Happy December!

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season so far. Yes, I know. The official holidays aren't all month long, but there are several of them in December, so why confine oneself to a single day of celebration this month, amiright? In that vein, here is my December playlist. What's yours?

Sleigh Ride - Glenn Miller
Trad: So Treiben Wir Den Winter Aus - The Mediaeval Baebes
Through Your Eyes On Christmas Eve - Abney Park
My Song for You (From "Good Luck Charlie") - Bridgit Mendler & Shane Harper
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
St. Stephen's Day Murders - The Chieftains feat. Elvis Costello
On Grafton Street - Nanci Griffith
Winter Winds - Mumford & Sons
Winter's Solace - Doug Wood
Trad: Salva Nos - The Mediaeval Baebes
Golden Apples Of The Sun - Paul Winter
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Glenn Miller
'zat You, Santa Claus? - Abney Park
On Christmas Time - The Coats
Dawnwalker -  Paul Winter
White Wine In the Sun - Tim Minchin

In the holiday spirit

It's actually beginning to feel festive around my house these days. Last year, we visited family overseas so there was no decorating done at home. This year, we're here, so I put away the autumnal decorations and pulled out some of the ol' red-and-green. We even got a tree yesterday, which we haven't done in about four years. I LOVE IT! Pretty multi-coloured lights and a moose puppet as a topper. (Hey, you have your traditions, and I have mine.) I plan to get more accoutrements out later today to continue festive-ing up the place. :-D

And since it is almost Solstice, I think you should go check out my old holiday freebie short story with Jimothy and Ricky (stars of my first novel The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing). It's called Wand'ring Home and if you click that title, it'll take you straight to the pdf. (Ignore the cover art. It's fine, but it's generic, and the only thing it has to do with the story is that boys kiss each other. I've been so busy I've not gotten around to updating it.)

Happy Holidays!

Happy Solstice! Happy Pride Week!

It is now officially summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and that means two things in my town: Solstice Parade and Pride Week!

This is the time of year for naked cycling...

...and enjoying nature's bounty.

It's the time of year when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence put on their summertime habits.

It's the time for silly hats and sunscreen. Yes, even here, even this year, we might actually need sunscreen.

Happy Solstice and Happy Pride Week, everyone!

Happy Holidays!

I am finally getting into the holiday spirit! About time, too, since tonight is Winter Solstice. The hubs and I got a little tree on Sunday and put lights and a few ornaments (that never got put away last year, d'oh) on it. The last two ordered gifts arrived on Monday and got wrapped; and I need to go get a gift card to my friend's fave bookstore. Then gifties will be officially done. It goes quicker when you're not buying much and you have a small family. This doesn't mean it's going to be a quiet week, though. I have to bake for the Solstice party tonight, and then I need to start putting together the dishes I'm bringing to Christmas Eve (at the in-laws) and Christmas Day (with the fam). And I need to remember to feed my friends kitties all week. And while all this is going on, I'm finishing up the revisions for a novel I'm resubmitting to Carina Press. Busy, busy! Still, none of this is onerous stuff. It's all good and fun, and that makes all the difference in the world! ... But I'm still looking forward to our four-night vacation to the snow in January. That decompression time is invaluable!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Happy Solstice + Stocking Stuffers!

It looks like everyone in the Northern Hemisphere must have lit enough candles last night because the sun did, in fact, rise this morning, and today will be ever so slightly longer than yesterday was. Personally, I love winter solstice, but then I'm such a product of my Northern European ancestry that I get annoyed when there are too many consecutive days of sunshine. I like the long, dark nights of November through January.

On to the stocking stuffers!

We're having a grand time giving stuff away, and hey that's what this season is about right? Giving gifts? Well, I have a couple for you. First is my Solstice-themed freebie, Wand'ring Home, that I wrote last year. If you don't have a copy yet, you can download it right here. Despite what the cover suggests, it is in fact a fantasy, not contemporary, m/m, and it's a follow-up to my first book, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing.


And now for the contest!

I love to give presents at least as much as I love to get them. I think the best present I've given (at least since I've been married) is the picture light I gave my hubby a few years back so he could properly light the gorgeous framed photo that hangs over our fireplace. It's an incredibly beautiful shot he took while he and his brother were at Camp Muir on Mount Rainier. That was a serious score in that he loves it, it lights a very special photograph, and it gets used practically every day.

For the Naughty Stocking Stuffers, I'm giving away your choice of a free download of either of my novels, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing or Client Privileges, or, for those of you willing to wait until January, a free download of my upcoming short story, Play Music, Play Magic. And winning couldn't be simpler. Just comment and tell me about the best gift you can remember either giving or receiving. Just post by midnight of the 25th and I'll pick a winner on the 26th, then pop back in here to update the post so you know if you won. (If you leave your email address in your comment, I can notify you directly, too.)

Happy Holidays!

ETA 22 Dec 7:52pm: Can't seem to comment on my post, so I'll just pop in here to say "Great gifties, everyone! Keep 'em coming!"

ETA 26 Dec: WE HAVE A WINNER! Mo, you are the lucky winner! Please email me at maia (at) maiastrong (dot) com to let me know what title and what ebook format you would like!

Happy Boxing Day, everyone!

Happy Solstice and Round-Robin XXX

I hope everyone enjoyed their Solstice weekend! I had a great time Saturday participating in the local Solstice parade. Even the Flying Spaghetti Monster was there, but, I am sad to say, I was not fortunate enough to be touched by his noodly appendage. /me is sad.

Okay. On to the RR. I admit to a little confusion on this but I'll see what I can do.

Round XXX (I think. Maybe.)

Cole and Matthew stared each other down. Matthew's face was a masterwork of mixed emotions--anger at Cole, hurt at yet another rejection, fear of possible retaliation from Tyler--or worse, from Tyler's scary-conservative parents. And now Cole had treated him no better than a hustler who was still pimping himself out for his rat bastard of an ex. Way to go, dipshit, Cole thought in self-disgust. Matthew had a penchant for mistaken assumptions, and a chip on his shoulder the size of Denali, but that didn't mean this particular misunderstanding was his fault.

Cole sighed. "Fine. So you're not the only one here who can leap to the wrong conclusions. I fucked up and I'm sorry. In fact…" Cole's mouth went suddenly dry. A good thing since it was about to run ahead of his brain. Did he really want to let that happen? ... Fuck it. "Fact is, I find you sexy as hell. You've got a mouth that I would give my left nut have on me again." Matthew gaped at him in obvious shock at the sudden change in tone, but Cole didn't stop. He was in it now and damned if he wasn't going to finish it. "Okay, maybe not that, but damn! If circumstances were different, I'd do you in a heartbeat. I'm not holier than thou or any one else. Far from it. I'm just a guy. A single, lonely guy who could use your help at my store and if, over time, that grows into something more, well, let's just say I wouldn't slam the door on the possibility. You can be a total asshole when you want to be, but so can I. Obviously, since that was a pretty crappy thing to say. But maybe we can start over. Sort of. Back things up. I don't mean forget all the stuff that's happened, but maybe…set it aside?" He let out a growl of frustration. Fuck! He was a painter, not a poet! How the hell did people have these conversations without it turning into complete gibberish?

To his astonishment, Matthew smiled at him. Not a sly or seductive smile. Not an ironic smile. Not a bitter smile that implied its own opposite. A genuine, amused smile.

Cole returned it uncertainly. "What?"

Matthew shook his head and chuckled. "You're a total fucking dork. You know that, right?"

"Oh yeah." Cole nodded. "Never a doubt of that."

"You're like something out of a dumb fairy tale. The White Knight and His Weird Cat, Mathesar."

"Balthazar."

Matthew snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes at the correction. "Right. Balthazar."

All the fire and fight seemed to have drained out of him. Fortunately, it seemed to Cole that so had the fear. "Listen. If Tyler comes back, I can handle him. We can handle him. Together."

"And if his folks come after you and your store?" Clearly Matthew was still playing a defensive game. Problems like Tyler might go away physically, but the mental and emotional damage was done. It would take time for Matthew to get past the destructive relationship.

That was okay. Cole could wait. "I don't think it'll come to that. But if it does," he went on before Matthew could protest, "we'll handle that, too. So. What do you say? You've got a job and a place to stay for as long as you need to get back on your feet. All you have to do is say yes."

The silence stretched out until Cole thought he'd go crazy, but he managed to maintain his composure and his sanity until at long last Matthew spoke.

"Hi. I'm Matthew." He put out his hand, which Cole shook before his brain could register what was going on. "I hear you've got a job opening at your art supply store, and maybe a room for rent."

"Wha-?" Then it clicked. Cole's own words echoed in his head. Start over. Back things up. He smiled. "I'm Cole. Do you know anything about art supplies, Matthew?"

Matthew shook his head once. "Not a thing."

Cole grinned. "You're hired."