Masks Off! / The Backlist Strikes Back!

Several things to report today. First, I got news over the weekend that my story, "What You Are" was accepted for inclusion in Torquere's Masks Off! anthology (coming out in August, I believe) -- it's a collection of stories about shapeshifters (e.g., werewolves) and masquerades. *obligatory acceptance squee!*

"What You Are" is about Cory, a man living in two closets, equally afraid of being outed as a gay and as a werewolf. He sees a charity masquerade ball as his chance to let at least part of himself free -- but then the leopard with the sexy voice tells him, "I know what you are," and Cory is forced to flee, yet again.

I'll be sure to let you know when I have more details!

And in other news...

The brilliant EM Lynley is hosting a tour all this week called The Backlist Strikes Back! It's a collection of LGBT romance titles that have been out for a while and, perhaps, not gotten all the love they should. My Safe Harbor is featured today, but there will be other authors for the next whole week, so definitely remember to check it out as the week progresses! I've already seen several books to add to my TBR list, and I bet you will, too.

Assumption of Desire Reviews!

I'm starting to see official review sites posting reviews for Assumption, so I figured it was time to put up a post collecting some of them!

Jenre at Brief Encounters says, "This short contained lots of things I adore in a story. ...I was hooked by page one. ...There was lots more to enjoy such as the way the men switch roles in the bedroom – shown in a couple of well written and very hot sex scenes – and a general sense of fun and charm in the story itself. I smiled a number of times as I was reading and the book left me with a good feeling, which is always a bonus." (rated B+)

From Lucy at Hearts On Fire: "The story is sweet and flows well. There are a lot of pages of sex for such a short story, but as they aren’t right in a row, it’s a minor quibble. Jesse is a great character, because he is so much more than his outward appearance would suggest. Craig having to come to terms with what he wants is an interesting. His eyes open rarely slowly, but some of it is off page, happening in the three years they haven’t seen each other. It’s a quick, light, funny story with very likeable characters and a miscommunication that could actually occur. A very enjoyable read." (rated 4/5)

Mrs Condit at Mrs. Condit's Reviews says, "Assumption of Desire is a great story about making assumptions based on appearance and assumptions that things will never change. ...Craig has a lot of internal dialog to run through before he can become the man he wants to be, and Jesse has a lot of forgiving to do when Craig is disrespectful of the man Jesse has already become. This is a sweet, easy read with a lesson to teach. I liked the way Ms Brooks made four years fit into a short story without sacrificing any of the plot." (rated 4/5)

Dutiful

Picture via ABC News

I got the news last week that my short story "Dead On Her Feet" was accepted for Duty and Desire, an anthology of military-themed erotic romance! Any acceptance is good for a squee, but this is the second piece I've written that will appear in an actual, hold-in-your-hands dead-tree book, which makes it double-squee!

Better yet, I'll be sharing the Table of Contents with some really talented writers, including my dear friend, Lynn. Check out this Table of Contents:

The Long Ride Home by Delilah Devlin
Night Witch by Sacchi Green
Shattered by Shanna Germain
The Grunt and the Ditty Bop by Craig J. Sorensen
Fighting for Fresno by Ericka Hiatt
Homecoming by Kelly Maher
Passing Out Passion by Lucy Felthouse
Against the Wall by Catherine Paulssen
The Thunder of War by Anya Richards
Sergeant Rae by Toby Rider
Dead On Her Feet by Elizabeth L. Brooks
Out of Time by J.K. Coi
Done by Charlotte Stein
Wilco by Christine d’Abo
Christmas Presents by Mercy Loomis
Snake Dance by Lynn Townsend
Home by Michelle Augello-Page
For Better or Worse by Kristina Wright

This is from Cleis Press, so the stories are female-centric, either m/f or f/f. My story, "Dead On Her Feet" is about Jamie, a soldier on her way home after two years in the Middle East. Shall I give you a small taste? Sure, why not (though bear in mind that I haven't gotten editing comments back yet, so what I'm offering here may change before press):

Thirty-four hours on the move, now, and counting, dead on her feet, but this was the last flight, and her ears were popping with the descent. Maybe another hour, now, and then she'd step out of the Atlanta airport into the lush thick humidity of proper Southern air, maybe even one of those summertime afternoon deluges and she would stand there and just let the rain soak her right to the skin. And then she'd take a bus a couple of hours down into Georgia, to a tiny little town that no one had ever heard of who hadn't been born there, and then it was only a couple of miles from the bus depot to Casey's mama's house. To Casey.

Eyes still closed, Jamie's hand stole up to her shirt pocket where she kept the most important things: her passport, and the receipts for all those planes and busses, and her ID cards, and the cash she'd drawn to pay for food... and the picture of her and Casey at his sister's wedding two years back. She'd looked ridiculous in that bridesmaid's dress with her fresh-from-basic close-cropped hair and those mannish muscles on her bare shoulders, but Casey had looked so very, very fine in that tux, and he'd pulled her close while they danced and told her she was the most beautiful woman there, and they'd snuck off down to the basement and almost not made it back in time to see the cake cut, and luckily the tux jacket had covered where she'd got lipstick on his cummerbund.

Duty and Desire is due out sometime this fall -- I'll post a more precise date when I have one, and of course the cover when I get it.

Swampy Waters

It's a good thing I finished my werewolf story when I did; immediately after I submitted it to the anthology I'd written it for, I had a world of work dumped on me.

A miscommunication dumped an editing job into my lap that had a shorter than usual schedule, resulting in my having precisely one week to edit a full novel. And then another short-schedule novel arrived in my inbox, this time for proofreading. There was Assumption of Desire's release last week. (By the way, countrygirlxxoo, you were my winner -- I messaged you but still haven't heard back... email me for your copy of the story!) That naturally involved spending a couple of days haunting Goodreads and Amazon.Com and other sites looking for reviews and ratings. I also signed up for a couple of promotional blog visits -- I spent yesterday at Torquere's blog (check it out; you definitely don't want to miss the hot pictures I posted!) and will be on their LiveJournal tomorrow!

(Assumption is being very well-received, in case you were wondering -- it's currently at a solid 4 stars on Goodreads, and 5 stars at All Romance Ebooks, where one reader review calls it "[a] quick, enjoyable read, with just enough drama and comedy for the short length." And if you follow my Facebook page, then you probably saw that it made one of Amazon's Top 100 lists!)

The Day Job dumped a bunch of work in my lap, too, of course, and then the home life has been mildly complicated by birthday parties and sleepovers and the approach of Easter with its need to acquire a variety of treats with which to fill my kids' baskets.

So I've been a little swamped, and the writing has taken a back seat to all the other stuff. Even on the nights I've had free and clear for writing, I've been too tired to write, and unwilling to start a new project when I can't really devote myself to it.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The one-week edit is complete, and I'm pushing onward through the proofing job. The Day Job stuff is more or less in order, and there's a stack of candy and toys in my closet, hidden under old clothes. So I'm starting to give some thought to another submission call I heard a few weeks ago, this one for some super-shorts, under 1500 words, which strikes me as a fun challenge: how do I include plot and characterization and heat in only three pages? I've been noodling around an idea or two during idle moments, so we'll see how that goes.

So no real writing news from me this week. I'm fixin' to get ready to write, as they say, but not writing much at the moment. Still, the news on Assumption is good, and you definitely want to stop by Torquere's LiveJournal tomorrow, because I'm thinking of calling for prompts...

Release Day and Specials!

I'm happy to announce the release of my newest story, Assumption of Desire! It's only $2.99 direct from the publisher, All Romance Ebooks (where it already has a very nice reader review posted!), and (finally) Amazon.Com! Here's the blurb:

When Craig walks into the Cerulean Sphere looking for a one-night stand to enliven his business travel, he is definitely NOT looking for Jesse, a flaming twink sporting a pink feathered boa. But Craig finds himself surprised by the charmer, and is forced to reevaluate his initial impression of the young man, and to reconsider his prejudices. But when they meet again by surprise several years later, Craig puts his foot in it again, and Jesse won't hear a word of his apology. Will Craig be able to break through Jesse's hurt and finally say what he really means?

Intrigued? How about an excerpt?

"Hi! I'm Jesse!"

The pronouncement had come from Craig's right, issued from the full lips of a perky blond twink wearing eyeliner, a shirt so tight it might have been painted on, and -- God help him -- a pink feather boa. The twink was grinning at him, his wide blue eyes lingering on Craig's sculpted arms. "You're new."

Craig snorted. Craig had come into the Cerulean Sphere an hour earlier, following a stack of favorable online reviews and amusement at the name. In that time, he'd already been cruised by at least six men. One of them had been downright sleazy, two had been hoping for fresher meat, and the other three had failed to capture Craig's interest. He'd turned all of them away, but he thought he'd call any one of them back (well, except the sleaze) before he hooked up with this kid. "Know every queer in town, do you?"

"All of 'em that come here," Jesse answered. "So, are you new to town, or new to the scene?" For pity's sake, the boy actually had a slight affected lisp. He was a walking stereotype.

"Town," Craig admitted. "Here on business for a few weeks."

"Perfect," the twink said, running his fingers through his carefully-groomed, artfully-mussed, dirty-blond hair.

Craig turned pointedly back to the bar and his beer.

Jesse didn't get the message. He turned toward Craig and leaned against the bar, his lithe body bending in ways that Craig was pretty sure a spine was not meant to allow. One hand petted that ridiculous boa. In the mirror behind the bar, Craig watched Jesse checking him out. One of the few good things about spending a lot of time on the road was having plenty of time to work out in the hotel gym. Craig was no linebacker, but he was in pretty good shape. Once Jesse had looked his fill, he caught Craig's gaze in the mirror, Jesse's bright blue eyes striking sparks against Craig's dark hazel. "You wanna go in the back? You look like a man who could use a blow job."

Come on, you know you have to read it now!

And as if that wasn't enough, I'm included in this week's specials from Torquere! Of One Mind and Safe Harbor are both on sale for 20% off -- if you haven't read them yet, please take this opportunity to give them a try!

***

Notes: Updated a couple of time to add links to All Romance Ebooks and Amazon.com.

Word Doodle

Hey there! I posted a little story over on my personal blog last night. I decided to post it there because it's a character sketch -- not even that robust, just a doodle, really. It contains neither romance nor erotica, and sort of half-handedly involves a character or two that some of my real-life friends (who all mostly follow that blog, but don't necessarily watch this one) would know.

Anyway, the Hubs really liked it, and he asked me to post it somewhere, so I did. Having made my decision that it didn't quite belong over here in the romance/erotica writing blog, I nevertheless invite you to check it out and let me know what you think.

And then don't forget to come back here and enter the contest! Five more days until "Assumption of Desire" is released!

Getting Hairy

So far, no one has entered the contest for a copy of Assumption of Desire, which will be released in one week! I got my copy last night and read through the story again to check for any remaining errors, and I'd forgotten how much I like this story. It was hot and sweet and funny. I'm honestly a little shocked that I wrote it. And all you have to do to enter the contest for your own copy is comment on this post or on my Facebook page!

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In other news... Well, no actual news yet, but I heard through the grapevine that the rejection notices had gone out for a military-themed anthology that I'd submitted a short to. Since I didn't get one, I'm guessing that I'm in... or at least on the short list to make it in. I'll be sure to let you know when I have something more definite!

***

And finally... I've been bitten by a werewolf.

No, really. I was flipping through a few submission calls, looking for something short I could work on while I let everything else percolate, and I found myself looking at a call for shifter-masquerade stories for a Torquere anthology. Now, I don't generally do shifter stories -- they've been done about to death and it's so hard to come up with something that will both satisfy reader expectations and be unique.

But I turned the notion over in my head for a bit anyway, like you do. And I wondered, why would a shapeshifter even want to go to a masquerade? And I started thinking about the purpose of masks, both literal and figurative. And then this quiet, diffident, and very closeted werewolf moved into my head and started telling me his story.

It's been one of those charmed stories, honestly. My schedule has been crazy for the last week, but each time I've sat down to work on this story, I've dumped out at least 1500 words. I'm at 5500 words now, and just hitting the climax (erm, so to speak). Another couple of good writing sessions and it should be ready for the polish and scrub, and then I can submit it!

Which would make it yet another story in a genre I haven't played with much, before. Here's hoping it turns out well!