying a couple of good reads. :D

Yaoi and YuriFor yaoi (and yuri!) fans, Silapa Jarun is releasing a free newsletter on the 10th of each month with author interviews, book recs, and all that good stuff: http://1happyturtle.com/YAY/newsletter1.pdf
No Going Home "No Going Home" is one of my fave TA Chase books, and the print edition I ordered from Amazon got here yesterday. I seriously need some time to unwind this weekend, and I can't wait to curl up with the novel and a mug of hot tea to do just that.


Does anyone have any good books they'd also like to recommend? :D

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Table for two

I can't get into threesomes. (Er, fiction-wise, that is. We'll leave my personal life out of it.)

Threesomes that are purely sexual, sure! But books where the OTP is an OT3 are just not for me, I've found. Of course, to each their own -- I cast no aspersions on anyone else's preferences.

I recently tried to read a book about three men who fall in love with each other, but I found myself hopelessly shipping two of them and wishing the third would bugger off already. I'm also a stickler for happy ever after, so perhaps I'm just hopelessly old fashioned.

What are your thoughts? Are three better than two?

Monday, October 6, 2008

A sneak peek of Reckless Seduction



Blurb:

When nineteen year old Cody Bradbury gets his hands on an invitation to the hottest party of the year at The Casbah, an exclusive gay men’s club owned by his uncle, he doesn’t plan to let anything stand in his way of attending. With a stolen invitation, fake identification, and a hastily thrown together costume, Cody sneaks into the club during its annual Halloween party with the intention of checking out the action and possibly losing his long-despised cherry.

Cody can’t believe his good luck when Dante Santiago comes on to him. He’s had a hard-on for his uncle’s friend, Dante ever since he realized what his dick was good for. He’s so enamored of the older man that he doesn’t think twice when Dante starts referring to him as pretty boy, instead of by his given name.

He knows Dante wants his body, but is there any chance the older man might want more than an orgasm? There’s only one way to find out, and Cody plans to make it a night neither of them will ever forget.

An Excerpt from Amanda Young’s Reckless Seduction
© Amanda Young, 2008 All Rights Reserved

Luck was with Cody as he entered the club. There was a new guy on duty at the door who didn’t look twice at his fake ID or ask him to remove the black latex Zorro mask that stretched across his eyes and tied at the back of his head.
With mixed emotions -- excitement and trepidation both high on the list -- Cody strode through a well-lit foyer and handed off the trench coat he’d worn over his outfit to a smokin’ hot coat-check clerk. The man sported a head full of ebony dreadlocks and wore nothing but a tiny tiger-print loincloth across his lean hips. He whistled while he looked Cody up and down. “Very nice.”
“Thank you,” Cody said, preening a little as he accepted his coat ticket and walked on by. He knew he looked good in the black latex bootie shorts and matching vest, but it was always nice to have it confirmed by someone else. He loved the shining silver zipper that ran down the front of his shorts, allowing him easy access to his package if he felt the need to get naughty in a hurry. The soft leather vest hugged his chest like a second layer of skin and was held closed by three silver snaps. The black patent leather boots he’d purchased that morning were a nice touch; the platform soles gave him two extra inches of height while the upper portion laced up the front and clung to his calves. The boots stopped just short of his knees and left plenty of skin on display. The overall effect left him feeling half-naked and loving it.
It seemed like all eyes were on him as he entered the main room. Men were packed into the club like sardines, walls of naked flesh as far as the eye could see. Pulsing techno music poured from invisible speakers, overwhelming Cody’s sense of hearing.
There was so much to look at that Cody didn’t know what to concentrate on first. People were all around him, a sea of face paint and leather. There were young men, old men, and every age in between strutting their wares for all to see. Some of the costumes were outlandish -- yellow, feathered chicken outfits and one sad purple grape. Men dressed in drag, with sequined dresses and fancy wigs. Others were more intriguing, like the leather daddies and their boys. While there were some men decked out to the nines in tuxedos, others chose to bare as much skin as possible without being naked. One such man leered at Cody as he walked by, the dingy jockstrap obviously well worn.
Cody rolled his eyes, not even tempted to follow someone with such questionable hygiene, and turned his attention to the club itself. Instead of the garish orange and black one would expect to find in honor of the holiday, the club was decorated in black and white. Male go-go dancers shook their stuff atop white pillars strategically set around the room, their costumes little more than black jockstraps and boots. White curtains draped the outside of black leather booths on either side of the huge dance floor. A double staircase at opposite ends of the room led to the second floor, which was pitch-black and evidently off limits, judging from the white rope blocking the entrances. From rumor alone, Cody knew that was where the real action went down. People whispered of erotic acts that dissolved into orgies of epic proportions.
As he stood gaping at the scenery, Cody spotted a man dressed as a dark angel at the back of the room. Revolving white light spilled from the DJ’s booth and backlit his heavy musculature and a wild plumage of ebony wings. A mask, much like Cody’s own, hid the upper half of the man’s face, making his aquiline nose and full lips more prominent. The black leather harness that crisscrossed his wide chest and leather pants left little to the imagination and sent Cody’s blood racing south.
Christ, that guy is hot. He stared, his heart pounding. His dick, trapped at an uncomfortable angle, throbbed against the inner lining of his latex shorts.
Cody couldn’t wait to meet men and throw himself out into social scene. The club practically pulsed with life and vitality, and he wanted a little of that to rub off on him. Maybe he’d walk away with some new friends, or even a potential boyfriend or two.
He bounced, excited for the festivities to begin. Tonight was going to be the best night of his life. He just knew it.


Available in October at Loose Id

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Ally's First Book Signing

Hmmm... Is it just me, or does that sound like a really bad porno?
Heh :P

Never mind how it sounds, the point is, I am doing my VERY FIRST BOOK SIGNING (not counting last year's RT signing, because that is a whole other beast O_O) next month! Saturday November 8, I will be at the Waldenbooks at the Columbia Mall in Columbia, SC, signing books and talking and probably shopping because, come on, it's a MALL! LOL. This is a multi-author signing, with myself, J.C. Wilder, Shiloh Walker, Beth Williamson and Samantha Kane. They very graciously agreed to let me horn in on their party, and I am forever grateful for that :D I'm going to have to try really hard not to be all star struck when I meet them O_O

Anyone who'll be in the Columbia area that day, come by and see us! There are goodies to be won *g*

Friday, October 3, 2008

News Bytes

Fans of Anne Cain's Pawprints series will be getting a new installment the first week of December if I'm not mistaken.

And the next installment in the ChildsPrey series will be winging its way to our editor very shortly. Hopefully she'll like it enough to contract. If for some reason she doesn't you guys are getting a hell of a Christmas present from moi ^__^

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Weekend Smut Bunnies

Wow, I've actually prepared a post in advance. Go me. And this one is not complete randomness...but randomness with pictures.

So this past weekend I spent up in the bay area. Met a bunch of awsome people, had a lot of fun.


First off, YaoiCon. This is the convention for Yaoi and M/M romance does well there. Sold lots of books. Saw lots of guys … well, see for yourself. It's fun and insane. We did a panel on where to find M/M romance that readers of Yaoi would enjoy. I bought naughty art by a guy named Brian C. Mitchell (http://www.roughcanvas.com/) the human torch with a flaming cock…yah baby. "Heat Wave" and "Hard as Adamantium" you can find them under Artwork in the fan gallery.

Bishi auctions and dances and more cosplay than you can shake a stick at. Really, it's a fun con and run well. I managed to not over buy.

Then Sunday, we took off for Folsom Street Fair. Want to know what to do for a kick. Head to an erotic leather even with 4 erotic authors and the poor reviewer we hijacked for her car. BWHAHAHAHA. The pictures speak for themselves. And these are the NC17 ones. There's better by far roaming around. You can bet this is showing up in my stories.

And I did actually hear someone say "ass-less chaps." Almost smacked them. A random guy owned by a nice Bear asked if I thought he should wear a kilt or a straight jacket...both, in matching canvas for durablity or leather for fun. Got flashed by the Goth boi in a kilt. Yum. Peircings and tats abounded. Gals with their tits hanging out. More importantly, guys with thier junk hanging out. Santa Bear flogging passers by.
Public spankings, whacking off in the street, blowjobs: its all there in one great spectical. There is so much going on it's not possible to process it all. Ran into a gentleman selling corsets who'd been at YaoiCon the previous day. We all felt much more sane on Folsom.

Went over to Castro for a drink (which we never got, btw) and I convinced JL Langely to buy The Man Who Fell In Love With the Moon. Someday, I'll get around to writing a review of that. Standing out in front of the "toy" store got my butt grabbed by one of a really cute couple.

Great weekend. I'm still recovering.


And I must go back next year!

And One More Thing About Fall




“Maybe he could work around it. Maybe it was just deep-seated admiration. He was one hell of a ballplayer. Did all the little things right. Nobody in baseball made the pivot better on a double play. Whatever the case, there seemed to be only one explanation for what was going on. Randy was falling in love. And it wasn’t with his wife or with some bimbo he’d picked up on the road. It was with his second baseman." Peter Lefcourt


Baseball playoffs start today, which means that it’s time for my annual rereading of one of my favorite books, The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt. It’s apparently out of print, but here’s a link.

It’s a love story. A love story between two men, and a love story about baseball. The fondness the author has for both parts of his story is what makes it work so well for me. Every baseball fan I’ve encouraged (okay, make that “forced by incessant urging”) to read it has loved it. If you’re trying to convert someone to our beloved genre and that person is a baseball fan, here’s the book that could do it. And if the would-be reader is squeamish, you can assure him or her that all gay sex takes place behind closed doors. Best of all Lefcourt has a hurt-your-stomach-laughing-it’s-so-funny voice. There’s more than a little social satire involved here.

In the middle of a pennant race, heretofore heterosexual major league shortstop Randy Dreyfus falls in love with his second baseman. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

The book was written in the nineties, but I don’t think professional sports have changed in respect to what would happen if a major name came out while he was playing. I might think we are long past ready for that to happen, but I can understand why it hasn’t.

If you love baseball and slash, come talk to me about it. And if you read The Dreyfus Affair, please let me know what you think. Or you could just tell me who you’re pulling for in the playoffs.
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