Racheline Maltese's Blog, page 33

New Release: Evergreen

It’s new release day!

Evergreen, a 12,ooo-word interracial, bisexual, polyamorous, Hollywood, holiday romance is now available from Torquere Press and major distributors.

When bisexual polyamorous TV star Liam Campbell returns home to New York City for the holidays he finds out his best friend (with benefits) Charles Ortwin has recently acquired a serious boyfriend. Thrown by not being the center of everyone’s attention, Liam seeks out advice from three of his chosen family: ex-lover and co-star J. Alex Cook, boss and asexual romantic companion Victor Salcido Santillan, and fiancée Carly Amadahy, each of whom are tied up with their own sensual pleasures.

When a holiday party ends in a series of arguments between Charles, the new boyfriend, and Liam, it takes a snowy Christmas, a bit of honest communication, and some delightful sexual agony to put everything back as it should be.

The story is part of the Love in Los Angeles universe, and sits between book 1, Starling (which is currently on sale at Torquere for 20% off) and book 2, Doves, which will be out January 21, 2015. But it’s also designed to be read as a standalone, so feel free to start here and get a feel for the characters and the world!

The story is also available as part of the Santa’s Little Kinksters anthology.  Both the standalone version and the anthology are ebook only releases.

Standalone version ($2.99): Amazon | Torquere

Full anthology ($4.49): Amazon | Torquere

Free Books from Torquere: Day 4

Through December 24, Torquere Press is giving away ebook copies of one or two titles through their website all day every day.  I’ll be posting them here so that you can make sure to grab them.

Today’s giveaways are Morwen Navarr’s Ghost’s Sight and  Chris Owens and Tory Temple’s Never Too Early: The Beginning.

Ghost’s Sight

When Gerry is injured on a hunt, he is taken to the Witch’s home to save his badly broken leg. There he meets and is intrigued by her enigmatic ward. Ghost is equally captivated by Gerry, but all the young man has ever known is a solitary life as a witch’s apprentice. Gerry wants to make a life with Ghost, and he’s willing to leave the security of his family to create a family of their own. Now Ghost must decide if that new family is a chance worth taking, and the choice seems clear: Ghost loves Gerry too much already to say no.

But when Ghost disappears on his way to join Gerry, the young hunter will need to hunt a more dangerous prey to find the missing apprentice, and Ghost will need all his skill to survive until Gerry can find him.

Never Too Early: The Beginning

Firefighters Chancellor Shanahan and Tucker McBride have been together for years. They’ve been through the rough patches and come out the other side, although shift work, misunderstandings, and stubborn personalities can make things interesting. Chance knows that he and Tucker love each other, however, and neither of them have any interest in other people. So what happens when they meet another couple with a similar relationship? An unlikely friendship could take a possible turn.

Jake and Tor are a pair of cowboys who have weathered the storms of a decade together and have finally settled into their lives. They have a ranch, they have family, and they have each other. A rare vacation leads to a friendship, which leads to questions and a revival of long finished conversations. Is moving forward also a step back in time to issues they’ve already put to rest?

Both books will be available for free on the Torquere website in ebook format until 12 midnight CST.

Holidays: Alex

Everyone Alex works with, or is friends with, or who has seen an interview with him on television, knows he is from Indy-fucking-ana. It’s no secret that he’s from a tiny, crappy town.

Exactly how tiny and how crappy that town is, and how really desperate his childhood was, is something that’s a secret. Victor, the showrunner on The Fourth Estate and Alex’s boss, knows some small parts of the story of Alex’s childhood. His boyfriend, Paul, knows some other parts. Nobody knows the full story, though, and Alex prefers it that way. Home is, for Alex, never a place he wants to return to.

Even for the holidays. When Alex was a not-quite-starving PA, it was easy to avoid going home, because he couldn’t afford to. Which meant that his first Christmas in L.A., he spent alone in the crappy apartment he shared with Gemma. She had gone home to Scranton — and even invited Alex along — but a holiday alone, with just a strand of Christmas lights  strung around his bedroom, was much preferable to Indiana or anywhere else.

In Starling, Alex has the means to go home but instead he flies his mom out to New York City, where he’s working. As with Thanksgiving, Alex has complicated feelings and a fair degree of guilt about how much he hates the place he’s from.

It’s easier, once he has Paul and his own ever-growing chosen family. Cooking holiday meals with Paul and chasing their cat out of the Christmas tree feels like a normal holiday experience, even if Alex’s life has never been normal. In some ways, that’s made his life easier. In some, a lot harder.

Tomorrow, Evergreen, a Love in Los Angeles holiday story, is coming out from Torquere. In it, you’ll get to see a slice of what the holidays look like for Alex now. While he’s working on leaving the memories of his childhood in Indiana behind, spending the holidays with all the trappings of the holidays is just one more way Alex is figuring out how to navigate the life he never thought he’d have.

Do the Thing! – Now not later

Look, it’s a Do the Thing! and it’s even on time.

Let’s talk procrastination.  While in a lot of ways our last two misses were less about procrastination and more about forgetfulness, I’m a procrastinator, so let’s just go there.

You aren’t lazy if you’re a procrastinator.  It’s not about that. It’s about  some combination of the following three things:

1. You’re scared. Doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not, it’s real to you, and it’s preventing you from getting stuff done.

2. You like that adrenaline hit of last minute achievement and you will bend time and space and other people’s deadlines to get it.

3. Procrastinating reminds you that you’re a rockstar for whom some things are easy, so it’s okay to blow stuff off until the last minute.

All of these things can suck and mess with your goals.  None of them mean you’re a bad person, no matter what your mom, your school, or you yourself has ever said.

So now what?  You want to do the thing and you want to do it later. Here are some tricks that work for me to get the thing done right now:

1. Can I multi-task it? If so, I put on the TV and pretend I’m not really doing the thing I feel freaked out by doing while I do the damn thing.

2. Fake deadlines. Much like deadlines in corporate work, internal deadlines are deadlines for you before it ever gets to the client/editor/etc.  Of course, many of us procrastinators will just blow these off too, but it’s worth a try.

3. Positive self-talk.  Seriously, you’re already procrastinating, why have shame about walking around your house getting some adrenaline up and telling yourself, loudly, how you’re just going to sit down and write the hell out of this thing and knock it out the park. So what if your pets mock you.

4.  Long-term: Find other ways to get those adrenaline hits and find out what you’re really afraid of — rejection? success? being alone with your thoughts? editors? readers? spiders? You gotta know the dragon to slay the dragon (or to befriend it and have it be your awesome minion).

Like all the other Things we talk about here, procrastination isn’t a Thing that gets solved or fixed or whatever we want to call it overnight. Sometimes it doesn’t get fixed at all. Sometimes, the best you can do is find a workaround. But little fixes do add up, and it’s something you can start in some small way right now.

So what’s the thing you’re putting off this week?  Or better yet, how do you solve procrastination? We’re always in the market for a good tip.

Free Books from Torquere: Day 3

Through December 24, Torquere Press is giving away ebook copies of one or two titles through their website all day every day.  I’ll be posting them here so that you can make sure to grab them.

Today’s giveaways are Lynn Townsend’s Roll and  M.D Grimm’s Ruby: Lost and Found.

Roll

From the farms of Tennessee, Beau Watkins had it all in high school; the cute girl, the popular, jock lifestyle, a loving family. As a rising freshman at an out-of-state college, he’s determined to find out who he really is behind the fake it ’til you make it attitude. He joins Rainbow Connection, the gay student alliance, hoping to find himself. Instead, he finds Vin Reyes. Raised by his grandparents and the heir to a prosperous company, Vin has been out of the closet since he figured out what that meant. He has it all: fashionable clothing, fancy cars, huge houses, and a real party lifestyle, even a bodyguard. Most of all, he has a secret.

Uncomfortable with Vin’s generosity, Beau fights his growing attraction for the president of Rainbow Connection, chasing instead a series of shallow affairs. Vin’s never been denied anything that he wants, though, and now he wants Beau. But it’s not until an old rival puts Beau in the hospital that Vin realizes that Beau means more to him than a simple love affair. Can the two of them bridge the gap between their worlds and roll with the all the punches life will throw at them?

Ruby: Lost and Found

Morgorth is a mage on the planet Karishian. There is little he hates more than the Stones of Power — gemstones infused with magick by the first seven mages ever born. So when a sorcerer gets hold of a major stone, a ruby, Morgorth has no choice but to go after him. But, to his irritation, he is not alone. Aishe is a dialen whose tribe was massacred by the sorcerer, and is now on a mission of vengeance. The attraction is instant between them, but Morgorth keeps his distance. Because of a traumatic childhood and a deadly destiny, he has no desire for emotional complications. But Aishe’s very presence challenges Morgorth’s resolve.

Not only does Morgorth begin to admire Aishe’s strength and intelligence, but he begins to see Aishe as a friend. As their hunt continues and their time together lengthens, their bond deepens, as does Morgorth’s fear. If he becomes the monster that destiny claims he will, will he hurt Aishe? Will he harm the one person who sees right through him? Who accepts him wholeheartedly? Determined to not let that happen, Morgorth keeps Aishe at a distance, but when Aishe is kidnapped by the sorcerer, what will Morgorth do to get him back?

Both books will be available for free on the Torquere website in ebook format until 12 midnight CST.

Free Books from Torquere: Day 2

Through December 24, Torquere Press is giving away ebook copies of one or two titles through their website all day every day.  I’ll be posting them here so that you can make sure to grab them.

Today’s giveaways are Ashavan Doyon’s Loving Aidan and  Mychael Black’s Arcanum: Vervain.

Loving Aidan

Samuel Riley is gorgeous – tall, muscular, and intelligent. The girls love him. And so does his roommate, Aidan Flemming. Secretly, of course, because Aidan is as gay as Sammy is straight – and even the out and proud Aidan knows there are limits to Sammy’s acceptance. Cursed to watch as Sammy dates half the co-eds on campus, a lonely Aidan spends his time writing, helping Sammy and his friends survive literature classes, and recovering from a disastrous love affair that left Aidan heartbroken.

But when happiness finally comes for Aidan in the body of his roommate’s fellow rower, all that changes. In Steven, Aidan finds happiness and romance. The rower, a blond, blue-eyed Adonis, makes Aidan feel desired and appreciated. But their very public courtship stirs up controversy and violence, and Aidan’s life gets very complicated.

Attacks rock the campus community, and in the middle of the upheaval, Aidan finds himself noticed by the last person he’d expect. Samuel Riley, his roommate, his impossible dream, and just possibly, a very jealous suitor. But the jealous suitor has a girlfriend. And she is not happy.

Arcanum: Vervain

Detective Jonah Pierce has mourned his brother Riley’s death for a decade, and he’s never managed to heal. He loved Riley too much, and maybe in the wrong way. When a new rash of vampiric murders begins, Jonah’s division Arcanum is called in to investigate. Sent to talk to a potential suspect, Jonah gets the shock of his life. But that’s nothing compared to what comes later, when betrayal shows itself far closer than he ever expected.

Both books will be available for free on the Torquere website in ebook format until 12 midnight CST.

Free books from Torquere Press

A lot of us in the U.S. have the tendency to refer to the 12 days of Christmas as the 12 days before Christmas.  That’s a bit weird to many people, but do you really care when you’re getting free books out of the deal?  No, you do not.

For the next twelve days, Torquere Press is giving away ebook copies of one or two titles through their website all day every day.  I’ll be posting them here so that you can make sure to grab them.

Today’s giveaways are Alyx Shaw’s A Strange Place in Time and  A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder’s Emerald Fire.

A S trange Place in Time

Raised in a motorcycle gang, John Arrowsmith has a bad case of wanderlust. He’s not sure what drives him, but he knows he has to go, and he has the perfect machine to ride on; the big custom bike he calls Harley. When he and Harley get run off the road and wake up someplace completely unfamiliar, Arrowsmith knows something has gone pretty darned wrong.

With a cast of characters that include thieves, Moonhounds, and ogres, John has to find his way through this new world, trying to understand why he’s been transported there, and why he’s falling for a guy named Infamous. What Arrowsmith finds out surprises him, and might just kill him. Can he survive to find his way home?

Emerald Fire



The harsh desert world of Persis has developed its own customs far from Old Earth. Keepers are cherished as caregivers and helpmeets to Hunters. During Emerald Keeper Teeka’s first Contract with Senior Hunter Brant, disaster strikes. Brant is killed and Teeka is stranded, surrounded by strangers, and unsure of who to trust. A dark and moody Hunter steps forward with an offer of partnership and protection. Teeka wonders what motivates the scarred and solitary Senior Hunter Quill.

Both have hidden motives for agreeing, and both are suspicious of each other. But the Great Valley will force them to work together and build a trust born out of necessity and survival. Between the dangers of the harsh desert and the malice of a hidden enemy, Teeka and Quill must learn to believe in each other to find the truth.

Both books will be available for free on the Torquere website in ebook format until 12 midnight CST.

The Awesome Women of Love in Los Angeles, Part 7: Ellen Carr

Ellen Carr is one of Victor’s prized directors. She’s dry, snarky, and immensely competent. Victor adores her because she’s brilliant, capable, and angry.

She’s practiced at navigating the bullshit that being a woman director in the old boys’ club of television, and she likes working with Victor because he’s far more interested in craft than in playing nicely with others. Also, he’s as angry as she is.

Ellen is less sure, however, how to navigate the vaguely incestous clusterfuck that is the crowd of people Victor chooses to surround himself with. Liam appears to be a flake. Alex is surly. Ellen doesn’t care if they are (but is not convinced that they aren’t) fucking. And Alex and Liam’s costars — the rest of the people Ellen has to wrangle while she wrings Victor’s vision and the script into reality — are even more drama-prone divas. At the end of every day Ellen is thrilled to go home to her wife, their dogs, and a drink.

But the actors of The Fourth Estate are talented, and Ellen knows that she is one of the best. When the cast actually shuts up and does what she tells them, together they can make serious art.

How Stuff Works: The SAG Awards

The SAG Awards nominations for this year have just been announced.  While they are one of many, many entries in the ever growing and lengthening awards season, they are arguably the one actors care most about. As union members we get to vote to recognize our peers in both TV and film.  And to the extent that any awards are predictive of The Academy Awards, the SAG Awards have a decent track record.

The SAG Awards don’t feature with any prominence in the Love in Los Angeles books, but unlike the awards that do, I actually get to vote in the SAG Awards.  As that process gets underway I’m going to blog about it here periodically, not because it’s particularly exciting but because one of the things our series is about is the pedestrian/logistical nature of all things Hollywood, and this is one of the few I can actually give you a pretty direct window to.

I’ve personally never been on the SAG Awards nominating committee, although friends have. It’s a little bit like winning the lottery of free screenings and showings (SAG-AFTRA members are selected by computer at random for this task), and the sheer volume of things people try to watch to be responsible members of the nominating committee is daunting. Just keeping up with everything nominated as a regular voter is generally hard enough.

This year’s nominees can be found here.

Holidays: Paul

Continuing our series on the characters of Love in Los Angeles and how they do family, holidays, and tradition, next up is Paul Marion Keane.

Paul’s a TV writer, and he’s been in L.A. since he finished college. And while he goes home to his mom’s house in South Carolina from time to time, he doesn’t really like going back for the holidays.

It’s not even Christmas itself that’s the issue. Paul likes the holiday just fine. It’s fun, and even cheerful with the right application of multicolored lights and spiked eggnog. It’s just that everything else Paul has to put up with during the holiday season, drives him up a wall.

For one thing, his family is kind of a mess. When his dad was still living at home, Paul preferred to spend as little time in the house as possible. Once his parents separated and his dad moved out, Paul just did not want to deal with any pressure from his friends and grandparents to be the dutiful son who  made nice to his father during the holiday season. He doesn’t really feel guilty about his parents splitting up, except that sometimes he kind of does. It’s family. It’s complicated.

He also doesn’t want to have to deal with church. His mom, Beth, goes regularly. Mostly, Paul suspects, because it’s the done thing and she’s already treading the edge of local social scandal enough by being separated from her husband.

Whatever Beth’s actual religious beliefs are, she and Paul don’t talk much about them. For his part, Paul’s pretty agnotistc, and would be atheist if he were more confident about anything. The hours-long church services he’s expected to sit through whenever he goes back to South Carolina are kind of a misery. The neighbors asking nosey questions about whether he has a girlfriend don’t make it any easier, even when he’s dating Carly.

Which is why he’s thrilled whenever he can stay in LA for the holidays, especially once Alex is in the picture. Their house, their cat, their tree, and whichever of their relatives wander through the city to visit, works pretty well for Paul.

Except for the thing where being a TV writer means writing Christmas episodes, which somehow manage to all universally suck. But at least hating Christmas because of bad TV is a step up from having anxiety about Christmas. And at the end of the day, at least he still has Alex.