The Deleted Comment: Guess you missed the compliments.

For what it's worth, I'm not sure if I could have stated my beliefs in a more conciliatory manner. I was not saying Wave runs around kicking puppies and smacking defenseless babies. I said what I said, and thankfully had the good sense to save my comment before I deleted it. I took it down for my own reasons.

I also requested that I be removed from the site as a collaborator. The blog owner did as I requested, and I am no longer a collaborator at Chicks and Dick per my own request.

My comment, in it's entirety, and completely unedited is below. You are welcome to leave comments, which will be moderated to prevent baseless insults being posted. As long as your tone remains civil, I will allow any comments to post.
***********************************************
I don't have a problem with someone, anyone, saying I only want to review M/M romance, or F/F romance, or M/F romance... I do think though, that it behooves those folk to be clear, and specific. If you mean that you only review M/M romance where the only "on-screen" sex allowed is between cis (born biologically with the same genitalia as they identify with in regards to gender) then you should state that. Because otherwise you are saying, and saying very clearly that trans* men are not men. Though if your logic is followed to it's natural conclusion, you have to realize you are also saying that any cis man who has at some point been castrated or neutered no longer counts as a man.

I'm not saying you should change what you review.

Though perhaps, especially given the huge debacle last fall which included cis people asking some trans* people for the "geography of their genitalia" and hounding them as if simply being trans* were a crime which automatically gave others entre into the most private parts of their psyches, you can not claim to be ignorant of the issues at stake here.

I've visited your site many times, and seen that you exert a great deal of influence within the sector of the romance community which writes cis-gender gay romance. You've done a marvelous job of promoting those works, and every author who writes in that niche can only be grateful for what you have done.

Make no mistakes though. Refusing to update your definition of what you review there makes your site as culpable of oppression as the ones which claim to review "romance" and then refuse to review any gay romance. It's not bad to have a niche. It is reprehensible, however, to tout yourself or your site as a purveyor of quality M/M romance... unless you specify that you mean only CIS M/M romance. To do otherwise leaves your site standing on the backs of already vastly oppressed people, spouting rhetoric about how you are uplifting them.

Friday on the Go

This is a test.
This is only a test.

Did you study? Cause I didn't, and life gets damned con-fruzing at times.
I've got a couple of RL tasks to accomplish today that require my being Away From Keyboard... but when I get back, I'll have gathered my thoughts and such into my neat little basket I can carry and then I'll comb through them and come up with something to share that you will, hopefully, find interesting, or take inspiration from.

See you all in a bit.

Thursday Think Tank: On Civility

"Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree." ~Marian Wright Edelman

I saw this quote on Twitter yesterday, and it truly spoke to me. For many, many different reasons. It's really all I want to say today, though I would encourage everyone who stops by to leave their response to these words, and share them with others.

Wicked Wednesday: Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour

Welcome to the latest post in the Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour, where sixteen authors will do their level best to make your winter brighter in January, February, March, and April. (Unless you’re south of the equator, and then we’ll just be jealous of your summer.) Every Wednesday will be a new stop on the tour.

Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for up to sixteen chances at the grand prize: a $200 USD gift certificate to the e-retailer of your choice! Also keep an eye out for links to individual authors’ sites on their release dates for a chance to win some free books.

**********

Ethan: I haven’t done a lot of traveling and the trip to New Orleans for GayRomLit was one of furthest trips I’ve ever been on. I do make several drives a year to Las Vegas, Reno and Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Zoo is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Very cool exhibits and an albino alligator. Vegas for me has been more about the bars and the strip. Well, and the adult theaters. And the bathhouse. In Reno I like…the bathhouse and the adult store. Yeah, I got a one track mind!

Andrew: I have traveled throughout the world, but the place I most want to go back to is Australia. Warm, crystal clear waters, the friendliest people in the world, scenery that will take your breath away, and wildlife unlike any place else in the world. When I was there I did a number of things including having a kookaburra steal French fries right off my lunch plate, went swimming in the South Pacific and I got to hold a koala. Outside Brisbane, there a koala preserve and some of the animals are sensitized enough for you to hold them.                                                                                          

Where else on earth, could you get a picture like these? Someday I want to get away from the coast and visit Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef. 
                                                                                                                                                                                    

Blaine: I'm addicted to 'Escape to the country' a BBC programme in which people want to move to the country. I love the tours through cute cottages and gorgeous barn conversions. I love the great views, the gardens, the nooks and crannies, the original features and the combination of modern and old.

For a while now I've been seriously thinking about moving to the UK when my husband retires—which won't be for a while, yet— and my husband hesitantly acknowledges the possibility. My husband is swamped in work—which is good in these not so good times, and he's a bit of a workaholic—and more often than not comes home tired and his mind still on the job. And let's not forget those fanatical gamers we're surrounded by.

But, as I said, retiring isn't on the agenda yet, so, in the meantime, I'd love to rent a cottage in the rural British countryside, for a well-deserved—fanatical gamer free—getaway with my husband. I'm already imagining long walks, soaking up the atmosphere, and staring out the window, enjoying the magnificent views, as I write.

Sue: I travelled a fair bit in my younger years, when finances allowed. One of my most memorable trips was a trip along the Silk Road. I could fill blog post after blog post with tales from that ten day trip. It wasn’t so much a holiday/getaway as an expedition. I saw some amazing places, met some great people and came away with a shed load of memories. There were one or two places that really stayed with me and one, in particular, I’d return to in a heartbeat.

The Hunza Valley in Pakistan is where I’d love to go for a bit of peace and quiet. I’d love to sit on the veranda of that hotel again and watch the stars appear, one by one, above the shadowed, jagged mountains. Sadly, no alcohol allowed, but I’d settle for a cold tonic water with ice and lemon, a pack of cigarettes and a fine summer’s evening.

If you ever get the chance, if circumstances change and you want a glimpse of what Shangri-La is like, get yourself there. It really is beautiful.

Clare: My ideal getaway at the moment is a quiet weekend on my own LOL. Ideally, I'll be in a small but cozy guesthouse, by the sea and/or the countryside. I'd like a small kitchen to be able to make plenty of coffee and the occasional sandwich, and internet access to keep in touch - but only for emergencies! My e-reader and a TV for a snuggle up and relax in the evening. But most of all I'd like a quiet room with a view and a comfy chair and table to set up my laptop for writing during the day. Perhaps then I'd get one of my WIP novels finished at last!

I'm away at Easter with Hubby in the Lake District, and I'm hopeful I can meet some of these plans then. He likes to walk the hills, so I can spend time on my own while he's out, then we can meet up for an evening meal and take that snuggle together :)

Blaine D. Arden is a purple haired, forty-something writer of gay romance with a love of men, music, mystery, magic, fairies (the pointy eared ones), platform shoes, and the colors black, purple, and red, who sings her way through life. Born and raised in Zutphen, the Netherlands, Blaine spent many hours of her sheltered youth reading, day dreaming, making up stories, and acting them out with her Barbies. When not writing, reading, or at choir practice, Blaine has singing lessons and hopes to be in a band someday. Blaine can be found at: http://blainedarden.com

Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew's hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania. You can find out more at www.andrewgreybooks.com, on facebook, twitter, or email him at andrewgrey@comcast.net

S.A.Meade lives in deepest Wiltshire and is pathetically happy to see rain after eight years in the desert of south central Arizona. She stumbled into writing m/m by accident when she realised that her historicals put agents to sleep. Since then she’s realised she’s addicted to the genre and keeps writing more dirty books. She loves cooking and eating what she cooks and shares her home with a patient husband and son and two heat-seeking cats. S.A. can be found boring people witless with her blog - kestrelrising.blogspot.com/

Ethan Stone lives in Nevada. But not Reno or Las Vegas. There are other cities there, you know. Where he lives, gambling isn’t on every block, just every other block. He has been obsessed with two things in his life: books and all things gay. After spending years trying to ignore the voices in his head, he finally decided to sit down and listen to them. What he discovered was a perfect union of his two obsessions. Ethan has a day job that pays the bills. He wears a uniform to work and he looks damn sexy in it. Find Ethan at ethanjstone.com

Clare London  Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She's written in many genres and across many settings, with three novels and a smattering of short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she's just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn fiction, she's happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters. Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home. Find Clare at  http://www.darkpearldiva.com/

Tuesday Teaser: For All in Tents, and Porpoises

An Unedited Excerpt

Ivan wrapped his arms around his center. Sleeping on the land had many drawbacks, but the clear view of stars shining down on him was well worth all the inconvenience. Mikhail had whispered to him just last night how the stars he watched were long gone. Mikhail lied sometimes, which in and of itself set him apart from most of the other People. Before the cataclysm, it was said that many of the others had practiced the art of lies, but afterward the People had eschewed the practice. Ivan did not care that others spoke ill of the spotted dolphin. He liked the other man, and often saw a sadness hiding in Mikhail’s black eyes, hinting at a tragic truth behind the lies.

A flash of silver shot across the sky, and Ivan held his breath. The strange beauty of those far away points of light drew his imagination, and lit up his soul. He would never dare to speak of that to another of the People though, lest he be branded a fool, or worse yet, a heretic.

Well.

He might tell Mikhail, if his friend were here. Tonight Mikhail had chosen to sleep with the pod. The unusual behavior was yet another oddity to ponder. Mikhail had never chosen the pod over Ivan before, not once in the four months since they’d become friends. Ivan’s skin tingled and felt tight around his eyes. He did not like the feeling.  

Manic Monday: To Do Lists and other Oddities

I like to start the day out with a to-do list. It gets me organized, and then if I don't get something accomplished, I can at least remember that, and shift it onto tomorrow's agenda. Makes sense, right?
Right.
But then there are those days like today, where I start out with the very best of intentions and yet never seem to catch up with a day that is running far faster than I could ever hope to.

To Do Today for 3/26/2012
Write 5,000k in The Faery Tree

Write this blog

Get up

Start diet (right after this brownie--nom-nom-nom)

Get a shower

Beta the prologue and first four chapters of my lil'bro's wip... er, one of his many, many wips.

Make my bed

Answer my emails

Write to my sis

Connect with an old friend

Write another blog, this one about what it's like to write a book you know may be banned and get it turned in to the owner of the blog it's going to go up on.

Have a cup of coffee... or a pot

Water plants

Write at least 2,500k in various other wips

Write this weeks Silver Short

Find out where Hermoine from Harry Potter books got her time-turner and apply for one of my own.

Clean kitchen

Call doctor to get new script for the kidlet

Make sure the lil'bro is adhering to bedrest orders

Revise list down to manageable size

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Sunday Snog: A Family Dinner from The Faery Tree

Steven looked up sharply, his sage green eyes sliding right past my face to land with unwavering intensity on the man behind me. Ee-an’s hand twitched in mine, as if he were fighting the impulse to cling to me. The deep rumble of his voice rolled over me.

“Thank you for cooking, Steven. I am most delighted to be invited to share this time with Thomas’s closest kin, and hope someday to return the honor.”

Steven snorted.

“Sure man. Take a seat over here between Lily and me.”

Confining my desire to roll my eyes, I shot Steven a sharp glance. The turd was being all man-of-the-house. I waited until he sat, and on my way past I cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. He grunted, but didn’t even look around, which told me he knew very well what I was hitting him for. Taking my seat, I smiled as sweetly as I could at Ee-an. He looked from Steven to I with a small furrow between his brows. I placed a piece of garlic bread on my plate and then passed the plate to Lily. She took two, but they were small. The girl loved her garlic. As she handed the plate holding the last few slices of garlic covered goodness, a sudden thought popped into my head.

“OH MY GOD! Ee-an, don’t touch them, their covered in GARLIC!”

I leapt from my seat and raced around the table, trying to grab the plate before he touched it. Ee-an quirked a brow at me, and then calmly placed a single slice of uber garlicky toast onto his plate. My heart banged painfully against my ribs. Would my brand new lover be horribly burned where he’d touched the substance?

“Dude. What gives?”

Steven’s question was underscored by Lily’s tinkling laughter. Turing my head, I took in the puzzled expressions of my family. Oh. Crap-doodle. How was I going to play this one off?

“I—ah, I thought you said you were allergic to garlic.”

Ee-an smirked at me.

“No. Not a bit. Love the stuff.”

His big hand stretched out to take the plate from me. As I handed it over I had to concentrate on unclenching my fingers from their death grip on the plate. I smile weakly at my brother and my daughter, and took my seat again. I could feel the heat in my cheeks, and knew my face had to be nearly as red as a fire engine. I piled spaghetti and sauce onto my plate, keeping my head down and my mouth full for a few moments while I regained my composure.

“So, big dude. What are your intentions toward my bro?”

I choked on my spaghetti bolognaise.

Oh, hell to the no.

Steven did not just say that.

Peering up from beneath my lashes, I see a big dumb smirk on the twerp’s face.  Dropping my head into my hands I start to count. Lily joins me.

“Three, four, five… Daddy, how come we’re counting?”

Lifting my head I see a solid smear of sauce covers three quarters of Lily’s face. By some magical feat know only to small girls of Asian descent, she has completely missed the circumference of her mouth. Her little pink lips and the area immediately surrounding them are scrupulously clean. The entire rest of her torso seems to be coated in a solid half-inch of savory red pasta sauce. Thank god. I’m saved by the mess only Lily can create.

“Steven, can you take Lily and get her into the bath.”

Steven shoots me a disgruntled look. A glance at his still mostly full plate is self-explanatory. I, however, have no mercy.

“Do it Steven, or I’ll reconsider letting you have the car this weekend.”

Groaning, my bigger and younger brother pushes back from the table.

“I still want an answer to that question, neighbor-man.”

Ee-an doesn’t miss a beat.

“I want to marry him.”

The small bite of well chewed food I’m attempting to swallow morphs into a mid-sized creature with razor sharp claws and a desperate need to escape the confines of my throat. I pound on the table, only a high pitched, thin little whine taking the place of the horrified shout I aimed for. In a flash Ee-an is out of his chair, pulling me up out of my chair and taking me in his arms. He spins me around, putting my back against his chest, and wraps his long arms around my middle.

Then, with a massive upward thrust, he performs a flawless Heimlich maneuver, and my humiliation is completed by the spray of sauce and noodles flying from my mouth to coat the table, my very surprised daughter’s face, and the entire side of my troublesome brother’s head.

Lily’s eyes go huge.

Her lower lip trembles.

Water wells in the black depths of her gaze.

Steven, knowing, I’m sure, that this debacle is completely his fault, attempts to stave off the coming storm. He makes a farting noise with his mouth and then crosses his eyes at her. She laughs instead of bursting into tears, and I begin to consider letting him live to make inroads into his eighteenth year.

Crisis averted.

Lily and Steven disappear down the hallway toward the bathroom, and I stand, still loosely wrapped in the circle of Ee-an’s arms, surveying the wreck of our family dinner. His chest moves against my back, a familiar shaking sensation. A moment later a booming laugh sounds above my head. He guffaws for a few moments, and then pulls one arm from around me to wipe at his face.

“Oh, Thomas. You make my heart happy.”

“Okay, but… did you say you wanted to marry me? What are you, nuts? We just met.”

Ee-an sits, pulling me down to straddle his lap. Tilting his head down, he kisses my temple, and I lean into the warm press of his lips. Is it wrong that this strange being makes everything difficult in my world seem bearable with a brush of his mouth against my skin? He moves back just enough to speak, his lips and breath dancing across my temple. The words rumble against the side of my face and I close my eyes to absorb the feeling.

“That is what I said. I will wait as long as you desire. I just wanted to assure your brother that my intentions are honorable.”

This time I let go of any impulse I may have had to stifle the rude gesture and rolled my eyes for all I’m worth. 

Find more Snogging Goodness at the home of the original Sunday Snog.

http://victoriablisse.co.uk/ 

Six Sentence Sunday : from The Enslavement of Luez-the Akanti book 2

The slightly husky tenor voice sent more blood to Shae'els already hard cock... and the way the little man was watching his mouth made him want to do wicked, wicked dirty things with his lips, tongue, and teeth, wicked things to every filthy inch of the disheveled little beauty on his knees in front of...oh hell--on his knees.

On.

His.

Knees.

With his pouty lips only inches away from what was now a painfully hard cock.

Oh hell yeah.

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For more Six Sentence fun, check out all the other Sunday Sixers right here: http://sixsunday.com/

To Bill, With Love

So, listen. Some folks are saying goodbye, and some are honoring your life and some are there in Cleveland today to show support for your Marty. And some are spread around the world wishing they could hug you, or look into your beautiful blue eyes one more time. We'll miss you Bill. There's no doubt about that. We'll miss your clear insight and spot on humor and unwavering acceptance.

And some of us will believe that you haven't really left us, that you are still whispering over our shoulders and sharing in our triumphs. That's where I hang my hat, Bill. So, this next year? Is dedicated to you. Today is day one for me in my quest to be a little more gracious in my dealings with the world. To be a little kinder and yet as unswerving in my defense of what I believe to be right as you seemed to me to be.

Wish me luck, Bill.
Those shoes you left behind are a tad difficult to fill, sir.
I'll do my best.

Satuday Snark: Buy Mah Book(!) and other Promotional Faux Pas...

You know you've seen it.
The overdone appeals to not let your Kindle, or Kindle fire, or Nook be lonely, or empty, or--for fuck's sake, how is an inanimate object lonely? And just who are you appealing to, oh you of the Buy-Mah-Book overshare? The folk you are tweeting to, or tagging in FaceBook, or sending a zillion emails to already know that you're an author.

They even know that your new book is available. Because you yourself told them. Repeatedly. Until they wanted to unfollow, unfriend and block your access to their emails and whatever other social media you have access to them on.

Please.
For the sake of your own dignity.
Stop.
Just stop, for fuck's sake, and give me a moment of your time. Ask yourself a question, and look hard at the answer... do you really think that being the internet version of a pushy telemarketer is going to garner you more sales? IDK. I can only speak for myself, and babies, I block that crap. Oh, I may not unfriend you or whatever, but... I do start to tune you out. Which sucks. Because at some point you may have something to say that I would have wanted to hear. Taught me a lesson (a positive one), or reached out for help that I might have been best suited to give you... and I will most likely not know. Because I will have become so very inured to and by your spam-bot like Tweets and FB posts that I'll have glossed right on past your profile pic to see if anyone has anything interesting to say.

Don't get it twisted, babies.
Writing is a business.
For a lot of us (or at least some) it's our full-time job, and we need to treat it as such. We do need to advertise, and promote our product. We need to make those sales to bring home the bacon. You know, the figurative bacon that lets us buy real bacon to feed our families.

So if it's a business?
Treat it like one.
Get educated.
Learn how to market with skill.
Make it fun for your readers to learn about your newest, latest and greatest. Support your fellow authors, because they are NOT your competition.They are your brothers and sisters in arms, and we will NEVER have enough stories to fill the hungry void of the human mind. That's right, not ever.

By all means, let your readers and fellow authors know when you have a new release, or a new cover or a great day of writing... and if you say, "Buy-Mah-Book" only do so with a wink and a tip of your cyber-hat. Get a publicist. Cultivate fans who will talk you up on the social networks. Write the very best stories that you can and cheer every single time someone else's book breaks into the top ten list somewhere... because everyone loves a good sport. And I can tell you from experience, that I'm far more likely to buy the book written by the funny, good natured author who laughs at his or herself and roots for everyone to do well.

Didn't anyone tell you that ultimately the product you're selling is that funny little character you created first? You know the one. The author that is you. And if that character comes across as a pushy telemarketer type how likely are you to Buy-Their-Book?

I'm betting not very.

So, heh, try out the cheering others on. Build a network, and get your friends to read your book and ask them to talk about what they like or don't and why. Ask them to please do this a LOT. Get a publicist. It doesn't have to break the bank... you can get some very affordable and  truly useful help over at a place called Author Island (click on the name to check them out) utilize services like Manic Readers and get together a group of fellow authors to help promote each other. Trust me, it works. And it's a hell of a lot less annoying to your friends and potential fans.

Right, and oh, yeah. Buy-Mah-Book.

For More Saturday Snark, get thee to the Vicdom...get it? Vic-Dom? LOL... get it right here, babies:
With a Groan and a Moan

Fabulous Friday: Staying in Step

Yesterday I spent some time with my friend Cynthia. I got to know Cynthia through an odd set of circumstances that are likely important only to me, and anyway aren't just my story to tell and as such--off limits. You know?

So, anyway, I was hanging with Cynthia, and she told me a few things I thought really everyone should hear... so I'm gonna share them with you. See, Cynthia and I were talking about staying in step. Knowing where you are in the world and knowing what keeps you there. You know it's like knowing that the earth is spinning around its axis at a ridiculously fast rate, and rotating around the sun at the same time, and the solar system is moving within the galaxy and the galaxy... but what keeps us clinging to the fragile crust of this little old planet? Magic? Alchemy? Gravitational force? Yes. To all of those. And yet I was really looking at something at once deeper and more profound.

What keeps us where we are in our lives? What makes us move? What sets us free and what chains us?

I have an amazing family. They love me, and they share space on this rock with me. And that eats up time and it gives meaning to my days and...well, there's a thousand was to look at what life throws you. It can all be a burden, or a blessing or a mixed bag of nuts. And the key to loving your life is staying in step. With who you are. With what your dreams are and why they matter to you or anyone else.

I have a difficult, draining family. My brother is disabled and my daughter is angry and they are utterly, perfectly themselves. And I wouldn't give them up for anything. Because they are mine. I'm rarely anywhere near perfect for them, and forget about being plain old perfect... but they are mine and I will fight to keep them, fight to make the world a better place for them, fight myself and the man and even the individual family members to make sure that each and every one of us is getting what we need. It's just that important to me.

Right, a lot of rambling today. But maybe, just maybe in the midst of my ramble you'll find a key to keep yourself in step. If you do, take it. It's yours.

Think Tank Thursday: Should I Stay or Should I Go...

Some days this should just be my anthem. Some days I know what the dealio is, and I have my little chicks in order. And some days I can almost make sense of the am I banned am I not banned flippity-floppity dance the distributors and PayPal have been doing. Then again, some days I can't even seem to find my like button on FaceBook. To all the other techno amoebas out there... I see you. Let's celebrate our tiny triumphs together with a freaking classic from the Clash.

Work in Progress Wednesday

I am scurrying, babies, trying to get the next WIP ready for publication in seven more days. So for today's treat, get yourselves over to Silver, and download this week's Silver Shorts... the Silver Shorts are absolutely FREE, and I know you'll love my Minuet In Blue.

GET IT HERE

Monday Slipped Away with a Quiet Sigh...

Okay, babies... I can admit that Monday got away from me before I got a chance to post for you.

The normal mania ensued, and I accomplished what I consider quite a bit considering I was working with a migraine. I got two loads of laundry done, wrote just shy (six words or so) of a thousand words, and then dealt with the kiddo who was still awake at 9:30 at night when I got home from doing said laundry. Grr.

I adore my kidlet, but just once I'd like her to do what I ask without me having to stand over her while it's being done. *hark, it's the lament of the parent with a pre-teen or actual teen*

Right.
So, migraine gone-ish, and I'm outta here my dears, gotta go get my write on so I have a triumph to write about later today.

Too Many Fires... the final clue in the Second Chance Giveaway

Alrighty.
I've got too many fires to tend today, so it's taken me a bit to get to the final Second Chance Giveaway clue in a basket--er, I mean clue in an excerpt, lol. So, here you go.

The question is what is Lewell'yn's favorite fruit?
And the bonus question is why does Tian smell like it?

***********************

The suddenly electrified feeling pulled Lewell'yn towards the slave. With his rich red hair shot through with streaks of blond and his sun-kissed skin, the man looked as though he might smell of peaches. Lewell'yn loved peaches, the way their flesh felt firm to his teeth, the way the fine hair on them tickled against his lips and tongue.

Peaches became Lewell'yn's absolute favourite fruit as soon as he realised they came packaged in such a splendidly wrapped for-adults-only form. Lewell'yn's mouth started to water, anticipation and imagination combining in his still clenching gut as his eyes roamed his brand-new favourite treat. He moved with unhurried, lethal grace towards the slave. He caught a whiff of the man's scent, a hint of musk, a whisper of sweetness tied together with vibrant warmth.

Sweet Light, the man even smelled like peaches.

***************************

The bonus question's answer lies in the origins of Tian's people...and you either know it or you don't from previous excerpts. Remember to put your email addy up in your response. You have until Noon tomorrow. Ciao.

A Very Parkour Snog

Goddammit.

How did he keep getting into these situations?

Right in front of him Jason flipped up over the edge of the concrete wall blocking their way, the glint of his golden hair dropping away into nothingness.

Shit.

Where the hell did he—

Lee leaned forward to gain momentum, pushed off the ground hard and grabbed the top edge of the wall, straight arming himself up.

Holy Christ.

There was a run off canal carved into the side of the hill here, and Jason was bouncing back and forth off the walls. Lee’s lover dropped farther and farther away. The base of the structure looked to be at least a hundred feet down. Jason was easily two-thirds of the way down. This was way beyond his level of expertise. Lee flipped himself up and over the wall in the seconds it took to assess this, and let himself fall as far as he dared. He could only hope that Jason managed to pull this one off, because they couldn’t stop, not with the gang of white slavers hot on their heels.

Seriously.

Real deal white slavers, for fuck’s sake. They hadn’t expected to find anything like this when they went looking for Michael’s missing cousin. They’d found the boy and gotten him out of the dingy apartment he’d been tied up in. Sam had him, and Michael was giving them backup while Jason and Lee played bait and drew the dickheads who’d stolen the boy off. They just hadn’t expected the set up they thugs had to be so high tech, nor for them to have so many bodies available to throw into the chase.

Lee and Jason were running for their lives.

Jason reached the bottom, and nailed his landing on the narrow ledge next to the fast moving water rushing along the bottom of the man-made gorge. He took off running along the thin strip, and Lee turned a hundred percent of his attention to getting down as quickly as he could without killing himself. He figured he had about twenty to forty more seconds before the guys chasing him caught up and climbed the wall at the top of the gorge. They had guns, and he was pretty sure they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him.

Voices echoed from above.

Lee ran flat out, clearing the corner in five seconds.

“Naw, man. No way they went down there. Why you even looking? If they jumped that fence they dead anyway.”

“Shut the fuck up Niki. They got skills man. I seen them.”

A guffaw sounded, and then a loud cracking noise echoed dimly down. Jason jerked Lee up against him into the shadow of an overhang. Lee grabbed Jason’s face between his roughly callused hands, tilting the smaller man’s head up. He whispered against Jason’s lips.

“I—damn babe, you scared the shit out of me.”

Then he kissed Jason with everything in him. Jason just opened up, sweet and easy like he always did. Lee sucked Jason’s tongue into his mouth, stroking it with his own. He pulled back slightly.

“We need to get back home. Get Michael, Sam, and Ryan and get the hell out of this place.”

Jason nodded, and then they were running.

*********************

 You can find all the snogging goodness you can handle and  links to even more over at the home of the Original Sunday Snog, Victoria Blisses Land of Kisses...right here:  http://victoriablisse.co.uk/

The Final Post for Second Chance Giveaway

Will be posted tomorrow.
Today got crazy, dudes.
No, really.

Saturday Second Chance

Today I won't snark (much) and I will (at 8pmish my time) pick a winner for the second chance thingy I've been talking about for the last week or so. Um...since the 10th I think. So, here's how it goes. I've been putting clues up every day about the boys from Tian's Hero, and if you've been gathering them, you only need yesterday's-- an emergency trip to the Emergency Room with the baby bro sidelined my intent to get yesterdays up late but still there... I know, I know, I'm a hot mess lately. Or, you know, always.
So, here's yesterday's excerpt. Check it out, and find out what invaluable lesson Tian learned from his Abtiss.
**************

. Tian mentally ran through his "approved" list of phrases, selected one, and let the words fall throatily from his mouth.

"Yes Kay."

Kay slit his eyes open and snickered at Tian. Something warm and sweet flowered open in Tian's chest.

Kay must be an exception to Abtiss's rule about men not enjoying laughter in the bedroom.

Tian clambered up on the bed, feeling giddy. He allowed a small giggle to slip out of his mouth. Kay didn't seem to mind at all. He just smiled and held his hand out for the oil.

"Is this our lube then?"

"Yes Kay."

Tian couldn't help himself at this point. He collapsed on the bed, giggling madly. Kay laughed right along with him. 



***************


Okie Dokie. Now on to today's excerpt and clue...hmmm. 
Now that is more tricky. 
I may have to think about it, and put the clue up a little later. 
In fact, why don't I put the clue for today up right at 8pm EST (or thereaboutts) and give y'all until tomorrow at noon EST to gather up all ten clues? Hmm? Sound Good?


That way you've got time to look back til the 10th of this month, get all seven (I think) clues and get your answers in. Of those who answer correctly I'll draw out a name, and send you a copy of the book tomorrow. However, you can only be entered if you remember to leave your email addy with your clue list (unless you absolutely, positively) know I already have it, I wouldn't chance not leaving it.

Thursday Think Tank: Saying I Love You

I learned today that my fellow MLR author, and an amazingly gracious and kind man, William Neale, died sometime last night. It made my heart heavy, and made me remember that life gives no guarantees...

Tell those you care for that do. Do it now. And show a face full of grace and humor to the world.
Or, as Damon Suede would say, "Do something extraordinary today. You might die tomorrow."

Don't Forget!!

Wednesday is Silver Shorts Day!
A free anthology of Flash Fiction by an awesome lineup of Silver Publishing Authors.

Check them out. Silver Shorts...get 'em while they're hot...

Work in Progress Wednesday: Before Tian's Hero

So, for those of you not yet in the know...
Every Wednesday I do a little work in progress action over here in the Cave.

So here I am, and your next clue is in the little excerpt I'm leaving you. Question is how did Tian's arm get broken the year he made the Banquet for the Festival of the Light?

Easy, peasy.

********************************

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid your arm is broken young man.”

Tian bit down hard on his lip, blinking up at the healer-priest. The man had to be wrong. Tian knew, he just knew that Brother Armund must have made some mistake, possibly the first one after being inducted into the Brotherhood and earning his healer’s robes. And the silly way Tian’s arm was dangling was something that would pass in a few minutes. Or, possibly with a glass or twenty of strong irizim wine. Because there in no way could the week long preparations for the Festival of the Light banquet Tian had earned the right to make could be done by an inexperienced chef with only one working arm.

Burnt brioche, there had to be some way out of this mess. Why had he let Jeram talk him into trying to climb the side of the old cliff face without a safety harness? And why in the name of the Blessed Light had he ever thought it a good idea to let his fumble handed friend climb up before him? Of course Jeram slipped. Fell. Knocked Tian off the cliff, and then landed right on top of him.  

“But, Brother Armund, surely my arm is just strained.”

Tian attempted to raise his right arm. The world went white around him, and then he found himself lying where before he’d been sitting on the good brother’s exam table. Tian cast a misty eyed glance up at the grizzled priest leaning over him. The man’s rough edged voice cut through the echoing waves of pain.

“Tian, I am sure Father Bellasa would be willing to take over the preparations for the feast. Your arm is broken. I have to immobilize it.”

Holding a vial of mimseela root extract to Tian’s lips, the priest’s craggy face softened.

“Drink, lad. Your Da will have my head else, and I shudder to think what your Abtiss will say if I leave you in pain so that you might argue with me.”

Tian opened his mouth, swallowing the concoction down and then scrunching his face up. He couldn’t in good conscience let Brother Armund face Abtiss’s wrath. His father in a rage was a fearsome thing. Tian wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy, let alone on the temple’s healer. He’d have to think of some other way to make this happen. Well, that was fine. Tian knew how to improvise.

***************************** 

Tuesday in the Trenches

Today would normally be a Triumph, or a Teaser...
but we're still reeling a bit here at Casa Noel. I don't know about you all, but in our house the pets truly become part of our family...and we invest a lot of emotion in them. So today I'm airing out the kiddo's room. Because, believe it or not, death has a smell, and her room reeks of the stench of death left by the passing of her dwarf hamster.

While Lewell'yn, one of my mc's from my upcoming release,Tian's Hero, is accustomed to that particular odour, my little liebling is not.
And frankly, I'd rather she not become used to it.

I'll be back tomorrow with a cheerier post, and your clue for today is knowing what odour Lewell'yn is accustomed to.

Ciao, babies.

Manic Monday: A Death in the Family

Hey all,
we had a death in the family today. Our beloved Rhinoman, the dwarf hamster we adopted just over a year ago was found dead in his little cage today, and my daughter is it taking rather hard...
Not to mention how much the damned little rodent came to mean to me. So, I'll catch you up tomorrow as far as clues for the Second Chance Giveaway Sweepstakes...for today, I'm drinking a beer(one, and then I'll switch to tea)  and losing myself in a good book.

Later.

Sunday Snog: Baker, Healer, Assassin, Spy

Ready, babies?
I've got a little snogging fun for you with the boys from Tian's Hero...and another clue for my Second Chance Giveaway. Read the excerpt, and jot down the answer to this question...
QUESTION #2 What do Kay's kisses taste like?

***************************************

"Lewell'yn! I don't want anything to drink! What in the fecking hell are—mmmmp?"

Kissing was definitely the best way to shut Kay up. Lewell'yn tipped Kay slightly to the side, twisting the smaller man’s head towards him and pressing his chest against Kay’s back. He licked his way into the warm, slightly sweet, spice filled heaven of Kay's mouth. Kay melted against him, opening his mouth wide as his head fell back against Lewell'yn's shoulder.

Summer honey and cloves.

Once Kay began to whimper greedily, Lewell'yn pulled out of the kiss. He tucked Kay against his side as he carried the small medic towards the closest chair. Lewell'yn pushed Kay gently into the seat. He took a bottle of juice from the wary trainee's shaking hand. Did the little fool think Lewell'yn would hurt him? The trainee posed no threat. He did not smell of lies or harmful intent. He was not good to look at. There was no colour to him. There was no reason to waste energy on him. Lewell'yn turned his gaze back to the only colour in the room. Pretty pink lips shiny and swollen from kissing him, amber eyes hazy and unfocused, Kay was good to look at. He still smelled hungry though. His body smelled thirsty too.

"Drink juice Kay."

One fat curl fell across Kayron's forehead, obscuring an eye. He looked dishevelled, like he'd just crawled out of Lewell'yn's bed. Lewell'yn smiled. He liked this look on Kay, even when the man huffed out an exasperated breath.

"Right then. A fecking nutter, ya are mate. Oh, fer fucks sake Lewell'yn, stop growling and give me the damned juice."

**********

For more snogging goodness, go to Victoria Blisse's blog, the place where the Sunday Snog phenomena began. http://victoriablisse.co.uk/blog/sunday-snog-cougar-style/ 

Ack! I missed Six Sentence Sunday!!

*FacePalm*

I blame it on the pre-birthday beer. There was only one, but it was enough to put me off my game.

Saturday Second Chance

So, I was over at Amber Kell's blog a few days ago, shamelessly promoting my upcoming release of Tian's Hero...the first book in my Akanti series from Silver Publishing. We picked a lucky ebook winner from those listed in the comment section.

Guess what?

I'm running a second chance sweepstake-ish kinda thing wherein  you can get a second chance at winning this amazing *if I do say so myself* book.

Watch the blog this week.
I'll be hiding little clues here and there and the lucky commenters who find all seven of them and leave me their email addy's along with a list of the correct clues will be entered into a second drawing.

Good Luck. I'll see ya in the funny pages. *not really, as I only draw stick figures*
Today's clue is already up on the blog...and will be answered with the name of the character who is referred to as a spy. And if it's not clear enough here, then hop over to Amber's blog...it's blindingly clear over there.

Friday by the Canal

Got a lot accomplished today.
Laundry and an intense planning meeting with the folks from Wrap. Don't ask. I won't tell... :)
I also managed to get my beautiful new Facebook banner by Reese Dante posted to both my Facebook accounts. Would you like to see them?

And while I'm at it, here's the gorgeous Silver Short cover that Reese came up with for us. Cool, huh?
That's all. I'm off to go for a walk with my kiddo.

Thursday Think Tank: The Naming of Minions

The naming of minions
is a delicate matter
it isn't just one of your
quarter beer games
And you may thing at first (um and in the middle...possibly last as well)
I'm mad as a hatter
When I tell you a minion must have three different names.
They're the names that I shout
at my minion with glee
on Twitter, and Facebook indiscriminately.

*ahem*

Minion! I holler
with poise and aplomb
plan a blog tour, set my schedule, and remind me
ten times a day or perhaps even more
for if left to devices my own
I'll be mired in details
and peanut shaped bits of foam.

No1NoelMinion!
Get moving!
Make Haste!
Don't you know that without you,
I'm sad basketcase?
I spend more time doing errands
than dreaming up worlds
and my characters languish
with their *er* glory flags furled?

To the point then: a minion needs a name
can be shouted across
the whole of the Twitterverse
without hearing loss.
And each minion must also
have a sly, secret name
known to only themselves and their master of fame...
*waggles eyebrows*
and finally, finally
last in line but not least,
there is the pet name
for the dear minion beast
known only of course
to the author they claim
who then inserts it in stories
writ to keep themselves sane.

*lame, I know*

Authors, you know, are but giddy fools,
one and all...
whom our dear trusted minions
must catch when we fall.

Name your minion most carefully,
so they come when you call...
for a minion is precious,
and desired by all.

Tuesday Triumph: Tales from EditLand

I'm nearly done...just checking line by line for stuff we missed. Nearly there!

Manic Monday:Or My Life; Guest Starring the Kidlet, Vicktor Alexander and Daniel Kaine

The boys are still sleeping, all snuggly (I fracking hope) in their bed. I am working on polishing off my first lil'cuppa joe for the day. The kidlet is off to school. The wind is blowing outside, and the sun has risen. I once again am taking a few moments to contemplate the awesome that is my life, inclusive of all the demands upon my time and all the many and varied tasks I endeavor to complete each and every day.

I have the edits for Tian's Hero back from the proofers, and thus am mere days away from receiving my author copies of the first full length manuscript I ever wrote. Well, as an adult. That whole elephant who wore clothes and was inspired by Barbar novella I wrote in the fourth grade notwithstanding. Tian's Hero may not be the first book I've published, but it was the first one I wrote, and it remains very dear to my heart.

I'm working on edits today for TH then, until they are done and returned to the AEIC and then to the formatting editor.
I need to build some furniture.
I am still *hangs head in shame* trying to find a place to put all the damn stuff I moved here with, so I have boxes to unpack.
I have two stories nearing completion, and if I don't get some writing done in them I'll have to kick my own ass. Repeatedly.
*facepalm*
Make that three stories. Gah.
Moar coffee. Must write faster.
And then, *note snark* this afternoon, inbetween taking the kidlet to have bloodwork done and meeting with her doctor, I must pay bills, dream up some super cool things for the Bradvic and Dangelina to do together that won't bust their wallets to hell and gone, get dinner started, do a few loads of laundry, and plot out a sneaktastic way to trick the tiny urchin formerly know as my kidlet and the Vic's neiceling into cleaning the frightening sty that she in all her nearly-a-teen-so-close-she-can-taste-it wisdom refers to as her room.

*shudder*

And to treat myself, should I complete all that as well as plan out a revised schedule for the week which has more realism than the first one I wrote up, I'll read a little something my friend Erica sent me.

*waggles eyebrows*

She is a newbie author with talent. Hence my excitement. I love passing on the little bits of crafting good writing know-how I've gleaned intensively over the past 2-plus years and by osmosis over the rest of my lifetime. It's good to share with your friends.

Right then, I'm off to mainline some caffeine, wash the crustifications of life from myself *literally* and then dive into the Editland section of the Cave.

Ta!