Pulling Away is released

My latest from Amber Allure, Pulling Away, has been released a couple of days earlier by Amber Quill. This is a short story, but I hope readers will enjoy the story of Charlie and Noah. Look for them to make a reappearance as secondary characters in my 2009 release called Car Wash.

November 26, 2008

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

I am grateful for the career I've had as an author the last year. This time last year I had just begun to sign some contracts and now my career, especially as an erotic romance author, has expoded.

I'm also grateful to have another year with my mother, especially after she'd been ill earlier this year.

I'm grateful to still have a job, too. Especially in these times.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to those of us in the United States.

A New Shiny Cover

Faster than a speeding bullet, I have a new cover for The Other Side. I love it! Fits the book perfectly.

November 23, 2008

The Other Side is finished! It will be out with Amber Quill in February 2009.

Now I have a week to work on Beyond the Norm. I have Wednesdy off, but of course this is also a holiday week so some of the time will be taken up with family and shopping.

Anyway, I'm glad I finished another one!

November 22, 2008

Almost done with The Other Side! I am hoping to have it done by today or tomorrow and then it goes off to the Editorial Director. I will then move on to work on Beyond the Norm for about a week, see how far along I can get on that before I need to switch to Jake's Regret.

Kevin from Car Wash has been bothering me to start his story, but I am resisting. It's not due until April so there's no reason to skip over everyone else to make Kevin happy!

November 19, 2008

First, something fun.

It's Only Make-Believe, my erotic interracial romance, is the number one selling book for Amber Quill on All Romance Ebooks for over a week now. It's also number three on the interracials genre as well. I'm so glad to see readers enjoying Sebastian and Melody's story.

Still nothing on Trust's contract and I am trying to decide whether to send another email or to wait a few more days. I know the publisher mentioned that it can take several days or weeks to get a response for contract changes, however, she also mentioned that they would at least acknowledge most business emails within three days. I never got any acknowledgement, though, I used the correct email address. Decisions, decisions. I'm anxious to get things going with Trust, so I can make the announcement and start thinking of my fabulous cover art.

I am up to 13,000 words on The Other Side and think I should have it done this week. I have about three chapters, I think to go, or about 5,000-6,000 words.

I've done all I need to do for Pulling Away's release, so look for that later this month!

November 17, 2008

I've decided I'm slightly insane. I don't know if that is possible, but there you have it.

How else do you explain my decisions to write all these stories I have promised and/or vowed to write? There isn't enough time in the days to do all that I claim I am going to do. Is there? I guess we will see.

As we go into the holiday season (really it is my belief that Halloween starts it), here is what is left for me in 2008 to do.

I am hoping (keep your fingers crossed) to have The Other Side completed and off to Amber Quill by the end of this week. Ambitious? Nah, it has to be done by the end of the month anyway.

If I can manage that, it will give me a week left in November. So, I am hoping for that week to get some work done on Beyond the Norm and possibly Sorcerer's Lover 2. If I have to pick one or the other, I'm going with Beyond the Norm.

Once December 01 comes around though I must endeavor to write Jake's Regret. I'll have a month to do it.

That's it for my writing left in 2008. Everything else must be pushed to 2009.

I am also hoping I can get the contract for Trust figured out and sent off to the publisher for that so I can start the process of a release date and cover, etc. I can't wait to see that story in print. Love, love Brad and Justin.

In real news: It looks like Amber Quill has bumped up the release of Pulling Away to the last weekend in November so I will have another release in November after all.

Stone of Wrath

Today's the day! Stone of Wrath is available

www.ellorascave.com

My one and only November release. I hope readers will enjoy the hot love story between Jed and Topaz.

November 13, 2008

Seriously, not much to report. Just working. Waiting on contracts. That sort of thing.

I did think of a title for a story promised to Amber Quill. This is a suit story. Basically anyone familiar with the Men At Play site will get the idea. Only with love thrown in, of course. I do write romance. Anyway, the title is: Most Likely to Succeed. That'll be out in April or May 2009, I think.

Stone of Wrath is released tomorrow from Ellora's Cave. I can't wait. Love that story. What fun it was to write, too.

Today is the Big California Shakeout. Basically all companies in Southern California are taking part in a massive drill at 10:00 this morning.

November 12, 2008

It's official. I absolutely hate The Other Side. Really. I just can't stand it. It's been a while since I've loathed what I have been writing but I've hated stuff before. I can't decide whether I am nuts or if it really truly sucks.

I have great images in my head. I even sit on the bus on the way home and play out conversations and such between Nick and Ray in my head. Sounds great. But...it just isn't going where I want it to go. Worst of all I am not convinced that I have Nick and Ray falling in love. They like each other, they like the sex. But love? It's not there. I don't think. Maybe by the end of the book. See, this is one of the reasons I like my characters to start off already knowing each other. Even in Stone of Wrath (quick commercial...it comes out Friday from Ellora's Cave) Jed and Topaz had a past life together. It's actually an element I use in most of my stories I have noticed. All the characters have known each other in some capacity before the book starts. In The Other Side, they cold meet. This may cause the book to have a definite "happy for now" element. We'll see. I'm starting to panic on it.

I did get a 4 nymph review for It's Only Make-Believe from Literary Nymphs Reviews.

November 11, 2008

The absolutely last thing I should be doing right now is buying books. I have so much writing to do it’s not funny. As I said, while The Other Side is making progress, not nearly as fast as I would like. It needs to be done soon and it’s not.

And let’s not mention that Jake’s Regret is due right after that and I haven’t any word count to speak of on that story. Nor really…shock…gasp…a story. Not sure where that story will take me. It is literally being built on the characters.

Fortunately my edits on all coming stories have been completed, so that is a good thing.

Not to mention I have a bunch of books I have ALREADY purchased that I have yet to read! So then, why, oh why, am I going to buy more? Simple.

The Englor Affair by J.L. Langley is out. Cannot pass that up. Just can’t.

November 10, 2008

Had a really great weekend.

First, Trust has been offered a contract which I am thrilled about. I've asked for a small change in the contract, however, so until that is approved and the contract signed, I don't want to post the details. But I will be very happy indeed if all goes well. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks I can post the details.

Got some very nice royalty checks, too. And got to spend a beautiful day at two of my favorite locations.

The San Diego Chargers won (although barely, but a win is a win).

And finally got a new computer with a ton of memory and it is very cool. Trying to use the Windows Easy Transfer program to transfer some of our data from the old computer to the new computer. And let me just say the "Easy" part...isn't.

November 07, 2008

Just a few quick things.

The Prisoner finally has a release date from The Wild Rose Press (also made the coming soon pages). The release date is May 22, 2009. Seems like a long time from now but the good news is that includes the print release as well.

Working on The Other Side. Not going quite as fast as I'd like but I do have almost 7,000 words done on it.

Still waiting to hear on Trust. Hopefully by the end of the month.

I'll be gone much of the weekend. Well, Saturday. Off to Morro Bay (aka paradise for me).

ETA: Total geek moment. But right now It's Only Make-Believe is the number one seller for Amber Quill on All Romance Ebooks. I know it is likely to change any time, but it has been in the top five for the last week, so when it made it to number one today I had a pretty geeked moment.

Another Shiny New Cover

I love my new cover for my Amber Allure release in January, At Long Last. Isn't it great? Very pleased!

November 06, 2008

Don't forget my only release for November is coming up November 14, 2008 from Ellora's Cave. That's in about a week. It's a birthstone book for the November birthstone, Topaz. In fact, one of my two heroes is named Topaz in the story. It is my first interracial gay erotic romance (though not my last).

Here is the blurb for the story.

After Jedidiah Mason finds a dirty, battered stone in the rubble of a burned building, he takes it home and is surprised when it becomes a gorgeous naked man. Topaz, turned to stone by the wrath of the gods, knows he and Jed were lovers in the long ago past and hopes Jed’s love can break the curse before the end of November. If only Jed would remember in time.

Jed is immediately drawn to Topaz and though sex with someone who just appeared out of thin air is probably not wise, he cannot seem to resist the intense attraction. Before he knows it he’s having great sex with the all too alluring Topaz. Will he remember their love in time to save it?

Pulling Away Cover

Got my shiny new cover for Pulling Away. Check it out.

November 04, 2008

Today is election day. Here's hoping Prop 8 does not pass. And we can look forward to President Obama.

Pulling Away has been sent off to my publisher, Amber Quill. Should be released either at the end of this month or the beginning of next. This is going to be the first in a series from me. I am calling it "Old Friends" for now. A secondary character from Pulling Away will be starring in his own book next June called, Car Wash.

So now that Pulling Away is finished, what is next? I am returning to work on The Other Side, due this month. I'd like to get it finished early.

ETA: Prop 8 passed and I am so incredibly disappointed in my fellow Californians today who chose to continue discrimination for those different from them. One step forward, but two steps back. Very discouraging.

Novemeber 03, 2008

I'm pleased to say It's Only Make-Believe has really been doing well. I'm actually sort of surprised that at least at All Romance Ebooks it is outselling my boys. Right now it is the #4 best seller for Amber Quill at All Romance Ebooks. I'm happy about this because I really like Sebastian and Melody. Theirs was a book I almost didn't complete. I started it around this time last year and then put it aside for a while. I'm glad now that I finished it.

Speaking of finishing, Pulling Away is for all intents and purposes finished. Well, the first draft is. I have some minor polishing to do tonight and I want to add a scene with one of my heroes, Noah, and his friend, Kevin (who will get his own story in 2009). Then I will send it off to Amber Quill for the process. I'll warn readers now Pulling Away is short. I wrote it in about three days though. Really it was just a little story I wrote on the side, but I think it turned out pretty well and I hope readers will like Noah and Charlie. Even though it is short I tried to work in some deeper characterization for these two.

Still waiting to hear on Trust. I hope to know by the end of November on a publisher for that story.

November 01, 2008

So this year in my home state they are trying to discriminate by changing the California constitution to ban gay and lesbian marriage. This is called Proposition 8. Because of the plain fact that religious groups, most especially the Mormons, have spent many millions of dollars trying to get this prop to pass, for the first time ever I have donated money to fight a proposition. This is driven by religious fanatics who think they have a right to tell other people how to live. I feel very strongly about this. I really hope it does not pass.

Today is the day to fall behind! Don't forget