Erotica Reading Challenge

Because, you know, I never am doing quite enough stuff...

That being said, I want to support my writer friends and publishing sibs; and most of us seem to write erotica or erotic romance these days...

the challenge, should you chose to accept it

I'm going to go for a Level 1 challenge, because I have two novels to write, some short stories, a wedding to be in (not mine, and it will be over soon, but in the meanwhile, I've had two anxiety dreams about it now...) which is 12 erotic or erotic romance books in 2014...

I'll keep track either here, or on Goodreads, and write reviews when I finish them up, so keep an eye out!

Restricted Release; The Not Quite a Blog Tour by Sommer Marsden

Can you see me now?

I recently wrote a blog for Tabitha Rayne about the voyeurism in my new novel Restricted Release. Funny thing, though, I guess I felt the need to be fair because I put a little exhibitionism in my book to balance things out. In fact, the large (ceiling to floor) windows in the houses featured in Restricted Release could almost be considered a fourth in the sexual ménages found within its pages. They're almost another willing partner in the sexual situations.

Clara never considered herself a voyeur, but she also never figured herself for an exhibitionist...until Nadia and her toys showed up. Then all bets were off. Clara found her inner exhibitionist.

(Warning NSFW)

“How about you make her feel pretty, Nadia?” Matt said, his voice smoke and vapors.

It was in my head, his voice. In my gut and in my cunt and winding its way steadily into my heart. My soul perked up when he spoke, and when I thought of him touching me, it soared.

It was a dangerous thing, my connection with him. Too much, too fast, and yet—I craved it when I was honest with myself.

“I can do that,” she said. Her pretty slim hand found its way into my pants and she slid her finger along my slit. I was still wet from earlier and the rich musky scent of my previous orgasm filled my head.

“In fact I have just the thing if you’re game. I want you to put your hands up there on the glass. Both of them.”

I did it and prayed no one was on the roof looking down. It was really the only way for anyone to see me but for Matt. He could see all of me but for the window frame that cut the glass in half. He could see her pushed up tight against me. Her hands in my pants. The look on my face. And I could see all of him. Handsome him pulling a tall-backed stool up to the windowpane and taking a seat to watch.

“Actually, raise your hands like you’re under arrest,” she said loud enough for him to hear.

I did it.

She slipped my tee over my head, mussing my hair. It fell in a crazy halo around my face. I was bare and chilled and then she pressed my palms flat to the window again.

“Check out those perky pretty tits, Matty,” Nadia said and left the room.

I was breathing like I might cry.

“Just be calm, Clara. They really are perfect. You worry too much. You are so…spectacular.”

And then I did cry because I wanted so badly to believe him but it felt so much like a lie to me.

Aren't you glad I decided to be fair? :)

Much like I said in my voyeuristic blog, if you asked me about exhibitionism as turn-on, I'd tell you it doesn’t really work for me. Not my thing. Not for me. But when I wrote that particular snippet...I gave it a second thought.

I might have to change my opinion on the whole being seen scene.

XOXO

Sommer

An Excerpt From: RESTRICTED RELEASE
Copyright © SOMMER MARSDEN, 2013
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.


We sat in the center of his box-cluttered living room floor on a large blanket. Around us was scattered some leftover takeout, cheese, crackers, a box of lemon cookies, mixed nuts, olives, pickles and a bottle of wine.
“This should be disgusting,” he said, eating a pickle with a piece of cheese on a cracker.

“But it‘s so, so good,” I said, eating my own cracker with cheese. I ate it in small nibbles because my stomach was electric.

“Really?” He cocked his head. “Because you barely seem to be eating.” He touched my leg with his bare foot. He was warm.

“I‘m eating.” I pulled the sweatshirt he‘d draped over me close to my body. Besides his sweatshirt, I wore my white slouchy socks and we‘d located my panties.

He held out a box of cookies. “I’m good,” I said.

Matt studied me. “I‘m not as dumb as I look, you know.”

I ate the rest of my cracker and took a sip of wine. It was nice. It had that whiskey aftertaste I usually hate and yet I didn‘t this time. There was enough of a fruity burst in it to temper the oak. “I don‘t think you look dumb at all. I think you look really smart,” I said.

I hoped he didn‘t hear the mixture of annoyance and anxiety in my voice. I wanted to get past the food thing.
“So tell me, mysterious neighbor. Why do you seem to be a person who sticks very close to home? Why do you seem so…gun-shy? Is that a good description?”

I tried to nod but my head barely moved.

“I know why I‘ve been a monkish man for almost a year. Why have you been Sister Clara Barrett?”
I cleared my throat. “I don‘t know.”

He cocked his head and then cut his eyes away. He tried to make it look nonchalant, but I knew what he was doing. He was giving me a moment to consider the situation.

“Really?”

“I…”

Matt held up a hand, looking me right in the eye so I felt totally naked. For a crazy moment I felt as if there were no barriers between what was inside of me and what was inside of him. He said, “You were bold enough this morning to straight up tell me you wanted to have sex with me.”

I opened my mouth but he kept that silencing hand up and I shut my mouth with an audible snap. His fingers slipped beneath my sock, circled my ankle and he said very softly, “Please let me finish before you throw up your security fences and barriers.”

My throat was tight. I nodded.

“You were bold enough to watch me in my bathroom. When I probably could have spotted you at any time, and I sorta kind of did at the end there. And…” He squeezed my ankle and the pressure went right to my pussy. “You were bold enough to come over here on a…” He chuckled. “Booty call.”

I made a small noise of protest but then laughed. Our laughter mingled and I felt a rightness I couldn‘t remember feeling. It scared the shit out of me.

“But you won‘t tell me what your history is, Clara?” He didn‘t say it to belittle me. I could tell he wasn‘t angry. It was simply a question to help him understand. And that made me tell him.

I finished my wine in three big gulps and leaned back on my hands, keeping my legs in crisscross-applesauce fashion.

“I was married.” I picked at a loose thread on my sock and then looked at him. His eyes were amazing. Gorgeous and kind and deep—if they were the windows to Matt Millen’s soul, his soul was a wonder of the Universe.

“I‘m going to say this in one big breath and get it over with, okay?” I said, feeling my eyes sting a little. I willed myself not to cry. I could not cry. That would be stupid. That bad part of my life was over. I needed to move past it.

“Okay,” Matt said. His hand stayed around my ankle, loose but comforting. He wasn‘t eating or drinking, but he wasn‘t poking or prodding either. He was waiting. Listening. Paying attention.

“I was married to a man who wasn‘t…nice.” I shrugged but it felt like I was being blasé about something that was anything but. So I stilled my body and went on, willing myself to be strong. “He didn’t beat me or anything. But he carved me up emotionally. My sister Cat once said it would have been better if he had beaten me.” My voice had gotten small. My stomach hurt.

His eyes flashed with anger but he kept his face schooled. “And why is that?”

I blew out a shuddery breath and whispered. “She said that if he‘d left bruises on me—broke bones—I‘d have known that it was wrong. But as it stood, he got inside my head and…” I tapped my temple. “Fucked with me. He played on my biggest fears and weaknesses to control me. It‘s like in those books where you read about demons and possession and Hell,” I laughed. “He infiltrated my brain and he trapped me with my own fear.”

Matt sighed and popped an olive in his mouth. “I‘m going to go out on a limb here, slim lady, and say one of your issues is food and body image?”

My cheeks heated and I nodded, saying nothing at all. I had to fight the urge to cover myself with his sweatshirt. To pull it down over my knees and hide myself in it. It was a war I still waged most days, even thought I was alone about 80 percent of the time.

He watched me. He was waiting.

Blurb:

Clara is the recovering anorexic who’s nearly become a shut-in after the end of her emotionally abusive marriage. Matt is the new boy next door. Graphic artist, nice guy, funny…accepting of Clara.  She wants him, he wants her—but Clara is afraid.

Nadia is the stand-in—Matt’s idea, Clara’s challenge to accept. A longtime friend of Matt’s, she’s a sexual surrogate intended to guide Clara until she’s not afraid of Matt’s desire for her or hers for him. Twosomes become threesomes, watching becomes touching and lust becomes love.

When Matt moved in next door, lust was the last thing Clara expected. Two lovers never crossed her mind. And the need to make a choice was something she thought she’d never encounter. But she’s bolder now, healing, and everything has changed. And a choice must be made, no matter how hard.

Inside scoop: Clara’s healing includes a hot woman who wants to show her how desirable she is, as well as f/m/f menagés.



Amazon US

Amazon UK

All Romance eBooks
Ellora’s Cave

Bio

Sommer Marsden’s been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen),and “Erotica royalty…” (Lucy Felthouse).

Her erotic novels include Restricted Release, Restless Spirit, Boys Next Door, and Learning to Drown. Sommer currently writes erotica and erotic romance for Xcite Books, eXcessica, Ellora’s Cave, Pretty Things Press, Resplendence Publishing and Mischief Books. The wine-swigging, dachshund-owning, wannabe runner author writes work that runs the gamut from bondage to zombies to humor.

Sommer’s short works can be found in well over one hundred (and counting) erotic anthologies. Her short stories have also been included numerous adult and romance magazines–both in print and online.Visit her at Unapologetic Fiction

Pod Cast

Couple of notes;

One: I had a misspeak moment; I said Delilah Dawson (who writes some awesome novels and is a really fantastically great lady) but I meant Delilah Devlin (who writes awesome stuff and is ALSO a really fantastic lady)... that was a screw up on my part... I have not worked with Dawson, altho I've read a bunch of her books... Delilah Devlin, however, was my editor for Smokin' Hot Firemen.

Two: Wow, is my accent really that strong? I don't really notice, obviously, when I'm talking, but I don't usually hear my own voice, either.

Three: I'm also not used to having a constantly open mic, so there are a few times that you can hear me sniffing. Sorry about that, I'm allergic to air.

Thanks to Jonah and Mikey for having me on their podcast; it was certainly fun. I love to talk, and this was a great opportunity to do so...

So, here's the podcast link: It's a bit long, and somewhat explicit (I'm prone to swearing, altho I don't think I actually DID much in this podcast, but we do talk about erotica and vaginas and make some dirty puns... nothing too extreme, but you probably don't want to listen to it on your speakers while you're at work. Or maybe you do, I don't know...)

Podcast Link

Marscon 2013

This weekend upcoming is the annual Marscon science fiction/fantasy convention.

If you've never been to a sci-fi convention, I can't really recommend them highly enough. If you're a sci-fi geek, of course, and if the idea of being stuck in an elevator with a Klingon doesn't bother you. Sci-fi geeks run the gamut of weirdos. (Altho, to be perfectly honest, I only know a few geeks who are actually Sheldon levels of intolerable assholes.) But a sci-fi con is a great excuse to let your geek flag fly...

I usually go for the music - as you all know, I'm a huge fan of filking and supernatural folk music. There will be several performers there - Jonah Knight, Mikey Mason, Poison Dwarf, the Blithering Humdingers... and the writing workshops. This year, my editor Kristina Wright, and my fellow writer and best friend Elizabeth Brooks will be sitting erotica panels... so that should be fun!

The husband brought home print-outs of the schedule yesterday. Three copies.

He gave one copy to me, one to the kiddo, and kept one. Over the week, we're going to look at the schedule (there's almost 30 damn pages!!) and figure out what we want to do, what we can do, and what we will do. Having to juggle the kiddo back and forth, since she really can't go to a writing panel for writing about alien sex... (No, really! There's a panel for that!! And yes, I'm planning to go.)

Marscon has the huge benefit of 1) assuming that geeks are also old 2) and that they've actually managed to carry on conversations and relationships long enough that 3) they've had babies. 4) those babies are likely also geeks

There's a HUGE amount of family friendly programming and stuff specifically aimed at the younger geeks in the crowd.

The husband is taking Friday off so that we can leave as soon as the kiddo gets home from school (driving up to the peninsula can be horridly time-consuming) and the kid's got Monday off for MLK-day. So I might not get a lot of work done.

That being said, this whole sitting down in front of my computer for several hours with the stated agenda of Getting Shit Done seems to be remarkably more productive than I might have imagined.

Captive of My Desires, Johanna Lindsey cover
Artist: Alan Ayers

Yesterday I wrote almost 2,000 words.

It's been quite a while since I've been that productive. I wasn't tracking my word count very carefully last year, but I don't think I've had a day like that in a while. I wrote 1,200 words on my steampunk-vampire story, took a break, then came back upstairs and wrote about 600 words on Full Frontal Neighbor.

While making dinner, I thought about how to move the story along, and I head-worked a pretty good conversation between my main character and her best friend... much like me and my best friend, they're both in the novel business, but Claire, the best friend, is an editor and publisher. Mallory, the main character, is an artist. She's the one who paints the cover art...

And I was so determined not to forget the line that after dinner, I went back upstairs and wrote another 400 words or so, just so I could get to that conversation.

Here, enjoy a small snippet...

“Well, I have three covers. How’s your time? Can you do three in a month?”

“I have a couple in the drawer, that I painted just for funsies. Maybe one of those would fit. Otherwise, I got time for two. I’m still knee deep in the moving-in process. Stupid movers lost half my stuff and I’m just now getting it back.”

“You said. Which reminds me, your ex was poking about. Asked the new girl where you were living. She didn’t know, so she didn’t tell him. That guy just does not take no for an answer.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumbled. “I had to move back east to get away from him.” That wasn’t entirely true, but I wasn’t above blaming David for just about everything. It was one of my less attractive traits, but at the moment, I wasn’t worried about it. Claire hated him almost as much as I did. Neighbor boy stretched magnificently, and I stood there, silent in the darkness, watching him in all his masculine glory. There was a delicate, not quite unpleasant, ache between my legs. At least David had been good for one thing.

“… and I’ve got one collection of short stories about shape-changers,” Claire said. I drew my attention back to the conversation.

“Werewolves?” Great. I hated painting werewolves. Readers all had their own ideas of what lycanthropes should be, and inevitably, anything I painted would be all wrong for two-thirds of them.

“No, just shape-changers. Some of them turn into cats, or foxes. I think one of the stories has a guy who turns into a weasel.”

“All men turn into weasels, eventually.”

--Full Frontal Neighbor

Ahead of the Storm

Amazon | Kindle | Smashwords | Createspace | All Romance | OmniLit

So, my Zombie story is out a tiny bit early, since Allessia Brio & Sommer Marsden (and me!!) are all on the East Coast and the possibility of getting creamed by the Frankenstorm (and not in a good way!) exists, this new antho, featuring zombies and sex (but not necessarily Zombie Sex! Although maybe there is, I haven't read it all yet. I'll let you know.) is out a little early.

All proceeds from this collection will go to benefit the American Diabetes Association. 

NINE NINE NINE (Nom nom)

So... thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. I might even be so thrilled as to do the Michael Jackson zombie dance... (included here for your edification.)

Ok, maybe not quite that thrilled, but only because I can't dance. I mean, even seriously easy crap like the Electric Slide are beyond my mortal ken.

But I'm very pleased to announce that my zombie piece, Dead in the Water, was accepted to Sommer Marsden's anthology, Hungry for Love.

The Coming Together publications are charity pieces - meaning I get paid in warm fuzzies, and profits from the books go to the charity of the editor's choice, in this case being The American Diabetes Association.

This makes nine acceptances since I started submitting work about 18 months ago... give or take. I can't remember exactly when I submitted "Golden Moment," altho I clearly remember being notified that I'd been accepted on or about my birthday...

It's been a fantastic year and a half. I'm still pulling in about one acceptance every other month.

Special thanks to Jeanne SG for her help with editing this piece, and her wonderful commentary...

PS - If you love zombies and you love erotica (and if you don't like either, what the heck are you doing reading my blog??) I'd like to take this moment to recommend that you read Sommer's Zombie Exterminator series, starting with We Kill Dead Things. It is by far one of my favorite pieces of erotica.

Steamy Magazine

My steampunk erotic story, Deep Breath, is featured in this magazine. So, go buy one. Or I'll be running a contest soonish for a free copy, if you'd rather wait. I'll have to think of something extremely cool, since this magazine is amazing! I'm very pleased that the Seans asked me to contribute to their first issue, and I wish them all the best with the project.

I like Big Trucks and I cannot Lie

This is not the cover.

Congratulations! Your story, Big Trucks, made the final cut. The publisher is very excited about the collection! Sixteen stories will be included in the anthology out of over eighty that were submitted—many by multi-published authors—so be very proud you made it! 

I always love emails like that. It makes up for hitting the send button and looking around for the trashcan so I can vomit into it. I know, I know. But seriously, submitting a story always - ALWAYS - makes my physically ill, so it's nice that there's some payout for it! And not just in a monetary manner. (Not that I won't take the money, oh, I will so certainly take the money!)

I wrote Big Trucks in a few marathon sessions - I think it's probably one of the quickest stories I've ever written. It took me... two, three days tops. I changed the story around a bit, took out some of the excess back story on Steve, my hero, and filled in a little more about Amy, my heroine.

Now, I have an advantage; much like with Snake Dance (forthcoming Real Soon Now!), I have some personal experience. Or at least, some here-say. My grandfather, uncle and cousin are/were EMTs and volunteer firefighters. So, I've heard stories. And once my cousin and I were actually on scene for a fire - my grandfather got the call and we were in the car. He was very firm "Stay in the Car" and we did. (You can express your amazement at my docility if you like.) But I won't ever forget it.

I went to a few web sites that talked about firemen stories; not looking for anything to steal, but just getting a feel for the jargon. I did some web research on trucks and hoses and other firefighting tools, then I sat down, threw some characters onto the page, and poof.

(Also, small confession - the Steve in my story... totally based on someone I know. He's not a firefighter, but he's totally hot and I admit I was thinking about him... the whole time. I'm a bad, bad, bad girl....)

Table of Contents

Smoking Stilettos – Rachel Firasek 

Saving Charlotte – Sabrina York 

Hook Me Up – Adele Dubois

Big Trucks – Lynn Townsend

Lost and Found – Nanette Guadiano

Temperature Rising – Cathryn Fox

Unexpected Detour – Ily Goyanes

Rescue Me – Maggie Wells

Chasing Fire – Elle James

Stoke – Tahira Iqbal

Something’s Burning – Cynthia D'Alba

Fire Hazard – M. Marie

The Fireman’s Rescue – Kalissa Wayne

Falling Ashes – Shoshanna Evers

Fire Extinguisher – Rowan Elizabeth

Her Hero – Catherine Paulssen

Johnny Blaze – Delilah Devlin

Blister Effect

Is officially up for sale...

Don't forget to enter the contest to get a free copy, plus some other Gnifty Stuff...

Contestia!

Ok...

First, I am all moved.

Yay, writer in the House! For Shizzle.

Whatever that means.

So... maybe I'll actually be around here more often and making with the writing. I have a few short-shorts due July 15th, a novella in the works, and part 3 of London Steam that I'm working on.

(in various loose interpretations of the word "work" because I am all kinds of not-capable of multi-tasking... also, I am all kinds of not-capable of letting other people do work when I am not working. It's one of those things... if the Husband is cleaning, I have to stop what I'm doing and clean TOO, even if I've been cleaning all day and I just want to relax. I have actually gotten to my feet to help him clean when I'm about two seconds away from bursting into tears from exhaustion.... I feel inordinately GUILTY when someone is doing something that I consider "my job" and cleaning and packing and moving are all parts of my job description... which is probably why we haven't moved in eight years...)

We still have one more big thing to do with the house. We're getting hardwood floors installed, and they did the Great Room last week before we moved in, but because our timeline was so tight, they weren't able to get it all done before we moved. So the office - where I am now typing to you from - wasn't fixed. The wood is in my closet, "acclimating..." and they'll bring in a few more crates of that on Friday to acclimate over the weekend. But it does mean I have to move my desk AGAIN and my computer stuff AGAIN to get out of the way while they replace the hideous white carpet.

Then there are about 400 million smaller projects, including all the UNpacking... and I have a bet with my dad that I can be "completely unpacked" by June 23rd. (Don't ask. My father and I are physically incapable of not pissing each other off if we're in the same room for more than 3 days... and he was here all week helping. And I appreciate the help. And at the same time... )

So, I'll be off-line again for Monday - Wednesday or so, which they install floor.

Ok... Now! Contest... what you're all actually interested in, I expect...

I have a "gift box" for one lucky reader; it includes a copy of Lustfully Ever After, a copy of Steamlust, an e-copy of Blister Effect (officially released next week, so this contest will run til a week past its release date!), an e-copy of Shifting Steam, The Age of Steam CD from my friend Jonah Knight (either a music download, or I can get the actual physical CD if you still do that sort of thing!) and a poster from last year's Ladies of Steampunk calendar; the Absinthe Fairy. (Link shows you the picture, I have it as a small poster...) Both physical books will be signed to a person of your choice, and if you want the physical CD, I'm almost positive I can get Jonah to sign it for you. He's nice like that. Also, weird. But nice.

So, here's the deets: comment below for one entry. That's it. No need to buy anything or retweet or whatever... if you DO retweet or facebook link or any of that fun stuff, I will add one extra entry for each "social media" thing you do, just LET ME KNOW that you've done so in the comments below, because I am social media inept sometimes and I might not see it. My twitter handle is @tisfan and Lynn Townsend is me on Facebook, so include appropriate linkage!

Blister Effect is released on May 23rd, and so I will run this contest til May 31st.

Have at!

A post of absolutely no substance whatsoever

Hi!

I'm still in the process of moving. God. The new new revised plan is to close on Wednesday. My tiny little apartment is filled with boxes and I am filled with crazy.

Tomorrow is my birthday, just so you know. 40 years of the world having to put up with me, and me having to put up with the world.

I spent Friday night in the E.R. And for once, it was me doing the sitting around and waiting. Usually it's me doing the writhing around on the cot. So, that was a new experience. And I have to say, ER chairs are hella uncomfortable. More so at 2am than other times. (Don't worry, everyone's fine. The husband has kidney stones, which he might debate as "not fine" but it's not life-threatening... just unpleasant.)

I have 2 stories coming out this month; Lustfully Ever After, which contains my short story, Garden Variety.

Some ARC review excerpts:

"... and Lynn Townsend’s “Garden Variety,” in which an urban gardener’s beanstalk finds a most unorthodox way to repay her ministrations." - Publisher's Weekly

"Townsend's take on Jack and the Beanstalk is creative and erotic..." - Laurie Gold

So, you know, there's that.

Lustfully Ever After is currently available on Amazon, even tho it's not technically released until the 15th, but hey... We don't mind.

And then The Blister Effect will be out through Torquere toward the end of the month; that will be available as an eBook only. (also, for those of you who don't pay attention, that's a sequel to Shadow of Kenfig, released as part of Shifting Steam last October. Also, it's m/m, so if that's not your thing, you're warned.)

And I updated the look of my author page on Facebook. If you don't follow me there, you should. I'm much more likely to say stuff on Facebook because I am hella lazy these days.

But, keep your eyes out. Once I get my copies of Lustfully Ever After, I'll be doing another promo contest, and I have some nice stuff; a CD, 2 books, and a few other spiffs. 

Duty and Desire

I'm thrilled to announce this; I'd been "forewarned" a few weeks back, one of those "if you haven't heard from me yet, it's GOOD news..." emails. I'm thrilled to be featured alongside some of my favorite writers, including Sacchi Green, Shanna Germain, Lucy Felthouse, Charlotte Stein, and Christine d'Abo. A special shout-out to Elizabeth L. Brooks, who is not only my best friend, but my editor, my co-conspirator, and all around partner in crime.


DUTY AND DESIRE: MILITARY EROTIC ROMANCE
Introduction: Beyond the Uniform
The Long Ride Home                 Delilah Devlin
Night Witch                               Sacchi Green
Shattered                                  Shanna Germain
The Grunt and the Ditty Bop       Craig J. Sorensen
Fighting for Fresno                     Ericka Hiatt
Homecoming                              Kelly Maher
Passing Out Passion                  Lucy Felthouse
Against the Wall                         Catherine Paulssen
The Thunder of War                    Anya Richards
Sergeant Rae                             Toby Rider
Dead On Her Feet                       Elizabeth L. Brooks
Out of Time                                J.K. Coi
Done                                          Charlotte Stein  
Wilco                                         Christine d’Abo
Christmas Presents                     Mercy Loomis
Snake Dance                               Lynn Townsend
Home                                          Michelle Augello-Page
For Better or Worse                      Kristina Wright


Aaaand I'll get to see if my father actually buys and reads my stuff. (for the record, I suspect he does NOT...) Because if he does, I may die a sudden and gruesome death.


I was told several times by Navy friends that "sea stories" are fair game for re-telling... that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

On the Shelf

I play Warcraft.

I won't make any apologies for that; if I've not written some days because I was busy playing Warcraft, I have also blown off a raid and said, "Good luck, I have this chapter to write!"

Anyway, for those of you in the know - I was in a PUG yesterday. (Pick up Group... and much like calling something an ATM Machine, or saying a sandwich is served with au jus, saying PUG Group is just redundant. It's an Automatic Teller Machine. Not an Automatic Teller Machine Machine. You don't serve a roast beef sandwich with with juice. And you don't go on a pick up group group. This is not 5th grade. You don't like him like him, either.) and we had some people drop group. Me and 2 dps are standing around waiting for some healer to grace us with their presence.

"I'mma go finish these dailies while we wait," and the warlock vanishes from the instance.

"I was looking for something in the Auction House," says the shadowpriest, and likewise poofs.

I said, "Book, book... I know I had a book around here somewhere..." and I started digging around for my Kindle Fire. (As a side note, I love my Fire. Love it love it love it.)

"Oh," says the warlock, "What are you reading?"

"I'm re-reading Dragon Bound, since Book 4 is coming out in like 6 days, reading a short story to review for my friend Lucy Felthouse (look for it in a few days!), reading my own vampire novel in prep for revision, previewing some publicity materials and watching Vampire Diaries, Season One." (One of the reasons I love my Kindle is the ability to so thoroughly keep me distracted... until it runs out of batteries, I can get 4 or 5 different tasks done without even putting the device down!)

Instead of yawning over this complete glurge I just threw out onto the screen, the warlock says to me, "You're a writer? What do you write?"

I told him, "romance," expecting to get mocked. People do that. I don't mind. People are welcome to their opinions.

"Name?"

"Lynn Townsend."

Without missing a beat, "Steampunk romantic erotica, right? Yeah, that sounds cool."

Me. "Yeah, that's me." That was fast.

"I'm in indie bookstore owner. It's on our shelves. My wife's read it. She says it's pretty good."

Holy shit.

On The Fly

I got my final confirmation, including making payment arrangements for On the Fly. It's been accepted and will be published Very Soon Now. I'll have money in hand in a few days, and should have a link for you all in a week.

So that's awesome! And this will be a good way for you all to get a cheap look at my work; the collection will be available on Kindle only (you don't need an ereader to look at a kindle file. Your smartphone or computer will be able to view it as well) for 99cents for several stories.

On the Fly is a pretty basic, modern erotic romance, m/f.

In other news, we've given up on the house we bid for back in October. I have nothing good to say about Bank of America. We're putting in a new bid tomorrow for a different house, and I hope to have this whole buying a house thing wrapped up soon so I can stop stressing, drinking too much, and waking up in cold sweats behind me.

Hippo Gnu Deer

I felt a bit alone this New Years, which is funny, since I think this year I was surrounded by more people on that occasion than usual. (Admittedly, I spent at least an hour and a half of it attempting - and failing - to keep an elderly Jewish woman from completely losing her shit, but hey...)

I felt alone because I was the only one mourning the passing of 2011.

2011 was the best year of my life, bar none.

I remember, way back in 5th grade, when the most interesting thing about me was that my name was longer than I was, I was introduced to a strange concept; People write books. Actual, real people. Someone I could talk to had written books. And other people read them. Hey, I was a kid. I suppose if you'd asked me before that, I would have acknowledged that people wrote books, but I hadn't really glommed onto the concept... that year, my teacher had us write short stories. Each student wrote a short story, mine was called Alona and the Blue Ribbon. After we wrote - and then revised - the story, we made bound copies by writing the words carefully on paper, sewing the pages together, and pasting them inside cloth-bound cardboard covers.

I still have mine. (It was bad. Terrible in fact. Fire drakes and fantasy, weirdly not-nice fairy godmothers... those fairies, always creep me out just a little bit... adventures and learning to deal with magic.)

From that day forward, I've wanted to be a writer.

And to some degree, more or less, I've been one. Or, at least, in the strictest sense. I was a writer in that I wrote. Along the way, I had one short story picked up by a Young Authors magazine (I was supposed to get 2 contributor copies, the magazine went out of business shortly after my acceptance, and if they ever printed my story, I never got a copy, and never saw it in print.) and one play picked up by an underground lesbian indie magazine. (I didn't submit that one, my professor did in college, and I suppose I should be grateful that she submitted it under my name instead of her own, since there's no way in hell I would have ever known about it otherwise. I don't count that, really, because that's not a piece of work I would have wanted to publish on my own.)

I don't actually have the "stack of rejection letters" that a lot of writers talk about having. Oh, I've received a few of them. About 10 years ago, I sent out a string of inquiry letters to agents, trying to sell my co-authored book, Circle in the Sand. I got back 3 "no thank yous" and never heard on the rest of them. Really, if I send out a SASE, is it that much trouble to say no thank you? I never kept any of them; or at least, I don't think I did. If I have any, I have no idea where they are, and that's about the same thing, right?

2011, things changed.

I finally found my groove for writing; and honestly, if I'd been paying attention, I'd have found it a lot earlier. I took Creative Writing in college twice which meant I wrote four short stories for critiques over the course of two semesters. I wrote two horror stories, one sci-fi and a modern-day romance about a woman who runs into her ex-husband while at a bar in the Bahamas. The one story that got any approval AT ALL from my classmates (now, don't mind me, but I will still say that 95% of my classmates were a bunch of snotty, stream of consciousness, look how stylistically I'm writing mom! assholes who were more interested in how obscure they could be rather than in learning how to tell a good STORY) was the one romance I wrote.

For decades now, I've been writing romance stories and trying to market them under a different genre. I've written horror romance, fantasy romance, and sci-fi romance. And when I was done writing, I'd go back and edit out all the sex, most of the romance, and end up with a bare-bones plot that just wasn't that interesting. What I'm most interested in is romance. My favorite sci-fi stories are the Liaden Universe novels, written by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee. (Start here and move forward.) I like Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer stuff best of all her work; if you look at them, they're very, very romantic. I read and re-read, obsessively, Clan of the Cave Bear, which was one of the first novels I was introduced to that had graphically described sex. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan (I even have a Jane Austen action figure that is pinned to the wall near my monitor).

So... eight short stories written and submitted in 2011. Three accepted.

34,356 words written that have been submitted (slightly more if the fact that I had to submit On the Fly twice!)

One novel written. 50,059 words.

And one semi-completed short story that will be done within the next 2 weeks, for a total of 91,415 words written this year. (That's not including the 20,000 words I've edited OUT of Marked Man... or blog posts. Or flash fiction, of which I have written a TON....)

2011 has been the best year of my life. Bar none.

Except that I want to raise the bar.

Yes, yes, eventually I'm getting to the point, hold onto your butts.

2012 (it's the end of the world as we know it....)

I would like to write over 150,000 words.
I would like to submit one short story per month (with the average word count of 4,000 words submitted, so if I submit a longer story, say 10,000 words, that counts as 2 stories...)
I would like to finish editing Marked Man and get it out the door.
I would like to plot out and begin re-writes for Circle in the Sand
I would like to finish Blood Sight and begin edits for that
I would like to start writing Hunter Moon (perhaps as my NaNoWriMo project)
I would like to start writing The Wormwood Trade

So... that's my broad plan for 2012...

More detailed plans:

Finish writing Blister Effect (a 10-15k short story) by Jan 15th, get to betas and get submitted by Jan 31st
Plot out and write Roll, a 3-5k short story and submit by Feb 29th
Plot out and write Alive and Kicking, a 3-5k short story and submit by March 15th
Plot out and write a tentacle sex story, 20 - 25k, due for submission March 25th 
Plot out and write Picking up the Pieces, a 15 - 20k short story, due for submission March 31st
Plot out and start writing Nocturnal Equations, a 10k short story, due April 30th

(I'm not committing myself to both of the March longer stories; I'm mulling them over and trying to decide which one I want to do more...)

I Heard the News Today, oh boy!

(I'm officially old. Making Beatles references. Nevermind, you all knew that already.)

Soooooo....I got the official word, after several months of Facebook stalking my editor; Garden Variety has been picked up for the Lustfully Ever After collection.

Which is pretty cool. Lustfully Ever After is sort of the sequel (if a collection of loosely related short stories can have a sequel) to the collection released last year, Fairy Tale Lust. I've told you the story of how I met Kristina, my editor, right? Well, part of that meeting involved my introducing her to Amy, the owner of my local coffee shop, so that she could do some book promoting locally. I finally met her face to face the night she did her reading and promotion of Fairy Tale Lust, and for me, that was the moment where we really clicked.

So, it just feels like a nice karmic balance for me that I should get a story into the sequel.

Also, I particularly like Garden Variety, despite all the weirdness surrounding it. (Writing it had its own little drama that I still don't want to talk about because it was weird.) Of the seven or so stories I've written to Spec this year, Garden Variety is my favorite, probably because it covers one of my own personal kinks.

Shifting Steam

This morning I got the news that Shifting Steam - an anthology which will contain my longer short story, Shadow of Kenfig - will be released October 26th.

Here's the cover art.

Lovely, yes?

I'm looking forward to seeing what else is in the collection.

Genre: LGBT romance/erotica

Synopsis: The young lord, Seth Maitland, is infected by the gwren, turning him into a ravening monster during the full moon, or when overpowered by anger. Can he convince Dr. Poindexter Fizthugh to help him and possibly find a cure for his condition?

56 miles. In the Rain. Uphill. Both Ways.

God, I'm old.

I'm still recovering from my 56 mile walk last weekend. I may have done something to my foot, as it keeps swelling up and hurting a LOT. And I have a busy, busy social weekend staring me in the face.

Recommended read, covers 3 out of 4 kinks: Zombies, Gay/bi men, and blue-haired women. Go check out We Kill Dead Things by Sommer Marsden. I won a free copy, and while I was INTENDING to read it tomorrow on the car ride up to my dad's, I opened it up to make sure it downloaded correctly to my kindle, read the prologue and the next thing I know I was saying, "Shit, is there a sequel?" (Rest assured, there are two sequels! Lunatic Fringe is coming out... soonish?)

I meant to do some more Flash Fiction today, but I got distracted by Sommer's book... so here's a bit I had left over...

Early Release, Odds and Ends,

Well, it looks like Steamlust is actually now available... you can get it here through Amazon, or here through the publisher. (My story specifically IS mentioned in the blurb at Cleis, so even if you're NOT going to buy it from them, please feel free to go look at the splash page, because you know, it's awesome.)

If you would like a signed copy, I will be setting that up through this website shortly, but I'm going out of town this weekend (of COURSE I am... and my copies of the book will arrive while I'm GONE!) so I don't really have time to do it now. (If you've already BOUGHT a copy and would like to ship it to me to sign, I'm happy to do that, as well. Please send me an email at lynntownsend dot writer at gmail dot com and I'll give you the deets on that. You will have to send me a check or a return pre-paid shipping label, because honestly, I don't get paid that much yet and while I love you for being a fan, I don't love you enough to spend my entire payment on shipping!)

I've also started the process of getting an Author page on Amazon, so I'll show y'all that as soon as I get "approval".

Flash Fiction Friday will be delayed this week; I've got 4 left from last week, so I don't need any new prompts just yet. Sorry about that. I'm going to be in DC walking 60 miles in the hopes of eradicating breast cancer. (Feel free to donate if you want. I've made goal, but it's a good cause. This walk mainly brought to you by Flowers Power; my dear friend Leslie donated quite a lot this year.)

I'll be having a book release party at the Bean There Cafe in Norfolk, Saturday, Oct 15. This is an open event. If you're local, feel free to come by. I'll be signing books, doing a reading, answering questions and talking sex. Should be fun.

I signed my second contract this week; Shadow of Kenfig will be presented to you in print and e-book formats from Torquere Press. More deets on that when I know them. (Torquere is LGBT stories.)

I currently have a few stories out; Garden Variety (which I should hear about Real Soon Now), On the Fly, and Ripped will probably be going out today or Monday. Working hard on P.B.E.M. for Duty & Desire. After I finish that, I'll be working on the sequel to Shadow of Kenfig, The Blister Effect, and editing my novel, A Marked Man. (By the way, I am "hiring" for a few beta readers for Marked Man... this is a full length, ~150,000 word fantasy romance. If you're interested and you will actually DO THE WORK, please contact me.) Then I have a short story for Kingdom of Desire due in December. I have another m/m steampunk novella in the works, too, The Wormwood Trade. Got that partially outlined. So, the rest of the year is looking pretty full.

Hope you guys are doing well and I'll see you after the 3 Day.

Independent Verification

I've always felt like I was a talented writer.

Well, you know, except for the times when I felt completely worthless, insipid, and generally unable to follow a complex sentence from one end to the other. Days when I scrap everything I've been working on, throw it in the metaphorical trash and start over. Days when I'm convinced that I will never write as well as I want to.

I think we all have those days.

Taking aside those days, I've believed that writing was the one thing I was good at; I might be ugly (re: fat!), a bad housekeeper, a difficult friend, a needy, self-serving, annoying bitch with delusions of adequacy... but writing! That was my talent.

It's nice, however, to have independent verification.

I love my beta readers, I do; however, they're all my friends. They could be just humoring me.

I love Kristina, who accepted my story "Golden Moments." But again, she's my friend. And while my head believes that she wouldn't risk her reputation as an editor on my bad piece of work just because she's my friend... my doubts and concerns...

Well, yesterday, I got an email:

Dear Lynn,

Thank you for your submission to the Shifting Steam anthology. With just a few tweaks, I’d love to accept your story. Payment is $50.00 plus contributor copies of both print and ebook editions. The rights we’re reserving are first paperback and electronic rights for five years.

I'm very, very excited!

So... now to get to tweaking!