Happy Tuesday!

I was thinking about how I should probably post something about romance and Valentine's Day since yesterday was the 14th. But here's the thing, I don't like Valentine's Day. It's not that I eschew the day and wear black to make a statement (anymore). It's just that I follow something akin to my mother's philosophy. Every year she says, and has said for as long as I can remember, "Don't be nice to me because it's Mother's Day. Be nice to me every day." That's how I feel about Valentine's Day. Don't say "I love you" to the one you love because it's Valentine's Day. Say it to that person every day. Valentine's, IMO, is like some magical free pass that lets people off the hook for not being thoughtful or romantic the other 364 days of the year. To this I cry, "Bullshit!" You don't need flowers and chocolates every day, but you do deserve an expression of affection every day. Whether it's an unexpected trip to the movies or just the person who doesn't usually do the laundry doing the laundry. Hell, it could be something as simple as remembering to put the toilet seat down. You know what I'm saying? It's the little expressions of love that mean the most and one day a year of hearts and flowers doesn't cut it.

Now, ironically, the novella I have coming out soon, Compass Hearts, was originally written for a Valentine-themed anthology. It wasn't accepted for that, which is good in the long run. It's hard to write something Valentiney when your universe doesn't have Valentine's Day. If you want to learn more about Compass Hearts, then make sure to join me on Coffee Time Romance's Erotic E-loop Yahoo Group. Follow the link to sign up if you aren't already a member of the group. I'll be chatting on Friday 25 February from 10-12 PST (1-3 EST). There will be excerpts of all my books and there will be prizes. So come join me for a bit of Caffeinated Fantasy!

Come chat with me!

Check it out. I've scheduled a chat with Coffee Time Romance & More. It won't actually be the on the forum, however, as it's bound to involve sexy excerpts. Instead, it will be on their Erotic E-loop Yahoo Group. If you aren't a member of that group yet, follow the link to sign up. Then, come chat with me--and be entered to win spiffy prizes--on Friday 25 February from 10-12 PST (1-3 EST). I might even have excerpts from my latest novella, Compass Hearts, by then, too. We're coming up on editing time, so I hope to have a clean (so to speak ;->) excerpt or two for you by the 25th.

And since I mention it, here's a little reminder what Compass Hearts is about: college boys; magic; erotic art; cold toes; and steamy sex.

Everything you wanted to know about editing...

I'm one of the many guest editors answering questions at Love Romances Cafe today. If you want to know more about submitting a hot M/M novella to Phaze Books, or anywhere else, somebody will be there to help. Yahoo group chat runs through 11PM EST, though I won't necessarily do so. So come on down and say hi!

Come talk to a few of our boyz

I can't help but think pop star Akanishi Jin has been channeling our Hideki or even Mr. Shu's Kenichi, by writing this new song...Love Juice

This coming Sunday May 18 from 3--8 pm est you can come over to the Samhaincafe chat loop and talk with Kiyoshi, Ryuhei and my favorite beloved bastard Sakurai.

Edit--I forgot to post a few freebies for anoyne who didn't see them:

Anne Cain totally blew me away with the incredible
animation and artwork she did for these guys.

Her yaoi manga which is a sweet prequel to our Samhain short story
Blood Brothers is available on our website. Note: It is
Not safe for work, or anyone under 18 as it contains graphic m/m images.



We have a free short prequel to our Samhain novel Soul of the Night
featuring Ryuhei and Kiyoshi for your reading pleasure posted on our
blog. Again this is for mature readers as it contains
graphic m/m scenes:


And last but not least Anne animated a killer video trailer for Soul
of the Night. This one is suitable for all ages 14 and up.

All-day M/M Author chat

Now that Turkey Day is over and the first, worst shopping day of the holiday season is at an end, unwind with an all-day M/M author chat hosted by Literary Nymphs. Lots of great folks will be there sharing excerpts and prizes, including Luisa Prieto, Jet Mykles, Matthew Haldeman-Time, Katrina Strauss, Ally Blue...and me! I'll be drooling over everyone's excerpts, er, talking about some latest books like Pawprints and the upcoming ChildsPrey novel, Secret Moon, co-authored with the fab Barbara Sheridan.

I'm also jazzed about the release of On Wings of Blue this past week. The fairytale-themed story is short, but sweet, and one I hope readers enjoy. One thing is for sure--if you never imagined that butterflies could be slashed, guess AGAIN. :o)