Dig in to “All You Can Eat”!

Hey, kids!

Well, WOOO HOOOOOO! The anthology that I co-edited with fellow author and editor R.G. Emanuelle is officially available as an ebook at Kindle. Other ebook types are busily populating across the interwebz and there will be a print version available in the next couple of weeks or so. AllYouCanEat-600x914

Here’s the Table of Contents for your viewing pleasure:

Introduction

Appetizers

“Fresh Fruit” by Ashley Bartlett
“The Luscious Tarte Aux Fraises” by Historia
“Whining and Dining” by Jae
“Burn” by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Entrées

“Tomato Lady” by Cheyenne Blue
“East Meets West” by Karis Walsh
“Dessert Platter” by Victoria Oldham
“Appetizing” by Cheri Crystal
“Sugar and ’Shine” by Andi Marquette

Desserts

“Vanilla Extract” by Jove Belle
“Smorgasbord” by R.G. Emanuelle
“Crème Brûlée” by Sacchi Green
“Turn the Tables” by Yvonne Heidt

Whew. I’m pretty excited about this one. Really glad it’s making its debut. We’ll let you know as other formats become available and when the print’s ready to go.

Happy Friday!

From the Hat Down is now available on Kindle

YEEEEEEEEE-HA, my friends!

For Kindlers, From the Hat Down is now available for your purchasing and (hopefully) reading pleasure!

Here’s the link.

Hope you enjoy it and thanks for joining me, Meg, and Gina on another ride.

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And if you’re interested, this is the follow-up novel to my Rainbow Award runner-up novella, From the Boots Up.

Still not sure? Here’s an excerpt.

Happy Thursday, happy reading (hopefully)!

JOVE BELLE! Uncommon Romance blog tour!

Hi, all!

I’m pleased to be a stop on my fellow author Jove Belle’s blog tour for her Uncommon Romance. Below you’ll find all kinds of goodness and info about her and her book, so sit back for more info and teaser stuff.

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JOVE BELLE

was born and raised against a backdrop of orchards and potato fields. The youngest of four children, she was raised in a conservative, Christian home and began asking why at a very young age, much to the consternation of her mother and grandmother. At the customary age of eighteen, she fled southern Idaho in pursuit of broader minds and fewer traffic jams involving the local livestock. The road didn’t end in Portland, Oregon, but there were many confusing freeway interchanges that a girl from the sticks was ill-prepared to deal with. As a result, she has lived in the Portland metro area for over fifteen years and still can’t figure out how she manages to spend so much time in traffic when there’s not a stray sheep or cow in sight.

She lives with her partner of seventeen years. Between them they share a collection of six children, one dog, two cats, a mortgage payment, one sedan, and a cushy SUV big enough to hold the Lesbian Brady Bunch on their family outings. One day she hopes to live in a house that doesn’t generate a never ending honey-do list.

Incidentally, she never stopped asking why, but did expand her arsenal of questions to include who, what, when, where and, most important of all, how. In those questions, a story is born.
Her books include The Job (coming October 2014) Uncommon Romance, Love & Devotion, Edge of Darkness, Split the Aces, Chaps, and Indelible. They are available at Bold Strokes Books.

Jove’s latest, Uncommon Romance, is a collection of three steamy, sexy, erotic novellas.

SYNOPSIS
Happily ever after doesn’t look the same for every couple.

In “Raw Silk”, happily married June and Ashlyn Phillips occasionally enjoy adding another dynamic to their sex life. When Katerina “Kat” VanderVort enters June’s office one day, she sets her sights on June. Lucky for her, Ashlyn loves to indulge her wife’s fantasies.

In “On Her Knees”, Simone Davies is finally happy. That is, until her chief tormentor and biggest crush, Abby Nelson, shows up at her firm’s holiday party. Together they struggle to forget the past and build a future together.

In “Hollis”, homicide detective Jude Lassiter pushes a little too hard, and her instructor at a FBI anti-terrorism training session, Special Agent Beverly Hollis, knows exactly how to punish her. Jude is all too willing to submit.

And here’s an EXCERPT from “Raw Silk,” to whet (wet?) your whistle:

“The client hit on me. A lot.”

Ash swallowed hastily, her eyes narrowed and heated. “Bastard. I’ll kill him.” Jealousy made Ashlyn forget details.

“Her. The client is a her, remember? Katerina VanderVort.”

“That’s right.” The flash of anger was replaced by a curious, if not a little devious, smile. “Katerina?”
“Yeah, she told me to call her Kat.” June pushed her salad around with her fork. She wasn’t nearly as hungry as Ash, but she’d remain at the table for as long as Ash did.

“Kat?” Ash laughed lightly. “Is she hot?”

June nodded reluctantly. Ash was laughing now, but she didn’t want to give her wife any cause for genuine jealousy, either. “She is. She’s dark, like Mediterranean. She doesn’t match her Scandinavian last name at all.”

“Did you ask her why?”

“No, I was too busy trying to get her to stop touching me.”

“Wait, she touched you?” The jealousy June feared threatened to surface again.

“Sort of. She sat really close, like close enough for our legs to touch.”

Ash smiled again, then slid her chair closer to June. She stopped about a foot away. “Like this?”
June shook her head. “Closer.”

Ash shifted again but stopped before they touched. “Like this?” Ash leaned in intimately close and spoke directly into June’s ear. Her hot breath puffed against June’s skin, and she almost forgot what Ash was asking.

“Closer.” Her answer came out hushed and secretive.

Ash moved until her chair touched June’s and their legs touched from floor to knee. She slipped her bare foot over the top of June’s and caressed it. “Like this?” Ash whispered the question with her lips pressed to June’s ear.

June nodded, but she couldn’t force herself to speak. The words were trapped in an emotional bunch in her chest.

“And you liked it.” Ash worked the buttons on her blouse open in the middle until she was able to reach her fingers in and touch skin. June jumped at the contact. Ash rolled the backs of her fingers over June’s abs, tickling and teasing. “Didn’t you?”

June gasped and found her voice once again. It was shaky and uncertain, but it worked. “I did.”

Ash pulled her shirt free from her skirt and smoothed her palm flat against her stomach. She draped her other hand over the back of June’s chair and played her fingers through the ends of June’s hair. She pushed the hair out of the way and bent her mouth to June’s neck. Her kiss was hot and open mouthed, and she sucked hard on the skin where neck met shoulder. “Did she do this?”

She moaned and reflexively clutched Ash’s head to hold her close. She held her body tense and perfectly still. “No.”

Ash worked her way up until her mouth was once again upon June’s ear. She sucked the lobe into her mouth and breathed hot air over the wet skin. Excitement rushed to the surface and June groaned.

“You want her to.” Ash massaged her hand through June’s hair. The touch was rhythmic and lulling and robbed her of her ability to focus on anything but Ash’s fingers against her skin and in her hair. Ash nipped the sensitive skin behind her ear. “Didn’t you?”

Want more? Check it out:

Amazon
B&N
iBooks

You can find Jove at all of these places:
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Blog
Goodreads author
Goodreads book

HAPPY FRIDAY!

promotionsbutton with TRIM

Day of the Dead is RELEASED! And giveaway! Holy moly!

Well, peeperas y peeperos! It is officially Day of the Dead today (November 2; if possible, go catch a festival/procession) and I have the WINNERS! Yes, you’ll notice the plural. I just LURRRRV drawing extra winners, ermahgerd! So the following people have won a signed print copy:

Sally
Dora B
Ripley

And don’t worry. I have a tendency to give books away at other giveaways, too. I just love sharing the luuuuuuuv. 🙂

Also, if you see your name on this list and you have not received an email from me, check your spam filter.

Thanks, everyone, for coming by and commenting and thank you so much for your patience on this one. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy your ridealong with Chris and the NM posse.

Hi, kids! JUST IN TIME for Día de los Muertos AND Halloween!

The latest New Mexico mystery, starring Albuquerque detective Chris Gutierrez is available in print and ebook. More venues to follow, so don’t worry, my pretties. They’ll be all over soon enough.

You want a signed print copy? Well, howsabout you leave me a comment on this blog? When you fill out the contact form, make sure you use a working email address. Don’t worry. That address won’t show up in the comment. DON’T post your email in the body of the comment. I’m trying to save you from evil spam-bots, which I’m sure look just like those creepy metal spider things that get into your belly button like in The Matrix.

I’ll do the drawing at 12 PM EST November 2 (that there is the actual Day of the Dead, All Soul’s Day). I’ll post the winner’s name on this blog, at the top. I notify within 30 minutes of drawing the winner, so if you’re the winner posted here and you haven’t heard from me, check your spam filter.

DoD cover

Happy Halloween and good luck!

Oh, and don’t flip out if your comment doesn’t appear right away. If you haven’t commented here before, I have to approve it. Part of my anti-spam measures (I’m saving you from THE MATRIX, people!). There’ll be a lag in the evenings (US time), since I, you know, sleep. But I’ll get you in once I’m up and functional on the mornings. Thanks.

Day of the Dead

Ain’t just a commemorative holiday in Mexico/parts of the Southwest!

cover by Mina Yamashita

Synopsis:
When a man is shot to death in his house near Albuquerque’s Old Town, homicide detective Chris Gutierrez is called to the scene with fellow detective Dale Harper to investigate. They soon discover that the murder victim may have been involved in human trafficking over the Mexican border, and that he may have attracted enemies in an underground network with its own code of honor. Did someone in that network kill him? Or did his past finally catch up with him? As Chris works to find answers, she also draws the attention of a local anti-immigrant blogger who will go to any length to post damaging and personal information about Albuquerque law enforcement officers, and she knows that her partner, prosecutor Dayna Carson, will be part of that campaign if the blogger discovers their relationship. She has to find a way to watch her back and keep Dayna and her friends and family safe from the blogger’s large audience and prying eyes, even as he dogs her every move.

From Albuquerque to El Paso, Chris is on the trail of a killer who seems to be able to disappear into the cultures on either side of the border, like a ghost or desert wind. Those along the border protect their own, Chris knows, but she has a job to do, even as she draws closer and realizes that sometimes, things aren’t what they seem.

Excerpt on the way, so stay tuned!

Happy Friday!

When indie publishing really freaking works

Hey, peeps!

Caught this article in the Wall Street Journal about author Hugh Howey and his runaway hit, Wool. It’s a postapocalyptic thriller that has sold more than half a million copies and generated over 4,000 reviews on Amazon.


Source: Amazon.com, re-sized here

Read that article at the WSJ. Howey worked his ass off to write Wool (it started as a short story, but caught on), and he approached publishing with an eye to promo and working hard to generate an audience. To that end, he turned down several publishing offers from major houses so he could retain his ebook rights (he’s made over a million bucks off Wool). What all did he do? Well, here:

Mr. Howey comes across as a charming, self-deprecating goofball (he posted a video of himself doing ballet on his lawn on YouTube after he signed his publishing deal), but he’s proven to be a savage negotiator and slick marketer. He sent free copies of “Wool” to book bloggers and reviewers at Goodreads, a social-media site for avid readers. Early raves prompted more people to try the book, and the reviews snowballed. “Wool” now has more than 12,500 ratings and around 2,200 reviews on Goodreads. He hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on the popular website Reddit, fielding users’ questions for more than 12 hours. He encouraged fan art and fan fiction set in the “Wool” universe; his readers have designed book covers and written their own novella-length takes on the story. He conscripted 30 of his most ardent fans to be “beta” readers who edit early drafts of his books for free.
Source: “Sci-Fi’s Underground Hit: Authors are snubbing publishers and insisting on keeping e-book rights. How one novelist made more than $1 million before his book hit stores, Alexandra Alter, Wall Street Journal (March 7, 2013)

Did you read that paragraph? He used Reddit, Goodreads, and encouraged fan fiction and fan art. And he enlisted 30 of his most ardent fans to serve as beta readers of his drafts. And he turned down giant deals from traditional houses until he got the one he wanted.

I brought this article up to you, dear readers, to demonstrate how much publishing has changed even in the past 3-4 years. Savvy indie authors are writing really good books and generating fan appeal and then, if they’ve got Howey’s chops, they’re incorporating their fan bases into their writing processes and promotion, as active participants. And I think it’s important to note how Howey took charge of his writing life, and held out for the deal that worked best for him.

Not to suggest that what happened to Howey is going to happen to every indie author out there. It won’t. That’s the hard truth of writing. Howey wrote a book with a theme that is super-hot right now. It’s fortunate that he loves science fiction and has been reading it since he was a kid. The WSJ notes that the entertainment industry was looking for another “high-concept dystopian” (and/or postapocalyptic) hit like Suzanne CollinsHunger Games. So Howey wrote a great postapocalyptic story and slowly built a fan base by releasing it in installments and working the social media sites. It took off. Kudos to him for how he approached indie publishing, and for what’s happened to him.

That said, the lesson here for all of us who do indie publishing exclusively or non-exclusively is to treat it like a job. Be professional. Put out professional work that is professionally edited. Give it a professional-looking cover. Interact with your fans (both extant and potential), and be willing to lose lots of sleep to constantly promote your work and build that fan base. It’s a win-win. You get to write stuff you love, readers get to read stuff they love. So give them a good product.

And don’t just take any deal that comes down the pike. Think about not just short-term, but long-term as well. Good luck!

Happy reading, happy writing!

What’s Happenin’

Hey, peeps–

Okay, so wow. It seems that people are digging the two main characters in From the Boots Up and I’ve gotten some luuuuv and some questions about what’s next for Meg n’ Gina. Well, don’t you worry. I’ve got a novel I’m finishing up with the “what’s next.” You didn’t really think I was through with those two, did you? Muah ha ha! Stay tuned!

Other stuff. I was interviewed recently by the awesome Liz McMullen at her show, so if you’d like to hear me blather on about books and writing and go off on some tangents with her, well, there it is. I also do a reading from the latest in my New Mexico series, which is in progress and not published yet! So if you’ve been following that series, well, here’s your chance to see what Chris is going to be up to in book 4. Plus, Liz put together a super-awesome slideshow to accompany the chatting. Hit the link up there to check it out.

Other, other stuff. I will be attending the annual GCLS conference in June. It’s in Dallas this year. I’ll be running around like a freak, as usual. I’ve been scheduled for a panel or two (not sure yet; waiting to see), and I will be TEACHING A CLASS, people. Or workshop. Whatever you want to call it. The class deals with setting and learning how it can be its own character. I’m trying to get y’all to think about your surroundings in ways that will help you bring it into your own writing. I’ll let you know the deets when the schedule is posted for GCLS.

I’ve also got something planned for mid-September. It’s kind of still percolating, and an awesome crew of fellow authors and readers are working on getting some stuff together for that, but I’ll keep you posted. It’ll be super-groovy. For reals. You’ll see.

What’s in the hopper: As you know, I just released From the Boots Up. The third in my Far Seek Chronicles is with the publisher and in editing. I’ll probably be getting the edited manuscript back next month. New Mexico 4 (I’ll release the title once I’m closer to sending it to the publisher) is nearly done; I’m planning on sending that to the publisher in June. And THEN. Well. I’ve got a couple of romance novels to deal with, including the follow-up to Meg n’ Gina (from Boots).

So there you go. That’s the scoop. Staying busy. Hoping everyone’s well and that you all have a fab Thursday.

Holiday fun around the bend

Hi, peeps–

Just wanted to alert those of you who are lesfic fans/readers that once again, fellow author Jove Belle and I will be doing a Holiday Hootenanny over at Women and Words this year.

For the uninitiated, the Hootenanny 2010 was a giant conglomeration of awesome-ness in which a whole bunch of lesfic authors put up copies of their books for holiday drawings. And WHOA Nelly did we have drawings! We gave away probably over 50 books over the course of 12 days (12 days of Xmas…get it?) and we’re going to DO IT AGAIN.

Here’s the list of authors from the 2010 Hootenanny. That’ll also give you an overview as to what it’s all about.

Currently, Jove and I are hard at work contacting authors and getting a schedule ready to go. We’ll let you know whose books are up for holiday fun n’ games later on; we’re planning to launch this here cornucopia o’ book-ness around December 12th.

So stay tuned. Details to come!

Happy Wednesday!

On writing (other people’s) stories “authentically”

Hi, all–

I’m sure by now some of you have heard about evangelical Christian Timothy Kurek. He’s the guy who was homophobic and then decided to live life as gay for a year to find out what it was all about. He realized that his views were wrong, and then documented his year in a book.

Sounds like it was something that seems to have helped him figure a few things out. But on the other hand, he spent a year lying to LGBT people and to his family and friends from his real life. Which perhaps might give him a flavor of what it’s like for LGBT people, some of whom HAVE to lie in order to keep their jobs, their kids, their lives. But Kurek isn’t gay (he says). And he could go back to his heterosexual privilege whenever he wanted (he stuck it out for a year). I’m seeing some critique of what he did along those lines.

And it has to do with privilege and, perhaps, “authenticity.”


Source (re-sized here)
More? Read on…

Continue reading

How-to writing books

Hi, kids–

One of the ironies of writing is that we tend to read other writers’ guides on how to write. And we should, because there are some really good writing guides out there. It’s important to have guides on hand to grammar and punctuation, guides that help us figure out infrastructure, and tips that we can implement in our own writing to take our games to the next level. And then there are inspirational writing guides that can make you feel warm and fuzzy after you’ve had writing issues.

So here are a few of my suggestions.

For mystery writers, check out Chris Roerden‘s Don’t Murder Your Mystery (that link will also show you another of her great guides, Don’t Sabotage Your Submission). The tips in that book you can use for other genres, as well.

Looking to write more descriptively? Try Rebecca McClanahan‘s Word Painting. It includes instruction and exercises, as well as examples from the masters, classic and contemporary.

Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s already on its 10th anniversary. Part memoir, part guide, this handy toolkit will address just about everything you need in your bag o’ writing tricks. The fundamentals, my friends. Plus, it’s a warm, intimate look at King’s early life and how he himself approaches writing. But don’t just listen to me. Go check out the link.

Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones (originally published in 1986, but it was updated in 2005). This is sort of a “Zen and the art of liberating your inner writer” kinda book. Might not be everyone’s style, but it’s a different approach and delves into creativity and its potential spiritual elements.

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. It does not matter that this book first started life as an in-house writing guide for college students in 1918 by Cornell’s William Strunk. Nor does it matter that this pup got new life in 1959 when E.B. White revised Strunk’s 1935 edition. It’s freakin’ timeless, this book, and addresses things like the most misspelled words, common word usage errors, and proper punctuation. The book does have its critics, but it’s a nice brick to have in your writing framework.

Also get on over to Keith Cronin‘s recent blog over at Writer Unboxed to see his list of suggestions for writing guides. We overlap in a couple of places, but that’s okay. I like his list and I’m going to take his suggestions on a couple of things.

And here’s a list by Jon Winokur over at HuffPo (from 2010, but that’s quite okay).

Hopefully, that’ll get you started. Happy reading, happy writing!