Sunday, November 6, 2011

Gay Movies or Lack Thereof

So tonight I got sucked into looking around on youtube by a friend of mine. She posted me a link to a video and I just kind of started browsing around. I found alot of fan videos posted for gay films. I love to read male/male romance books, but I find the volume or quality of the gay films available (not foreign films) is sadly lacking. There are very few quality gay films actually produced in the U.S.

While browsing the fanvids, I found a ton of videos based on foreign gay films which are extremely hard to get or are in a language I can't understand with no English subtitles.

There is only one gay themed movie I have really seen that wasn't either A)a tragedy where one of the main characters dies or B)isn't really awful acting and film quality. I would love to find gay themed films that had quality acting and proper filming done and were not actually trying for an 'artistic viewpoint'! Do gay films always have to be about the trials of coming out? What about just straight up gay romances like the books I write or read from companies like Dreamspinner Press or Silver Publishing?

Is there something written down somewhere that states it has to be flippin' depressing to watch a gay themed movie?? Or it has to be about the trials and tribulations of coming out of the closet? Don't get me wrong, those films are great, but I would kill to see a true quality gay themed flat out ROMANCE film. One where boy meets boy or man meets man and you see them falling in love!

And the same with TV shows! Queer as Folk was one of the few truly gay themed shows out there and it ended a while back after five seasons. The gay characters in any current TV shows usually end up being side characters instead of the main focus point. And I guess this all goes back to the HOMOPHOBIA this country seems to carry like a proud banner waving in the breeze. Countries overseas produce soap operas, tv series, movies, books, anime, etc. proudly and without trying to put an artistic twist on it. Why can't we do the same?

Am I wrong? Brokeback Mountain was really the first truly main stream film produced and yet they still felt the need to put that twist on it. To make it artistic, hiding who you are, and ending it with a bittersweet ending instead of a happy one. It drives me crazy how the only mainstream romance movies out there are hetero.

**This is my own personal opinion. I don't expect everyone to agree with me.***

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Guest Blogger: Lily Harlem - Berets & Bras

Sexy military boys!





What is it about military men that gets us girls hot and bothered? Mmm, for me it’s their smokin’ hot bodies, the skilled use of their weapons and that glint in their eye that let us know they work hard and play hard.

I was thinking of soldier yumminess some time ago and came up with a book called Thief. Thief is a full length novel about a very bad girl who steals cars, she is disturbingly capable at her corrupt profession, until that is, she meets John Taylor, ex special service and not about to let this sexy lady get away with his Porsche.



Writing this erotic romance gave me the chance to indulge in my crush on uniformed hotties, but far from abating I soon found myself ogling lovely men in uniform again. Before I knew it another story was brewing Berets and Bras which is just out at Silver Publishing.





Blurb for Berets and Bras:

Blood, sweat and hard work has given me everything I want, except that is, the dangerous mercenary I'm in love and lust with. Until, one night, when my secrets are exposed, I discover, in the sweetest possible way that he's sinfully talented at handling more than just his armed weapon.



Excerpt:


Hurriedly, I tighten the strapping around my petite breasts, shrug into a black thermal top, and pull on an armoured vest. Moving swiftly but methodically, I stuff a homemade wad of padding into my boxers, yank up black combat pants, and wriggle my toes into multiterrain boots.

There's a sudden, sharp rap at my door accompanied by Tom's deep, grating voice. "Are you fucking ready, Carl?"


As always my heart does a flip, and for the millionth time I curse its erratic beats. Why does Tom have this effect on me? No one else has ever produced such a pathetic, simpering response in my cardiac muscle, and in all honesty, I could do without it. My infatuation with my colleague could ruin a year of subterfuge and deception, waste gallons of sweat from intense physical training, and make what has felt like a lifetime of suppressing female needs and desires utterly pointless.


At eighteen I joined the British army, worked until I was sweating blood, and concentrated solely on rising through the ranks, but by twenty-three I was lured out by the smell of money, lots of money. I'd been told it was impossible to become a mercenary. Women simply can't handle it. But me being me meant I was unable to take no for an answer, and I made it my mission to join an elite group known as Cobra. And now, standing here as twenty-four-year-old Carl, not Carol, I'm by far the finest sniper in the group, a fourth Dan in Seidokan karate, and I have a photographic memory for maps which means I rival even a local's knowledge.


I snatch open the door and see Tom's colossal bulk looming in the narrow hallway, hands placed on hips and his muddied forehead creased into three neat lines. "Bloody hell, you haven't done your camo yet," he grunts the second his gaze settles on me.

"Shit, hang on." I scoot back into my room.

He follows me with two ground-eating paces. "Here," he says. He reaches past my waist and grabs the tube of mud brown. "We gotta get going." He spins off the cap, oozes a blob onto his finger, and stoops towards my face.

I freeze.

He's too damn close for comfort.

Raw male pheromones fill my senses, and a potent, testosterone fuelled heat radiates into my pores. I try to pull my gaze from his rugged, camo-darkened face, terrified that he'll look into my soul and see blazing sexual turmoil. But I can't shift my eyes; my concentration is stuck, glued onto his coal-black pupils as I feel myself falling into them. Falling into him.

His frown deepens, and he licks his lips, covering them with a sheen of saliva. A shard of longing shoots to my pussy, and my nipples spike against their tight containment. I want to kiss the moisture off. I want to taste him, lick him. I want to know what it feels like to press my mouth to his for real and not just in a fantasy or a dream.

He swallows. His Adam's apple travels way down low then all the way back up. He opens his mouth, as if to speak, but then stops himself and clamps his lips into a tight, hard line.

My mind spins, my heart flutters. What has the dangerous, highly trained killer I'm in love with seen? Has he guessed my feelings? Felt my barely harnessed female desires? What was he about to say?


I hope you’ll check out my stories if you do be sure to let me know what you think, also sign up for my newsletter (on my website) to be in with a chance to win my latest release.
Lily Harlem
Winner of 2009 Love Honey Award for Erotic Fiction
http://www.lilyharlem.com/

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Kindlegraph Requests

Hi, all! Me again! Twice in one day? Whoa! But yes, I had to share!! I signed up for Kindlegraph today so if you own any of my books and would like a Kindlegraph, head on over to Kindlegraph.com and sign up to submit a request!

When I signed up and submitted Chasing Seth as one of my books, I already had a signature request waiting! How cool is that?!

MM Good Book Reviews - The Greatest Compliment I've Ever Received

When I finished Chasing Seth, I thought 'This is my best work yet, no way it can disappoint'. I thought that because of how different it was from Touch Me Gently, how my writing style had matured since completing Touch Me Gently back in 2006, and how the storyline had more twists and turns and a less confusing outcome. But that same day I decided to check the reviews on Goodreads.com and found myself extremely disappointed, upset and down right depressed. I guess I should have learned Goodreads is not a good place to actually look at reviews. A good portion of the reviews are petty, vindictive, and just flat out cruel. Why the reviewers feel the need to be so, I have no idea. Maybe they're unhappy in their own life, or maybe they just feel the need to tear others down, kind of like in high school where the cheerleaders tease the fat kid.

The most baffling part of reading the reviews was seeing so many people agree with the worst one without even picking up the book and experiencing it for themselves. How can you possibly judge something without actually involving yourself in it? It would be like me looking at a cover of a book and saying, 'Oh, I'm not going to read that book. The cover's ugly/stupid/etc. so that means the story would be too.' Shame on those who feel the need to follow like sheep instead of making their own decisions. Doesn't the phrase go 'If so and so jumped off a cliff, would you follow them?' Because you know you wouldn't.

In my depression I made a post on Facebook which I wouldn't have really carried through with because I love writing too much, no matter what the naysayers of my books write, and I had someone reach out to me who has a website for book reviews. She offered to read the book and review it. I agreed because, even if she hated the book, I knew she'd give at least a professional review instead of a spiteful, vindictive bunch of trash talking. I had no idea what the review would contain or if she would even like the book, but when I received her email with the link to the review, I jumped on it to read the review like a dog does a treat. And I found the most wonderful review I've ever read of my books. I was so excited to see it that I even broke the taboo of logging into Facebook at work and posted the link for everyone to read it.

If you have a chance, please hop on over to MM Good Book Reviews and read what the review of Chasing Seth. Chasing Seth Review I sincerely recommend reading their reviews of books instead of following what the posionous readers write on Goodreads. True book reviewers will tell you the truth. And I'm not just saying this because the review was in a positive way. I would be saying this even if Pixie had hated the book.

Everyone's tastes differ. So don't always go along with whatever someone tells you. Make an informed decision for yourself. If you have to agree with a friend or else you'll make them angry at you, then they aren't really your friend.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Fragments of a Unicorn's Soul 'Sunday Snog'



Hi, everyone. I figured I'd join in the fun this Sunday and post one of my own Victoria Blisse's Sunday Snogs. :)  I hope you enjoy!



-------------------------



Long moments of silence passed before Elek could speak, and he never once looked away from Jonathan as he told the story that had started years ago—from the night he'd felt the strong urge to enter the forest until the second Hemia yanked the horn from his head. He told Jonathan of the legend Aggie spoke of and how he'd taken the chance of death to be near him. When he'd finished, Jonathan stared at him, his face expressionless.

"You gave up immortality and risked the possibility of death for me?"

Brow furrowing, Elek nodded. "Eternal life means nothing if I can't be near you."

Jonathan slowly stood, calculatingly advancing toward the bed. The dark sapphires blazed, strange emotions swirling in their depths. Elek felt the heat of Jonathan's body the moment he stepped close to him, and he clenched his hands in the mattress under him to keep from reaching out to touch him. Jonathan set his hands on Elek's shoulders, placing one knee on the bed beside Elek.

"That is either the stupidest or the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Jonathan murmured, a mere breath of a second before covering Elek's lips with his own.

Elek gasped into the kiss, pleasure and hope sending his heart soaring. He groaned, bringing his arms up and wrapping them around Jonathan's waist tightly. Blood swelled in his lower regions and Elek wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep in Jonathan, his love, the human who held the pieces of his soul he'd never known were missing. Jonathan's tongue slid over his lips, pushing at them, and Elek parted them, his mouth immediately flooded with the taste of Jonathan.

Fingers tunneling through Elek's white-blond locks, Jonathan expertly nipped and sucked at Elek's mouth, elated at the innocence behind the man's responses. He still didn't understand how Elek could possibly be human or be there in his dorm room, in his arms, but he didn't want to question it anymore. He just wanted to feel him, to breathe him in, and know Elek belonged to him.

"Make love to me, Elek," Jonathan whispered pleadingly, his voice cracking.

Perhaps because it was such a primal, deep-seated need, Elek knew without question what his lover wanted, falling back into the soft bed and pulling Jonathan down on top of him. He slid his hands greedily along Jonathan's body, touching everywhere at once, yet it felt like he couldn't touch him enough. "Jonathan."

A thrill lanced through Jonathan's stomach at his name on Elek's lips, and he captured them again, drinking deep. He yanked his shirt over his head, baring his upper body to Elek's hungry gaze. "Too many clothes," he growled, pulling at the t-shirt covering Elek's muscular chest.

---------------------------


Don't forget to check out my other releases:

From Dreamspinner Press



Touch Me Gently

Chasing Seth

 

Want to read more Sunday Snogs? Head over to Victoria Blisse's Blog for more!


Friday, September 30, 2011

Chasing Seth Released Today

My third book, second from Dreamspinner Press, Chasing Seth was released today!

I spent the last three hours posting over on the Dreamspinner Press Blog about the book, excerpts, a couple of contests, and other details about my writing as well as my future plans. If you missed out on the live posting, no worries, you can still head over and read as well as comment. I'll be checking back through the weekend to see if there's any further replies.

Also the 2nd contest I had running is still going as I have not received the correct answers to the ten trivia questions I have posted. Two of my contestants were close but I am afraid they had two of the questions wrong. Interesting that they both had the exact same two incorrect! :( I really hope someone is able to provide me the correct answers!

As a reminder, until midnight tonight, All Romance Ebooks is offering a 25% discount on all Dreamspinner Press releases so hurry on over to their site to grab up some great reads, including Chasing Seth ;)!!!

If you read the book, drop me a note here, the DSP blog, or even on my personal website http://www.jrloveless.com/ under the Contact J.R. section to let me know what you thought of it! I appreciate any constructive feedback and of course I always love to hear when someone really enjoyed it.

For now, I leave you with a gorgeous man. Think of warm breezy nights on the beaches of Miami and martini glasses with the tiny umbrellas!


Sunday, September 11, 2011

Guest Blogger: Hayley B. James - What is Yaoi?


October brings me many wonderful things. Cold mornings, cool afternoons, crispy leaves beneath my feet, sweaters, scarves, boots, pumpkins, Halloween, and my birthday. But best of all: October also has Yaoi Con!If you’re unfamiliar with yaoi con, you ought to be ashamed of yourself and cry in the corner. Or simply read the introduction page here and get on with life.


Yaoi was my first foot into the door of the wonderful world of male on male romance. Wikipedia has a nice article on it here. In short, yaoi is a representation of gay men in loving or plain sexual—healthy or unhealthy—relationships with a target audience of women. There’s manga, novels, drama CDs, animes, and computer games.Fans of the genre will tell you about the “rules” yaoi must live and die by. The top is always taller, older, larger, than his bottom. The bottom is usually a clueless sort and more feminine than his top. Sometimes these rules are broken, but it seems to be a faux pas in the industry. I admit my library of yaoi manga is measly compared to most fans, but I’ve read enough to know the filthier ones are strictly to squeeze your legs together while reading, or marvel at how that little guy took that big guy without lube or a fingerfuck first.
For a starter manga (comic) series, I suggest The Sex Therapist. It’s pretty much a "plot-what-plot" with something that might resemble plot if you squint and turn your head. Mainly, the therapist has sex with men who are too chickenshit to confess to their crushes, and he cures them of their stage fright so they can admit their love. You can read it online in the USA, UK, and probably other places too because it doesn’t seem to be licensed and for sale outside of Japan. (Just do a quick search online to be sure.)
Junjo Romantica is a long, popular series that is enjoyable for the plot and sex. If you don't want to read comic form, that's okay because it’s also an anime available online to buy in your (maybe) region! It is not dubbed, so you’ll have to read subtitles. Yaoi novels are now being released as digital format for your e-readers. I prefer the written novels over the comic format, so I’m happy I can now buy as an ebook and save some shelf space. (not to mention how much easier ebooks are to hide!) These are most like the M/M romance novels we all know and love, but if you're used to the western style romances, you will notice a difference.


If you’re a fan of M/M romance novels (which you should be if you’re reading this), I recommend branching into Yaoi. You might find a niche you enjoy.I don’t like every anime or manga that’s released, but I do find a few I love. Netflix has a few older titles available that I can't suggest completely because I've only seen Descendants of Darkness, but if you ever have a free Sunday afternoon, might as well check them out.

-- ~~ --

If you're in the San Francisco area between October 21st through the 23rd, swing by Yaoi-Con and find Hayley B. James at the Dreamspinner Press table in the dealer's room. She'll sign a book and give you a free bookmark too!



You can also follow Hayley B James on http://twitter.com/hayleyb_james or read her blog at http://www.hayleybjames.com/


(You can also read a guest blog from me, J.R. Loveless, on Hayley's blog! So be sure to stop by and visit her at http://www.hayleybjames.com/ !!!)



*1: Logo from http://www.yaoicon.com/

*2: Image borrowed from: http://iamfujoshi.tumblr.com/post/9536644684

*3: Image from Right Stuf store: http://goo.gl/WPvRH

*4: Image from June store: http://www.junemanga.com/digitaledition/

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

And the Winners are....

Sorry for the late posting!! I have had an extremely busy weekend and only have just now had the chance to make the post. The following are the winners of the Labor Day Weekend Promo Op:

1. BobbeJean
2. Judianna

Congratulations, to both of you!

I'm very sorry for those who weren't chosen. I woud love to give everyone a copy, but I only have two available.

Thank you for participating and keep an eye out for more opportunities like this in the future! :-) My new book Chasing Seth comes out Sept 30th and a new Christmas short was accepted by Silver Publishing called White Rain. :D

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Promotional Weekend - Opportunity to Own a Copy of Swift's Temptation E-Book!

To celebrate Labor Day Weekend, my birthday, my new website and the upcoming release of Fragments of a Unicorn's Soul, I will be hosting a promotional opportunity to own a free copy of Swift's Temptation E-Book!

The rules are super simple!

1. Merely Visit my new website: J.R. Loveless.

2. Browse the site to discover the answer to my questions:
A) What was J.R. Loveless's screen name on AarinFantasy.com?
B) What is the name of the main character in J.R.'s Free Read?

3. Submit your answer via the Contact J.R. form

4. You have until Monday, September 5th, to submit your entry.

I will randomly choose 2 winners Tuesday morning with the correct answers to receive one free copy of Swift's Temptation e-book! All winners will be notified by email, so please be sure to include your email address when filling out the form! I will post the winners here on my blog after the contest has concluded.

If you are uncertain of any of the rules, please drop me a note and I will explain further.

Good Luck!

September an exciting month!


My newest novel from Dreamspinner Press, Chasing Seth, is due out this month on September 30th! Chasing Seth E-Book or Chasing Seth Paperback
Be one of the first twenty people to order a paperback copy and receive a signed copy by yours truly!

This weekend, September 4th, is my birthday and I'm going to be celebrating with friends! Can hardly wait!

I will be having a Guest Blogger next week, Hayley B. James! So keep watch for her post(s)!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I feel really stupid...

Ever done something that made you feel utterly stupid? Like the biggest bonehead walking? I did something today at work that my manager expressly told me never to do. It's hard to explain it was in detail, but basically I did it because I didn't think it would make that big of an impact. Boy, was I wrong. It became apparent not even five minutes after I did it, and it had a ripple effect throughout the entire day and is still not fixed.

I burn with shame and embarrassment. No one can ever be as hard on me as I am on myself. Even now I abhor the idea of going back to work tomorrow and facing my manager. I feel so stupid and with that stupidity comes the restlessness I feel at the moment. It's 2am and I should be sleeping. Only I can't.

On the bright side, the restlessness allowed me to complete the entire MS round 3 edits of my newest novel Chasing Seth. Everything went pretty smoothly. There was a lot but it was mostly punctuation, which I admit is my biggest downfall. I either use too many commas or not enough. I've gotten a bit better I think. At least from when I started!!

I guess I should go lay down and try to sleep. Blah. But, I shall leave you with a pretty picture to send you all off to sleep to hopefully dream of hot, sexy men! :P


Sunday, August 14, 2011

Editing Nightmares

Okay, so on my most recent accepted novel the first round of edits was super easy. It took me a couple of hours to knock out. But the second round was not so easy. Apparently one of the editors found that my story had a few similarities to someone else's and they were concerned. The plot line and characters itself were original and such, but a few key points in the story seemed to run parallel with another author's. This led to a large amount of revisions being requested.

I had to change quite a few points and add additional information to some of my characters and their background. I didn't really mind that at all. Because the more unqiue something is, the better right?

My biggest pet peeve over these last two novels that I've had to edit is that the 2nd editor asks questions that make it appear that they have not read the entire story. There were several questions in this round of edits that made me go.... *blink* *blink* LOL. Are you serious?

Is it a pre-requisite for editors to make comments off the cuff but not ensure their facts are straight before challenging the writer?

I'm also of the belief that you don't have to detail out every single little thing because then the reader gets bored and loses interest or it's like... why would the reader care about something so trivial? Let me show you an example: Who owns this log cabin the character seems to be in? (Paraphrased, not exactly as it was worded.)
The question seriously made me *facepalm* because what reader is going to stop in the middle of the scene and go... hmmm.... I wonder who owns that cabin they're in? Is it his? Is it a friend's? That really bugs me that I dont know!

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I had to vent that out there. I've had stories that I have picked up to read and dropped back within the matter of a couple of chapters due to TOO much detail. I was reading a young adult series set in Ireland about faeries. The writer went into so much detail about the scenery the main character only saw in passing that I couldn't help but get bored. It was every page. They would describe the designs on a tree or the way a leaf was bent. No joke. I think I still have the series but I never finished it. I wish I could take it back. -__-

Let's hope the new revisions are enough to ease the editor's mind and not trigger the thought of plagarism in the reader's when they read it.

As always, here's a sexy picture for your enjoyment. :) Aren't they gorgeous?


Thursday, August 4, 2011

Newest Free Read Update & Some Minor Rambling Thoughts

Hey everyone! My newest update to my Free Read - From Fiction to Reality is up on my new website!! Click Here <----------

You can send me an email from Contact J.R. or comment here when you're done if you liked it!



I'm excited that I managed to complete my free reads post! Woo! I like the way it's coming out. :D

I have one work in progress that's about halfway through Chapter seven and I am looking into the idea of actually revamping a story that I have written in the past which is almost complete but still has a bit left to go. It was an extremely unique story, at least to me, and I think it may fascinate some who have a love of the underwater world. But that's all I'm going to say! LOL.

September seems so far, yet so close. I dont even know what to do for my birthday this year! And I have a short story and a novel coming out next month. But the novel may be delayed or at least pushed to the end of the month since there's a minor hiccup we reached. I have a lot of work to do this weekend! Oy! Just thinking about it is making my head hurt! Editing is probably my least favorite part of the process, but it's a necessary evil of course.

A friend of mine is really awesome! She is making up flyers for both of my books that are already out and handing them out in her LGBT community along with a bunch of the bookmarks I sent her! She's amazing! I was shocked when she offered to make the flyers, but when she told me that one of the centers she goes to is going to have an actual meeting where she is going to hand out my flyers and talk about my books floored me! You couldn't ask for better advertisement than that could you?? I want to do something really nice for her, but I dont know what. She lives in Michigan and I thought maybe feeling her out to see if she likes flowers or maybe sending her a gift card for her and her husband to go to a nice restaurant. :D Any suggestions?

Well, my lovely readers, I will leave you with this mad sexy picture and hope to see your comments about my newest update to From Fiction to Reality soon!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Help Ryan Loveless save her kitty!!

Ryan Loveless Save The Kitty!!! <----- Click Here


Do you love animals? Do you love kittens? Here's a chance to help save a kitty's life! Her cat is in need of surgery or they could die. Please help by donating, offering something for 'auction' or purchasing one of the many items up for auction!

Help save Puppy!

*hugs to Ryan*

New Website... Celebratory Give Away

Excited! I spent six hours today working on building out a new website. It's not completely finished, but I'm getting there! I haven't done anything like that in years! It came out really nice too!

As soon as it is up and completed, I'm going to have a Celebratory Give Away of a free ebook copy of Swift's Temptation. I'll announce it in advance of course!

If you are interested in seeing the new page, the link is CLICK HERE...

Let me know your thoughts and feedback on the site! Any suggestions? Please remember, it's not entirely completed but I had to take a break, lol.

As my newest way to sign off at the end of a blog post, enjoy the yummy men!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Advertising and promoting yourself...

I've been trying to come up with a way to effectively promote my books, my name and just plain ol' advertising, but I have tried the usual routes. i.e. Facebook, Twitter, my blog, and had bookmarks printed that I passed out at several places including via mail to a few of the bookstores still available (a dying breed it seems).

At the moment, I am working on building out my own website. Right now, it is in its early stages so there's nothing there, but I think I can really do something with it. Plus, I heard that Blogger is shutting down their service, so I need to get all of my posts from here moved over before they do that.I fully intend on separating my blog from my short story posts and other details such as my books and where they're available.

Does anyone have any experience in this area and would you be able to just give me a few pointers/tips? I'm pretty good at figuring things out if I sit there long enough. LOL. Which there's the issue. Having the time or the energy to do it. But I am determined so I'm going to spend a chunk of time this weekend trying to get it worked out.

Well, I am off to work shortly so I will post again later! :D Have a great and beautiful Friday my wonderful peoples! And another yummy photo to leave you with!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Original Ideas & How Hard It Is To Get One

Today I received an email that totally depressed me. My third novel, accepted by Dreamspinner Press, was found to be too similar to someone else's and I am now going to have to do some revamping. It is extremely hard to find anything left in this world that hasn't already been done.

I've read so many books over the course of my life and found quite a few with similarities. Or ideas used over and over. Kind of like the Matrix and the many many times they've used the slow/frozen in motion or the scene where he beckons the agent to 'bring it'.

Even a story you think might be unique turns out to have a clone somewhere apparently. I have another story that I've been working on a friend of mine related to a tv series which I have never in my life seen, yet apparently my story is pretty close to the plotline of the series. -__-

I guess that's why there are so many remakes of movies or books or ideas being used again and again. I had a dream the other night that I am beginning to wonder if I should write it down because it was pretty freaky and I can't say that I have seen anything like it. Someone told me I should write it as a story, and after the email from DSP, I'm beginning to think I should! It seemed so clear and vivid and scary as hell! O.O I woke up with my heart beating like a freight train.

I have a few ideas on how to change the plotline and hopefully it will be enough without making it an entire rewrite! Because that would entirely suck.

Now I leave you with a picture of beautiful men while I scamper off to try and do something productive.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Working on my blog short

I am going to try and have another post for From Fiction to Reality up sometime in the next couple of days. I'm sorry I haven't really been posting it. But I'm going to try and post every week at least. My job wears me out, but that's no excuse for me to keep my readers hanging. I will work on it tomorrow and hopefully have the next 1k words up for you shortly.

Personal Goal...

After submitting my short story last night to Silver Publishing, getting the edits back on Fragments of a Unicorn's Soul short story, and hearing that one of my best friends had another book accepted by Dreamspinner Press, it motivated me to want to write. So I am setting a personal goal for myself. As of tonight, once I have settled in from work and am at my computer, I will write 1000 words to my ongoing story even if it kills me. I cannot let myself get distracted. Writing is what I want to do more than anything and I cannot let my job take that from me. They already take so much.

My biggest problem when I'm writing is I tend to read over what I have written and analyze it instead of just writing and then going back to start at the beginning. So I am going to try to not do that while I'm writing these 1k words a night. A thousand words is nothing! I should be able to do! *pumps fist in the air* I think. >.>

I do want to say Congratulations on your newest book acceptance, Hayley James! You deserve it no matter what anyone else may say and just remember that you have friends who love and support you! *HUGS*

And I leave you all with a very cute and sexy picture!! XD

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

What to write...

When I had my first book accepted, everyone told me start a blog, start a twitter, start a Facebook profile, but they don't tell you what to write. I may be a writer of fiction, but blogging is about reality. You're supposed to write about your recent stories or whatever exciting thing may have happened in your life. But what if you don't have anything exciting that happens? What if it's the same boring day, day in and day out?

I go to work, come home, walk the dog, take a shower, do whatever I need to do, play Warcraft every couple of days, and try to force myself to get into the mood to write. My job has sucked out the urge, which is the exact opposite of what I figure it would do. After all, I don't enjoy being there anymore, so you'd think it would motivate me to get my butt in gear. Only... it hasn't. It just exhausts me to where I don't want to think.

They load me down with so much work that there is no humanly possible way to finish it all in the time they want. And it stresses me out because I'm anal retentive when it comes to doing a good job. My boss micro manages me to the point where I want to scream sometimes. I'm not an idiot and you don't have to direct me what to do every minute of every day. I understand when something important comes up, but let me do what I need to do on a regular basis. If you leave me alone, I get more done. He doesn't seem to get that concept. I feel resentful all the time now. And when he calls my name, the hairs on the back of my neck go up, like a cat who's pissed and hissing. Sometimes, I have to bite my tongue not to say something very bad and walk out.

I love writing. Writing is like breathing for me. I've had a passion for it since I was in school. I won a couple of awards in middle school, but never pursued it in High school. High school was a depressing time for me. I wasn't one of the in-crowd so I spent most of my time alone after I was moved to another school. I didn't talk to people easily, very introverted, shy and low self-esteem. I've gotten a lot better with that. Now I'm more of an anti-social than shy. I speak my mind, which some people hate me for but hey, if you hate me for it, then you don't matter, right?

I love dialogue, I love reading about lives other than my own. There are so many ways a person's life can move in a book. Things can happen in a book that don't happen in real life even. Shifters, vampires, dragons and you can immerse yourself in a story and pretend, just for a little while, that you are that person, the one who rescues people or who can shift into a wonderous creature. You can be the person who's loved by someone unconditionally, no matter who they are. You can forget about your own life and your own troubles and move on.

When I write, I write from that perspective. We all love angst and seeing our characters put through pain, but when it comes to the end of the story, (even the most hard-hearted person), loves to see the characters given their happy ending. Being told I love you. Triumphing over the evil in the story, be it tangible in the form of a character or intangible in the form of an emotion.

I'm sorry to those who have started reading my blog story posts. I know I haven't updated them in a long time. I apologize. It's like I said previously, I can't think most days. I'm hoping the exercise I intend to start tonight, an hour a night, will help me clear my head and motivate me. It may tire me out at first, but perhaps after that it will make me feel good or better. Isn't that what they say? That when you exercise it makes you feel better?

Anyway, it is time for me to finish getting ready to go to work. Perhaps I will have an update for my short story on this blog soon.

~J.R.~

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Gorgeous Bookmarks!!!



Hey, all who follow me!! I just got my new bookmarks in!! They turned out absolutely gorgeous! I am so happy with them!! If you'd like to have one send me an email at jrloveless@gmail.com and I'll get one out to you asap!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Waiting.... and Newest Upcoming Release...

I submitted another story to Dreamspinner Press and I have to say the waiting is killing me. It takes so long to write the story, edit it and prepare it for submission, but even though that seems like it takes forever, the waiting I think is worse.

It's kind of like anticipation tinged with dread. Are they going to accept it? Am I going to get another rejection and then have to wait again for another company's answer? >.<

My faith and hope are holding strong though. I think the newest story I submitted is by far superior to most everything else I've had accepted. At least in terms of grammar and style. Don't know about plotline though. :/

My newest upcoming release is Swift's Temptation. It's about small town farmboy Fagan Swift and the new job he accepts at an escort agency where he meets Xavier James. Their relationship is instant sparks, but not the good kind. Constantly at each other's throats (verbally), they dance around their attraction until the morning after the company Holiday party and Fagan wakes up in a strange hotel room only to find out he'd had a one night stand with Xavier.

In his blind panic, he rushes out of the hotel room and on his way home receives a phone call sending him straight home to the farm. Xavier follows him back to the farm only to take advantage of Fagan's weakness by blackmailing him into a sex-only relationship. A relationship that Fagan has no choice but to accept or risk losing his father. Will Fagan be able to keep it together or will he lose himself and everything he is to Xavier?

Watch for Swift's Temptation coming soon from Silver Publishing! No release date yet but hopefully I'll know sometime soon but I'll keep you posted.

I bid you all a goodnight. Thanks for listening to my mini rant and also for my shameless plug of my newest book. XD *hugs to everyone*

Monday, May 2, 2011

From Fiction to Reality Pt. 2

Breath catching, Sam could only stare at the beautiful man carefully picking up pieces of a broken plate off the tile floor. His body instantly reacted to the jean-clad long-legged, lean physique and muscular upper body. Dark auburn hair cut in a neat, slicked back style and light blue eyes made his cock sit up and take notice. Down boy, he mentally demanded, trying to force a smile for the stranger.

When he’d finally shaken himself from his stupor, the man’s eyes danced merrily as he dumped the fragments of glass into the nearby trash can, seemingly knowing his impact on Sam. Sam cleared his throat and said, “I’m Sam. Sam Evans. I live next door and heard the glass as I was leaving.”

The man walked towards Sam, his hand held out. “Maxwell Shaw. Max for short.”

Hesitantly, Sam set his hand in Max’s, swallowing hard at the rough palm against his. He quickly pulled his hand back, praying he could keep his erection down long enough to make his escape. Damn, it had been too long. “I didn’t realize anyone had moved in here. It’s been empty for a while now.”

A gorgeous smile broke out across the firm, full lips and Sam shifted uncomfortably. “I just bought the place about two days ago. The movers brought in most of the boxes and furniture.”

“I uh… I was actually on my way out for a run. So I’ll let you get to it. It was nice to meet you.” Sam started to back up, but Max stopped him.

“What do you do for a living, Sam?”

“Freelance graphic design work mostly,” he lied. He wrote under a pen name for a reason. Sam Evans had nothing to connect him to John Hawkes.

Something flashed through Max’s eyes, but it disappeared before Sam could figure out what it meant. “Maybe I could enlist your services for my company then. I have a huge project coming up in the near future and could use a graphic designer. Do you have a portfolio?”

Coldness ran through Sam and his stomach clenched. “I’m afraid that I’m booked until the end of the year. I actually only intended to be gone for a little while. Needed a small break. I should get back to it.”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” Max replied quietly.

Sam spun on his heel and darted down the hallway to his apartment, but changed his mind and headed for the elevator. It dinged open just as he reached it and he sighed gratefully. As the doors slid closed, he caught sight of Max standing in the doorway of the apartment. Fear slivered down his spine and he tried to laugh it off. Something felt off about Max. He worked at convincing himself it was nothing more than his overactive imagination as he hit the sidewalk and started running. His agent’s words the other day rang in his head. “Be careful, Sam. This guy seems pretty persistent.”

It was a well known fact in the literary world that John Hawkes preferred men. The last few months his agent, Harrison Jacobs, had been receiving stalker-type letters addressed to John Hawkes. From the first day of his writing career eight years ago, Sam insisted on anonymity. He refused to do public appearances, interviews, or even have his picture featured on the flaps of his book like most authors. He’d seen one too many lives destroyed by the paparazzi and didn’t want to be subjected to having no privacy. The letters didn’t concern him because he figured no one could ever know he was in fact John Hawkes.

He shivered in the cool night air as he remembered the look in Maxwell Shaw’s eye and the strange intensity he’d given off. He mentally examined every detail about John Hawkes, trying to remember if there were anything at all that could tie them together. A sound behind him caused his steps to falter and he stopped completely, turning around to look for the source of the noise. Car horns blared in the distance and the heavy bass of some car with the music too loud boomed in the night, but he saw nothing there.

Sam laughed at himself under his breath and began running again. His own books were starting to get to him. The latest scene a gory, brutal murder of a gay man picked up at a bar by a serial killer. Although the scene wasn’t going so well. He had exactly five sentences written and nothing worth a damn either.

He turned into the park, making his usual path back to his building. The doorman greeted him as he opened the door for Sam. “Nice night for a run, eh Sam?”

“Definitely, Joe. Needed the break,” he panted, smiling at the man who’d known him for the six years he’d lived in the building. They sometimes sat down for coffee together and talked about a recent football game or Joe’s daughter and her new baby. “How’s Sara?”

“She’s doing good! I have a new picture of the baby!” Joe whipped out his wallet and Sam chuckled, accepting the picture willingly. A beautiful doe-eyed baby girl looked back him.

“She’s getting so big,” Sam commented softly, lightly tracing the baby’s features. He’d thought about having a family more than once. Of course, not the old fashioned way, but he would love to have a baby girl or boy. He handed the picture back to Joe. “She’s gorgeous, Joe. Definitely going to be a looker like her mother.”

Joe gave the usual doting grandfather expression, staring down at the picture lovingly. “She’s just like her mother.”

Sam clapped Joe on the back lightly and nodded. “Good luck with that one, Joe. She’s going to be a handful. Coffee tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, Sam. See you at eight.” Joe never looked away from the photo as Sam walked away.

Monday, April 25, 2011

From Fiction to Reality Pt. 1

I have found myself suffering from a bit of Writer's Block lately, and I finally figured out why. I'm not writing just for fun anymore. This realization came about during an email conversation with a friend. She invited me to go onto the Silver Publishing Blog site and join in on a 1000k word weekly Blog story chain. I'm not sure I can do the whole following a theme deal, but I know that I want to start writing a weekly 1000k entry to work on writing for fun again.

The following story is one I thought up on the fly. Sam Evans is a best selling author living in Chicago and he realizes that something is missing from his life. I will leave it at that in order to keep from giving away too much. :-p

_____________________________________________________________________________________

From Fiction to Reality



Sighing, Sam Evans rubbed the back of his neck tiredly and sat back from the screen. The cursor blinked furiously at him, taunting him. His next deadline loomed perilously close and he didn’t even have half the book written. Writer’s block plagued him for months now. His agent and editor constantly hounded him for an update on his progress, but he couldn’t give them anything more than a simple, “It’s coming along.”

Except it was nothing other than a lie.

Restlessness had settled on his shoulders right around the same time as his writer’s block. Sam couldn’t quite place his finger on what caused it. Thirty-two years old, he had a beautiful penthouse, great friends, and six New York Bestsellers, but it all seemed as though something that should be there wasn’t. Ever since his brother Sean’s wedding, he’d felt like something was missing from his life. He’d watched his brother laughing and dancing with his bride, Lisa, and an ache built inside his chest.

His last relationship ended over a year ago. He’d been too busy trying to juggle his writing and his real life to bother looking for another. Sean tried to introduce him to a couple of guys he knew at the wedding yet none of them captured his attention. Had the constant writing about lies, betrayal and death made him as cold as his ex, Mike had thrown at him all those months ago? Why else would he have remained single for so long?

Pushing away from the desk, Sam stood and walked into his bathroom, twisting the shower knob to turn on the hot water and set it to fill his huge Jacuzzi tub. An interior decorator had chosen the designs in all of the rooms. The bathroom, done up in a mixture of light creams and beiges, soothed Sam whenever the restlessness became a physical discomfort. He’d spent many nights in the Jacuzzi over the course of the last six to eight months.

Looking at the mirror, he studied himself intently. He didn’t feel he was model material, but he at least had confidence he was semi-attractive. Dark blue eyes set evenly apart were framed by long, blond tipped eyelashes. A slender nose with a slightly curved tip rested above plump, full lips and straight, white teeth. He took pride in his smile and never missed a dentist appointment or forgot to brush. His chin had a small dimple in it that gave him an almost arrogant appearance, or at least that’s what a couple of his boyfriend’s had told him. Dirty blond hair kept short on the sides and spiky on top, Sam usually didn’t bother much with a brush. He could run his fingers through his hair and be done with it most days if he wasn’t going out.

A track star in high school, Sam spent most of his time running on the streets of Chicago late at night unless the weather didn’t permit and then he ended up using the weight room in his apartment. His body had the lean muscles of a runner and the strong legs to match. Unlike his father, he didn’t have a whole lot of body hair, just a light sprinkling of blond feathering over his chest and a thatch of darker hair around his cock and balls. The only ‘wild’ thing he’d ever done in his youth had been in college when his roommate and eventually long-term boyfriend convinced him to get his tongue pierced. He’d kept the piercing open by wearing a simple post but no adornment.

He stripped off the sweatpants and t-shirt he wore, dropping them carelessly to the floor, and picked up the remote to flip on the television mounted in the wall across from the tub. He stepped into the tub and groaned as the hot water lapped at his skin. Once he’d settled in completely, he flipped the switch to turn the massaging jets on. A loud moan tore through him as the forceful pulses kneaded his tired muscles.

Glancing at the T.V., Sam saw a story about a murder last night and nudged the volume up a little higher to hear above the water. ‘Twenty-one year old, Theresa Martins, was found strangled to death in Millenium Park near the Crown Fountain early this morning. She worked for Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a nurse and had just come off a twelve hour shift. Her family expected her home around three a.m., but she never arrived. If anyone has any information or possible leads about this woman,’ a picture of a pretty blonde woman, petite with a beautiful smile, flashed up on the screen, ‘please contact the local tip hotline at 312-555-6109. Now for the local weather forecast. Jaime?’

Sam muted the sound. A sense of foreboding trickled down his spine. It seemed so similar. No, his mind scoffed. It’s just a coincidence. Flipping to another channel, he chose to watch a sitcom instead of the news, but his mind continued to travel back to the report until he snapped off the television in frustration, stood up and grabbed a towel. He needed to run off some steam.

He yanked on a fresh pair of dark blue sweats and a dark grey t-shirt, strapped on a pair of running sneakers and grabbed his keys and wallet before exiting his front door. The upper penthouse floor only contained three apartments; his, an old man in his late eighties named Bart Powell, and an empty unit. The corridor seemed eerily quiet as he waited for the elevator to reach his floor. A sound brought his head around and he saw the empty unit’s door cracked open and light shining through. Frowning, he moved closer, stiffening when he heard someone swear and the loud crash of glass hitting the floor.

Sam put his hand on the door and lightly pushed it open, peering inside the unit only to stop short in surprise. Furniture and boxes sat haphazardly around the no longer empty apartment. “Oh, hey,” an easy, deep voice called out.

Friday, April 15, 2011

2011 TLA Gaybies Best Gay Romance Winner!!!

I am so excited!! Touch Me Gently won the Best Gay Romance category in the 2011 TLA Gaybies website! I was soooo excited when I saw the results posted last night! I can hardly believe it!

I want to say thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. It is an extreme honor to be nominated and an even bigger honor to have won.

Touch Me Gently has had its fair share of reviews, positive and negative. I know there were a lot of negative reviews from people who absolutely hated it. They felt it sloppy, unrealistic, and Kaden was a woman written as a man. The majority of the people who read western m/m romance do not understand how Yaoi is written. The story I wrote followed that style. As did my next novel accepted by Silver Publishing. I do have to say in regards to the unrealistic comment... a romance story doesn't always have to be realistic. It's about romance and sometimes romance in real life can feel as unrealistic as it does in a novel. The point of reading a book is to immerse yourself in the dream of what we all want. A Logan to love us unconditionally and show us how beautiful we are despite the scars we carry. Maybe my story didn't touch the hearts of everyone, but I sure hope it touched the hearts of some. Kaden's story isn't far from what reality can be. The abuse, the rape, the fear. Those are extreme situations and maybe some of the readers who felt it over done doesn't know what it is like to live like that.

Scars don't go away. They stay with us forever. We just have to find a way to survive to pain and the heartache to grow stronger and be who we were meant to be despite the nightmares we suffer.

Touch Me Gently has a special place in my heart because it's the very first novel I ever wrote and it had a huge following the website I first posted it to. AarinFantasy - The BEST Yaoi website ever! The friends I made on there encouraged me to put my story out there and it was accepted despite my belief it wouldn't be. There are so many wonderful and talented writers on there and a lot of them will never have the courage to offer up their writing to be scrutinized. It's not easy reading the negative reviews. It hurts each time I see one. But I know you can't please everyone in this life, and yet it doesn't make it any easier to swallow when someone says my story was awful or unpolished or stupid. So if any of you like to read, check out Aarinfantasy because those writers can use the encouragement just like I did.

Anyway, thank you EVERYONE who voted for me. I am so happy to have been given such a wonderful gift. :) Nothing like seeing your book chosen over so many other great ones there.

*kisses*

~J.R.~

Friday, March 25, 2011

Health Insurance... Editing... & the Unexpected

So I recently had to stop wearing contacts because of an issue with what's called Corneal Infiltrates. Which those can lead up to ulcers in my eyes requiring surgery. I was prescribed an eyedrop that cost $20. I was supposed to use it for five days and they were supposed to go away. They didn't. So when I went back, she prescribed another eyedrop for me. Now this is where I get a bit upset. Health insurance is the biggest scam on the planet. I pay almost $100 a month for health insurance for JUST ME through my job. And with insurance the new eyedrops cost me $70 for this tiny itty bitty bottle!!! I'm like are you kidding me???? $70 just because its a steroid?! GAH! Such a rip off!

Ah!!! My edits are almost done and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the process this time around. I didn't have to struggle through alone. My editor is the best! She totally helped me through the process and made it a bit easier on me. And since I can hardly stand to edit, that's saying alot! :D Thanks, Rie! You're the best!

The unexpected... A really close friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She had to have a mastectomy about a month and a half ago. And now that she's healed from that she's supposed to start chemo. But she was delayed another week because of the horseback riding lessons she and I signed up for. The reason I say this is because she's a bit more advanced than me in regards to riding so the trainer allowed her trot and canter the horse. Now for those of you who don't know the reason a cowboy wears chaps isnt because it's mad sexy, it's because its a necessity when you ride as much as they do. When the horse is running and you're posting, your leg is constantly rubbing against the stirrup leather strap. This can cause chafing and lead up to abrasions and rubbing the skin right off. Unfortunately, this happened to her and she is unable to start chemo until it heals. Hopefully it heals quickly because in the three months from the time of diagnosis to the actual surgery, the cancer grew and also spread to her lymphnodes. I just want my friend to be okay again. She's the kindest, sweetest, most amazing person I have ever met. I pray for her as much as I can because a person like her doesn't deserve this to happen.

That really makes you stop and think about life and the little things we complain about or the things we take for granted. I love her like a sister and I really can't imagine her not being around.

Goodnight, my beautiful people.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Silver Publishing... Editing...

Well, I do have to say that I am so far enjoying my experience with Silver Publishing. They have accepted my novel Swift's Temptation and a short story called Fragments of a Unicorn's Soul. Silver Publishing definitely has a more hands on approach than Dreamspinner did. Don't get me wrong, I love Dreamspinner Press, but I do like the fact that Silver Publishing has actually reached out to me and expressed more than a passing interest in my story.

I spent an hour on the phone between talking about the story and just talking about other things in life with the editor. She's a really funny, yet sarcastic, person and I like her. Although she has wrecked my brain! LOL. She finally sent me back the edits and oooohhhhh weeeeee! It's way more than Touch Me Gently. >.< I did expect a lot but holy cow!

A good portion of it does make sense, and I fully intend on making most of the changes being asked. However, there are some that are just nitpicking IMO. Little things that I don't think make or break a story. However, who am I to say that? I'm not the editor! lol. I've given the edits a once over so far, accepted or rejected the basic changes and left the major stuff for the second look. With all of the requests made, it seems almost like I may have to re-write a good portion of the story. I have to look more closely at the longer notes and go from there I suppose.

I can't wait to see the cover though. :D That's hopefully very soon. And I am still waiting to hear from them regarding the short story that they accepted.

I do have another story I'm working on that just needs editing before I can submit it. Although I will be submitting that back to DSP, especially since Silver isn't accepting Paranormal stories and it's a shifter story. Oh, big surprise there, ne? In my defense though, I've ALWAYS loved shifters stories. It has nothing to do with Twilight. I loved the books, but after the movies came out, I can't stand the whole series. *shudders* For many, many reasons.

Well, off to catch some zzzzs. Work tomorrow and more editing. >.< Also need to shoot off a brief email to my editor (wow... there's a word I didn't think I'd say) before I log off for the night.

Goodnight, everyone!

Friday, March 4, 2011

And the Nominees Are....


I found out a couple of days ago that I was nominated for the 2011 TLA Gaybies!! Wow! What an honor! To be chosen out of hundreds of different authors and books! I can't believe it!

The link to vote is: 2011 TLA Gaybies Voting

You can vote as often and many times as you want, so vote now and often! :D

Sunday, February 20, 2011

One of my best friends...

One of my best friends is going to have a book published in March by Dreamspinner Press. I am so happy for her. I've read the story and I can honestly say it is flippin' amazing!! :D Everyone MUST go read it!!! Make sure to watch for Hayley B. James because she's going to blaze over everyone else in the m/m romance world!!

Undercover Sins by Hayley B. James





Congratulations Hayley!!! You go, girl!!!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Two Cents: A Review of Blood of a Leo by Dawn H. Hawkes

I'd like to start out by saying that this is my own personal opinion. It is not meant to offend, insult, or encourage anyone to take my opinion to heart. I believe that you should take what others say with a grain of salt because what one person likes doesn't mean another will and vice versa. I know that there are quite a few movies out there that have been box office hits that I can't stand, but the critics loved. So please take the time to read the story yourself and form your own opinion.

I can never think of enough to write here, so I decided to start throwing in reviews of books that I have read, good and bad. I figure this may actually be something some would be interested in reading. :)

Blood of a Leo




The basic premise of the story is about a young man named Leo who's kidnapped and held as a blood slave by a group of vampires. While in their grasp, he's brutalized, raped, and drugged. He escapes the vampires during a moment of confusion and ends up with a lion shifter named Maddox, who turns out to be his mate.

Though the recent influx of shifter and vampire stories since Twilight hit has been a bit on the annoying side, the story was well written and flowed well. I do like the fact that she made vampires back to what they were originally intended as, evil. She captured the cruelty and taunting quite powerfully. I could actually feel the contempt and hatred they held for humans as other than a food source.

I do understand that in fiction you can pretty much make anything possible, however, I prefer my stories to have a bit of a realistic twist when it comes to things that would traumatize a human. When someone is raped and brutalized, it is not an easy thing to overcome. There are scars, outside and inside, that do not heal and may never heal. Despite the lion shifter being his mate, I still feel his ability to get over his abuse so quickly was unrealistic. Granted the story was only 158 pages and as a writer myself I know that it is difficult to cover as much as you would like to sometimes, but perhaps lengthening the story and adding in a bit more regarding Leo's struggle to overcome the cruel treatment or skipping over part of the torment detailed in the first 25 pages and adding in more of Leo's healing process may have made it a tad more enjoyable for me to read.

One of my biggest pet peeves about reading m/m romance is when almost every single page has a sex scene. I'm as big a perv as the next m/m romance reader, but I do like story with my sex to make it one big amazing package to read. I like that Hawkes did not make it page after page of sex even after the pair engage for the first time. I felt that there was a true connection between Leo and Maddox and their initial 'contact' was sweet and tender rather than going for that all out 'f*** me now' factor.

All in all, the book was one I would give around a 3-star rating and worth reading at least once. Oh, but I do have to say the cover is gorgeous. I find that one of the biggest factors to capture my initial attention is the cover and the artist who prepared the cover for Blood of a Leo definitely has an eye for what makes a cover 'POP'.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Long Time Away and the Greatest News!

Hi, all. I am such a slacker! I apologize for being away for so long, but life at work and so many other things got in the way that I just haven't had the energy to keep up with everything.

Currently, sick. Blech. Trying to fight it off. Here's hoping I can and fast!

The greatest news that I have is that I submitted a new manuscript to Silver Publishing and they sent me a contract for it inside of an hour. I didn't even send them the whole thing, just the first three chapters. Either I have a fan at Silver Publishing or they googled me and saw how well my last book did. :D Can't argue with it either way IMO!

Now I have to start with the process that I abhor... editing! It is the one part that I cannot really find myself enjoying. I LOVE writing the stories, coming up with new plotlines and twists and turns, but hammering out the minor (or major) screwups is not the highlight of my life. I need to do a pre-edit before I send it on over to Silver Publishing with the contract. I'm procrastinating... Hence the reason I have been spending all day either sleeping (sick..) or catching up on facebook, twitter, and now my blog. I know that I need to do it but it doesn't make it anymore enjoyable lol.

I've edited the story once before quite significantly, but it needs to be polished again before I send the entire manuscript. Here's hoping that I don't see as much red on the first round of edits from the company itself!

Wish me luck!