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Showing posts from 2015

Readers aren't Trained Monkeys AND future plans for this circus!

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Kindle Unlimited, how sexy you look in that gaudy red topcoat. So now, Mr. Ringmaster, shall we dance? *Note: I apologize to the monkeys. Now, before the defenders freak out, I want to make one thing clear. I have NO ISSUE with the authors that choose to go exclusive with Amazon. The Kindle Unlimited program has some appeal, more so with the increased exposure. Some authors literally HAVE to go all in just to keep their morgage paid. And I'm not just saying that.  If you're interested, there's an interesting post by co-founder of Smashwords, Mark Coker, about his predictions for 2016. Here's the link: http://blog.smashwords.com/2015/12/2016-book-publishing-predictions.html There's a lot of interesting information in there, but more for authors than for readers. What stuck with me that may interest readers--because it interested me AS a reader--is this: "Amazon is training Kindle customers to view even 99 cent ebooks as too e

You're going to HELL... and RELEASE DAY! Evil's Embrace (Celestial Pets #1)

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Yes, I know, that was uncalled for. But I totally meant in the book! ;) FINALLY, Evil's Embrace has released as a whole, with a twisted climax and conclusion you didn't see coming. And it's already got some AMAZING reviews!  Books to Curl Up With: Review of Evil's Embrace (Celestial Pets #1) This book has been with me for a long time and I hesitated to share it with you, because while many of you loved the sadistic vampire, Cyrus, delving into the realm of angels and demons is a little different. But I love this story, and while it's not about my kinky hockey players, it shares the same depth, with a story you can lose yourself into and escape the real world. Escaping to hell is a dubious pleasure, but the Devil is actually a pretty fun guy. If you stay on his good side. ;) There's so much I could say about this book. About the legends of angels and demons I explored to give a 'realistic' edge to the story, about how I actually

Why, oh why? And what the HELL am I doing?

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Those of you who follow me on Facebook and/or twitter have probably noticed that I published a new book last week and have another coming out at the beginning of December. Neither is a Cobra book. Neither is the last Deadly Captive book. One is actually a little taboo. Really, it’s the type of book authors should avoid. Absolutely icky. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I wrote a stepbrother book. Actually, I know exactly what I was thinking. This is a fun story I’d started writing when I first began sharing my work on Literotica. I had a great response from readers and it helped me gain the confidence to dip my toe into writing erotic romance. If I could write something so forbidden and click ‘publish’ online without the slightest bit of shame, I felt free to explore any subject my muse showed an interest in. Don’t get me wrong, I get why some people are completely disgusted by the very IDEA of a Stepbrother romance. One of the m

Readers in Boxes-All you Need is Love

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The whole issue of a MF author being plagiarized by a MM author has brought forth some interesting topics. A Washington Post article used the deplorable situation to take a jab at the romance genre as a whole. Others have been sharing their outrage and demanding to know how theft like this can be prevented. I shared my thoughts about this yesterday, but another topic that was mentioned has been bugging me. Everyone has their opinion, and I don't mean this as a critisism, but I have to wonder how 'clever' it really was to assume there's not much crossover between gay and straight romance. Maybe it's because I've been writing menage romance for so long, I don't usually see the divide. Ya, I've had readers who devour stories with a strong heroine meeting the man who can stand by her side, that pick up one of my books and say 'Wow. I never thought I'd be into two guys falling in love, but now I want more!' Those comments always make me smile,

PLAGIARISM in its most HEARTLESS form.

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If you haven't heard about what's going on, I'll include some links, but here's the gist of what went down. An "author", Laura Harner, decided to copy entire novels, change them from MF to MM, and then sell them as her own. Obviously she just copied the general concepts and then wrote her own books, right? Nope. That would indicate some kind of integrity. She wasn't inspired by these authors. She STOLE from them. The fact that I know, love, and respect Becky McGraw has no bearing on how disgusted and angry I am. That I've read and enjoyed so many of Opal Carew's books doesn't make me more inclined to shout about this from the highest platforms I can reach. It is my love of books, both as an author, and a reader, that makes this whole situation so damn repulsive. EVERY single reader that picked up one of her books has been cheated. The authors she stole from--and there may be more, so I urge you to look through the books this person stil

New Dartmouth Cobras Hoodies for the coming chill! And a quick update...

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I'm gonna keep this brief, but since I've got a lot on my plate. Most importantly, WRITING! <g> Also, visiting some of you awesome people at the Midwestern Book Lover's Conference . Please come see me if you're in the area!  First, here's a new design for the Cobra lovers out there. I've had a lot of requests, so I hope you like it! It's getting chilly, so who better than to cuddle up with than our boys? ;)   Click here to reserve yours today!  For books, the FULL Celestial Pets book will be out around the beginning of next month. I'm so grateful that you guys have been patient with me, so I'll have it at a VERY low price for the first few weeks. Good news is, this marks a fresh flow with the muse, so I should be releasing books more frequently.  As for my post the other day about my daughter's school, I will be writing a full update post for that as soon as I get all the information and sort out my thoughts. But for now,

This happened at my daughter's school. And it's NOT ok.

This just happened, and I apologize to anyone who doesn't want to know personal things about my life. But I am hurt and horrified and I'm not waiting until this happens again. My daughter's school has a no-tolerance policy for bullying. Yet, this is the response today. And it's wrong in so many ways. So I wanted to address the one person my daughter should have been able to trust: Mr. X from my daughter's school. So far I am struggling to understand what happened, but all I know is you are the one my daughter spoke to after being told she should kill herself. After being told SHE SHOULD KILL HERSELF. With everything happening, with all the awareness going on in schools, there are so many ways you could have replied. But all you did was tell her not to worry about rumors and to ignore the kids who verbally attacked her. I am now waiting for the school's response, but I'd like to ask you something. Are you aware this child lost her gran

Re-release of SOLID EDUCATION-Expanded! Check out this hot excerpt!

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Took a little while, but here's our boys, Gage and Derek, with an awesome new epilogue which may very well lead to future books with them and our favorite pup, Matty! I hope you enjoy the new addition as much as I did! And if you haven't read this yet, you're in for a treat! <g> Blurb: Gage Tackett comes off as a bad boy—detached and maybe a little dangerous. Definitely not Vet Sciences Professor Derek Paulson’s type. Which he tells himself, repeatedly, every time the other man attends his class. Until the day he looks over to see Gage’s seat is empty. When Gage arrives at Derek’s veterinary clinic with a frostbitten stray dog, the lines of their teacher/student relationship are blurred. Derek realizes his most difficult student has a few things to teach him . Things he’s more than willing to learn. “One of my favorites of this collection. It contained well developed characters and a tender storyline. The power struggle and the flirting betwe

How to PROMOTE your book without looking like a USED CAR SALESMAN: PART ONE

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This might not be necessary, but I figured I should mention what some authors are doing that make them come off as used car salesmen, telemarketers, or those companies that send out enough junk mail to create a life-sized, paper mache dragon in the span of a month. Not that I've made one, but I totally could! ;) There's a few examples I can use, so I'll try to be fair. I mean, no author is so obsessed with pimping that they begin every conversation with 'Well, in my book.' or 'You should check out my book because...' I'd totally suggest you make finding these rare, sweet walking billboards a drinking game, but I truly value your liver. Which sounded a lot creepier than it was meant to! lol Anyway, picture this. Your phone rings. You ignore it, and then you get one message. Than another and another and another and...WTF? Pressing play, you all of a sudden have messages from different people in a group talking about SHAM PLOW. It's the g

The WORDS are there and you're NOT going anywhere. Take a DEEP breath.

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There have been plenty of times I’ve needed to hear that. Plenty of times where those simple instructions seemed the hardest thing in the world. What’s a deep breath gonna do? When things are a mess, when it all goes to hell, why tell me to do what I gotta do anyway? Well, because sometimes it’s the only thing you CAN do. It won’t make anything easier, but when you’re rushing around trying to fix everything, you end up breathing hard and fast and not in a good way. While you scramble around struggling to make the world make sense, you’re usually gasping for air. Today’s post is a response to seeing a lot of people stressing out. For good reasons, but at time the negativity can really drag you under. Believe me, I know. Rather than depress myself talking about HOW I know, I figured I’d address one of the issues I’ve seen coming up a lot lately, and that’s authors feeling the need to write enough to stay relevant. Seeing this bre

There Are No Gay Players In The NHL Series-The Strain on Gay Collegiate/Pro Hockey Players by V.L. Locey

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Is there anything more crushing to the human spirit then to have to deny who you truly are? Imagine being an artist living in a culture where your peers frowned upon painting. Or, perhaps you love to write but society hated and scorned authors. Maybe you love floral arranging but your family detests flowers. Or, just maybe, you collect dolls but your church is vocally against doll collecting. I suppose some of you will scoff at the comparisons above by saying that collecting porcelain dolls is very different from having sex with someone of the same gender. True, it is, but the hatred against those who are different is the same. Being ridiculed and ostracized because of whom you love is part of a debilitating cult of masculinity that so many athletes in this country are forced to deal with. It`s hard for adult gay and lesbian athletes. Try to picture the strain of being a young adult and having to face this kind of abuse. It is a well-known fact that gay teens