Physics did not actually appear in this film

Today is the last day of Blissemas. Snogs in the Snow is the last stop on our whirlwind tour...

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Collin laughingly pushed my hands away when I tried to reach for one of the dinner rolls, tearing it into bite sized pieces and feeding them to me like I was a baby bird. I rolled my eyes at him. Naturally, it was the pie that actually got me into trouble. I was laughing at Collin's description of his nephew's Halloween costume when he offered me a bite of pecan pie, covered in whip cream. I snarfed. And he missed. I took a noseful of whip cream, and sticky pecan down the side of my chin.

"Oh, brilliant," I snorted. "You're a terrible nursemaid." Collin scraped the fork along my chin, catching a dollop of pie filling.

"Really? I get all the way to the end of dinner, and you make me miss, and I'm the one who's terrible?" Collin ate the glop of pie himself. "Hmm. That's pretty good." He leaned in. I knew - from the instant that he'd forked a bite of turkey and offered it to me - that this moment was in the offing. A single quiver, a tightening in my belly that snaked down my thighs and coiled there, waiting, in my groin. I could have pulled back, could have turned it, and nothing would have happened. I didn't. I offered him my pie-smeared nose and cheek, and in those precious seconds, offered everything else.

Collin's tongue slid across my cheek, tasting and teasing. He nipped the end of my nose, sending crinkling tingles down my throat. Under my striped uniform shirt, my nipples peaked with sudden, almost painful intensity. I arched my back, pressing toward him. The scrape of his stubbled chin brushed over my skin, a single rasp, before his mouth came down on mine.

Kissing always seemed to me to be perfunctory, a necessary prelude to whatever sexual adventure was coming my way. Like a preview for a movie, something I didn't really mind too much if we were late to the theater and missed. Not this kiss. Instead of rudely thrusting his tongue into my mouth, prodding and probing, Collin's kiss was a sensual onslaught. He licked at my lips, teased the corner of my mouth, sending shivers along my spine. The tickle of his beard against my sensitive upper lip made me gasp. By the time he plundered the inside of my mouth, I was more than willing, more than ready, and decidedly marking the kiss on my must-see summer blockbusters.

He explored and plundered, tasting and touching. His arms came around me, fingers trailing down to the small of my back, pulling me against him. His breath was hot and heavy and he pulled the air out of my lungs in his eagerness. I surrendered, my hands going up to test the silken glide of his hair, the feel the hard muscles of his shoulders. I leaned against his long frame, feeling every inch of his body against mine.

-- From Holiday Hours, currently available in Coming Together: For the Holidays

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Last night, I went to see Battle of Five Armies and the end of the ridiculously photogenic dwarves.

Physics did not actually appear in the film.

I will say I am not a purist; my enjoyment of both the 1940's Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary will attest to the fact that even books I love intensely do not need to be 100% in order to make a decent film. (I do not like the Kiera Knightly P&P, but that's a matter of severe dislike for their Mr. Darcy... )

I have been subjected to many a late night rant about elves at Helm's Deep and while I agree that the alterations to Boramir's character were unpleasant and didn't add to the film, I generally enjoy the Jackson editions of all the films.

This one was no exception.

But I did think the film should have been "Thorin, no. Dude! Really?"

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I'm pretty impressed that I've managed a blog entry most of this month. But I'm getting kinda tired. Let's just pretend there's some interesting content here, okay?

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Torquere's free reads for today (these free reads are offered from 12am  -11:59pm... US Central Time. If you miss "today's" free reads in my links, check Torquere's twitter account for the latest free reads.)

Aisling Book One: Guardian by Carole Cummings

Constable Dallin Brayden knows who he is, what he's about, and he doesn't believe in Fate. 'Wilfred Calder' has no idea who he is, what he's about, and has been running from Fate for as long as he can remember. When Wil is brought in for questioning as a witness to a brutal murder, and subsequently flees, Dallin is dragged by duty into the chaos of ancient myth, fanatical religion, and the delicate politics of a shaky truce between two perpetually warring countries, all of which seem to hinge on the slender shoulders of the man he knows is not Wilfred Calder.

The eventual capture of Dallin’s quarry only makes matters worse. Wil is prickly and full of rage, rebellious and lethal, and tells an unbelievable tale of magic and betrayal that threatens to rock the carefully cultivated foundations of Dallin's world. Leery and only half-believing, Dallin finds himself questioning not only his own conscience and his half-forgotten past, but the morality and motives of everyone around him, including those who hold the power of his own country’s fate in their hands.

GET FOR FREE

Wild Raspberries by Jane Davit

When Daniel Seaton inadvertently trespasses on Tyler Edward's land, things almost go very, very wrong. It's bad enough that Dan's a runaway, but when Tyler nearly shoots him on sight, Dan knows he's in trouble. Tyler's got a lot of years under his belt, and his past doesn't let him accept strangers easily. Dan's situation is dire enough that Tyler takes him home, at least for a little while, and that turns out to be a good decision when Dan decides to stay on and help out with the chores.

Tyler might be learning to trust, and Dan might be settling in to a new life, but things are not always what they seem. Between interfering friends, injuries, and their attraction to each other, Tyler and Dan have plenty of troubles. More trouble turns up in the form of Tyler's past, which catches up to them with a vengeance, and they decide to start a new life together, one that requires them to leave everything behind. Can they overcome what lies in the past to have a future with each other?

GET FOR FREE

Blissmas 2014

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

A Marked Man and other fascinating gaming stories...

First off, Blissemas! Yay. Kiru Taye has stuff for you. Comment, win, wash, rinse, repeat...

It's really hard for me to maintain a Christmas Spirit for a whole month. Go read her blog post while I have a mimosa.

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So, A Marked Man is out...

In 1982, I wrote my very first short story as part of a class project... it's horrible and terrible and no, I'm not going to show it to you. But it was the first step in a very long journey...

In 1984, I wrote the following sentence, It might look familiar if you buy A Marked Man.

"The thief known as Mace crouched beneath the table."

The rest of the short story - five ridiculous, painstakingly typed pages - goes on to describe the theft of jellies and jams from a bakery as a gift for the thief's mother's birthday...

That was the first time Mace the Assassin made an appearance in my life. It wouldn't be the last. In 86, while I was at horse camp in New Hampshire for twelve weeks, I handwrote out several short stories about Mace and his girlfriend, Maddie. Those stories are lost. My camp roommate might have deserved getting knocked down a hill falling down the main hill on the way to dinner. Oops.

He went into hiatus for quite a long while after that...

And then he made a big time resurgence when I saw the movie The Three Musketeers

Michael Wincott, with the voice and the sneer and the delicious darkness, became the face of Mace the assassin...

I became obsessed with Wincott, watched as many of his movies as I could get my hands on...

I mean, just listen to that... chilling.... seductive. Perfect.

But then I had to put him away again. I wasn't really writing much during that time from about 1992 - 2001, give or take. I'd gotten some pretty brutal criticism and didn't have the emotional maturity or bandwidth to handle it. My life was every kinds of messed up. I did maybe... 8 short stories in those years (I wrote a very bad portal novel in 1990, which I can't even find a rough draft of, and that's probably a good thing... ) and I have several abortive attempts at other novels... the rough of which became the backbone of W.O.L. and a currently backburnered novel called Rains in Eden.

And then it happened. I dragged Mace out of the closet where he'd been lurking and used him as a role playing character...

Once I gave him a voice, a face, a real name behind the assassin's street-name he was called...

I haven't been able to get him out of my head since...

It's a little unnerving from time to time having a professional assassin hanging out in your head, commenting on your life. Just saying. In case that's ever happened to you...

But finally, I got his voice down on paper and into your hands. Despite that, he's still sitting in my mental living room, his boots up on my coffee table, making the casual observation about my life...

The thief known as Mace crouched under the kitchen table. He balanced precariously between a set of embroidered slippers and a pair of immaculate leather boots, praying to whatever gods might look out for thieves that neither of the people sharing breakfast were particularly clumsy.  

If either Sorcerer Aleck Merril or Knight-Commander Jan Lyze dropped a fork and bent to peer under the tablecloth, Mace would be discovered, destroying what could become a legendary heist. Bad enough that he was trapped under the table, an undignified position at best. He hadn't eaten in at least a day; betrayal by grumbling from his empty stomach would just be humiliating. The smell of bacon and toast and jam above his head tormented him.

His back ached from the weight of his backpack, stuffed with jewelry, coins, and a assorted magical devices swiped from the sorcerer's desk. The main prize, an enchanted gemstone, was tucked inside his shirt pocket. It swung gently with each breath he took, chafing the collar of his shirt against his sweat-damp neck. The thief shifted his balance to ease muscles threatening to cramp. 

I hope you enjoy his adventures as much as I did...

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And Torquere's still doing their 2 free books per day...

Herc's Mercs: The Bigger they Come by Ari McKay

Cade “Hercules” Thornton is an ex-Marine and soldier of fortune; now he’s the owner of Hercules Security, which provides the best bodyguards in the business. After his leg was crushed and reconstructed, Cade doesn’t do field work anymore - until a challenge is issued to him by wealthy Kate Morgan, who wants her “bookish” grandson protected from a stalker. She insists on having the very best bodyguard available, and that is Cade himself.

But there is nothing laid back or bookish about Dr. Jude Morgan. Having lived under the thumb of his grandmother his entire life, Jude is insistent that he doesn’t need a babysitter. Sparks fly when Cade tries to insinuate himself into Jude’s life, and Cade knocks Jude on his ass - literally.

Yet the danger to Jude is real, and Cade is the only thing standing between him and an increasingly more terrifying stalker. Cade’s protective feelings for his client become something more, while Jude begins to realize that his brawny, neo-Viking protector is a man unlike anyone he’s ever known. Yet as Cade and Jude grow closer, so does the danger.

Cade will stop at nothing to protect Jude, but Jude’s stalker is determined to get his man - even if he has to kill Cade Thornton to do it.


GET FOR FREE

Zirkua Fantastic by Voss Foster

Zirkua Fantastic has been running steadily since 1753, amazing its patrons with acts of otherworldly skill and prowess. But that talent comes at a steep price: each artist must give a year of his or her life to the circus. None of them know why, only that the circus' owners will go to whatever lengths are necessary to ensure it. Toby, the hoop dancer at Zirkua Fantastic and son of one of the owners, is content with his life: he enjoys performing and Zirkua's wandering life, and even has a boyfriend among the circus' hawkers. But when a new artist arrives, bringing with him a strange flask and a number of odd occurrences, Toby falls face-first into the truth behind the circus: Its contracts bind King Jester, the immortal embodiment of chaos.

Zirkua's performances and contracts have held King Jester prisoner for centuries, but now something's amiss. King Jester's sister, Dragon, has escaped her own bonds and is working to free her brother, and his power is growing. If he is loosed on the world, it will mean the worst war in human history and the end of civilization... unless Zirkua Fantastic can find a way to stop him.

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Guest Post: Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese (and some more announcements)

Announcements

Hello everyone, your favorite crazy writer here... (I may well be truly losing my mind, it's possible. Come visit me in the mental hospital, would you? It gets boring.)

Today I have... Blissemas with Tabitha Rayne (who I was introduced to recently because she did some lovely portrait work for my dear friend, Malin James... so y'all should definitely go check her out...)

And A Marked Man is out today - I'm having my Facebook release party today as well, so if you haven't signed up, drop by and say hello. I'll be giving away prizes and swag, posting excerpts, taking questions, and generally being "around" for most of the day... 

The Guest Post

Our protagonist in Evergreen, Liam, is a supporting character in Starling, Book One in our Love in Los Angeles series. (Book Two, Doves, comes out January 21, and Book Three is out in June), but this is a standalone story and you don’t have to have read Starling to be able to enjoy Evergreen.

In Evergreen, Liam’s joined by several characters that readers of Starling have already met. These include his fiancee Carly, his asexual boyfriend and also boss Victor, and his costar and ex-lover Alex. Throughout the story, Liam pesters them for help sorting out his woes with his childhood best friend and long-term lover Charles. Unfortunately for Liam, however, they’re all tied up -- figuratively and otherwise -- with their own relationship issues.

Throughout the story we see bits of all of those negotiations. And all of them are kinky in some way to someone. After all, the title of the anthology Evergreen is published in is Santa’s Little Kinksters. But what kink looks like for each couple in the story is different.

Sometimes, that kink is pretty explicit. There’s not much that’s understated about someone being tied to a bed.

Other times, however, the kink is much more subtle. It’s all still kink, though, even if it’s just someone getting excited about the marks his fingernails leave on his boyfriend’s skin.

So here’s to all the kinksters, Christmassy and otherwise, and all the adventures and exploits they get up to at the holidays and year-round.

Blurb:

When bisexual polyamorous TV star Liam Campbell returns home to New York City for the holidays he finds out his his best friend (with benefits) Charles Ortwin has recently acquired a serious boyfriend. Thrown by not being the center of everyone's attention, Liam seeks out advice from three of his chosen family: ex-lover and co-star J. Alex Cook, boss and asexual romantic companion Victor Salcido Santillan, and fiancée Carly Amadahy, each of whom are tied up with their own sensual pleasures.

When a holiday party ends in a series of arguments between Charles, the new boyfriend, and Liam, it takes a snowy Christmas, a bit of honest communication, and some delightful sexual agony to put everything back as it should be.




Bio:

Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese are authors of the gay romance series Love in Los Angeles, set in the film and television industry (Starling (September 10, 2014), Doves (January 21, 2015), and Phoenix (June 10, 2015)), all from Torquere Press. Their gay romance novella Midsummer (Summer 2015), about a summerstock Shakespeare company, is from Dreamspinner Press. Racheline is a NYC-based performer and storyteller; Erin is a writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. They write stories and scripts about the intersection of private lives, fame, and desire.

Social Media Links:

Joint Blog: http://Avian30.com
Joint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Erin.and.Racheline
Erin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/erincmcrae
Racheline’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/racheline_m
Erin’s Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8323893.Erin_McRae
Racheline’s Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1015335.Racheline_Maltese

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Evergreen/dp/B00R4XEG6A/

Torquere: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=4330

More Announcements!

The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica is out on audible.com... so if you like to listen to your smutty stories, they're now available that way...

Even More Announcements!

Torquere's still giving away two free books every day, so here's today's offerings. You are downloading these, right? I am. Every. single. one. I anticipate reading quite a lot in 2015...

Angel of 13th Street by Eden Winters

The Angel. That’s what the young hustlers call Noah Everett, the man who’ll help them get off the streets. Once a hustler himself, Noah doesn’t take his own good advice, which is, “Don’t let this ruin your life.” Haunted by the past and those he couldn’t save, Noah carefully keeps others at bay until his self-imposed loneliness is shattered by determined, ambitious, but homeless eighteen-year-old Jeremy Kincaid.

A ruthless pimp has targeted Jeremy, but if Noah will fight to get anonymous young men out of the life, he’ll fight harder to keep Jeremy from getting in, even if it means a return to old stomping grounds to make a deal with the devil. To save Jeremy, Noah risks more than just his body. He risks his soul as well, because Willie Carnell, pimp, was once Billy Cordell, Noah’s lover.

GET FOR FREE

All I Want for Christmas by V.L. Locey

Alexander Dawson thought this Christmas would be a lonely one. He has no way of knowing that his cantankerous cat, Mister Tibbets, will turn a simple online shopping trip into a cataclysmic Christmas conundrum. Alex ends up on a madcap dash to another state during a snow storm to return a painting to dreamy wildlife artist, Cooper Reynolds.  Once he stumbles across Cooper's remote log cabin, he and the sexy but emotionally distant painter end up sharing more than a kiss under the mistletoe.

Things aren't all holly-jolly for the men though. Cooper gets a terrible case of icy feet, and Alex hits the road as soon as the snowplow clears it, feeling hurt and angry. Can Alex, Cooper, and their feline friends find a way to have purrfect holiday together?

GET FOR FREE

Blessings in Disguise

Coming Together: Among the Stars was released yesterday, and I hope you've had a chance to pick up a copy. If not, please do...

So... Blissemas is still the thing, of course... John (Bawdy Bloke) has a blog thing for you, so go check that out and don't forget to comment every day for your chance to win a kindle paperwhite full of smut.

And Torquere is still giving away one or two books per day, so let me lay those out here for you...

Jumping into Things by Julia Talbot

What are the odds that two different brothers will find the man of their dreams in one summer?

What are the odds that those two brothers will both like men?

The Thatcher brothers will make you forget the odds. In this double novella, each brother tells his own tale. There’s Jed, pilot and all around good old boy, gets more than the one night stand he bargained for with an adrenaline pumped smoke jumper who makes him as horny as he does crazy. And Ross, Airborne jump instructor and man’s man, finds a sweet young thing he can’t resist, and follows in his big brother’s footsteps.

Likeable men, hot sex, and a great sense of detail make these brothers believable, even when you think the odds are against them.

GET FOR FREE

My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

It's 1969 and high school freshman Nick Horton has got problems; he's an easy target for bullies, he's a social outcast who dreams of being popular, and he doesn't understand why he's just not attracted to girls. So after a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker, he's delighted when Jesse Gaston and his gang befriend him. But while Nick just wants to explore his growing attraction to Bobby Warren, Jesse's campaign to give him a new image soon transforms the shy loser into an anti-establishment student hero and before long, Nick discovers that if it wasn't tough enough just pretending to be straight, now he's got to act cool too! As Nick strives to understand his emerging romance with Bobby he also finds himself besieged by would-be girlfriends. At the same time, he also has to deal with increasingly dangerous goings-on at school and the Vietnam War's destructive impact on his family.

Nick's freshman year is a remarkable journey of ridiculous misadventures, unexpected psychedelic explorations, and tragic turns of fate.  Is a world still reeling from the sexual revolution and the illicit pleasures of marijuana and underage drinking ready to accept two boys in love? Can Nick and Bobby's relationship survive a world where acid rock rules, status is everything, and being gay is the last taboo? My Life as a Myth is an often humorous but ultimately heartbreaking story of a boy's struggle with sexual identity and first love in a violent and hostile world.

GET FOR FREE

Yesterday, I spent all day working on the galley edits for A Marked Man, which will be available on Thursday. If you haven't already signed up for my Facebook Release Party, please do. (It's not a real event, you just have to check your computer and say hi...)

There will be some fun prizes and contests, and mostly I'll just be hanging out for the day (it's 2 - 11pm EST, so really, you can drop in for most of the day... )

And while I was working on that, I started to write this blog entry, which was supposed to plug Fair Game, my lesbian story... only to find out that once again, the publication date has been pushed off. The publisher was recently bought out, and schedules and staff are all off and crazy...

I probably shouldn't say much more about that because what I'm thinking isn't very nice, even if it is true, and we all know what's been going on with people who say not nice but true things about publishers.

Yeah, just shutting up now...

ANYWAY, it's probably a good thing. I was looking - originally, several weeks ago - at a pretty crazy week... Coming Together: Among the Stars out Monday, Fair Play out on Wednesday, A Marked Man and London Steam out on Thursday....

Now with some shuffles around and movement, I only have two releases this week, although they're both major, and I hope you'll bear with me while I try to get my life on straight...

On the other hand, while I was working on galley edits all day - and I'm going to give a special shout out to my editor, Elizabeth Lance, who tirelessly put up with my nitpicking, my bad dialogue tags, and my horrible inconsistency, and who loves the story nonetheless, and who continued to be encouraging and supportive through the whole messy last run. Thank you, Elizabeth. I don't deserve you, I really don't. - I got two. more. sets. of. edits. in.

So much for getting any actual WRITING done this week...

I have built about 4 weeks of screwing up, screwing around, hating my work and time for story bloat into my schedule for Sins of Angels... technically, since the Demoniac Codex series is coming out once per year (in March) I don't really have to have the book completed until August, maybe? And right now it's slotted to be done by mid-April.

I'm well ahead on the Rainbow Connection series, with Book Three already written and in beta edits right now...  (for comparison, Blues wasn't even written until April this year, so... that project is well ahead...)

The question after I write Sins of Angels is... do I work on All that Jazz (Hector's story), write the YA novel I've been poking around with (Hailey's Comet, a contemporary), or work on my steampunk m/f romance (The Wormwood Trade)... at some point, I'd like to get all these done. Plus I have the series of YA novellas for 2016 (the outline for the first novella is due in March) to work on...

I also have ideas for a couple of short stories that I'd like to work on, including what I hope will be a light-hearted BDSM story called Me, Flailing and another short story/novellette that I stole (with permission, so it's not really stealing) m/m called Next Thursday Night.

Introducing Essemoh Teepee

So, Coming Together: Among the Stars came out yesterday! Wahee! Huzzah! I'm excited...

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Blissemas is still progressing... Stop by to see what lovely surprises Megan Slayer has for you... don't forget to comment on each blog to gain an additional entry into the drawing for a kindle paperwhite...

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So let me introduce Essemoh Teepee, author of Gyozo's Mate, a story about galaxy-wide clairvoyance and soul mates... a lovely piece, I adore it...

When did you find out that you wanted to be a writer? What inspired you to put pen to paper?

Essemoh seeks inspiration in Vegas

I have always read voraciously, SF, SFF, thrillers you name a genre and I have probably read some of it, although erotica and erotic romance didn’t feature. (One can’t count Playboy and Men Only.)
I had never considered writing fiction. My career has been in science education, business management and development, so my writing was usually pure communication, prosaic and to the point!

I was in a senior position in 2000 and took up painting as relaxation. I enjoy the act of creation, paint flowing on one’s brush and the expression of imagination. I am drawn to portraiture, but painting can take a long time; frustrating when you want results.

In 2005 I picked up a copy of ‘Bloody Bones’ by Laurell K Hamilton to see what all the Nouveau Vampire fuss was about. (It had only been Mr Stoker’s Dracula until then.) I quite liked the blend of Crime Noir and erotic sex integral to the workings of the plot and nature of the characters. Exploring a little more made me think I could write something. Possibly SF or SFF putting the sex back in where it had been left out in what I had read. I found I enjoyed creating worlds and populating them from my imagination without having to wait for the paint to dry! It turned out my characters were extremely horny and there was a LOT of sex in my writing.

Tell me about your first publication. Who was it with? How did you feel when you got that acceptance?

I have the writer’s cliché on my study wall. A copy of my first ever cheque for a professionally published story. Circlet Press accepted my 6,000 word story ‘KATT’ for the anthology ‘Kneel to Me’ in 2008. (I met Cecelia Tan of Circlet at an erotica writer’s conference in Las Vegas 2011 and thanked her for the recognition and encouragement the acceptance gave me.) So many people write in hope of some success, to get professionally published. To have someone actually pay you real money ($25 may not be wealth but it is riches!) for something you have created out of your own head is very special. I liked what I wrote and feedback from the free platforms like Literotica had been encouraging, but Circlet gave me affirmation. KATT was first person and it had Space Opera, tentacles, BDSM and even a little D/s romance thrown in.

How much of your life and the people you know end up in your work?

People do ask this don’t they? I would have to have a severe case of Satyriasis or the wealth and connections of a Mr. Grey to match up to just some what is in my work. I would also probably be in jail if I had done some of the things I have written about.

That being said, I have been fortunate to travel extensively and I people watch. Many stories, characters and scenes can explode out of observation and onto the page. The story you have in Under the Stars, ‘Gyozo’s Mate’ came from spotting a well-endowed stripper leaving a seedy night club one morning on the Island of Gran Canaria and letting my imagination off the leash. I usually like to settle on a character’s name first before I fill out the rest of the details and back story. I get a lot of my characters names from peering at tags on shop workers, waiters and bar staff!

What projects are you currently working on? Are you willing to share a small excerpt from a work in progress?

I am collaborating with a colleague at eSensual Books, Genevieve Ash, on a series of full length novels with the thread title ‘Research’. Contemporary erotic romance with a twist. We are taking all the clichés and turning them on their heads, a lot of fun and humour as well as hot sex. The cast of evolving characters run through all the books. They each have problems, needs, emotional issues and angsts to be worked out in couples, trios, and other multiples that may come along for the ride. Each novel takes one of the classic genres and runs with it, wildly tearing of all its clothes along the way. (You really should take the time to meet Chaddie’s Angels!)

Practical Research is an HFN Erotic Romance set in San Francisco, finished and ready to be published.  (Agents, Publishers, and Moviemakers please get in touch!)

Where Essemoh works

Captivating Research is a blockbusting erotic adventure story set in the Arab Peninsula. It is in final draft and nearing completion.

Academic Research, a whodunit is set in the ‘dreaming Spires’ of Oxford University, is in the early stages of preparation, plotting and drafting.

There is an excerpt from Captivating Research that your visitors can access and read here

Tell us three things about you that are interesting.

1. I write and produce Audio Erotic Experiences using a technique I developed called Directed Erotic Visualisation© (if you want to know what that is and try it for yourself, you can find out more and download some free audios here)

2. I am directly responsible for men and women having more than 6.5 million orgasms across the globe since 2008. (see 1 above)

3. I have a beard

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Torquere's Free Books

Ghost's Sight by Morwen Navarre

When Gerry is injured on a hunt, he is taken to the Witch’s home to save his badly broken leg. There he meets and is intrigued by her enigmatic ward. Ghost is equally captivated by Gerry, but all the young man has ever known is a solitary life as a witch’s apprentice. Gerry wants to make a life with Ghost, and he's willing to leave the security of his family to create a family of their own. Now Ghost must decide if that new family is a chance worth taking, and the choice seems clear: Ghost loves Gerry too much already to say no.

But when Ghost disappears on his way to join Gerry, the young hunter will need to hunt a more dangerous prey to find the missing apprentice, and Ghost will need all his skill to survive until Gerry can find him.

GET FOR FREE

Never Too Early: The Beginning by Chris Owen and Tory Temple

Firefighters Chancellor Shanahan and Tucker McBride have been together for years. They've been through the rough patches and come out the other side, although shift work, misunderstandings, and stubborn personalities can make things interesting. Chance knows that he and Tucker love each other, however, and neither of them have any interest in other people. So what happens when they meet another couple with a similar relationship? An unlikely friendship could take a possible turn.

Jake and Tor are a pair of cowboys who have weathered the storms of a decade together and have finally settled into their lives. They have a ranch, they have family, and they have each other. A rare vacation leads to a friendship, which leads to questions and a revival of long finished conversations. Is moving forward also a step back in time to issues they’ve already put to rest?

GET FOR FREE

Coming Together....

I've got your regularly scheduled author interview for tomorrow, because I really wanted to take the time to announce the release of Coming Together, so come back tomorrow for Essemoh Teepee's interview!


I've been talking about this collection since I started working on it... back in February was when I put together the proposal...

Hard to believe it was almost a year ago that I had this crazy idea.

To this day, my call for the antho remains one of the most viewed webpages on this blog...  working on an anthology was both harder and more rewarding than I could have imagined... so, I want to take a moment and thank all my writers, who are lovely and wonderful. I've connected in new ways to writers I already knew and loved; I've met some established writers that I didn't know before, and I've brought some new writers into my wonderful, crazy world.

Thank you, all of you, for making this dream a reality. Thank you for trusting me with your stories. Thank you for submitting such excellent work. Thank you for caring about Still's Disease, and about giving me your hard work to help this cause. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Buy Links Kindle | Paperback | Smashwords | All Romance | Create Space | Barnes and Noble

And thank you, dear reader, for caring, and for buying... And please, if you buy, could you please review - it doesn't have to be much, just a sentence or two on Amazon or B&N will help my cause a lot! Appreciate it!

~*~*~*~

Still Blissemas... (I'll be up at the end of the week...) and you can see what KD Grace has for you... KD shares table of content space with me for Sexy Librarian's. She wrote Cherries in Season, which is a reader favorite... So go see what she has to say, I'm sure it'll be great!

~*~*~*~

Free books from Torquere...

For today only - 24 hours! - Torquere has the following books for free, including something I think you'll find familiar...

Roll by Lynn Townsend

From the farms of Tennessee, Beau Watkins had it all in high school; the cute girl, the popular, jock lifestyle, a loving family. As a rising freshman at an out-of-state college, he's determined to find out who he really is behind the fake it 'til you make it attitude. He joins Rainbow Connection, the gay student alliance, hoping to find himself. Instead, he finds Vin Reyes. Raised by his grandparents and the heir to a prosperous company, Vin has been out of the closet since he figured out what that meant. He has it all: fashionable clothing, fancy cars, huge houses, and a real party lifestyle, even a bodyguard. Most of all, he has a secret.

Uncomfortable with Vin's generosity, Beau fights his growing attraction for the president of Rainbow Connection, chasing instead a series of shallow affairs. Vin's never been denied anything that he wants, though, and now he wants Beau. But it's not until an old rival puts Beau in the hospital that Vin realizes that Beau means more to him than a simple love affair. Can the two of them bridge the gap between their worlds and roll with the all the punches life will throw at them?

GET FOR FREE

Ruby: Lost and Found by M.D. Grimm

Morgorth is a mage on the planet Karishian. There is little he hates more than the Stones of Power -- gemstones infused with magick by the first seven mages ever born. So when a sorcerer gets hold of a major stone, a ruby, Morgorth has no choice but to go after him. But, to his irritation, he is not alone. Aishe is a dialen whose tribe was massacred by the sorcerer, and is now on a mission of vengeance. The attraction is instant between them, but Morgorth keeps his distance. Because of a traumatic childhood and a deadly destiny, he has no desire for emotional complications. But Aishe's very presence challenges Morgorth's resolve.

Not only does Morgorth begin to admire Aishe's strength and intelligence, but he begins to see Aishe as a friend. As their hunt continues and their time together lengthens, their bond deepens, as does Morgorth's fear. If he becomes the monster that destiny claims he will, will he hurt Aishe? Will he harm the one person who sees right through him? Who accepts him wholeheartedly? Determined to not let that happen, Morgorth keeps Aishe at a distance, but when Aishe is kidnapped by the sorcerer, what will Morgorth do to get him back?

GET FOR FREE

Coming Soon!

Blissemas. Day... what the heck day is it? I don't know! But go see what Tanith Davenport has for you...

Torquere's got two new Free books up today...

Loving Aidan by Ashavan Doyon

Samuel Riley is gorgeous - tall, muscular, and intelligent. The girls love him. And so does his roommate, Aidan Flemming. Secretly, of course, because Aidan is as gay as Sammy is straight - and even the out and proud Aidan knows there are limits to Sammy's acceptance. Cursed to watch as Sammy dates half the co-eds on campus, a lonely Aidan spends his time writing, helping Sammy and his friends survive literature classes, and recovering from a disastrous love affair that left Aidan heartbroken.

But when happiness finally comes for Aidan in the body of his roommate's fellow rower, all that changes. In Steven, Aidan finds happiness and romance. The rower, a blond, blue-eyed Adonis, makes Aidan feel desired and appreciated. But their very public courtship stirs up controversy and violence, and Aidan's life gets very complicated.

Attacks rock the campus community, and in the middle of the upheaval, Aidan finds himself noticed by the last person he'd expect. Samuel Riley, his roommate, his impossible dream, and just possibly, a very jealous suitor. But the jealous suitor has a girlfriend. And she is not happy.

GET FOR FREE LINK (December 13th only)

Arcanum: Vervain by Mychael Black

Detective Jonah Pierce has mourned his brother Riley’s death for a decade, and he’s never managed to heal. He loved Riley too much, and maybe in the wrong way. When a new rash of vampiric murders begins, Jonah’s division Arcanum is called in to investigate. Sent to talk to a potential suspect, Jonah gets the shock of his life. But that’s nothing compared to what comes later, when betrayal shows itself far closer than he ever expected.

GET FOR FREE LINK (December 13th only)

And I have an announcement...

The Dirty 30 (which is actually more like the Dirty 33...) is coming out soon... and here's the blurb and table of contents.

I'm not sure exactly when it's coming out (I also have a tentative date for Local Magic, of January 20th... )

Rose Caraway’s Dirty Thirty Vol.1

Coming soon in Audible!

Bestselling Audiobook Narrator, The Kiss Me Quick’s Erotica podcast Storyteller, and everybody’s favorite Sexy Librarian, Rose Caraway is at it again! And… my, oh my! This time she’s working after hours, putting together another collection of erotica for your ears only.

Lurid Listeners will be tempted by these thirty-three dirty stories that were simply too good–too lurid for Rose to keep to herself. From Kass Goldsworthy’s  cuckolding story titled; “This Is What It’s Like” to Salome Wilde’s exploration into the life of a famous private detective and his unexpected sexual preferences in; “Noirgam” this audio-anthology will have your cravings well in hand. Sinclair Sexsmith’s, “Bully” will make you pant–one spank at a time. Editing extraordinaire, Rachel Kramer Bussel offers a unique insight into a couple’s closer-than-close relationship, in her story titled; “The Weight”.

In this aural only anthology, listeners will find horny coal miners in Landon Dixon’s “The Copper Kid”, a lonely relic collector who finds a special marionette in Jade A. Water’s, “The Doll”, refuge in  Lynn Townsend’s, steamy rendezvous;“The Closet”. Listeners will follow a couple at the beach and experience their blossoming voyeurism as it takes off in Chase Morgan’s, “On The Rocks”.  Malin James‘, “The Reader And Her Books” unfolds as a woman reveals her secreted stash of erotica to her lover. There’s a “Green Glass” dilo, an alien, a succubus, sexy flying Dutchmen, tension relieving bondage, public punishment, a geek with a troublesome sassy roommate–and even a selki!

Get ready, because this collection of aural Erotica is alive with moxie. Featuring the extraordinary talents of many of Rose Caraway’s favorite and trusted Erotica authors who know how to deliver. They understand that, sometimes you like it hot, sometimes you like it rough, and sometimes you like it very, very… dirty!

Table of Contents:
1. This Is What It’s Like….. Kass Goldsworthy
2. Barcelona….. Malin James
3. The Bells….. Jade A. Waters
4. Bully….. Sinclair Sexsmith
5. Truth….. Emerald
6. Noirgasm….. Salome Wilde
7. The Copper Kid….. Landon Dixon
8. Low Card Flush….. Roger Leatherwood
9. Dear In The Headlights….. Angela Caperton
10. Just Browsing….. Michael M. Jones
11. The Doll….. Jade A. Waters
12. In The Closet….. Lynn Townsend
13. Green Glass….. Tamsin Flowers
14. On The Rocks….. Chase Morgan
15. Serendipity….. Jim Lyon
16. Lost And Found….. Elise Hepner
17. Stitching….. Amy Butcher
18. On A Mission….. Sybil Rush
19. Loosening Up….. Evey Brett
20. A Vision In X-Ray And Visible Light….. Nobilis Reed
21. Interview With A Succubus….. Martha Davis
22. Mystery Visitor….. Michael Lewis
23. Alpha Male….. Jean Roberta
24. Alien Sex….. Alegra Verde
25. My Christmas Gift For Cynthia….. Eva Hore
26. Flipping The Switch….. Victoria Blisse
27. Below The Sea….. T. Fox Dunham
28. Going Dutch….. Dee Maselle
29. Pound A Punnet….. Jillian Boyd
30. Always The Same, Always Changed….. Annabeth Leong
31. The Reader And Her Books….. Malin James
32. The Weight….. Rachel Kramer Bussel
33. Control “Z”….. Rose Caraway

So, we've got a whole bunch of writers here that I know and love, as well as a few new ones. I must say, I'm looking forward to listening to this! These stories will ONLY be available as audio books...

13 days of More Christmas

It's the...

Ah, Christ, I forget...

Blissemas is ... having a technical errors right now, so there's no Blissemas AT THE MOMENT. That could change at any time and I may not remember to update. If you go to the main site, you can still get an entry in today...

On the other hand, I have for you some more 12 (or 13? or 26? Jeeeez, people!) days of Christmas for you.

One of my favorite publishers (Torquere) is doing a give away from now until Christmas...

And again, I'll try to remind you every day, but I make NOOOOO promises, because it's December and my life is crazy...

Every day between now and Christmas, Torquere is giving away one (or two) books for free. These books are the first in their series, so you can get a taste of a new writer, so that you can drop into a series, and so that you have plenty of hot m/m books on your device of choice.

(I've been told there may or may NOT be the same sale going on at Amazon because of price matching, but Torquere offers all device formats when you set up your account there. Which doesn't take long...)

These sales are only 24 hours, so get your books while they're available. Follow Torquere on twitter to get the most recent links...

Emerald Fire by A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder

The harsh desert world of Persis has developed its own customs far from Old Earth. Keepers are cherished as caregivers and helpmeets to Hunters. During Emerald Keeper Teeka’s first Contract with Senior Hunter Brant, disaster strikes. Brant is killed and Teeka is stranded, surrounded by strangers, and unsure of who to trust. A dark and moody Hunter steps forward with an offer of partnership and protection. Teeka wonders what motivates the scarred and solitary Senior Hunter Quill.

Both have hidden motives for agreeing, and both are suspicious of each other. But the Great Valley will force them to work together and build a trust born out of necessity and survival. Between the dangers of the harsh desert and the malice of a hidden enemy, Teeka and Quill must learn to believe in each other to find the truth.

GET FREE LINK!


And our second free book for today is

A Strange Place in Time: The Recalling of John Arrowsmith by Alyx J Shaw

Raised in a motorcycle gang, John Arrowsmith has a bad case of wanderlust. He's not sure what drives him, but he knows he has to go, and he has the perfect machine to ride on; the big custom bike he calls Harley. When he and Harley get run off the road and wake up someplace completely unfamiliar, Arrowsmith knows something has gone pretty darned wrong.

With a cast of characters that include thieves, Moonhounds, and ogres, John has to find his way through this new world, trying to understand why he's been transported there, and why he's falling for a guy named Infamous. What Arrowsmith finds out surprises him, and might just kill him. Can he survive to find his way home?


GET FREE LINK!



So, like I said, I'll try to post these every day so you don't forget. The Free book will only be free for 24 hours and then it'll go back to full price (or less with discount codes, which they sometimes have, altho I don't have one at the moment)

Living With Adult Onset Still's Disease

Blissemas is going on... don't forget to comment EVERY DAY on the new blog of the day to earn a chance to win a kindle paperwhite loaded with smut. Because seriously, that would be awesome! Today is Lily Harlem, who has some smokin' hot pictures of dudes and motorcycles on her blog...

~*~*~*~

And now for something a little less, but also more...

As you probably know, I have completed my first go round at the helm of an anthology. Being an editor was both more wonderful and more crazy making than I could have anticipated...

But I want to take a few minutes to talk about why I decided to take up the mantle of editor (something a few years ago I swore I would never, ever do...)

I have this friend; she's a writer and a librarian and a candle maker. (If you've gotten a Christmas present from me in the last few years, you've probably gotten one of her candles. They're amazing!) And I love her, so much. She's wonderful, beautiful, spiritual. Just a truly amazing woman. She has a terrible, debilitating disease. She mentioned it once, in passing, and I'd never heard of it. Still's disease. So, I did what I do... I looked it up.

Still's is pretty awful, and luckily, it's also extremely rare... as far as I'm concerned, it's not rare enough! I wanted to do something for my friend, and for everyone who has this disease.

So, Coming Together: Among the Stars was born. I love science fiction. In the world of Star Trek, this could be an easy fix... but we don't live there yet, and I'm hoping very much that the proceeds from Coming Together: Among the Stars, will help make that dream a reality...

Allow me to introduce my friend, who has a few words to say on her experiences...

~*~*~*~

Awareness for Adult Onset Still’s Disease is everything and greatly needed and that is why I have to thank Lynn Townsend. She is an amazing friend and I love and appreciate her dearly. She was one of the few people to read about Still’s and that meant everything to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I have lived with the Still’s dragon for over seven years now. It is an unforgiving disease that haunts those who have it. I can honestly say that I hate it and wish it would go away. It is hard to watch a body once very fit become so ravaged by a disease. The hardest part is seeing yourself through other people’s eyes. Still’s disease has taken so much of me away, I don’t even know who I am anymore. Despite everything, I try to stay positive and hopeful for remission.

Still’s disease is a rare inflammatory disease. It can attack any part of your body. It is very similar to Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Treatment consists of high dose steroids, the chemo medication Methotrexate, disease modifying drugs (DMARDS), anti-nausea pills, painkillers, muscle relaxers and I know a lot of us do an Ibuprofen rotation with the painkillers and I take Xanax to keep my heart rate down and keep anxiety and stress at bay.

Back in 2007, I became severely ill and none of the doctors I seen could give me a name for it. It took 2 years to be diagnosed and it had already done some pretty good damage to my body. It is so critical to get diagnosed quickly, but most physicians will never see a case of Adult Onset Still’s Disease and that brings hesitation to some physicians.

It is my living hell and to be honest, if I didn’t have the support I did from my family and friends, I might not be here today. When you are chronically ill, it is so important to have a support team to help you get through the bad days. I fell into a very dark hole of frustration and depression while I lived in “Limboland.” It is bad enough to be sick, but when you don’t have a name for it, it makes it worse mentally. So much worse. I know for me, I live with the stigma of “Well you don’t look sick.” Or even “Oh you just have arthritis? Well take these vitamins, it will make it go away.” I realize most people think it is a very treatable thing or not even a real disease, but I know for me it hurts my feelings. It is so very personal. Each of us who have Still’s do not always have the same symptoms, but we find common ground with how we are treated or approached.

The one thing every friend or family member should do is become educated with the disease. Go to the International Still’s Disease Foundation website; it has the most accurate and even some of our own stories there. Find out everything you can about it, be there for your loved one. Supporting them through the good and bad days is very much appreciated by us. Together we can make a difference…

~*~*~*~

So, please; Coming Together: Among the Stars is out in paperback, and you can pre-order your kindle copy. The ebook will be available on Monday... 278 pages of sizzling science fiction from some of the best writers in erotica, including Nobilis Reed, Elizabeth L. Brooks, Malin James, Rose Caraway, Kathleen Tudor, Annabeth Leong, and Jade Waters among many other extremely talented and creative voices.

ALL proceeds go to our charity and every bit of help can make a difference.

We Three Sith

It's the eleventh day of Blissemas... (I think there are too many days for the song, so this joke is going to expire tomorrow...) and Bibi's Bookstop has something for you. (She also has the same exact blog background that I do. And while it's a logical choice for a background from the ones available and all, I keep wondering if I should change mine...)

That was sort of parenthetic, wasn't it?

Have I mentioned that I hate Christmas music?

I know, I know. I'm so much a grinch rather than an elf. I'm totally okay with this...

I've been trying to be better, but the holidays have never been one of my favorite things. Expectations are high, disappointments are exacerbated, family can be utterly revolting, and don't even get me started on how stupidly expensive things can get. I can't be the only one who thinks the war on Christmas is being waged by the corporations, rather than by the atheists...

Moving my Big Party from the summer to a holiday party has been good; for one thing it makes decorating mandatory, rather than a half-hearted effort on my part, and I think that the house looks nice (we have two christmas trees, which is hilarious for a house full of atheists...)

You know the thing with Christmas music tho? I'm very susceptible to earwigs (those songs that get stuck in your head and your brain plays over and over at top volume?) and Christmas music is some of the most earwiggy, annoying shit on the PLANET.

I've been listening to Jingle Bell Rock in my head for almost a week now...

Which is why I started writing

We three Sith...

Hey, I'm all about self-entertainment...

Holi - Daze

Hey y'all

It's Blissemas, Day 10 and we have another new-to-me author, Kay Jaybee... I haven't read her stuff. Honestly, I hadn't even heard of her until her name popped up on the list of authors. Which always makes me feel obscurely guilty for not having my finger on the pulse of my own genre.

Feeling guilty about something makes me quite cross.

A million years ago, before I was a writer and what I was trying to do with my life was watch All the Anime (a Japanese style of art/animation that's a lot more mature and adaptable than typical American animation - go ahead, google Hentai. I'll wait.) and even with new titles leaking in slowly, I couldn't keep up.

I did finally accept that there was no way I would ever be able to consume all the media I wanted to consume. I can't watch, listen, or read enough in my lifetime. (Which is why I get the blowjob face when someone says "You haven't read <insert whatever series, title, book, television, movie, etc here>??" like it's some sort of crime against the genre.

People make choices; they have to... whether that's to be an avid collector of Deadpool comics or to watch an entire television show... and I think that's also why people get so bent out of shape when something goes wrong with a given series. (I've been a Castle fan since the show came out, but I'm pretty sure I'm giving up on it. Last season was not so good, and this season has been scarily awful. I'm not enjoying it anymore, and there's more television that I'd rather watch in that space... )

On the other hand, that's what's so nice about these Blissemas blog hops - can I just give a shout out here to Victoria and Kev Blisse right now? they are awesome for organizing this stuff - is that you can get little samples of everyone's writing and what they're up to... kinda like a buffet table. You can nibble here and taste there, and then go back for a big plate of whatever you liked best...

Merry Happy Thingie, Day 9

It's still Blissemas - I hope you're enjoying it. I've been waaay busy, so I don't even have a clue. I had 36 people (it might have been more, I had problems keeping track of the children, of which there were quite a lot... I don't always even know whose kid is whose) in my house over the weekend, and I'm still trying to find my kitchen under all the paper cups... Also, I seem to have ended up with quite a bit of other people's clothing, which makes it sound like it was a different sort of party...

So Today is Bronwyn Green who has a little cake recipe to share with you that looks tasty...

Aaaand, I don't have anything else... I'm still recovering from this weekend... which wasn't helped by my having a moderate allergic reaction to... something? I dunno. (I ate something with "artificial and natural flavors" and every once in a while that can trigger me...) Hives and problems breathing on Sunday night... which led to spending most of yesterday in a benedryl induced fog... fortunately, as I told my friend E. yesterday (who texted me to tell me she'd written her very first piece of smut... now, if she'd just show it to me....) I built in at least 2 weeks in every project for things to go wrong, for me to hate my work, or just general fuck-upery... since I didn't do shit yesterday and it's looking very much like I ain't doing bugger-all today either...

On my to-do list is get started writing Sins of Angels, and finish the proposal for a new anthology... keep your eye on this space, Coming Together peeps... there may be more opportunities for you to do good work...

Introducing the awesome Malin James, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

Blissemas Update! Still blissing the missing, or something like that. Sorry I missed reminding you over the weekend; I had something like 35 people in my house and I am exhausted... So, today is Jessica Jarman


I really adore Malin, she came onto my radar several months ago and we've had some of the best, in depth conversations about erotica and life and books that I could possibly hope for. She's also a big music fan and doesn't mind when I throw videos at her...

I quite literally jumped up and down in my office when I first got her submission... and then I read it. Oh, my lord...! I'm telling you, you will love this story...

So, let me let Malin talk to you for a while...

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

I’m not sure if it’s my greatest challenge, but complacency is certainly the most consistent one. It’s easy to relax once you’ve met a long-term goal, but that’s exactly when I find that I need to kick it up a notch, and try things that intimidate me or make me nervous. Like writing a novel, which I’m in the middle of doing right now, and which terrifies me daily. But the alternative is complacency and that scares me more.

Of your published works, do you have a favorite? Why?

I’m not sure I have a favorite yet—different stories appeal to different parts of my personality. That said, I’ve definitely written stories that I’m not as fond of. Putting that aside though, the story I did for Rose Caraway’s Kiss Me Quick’s podcast, “Bound / Unbound,” is really special to me. It’s based on the first draft of one of the first erotic stories I ever tried to write. I couldn’t write it then, but everything fell into place as I was writing it for Rose. And, of course, hearing her narrate it was a dream.

What are your biggest pet peeves for other people's grammar? Are there any mistakes that you find yourself making regularly?

It’s not really a grammar mistake, but I’m not sure how else to categorize it. I hate it when people use the word “literally” in a figurative statement. You didn’t “literally die” when you saw the puppy—if you had you wouldn’t be telling me about it. Either skip “literally” or use it correctly. Please. This would literally make me happier than if the Oxford comma came back into fashion.

How do you decide on character names?

It depends. Most of my protagonists end up naming themselves very early on, even in short stories. I just sort of know what his or her name is. That said, the protagonist of “The Master” a novella length story I have coming out in an anthology for Sweetmeats Press this spring went through three name changes before I was done.  I feel like character names are like suits. You can feel when they fit.

Malin's desk; I find myself squinting at her artwork... how about you?

What writers or novels do you consider “must reads”?

This is hard because I would recommend different books to different people, but that’s kind of a cop-out so here are some of the books that I can’t imagine not having read.

1. Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks is the most beautifully structured novel I’ve ever read.  Plus, Banks’s Culture series is awesome.

2. The Bloody Chamber and The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter were my first introduction to a bold, unapologetic, profanely literary treatment of sexuality. She’s a big one in my influences.

3. Hemingway’s short stories, especially “The Killers,” “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Clean Well-Lighted Place.”

4. Dracula by Bram Stoker. I freaking love this book. I love everything about it.

5. Anything by Sarah Waters, especially Tipping the Velvet. This was the first time I read a mainstream, literary novel with lesbian relationships at the center. It’s heartbreaking and sexy to the point of being nearly pornographic at times. After reading this, I started reading a lot more erotica.

6. Anais Nin’s diary. I love Volume 1, (1931-1934). Her short stories are excellent, but for me, her “liary” is where it’s at.

Tell us three things about you that are interesting.

1. I have an MA in medieval literature but decided against getting a PhD because there are so few teaching positions for medievalists.

2. I went to NYU on an acting scholarship and completed my acting training at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I was a stage actor for about 5 years. My favorite roles were Masha in The Seagull and Olivia in Twelfth Night.

3. In an alternate life, I would want to be a museum curator if I couldn’t be a writer. Writer is still my fantasy job though.