We're going to go the Pride parade on Sunday (rain or shine) and hopefully I can meet up with the lovely L.C. Chase sometime while I'm there.
Happy Vancouver Pride!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~it's all about the love~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, July 25, 2011
B.C. Bound
We're going to go the Pride parade on Sunday (rain or shine) and hopefully I can meet up with the lovely L.C. Chase sometime while I'm there.
Happy Vancouver Pride!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Team Vampire
My WIP is about a vampire named Kael. Kael is Scottish or as someone told me I could say "he's Scotch" but that brings to mind that he's made of hard mint candies or filled to the brim with booze, so let's just leave it at Scottish. He's a plethora of contradictions, my Kael is - he was a warrior and lived the warrior's life but he also resided for a few years with some Tibetan monks, hence the contradictions.
As all my writing generally is, this will be an emotional story and though I'm only 3,000 words in I'm already in love with my characters. I've heard writers say that it's hard to let their characters go when their story is completed and I totally agree. It's like raising one of your kids and watching them leave home - maybe not exactly like that but you get the gist. I'm beginning to think that a lot of what I write will end up with sequels and prequels and whatever else kind of quel I can think of. This has been the case in my fanfiction career and I'm already writing more to my Hot July Days story "Outfoxed" so I think that will be my future - having trouble letting any of my characters go.
Here's a few of my fave vampires.
(Koyoi Wa Kimi To Chi No Kiss Wo)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Amazing cover for my Hot July Story by the fabulous Zathyn Priest
I just have to brag a little because I've always been in awe with this lovely man - his writing and his digital art are both simply fabulous, plus he's a gentle and sweet soul to top it off. The poor man was hounded and commented to death by yours truly until I'm sure he just threw up his hands and said "fine, I'll let you be my friend, you freaky Canadian woman". I may not be entirely proud of that, but I think I can call him my friend now so all's good. :)
Zathyn made me this cover - and no, I didn't hound him to death, I swear - for when I can offer my book as a free PDF and I just adore it. I also really like seeing my name on something so stunning. My story hasn't been posted yet but eventually I'll get to use this cover and be damn proud to do so.
PS If you haven't read any of Zathyn's book, you simply must. Here's a few links for him.
Zathyn Priest WordPlay blog
Zathyn Priest Artifex
Zathyn Priest GoodReads
Zathyn made me this cover - and no, I didn't hound him to death, I swear - for when I can offer my book as a free PDF and I just adore it. I also really like seeing my name on something so stunning. My story hasn't been posted yet but eventually I'll get to use this cover and be damn proud to do so.
PS If you haven't read any of Zathyn's book, you simply must. Here's a few links for him.
Zathyn Priest WordPlay blog
Zathyn Priest Artifex
Zathyn Priest GoodReads
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Good friends come and go - real or not
The majority of my writing over the past couple of years has been m/m slash, or to be more exact bandslash, plus Alexander the Great slash, as well. And somehow over the past six months of hospitals and med changes, my interests in what I write changed so I pulled away from the band fandom I was so involved in. I made a new journal on LiveJournal that will just be for my Alexander fics and some personal stuff, and more than likely, some snippets of original fics I'm currently writing. I've considered putting some of my Alexander drabbles on here - the ones I do weekly - because I'm kind of proud of them and enjoy writing them but I'm not sure how well they'll be received. Something to ponder I guess.
Anyhow this post wasn't supposed to be about any of that, but rather the reality of losing friends who you really have nothing in common with anymore. I've heard people say that online friends are not true friends, that they don't count because they exist over the web and not in our "real life" but I beg to differ. Being someone that tends to shut herself off from real life friends, who prefers the sanctity of her house to the noisy outside world, online friends are very important to me. They are my support, my encouragement, my shoulder to cry on, my ear to listen when I'm excited or sad or just need to talk, and it hurts just as much when those friendships end, more so than some RL ones. I'm a sappy, mushy friend who cherishes the people in her life and may make them crazy due to all those things but at the same time, I'm loyal and supportive and non-judgmental and I listen really well.
I want to end this post on a positive note by saying that even though I've loved and lost so to speak, I still have great friendships in my life, ones that I cherish and hope to grow and keep for a long time. Friends are gifts in our lives whether online or "real", gifts that even hermits like me appreciate and thrive on. So to all my friends reading this - thank you for being my gift.
k
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Living Promises by Amy Lane
I love this series and though the first book is still my fave, this was such a close second because we got to see so much of all the characters from the past. I've been a Deacon-addict since Keeping Promise Rock and I still am. Here's my review.
Living Promises by Amy Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have to admit that until I started reading this book, I didn't remember who Jeff was. I blame that on my Deacon obsession but once I got into it I remembered the quirky, supportive man for the unique character that he was. Jeff is such a beautiful man and I loved getting more insight into his mind and his heart. He has so much love to give and I was so happy when he let Collin into his life.
Collin is an awesome character. He's strong and determined and in-your-face-honest and I just love him. The combination of the two of them - Jeff and Collin - is a fabulous addition to the Pulpit, as well as another beautiful couple to give and take support from their "family".
This was a very heavy, emotional read dealing with HIV and heart disease, but it still revolved around the basis of the whole series - love. I was thrilled to see so much of Deacon and Crick's story included though the parts where Deacon was sick made me want to put the story in the freezer so I didn't have to know the pain and helplessness he was feeling, and the consequences of him not getting better.
I survived though and seeing Deacon alive and vital with his family again - especially in the scene with Kevin's father where he takes charge in his calm Deaconish way - made me warm all over. The wedding and Jon's stunning words brought tears to my eyes again, and I hope we get to revisit Promise Rock again soon.
View all my reviews
Living Promises by Amy LaneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have to admit that until I started reading this book, I didn't remember who Jeff was. I blame that on my Deacon obsession but once I got into it I remembered the quirky, supportive man for the unique character that he was. Jeff is such a beautiful man and I loved getting more insight into his mind and his heart. He has so much love to give and I was so happy when he let Collin into his life.
Collin is an awesome character. He's strong and determined and in-your-face-honest and I just love him. The combination of the two of them - Jeff and Collin - is a fabulous addition to the Pulpit, as well as another beautiful couple to give and take support from their "family".
This was a very heavy, emotional read dealing with HIV and heart disease, but it still revolved around the basis of the whole series - love. I was thrilled to see so much of Deacon and Crick's story included though the parts where Deacon was sick made me want to put the story in the freezer so I didn't have to know the pain and helplessness he was feeling, and the consequences of him not getting better.
I survived though and seeing Deacon alive and vital with his family again - especially in the scene with Kevin's father where he takes charge in his calm Deaconish way - made me warm all over. The wedding and Jon's stunning words brought tears to my eyes again, and I hope we get to revisit Promise Rock again soon.
View all my reviews
Tired...just tired
I have this lethargic tiredness going on and I really hate it.
I just feel tired and run-down and I'm not entirely sure why.
My therapist says I have to put more structure in my day but getting out of this funk is harder than I thought.
Sometimes it feels like I'm coming down from some great high. You know, the dizziness and almost-doped-up feeling in your head but there had been no great high going on at all.
Oh well, I'll just have to wait it out I guess. Do what I can to keep my eyes from falling closed and my body from becoming a slug in the middle of the living room.
Good night, all...errr...I mean have a good day. :P
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Happy 6th Anniversary to Canada's Same-Sex Marriage Act!
6 years of Gay Marriage and Canada hasn't crumbled
By Naomi Lakritz
CALGARY — Next week marks the sixth anniversary of same-sex marriage becoming legal in Canada.
Six years isn't typically a milestone anniversary; those things tend to be divisible by five. But I started thinking about it after spending last weekend reading A Radiant Life, a collection of columns by Nuala O'Faolain, the late Irish journalist.
O'Faolain can be heavy slogging. Not for her writing, which is piercing and luminous, but because she paints a moving, if relentless portrait of a grim, grey Ireland, the Irish green all washed out of it, an alcohol-sodden place of domestic violence, abused children and oppressed, under-valued women. Indeed, one review of her book online was headlined "Emerald Bile."
But it was her column on the progress, or lack thereof, of acceptance of same-sex relationships in Ireland that made me think of Canada's upcoming anniversary.
In the run-up to Bill C-38 being passed, the naysayers darkly predicted the seismic crumbling of Canadian society as we know it; they said the "gay agenda" would undermine heterosexual marriage and families.
They predicted that in this new anything-goes Canada which would be created if Paul Martin's government sanctioned gay marriage, people would be marrying their cats, pedophiles would be marrying children, priests would be forced against their religious beliefs to officiate at gay marriages, and on and on. Each imagined scenario was more dire and ridiculous than the last.
Oh, and polygamy would be the next step down the proverbial slippery slope to that inky abyss of promiscuity and immorality where everyone would be frolicking.
None of it has happened. Even polygamy is still in the same dreary holding pattern in Bountiful, B.C.
Earlier this week when I opened my front door to get the newspaper, I found the neighbour's tabby cat sitting on my porch, looking up at me and meowing. I don't think it was a marriage proposal.
But maybe that kitty is already to married to some other human. I mean, it's quite possible that Canada fell apart while none of us was watching. So let's look at the statistics, courtesy of the Ottawa-based Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, which updated them as of last Nov. 15, and see if we have indeed gone to hell in a handbasket.
"While divorce rates have increased greatly since the introduction of Divorce Laws in 1968, actual divorce rates have been decreasing in Canada since the 1990s. The 50 per cent (failure rate) fallacy is false . . . In Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia, the Yukon and Nunavut, the total number of new divorce cases has declined six per cent over the four-year period ending in 2008/2009," says an IMF news release.
Indeed, while divorces per 100,000 population reached 362.3 in 1987, they were down to 220.7 per 100,000 in 2005, the year same-sex marriage became law. So much for the myth that same-sex marriage would aid the dissolution of straight marriages. They dissolve quite nicely on their own, thanks to their internal dynamics, such as domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling and infidelity. These figures, by the way, come from such eminent sources as the Vanier Institute of the Family and Statistics Canada.
And, according to Statistics Canada, "the number of marriages in the country was 149,236 in 2006, down nearly 2,000 from the previous year, but up from 148,585 in 2004." Looks like some sort of minor demographic blip occurred there in 2006, but that figure is still up from 2004, when much of the silly fearmongering was taking place prior to Bill C-38 being passed.
Indeed, a November 2009 report entitled Divorce: Facts, Causes and Consequences, by Anne-Marie Ambert of York University in Toronto, found that "divorce rates have gone down substantially during the 1990s and have remained at a lower level since 1997, with minor yearly fluctuations."
A year after Bill C-38 became law, when Parliament was gearing up to hold a free vote on whether to revisit the same-sex marriage issue, Charles McVety, president of the Family Action Coalition, complained to CBC that the bill had passed without proper study. "Why don't we simply study the impact of this on the age-old institution of marriage?" he asked.
Study completed, Mr. McVety. It hasn't had any impact at all. Nobody talks about it anymore. I haven't even heard that odious phrase "gay agenda" in years. I guess there wasn't one.
Nor has gay marriage undermined straight marriage, though how that undermining was supposed to play out is still unclear.
If the opponents of gay marriage have finally, thankfully, piped down across the land, one person's words still deserve to be remembered. "We are a nation of minorities," Paul Martin said, on passage of the law. "And in a nation of minorities, it is important that you don't cherry-pick rights."
So despite the passage of Bill C-38, the sun has continued to come up each morning. Nobody has married their cat, their tree or their favourite living room chair. No priest has been forced to marry same-sex couples. No pedophiles have married children. I've long been a supporter of same-sex marriage, and I got married, too, just last fall — to a man.
Calgary Herald
nlakritz@calgaryherald.com
By Naomi Lakritz
CALGARY — Next week marks the sixth anniversary of same-sex marriage becoming legal in Canada.
Six years isn't typically a milestone anniversary; those things tend to be divisible by five. But I started thinking about it after spending last weekend reading A Radiant Life, a collection of columns by Nuala O'Faolain, the late Irish journalist.
O'Faolain can be heavy slogging. Not for her writing, which is piercing and luminous, but because she paints a moving, if relentless portrait of a grim, grey Ireland, the Irish green all washed out of it, an alcohol-sodden place of domestic violence, abused children and oppressed, under-valued women. Indeed, one review of her book online was headlined "Emerald Bile."
But it was her column on the progress, or lack thereof, of acceptance of same-sex relationships in Ireland that made me think of Canada's upcoming anniversary.
In the run-up to Bill C-38 being passed, the naysayers darkly predicted the seismic crumbling of Canadian society as we know it; they said the "gay agenda" would undermine heterosexual marriage and families.
They predicted that in this new anything-goes Canada which would be created if Paul Martin's government sanctioned gay marriage, people would be marrying their cats, pedophiles would be marrying children, priests would be forced against their religious beliefs to officiate at gay marriages, and on and on. Each imagined scenario was more dire and ridiculous than the last.
Oh, and polygamy would be the next step down the proverbial slippery slope to that inky abyss of promiscuity and immorality where everyone would be frolicking.
None of it has happened. Even polygamy is still in the same dreary holding pattern in Bountiful, B.C.
Earlier this week when I opened my front door to get the newspaper, I found the neighbour's tabby cat sitting on my porch, looking up at me and meowing. I don't think it was a marriage proposal.
But maybe that kitty is already to married to some other human. I mean, it's quite possible that Canada fell apart while none of us was watching. So let's look at the statistics, courtesy of the Ottawa-based Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, which updated them as of last Nov. 15, and see if we have indeed gone to hell in a handbasket.
"While divorce rates have increased greatly since the introduction of Divorce Laws in 1968, actual divorce rates have been decreasing in Canada since the 1990s. The 50 per cent (failure rate) fallacy is false . . . In Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia, the Yukon and Nunavut, the total number of new divorce cases has declined six per cent over the four-year period ending in 2008/2009," says an IMF news release.
Indeed, while divorces per 100,000 population reached 362.3 in 1987, they were down to 220.7 per 100,000 in 2005, the year same-sex marriage became law. So much for the myth that same-sex marriage would aid the dissolution of straight marriages. They dissolve quite nicely on their own, thanks to their internal dynamics, such as domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling and infidelity. These figures, by the way, come from such eminent sources as the Vanier Institute of the Family and Statistics Canada.
And, according to Statistics Canada, "the number of marriages in the country was 149,236 in 2006, down nearly 2,000 from the previous year, but up from 148,585 in 2004." Looks like some sort of minor demographic blip occurred there in 2006, but that figure is still up from 2004, when much of the silly fearmongering was taking place prior to Bill C-38 being passed.
Indeed, a November 2009 report entitled Divorce: Facts, Causes and Consequences, by Anne-Marie Ambert of York University in Toronto, found that "divorce rates have gone down substantially during the 1990s and have remained at a lower level since 1997, with minor yearly fluctuations."
A year after Bill C-38 became law, when Parliament was gearing up to hold a free vote on whether to revisit the same-sex marriage issue, Charles McVety, president of the Family Action Coalition, complained to CBC that the bill had passed without proper study. "Why don't we simply study the impact of this on the age-old institution of marriage?" he asked.
Study completed, Mr. McVety. It hasn't had any impact at all. Nobody talks about it anymore. I haven't even heard that odious phrase "gay agenda" in years. I guess there wasn't one.
Nor has gay marriage undermined straight marriage, though how that undermining was supposed to play out is still unclear.
If the opponents of gay marriage have finally, thankfully, piped down across the land, one person's words still deserve to be remembered. "We are a nation of minorities," Paul Martin said, on passage of the law. "And in a nation of minorities, it is important that you don't cherry-pick rights."
So despite the passage of Bill C-38, the sun has continued to come up each morning. Nobody has married their cat, their tree or their favourite living room chair. No priest has been forced to marry same-sex couples. No pedophiles have married children. I've long been a supporter of same-sex marriage, and I got married, too, just last fall — to a man.
Calgary Herald
nlakritz@calgaryherald.com
Friday, July 8, 2011
Some of my fave gay movies (mostly unusual ones)
(Argentinian movie - based on real events - subtitled)
--not your usual gay love story, sometimes violent, gory,
and sad but Angel and Nene stole my heart--
*****
--- a sweet love story --
-- a young man with a very dysfunctional family discovers
who he is and who he loves --
*****
(Thailand movie - subtitled)
-- this one almost killed me, and as with Burnt Money,
violence but a beautiful, unusual gay love story --
*****
The Man I Love (L'homme que j'aime)
(French with subtitles)
-- beautiful, gay-for-you movie --
*****
(not strictly gay)
-- some people classify this as public porn, but to me it's art -
it's sexually explicit; het, threesomes, orgies, bjs, rimming,
and a whole lot of love, and stars real-life couple Paul and PJ -
the gay story is what hooked me, of course, really emotional and beautiful --
*****
(Brazil movie - subtitled)
-- a movie that's not for everyone about two brothers
who fall in love - if you're not squeamish about incest
this is a really beautiful movie --
*****
-- about a male escort with a limited number of clients
and the roommates he loves - great film --
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Beautiful Mag
I'm trying to find this magazine - even looked in San Francisco when I was there but no luck. Anyone seen it anywhere? That's Samuel Colt and Chris Porter - my fave gay pron couple. They're so sweet together - follow them on twitter and you'll see the love. :D
And speaking of San Francisco, I went to my first Pride Parade there at the end of June. I'd never been to SF before so it was pretty cool - too many freaking hills though :P - and despite there being a lot more politics in the parade than I expected (plus I'm Canadian and didn't know who anyone was), it was a fabulous experience. I'm posting a few pics that kind of summed up the whole point of Pride for me.
And speaking of San Francisco, I went to my first Pride Parade there at the end of June. I'd never been to SF before so it was pretty cool - too many freaking hills though :P - and despite there being a lot more politics in the parade than I expected (plus I'm Canadian and didn't know who anyone was), it was a fabulous experience. I'm posting a few pics that kind of summed up the whole point of Pride for me.
And the most important aspect - the LOVE.
(I'm having trouble with this blog - comments aren't showing up. I checked the Spam filter but it seems to be fine. Does anyone have any suggestions?)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Teaser for Hot July Days on GoodReads
As I mentioned before, the organizers of the M/M Romance group at GoodReads.com put together a challenge for authors and aspiring authors to write stories for other members based on a pic and a "Dear Author" letter. Stories started being posted on July 1 - a few a day in most cases - and I believe there will be 113 (or so) stories in total. As long as you're over the age of 18, you can be a member of the group and there really couldn't be a better time to join with all those yummy stories being posted.
I'm giving a small taste/tease of the story I wrote and, yeah, even managed to submit on time despite wanting to keep editing and changing over and over again. I had to force my OCD to take a step back. :) Anyhow, hope you enjoy and if you have the time, leave me a comment since I'm feeling pretty lonely on this blog. :D
Happy 4th to all my US friends, by the way.
Outfoxed
Two pairs of scuffed, black combat boots hit the floor of the hotel room with four distinct thuds before the door locked back into place. Tight, sweltering, black leather pants were shed, left in a ball on the floor beside the boots, abandoned in the heat emanating from two excited, lust-filled bodies. They jockeyed for dominance, both already bare-chested and shining with sweat, hair, faces and sleek, muscled bodies nearly identical except for the color and shade of their short spiky locks and the scruff that accentuated their made-up but masculine faces. The blond won the toss-up, pushing the brunet roughly against the velvet-papered wall, his mouth covering the soft lips of the other, tongue shoving immediately inside.
I'm giving a small taste/tease of the story I wrote and, yeah, even managed to submit on time despite wanting to keep editing and changing over and over again. I had to force my OCD to take a step back. :) Anyhow, hope you enjoy and if you have the time, leave me a comment since I'm feeling pretty lonely on this blog. :D
Happy 4th to all my US friends, by the way.
Outfoxed
Two pairs of scuffed, black combat boots hit the floor of the hotel room with four distinct thuds before the door locked back into place. Tight, sweltering, black leather pants were shed, left in a ball on the floor beside the boots, abandoned in the heat emanating from two excited, lust-filled bodies. They jockeyed for dominance, both already bare-chested and shining with sweat, hair, faces and sleek, muscled bodies nearly identical except for the color and shade of their short spiky locks and the scruff that accentuated their made-up but masculine faces. The blond won the toss-up, pushing the brunet roughly against the velvet-papered wall, his mouth covering the soft lips of the other, tongue shoving immediately inside.
Rylan Rivers growled between gasps of breath, thrusting back against the toned body that pressed him to the cool wall. “It’s not your turn,” he panted and hissed at his blond lover. “Back up, Gage. I’m taking control.”
Gage Galeano flattened Rylan more firmly to the wall, head slanting to seal his lips over Rylan’s protesting ones. He wrestled Rylan’s arms up and over his head, keeping a firm grip on both wrists as he slipped a leg between Rylan’s thighs and pressed his knee against Rylan’s crotch.
Rylan gasped and stopped squirming long enough to suck Gage’s tongue between his lips, forcing their mouths together until he felt their teeth click. He sucked indulgently, Gage’s flavor overwhelming his senses and sending a jolt of excitement straight to his cock. He enjoyed the sensation, the taste, the heat, for a moment more, then sunk his teeth into the wet muscle invading his mouth. The metallic taste of blood assaulted his tastebuds before Gage jumped back sharply, brown eyes so heavy with lust they were almost black, a sadistic grin gracing his beautiful face.
“Since when are turns part of sex?” Gage hissed, sinking one hand into Rylan’s brown spikes and yanking his head back. His other hand moved to swipe at his mouth, a red streak appearing on his pale skin. Rylan watched transfixed as Gage licked the color away. Gage’s tongue was a thing of wonder, always knowing precisely where to lap and lick and suck, when to press harder, when to back off, the right moment to….
Rylan snapped his gaping mouth closed, wiping a dribble of drool away from his lips as he twisted his head from Gage’s grasp and tried to clear his head. He managed a controlled smirk and pushed off the wall. “I told you, you were out of line,” he growled, adjusting the uncomfortable bulge in his faux gold-lame boxer briefs. “You have the shortest memory in the history of the world, dude. Tonight I’m the man on top, not you.”
His words were strong but that didn’t change the fact he was hypo-aware of the sweet, addicting scent of sweat and desire wafting off his lover -- Gage’s zest still alive in his mouth, on his tongue. He was already rock hard. So hard he had to struggle to keep his hands to himself, needing to focus on what he wanted to convey to Gage, not how he looked, smelled, tasted. He thought he’d won the battle until Gage suddenly thrust himself forward, grabbed Rylan’s face between his fingers and licked across his lips. One of Gage’s hands ghosted down Rylan’s body and over the outline of his aching dick, sending shivers of ecstasy throughout Rylan’s taut body.
“Mmm, you’re wearing my favorite shorts, babe, but I think they’d look better off than on.”
Rylan growled again, covered Gage’s hand and squeezed his fingers. He shoved him not-so-gently away, backing up from the heat and scent of pre-come that surrounded from his lover. “You’re not listening, dumbass.”
Gage snickered evilly. “I’m totally listening. You wanna be the husband.”
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