Chrissy Munder's Blog, page 97
March 26, 2009
First Quarter 2009 Update
Well the first 1/4 of 2009 is almost over and I thought I'd post an update on what's been happening while I've been waiting for the spring thaw.
Milestones was published in the Reflections of Love Anthology - now available at Dreamspinner Press.
My novel Drive Me Home has been accepted for publication - look for it in June 2009.
Ny novella Fair Winds has been accepted for publication - look for it in August 2009.
I have two shorts currently being reviewed - keep your fingers crossed for me! - Promise of the Heart and A Simple Life
Milestones was published in the Reflections of Love Anthology - now available at Dreamspinner Press.
My novel Drive Me Home has been accepted for publication - look for it in June 2009.
Ny novella Fair Winds has been accepted for publication - look for it in August 2009.
I have two shorts currently being reviewed - keep your fingers crossed for me! - Promise of the Heart and A Simple Life
March 25, 2009
Meet a favorite DSP author at the NY Rainbow Book Fair
I won't be there myself but I feel compelled to pimp a bit for my fellow Dreamspinner Press Authors that will be.
Looking for something to do on Saturday, March 28th? Love GBLT fiction? Want to meet and rub elbows with fascinating Dreamspinner Press Authors such as Clare London , John Simpson , Andrew Grey, Nicki Bennett and Rhianne Aile just to name a known few.
It's open 11 am to 6 pm. Stop by if you can.
Looking for something to do on Saturday, March 28th? Love GBLT fiction? Want to meet and rub elbows with fascinating Dreamspinner Press Authors such as Clare London , John Simpson , Andrew Grey, Nicki Bennett and Rhianne Aile just to name a known few.
It's open 11 am to 6 pm. Stop by if you can.
March 16, 2009
New Review for Milestones - in the Reflections of Love Anthology
There's a new review up at Rainbow Reviews for the Reflections of Love Anthology . My thanks to Clare for the shout out.
Overall Review of the anthology:
From new relationships to long time loves, this anthology of stories revolves around the romantic holiday Valentine’s Day. Some men are anxious for love, others are trying to rekindle lost love and still others are looking for love just for the night. The stories range from sweet to scorching hot with something for every romance lover. Standouts are easily “Don’t Shoot the Messenger”, “Milestones”, and “Under Protest”. These alone make the anthology worth reading and went solidly on my favorites list while the others offer a varying array of hot and sexy men sure to please any palate.
Review for Milestones
Milestones by Chrissy Munder
In this absolutely lovely story, Jeff and Devon have been together for five years but after the first few years, they both let work and individual focuses divert their attention from their relationship. While the impetus for this seems to be Jeff’s singular dedication to his business and less and less on Devon and their relationship, Devon’s willingness to go along with Jeff without speaking up certainly did them no favors. It takes an enterprising employee of Jeff’s with some well placed advice to turn these men around and put them back onto the road to happiness in their relationship. The love between Jeff and Devon was clear as was the sense of loss they both felt at the current state their relationship slipped into. I loved the honest emotions of both men and the reminder that all relationships take effort, perhaps the most when your attention is elsewhere.
March 4, 2009
New Review for Brush with Desire
Just like with our children we authors have characters and stories that are our "favorites". We aren't supposed to have them, we try to love them all the same but it still happens.
One of my "favorites" is the short story Brush with Desire . So, I am always pleased when someone new reads it and then tells me they enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
Here's a new review from Well Read :
Overall: This story fairly sparkles with humour and wit. Brian's sympathetic viewpoint and self-depreciating personality make this 'BDSM-lite' story very amusing as well as engrossing. There is a feast for the senses as the author describes in detail the smells, sounds, looks and tastes that Brian encounters during the liason with Dale, adding to the sexual tension, which starts small and is slowly increased as the story progresses. I'm not usually a fan of BDSM, but the way that the author describes the emotions that Brian encounters, made me understand why he would wish to take on the submissive role. I'm giving this a grade of 'Excellent' and would highly recommend it to anyone with a spare hour or so.
One of my "favorites" is the short story Brush with Desire . So, I am always pleased when someone new reads it and then tells me they enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
Here's a new review from Well Read :
Overall: This story fairly sparkles with humour and wit. Brian's sympathetic viewpoint and self-depreciating personality make this 'BDSM-lite' story very amusing as well as engrossing. There is a feast for the senses as the author describes in detail the smells, sounds, looks and tastes that Brian encounters during the liason with Dale, adding to the sexual tension, which starts small and is slowly increased as the story progresses. I'm not usually a fan of BDSM, but the way that the author describes the emotions that Brian encounters, made me understand why he would wish to take on the submissive role. I'm giving this a grade of 'Excellent' and would highly recommend it to anyone with a spare hour or so.
March 1, 2009
March Contest is up!
LOL - yes, I've gotten off my behind the mark duff and updated the website with the March Contest.
It's almost Spring - but not! March is always an odd month. Somedays the weather has warmed, the snow has melted, and my heart beats that much faster as it tries to convince me that Winter is releasing its grasp. But just as soon as I start to believe that - here comes another snowstorm.
Anticipation is sometimes the best part of life. Whether it's anticipating Spring, the climb up the steep slope of a rollercoaster or a new romance. Nothing else can quit capture that same thrill and nerve-ending tingle.
But it's easy to lose, buried beneath a snowstorm or the demands of real life.
Sometimes a little spice in the bedroom can bring back that thrill and tingle. Have you done a little something to heat things back up in your love life?
Brian, my character in Brush with Desire enjoys a bit of submission with his romance - especially if it comes with some spanking.
Stop by my website www.chrissymunder.com to enter today. You could win a pdf copy of Brush with Desire.
It's almost Spring - but not! March is always an odd month. Somedays the weather has warmed, the snow has melted, and my heart beats that much faster as it tries to convince me that Winter is releasing its grasp. But just as soon as I start to believe that - here comes another snowstorm.
Anticipation is sometimes the best part of life. Whether it's anticipating Spring, the climb up the steep slope of a rollercoaster or a new romance. Nothing else can quit capture that same thrill and nerve-ending tingle.
But it's easy to lose, buried beneath a snowstorm or the demands of real life.
Sometimes a little spice in the bedroom can bring back that thrill and tingle. Have you done a little something to heat things back up in your love life?
Brian, my character in Brush with Desire enjoys a bit of submission with his romance - especially if it comes with some spanking.
Stop by my website www.chrissymunder.com to enter today. You could win a pdf copy of Brush with Desire.
February Contest Winner! - Win a Free ebook Reader from Dreamspinner Press!
Congratulations to Shanna - she was the winner of my February Contest and has already received her copy of Just a Little Romance.
Have you stopped by Dreamspinner Press lately? You could enter to win an E-Ink Reader that supports pdf, mobi, lit, epub, doc, html, txt, prc, fb2, and jpg files.
Dreamspinner Press is giving away a free BEBOOK, a $300 value! You will receive one entry for every $10 spent in March. A random drawing on April 10 will determine the winner.
You don't have to do anything but shop.
Have you stopped by Dreamspinner Press lately? You could enter to win an E-Ink Reader that supports pdf, mobi, lit, epub, doc, html, txt, prc, fb2, and jpg files.
Dreamspinner Press is giving away a free BEBOOK, a $300 value! You will receive one entry for every $10 spent in March. A random drawing on April 10 will determine the winner.
You don't have to do anything but shop.
February 28, 2009
Free ebooks! Dreamspinner Author Chat - March 1st!
That's right. Join me and my fellow Dreamspinner Authors over at the Two Lips Yahoo Group for a fun and festive time – tomorrow, March 1st.
The chat will start up around around 12 p.m. EST and run until we get tired of talking. Dreamspinner Press will be giving away free eBooks all day and running other contests. There will be a discount code offered and during the month of March Dreamspinner will be doing a drawing for a free eBook reader.
Come and join the fun!
February 22, 2009
Anthology Heaven - Have you missed any of these?
The nice review (see two posts down please) for Milestones currently available in the Reflections of Love Anthology made me think about the other anthologies Dreamspinner Press has available.
The first one I read was Size Matters. I chuckled over the title, thought the cover art was nicely done, and that was what enticed me to submit my own stories to Dreamspinner.
So many times the oldies get lost behind the shuffle and fanfare of the newer releases. Have you missed any of these?
Available in print and ebook -
After the Storm
-
in the Desire Beyond Death anthology
Angry and frustrated with his chronic illness, Vincent Poulsen moves into an old lighthouse to live out the few days he has left. After a dangerous collapse, he meets the ghostly Captain Cason, who shares stories of his distant past. In the process, Vincent stumbles over the tragedy that binds the captain to the lighthouse and his haunted memories. Then fate offers them both a chance to change the future… for better or for worse.
Start From the Beginning
- in the
Size Still Matters anthology
A heart attack leaves Miles wrangling with a slow recovery and a quiet retreat … just one cabin down from wounded warrior Drew. Although he's unhappy to have his solitude invaded, Drew finds himself fascinated with Miles, but he can't bring himself to push aside his skittish nerves. Both men fear rejection for different reasons, but what if they've instead found the acceptance they crave?
Odds Are
- in the Mr. Right Now anthology
Returning to an annual conference without his long-time live-in boyfriend, not only does doctor Rick Page have to cope with his aversion to elevators but he discovers his lover had a secret he never suspected. Luckily, Smoking Hot Jonah is willing to provide sexy therapy that just may help him with both issues
Third Times the Charm
- in the
Make Me a Match Anthology Vol. 1
- John Turner went to the 24-hour Urgent Care center to get his employee Bobby some medical attention, not to scope out the doctors. But Nick Davros was awfully hard to ignore. So when Bobby's cousin gets hurt at the construction site, John knows exactly where to go. Despite Bobby's best matchmaking attempts, Nick doesn't seem interested in John - until a calamitous event throws them together a third time.
Stormy Weather - in the Make Me a Match Anthology Volume 2 - Meteorologist Grant Singer is sick of dates who only want to bed the TV "weather guy". But the matches from the online dating service he signs up with are even worse. In fact, the only thing that makes the endless dinner dates bearable is Craig, the cute waiter at his favorite restaurant. Luckily for Grant, Craig never misses one of his forecasts...
The first one I read was Size Matters. I chuckled over the title, thought the cover art was nicely done, and that was what enticed me to submit my own stories to Dreamspinner.
So many times the oldies get lost behind the shuffle and fanfare of the newer releases. Have you missed any of these?
Available in print and ebook -
After the Storm
-
in the Desire Beyond Death anthology
Angry and frustrated with his chronic illness, Vincent Poulsen moves into an old lighthouse to live out the few days he has left. After a dangerous collapse, he meets the ghostly Captain Cason, who shares stories of his distant past. In the process, Vincent stumbles over the tragedy that binds the captain to the lighthouse and his haunted memories. Then fate offers them both a chance to change the future… for better or for worse.
Start From the Beginning
- in the
Size Still Matters anthology
A heart attack leaves Miles wrangling with a slow recovery and a quiet retreat … just one cabin down from wounded warrior Drew. Although he's unhappy to have his solitude invaded, Drew finds himself fascinated with Miles, but he can't bring himself to push aside his skittish nerves. Both men fear rejection for different reasons, but what if they've instead found the acceptance they crave?
Odds Are
- in the Mr. Right Now anthology Returning to an annual conference without his long-time live-in boyfriend, not only does doctor Rick Page have to cope with his aversion to elevators but he discovers his lover had a secret he never suspected. Luckily, Smoking Hot Jonah is willing to provide sexy therapy that just may help him with both issues
Third Times the Charm
- in the
Make Me a Match Anthology Vol. 1
- John Turner went to the 24-hour Urgent Care center to get his employee Bobby some medical attention, not to scope out the doctors. But Nick Davros was awfully hard to ignore. So when Bobby's cousin gets hurt at the construction site, John knows exactly where to go. Despite Bobby's best matchmaking attempts, Nick doesn't seem interested in John - until a calamitous event throws them together a third time. Stormy Weather - in the Make Me a Match Anthology Volume 2 - Meteorologist Grant Singer is sick of dates who only want to bed the TV "weather guy". But the matches from the online dating service he signs up with are even worse. In fact, the only thing that makes the endless dinner dates bearable is Craig, the cute waiter at his favorite restaurant. Luckily for Grant, Craig never misses one of his forecasts...
February 19, 2009
Idle musings and rabid speculation
One man's term is another man's choice.
One of the many new terms I assimilated as I ventured onto the web was “Gay Okay”. I have to admit this one puzzled me, as well as quite a few friends that happen to be GLBT.
While my understanding may be flawed I’ve since come with further research to accept that in this context it refers to a writer that has chosen to present their story in a world in which the characters are surrounded only by GBLT characters, and only by GBLT situations.
I have come across this comment being used in what is commonly a reproving manner. The underlying impression I’m left with is that presenting a story in a “Gay Okay” setting negates the struggles and/or real life experiences of those that have dealt, and continue to deal with the opposite.
I’ve thought about this in the framework of my own life experiences – those being most readily accessible to me, and I can only conclude that in real life, as in fiction - like seeks like.
As a young woman in my very early 20’s one major criterion when apartment shopping was that I wanted to live in an apartment complex filled with young singles of comparable age and attitude, rather than in one filled with families and small children.
This choice was made for purely selfish reasons as being awakened at 7:00AM on a Saturday morning by the sound of a big wheel being ridden back and forth across the small strip of sidewalk under my apartment window after a festive night out at the bar was not my idea of a good time. (Trust me; it only has to happen once.)
When I hang with those who happen to be GLBT I observe a similar pattern. I visit apartments and houses where the majority of their neighbors are GLBT. When we go out to eat we usually patronize cafes and restaurants owned by and catering to those in the GLBT community. We visit bookstores and shops owned and staffed by those that are GLBT.
It’s not that these individuals are living their real life in a fictional “Gay Okay” world; it’s simply that they have chosen to surround themselves with people and places that contribute in a positive manner to their comfort level and their daily life much as I did as a young woman and still do now.
So when I write a fictional episode in a GLBT character’s life and I pull from my interactions with friends and acquaintances I have to wonder. Am I committing the “Gay Okay” trespass? Am I contributing to and perpetuating a stereotype despaired of by those that coined the phrase to begin with?
I remind myself that this is where skill needs to come into play. I need to continually develop my skills as a writer so that I convey the impression that it’s not that character is living in a “Gay Okay” world, but that they are living in the real world filled with outcome of the choices they have made for their own comfort.
My constant goal is to write a believable and interesting piece. One in which the sexual preferences of the characters are always secondary to the events of the story.
Sometimes I might even succeed.
One of the many new terms I assimilated as I ventured onto the web was “Gay Okay”. I have to admit this one puzzled me, as well as quite a few friends that happen to be GLBT.
While my understanding may be flawed I’ve since come with further research to accept that in this context it refers to a writer that has chosen to present their story in a world in which the characters are surrounded only by GBLT characters, and only by GBLT situations.
I have come across this comment being used in what is commonly a reproving manner. The underlying impression I’m left with is that presenting a story in a “Gay Okay” setting negates the struggles and/or real life experiences of those that have dealt, and continue to deal with the opposite.
I’ve thought about this in the framework of my own life experiences – those being most readily accessible to me, and I can only conclude that in real life, as in fiction - like seeks like.
As a young woman in my very early 20’s one major criterion when apartment shopping was that I wanted to live in an apartment complex filled with young singles of comparable age and attitude, rather than in one filled with families and small children.
This choice was made for purely selfish reasons as being awakened at 7:00AM on a Saturday morning by the sound of a big wheel being ridden back and forth across the small strip of sidewalk under my apartment window after a festive night out at the bar was not my idea of a good time. (Trust me; it only has to happen once.)
When I hang with those who happen to be GLBT I observe a similar pattern. I visit apartments and houses where the majority of their neighbors are GLBT. When we go out to eat we usually patronize cafes and restaurants owned by and catering to those in the GLBT community. We visit bookstores and shops owned and staffed by those that are GLBT.
It’s not that these individuals are living their real life in a fictional “Gay Okay” world; it’s simply that they have chosen to surround themselves with people and places that contribute in a positive manner to their comfort level and their daily life much as I did as a young woman and still do now.
So when I write a fictional episode in a GLBT character’s life and I pull from my interactions with friends and acquaintances I have to wonder. Am I committing the “Gay Okay” trespass? Am I contributing to and perpetuating a stereotype despaired of by those that coined the phrase to begin with?
I remind myself that this is where skill needs to come into play. I need to continually develop my skills as a writer so that I convey the impression that it’s not that character is living in a “Gay Okay” world, but that they are living in the real world filled with outcome of the choices they have made for their own comfort.
My constant goal is to write a believable and interesting piece. One in which the sexual preferences of the characters are always secondary to the events of the story.
Sometimes I might even succeed.
February 17, 2009
New Reviews for Anthologies
I'm pleased to share some new reviews for a couple of the anthologies I have short stories in. Be sure to click on the reviewer's link for the full review.
Sandra over at Night Owl Romance reviewed the Make Me a Match Volume Two Anthology and had this to say about the anthology overall:
Make Me a Match Vol 2 was overall a good and interesting anthology. I really enjoyed most of the stories.
and
Being that you get quite a few stories in this book it’s a great value. I plan on keeping this one and reading it again. I’ll also recommend it to others.
and Jenre or at Well Read reviewed the new Reflections of Love Anthology and had this to say about Milestones :
Chrissy Munder always writes a great story and I wasn't disappointed here.
and
What made this story work for me is how realistic it was in showing how easy it is to allow life to get in the way of love and also how all relationships have to be worked on if they are going to thrive.
Sandra over at Night Owl Romance reviewed the Make Me a Match Volume Two Anthology and had this to say about the anthology overall:
Make Me a Match Vol 2 was overall a good and interesting anthology. I really enjoyed most of the stories.
and
Being that you get quite a few stories in this book it’s a great value. I plan on keeping this one and reading it again. I’ll also recommend it to others.
and Jenre or at Well Read reviewed the new Reflections of Love Anthology and had this to say about Milestones :
Chrissy Munder always writes a great story and I wasn't disappointed here.
and
What made this story work for me is how realistic it was in showing how easy it is to allow life to get in the way of love and also how all relationships have to be worked on if they are going to thrive.
