Moday Updates

I let myself get too distracted lately by outside forces so even though I only have one chapter left to write on my Christmas story I don't think it's going to be done until this weekend. Bummer. I really wanted it done by the end of August.

The good news is I do have a release coming up this weekend, Twice in a Lifetime. Not exactly a fun story as its filled with some angst and I will confess there are a number of sex scenes. However, I hope that most readers will like it. It's part of my new Sutter Bay series (Sweet Reunion was number one, this is number two, Galaxy's Heart will be number three, etc).

That's the update for now. Catch you later

Sunday Eye Candy

Friday's Writing Ramblings

Recently I read on Ava March’s blog that she’s going to have nine published novellas out when all her recently contracted stories are released. Go her! She also mentioned having numerous ideas for new stories which for fans is a definite plus. Now if I can get Shayne to tie her to the chair.

It got me thinking about my stories, since she threw my name out on the blog. I think Ava and I feel particularly connected because we literally took this journey together. Our friendship and fellow encouragement as well as critiquing all began back in 2007 when we both joined a critique group as part of a RWA historical romance chapter. We didn’t click with anyone else but we did with each other and the rest is history for both of us. So for fun I am listing the m/m stories and their release months I have had published since The Squire first came out in 2008.

2008
The Squire – June 2008
Another Chance – September 2008
Sorcerer’s Lover – September 2008
Stone of Wrath – November 2008
Pulling Away – November 2008
Perfect Man – December 2008

2009
At Long Last – January 2009
The Other Side – February 2009
Jake’s Regret – March 2009
Most Likely to Succeed – April 2009
Trust – April 2009
Car Wash – June 2009
Sorcerer’s Lover 2 – June 2009
Until the End of Time – July 2009
Beyond the Norm – August 2009
Sweet Reunion – September 2009
Ticket to Ride – December 2009
The Best Gift – December 2009

2010
Only In His Dreams – February 2010
Still the One – March 2010
Only For Him – April 2010
Only His Heart – May 2010
His One and Only – June 2010
Pieces – July 2010
Twice in a Lifetime – September 2010
The Beach House – October 2010

If my luck holds I should have at least one more, maybe two releases still left in 2010. We’ll see how it goes. I think that’s at least 26 releases since I first got published and that does not include het or ménage or paperback collections. I also released two heterosexual romances, one ménage, and two paperbacks during this time.

That’s a lot of writing and I have a lot more to do for 2011 as well. But if you will notice, 2009 was 12 books. I didn’t reach that for 2010 and I don’t believe I will reach it in 2011 either. You may think no one spits out more books than me but I can tell you to take a look at a couple other well-known M/M authors and see they are surpassing me in releases. Still not bad for someone who holds down a full-time evil dayjob.

Twice in a Lifetime Contest Begins

As promised, Stumbling Over Chaos is where you will find the contest to win a copy of Twice in A Lifetime releasing September 05, 2010 from Amber Allure.

Check out Chris's site while you are there she has a lot of interesting stuff on there.

Twice in a Lifetime Contest Giveaway

Wednesday Musings

Stars by Robert Frost

How countlessly they congregate
O'er our tumultuous snow,
Which flows in shapes as tall as trees
When wintry winds do blow!--

As if with keenness for our fate,
Our faltering few steps on
To white rest, and a place of rest
Invisible at dawn,--

And yet with neither love nor hate,
Those stars like some snow-white
Minerva's snow-white marble eyes
Without the gift of sight.

Tuesday Updates

Yes I skipped Monday. This is a Tuesday update.

I finally finished the sex scene I was working on in The Naughty Ones. That chapter is off to Ava for her review. Since this is just a short story (not even a novella) I think I have one, maybe two chapters left and it will be done. I am still hoping to stick a fork in it by August 31, 2010.

This time I am doing my giveaway of my next release different. Usually I give it away here on my blog and sometimes other locations. This time Twice in a Lifetime will only be given away on Chris's Stumbling Over Chaos. I believe the contest starts this Thursday for it so I will post the link Thursday when it is available.

I'll probably return to my usual giveaway format in October for The Beach House.

That's it for me but I think I am going to give you pretty Ashtyn today.

Sunday Eye Candy

Thursday Updates

Wracking my brain for something to write for the blog. It kind of sucks not really having news to report.

Going over my galley for Twice in a Lifetime. At 28,000 words it's now the longest Shawn Lane offering.

At the moment I am working on sex (the first one) on my short Christmas story, The Naughty Ones. It takes me longer to write sex scenes than it takes my characters to have sex. Much longer. What amounts to a few pages in a story, sometimes a few paragraphs, takes me days to get it on the page. Truly pathetic.

The Christmas story isn't going to be terribly long. I'm making it short on purpose because while I want to write it, I have too many other things to write to devote a lot of words to it. Still, I think most readers will like it. Once it is finished, I'll hopefully have news regarding it.

I was working on it and Accidentally His at the same time, but I think I'm going to finish off The Naughty Ones first and then get back to finishing Accidentally His. I vow to have The Naughty Ones done by the end of the month, and that's the real end, not Ava March's idea of the end of the month (she is sneaky with the dates). Hopefully even before, but at the moment I'm not too hopeful on that score.

In case anyone is interested here are the blurbs for the next upcoming work in progresses. They aren't official blurbs and, as always, are subject to editorial whim.

Accidentally His

Kirk rides the bus to work several times a week, intriqued by the quiet bespectacled man he sits behind. When the bus crashes during a storm, Kirk finally meets the shy man, Elijah. Though an unfortunate event brought them together, Kirk is determined to show their love is no accident.


The Naughty Ones

Being a Christmas Elf is hard work and when Christian's best friend and the man he crushes on talks of marriage to his new girlfriend, Christian wonders if the end of the Christmas Season also means the end of his time at the North Pole. But when acting out earns him some dentention working for the Head Elf, Gabriel, Christain learnd what it really means to be naughty.

The Impersonator (Masquerade)

Benjamin Pomeroy thinks his older brother's request for him to take his place at a Masquerade Ball given by their new boss at the Las Vegas Hotel they both work at is harmless enough. After all, he'll be wearing a mask the entire time and the only part of him that will be visible is his eyes, eyes just like his brother's. Benjamin hasn't met the new boss yet. All he knows is the boss is from New Orleans originally and is very fond of Mardi Gras, thus the Masquerade Ball to introduce himself to the more important employees of the hotel. Something Benjamin is not. His job is to impersonate Elvis at the front entrance of the casino. But during the ball, he'll be impersonating his straight brother while trying to ignore his attraction to their extremely attractive and openly gay boss, Maxwell Orton.

Wednesday Musings

The Bridge by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I stood on the bridge at midnight,
As the clocks were striking the hour,
And the moon rose o'er the city,
Behind the dark church-tower.

I saw her bright reflection
In the waters under me,
Like a golden goblet falling
And sinking into the sea.

And far in the hazy distance
Of that lovely night in June,
The blaze of the flaming furnace
Gleamed redder than the moon.

Among the long, black rafters
The wavering shadows lay,
And the current that came from the ocean
Seemed to lift and bear them away;

As, sweeping and eddying through them,
Rose the belated tide,
And, streaming into the moonlight,
The seaweed floated wide.

And like those waters rushing
Among the wooden piers,
A flood of thoughts came o'er me
That filled my eyes with tears.

How often, oh, how often,
In the days that had gone by,
I had stood on that bridge at midnight
And gazed on that wave and sky!

How often, oh, how often,
I had wished that the ebbing tide
Would bear me away on its bosom
O'er the ocean wild and wide!

For my heart was hot and restless,
And my life was full of care,
And the burden laid upon me
Seemed greater than I could bear.

But now it has fallen from me,
It is buried in the sea;
And only the sorrow of others
Throws its shadow over me.

Yet whenever I cross the river
On its bridge with wooden piers,
Like the odor of brine from the ocean
Comes the thought of other years.

And I think how many thousands
Of care-encumbered men,
Each bearing his burden of sorrow,
Have crossed the bridge since then.

I see the long procession
Still passing to and fro,
The young heart hot and restless,
And the old subdued and slow!

And forever and forever,
As long as the river flows,
As long as the heart has passions,
As long as life has woes;

The moon and its broken reflection
And its shadows shall appear,
As the symbol of love in heaven,
And its wavering image here.

Official Blurb & Excerpt

The Official Blurb and Excerpt have appeared for Twice in a Lifetime on Amber Allure's site so I thought I'd post them here. The excerpt isn't exactly safe for work. Twice in a Lifetime will be released September 05, 2010.

Five years ago, British transplant, Jude, left San Francisco after the tragic murder of his lover, Martin. Heartbroken, he settled in Sutter's Bay and opened a small flower shop, hoping that surrounding himself with bright colors and pretty things—living things—would somehow lessen the anguish he felt over his loss.

Jude never expects to find a love like he shared with Martin ever again. Certainly a love like theirs won't come along twice in a lifetime. But then Jude meets sexy Rex Warner, the new veterinarian in Sutter's Bay, and he can't help but wonder if his luck has changed.

Will Rex be able to stop Jude from dwelling on the painful past and look toward a promising future instead?

Excerpt:

...The doorbell rang and Jude let out a nervous breath. This was a little too much like a date. He had random sex sometimes…sure…but not really dates. He’d tried once with Danny and that had been a disaster for both of them. He straightened and went to the door.

His heart pounded as though he’d ran a marathon as he turned the knob to greet Rex. “Hello.”

Rex stood on his doorstep, wearing tight jeans, a plaid button-down shirt, a black cowboy hat, and a smile. “Hello, yourself.”

Jude stepped aside to let Rex inside his apartment. He went to move away, but Rex pushed him against the nearest wall and threaded his fingers through Jude’s hair. Rex angled his head so his hat wouldn’t hit Jude in the face just before his lips covered Jude’s. The kiss was hard, demanding, thoroughly possessive. It took him by surprise and sent jolts of lust from his toes all the way up his body to his ever-hardening cock.

Rex’s tongue parted his lips, plunging in, running along Jude’s teeth. With a groan, Jude’s arms encircled Rex’s neck and pressed against him as much as being pushed against the wall allowed. His dick now fully hard, Jude whimpered.

The kiss broke, and both of them panted heavily. Rex’s eyes were dark with lust. He stared into Jude’s eyes for just a moment before lowering his lips to Jude’s neck and sucking at the pulse there. Jude almost crawled up the wall. His fingers crept to the buttons on Rex’s shirt, sliding out the first couple.

“Can dinner wait?” Rex asked, his lips moving across Jude’s throat.

“Yes. God, yes.” When he reached the third button, he couldn’t budge it from the buttonhole. Groaning in frustration, Jude yanked. Buttons popped, flying in all directions. “Damn, sorry.”

“It’s just a shirt. You can rip my clothes off anytime,” Rex said just before his lips met Jude’s once more. He ground their erections together, sending Jude’s eyes rolling to the back of his head.

Jude jumped up just a bit until his legs were around Rex’s waist. The man carried him away from the wall and toward the bedroom, their lips fused together.

He broke the kiss, leaned back, pulled off his shirt, and threw it to the floor. Rex tossed him on the mattress and crushed him underneath the weight of his muscular body. Hardly able to breathe as Rex’s mouth devoured his, Jude slid his hands over Rex’s tight abs. Who knew a vet could have such a hot bod?

Rex rose up off the mattress long enough to get rid of his shoes, cowboy boots, Jude noticed as he watched, and then his jeans and briefs. Jude swallowed, his gaze glued to the sight of Rex’s long and thick cock pointed his way. A drop of pre-cum glistened from the fat head. Jude’s ass twitched just imagining it thrusting between his cheeks.

Rex’s eyebrow arched up and he indicated his hat. “On?”

Licking his lips, Jude nodded, not trusting himself to speak coherently. His own cock was so hard he thought it would push right through his jeans. Without bothering to undo them, Jude shimmied out of his pants and black boxer briefs, not caring what happened to them when Rex pulled them out of his grasp. Rex’s eyes looked as hot as molten lava as his gaze raked over Jude’s body. In response to the naked need in the other man’s eyes, Jude’s hand closed over his shaft, sliding down the length with aching slowness.

“Fuck. Where are the lube and condoms?”

For a second, Jude’s mind went blank. He hadn’t had sex in his apartment since moving to Sutter’s Bay. All of his sexual encounters had been casual and most of them had been barely outside the premises of the bar he’d gone to for hookups. Not that he was a slut, but—

Rex slapped his foot. “Jude.”

He nodded. “Lube is under the sink in my bathroom.”

“And the condoms?”

He had some in his wallet, but he was pretty sure he had a mostly empty box under the sink as well. He’d have to remember to get some more at the drug store. “Right. There, too.”

While Rex was gone for the few seconds it took to get the goods, Jude scooted up on the bed, closer to the headboard. The sheets and blankets were a shambles, really, for he was never one to make his bed each morning he got up.

Rex pounced on him, holding Jude’s arms above his head. His cowboy hat had gone a bit crooked, but that, together with his sexy smile sent a jolt of lust so powerful through Jude he gasped. “You only have one.”

Jude frowned. “One?”

Rex nipped his earlobe, his hot breath tingling over Jude’s ear. “Condom. We’d better make this last...”

Monday Updates

The problem with not having a release in August is I have no news to report, really. I'm working still on Accidentally His and The Naughty Ones. That's all I am doing so there really isn't any news.

Oh, here's sort of something. A few months ago I posted an excerpt of an unfinished m/m ghost story I was considering finishing some day. Originally it was named Restless but that title has to change due to it being too similar to one already at Amber Quill. Anyway, I signed up to do a paranormal PAX around that time never thinking we'd get enough stories to actually make it (5 is needed), alas one of my fellow Allure authors decided to sign up recently and that makes 5 so I guess the damn PAX is a go. Grrrr. That means early next year I will be writing that ghost story. Oh, hell.

Before I ever get to that though I must finish the two mentioned above as well as The Impersonator due in December.

Sunday Eye Candy

Thursday Updates

First, a shout out to Ava March for turning me on to a neat little feature on blogger where I can pre-schedule posts. I've made loads of use of that feature. I probably should have figured it out myself but well...I didn't. Now I have it.

Anyhow, some of you may have noticed I am rather flighty or wishy-washy as to what story I am going to write next. A couple of months ago I said I would work on another story (which shall remain incognito) by this time of the year, but well, it hasn't worked out that way. Other things come up in a writer's life and imagination and you have to be flexible.

My latest book, Pieces, as well as the next two releases, Twice in a a Lifetime, and The Beach House, are on the angstier sides. I think after the fun and light-heartedness of the Only Forever series, I went to some darker tales. Those of you who have read Pieces already know it had some angst to it. I think you will find similar angst in Twice in a Lifetime (it does NOT deal with suicide). I think The Beach House has some, but to a lesser degree than the other two.

Consequently, because I think both my readers and myself need a break after three in a row, I went to working on lighter, more fun stories.

The current works in progress are Accidentally His (the heroes meet because of a bus accident) and The Naughty Ones (a Christmas Elf story). I'm hoping to make both short and sweet (not no sex sweet of course).

After that, I have the deadline story, involving a Masquerade Ball, called
The Impersonator. It's due by December. When I initially said I would write a story for this themed story from Amber Quill, I had no clue what I would write, but since then I have come with the premise, title, and names. It will take place in Las Vegas. More information to come.

We'll see if I have any time for anything else for the rest of the year, which, I don't know if you all noticed, but it is nearly mid-August already. Yikes.

Anyhow, that leaves many, many stories to be written in 2011. Top of the list being Galaxy's Heart, which is book 3 in the Sutter Bay's series (Sweet Reunion, Twice in a Lifetime, Galaxy's Heart).

So that is the update for anyone wondering what the hell I am writing now and for the rest of the year and whether I have changed my mind yet again (which I have, of course).

Shiny New Cover

Wednesday Musings

Give All To Love by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good fame,
Plans, credit, and the muse;
Nothing refuse.

'Tis a brave master,
Let it have scope,
Follow it utterly,
Hope beyond hope;
High and more high,
It dives into noon,
With wing unspent,
Untold intent;
But 'tis a god,
Knows its own path,
And the outlets of the sky.
'Tis not for the mean,
It requireth courage stout,
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending;
Such 'twill reward,
They shall return
More than they were,
And ever ascending.

Leave all for love;—
Yet, hear me, yet,
One word more thy heart behoved,
One pulse more of firm endeavor,
Keep thee to-day,
To-morrow, for ever,
Free as an Arab
Of thy beloved.
Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
Vague shadow of surmise,
Flits across her bosom young
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free,
Do not thou detain a hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.

Though thou loved her as thyself,
As a self of purer clay,
Tho' her parting dims the day,
Stealing grace from all alive,
Heartily know,
When half-gods go,
The gods arrive.

Here I Am

Yep, I'm back and had a lovely time. I'm ready to get back to writing full time.

Besides the two stories I'm currently working on I managed to volunteer for another story. This one is themed to involve a Masquerade Ball. I have a few months before it's due and it's my intention to have the other stories I'm working on done soon. I'd like to get them done by the end of this month, if I can make it.

So that's it for now. I'll update as I get more news.

Thursday Updates

This is the Disneyland weekend and I am leaving tonight. No access or time for the internet.

There will be no updates this weekend to the blog, including candy on Sunday. I need a break anyway, and I am sure you do, too.

Catch you next week.

Prop 8 Overturned

Yes it is a great day for glbt and their supporters. Prop 8 has been overturned by a Federal Judge. We still have a fight ahead of us but this is wonderful news.

Wednesday Musings

A Summer Day By The Sea by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sun is set; and in his latest beams
Yon little cloud of ashen gray and gold,
Slowly upon the amber air unrolled,
The falling mantle of the Prophet seems.
From the dim headlands many a light-house gleams,
The street-lamps of the ocean; and behold,
O'erhead the banners of the night unfold;
The day hath passed into the land of dreams.
O summer day beside the joyous sea!
O summer day so wonderful and white,
So full of gladness and so full of pain!
Forever and forever shalt thou be
To some the gravestone of a dead delight,
To some the landmark of a new domain.

Monday Updates

I'm back but don't really have lots going on. Just working on two stories. I have no releases this month, unfortuantely, but I am writing to ensure I have some for the rest of the year and beyond.

Hope everyone has a great week.

July Best Sellerrs List

I came in at #2 with Pieces for the month. Since my book came out well after the beginning of the month I think I can safely say that Pieces was quite the success. Thanks everyone

AMBER ALLURE / July 2010

1. And The Survey Says... - Karma Eastwick (Gay / Contemporary)
2. Pieces - Shawn Lane (Gay / Contemporary)
3. Save Me From Myself - Cassie Stevens (Gay / Contemporary)
4. Revealing The Past - T. A. Chase (Gay / Paranormal)
5. Bus Stop - Pepper Espinoza (Gay / Contemporary)
6. Yesterday's Names - Vivien Dean (Gay / Contemporary)
7. (Boys Of The Zodiac) Leo: All That You Are - Jamie Craig (Gay / Contemporary)
8. Night Train To Naples - Carolina Valdez (Gay / Vampire)
9. On Days Like These - Christiane France (Gay / Contemporary)
10. Wings Of Love - Deirdre O'Dare (Gay / Shapeshifter)

Sunday Eye Candy