Ramblings, updates, hiatus (sort of)

<---THIS! Yes.

I do need more time despite flitting and procrastinating it away the past couple of weeks. I leave Tuesday for a 12 night cruise to Northern Europe, all in total gone from June 5-23 and I am not prepared. Haven't decided what I can wear (read - what I can fit into that's not disgusting on me), what I should take (I'm an obsessive over-packer), what can stay behind (not much - kitchen sink maybe?) Anyone have any must-sees or suggestions for London, England - we'll be there 3 nights after the cruise?

I'm also a little discouraged that I have two new releases coming out while I'm gone. Author fail in the promo department, a department I suck at anyhow. Countdown to Daddies is a sweet story if I do say so myself but it's Lucius' Bite that is the meat and potatoes of my books at the moment. In the back of my mind I have this notion that if it does marginally well, if people like it, then I am finally an author. It's probably because it's my longest to date, my first book I'll be able to hold in my hand because it will be in print, plus it's a genre I've never written (not even really in fanfiction). I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself, even hesitating on really starting the next one in the series because if Lucius flops, there's no point.

I will be making up a couple scheduled posts with a give-away on Countdown to Daddies (comes out June 15) and Lucius' Bite (June 22) and hopefully blogger won't screw those up. I'd appreciate it if you read those posts that you'd tweet the links or whatever, just to get the word out. I have a couple of other blogs doing give-aways, too, and will keep try to update you on that.

As for the promo thing, most days I just don't have a clueI know there are no guarantees in writing and unless you really put yourself out there, nothing will happen for you but sometimes it's discouraging. I'm also feeling some readers/buyers guilt because I've finally realized that waiting to buy books at All Romance (for the deals), Fictionwise (for the sales) or even on Amazon (for the format) severely cuts into the royalties of authors. My first royalty statements cleared that up in my mind and I'm definitely going to try to buy my books right from the publishers now. Third party sales are wicked hard on the author. I've definitely learned a lesson and it's discouraging because I know why people (myself) buy them from those distributors so asking someone to just buy from the pubs is unfair. This isn't a lecture by any means, just a realization that struck home hard and fast.

Domestic Relations is on the cusp of being submitted to Less Than Three - those last few edits, revisions and read-throughs just seem like hell to me. I don't have a release date yet for my pretty lawyer boys, but I'm thinking near the end of the summer. When I get a cover I'll share that too.

I have some end-of-Hop ends to tied up (thanks again to all who participated - I believe it was a success) on top of the editing, packing and freaking out so I should get my procrastinating butt moving on at least doing something - my mood's been low so that just adds to my lack of motivation.  Hopefully I'll get one more post in before I leave. Have a great weekend.

Oh and if you're going to the movies this weekend (and decide not to go to The Avengers LOL 

- it's only been 4 times for me), keep in mind this movie is out with the lovely 

(sexy, hot-as-fuck) Chris Hemsworth. :)

Music Mondays - Great Big Sea (kitchen party, anyone?)

Great Big Sea is a Canadian treasure, another band on my top 5 list and one I've seen them at least 5 times, as well. They're from Newfoundland, formed in 1993 and are still going strong. They've been described as folk-rock and rock-celtic and are known for their interpretations of traditional Newfie sea shanties... BUT they are so much more than that.

Over the years GBS has explored different kinds of music from folk to rock to more poppier tunes, and of course, beer-drinking kitchen-party music. They're songs inspire fun and hope and just plain inspiration. They are an absolutely awesome band to see live no matter how big the venue but the smaller ones are more suited to some of the a capella songs they like to sing.

Alan Doyle does the main vocals but they all take a turn or two at the mic, especially when it comes to the raucous, teasing banter that always sounds so natural and unforced. These guys have known each other since they were young so there's a lot of stories to be told, a lot of ribbing to be done (lately it's been about Alan's starry-eyed appearance in the movie Robin Hood with his bff Russell Crowe) and a lot of caring in everything they say to each other. And may I mention the amount of instruments involved in a Great Big Sea concert? The norms like drums, acoustic and electric guitars, but also mandolins, fiddles, tin whistles, bouzouki, bodhran, bones, accordions, concertinas and hell, even bagpipes on occasion.

A little ranting and rambling for a Sunday

I've neglected this blog again, so what else is new right? I just can't seem to get the hang of posting every day or even every other day with all the writing I'm trying to do and all of the RL crap that I'm dealing with. And to be perfectly honest, sometimes I don't see a lot of point in taking the time to blog at all.

In whining news ~ I generally have a congregation of one - thank you Lisa - and sometimes two - thank you Diane - and though I guess I write this mostly for myself, it gets discouraging. I know I'm whining, maybe even being a self-righteous bitch, but venting is part of blogging, is it not? Anyhow, my mood is low and RL is busy at the moment, both of which would explain the maudlin tone of this post so far.

In writing news ~ I'm stuck in a world of revising, adding and editing at the moment. My latest manuscript - Domestic Relations - is in the final stages of being completion before being submitted and it's driving me up the freaking wall. It seems when I get to this stage in all my longer stories, I end up wanting to throw my laptop or iPad out the window so I never have to look at those damn words and those stupid characters (that I know I still love) anymore.

It makes it harder to immerse myself in what I'm doing and what I need right now is to just get the damn thing done and out of my hands. One of the issues is not having had anyone look it over for me, except near the beginning, so my insecurity rises sending my confidence crashing to the ground and all I'm left with is what-the-fuck am I writing and who-the-fuck wants to read this anyway. ~~big dramatic sighs~~

In publishing news ~ Countdown to Daddies comes out June 15 (I think) and Lucius' Bite (Family of Misfits 1) on the 22nd from MLR. Both of which I will be away for - great. I'm thinking about doing a give-away but not sure there's a point to that either. Yeah, I'm not what you'd call a sparkling example of an enthusiastic writer at the moment which is really too bad because it's a big jump for me - two releases in one month, one of them my first novel-length and print edition. My free read for LIAW ~Lazy Sundays~ is due out on July 5 and I have a pretty cover courtesy of Megan Derr. Still love characters boys so hard.

In RL news ~ I leave on the 5th for London to board the ship for our 12 day Northern European cruise and unfortunately, I'm not excited yet. I know I will be and maybe getting this book finished and out of my hands for a while, will let me relax enough to freak out and get excited. I also know part of the issue is figuring out what to wear when you're so used to messing around in your pjs and sweats all day, and completely loathe having to put on real clothes everyday, especially when I hate how I look in everything. ~stops whining~

Also in RL, I saw Seether a week and a half ago. Awesome as usual though they never get true credit for what they do. Also went to baby boy's gig this past week ~til 2 in the morning may I add~ watching him always makes me happy.

AND I got to live out a bit of a fangirl moment this week as well.
Not sure how many people outside of Canada know of Great Big Sea but they are an absolute favourite of mine and I got to meet, get a pic and autograph after seeing Alan Doyle (lead singer) on his solo tour. The venue was under 500 people, a theatre actually, and it was the most awesome show ever. His voice is amazing and when he sings without instruments, I get total goosebumps. Wasn't going to post the pic with me in it but what the hell - don't judge, just had my hair did that day and hadn't fixed it my own way though (and it's a horrible as fuck pic of me). Alan is sweeter than pie, called me "love' and even tried out my crutch. Lol. Love him. Check out his album. :)

Finally something else much less appreciative - unfortunately this could be considered a self-righteous rant as well. I was one of the organizers of the Hop Against Homophobia and though it went far better than expected, one incident has put a damper on the whole thing for me. One of the participants, who put themselves out there in their post, received a comment so vile and unnecessary it made my skin crawl. The commenter slammed the blogger's way of life, character, profession and even their family under the guise of religious belief. It was an atrocious mix of words from a person clearly looking for attention, completely delusional in their thinking, someone so homophobic I wanted to crawl through the screen and wrap my hands around their neck. Yes, I know violence will not solve the problem but the over-the-top road rage I feel when I'm stuck in traffic has nothing on what I felt when I read that comment. I'm not looking for answers or advice. I just needed to vent about an issue that despite not being something that personally affects to me, makes me seriously question the thoughts, words and actions of people who claim God guides them. No offence to anyone with religious beliefs or anyone who believes in God, but that boat sailed for me a long time ago and at the moment I'm really glad to not be on it.

 In closing, I'll make myself happy with some Thor (Chris Hemsworth) pics (update - I've seen The Avengers 4 times now - don't judge)
:)

Tattoo Tuesday - Vinnie Woolston

Vinnie Woolston - from New Zealand, 6 feet tall, brown hair, blue/green eyes. That's about all I've found information-wise on this stunner but the pics just speak for themselves. I found a lot of black and white shots and you have to agree, he's stunningly beautiful and totally rockstar-inspirational for me.

I have winners! (Hop Against Homophobia)

I want to thank everyone for participating in the Hop Against Homophobia - I think we can all pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. Although I never made it to every single blog, I'll still be stalking them now that the hop is over.

When we started this, we never really knew what to expect or how to proceed and one of the things I know I'd didn't anticipate was the beautiful variety of posts. We had emotional, personal experiences, facts and information about how homophobia affects different parts of the world, quirky posts, interviews, etc., all that made the hop even the more interesting and important. I think we also learned that there is no "right" way to tackle the issue just as there is no right way to love except with your heart.

I was a little worried that my interview post with Patrick and Tyrell would be seen as too fluffy and not serious enough for the true purpose of the hop. But the boys and I received so many lovely comments about how the interview showed a hopeful side to the issue of homophobia - a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps. Anyhow, thank you again, for taking the time to meet them and for honouring William Neale's memory with me.

Now back to the matter at hand... winners. *drum roll*

The winner of the Home series by William Neale is EMILY (tiger-chick)
AND
The winners of a $10 gift cert to All Romance or Amazon (if I can figure out how to do that) AND an ebook of their choice from my backlist or upcoming releases are KIMBERLYFDR and DANNYFIREDRAGON.
Congratulations - I'll be notifying all of you by email.

Enjoy your week and I hope if you have just discovered my blog through the hop, you'll stick around.

:)

Hop Against Homophobia - In memory of William Neale

In the memory of the passing of a good friend and highly-respected member of the m/m romance community, this post is in memory of William Neale. I've talked about Bill before in various ways and his passing is still fresh and teary in my mind. 

Bill's books are emotional and thought-provoking, and the perfect example of how a man can write with his heart and not just his brain. I only say that because controversy still exists in the m/m community over whether the difference between male and female authors can be clearly defined by what and how they write. 

As far as I'm concerned, Bill and others like him, JP Bowie, Ethan Day, Andrew Grey and others, shoot that theory all to hell. JP has even told me that many suspected he was female because of the romanticism of his stories. I'm not trying to start any more controversy, but on a day designed to throw some light on the issue of homophobia, hate and fear, I believe I can state my opinion without cause for attack. One person's opinion may be another person's need to judge, hate or even fear, but for today I choose to believe we can all get along and come together for a good cause.

Bill passed away in March just after finishing the last in his Home series and he was proud of hell of what he'd accomplished. The final book is called Hope and that's exactly what William Neale's writing is to me ~~ hope that one day the issue of homophobia and the hate, fear and bullying that comes with it, will not be an issue at all.

Comment on this post to win ebook copies of the entire Home series. I'd love it if you'd also comment on how Bill's books affected you if you've read any. Basically this is a William Neal lovefest post. Enjoy and good luck.

* * * * *

HOP AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA blog post

Welcome to my Hop Against Homophobia blog post. I have a special interview with two very cool Canadian men who'll talk a little about growing up as gay men in Canada and about how they do their part to keep the issue of homophobia, fear and hate from becoming, excuse the pun "closeted". The instructions for my give-away are at the bottom - I'll be choosing two winners at random from the comments -- winners' choice of an ebook from my backlist (even though I don't have much of one) or one of my two new releases for June (Lucius' Bite or Countdown to Daddies), plus two $10 gift cards to All Romance Ebooks.

* * * * *

I welcome Patrick Levesque and Tyrell Witherspoon to Chaos in the Moonlight today on International Day Against Homophobia. Thank you for being here guys. I appreciate the Canadian support, eh. Lol. Sorry. 

The good, the bad and the pretty

Yeah, that's how my life kind of feels like right now. This post is a whole lot of odds and sods, some pretties, etc, etc, etc.


Just a reminder that the Hop Against Homophobia starts Thursday, May 17 on the International Day Against Homophobia. There are over 230 authors, publishers and review sites involved in the hop, all with individual give-aways. We've encouraged all of our participants to acknowledge the International Day Against Homophobia in their posts on that day, whether it be in addressing the overall issue of homophobia, the relaying of personal experiences, the importance of getting the word out about bullying or helplines, etc. So join the cause, fight the fear and hate, and see some great m/m content. Click the icon for the link. And just a heads-up, I'll be giving away a set of William Neale's Home series ebooks in his memory on my site, in a separate post than mine, so make sure you check out both posts.



Next I have a couple of release dates for June - two in one month is still a little surreal, plus I'll be on my cruise for the first and flying for the second.

Music Monday - SEETHER!!!

I usually post new music here - try to expand your minds with bands you may not have heard but today has to go to one of my top 5 bands of all time. Seether. Plus my sis and I are seeing them for the 7th or 8th time on Wednesday and I'm stoked.

Seether was formed by lead singer and guitarist Shaun Morgan and his childhood friend Dale Stewart (bass). They started out with the name Saragon Gas in 1999, then changed to Seether in 2002. Current drummer John Humprey signed on is 2004 and the threesome was officially set. They've had other guitarists come and go but in general, it's the three of them that make up the band.

Seether's music has been described as post-grunge/alternative metal but I think that depends on who you talk to and who's listening. I love their harder stuff, Shaun is nothing but awesome when he lets out his killer screams but I also love the slower songs. Their lyrics run from angry to emotional to hopeful, and that's always the most important part of any band for me. I absolutely adore their acoustic songs too. (they did a cover of Careless Whisper that I was afraid to watch - being a *coughs* Wham fan in the 80's - BUT it was made of awesome)

They don't have the reputation as the most exciting or entertaining band on stage, at least not if you're looking for endless banter and special effects. It's just them on stage, and the music says it all. I've seen them in big venues, small venues and intimate acoustic sessions - at a record store in the mall, front and centre. Even stalked Shaun a little in the store and he was gracious and asked me what CDs i thought he should buy.

Flashback Friday - Rocker Chicks

Flashback Friday Rocker chicks you say with a question mark in your mind? Has K-lee lost her own mind perhaps?

Not entirely but if you know me well, you also know I'm not a fan of woman singers or rock bands but today I'm going to share a few that I do like - back from the old days of course. :) There is a trend towards ballads for me and I know there's a lot more I could have included, maybe next time.

Stevie Nicks - the queen herself as far as I'm concerned. 

She had the hair the clothes, the voice and the look 

(plus the once-stunning Lindsey Buckingham). 

I totally wanted to be Stevie Nicks.

WIP Wednesday and some non-spoiler Avengers babbling

Look at me - three posts in three days. Someone is going to accuse me of being organized or something but alas, no one should get used to it. I'll be back to my disorganized self probably as soon as tomorrow. :)

My WIP is a lawyer story that I've been writing for a while but have now gone back to. My goal is to have it done and submitted by the end of the month.

Today's WIP Wednesday will also include non-spoiler squeeing about the freaking Avengers. I saw it Saturday, and yeah, again on Monday because it's just that awesome. There isn't one character that irritated me (psst, not even the girl Black Widow - lol - those who know me will say that is completely impossible).
So... my fave character of course was my Mighty God of Thunder, the fabulous, hunky-dunky Asgardian hottie, Thor. Lol. Okay that was a bit much but all the truth. He was his beautifully-coiffed, muscled-up adorable self with a little rage and some cute lines added in.

Second fave was Thor's brother-from-another mother (and father) Loki and I admit I just love that name too. I'm so gonna use it in some fic in the future. I won't tell you the plot or why Loki was there but as far as I'm concerned, (yeah, I'm biased) any scene Loki (the fabulous Tom Hiddleston) was in, he complete stole.

And the ones with both my boys -- let's just say I really need to write some Thoroki fanfiction SOON (and it's not like I haven't written brothers before - real or fiction). I do tend to get addicted to certain pairings in movies - Alexander the Great and Hephaistion are a perfect example - but I'm not sure where I'd post such a thing since I'm not in any Avengers fandom or anything like that. It shall be written eventually but I'm just not sure when or where.

The rest of the Avengers were cool, too, all using their powers or skills in the best way possible. I must say I was fascinated by Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and since I admit I was never a comic book fan before, I had no idea who he was until my God of Torture (physio guy) explained it to me. He's a fabulous character and hunky Jeremy Renner is always great in whatever role he plays. Ironman was as awesome as always (the funny and adorable Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) scary but shy at the same time, and Captain America (Chris Evans) staunch and nicely-suited.

My bff is all about the captain and she may kill me when I say that he didn't really do it for me except when he was punching that bag (but then again, I never saw the Captain America movie and my God of Torture had to explain him to me, too). I think he's just a little too clean-cut for me. I'm all about the scruffy and messy. Lol.

Anyhow - enough of that. It's a great movie - so worth all the hype and $207,000 it's made at the box office. Go see it and make sure you stay past ALL the credits. You'll be happy you did. :)

* * * * *
WIP - Original title: Opposing Counsel (will be changed if I can think of something)

“Bzzzzz."

"Ri! Dinner’s here. Do you have any cash?”

Josh adjusted the short white towel around his waist, chuckling as he heard his lover grumble from the other room. He leaned back against the counter, waited as Riley shuffled down the hallway, rounded the corner and tossed his wallet at Josh with a glowering look.

“Why is it you never have any cash?” Riley sneered, threw himself down on the soft, leather sofa, iPad clutched tightly to his chest.

"Strategy." Josh grinned at the love of his life, admired the way his glasses sat sexily on his cute button nose. He took two steps toward Riley, one hand sliding down to palm himself through the towel. The knock on the door was the only thing that stopped him from his lusty contemplation of just how long it had been since he’d fucked his lover with those sexy-as-fuck glasses on.

“Door,” Riley reminded, cocking his head to the side, eyes traveling up and down Josh’s body. “You could have put some clothes on first.”

“You could have stayed naked,” Josh said. He tightened the towel again then purposefully eyed Riley’s worn, low hanging sweatpants and ratty old Metallic t-shirt that was actually Josh's. It turned him on when Riley wore his clothes. He smirked behind his shoulder once more at Riley before opening the door to the lovely wafting smell of melted cheese and pepperoni. “Hey, dude. How much we owe ya?”

The pizza delivery guy met Josh with an obvious nervous bob of his Adam’s apple. His lips moved for a moment but no sound came out. “Um… twenty… twenty-two eighty… sir.”

Josh heard Riley groan as he pretended to gag behind him. “Here’s thirty, kid. Keep the change.” He winked at the guy, handed him the money and grabbed the pizza box from his shaking hands. He snuck a peek at Riley while the kid’s eyes looked him up and down and his thin Adam's apple worked overtime. With a low chuckle, Josh let one hand slide slowly down his taut, bare belly. “Something else you need, kid?”

The teenager’s eyes widened and he stepped away, stumbling backwards in his haste. Josh laughed and shut the door, turning to the disapproving look behind him. “What? I didn’t do anything.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Riley. 

"No, you just traumatized the poor child and made him go back to work with a chubby. I guess I'm a big tipper, huh?" Riley asked.

“I’ve always been satisfied with the size of your tip." Josh snorted while Riley rolled his eyes. "Hungry, babe?”

Tattoo Tuesday - Parker Hurley (model)

Parker Hurley is a 25 yr. old artist, nerd, gamer, pancake enthusiast and model. He is currently living in LA pursuing an acting career. <-- Facebook bio. 

He's also sexy, flirty, has a lot of different looks and has some interesting tattoos, not the least of which are the turquoise circles on his back. In an interview he said "they give me strength and balance where I need it most." They also apparently have something to do with the brain surgery he had. Now on to the pretty.

Music Monday - HURT

HURT was formed in the early 2000's. They have five albums, the latest released this year called "The Crux". I don't really know a lot about them except they came out of Virginia but their music sounds very European to me. It could just be J. Loren Wince's voice (which I love) but something in their sound reminds me of bands like Apocalyptica. I prefer their slower, more emotional songs, but that's nothing unusual for me. Not a lot of videos out there for these guys and only one so-called official ones but hope you enjoy anyway.

Falls Apart (yeah video has a typo) acoustic
(I love the normal version too - it's actually my fave song of theirs)

Tattoo Tuesday - Adam Gontier & some music

Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace (good Canadian boy :P). He's tall, sexy, tattooed and his voice gives me goosebumps... everywhere. He's tricky to find pics of besides his arms but you make due with what you have, right?

Significant tattoos include
- Grace across the knuckles of his right hand in the exact font from Jeff Buckley's (who drown in 1997) album Grace.
- A solid black band on his right forearm with the lyrics to "Never to Late"
- A photo of his wife tattooed on his left arm and a tribute to his grandmother underneath.
- There are others including 2 on his chest but like I said, the dude rarely takes his shirt off. :) And you know I'm gonna post a couple of my fave songs too, right?

PS if your ever get a chance to see Three Days Grace in concert - DO! - they're awesome.