Going Bats!

Back at Halloween, my second anthology with Coming Together was released. Coming Together: Strange Shifters, is a collection of erotic short stories featuring shifters of another sort.

Werewolves, like vampires, are the monsters of the moment, and probably much like you, I was getting a bit tired of them. Surely there were other shape-shifters in the world that could use some love.

A few years back, I read a really cut novel that featured a were-Chinchilla... as the fur-mommy of two adorable chins, myself, I found the writer's portrayal of the sometimes human / sometimes Chinchilla to be just spot on. The character had a lot of the personality traits that I see in my boys, and it was just an all around great read.

So I started seeking out other shifter books; harder than you might think, altho I did come across a few.

As I've been told several times: If you can't find the book you want to read, write it.

~~~~

There are a lot of great charities, and I work with several of them, donating time, or money, or both... One of the ones I'm particularly fond of is Bat World Sanctuary. I stumbled across them on Facebook, started following the page, and fell in love with the little creatures there, and the people that help them out.

I've always been fond of bats -- someday I'll tell you a funny story about my grandmother and trying to get a bat out of the lake cabin -- and thought they were misunderstood creatures.

So I wrote to Bat World to see if they'd want to receive the donations from our collection of smutty stories. Because their Facebook page is considered family friendly, they can't really advertise our book, but they have a burlesque group that does a fund-raiser for them once a year... and that decided me... We'd support Bat World...

And a few weeks ago, I got two of these little babies in the mail as thanks for our donations and time... isn't she cute?

So, I have a signed copy of Coming Together: Strange Shifters (signed by Nickie Jamison, Elizabeth L. Brooks, Lynn Townsend, and T.B. Bond,) as well as one of these little batty babies to give away.

So, leave a comment on this blog. Leave a comment on my blog, "like" me on Facebook, follow my Amazon profile, or follow me on twitter (Let me know on my Facebook page, or in your comments that you did these things -- sometimes they don't notify me.) between now and April 1st, and you'll be entered to win... you'll get an entry for each one of these tasks!

Pre-Order a Little Stocking Stuffer for yourself

So, last book of the year is out on the 25th of December,,,

Pick up your steaming hot copy of Coming Together: Keeping Warm

Coming Together: Keeping Warm is a collection of erotic fiction edited by Alessia Brio. Proceeds benefit Operation Warm.

FEATURING STORIES BY:

Sommer Marsden
Lisabet Sarai
Allison Wonderland
Leigh Ellwood
Xan West
Robert Buckley
Peach Robidoux
Lynn Townsend
Annabeth Leong
Delilah Night
Jim Reader



So, there you have it; heat up your kindle and support a good cause.

My story in this collection is Pistols & Guns, previously published by Hot Ink as a stand alone short.

The difference is knowing when to shoot...

Half Scot, half Irish, all hot-head, Turner Gillespie ain't about to tolerate no horse-thief taking what is his. Especially when the thief is a scrawny, under-fed kid with a big gun.

Eppie just wants to get away from Ellis Ballard, the man who murdered her mother and forced her into an intolerable marriage. She has money, Turner has a horse; why is this a problem?

When Eppie reaches for her gun and finds herself holding onto a tool of a different sort, sparks fly in the hot, western desert...

But will they learn to trust each other before Ballard comes looking for his wayward bride?

Coming Together: Thanksgiving -- Giving Back

I am giving away $10 in OmniBucks to AllRomance for one lucky commentor. Normally, I would give Amazon gift cards, but with Christmas / Holidays coming up, I want my winner to buy something for THEMSELVES, not use the gift card to buy something for a present... I am guilty of this behavior myself, so...

To be quite honest, giving back wasn't what I had in mind the very first time I worked with Coming Together.

The first time I ever even heard of Coming Together, my favorite smut writer, (now) friend, and all around awesome human being, Sommer Marsden was running an open call for submissions for Hungry For Love, a zombie anthology that benefited American Diabetes Association.

I really admire Sommer -- I have since I didn't know who she was or much of anything about her, except that her work was awesome and made me laugh -- and that hasn't changed since getting to know her and seeing glimpses of her personal life. She's had a rough time -- her husband died from cancer not long ago -- and we've talked a lot on line. Exchanged a couple of Christmas cards and postcards. It's a casual acquaintanceship, but it means a lot to me.

We've had a few chats about how weird and uncomfortable it is when someone praises you -- you've done so much, I don't know how you do it, oh, you're so strong -- and outside you're nodding with that slightly apologetic look on your face like you're sorry you're making the other person feel weak because you're barely managing to hold on to your life with both hands and inside you're screaming "What the fuck ELSE do you think I'm going to do? I manage my life because WHAT THE FUCK?? Really?"

Anyway... got off track a bit there. The point is, I wasn't really thinking about charity so much as I was thinking "I want this woman to notice my work."

So, that was the first time. This was back in the day when I still threw up regularly after hitting the send button on a submission. (Thank FSM that doesn't happen anymore. In fact, most of the time, I'm pretty chill about it. I feel comfortable with my work, most of the time.)

By the way, Dead in the Water, the story that I submitted for Hungry for Love, is available as an audio reading from Rose Caraway, who is also awesome...

After some time -- and because another friend of mine was going through a rough time and her illness is one of those weird, rare things that most people never heard about, and I desperately wanted to do something for her -- I thought I'd try my own hand at doing an anthology.

Talk about leaping before I looked! I had no fucking clue what I was doing, and I hope it doesn't show too much. I got a lot of advice from other CT editors (including the brilliant and amazing Nobilis Reed) and editors of other collections.

I put together a proposal for Coming Together: Among the Stars, to benefit International Still's Disease Foundation and to my surprise and pleasure, Alessia was onboard with me right away. We put together the call and I collected well over 60 stories...

Editing an anthology was a whole different kettle of fish -- but it was a learning experience, I got to meet a whole ton of really talented writers, and I enjoyed it so much that I ended up doing a second one this year.

(I've also had my share of weird problems as being an editor -- attempted plagiarism, people who really cannot read the submission guidelines, a whole lot of authors who turn in stories without their contact information -- seriously, people, don't do that! -- authors who are hard to work with, weird hostility, and male writers who seem to think that, as a female editor, I am obligated to look at pictures of their dicks as well as their stories. No, dudes. Just no.)

But Among the Stars was a good enough experience that this year, I did it again, and just recently, Strange Shifters made its way into the world...

And wow, am I happy to see it. This book was a lot more work because... well, 2015 has just been the year of Fuck You. I have had annoying real life problems of every kind imaginable. Nothing horrible -- mostly -- but just... one would be annoying, two would be difficult, and one pretty much every month of this year has been fucking exhausting. I'm amazing and impressed with myself that Strange Shifters got finished on time, and I gotta hand it to my writers, you guys were amazing! Good stories, easy to work with, understanding when I was behind...

Thanks!

Proceeds for Strange Shifters goes to Bat World Sanctuary, one of my own personal favorite charities. I love bats and the people at Bat World do a lot of cool stuff to preserve these little flying foxes. You should check them out, their facebook page is pretty awesome.

I'm working on ideas for an anthology next year... I have a million pet causes and I want to do a little something for all of them...

Comment on this blog for the little prize... there will be a bigger prize from Coming Together [insert that when available] and there are lots of other Coming Together authors and editors who are on the Hop... so stop by and see them [also, link]

Spooky Stories for your Kindle

Coming Together: Strange Shifters is a collection of shifter erotica edited by Lynn Townsend. Sales proceeds benefit the Bat World Sanctuary.

Werewolves get all the glory and attention. What about the shy were-deer or the aggressive were-badger? Where are their stories? Calling all skin-changers. There's nothing sexier than a lover who isn't afraid to let their inner animal out!

You can pre-order Strange Shifters today and have it on your kindle Halloween!

Amazon Buy Link

or

Smashwords Buy Link

The paperback copies should be available for pre-order before next week. Remember that all proceeds go to Bat World Sanctuary and you can like them on Facebook.

Bats are highly sensationalized and misunderstood creatures, but for the most part are very sweet and very useful. If for no other reason, we should all help them out because they eat thousands of POUNDS of bugs every year... can you imagine what a summer evening would be like without bats?

I'd like to take a moment to thank all my wonderful authors and contributors; Jaap Boekestein, Lukas Scott, Lisabet Sarai,  Adrik Kemp, Delilah Night, Elizabeth L. Brooks, Emma Whitehall, Leigh Ellwood, Lynn Townsend, Daniel Burnell, Marie Piper, Nickie Jamison, Lily Malone, T.G. Haynes, T.B. Bond, and Margot McGuire. A special thanks also to Alessia Brio, who continues to take in my crazy anthology ideas, and also Jenn Nixon, who helped me get our cover art situated, and especially to every reader out there who takes a chance on my stories and anthologies. I hope you love this collection as much as I do.

Coming Together: Strange Shifters Cover

Coming Together: Strange Shifters -- Table of Contents

I've got all the contracts back, done all the editing, and am awaiting like 2 stories left for final versions...

Which meant that it was time for me to buckle down and set the order for the stories, which can be a really tricky task. You want to start with a bang and end with a boom, and keep the tension up for the entire book. It's tough, and it's a skill I'm still not sure I've mastered -- this is only my second anthology, after all...

But, here's what we got....




Introduction: The Animal Inside...                            

Bored in Heaven                                      Daniel Burnell
A Hand Outstretched                       Elizabeth L. Brooks
Gator Tail                                                 Leigh Ellwood
Mine                                                     Emma Whitehall
Small Change                                              Adrik Kemp
Moonlight Ride                                            Marie Piper
Water & Fire                                          Jaap Boekestein
Circus                                                      Nickie Jamison
The Storyteller                                            Tony Haynes
The Dive                                                       Lukas Scott
A Reindeer by Any Other Name               Delilah Night
Tar Pit Triage                                               Lily Malone
Valkyrie                                                  Nickie Jamison
Champ                                                  Margot McGuire
Woman without a Shadow                          Bruce Meyer
Rezoned                                                          T.B. Bond
Mouse Games                                       Lynn Townsend
Snowbound                                                Lisabet Sarai
                               
                                                                   Author Bios

Short Story Call, Coming Together: On Wheels

Your Regular Author: Let me hand you over to Leigh Ellwood, who has a short story upcoming in my Strange Shifters anthology (look for it at your favorite ebook retailer end of October)


Recently Alessia Brio at Coming Together gave us a short update about current and coming projects. I already knew about Strange Shifters because I have an M/M short, "Gator Tail," included. If anybody wanted to do something for 2016, just holler.

I recalled the fun I had putting together Coming Together: Girl on Girl (ARe ~ AMZ ~ BN ~ ITUNES ~ SMASH). That book was a finalist for the AAD Bookie Award and the GCLS Goldie. Since its publication, I thought often about another project for CT, and with the recent news of refugees I realized an idea.

This book won't be out for a while, but the charity it will benefit will always need help. While you wait, of course, you can research organizations that help global refugees and donate. Right now, though, I'm happy to announce calls for Coming Together: On Wheels.

SUBMIT Submissions of short erotica and erotic romance are sought for the upcoming collection Coming Together: On Wheels, edited by Leigh Ellwood, to benefit UNHCR. UNHCR assists refugees around the world in seeking asylum and rebuilding their lives. For this anthology, we're looking for stories about sexy, badass heroes and heroines on wheels. We want tattooed and leather-clad bikers, daredevil stock car drivers, daring street racers... fast on the streets but hot between the sheets, or in the backseat. We welcome all sub-genres and pairings for this project. We'll take futuristic or historical, BDSM or romcom, M/F or anything in the LGBTQ spectrum. If they ride, we'll read. We are looking for believable characters and strong and sizzling prose guaranteed to melt any digital reader.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Direct all submissions to ffcomingtogether@gmail.com and CC submissions@the-erotic-cocktail.com. Include “Coming Together On Wheels Submission” in the header of your e-mail. In your e-mail message, include a short summary of your story, a two-line blurb, and a short biography, about 150 words. Stories between 3,000 and 7,500 are preferred. The editor will consider stories as long as 10,000 if she finds them truly exceptional.

Coming Together contracts non-exclusive rights to publish, so previously published work may be considered. Please note it in your query, but remember you must own the rights to the work you submit. Stories over 5,000 words may be released individually through Coming Together as well, with the sales proceeds benefiting UNHCR. Please use RTF, DOC, or DOCX format when submitting a manuscript. Include your real name and pen name and a working e-mail address. The editor will only consider manuscripts in the aforementioned formats attached to the query e-mail. DO NOT paste your story in the body of your message. Please use Times New Roman font, size 12, and one-inch margins. Double-space paragraphs and set indentations to .3 – DO NOT use tabs or spaces to indent.

Coming Together is a non-profit organization, and all CT authors and editor have generously donated their talents to various causes. Compensation for inclusion in this work is a PDF contributor copy of the finished product and the satisfaction of knowing you are helping an amazing organization that is helping people around the world find better living solutions.

Call for Submission: Strange Shifters... a Shape-Shifter collection to benefit Bat World

Coming Together: Strange Shifters is a collection of shifter erotica edited by Lynn Townsend. Sales proceeds benefit the Bat World Sanctuary.

Werewolves get all the glory and attention. What about the shy were-deer or the aggressive were-badger? Where are their stories? Calling all skin-changers. There's nothing sexier than a lover who isn't afraid to let their inner animal out!

Paranormal writer, Lynn Townsend, is looking for your best were-creature stories: were-foxes, shape-shifting llamas, or even were-men, beasts who come out of the forests to assume human shapes and walk among unsuspecting mortals.

The final book will contain the best of erotic shape-shifter tales (tails?), a wide range of characters, pairings, ideas, and situations, exploring what it means to be human... and what it means to be beast.

Standard Rules apply:

No underage, no non-consensual, no scat, incest, or necrophilia. The nature of the anthology allows for some bestiality, but keep them all sentient beasts. Any pairings or groupings accepted and encouraged. Heat level, medium-warm to nuke my brain! Happily-Ever-After or Happy-For-Now not required. I'm looking for satisfying stories and incredible sex first and foremost.

Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2015.

Send double-spaced, 12 point font (Times New Roman or Georgia) in .doc or .rtf format, 2,000 – 4,500 word stories to lynntownsend.writer@gmail.com, with “ATTN: Coming Together, your pen-name, your story title” in the subject line. Indent the first line of each paragraph, do not add extra lines between paragraphs. US English grammar please. Double quotes around dialog. (If your story requires non-comprehensible speech, other punctuation may be acceptable, brackets, etc. Consistency is key.)

Only submit your final, best version of the story; do not send multiple versions of the same story. Up to two stories will be considered from each author. Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable and be clear which one is which), mailing address, and up to 250 word bio. You will be notified as to the status of your story by no later than September 1, 2015.

This is a charity anthology. Contributors will receive ebook copies of the publication. Additional compensation in karma and tax-write offs. Bat World Sanctuary will benefit from all proceeds. Bats are clean, gentle and intelligent, they are vital to the ecosystem, and they enhance our lives in many ways. Insect-eating bats are literal vacuum cleaners of the night skies, eating millions upon millions of harmful bugs. Bat World Sanctuary cares for and rehabilitates bats who have been retired from zoos, harmed by industry, or who need to be relocated from human spaces. Find out more at batworld.org

ABOUT THE EDITOR:

Lynn Townsend is a geek, a dreamer and an inveterate punster. When not reading, writing, or editing, she can usually be found drinking coffee or killing video game villains. Lynn's interests include filk music, romance novels, octopuses, and movies with more FX than plot. She grew up half in central Virginia, half in way-upstate New York and went to college at William & Mary, where she met and later married a guy who grew up half in Kentucky and half in Utica. They have one child, one murder-death-cat, a turtle, and two chinchillas.

Introducing TB Bond

From your regular author: TB is one of those friends I met because I simply cannot act like a civilized human being.

If I see someone reading a book that I've read and that I like, even though I know, deep down in my soul, that it is completely wrong of me to do this; I interrupt their reading to express delight that they're reading a book that I like. 

(I also met Elizabeth L. Brooks this way, so honestly, it's not going to discourage me from this reprehensible behavior...)

I don't even remember what she was reading, but we ended up chatting for a while and exchanging contact information. We've been to the movies a few times together, and done some social stuff, and then I find out to my delight, that she's also a writer. So, of course, when I started work on Coming Together: Among the Stars, I send her a "hey, look what I'm doing, want to submit something?"

I'll tell ya something, too. She wrote one of the best hate-sex pieces I've ever read. Great, great stuff and you should totally check it out, if you haven't already.

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

I have so many stories in my head. It’s a challenge getting them into a media where other people can enjoy them. I have a strange brain in that I am very analytical and whimsical. It makes it hard for me to communicate ideas sometimes because it’s either too in the “clouds” or it’s too complex. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and I make the oddest grammar mistakes. There are days when I wonder if English is my third language and if someone can create telepaths–because talking to people is so hard. Then there are others where it’s “boom, I nailed it”.

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

When I wrote my first ‘long’ story at twelve years old. I had watched the classic movie, The Bad Seed, and immediately set pen to paper when my ideas started to flow. The story was thirty pages and was about a teenage serial killer. I applaud my mom for not freaking out and for encouraging me to keep writing. So my inspiration started with movie murders and my mom.

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

It’s a toss up between Shenanigans and The Sweetest Thing. Shenanigans was my first novel, so it has a special place in my heart. The Sweetest Thing has a funny memory attached to it. I had a fellow author accidently use my male lead’s name in her story in the middle of a love scene. Talk about your Freudian slips. I immediately thought of lyrics to an Alanis Morsette’s song– “…and are you thinking of me when you…” I’m sure you can figure out the rest

How do you decide on character names?

I select most of my names from people I’ve encountered (I use that term loosely). I’ve  also been known to also create names from my surroundings. I have a unusual name so I don’t mind my characters having one. I do have to make sure there’s a story or some sort of ‘response’ when other characters ask about the name in a story. The craziest name I’ve made to date is York Mint, the male lead in Love in a Space Elevator. His parents were space hippies– enough said.

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

I would say about a third of my life since I started writing professionally. I take elements of situation or a person and meld it with my characters. So an event in my book might be several things mashed into one or it may be someone else’s experience. I try to make sure someone I know can’t say, “Hey, that happened to me. Why did you do that?”

Plus, I am a fan of learning from other’s experiences, especially the bad ones.

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

I have a side series about a supernatural dating agency called Paris in Springtime (PST). It’s a series of one-shots about various couples paired by the PST matchmakers. It’s set in the world of the Love, Sex, and Magic series, but the characters from that series do not necessarily appear in Paris in Springtime. The fun thing about PST is that some couples don’t realize they are being set up due to the means PST uses.  One or both characters sign up with the agency, which boasts a 100% success rate, and then actions take place to get them together. Part of the magic of PST is they set up elaborate situations that make the couple fall in love on their own then send a bill.
In one of the stories I’m working on, Hunter’s Creed, the heroine is a vampire hunter and she believes she researching her next mark when in fact she’s falling for one of PST’s matches. You can check out an excerpt of Hunter’s Creed on my site

http://www.bondgirlblue.com/excerpts/hcSample.pdf

I’m having fun with the concept overall. There are three stories in the hopper for the series. I’m even working on a Christmas story where Santa meets his mate when she moves into the house next door to him.

What's your writing routine?

Honestly, I’m still trying to pin it to something consistent. Typically I run the scene in my head like a movie and then write a scene. Once, I tried listening to seductive music while blowing bubbles. I wrote two sexy, short stories using that method. I tried doing the same thing again and no dice.

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

My taste in books is all over the place. I’ll read just about anything if the concept is interesting. I tend to read mostly romance, though when I was kid I only read murder mysteries and romance. I’m a bit tapped out in mysteries since I usually solve them early in book.

Jim Butcher is one my fave authors, I have almost the entire Dresden series and I have all of the Codex Alera series. I love his take on the supernatural. The writing is smart, amusing, and imaginative all things I strive for in my writing. I highly recommend him for lovers of paranormal and adventure.
For romance adventure, I recommend Larisa Ione’s Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series or Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. These series are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but very good reads and I love the world building.

January in Review

For the last two years, I've done these Year in Review things around November because I get frustrated with my seeming lack of progress...

I know that sounds weird to people who view my output as some incredible thing--just remember, things look different from the inside--but I have a lot of trouble seeing what my life looks like. I feel like I spend a lot of time screwing around. And as a note, my house is still not even remotely clean, altho having just read about a fellow writer/editor's problems with hoarding, I can feel comforted that at least I don't have that problem.

In any case, I've been feeling a little slack recently and thought I'd go through and list what I've been up to for the last month...

Accomplishments in January

- I wrote about 10,000 words on Sins of Angels, not as much as I'd wanted to do, but the project--which is already contracted for publication in March of 2016, doesn't actually need to be finished until, meh, September? That'll give me enough time to get it edited, redrafted, and turned in by January of next year. (I just turned in the finished draft of Howling Bitch to my editor).

- I did a full second draft of Howling Bitch and turned it in.

- I spent some time in Facebook Jail (two weeks, to be precise) and I think it's really hurt Blues' sales... unlike Roll last year, Blues hasn't yet hit the best seller list. Which means people who haven't thought about the book since last year are still not thinking about it.

- I wrote a short story called How 'Bout Them Apples (5,600 words) and turned it in for a February 15th submission call.

- I wrote a proposal for Coming Together: Strange Shifters and got it approved. I'll be posting the call for submissions as soon as I get cover art. All proceeds will be donated to Bat World Sanctuary.

- I wrote 9 entries for this blog and probably another 6 for other blogs. I'm still technically on my blog "tour" but most of those posts were generated a week or more ago.

- I wrote 1,000 words on a side-story for the Rainbow Connection universe.

- I attended a convention and did almost exactly no work. I didn't even remember to drop off my business postcards on the tables around the dealer's room. Spoke briefly with my con-chair about MERW.

- I submitted a short story for an audio book

- Hosted and enjoyed a release party for Blues, and hosted an hour for Indie Author Support Week.

- solved two computer problems without resorting to turning it over to my more computer-savvy husband and saying "Here, fix this."

- read and reviewed 2 Indie novellas, read and reviewed one Indie Short story, read and reviewed one Hugo Award Winning Science Fiction novel.

- read 2 new romance novels just for fun, and re-read the 6 novels in those series, because I knew that was a goal I wasn't going to be able to keep. (Julia Quinn's Smith-Smythe Quartet and Sarah MacLean's Rules of Scoundrel series)

Goals for February

- write 20,000 words on Sins of Angels

- write short story, Cascade Failure, for March 15th submission call

- post and promote Coming Together: Strange Shifters

- finish Crank it Up short story, estimating ~5,000 words

- begin outline for Terran Academy, Economics 101; The True Cost of an Empire

- read and review at least 2 indie novels.

- read and review at least 1 book on my List of Shit that Lynn Must Read Because Her Friends Said So. (I still don't need book recommendations until I cut this list down by at least 50%)

- try to re-read less than 6 books this month because really, I have limited time and resources, and while I love re-reading, I also love reading fresh.

- clear off my dresser and dust my bed stand because. OMFSM, my room is a tiny pit and needs to be purged.

Introducing Delilah Night: Author of Love is a Virus

One of the best things to come out of working on an anthology like Coming Together (aside from the feeling of doing awesome things for charity) is the friendships that I've gained through the process. Delilah has become one of my darling Facebook Friends (she lives in Asia, so it's not like we can get together for coffee, although that would be cool...) and I'm really pleased to be able to introduce you to her today. 

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

The biggest challenge to my writing career is struggling to balance writing and parenting.  Do I go grocery shopping while they’re both at school, or do I write and accept the karma that comes from making that choice (two children both fighting over who gets to sit where in the grocery cart and then complaining when I put groceries in there with them). When my three year old won’t stay in bed, I can easily lose an hour of writing time putting her back down. Sometimes after a day of parenting, I’m exhausted and my brain can’t do anything more complex than stare at Netflix.


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

Of my published stories, I’d have to say my favorite is “Love is a Virus,” and not just because it’s in Among the Stars.  I really like the eroticism of playing with power dynamics, and I love Saanvi and Lily. I love the kind of ending that changes part or all of what you think you know about the story.


Do you ever want to go back and edit an older story?

I can’t read “Renewal,” which was my first professional sale. While it’s a story that means a lot to me emotionally—a couple trying to find the spark again after becoming parents drew heavily from my own experiences—my writing style has evolved a lot in the past four years. When I recently tried to read it, I desperately wanted to pick up a red pen.

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

A lot of my experiences have ended up in stories. Not necessarily the sex, but the little details. In an upcoming story “Petticoats and Push-Up Bras” my main characters work at the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, which I did in college. I’m in an interracial marriage, and you’ll notice that increasingly my characters are too. A scary encounter with a monkey in Cambodia has been written into my WIP set in Siem Reap.

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

My current major project is a novella set in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  RJ and Meg are ex-lovers who broke up six years ago. She thinks they’re having one last fling. He wants to win her back. Will he succeed, or are the wounds from the break-up too deep to overcome?

Since I just mentioned it, here’s part of the scene with the monkey. It’s a first draft section I haven’t edited yet, so please excuse the rough edges.

The man on the motorbike offered Meg a grape to give to the baby, who had now hopped from the bike back to the ground. She thanked him and gently held it out to the tiny monkey just as the motorbike rider had.

“That’s not a good idea. You should warn your lady,” Darany said. “Miss—”

A large monkey bared massive fangs, hissed, and reached for Meg’s grape. She shrieked and dropped it, stumbling back and away from the far less adorable adult.

“Weren’t you the one who handed me that book? No touch monkey and other travel lessons learned too late?” RJ forced his tone to remain calm even as adrenaline pumped through his body.

“Thanks for the reminder.” Warily, she looked at the large monkey. It had devoured the grape she’d dropped and was now scavenging for other food. She swallowed, squared her shoulders, and lifted her camera again. Meg gave the big monkey a dirty look, turned, and began to shoot the baby once more.

After a few minutes she spoke again. “I would’ve been fine. Probably.”

Delilah Night  is an American expat who doesn’t miss shoveling snow now that she lives near the equator.  She does, however, miss Target and Panda Express (and of course her friends and family). While her love of science fiction was inspired by “The Trouble With Tribbles,” it was Wesley Crusher of TNG who inspired her to begin writing erotica.  You can find her stories in Coming Together:Among the Stars, Other Days, Summer Loving, and Nine-to-Five Fantasies among others.

Introducing Elliot DeLocke

I still have a few more of the Coming Together writers around... sorry this one's late but I was out of town all weekend at a convention and I didn't get his interview stuff until Saturday, when I was already there... the hotel's wireless was erratic (put 3,000 geeks in the same building and we're all trying to run our devices... not so good...) enough that I didn't bother trying to post it.

So, before I let Elliot take it away, let me tell you a bit about my first interaction with him...

I'm still a relatively fresh editor; this is the first time I've completely run an editing process from concept to final product (any errors remaining in the printed version are mine!) and I'm getting submissions in... I'm trying to be all professional and stuff, but you all know me by now, it ain't working. I glance at Sense-Think-Act and read the cover letter attached. Elliot DeLocke. Hmmm. 

When I write back to inform him that I've gotten his submission, I say this:

(oh, please tell me your pen name / legal name is a play on words for Elliot Ness, because that's just awesome.)

Which turns out to be the case... so, I'm already in love with this writer and I haven't even read the story yet... (I have a stuffed Loch Ness Monster whose name is "Elliot") I was really, really hoping his story would be wonderful, because his name is wonderful... and I think you'll agree that Think-Sense-Act is just a lovely little piece of smut... so, without further running of my mouth, let me turn this over to Elliot.

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?


One of my writing goals is to publish a collection of short stories. I've written quite a few short pieces, but not really enough to fill out a whole collection. And my stories tend to be in a variety of genres and styles, so I'm not sure how thematically cohesive or interesting a collection would be with what I've got.

My greatest challenge, then, is to find a consistent voice in my writing and apply it across enough written short pieces to fill out a collection. I still feel like I'm finding my distinct voice, and working towards finding the style and themes that are interesting enough for me to want to stick with them across multiple stories.

contains my post-apocalyptic short “Valentine’s Day”

What's the worst thing that ever happened to you that you've incorporated into a story?

I've spent many years in difficult, painful and very unsatisfying relationships, and elements of this tend to creep into my writing (sometimes even when I'd prefer they didn't). In erotica, the most important character interactions are sexual. Having experience with damaged or dysfunctional relationships - full of misunderstandings, bad intentions, secrets and lies - can show you how those issues influence physical/sexual interactions, is actually great fodder for a smut writer who wants something resonant and plausble. Cliché it may be, but sometimes suffering really does lead to better art.

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

A fair bit. I tend to write from ideas or scenes - I get a picture in my head, and work the story and characters backwards from there.  Some of the scenes come directly from my life, and as such, tend to be populated by characters that are amalgamations of friends or acquaintances. Even when I'm writing fantasy or sci-fi, I usually base characters from how people I know might act in that situation. My day job takes me to some interesting places and lets me meet a variety of people, so that gives  me quite a bit of fodder.

What's your writing routine?

At the moment, mine would be the "all over the place" routine. My life is fairly hectic with family, work and extra-curricular obligations, so I write whenever I can: during my lunch break at work, in the evening (if it's free), on weekends. It's not the most productive routine, but I'm still getting stuff done.

The routine that has worked best for me in the past is to write first thing in the morning, every morning. I woke up, rolled out of bed and got straight into it,  before coffee, breakfast or a shower. Sometimes I'd oversleep and only get about fifteen minutes done, but that was still fifteen minutes more than the day before.

The best thing about doing it first thing in the morning is that I felt like I'd already achieved something creative that day. There was no nagging sense of "when will I find time to write today?" and I could have the evenings to relax instead of feeling obligated to write. When life settles down again, I'll be aiming to get back into this routine.

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

I think it's essential to read something completely different every now and then - a different genre, a new writer, something in some medium or style that's nothing like what you are usually into. Making the effort to read outside of your preferred tastes, to experience something that's new or different, is a great way to get new ideas and learn new writing tricks. So I'd consider a "must read" to be anything that you might not normally put on your "must read" list - try a different genre, some literary fiction, some YA, a comic or gamebook.

The next out-of-the-box novel on my list is "Angela's Ashes". I prefer genre fiction - sci-fi, fantasy, noir and the erotica equivalents - so a door-stopper memoir about growing up poor and Irish is about as far out of my wheelhouse as I could imagine. But enough well-read people have recommended it to me that I'm really looking forward to it.

Elizabeth L. Brooks (again!)

Happily, I still have some more writers for you to meet from my Coming Together: Among the Stars anthology... today, Elizabeth L. Brooks is back to talk about her latest work and to remind us all of how very freaking old I am... because what are best friends for?

Hello, Lynn's readers!

I have known Lynn for a long time. A really long time.

No, longer than that.

(a note from your writer: A Long Time, No, really... I don't always remember to tag her when she's on the blog, but she shows up more than anyone else, except maybe me... maybe.)

Lynn and I have been friends through college and boyfriends and girlfriends and breakups and post-college poverty. Through moves and marriages and pregnancies and children. Through one bad accident and several terrifying hospitalizations and more diets than I can shake a stick at and one divorce that wasn't as bad as it could have been but still wasn't anything like easy. We've been each other's beta readers and co-authors and editors and will always be each other's biggest fans.

Once, when we were hanging out with a bunch of friends, she happened to mention that we'd known each other for over ten years. I nearly did a spittake -- it couldn't have been that long, could it? -- and then added it all up, and sure enough: over ten years. Holy crap. That made me feel kind of old.
The near-spittake reaction was kind of funny, though, so after that, once a year or so Lynn would casually drop into a conversation how long we've known each other, and I would gasp and flail about how it couldn't possibly have been that long and oh god how old we were getting. (Mostly how old I was getting, because when I look at Lynn, I still see the same girl I roomed with in college.)

A few years back, it occurred to me that Lynn and I have been friends for literally more than half my life. And once I got over that shock, the actual number of years stopped surprising and horrifying me. (It's closing in on 25 years now, if you're curious.) I still act shocked sometimes when Lynn brings it up, though, because there's something comforting about having an in-joke that is literally decades old.
I understand about the bonds of a long-standing relationship, is what I'm saying.

In (Why Don't You) Come Between Us, my most recent story from Hot Ink Press, Treyvon thinks he understands those bonds. He's part of a threesome with Mike and Joey, but Mike and Joey were together for a long time before they invited Treyvon into the mix. The two of them have history, and Treyvon doesn't want to intrude on that. But what Joey and Mike need him to understand is that he can't come between them the way he fears, and that they need him as much as they need each other.


Buy Link Amazon

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.

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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?

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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!

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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!

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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?

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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

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...

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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...

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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…

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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.

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.