Giveaway!

In case you missed it when it was free, the lovely Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos is hosting a giveaway of The Argentine Seduction!

Contest closes at 7 p.m. CDT on May 30. May the odds be ever in your favour. ;)

I Dont' Often

throw my views into the fray...but. as am atheist partnered with a former Mormon turned agnostic...finally a little of us on the news: I think it's one of the reasons Joe resonates across the boards. I don't belittle people who "believe" but I don't use the books to "preach." I think that's where most "inspirational books fall down. You have to be objective about the religion, whatever form it takes.

New cover art + excerpt

I've finalized the new cover for my re-release of Compass Hearts. Whaddaya think?

I'm super pleased with it!

My friend and critique partner is playing FLE for me on this manuscript. Making sure the small changes I made work and that I haven't missed any typos. (Serious fingers crossed there. I was not happy about the number of typos that were in there even after I, my editor, and the original FLE went over it. We're only human, but geez!)

Look for the re-release in the next week or so! In the meantime, here's an excerpt:

He barely recognized his own voice as he went on. "The human body is... fascinating." There was a question, an invitation, underlying his statement. He hoped Ash would hear it and understand. Despite this sudden swell of bravery, he knew he couldn't say that out loud.

A slow smile spread across Ash's face. Matthew grinned back, guessing his message had gotten through. His guess was confirmed when Ash asked, "Have you ever had a live model?"

"No." Matthew's cock strained at his breeches. He yearned to draw Ash, see him stripped and posed. He couldn't remember ever wanting anything so much or so urgently in his life.

Then reality crashed down on him. His face fell. "My materials are at my apartment." In the time it took to get there and back, the moment would be beyond lost. And there was no way he was taking Ash back to his flat. He didn't want Ash to see it. It was so unbearably grim, lacking in any charm or comfort, especially when compared to Ash's quirky and inviting room upstairs.

"What do you need?" Ash asked.

"Charcoal pencils, largish paper."

"I have that."

"You do?" Matthew perked up at this spark of hope. It was almost too good to believe. "How? Why?"

"Botany class. We do a lot of plant sketching. I not only have charcoal pencils, I have pressed pigment pencils."

Matthew's eyes lit up and Ash grinned and grabbed his hand. "Come on." Ash pulled him to his feet and toward the stairs.

Matthew's practical side asserted itself and, still clinging to sense, he asked, "What about our books?"

"No one will bother them. Come on!" He practically dragged Matthew from the parlor. By the time their feet hit the stairs, though, Matthew was plenty willing to follow him up.

Inside the cozy comfort of the little attic room, Ash went immediately to the window seat. He opened it and fished around inside, coming up a moment later with a large tablet and a tin box. "Here." He handed the box to Matthew who opened it and looked in wonder at the myriad colored pencils within.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, awed and envious.

"Some of them I bought in town. Some of them my dad gave me before I came here." Ash flipped through the tablet of his botany drawings, Matthew looking over his shoulder. The plants were barely recognizable, and then only because he'd labeled them. "They're awful, I know," said Ash. He pulled a disgusted face. "It's all right to say so."

"I just have one question," said Matthew.

"Yes?" Ash turned and looked up at him. "What?"

"Are you actually passing botany?"

Ash burst out laughing. "All right, Master Critical." He flipped to a blank sheet and shoved the tablet at Matthew. "Let's see you do better."

"That much I can guarantee."

"I've never been an artist's model." Ash's eyes shone deep blue in the lantern light and his voice was husky. "Tell me what to do."

Matthew swallowed hard once. The heat and tightness in his groin were intense, and he was glad for the tablet he held in front of him. What was he thinking? He'd never get through this! Panic began to rise in him, quelling his arousal. No. I want to do this, damn it! Steeling himself and taking control of his fear, he said with as much authority as he could muster, "Strip."

Hurry: Free Read from Loose Id!

So excited that the short story sequel to The Chimera Affair is now available!

The Argentine Seduction finds Sebastian on his first mission -- and Kyle fighting his overprotective urges. :D

FREE until tomorrow!
Until May 15, The Argentine Seduction is FREE at Loose Id! Plus, The Chimera Affair is on sale for only $4.99! Don't you love a deal? Happy reading!

Stopping in v. briefly to post before I make sure the house is extra clean for Mother's Day brunch. We finally stopped trying to do lunch at a restaurant when my two toddler nephews wouldn't sit still. I guess that means I better stop eating all the cookies I made for today.

Really, really, really looking forward to having some free time to work on a languishing novel. I told my publisher I'd have something in for our anniversary month in September, so I suppose that means I better make good. I've got about 5 weeks until vacation, so my notes are all ready and waiting.

In short, happy Mother's Day to all you amazing moms who love to read M/M fiction. I'm not a mom to a human being, but I've got a few four-legged kids at home who whine for food and treats and attention.

If you haven't seen it...

The Best Commercial Ever. Spock (Nimoy) v. Spock (Quinto). You don't get to see Nimoy cutting up much, but this is cool

Returning soon

Compass Hearts went out of print at the end of April and I'm in the process of re-reading it, tweaking any little things I feel like tweaking, and creating new cover art. All in preparation of re-release. Look for it back on the ebook shelves by the end of May!

Windfall

There's something about finishing a project that's both exciting and a little depressing. On the one hand, you have a finished manuscript that's almost ready to share with others. On the other hand, you're saying goodbye to characters you poured a little bit of yourself into and spent so much time creating. I thought I'd share a peek at the rough blurb for the new novella I just finished. I'm calling this one Windfall.

Blurb:

Landon and Daniel have been best friends since grade school. Through thick and thin, they’ve always been able to rely on each other. So it only seems natural for Landon to step in and offer assistance when Daniel has a run of bad luck.

Moving in together and splitting the bills seems like a simple solution to Daniel’s financial problems. However, sharing close quarters makes it difficult to keep less than platonic feelings on the down low.

The line between friends and lovers blurs during a late night moment of weakness fueled by alcohol, leaving both men on uneven ground. Just when they think they have things worked out and might have a shot at something more than friendship, a sudden, shared windfall provokes all new complications that could end more than the new physical side of their relationship.

Jason Collins, NBA center, came out this week. Sure, you’ve heard this already. This isn’t going to be another celebratory post; you have plenty of those to read. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for him, and for gay athletes everywhere. This is a big step for gay athletes in so many professional team sports today.

What blew my mind this week was the people who made variations of the comment “Why the heck is his sexuality a headline article?”

Why indeed!

Why, in a time where we’ve already grown bored with exploring space, in a world where we can genetically engineer our food, in a world where our biggest concern is whether or not a cockapoo is a real breed, why is it a big deal that a basketball player prefers the company of other men?

I truly believe that in my lifetime, this question will disappear completely. Before I crawl into the ground and return to the goddess, I will see a time where any man or woman can be gay, bi, straight, or trans without it being a big deal.

That’s not today, but it is a tomorrow just over the horizon.

~PV

PS Hounded By Love is now out in paperback format. You can get it from Amazon now, or it should be populating on Loose Id's website very soon. 

If you haven't had a chance to read Hounded  yet, here's a brief excerpt to tease you:

“You’re lonely, huh? Don’t I know that feeling.” He rubbed her back from neck to tail. When she shoved her muzzle into his hand, he scratched under her jaw. She flopped over on her side and lifted a leg, begging for a belly rub, which Reed happily provided.

“She doesn’t usually like strangers.”

Reed would normally jump if someone sneaked up behind him, but the beagle had lulled him into that content, relaxed state that only dogs could provide. He glanced over his shoulder, intent on making a friendly comment in return, but lost his voice when his gaze hit leather knee-high boots and then traveled upward over thick leather-encased thighs to an impressive leather-cupped package. Reed gulped and licked his lips. He tore his gaze off the man’s crotch and looked up into chestnut eyes lined with smudges of black.

Just like the dog. The beagle’s eyes looked lined too, thanks to her well-bred coloring. Though on the dog, they looked soulful, and on the man… Reed swallowed hard. Maybe an extroverted bad boy wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Daisy,” the sexy hound said, nodding at the dog by means of introduction. “She’d much rather sniff out lingering evidence of everyone who’s been in this lot in the past week than greet someone actually standing before her.” He shook his head, and his dark hair flopped around his face. Reed wondered if the Mohawk was meant to be falling down like that, because if it was, it was definitely working for him. The sides weren’t shaved but trimmed short and messy. Did that define a Mohawk nowadays? Reed admitted he didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. Two thin blue streaks raced through the longest part of the Hound’s floppy hairstyle. Reed hadn’t noticed the extra-unnatural color from across the lot. He could picture all that teased black and blue hair falling around his face like a veil as the man leaned over to kiss him. If only.

 

Pia Veleno, Loose Id

Links of random interest

Delightful NZ Marriage Equality Video  The best part is where he calculated how long he would survive the fires of hell.
  
The Layover: Seattle I am now craving a wild boar sloppy joe, stinky cheese, and a glass of chartreuse...but not all at the same time.


It's Shakespeare's Birthday/Deathday! Go see a (movie of a) play! Here's a bunch you can choose from, and I'm told Ian McKellan's King Lear is available streaming on Netflix.

Marriage Equality Passes in France Paris just got even more romantic.

New Story!

I'm very excited to announce a new short story sequel to The Chimera Affair being released May 7. Kyle and Sebastian are back and facing new challenges now that Sebastian has finished his spy training. (I should come up with some course names. International Espionage 101?)

More info to follow. In the meantime, here's the gorgeous cover by Fiona Jayde:

What do you think? :)

I can almost see summer from here. Almost.

I usually have MUCH more free time in the summer months. From September to June, the day job is constant and demanding. I don't often read during that time just because it takes a lot more of my concentration.

However! I made a resolution this year to change that, and I've done well so far. My e-reader has gone a long way in helping with that change. But my question is, come summertime, will I go back to paperbacks? My ritual in the past has been to head to my little used bookstore and stock up on all the yummy beach reads I can find. It's nice to have a book in my beach bag all the time. Besides, my books tend to get sunscreen, water, and diet soda on them when I have them at the pool with me.

So, the question for this year will be.... iPad or paper book? iPad isn't great for reading in bright light. And I'm terrified I'll somehow drop it in the ocean, not to mention having sand scratch the screen. I hate to give up my paperbacks completely, especially when I like supporting small businesses like my little used bookstore.

Besides, holding a book in my hand while I accidentally stain the pages with sun tan lotion is the true sign that summer is here. And that's what I really look forward to.

SouthLAnd

Michael Cudlitz in Southland from "Underwater"

I am not a TV person. Generally. If I follow shows it's in a haphazard and when I stumble upon them sort of way. I finally have one "appointment" TV show and it is SouthLAnd. It's in it's fifth season on TNT and, good news for those who need to catch up on it, after the second season the runs became very short. A focused, intense burst of drama...seriously, it's everything a cop show should be.

They deal with the insanity of the streets of Los Angeles, addiction, murdered partners, psycho girlfriends/ex's. It's presented in an unvarnished, unforgiving manner. The cops are bigots and good guys and bad guys...sometimes all rolled into the same character. They get injured. They get shot. Some of them don't come back from the streets. There is nothing else like it on TV right now.
 
 Plus it has one of the best gay characters on TV: John Cooper.

SouthLand Official Site

New Worlds, Old Worlds, and Things In Between

As a primarily fantasy author, it should go without saying that I love world-building. In case it needs to be stated, well, I just did. Right now, I'm working out a story that's not quite fantasy/sci-fi, but neither is it historical. Can you guess? It's steampunk. (Natch.) I'm finding the creation of an historical-yet-fantastical world particularly challenging. How much do you stick to reality vs. how much do you fabricate? How plausible does your "science" have to be? How detailed do you have to get? Is it better if you just stick to general, broad descriptions of the tech? How historically accurate do you need to be, or should you veer away from historical events completely? I've read a fair amount of steampunk at this point by a variety of authors, and each finds his or her own balance, some with more success than others. I'm convinced that a solid knowledge of events of the time is the cornerstone of good steampunk. After all, when you know the rules, you can then choose how and when to break them. Of course, that means I wish I remembered more of my local and national history classes. Time to hit the books!

A Year Ago

As I prepare for our annual trip to an internetless tropical destination, I realize just how slow I’ve been on the writing front. Sure, I’m finally posting regular chapters of CRANK again, but that doesn’t earn me a royalty check.

As we left for last year’s trip, I was hurrying to finish the last round of edits on Hounded By Love. That was my last release. My last release was almost a year ago. It’s sad. I know. The Job That Pays the Bills took a lot out of me over the summer, a time that has been historically my slow (aka writing) period. This current quarter has been crazy too. They’re all just excuses, but let’s face it, coming home mentally drained does not make for good evening writing hours.

I can’t say I’ve done nothing. I have a nearly completed manuscript for the sequel to Man Whore. But, I also have great concerns over that elephant in the room, so I’ve yet to do a final read-through to submit it. That’s a shame, really, because the Twins do want some attention. I hesitate to do so until I know there will be a place for them by the time I get to their book in the series.

But wait, it’s not all bad news!

I have a rough synopsis of the next story I want to write. I’ve written two chapters, and I’m excited about the characters. Finding quality time to write has been difficult, but I know I have a three hour layover on our way out, and the Job That Pays the Bills shouldn’t continue its craziness for more than a month or so after I return. This spring/summer I will get this manuscript done, and then I’ll finally work on something genderqueer.

So, dear Readers, it’s been quite the lull, but I’m not throwing in the towel. I am getting back to work. In the meantime, I have received news that Hounded By Love will be released in print soon. I don’t have the official date yet, but soon. Very soon. I’ll let you know when.

Have a great April, cari miei, and we'll chat again in May.
~Pia