Yeah, I'm Still Here

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still here and diligently working. Not on what I'm supposed to be writing, but, well, I'm writing.

Today is my mom's 84th birthday!


So, that's pretty cool, I think.

I'm lucky I've had this many years with her. I hope to have a few more, of course. Three years ago she was diagnosed with colon cancer, but after some scary things, she's been doing very well.

But I know I am lucky. I lost my father some years ago now. Far too young as far as I'm concerned. Many people don't get to have their parents or a parent around as long as my mother has been for me.

She's funny. Very recently she discovered I wrote m/m romance. She knew I wrote "naughty" books but she didn't know they were about two men. We were having dinner somewhere, my sister, mother, and me, when my mother, who reads romance, expressed an interest in them. She's read my old non-erotic het historicals. I just sat there in silence, because really I'm not sure I like the idea of my mother reading my erotic romances no matter who is in them. But, my sister piped in and told her that they were homosexual romances. My mother is a strange one. She's conservative in her political thoughts, but she just shrugged, and went something to the affect, "Oh, that's nice." Not that she continued the idea of reading them, of course.

Anyway, because it is her birthday a large group of us are going out for a fancy steak dinner (paid for thankfully by the lawyer sister, lol). Probably the last time we'll see my brother and his wife as they are moving to Kansas the next day.



Over the next two weeks I'll be around but perhaps not quite as visible as usual. I have little mini-trips planned two weekends in a row. And yes, no suprise here, one is to Solvang and Morro Bay again. The other is to Disneyland (visitors coming). Disneyland in August. Pray for me.



I'm working on two works in progress. Just did my edits for Twice in a Lifetime and they were easy (no cover yet though). Busy, busy.

If I don't pop on here again before the weekend, have a great one.

What Happens When You Put Things Off...

So several weeks ago, my old car started popping up with the "check engine" light sometimes. And I do mean...sometimes. It would come on if it was cool in the mornings but by the time I went to drive it home in the afternoon...no "check engine" light. I don't drive it much. It's a 1998 and it only has 80,000 miles on it. It's paid off which makes it quite a lovely car in spite of the fact the electronic locks and sun-roof no longer work.

Anyway, I'm going to have to start driving it a lot more beginning in August. The lovely city of Los Angeles decided to cancel the public transportation I was taking (because clean air and less traffic isn't important I guess). I finally made an appointment for my car to be checked by the mechanic for all that ails it this Friday morning.

Unfortunately, the precious car decided it wanted to die yesterday instead. Got in, tried to start it...click, click, click. Sigh. It's having to be towed to the mechanic.

Thus went my evening last night. Hope yours was better.

A Question of I Love You

Silly picture aside, I have a real post here:

This is something I brought up some time ago on the blog, but I think I didn’t have as many followers or lurkers out there so I thought I’d pose it again.

I’d like opinions on “I love you.”

If you’ve given it before, please consider doing it again for those that didn’t see it or for those of us who have CRS.

I’ll preface it to say years ago I read a historical romance by one of my favorite authors. This was by the only het author I still read regularly. Anyway, at the conclusion of the book, which was most definitely Happily-Ever-After, even though the heroine had declared her love with the words, “I love you” before the end, the hero got to the end of the book and never said it to her. Not once.

Now let me be clear, it was extremely obvious he loved her. So I don’t mean she could ever doubt it or the reader either. HOWEVER, I felt cheated. This was a wonderful book that I adored. I loved the couple and their romance, but when the end came and he never once said it, I was left feeling bereft.

So I wonder, am I alone in having to hear those three words from both my main characters?

When you, as a reader, come to the end of a story that does not have a Happy For Now ending, but rather a clear Happily-Ever-After ending, but one of the two heroes never tells the other, “I love you.” How do you feel? Is this okay? Are you satisfied because you know, maybe in the back of your head, he says it privately off the pages (lol)? Or do you have just a smidge of an unsatisfied feeling?



PS. There will be no Friday post this week to leave this up for responses, likewise, no excerpt day on Saturday, just a posting of the winner (lazy)

No News Tuesday

Well I wish I had news to report but I do not. I am in limbo mode at the moment.

Waiting on cover art, contract offers, releases, news of bff. Just waiting.

Well, that isn't entirely true. I did hear from Jack this morning and Shayne is still quite sick. They had to increase his medicine. Hopefully he will improve very soon.

I got about 600 words or so done yesterday on His One and Only which takes me past 6000 words. Since the story will be at least twice that you can see I still have my work cut out for me. Fortunately I don't have any specific deadline for this but of course the sooner I can finish the sooner I can get a release date and the series will be concluded. I'll have the four stories in print at that point or shortly thereafter for anyone interested.

I've had mostly positive reaction from Only in His Dreams. As I said I think Barnaby will end up being quite popular when his book comes out next month. I have two coming in April so that's pretty cool.

Other than that, I am afraid I am boring today.

You Know How I Feel About Tuesdays

A couple reminders first.

Don’t forget to enter to win Only In His Dreams being released this weekend.

Don’t forget to send me any questions you have for Ashtyn. A few of you have but not as many as I thought would.

The work-in-progress is going pretty well, I think. My intention is to have it done no later than the end of March and hopefully before. Then I will be sending it off for review.

His One and Only, the fourth and final story in my only series, is on temporary hold while I finish the story noted above. Once it’s off I will finish His One and Only.

Most of you are aware my bff is Shayne. He has been strongly suggesting an idea for a story that he would very much like to see me write. I am afraid I indulged him and agreed to do it.

Now I don’t know whether you are aware, but Amber Quill’s Allure line has opened for submissions for certain themes. The information can be found on the website but one of the themes is Hot Summer Daze and is supposed to involve summer love affairs (that become much more). The story Shayne wants me to write fit in well here, therefore, I will be releasing a story as part of the series and my story is called, The Beach House.

I will provide more details as to content later when I begin to write it.

Friday Updates

So, I didn’t get quite as much done Thursday on the current wip. Understandable given the day. Still I got about 500 words.

Monday I will begin the giveaway for Only In His Dreams. Wow, does it seem like forever since I had a release? It does to me. I’m excited to finally have a release coming up. As you know, Only In His Dreams is the first story in my Only series.

Saturday’s excerpt will be from Only In His Dreams but I think I am going to use the one that gives you a taste of Barnaby and Nate from Only For Him, coming in April.

Not sure who will appear as candy yet on Sunday. I’ll find something.

Auto Buy Authors

I'm semi-delirious but thought I'd post this:

This is me the reader.

A recent discussion with Ava March had me thinking who my auto buy authors are. And I realized that it’s changed a bit over the years with some adding on and some dropping off.

Usually the ones that drop off are those that write in a genre I no longer regularly read (Marilyn Lee comes to mind) or an author that has perhaps changed genres his or her self. One auto buy author (Ed McBain) died a few years ago so that was the reason he dropped off.

Now there are authors I almost always buy, but aren’t what I would consider “auto”. I can think of one who writes various types of books and only some of those subject matters interest me. And sometimes even my auto buy authors release an occasional book I don’t feel was quite up to their usual standards. I’m sure we all feel this way.

So without further ado I decided to post my current auto buy authors, in no particular order.

1) J.L. Langley
2) Josh Lanyon
3) Ava March
4) Zathyn Priest
5) Ally Blue
6) A.M. Riley
7) M.L. Rhodes
8) Jayne Ann Krentz (and all her AKAs)

Now, there are many, many more authors that I enjoy many of their offerings, but if I have to go with, they could write a grocery list and I would buy it, these are the ones that come to mind.

Who are your auto buy authors and have they changed over the years? If they have, what are the reasons?

Looking Forward

I hope everyone had a simply fabulous holiday. I, for one, am now looking forward to 2010. I know many of you are also. I've got tons and tons of writing to do to get many more books out.

I discovered that in 2008 I had eleven releases. And in 2009 I had only eight. So now we will see how many I can do for 2010. The only one scheduled is Only in His Dreams, but I intend to change that very quickly.

For those of you in the rest of the country, you should know yesterday was clear and beautiful with temperatures in the high sixties.

Writing Blues

Nothing at all to report.

I'm having trouble motivating myself to write. I hope I get over it soon, but in the meantime, here's a nice picture.

Favorite Heroes

Apparently I'm in a wondering mood this week because today's topic is favorite heroes. Also I love to stimulate discussion even if it is by just a handful of people who happen to actually appear interested in the happenings here. Thanks for that.

So, my question for those who care to answer, who are some of your all time favorite fictional heroes? I know it is hard to narrow it down to just a few, but do try if you can.

I'll start out the discussion with some I can come up with off the top of my own curly head.

1) I have two favorite heterosexual historical romance heroes and they are both heroes by the same author and they are Ian from Julie Garwood's The Secret and Geoffrey from Julie Garwood's Gentle Warrior.

2) Favorite hero from a contemporary heterosexual would be Harry Trevelyan from Jayne Ann Krentz's Absolutely, Positively.

3) I must confess I don't read a whole lot of historical gay fiction. Most of what is out there sort of bores me because I'm just not a fan of endless historical details in my enjoyment reading. If I want to read about that I will pick up a history book. I myself write when the fancy takes me "historical light" but I will say that I have a definite soft spot for Lord Oliver from Ava March's Bound series.

4) And finally I must list a few favorites in the contemporary gay fiction. I absolutely adore Keaton (Bit) Reynolds from J.L. Langley's Without Reservations. I love both Sean and Dan from Josh Lanyon's The Dark Horse and The White Knight. I love Sean from AM. Riley's The Elegant Corpse.



5) And for Sci-Fi I am going with Aiden from My Fair Captain.

Naturally I love many more heroes and books but this is what I could come up with and that stand out with me right now.
So how about it, who are some of your favorites?

Only Wondering

Just a non-scientific survey for my own curiosity

1) If I read a bad review on a review site for a book by an author I have never read before I will probably not read that book.

Yes or No

2) If I read a good review on a review site for a book by an author I have never read before I will probably buy the book.

Yes or No.

3) Even if I see bad reviews on a book by an author I almost always enjoy I will still buy their book.

Yes or No.

4) I rarely read reviews on review sites as I know my own likes and dislikes and can generally figure out from reading trusted authors or blurbs and excerpts whether I will like the book.

Yes or No.

Just thought I’d throw these questions out. Feel free to add your thoughts as well. I was talking not that long ago with someone and noted before I became a published writer myself I never read reviews of any books I had bought. I just chose books based on either having read the author before or liking the sound of the book. The first book I read by J.L. Langley for instance was Without Reservations. I just liked the cover and the sound of it so I bought it and I have been a huge fan of hers ever since.

Story Pet Peeves

Recently I've read a few blogs and/or reviews wherein the person mentions some story pet peeve that they just hate to read. Whether it is "gay for you" or "the big misunderstanding" or whatever other story elements bother them. This got me to thinking. Are there plot elements that bother me?

The only one I can think of is the TSTL (too stupid to live) main character which can be present in any plot, really, but thankfully I come across that much less in m/m romances (which is almost all I read these days). But this isn't really a plot element.

So in all honesty as long as the story is good and entertaining I don't really have a problem with cliched plots or "gay for you" or "big misunderstanding" or "secret babies" or "May-December" or "crazed stalker/ex". Any of that. Like I said, done well, I am fine with it.

So for anyone out there who might be reading this, are there plot elements you don't like to see in stories?