Your Nail Polish Isn't Supposed to Match Your Hair?

Call me the Giver of Bad Gifts. I don't mind. I know it's true.

I love buying things for my girl--little things, big things, gestures, necessities. I can recall buying my Sweet everything from jewellery to light bulbs. In the end, I just want to make her smile and feel appreciated, feel special. I want to show her she has a girlfriend who listens when she says something like, "Damn, the little lightbulb in my fridge just burnt out."

Here's the problem with the whole gift-giving situation: I have really bad taste. I'm talking super-craptacular taste in fashion. I don't have an eye for that stuff. I don't care what I look like. I'll wear clothes full of holes as long as they're comfortable--it really makes no difference to me. I don't wear makeup except by force, and I don't know a thing about colour co-ordination and all that. I don't even know how to put on eye shadow, despite having watched Sweet do it a hundred time. When it comes to fashion, style, and cosmetics stuff, I'm an absolute dunce. Seriously.

And here's a little exchange to showcases my point:

Me: I picked you up a little something. Nail polish--that fancy brand you like.

Sweet (looking at the bottle): Oh... thanks..?

Me: I bought you this one because I figured it would match your hair colour.

Sweet (still looking at the bottle): O...kay... yeah, it does...

(long pause)

Me (finally clueing in): Nail polish isn't supposed to match your hair colour, is it?

Sweet: Uhhmmm... no.

The sucky thing is that I try. I really do. When I picked out that nail polish for Sweet, I put a lot of thought into my choice. I lined up a bunch of different colours, I narrowed my selection down, looked at them from different angles. There was solid reasoning behind my pick, but...just... fail. Epic fail.

Sometimes I feel like a typical run-of-the-mill "dumb guy"--the kind of guy women tear to shreds because they're just so stupid and "Why don't they get it?" and "It's really not all that complicated." But you know what? Arbitrary fashion rules (and other rules) are complicated when you don't know what you're doing. My intentions are totally there, but I just don't understand a lot of the things my girlfriend likes well enough to go out and purchase something awesome for her. I fail epically every time I try to give her something fashionable.

But I'm learning. Slowly. Slowly like... soil erosion... In the meantime, it sucks to be so off-base. Oh well. The thought's there, and I know I get points for effort. (And points=sex stuff, so I really can't complain LOL)

Hugs,

Giselle Renarde

Canada Just Got Hotter!

Memorial Day Sale!

It's Memorial Day Weekend, so we're offering 15% off your purchases from now through the end of day Tuesday! Just put 'mem2011' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books before Tuesday at midnight to get 15% off your order.

Sale good now through Tuesday May 31 at Midnight (est).

Mark Memorial Day Weekend with a book from Torquere Press today!


Discount codes are provided as a courtesy to our customers. Torquere Press Inc. cannot be responsible for discounting purchases made before coupons/sales are announced, and cannot issue discounts to customers who fail to use the coupon or discount code during the purchase process.

New Releases for May 28

Cobalt: Tattered Remains by Nerine Petros

It's been a pretty rough couple of years for Derrick. He's won his battle with cancer, but lost his lover, first as a symptom of the disease, and then to death, followed up by the death of Kacey, a close friend during cancer treatment.

Lane's also had a rough time of it, his now ex-lover using him for his money before having a car accident and trying to lay the blame at Lane's feet. Not to mention the death of his sister Kacey. The two men first meet at Kacey's funeral, where they discover she's still interfering in both of their lives, even from the grave. Will the little boy she left them be able to help them deal with their pasts and bridge the gap between them?

Find out today!


The Retrieval by Lucius Parhelion

It's 1932, and Hollywood is entering its golden age. Charlie Hunter, veteran of the Algonquin Round Table, has just arrived to start his new contract as a scriptwriter. Jake Mor, an old friend and protégée, planned to help Charlie with his house-hunting. Unfortunately, Laura Moore, Jake's twin and Charlie's other protégée, has asked them to pick up her gifts for a studio bigwig first. Worse, she needs Charlie for an escort to the bigwig's birthday party.

Antique hunting equipment is an odd gift. A rare, pedigree Weimaraner is a surprising gift. But what Jake has learned about his preferences in Hollywood is the most startling gift of all. In just one day a swimming pool, a predatory studio executive's wife, a hand-carved teal decoy, and Ducky the dog lure Charlie and Jake into unwrapping what has been hidden between them for far too long.

Pick up your copy today!



Helltown by Kiernan Kelly

Where does one's soul go when it isn't good enough for Heaven or evil enough for Hell? In the shadowy realm of Helltown, souls are up for grabs and neither Heaven nor Hell is above bending the rules to get at them. In a place where the boundary between Heaven and Hell is the thinnest and souls are at risk, two ordinary men rediscover an extraordinary love that just might save them all.

Get your copy today!


Treasured Possessions by Stevie Woods

Trevor is shocked to find that there has been a break-in at his apartment. Some valuables are missing, but even more devastating for Trevor is items of little monetary value but which mean the world to Trevor have been damaged. Trevor finds it hard to cope with what has happened and if it wasn’t for the support of his friend, Eric, he doesn’t know what he would do. Thanks to the break-in, and Eric, Trevor learns which of his possessions he truly treasures.

Pick up your copy today!

formspring.me

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/misslucyjane

New Releases for May 25

Guide to Survival, Volume 3: Root and Branch by HB Kurtzwilde

Jenner Garu once dreamed of living an unremarkable life of domestic harmony. Instead, he made vows with the galaxy's most fropped rock star, Lysander Edvard, and traded more promises with the wild and deadly freeman, Grey. Together they must forge a family and future, or be destroyed by powers beyond their control.

The succession to the throne of Eab Nanoorn has been vouchsafed to their care. Jenner is willing to risk his life for the hope of his sons. Can he put his lovers and friends on the line, or will he allow himself to be destroyed to protect their future?

Find out today!



Sold by Sean Michael

Matt is new in town, and he’s excited to be vying for a membership at the Hammer, a club he’s heard is the best in the business. He has to admit that his first encounter with a sub at the Hammer makes him believe it. Adam is like no one Matt has ever met, and he wants the professional sub to be his and his alone.

Adam has some issues that might throw a monkey wrench into Matt’s plan. While Adam thinks Matt is the most amazing top he’s ever met, he also has to make a living. He’s never wanted to have a private contract with anyone before, and he’s not sure how to be a sub to Matt without making the man jealous because of his job.

Matt thinks he has the answers to all of Adam’s questions, but they have to work it all out between them gradually. Meanwhile, Adam still has to work, and some of his old clients may not like Adam having a relationship with another Dom. Can Matt and Adam find a balance between work and play?

Sold is available in print and ebook formats!



Breakdown by Mychael Black

Jack has a real thing for Ty. Problem is that Ty's a lot younger than him, and straight to boot. Well, at least Jack thinks Ty is, until Ty makes sure he knows that's not the case, sealing the deal with a kiss. Maybe even more than a kiss, during a spontaneous encounter. Set in the same world as the popular Hearth and Home series, the Breakdown boys can count Robbie and Seth as friends. And matchmakers when someone suggests a night out for beer and pool. They can also count on Ty's mom to interfere with their lives, as she wants her baby boyhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif to stop living in sin.

Can Jack overcome Ty's growing confusion about what he wants, and keep Ty's family from interfering in their new relationship?

Originally published as the Chaser series Breakdown.

Get your copy today!

Featured Author -- Amanda Steiger

Today we're featuring Amanda Steiger, author of the recently released Feet of Clay.


Tell us about Feet of Clay. What inspired you to write it? How long did it take?

The whole process took a few months, and the characters themselves inspired me to write it. Spike and Galvin were both fully realized in my mind before I even started the story, and I wanted to bring them together. They’re both very broken people, in their own ways, and I wanted to show that it’s possible to be deeply flawed and still find happiness and love.

Tell us one thing about yourself that your readers would be surprised to know.

Despite all the time I spend on my computer, I’m really bad with technology—almost as bad as Spike (though not quite).

What’s the best thing about writing? How about the worst thing?

It’s pure creation. The feeling of bringing people and whole worlds to life with words alone is very satisfying. It’s also very unnerving, because you reveal a lot about yourself with your stories, albeit indirectly…especially if you’re writing romance or erotica. There’s something very personal about it..

Character or plot, which comes first?

Character, always. The plot should arise naturally from the characters, from their desires and choices. If you try to do it the other way around, you have characters doing unbelievable and contrived things in the service of the plot.

What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Snuggled under the covers with my boyfriend.


What’s the best writing advice you ever received/found?

Write what you truly want to write. If it’s not meaningful to you, it can’t possibly be meaningful to readers.

I also like this C.S. Lewis quote a lot: “Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”

What are you working on now?

An urban fantasy novel. It’s set against the backdrop of a heated debate within the supernatural community: whether to reveal their existence to humankind.

There are books in which the existence of the supernatural world is kept secret from normal people and other books in which everybody knows about it, so I thought it might be interesting to write something during that in-between phase when paranormal beings are just starting to come out of the closet.

Bio: Amanda Steiger has lived in the Midwest her whole life, though she enjoys regular visits to other galaxies and dimensions in her mind. She enjoys cold weather, daydreaming, supernatural romance, and anime. She lives with her family and one very spoiled little dog. You can contact her at sekuiro@gmail.com

Evolving at Gay Days

This will be the fifth year I've participated in Gay Days Orlando, one of the world's largest gay-centric conventions, and it's been quite a journey.

The first year, I had the pleasure of having the incomparable Vincent Diamond as my table buddy. I believe it was the first year the Expo had books for sale, and I know it was definitely the first year a female author was selling gay erotic romance.

We got lots of strange looks that year. After all, I had a vagina yet was sitting behind a table full of books with sexy male-male covers. Nobody could quite understand what I was about, and a lot of men, particularly the younger ones, jumped away from the table as if we had something catching. The braver ones that wandered near were shocked to learn I was the author of some of those books, not just a reseller. Then, amazingly, they bought! Maybe it was to satisfy their curiosity, but the fact remains that they forked over their hard-earned money to buy our books.

It was a good experience overall, and we decided to try it again the following year... and the year after that, and the year after that, and well, you get the picture.

You see, we discovered something amazing. Gay men evolved. Unlike some straight men who couldn't be convinced to try something new or accept something different without hot pokers being applied to the soles of their bare feet, gay men were willing to step outside of their comfort zones.

First, the guys began asking questions. Then they began actively looking for us each year. And buying, mind you. Our books. Our romances, the ones some people in the publishing industry insist gay men don't want.

Our little booth experiment at Gay Days has evolved, too. This year Gay Days will host it's first ever Literary Festival, hosted by yours truly. I'm thrilled to say Vincent Diamond will be there again as well, representing Torquere Press, who is a Title Sponsor of the event! Whoot!

If you happen to be in the Orlando area June 2-5th, stop by the Double Tree Resort on International Drive South and come see us. The Expo has free admission, and we'll have books, signings, some spectacular giveaways, and wine tasting at all the discussion panels (also free!).

Kiernan

New Releases for May 21

Feet of Clay by Amanda Steiger

When Galvin Cloud -- a shy young magazine writer -- is unexpectedly offered a chance to interview his favorite author, he ought to be delighted. Instead, he’s terrified. Galvin has always idolized Spike Radcliff, but the idea of actually meeting him face to face is overwhelming…and despite the sensitivity of his prose, Spike has a reputation for being a surly, reclusive misanthrope. Galvin knows he can’t pass up this rare chance.

After a disastrous attempt at an interview, Spike surprises Galvin by offering him a job as his assistant. As they spend more time together, Galvin discovers that beneath the harsh exterior is a complex, broken man…one he’s quickly falling in love with.

Pick up your copy today!



Layoffs by Dallas Coleman

Hayden used to have a good job and a best friend. When his best friend screws him out of his job for the most selfish of reasons, Hayden figures he deserves a beer. Computer geek Mike is also out of a job at the same company, and he figures he might as well go have that beer when Greek God Hayden offers. Can the two of them find more common ground than drowning their sorrows?


Find out today!



The Baron of Crows by Alyx Shaw

Vyllis is a bookbinder, and he lives in a small village near a mountain lorded over by a formidable baron. When Vyllis’ lover vanishes and his small shop mysteriously burns down, he has no choice but to go work for the baron, whom he comes to both love and fear…

Originally published in Taste Test: Love Saves the Day

Get your copy today!



Dry Bones by Lucius Parhelion

New Mexico Territory in 1896 wasn't the easiest place for a couple of cowboys to make a living. Being fired from their last spread for refusing to illegally evict a family of grangers was an unexpected blow. Just as well that Joss quickly found work for himself and his partner Ox, carting around giant lizard bones for a wealthy Eastern greenhorn afraid of bone rustlers.

Joss had no way of knowing that Ox and their new employer had already met. Given Ox's stolid silence, Joss had also never suspected the secrets buried deeper than any dried-up bones in Ox's past. And Joss had surely never realized what hidden feelings underlay their partnership.

Now Joss will have to decide what Ox's friendship is truly worth, he’ll have to make some hard choices, if he can survive those dried-up bones long enough to find the time to choose.

Originally published in the Cowboy Up! Anthology.

Pick up your copy today!

R U Ready? Time for GCLS and the Goldie awards!

It's almost June and that means it is time for the GCLS convention. For those of you not familiar with the GCLS (Golden Crown Literary Society) you can visit their website here:
www.goldencrown.org
GCLs is an organization all about the enjoyment, discussion and enhancement of lesbian literature. If you are a writer or reader of lesbian centric stories then this is the organization you need to be a part of. Now onto the con. Every year GCLS holds an annual convention. That's right. An entire event dedicated to fans and authors of Lesbian Lit. This year we will be in Orlando Florida for the fun and sun. Imagine 4 days of nothing but women and books. Whooo. You'll find not only the top names in the business there but also be able to enjoy panels, classes, readings done by them. Also they have a wonderful vendor's room to stock up on the latest must have books in the genre and a chance to meet the authors in person and get your books signed.
There are appointments to pitch to editors and chances to not only have fun but get educated as well. Saturday night hosts the big event of the con, The Goldie Awards, for the best books of the year in lesbian lit. It's not to late to get in on the fun.
Tickets are still on sale at the GCLS site along with more info about the con. It happens from June 8th-12. I will be there with free lesbian themed goodie bags, special gifts and some great extra free goodies if you buy a book from me. I hope to have copies of my newest release on hand, Women Gone Wylde.
A dollar of every book purchased from me at the con will benefit Breast Cancer Research and you will get a pink rubber ducky as a souvenir. Hope to see you there.
Beth
www.bethwylde.com

apologies

hey y'all

when I came back to post again after a grueling edit session, it was after midnight and no longer my day *grins*

Good intentions.

I'll holler at y'all on Saturday, which is a free day here on the blog!

hugs

Julia

New Releases for May 18

Mirror Image by Cheri Crystal

Jaylyn Dayley, professional stuntwoman, isn’t afraid of anything. Except commitment. She can tuck and roll, crash and burn, and walk away unscathed, but can she survive the searing heat of her attraction for the lovely Monika Morning during her stint as the actress’ stunt double?

Find out today!



Kereru Rising by Kate Roman

The happiest time of Jay Bridgeman's life was the year he spent as an exchange student in West Auckland, New Zealand. Newly-divorced, he can't wait to escape frozen Michigan to attend his high-school reunion on the other side of the world--and hopefully catch up with the best friend he ever had, Eru Kauri. But their worlds seem farther apart than ever. Jay can't seem to find a way back -- until Eru shows him the way forward.

Get your copy today!

Building worlds...

The past few weeks, I've been revising my four-part Chaser series Servant of the Seasons for re-release as a novel, and I've been thinking a lot about how I built that world. In fact, at the risk of immodesty, I've been told I'm pretty good at world building. Imagining a strange new world, populating it with wondrous characters, "remembering" its history, and deploying all sorts of crises and conflicts in the new landscape are some of my favorite things about writing. They're also some of my favorite things about reading. If they're among your favorite things about fiction too, read on!

Every story requires world building, from Anne's Prince Edward Island to Tolkein's Middle Earth to everywhere we've ever been in a book. The trick, in my opinion, is to make the story world feel complete and inevitable, as if it couldn't be any other way than how it was written. For me, that means thinking a lot about that world, writing about it in ways the reader will never see (I even draw maps), and then keeping it turned on low in the background, like the radio I leave on for my dog when I go to work every day.

A friend of mine described Servant of the Seasons as "a post-apocalyptic sod-busting yarn," by which I think he meant that it's a story about a pretty ordinary guy who forges a new life in a blasted wilderness. In the process, he finds love with three very strange and marvelous men, and together they remake the ruined world around them into a new kind of society. As much as Mèco and his friends live in the world they're creating, the world Mèco was driven out of -- a slick and authoritarian future society -- is a part of the story too. Everything that happens in the book happens differently from the world he left. So instead of building a new world for my story, I found I had to build two!

Some of you know that in my day job I teach sociology and anthropology. My training in those disciplines helps me when it comes to world building in a fictional universe. (I should say, too, that my admiration of the fictional and historical worlds I lost myself in as a child and young adult drove me into my disciplines in the first place.) Anyway, one social science idea I use is the ”functional requisite," a small list of conditions any society must satisfy in order to continue. The list varies a bit from researcher to researcher and theorist to theorist, so here's the list I use:

Any society must...
• Regulate reproduction
• Socialize & protect children
• Transmit knowledge and skills
• Produce and distribute goods and services
• Address existential concerns
• Distribute and exercise power
• Maintain social order
• Master the environment
• Heal the sick and injured, care for the dying
• Protect from enemies, support national interests
• Disseminate information, mold public opinion, report events

These overlap, of course, and most contemporary societies meet each of these basic needs via more than one institution. Yeah, it gets complicated! But when I was drafting Servant of the Seasons it helped to think about all of these needs and how they were met in the far-future Domes Mèco came from and how they were met in the reawakening wild land he and his lovers come to call home.

For example, Mèco is bewildered by his new friends' healthy libidos and uninhibited sexuality. Back before he was ejected from his Dome, he never thought about how his society regulated reproduction by inserting contraceptive and anti-sex drive chips into the bodies of all of its citizens. Mèco has never experienced desire! It makes for a great plot point, but I think it is stronger if I know why and how reproduction is regulated in the world I'm building. I don't have to tell the reader everything I know -- I can pick and choose those aspects of the society that mean the most to the story, and help my readers discover them along with my characters.

So, there's a bit about how the sausage is made. Feel free to ask questions -- and share your favorite examples of world building -- in the comments!

Cheers,
Lee B.

P.S. The new edition of Servant of the Seasons is due out this summer, and as you can see, it already has a smashing new cover by Torquere's incomparable Art Department!

Julia day on the Blog!

Woo!

Of course, this would go better if I had anything planned, but I just don't. I have been woefully unsuccessful of late at doing fic prompts, too, so let's toss that out the window!

How about I talk about the Bloodrose? I've been playing in the sandbox with this paranormal club for a few years now, ever since I started writing The Werewolf Code. I love the universe, and my latest is called Lean on Me. It's about Jared, an Aussie werewolf who works for the club, and Aiden, a psychic who has a little problem when he has sex. He thinks Jared might be the fix to that.

You can find it here!

I'll be back in just a bit with more thoughts on the Bloodrose

Meme Monday - cowboys vs aliens

or maybe cowboys versus paranormals

Wranglers or werewolves?

New Releases for May 14

Black Mustard: Justice

Loic is in the lawyer business for the cash. He’s not some bleeding heart liberal willing to work pro bono like Justice Hibbideux. When a case comes along that pits old money against a poor bartender, Loic knows which side he’d rather be on. What silver-tongued Loic doesn’t count on is some hoodoo magic, an unfortunate speech impediment, and learning that Justice is just the kind of man he wants to be, and wants in his bed. Can Loic find a way to tell Justice what he needs?

Find out today!



Lose Your Inhibitions by Jey Hawkes

After a bad break-up, Isaac gets an "intimate massage" gift card for his birthday. He thinks it's a gag gift from his friends, but is it possible it could lead to everything he ever dreamed of and more?

Find out today!



Rodeo Night by Kate Roman

In order to put off his well-meaning but curious cousins, Clay Garcia agrees to spend a night at la charreada, the Mexican rodeo. But while fending off the advances of his blind date, Lupe, Clay finds it hard not to think about his older ranch-hand lover, Warshaw, and all the things they could be getting up to. Now if only he can slip away...

Pick up your copy today!



Added Money by Chris Owen

Gideon Smith is a man with a secret. He's a rodeo cowboy competing at the Calgary Stampede and should have his mind on the ride, but instead he's got his mind and his hands all over Nick DeShane. That would be fine if Gideon wasn't in the closet, and wasn't sharing a tiny trailer with his big brother, Justice. Things get complicated fast when Justice narrowly misses interrupting a date and Nick starts putting things together. Find out if Gideon can win the added money or if he's going to lose it all.

Originally published in the Cowboy Up! Anthology.

Get your copy today!

Newsletters

Good morning! It's a beautiful day here: sunny and breezy and just about right. I hope everyone is enjoying a good weather day.

I'm putting together my May newsletter (it's here if you're interested), so I thought I'd ask a couple of questions.

For readers -- what do you want to see in a newsletter aside from the recent releases and coming soons? Free fiction? Contests? Other stuff?

For authors -- if you do one, what do you include in your newsletters aside from the recent releases and coming soons?

New Cart Sale!

The cart has a new look! So we're offering 15% off your purchases from now through the end of day Sunday! Just put 'cart2011' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books before Sunday at midnight to get 15% off your order.

Sale good now through Sunday May 15 at Midnight (est).

Help us celebrate the new cart look with a book from Torquere Press today!


Discount codes are provided as a courtesy to our customers. Torquere Press Inc. cannot be responsible for discounting purchases made before coupons/sales are announced, and cannot issue discounts to customers who fail to use the coupon or discount code during the purchase process.

New Releases for May 11

Braided Lives, a BBA Menage Novel by AR Moler

Danny Valentine is Division P’s East Coast/International ‘Fixer’ and general go-to guy. He’s had to come to terms with his bisexuality and his empathic abilities despite his military background. Peter Vithoulkas is Division P’s immensely gifted healer, possessing one of the rarest of Talents. All fire and discipline, Peter is bisexual too, but it doesn’t color his day-to-day reality until he spends some time under fire with Danny. Busy Danny and Peter fall into a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship that neither thinks much about.

Jennifer Sebastiano is an artist from a conservative family background who works part time as a forensic police artist. She spends a lot of time in crime victim’s heads, seeing what they saw and helping them identify the criminals. It’s Jen who shows Danny and Peter what they’ve really got between them. Danny and Peter think that Jen should be between them as well, but Jen isn’t sure if she really fits there. As their three lives entwine, can Jen let go of societal and familial expectations? Can Danny and Peter convince Jen that there is a place for her in their unconventional relationship?

Braided Lives is available in paberpack and ebook formats!



The Trouble with Angel by JM Cartwright

Living in swanky LA, via the barrio, Angel Vargas is happy with his life. Great job, great boss, and he can keep an eye on his mom. The one thorn in his side is major league pitcher Brandon Halvorsen, The Great Dane. The stuffy, stick-in-the-mud straight guy is one of his boss' best clients, and the guy annoys the hell out of Angel.

Huge changes are happening in Brandon's life, and he needs help. Becoming an instant father was not on his list of things to do. Ever. He sure as heck wasn't planning on the snotty, gorgeous Angel being the solution to his problem, but stranger things have happened. What happens when hip, LA-cool Angel is dragged into famous jock Brandon's world? Life gets interesting, and hot, in a hurry.

Get your copy today!



Boys in the Band by BA Tortuga

Guitar player Spud is the go-to guy for the band, giving comfort and aid whenever and wherever he can. All that changes when the new guy, Caidon, comes aboard. Caidon wants to tour and play and he wants Spud, and he’s not afraid to go against the band to do it.

The guys in the band are not so pleased with the idea of Spud going monogamous, and they’re not sure they need Caidon interfering with any of the other band politics. Can Caidon and Spud get together to play beautiful music, or will they hit a sour note before they ever find common ground?

Originally published as the Chaser series Boys in the Band.

Pick up your copy today!

JM Cartwright - The Trouble With Angel is out tomorrow!

Good morning from the Midwest. As usual, we've gone from winter to hot, muggy road construction season. But I don't mind, since my next book is being released by Torquere Press tomorrow! What a thrill that I get to say that.

This book marks a departure from my Change series, so y'all get a break. Angel is a tough customer who has a serious jones for a guy who irritates him at the same time. And a guy Angel thinks is straight. Zoinks!

Anyway, that's what's making me smile today. That, and the birds are singing and my dogs are barking in concert. How can we lose with a perfect blue sky and the day ahead of us? So much potential.

What are your plans to welcome summer? Or, shivers, winter in the southern hemi?

Meme Monday! bathing suit season

so-- bathing suits. Banana slings? Board shorts? Skinny dipping? Do tell

New Releases for May 7

Fanning the Flames by Eden Winters

The man of Barry's dreams has gone from a sugarplum fantasy to sweet reality, thanks to the GLBT dating site GetaDate.com. Introducing a new boyfriend to the family and settling into coupledom isn't the easiest thing in the world for a man with little dating experience, but the romantic demands of Valentine's Day are beyond Barry's imagination. His piteous cry for help brings all kinds of suggestions from family and friends.

Fully believing he's found the perfect ways to charm his sweetheart, Barry isn't prepared to hear "Achoo!" at every turn. Adam's allergic to what? And will sneezes and welts wreck Barry's painstaking plans for fanning the flames?

Find out today!



Chocolate Bites by Vic Winter

Connor and his chocolate loving werewolf Dayton from Of Cocoa and Men are back for Connor's big day -- the opening of his very own bakery. Connor isn't nervous, or at least that's what he's telling himself. Good thing he has Dayton to help him through the opening jitters. Will his bakery be a success?

Pick up your copy today!



I Like You by CB Conwy

Everything is good between Andy and CK, especially since they said those three little words to each other. Well, their very own version of them, anyway. That's why CK's so surprised when one day Andy is reluctant to have sex with him.

It turns out that Andy wants CK, but he doesn't want the pain that his abusive ex-boyfriend inflicted on him when they had sex. CK is too much of a Dom not to seize the opportunity to push and take care of his sub, and giving in to someone you like turns out to be hotter than Andy could ever imagine.

CK and Andy first appeared in The Russian Bear and Alphabet Soup.

Get your copy today!

Site Maintenance

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Thank you for your patience.

Weddings Matter.

Kathryn Scannell

It struck me after I signed up to write this blog that the date which I was offered was two days after my wedding anniversary. That seemed like a very strong hint for a topic.

Old fashioned romance novels, the ones your grandmother probably read, always end with the wedding and the happily ever after. The hero and heroine weren’t even allowed to take each other for a test drive, so to speak.

Times have changed. Now it’s kind of assumed that there will be sex in your romance novel. And it may not end in the traditional wedding. The entire novel may take place after the wedding. Our society doesn’t seem to put as much value on weddings any more. Living together is acceptable, at least in most of the US. If you’re reading this blog, you probably enjoy reading about relationships that fall outside that traditional one man and one woman mold. You may even be part of one. So does the wedding matter?

Before mine, I would have said no, not really. I’m fortunate enough to live in a state which allows same sex marriages. At the time we had ours in 2008, they were calling them civil unions. Last year they updated the law, and they all became marriages, retroactively. We looked at the wedding primarily as a chance to have a party with our friends to celebrate a great step forward in rights for people like us. I didn’t expect it to change our relationship, and I was right.

I was wrong about the wedding not mattering. It didn’t change our relationship – we love each other, and we don’t need state recognition to insure that. It mattered to a whole lot of other people though, starting with our families. I could see that it really meant something to my wife’s family that I wanted to make a legal commitment with her. It made a number of our friends suddenly realize our relationship was serious, that it wasn’t just a phase we’d get tired of. We’d been living together for 8 years at that point, but legal recognition of our relationship made a huge difference in the way people responded to us.

That, along with the various legal and financial rights that go with being married, is why it’s important for a legally recognized marriage or partnership of some type to be available to couples of all genders, just like it was important for it to be available to couples of all races fifty years ago.

In the end it’s about people loving each other, and wanting to commit to being there for each other for the rest of their lives. It all comes down to love.

New Releases for May 4

Hey, Jealousy by BA Tortuga

JW thinks he’s missed his chance at a romantic relationship with his best friend Rory forever, all because of a stupid moment when he was much younger. Rory wants JW desperately, but he knows his buddy just isn’t into the kind of games Rory likes to play, let alone into long-term relationship with a guy. When JW comes home from a long haul on the road, though, and finds Rory in a compromising position, he knows he’s found the way to correct his youthful mistake. Will Rory believe JW’s jealous response?

Find out today!



Riding the Silverado by Kate Roman

When Clay Garcia's truck breaks down by the side of a deserted road, the last thing the young cowboy expects is an erotic encounter with a tall, dark stranger -- especially when he turns out to be the county's new sheep shearer, Lee Warshaw. Despite the difference in their ages, and the Garcia family's suspicions, what's between the two men only gets hotter. Clay's afraid that he wants more than Warshaw's prepared to give, but after a terrifying encounter with a mountain lion, Clay realizes that Warshaw's feelings run deeper than he'd ever dared to hope. Can these two cowboys make it past their fears and find a way to be together?

Pick up your copy today!

*waves*

Hey y’all!

Look at me, remembering it’s my day on the blog. It’s been hectic around here and Julia and I are about to go a little crazy.

We’ve been brushing up on our French, thanks to my Aunt D, who brought her friends from Calais over to visit Texas. Did it give me French muses? Hell, no. We took them to Fort Worth to the Stockyards and we took them to a bullriding in Stephenville, the cowboy capital of Texas. Well, of East Texas, anyway.

So, I got new cowboys out of the deal.

Which has nothing to do with French, or France, or with the new story I have coming out this week!

New story! Hooray!

I have a new Birthstone for the Emerald slot coming out titled Hey Jealousy.

It’s about two hot redneck boys who’ve known each other forever. Truck driver JW told tile-layer Rory he wasn’t interested in anything more serious than a drunken hand job. He’d resented that decision ever since. When he comes home from a long haul in his truck to find Rory in a compromising position, he might get his chance to tell Rory he’s changed his mind, but it's a toss up as to whether Rory'll believe him.

What does this one have in it? A little bondage, a little spanking, a lot of cussing and 3 nicknames (for those playing the BA nickname game )

Look for it tomorrow!

:D

Meme Monday - to manscape or not?

so, manscaping? Yes or no