A.J. Llewellyn's Blog, page 29
January 15, 2012
Bunyip
Is OUT NOW!!
As a kid growing up in Australia, I was a bit obsessed with bunyips. Depending on who you ask, these legendary Australian creatures are real or imaginary…to me, well…read my new book to find out what I think!
Amber Allure's Heavy Petting PAX Anthology was released today with sparkling, pet-related stories from Christiane France, KC Kendricks, Rick R. Reed, Deirdre and Me!
My story, BUNYIP, is a contemporary, romantic comedy with a paranormal twist. Check it out!
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Bunyip.html
Forensic audio specialist Steve Maddox is a busy guy who has no time to date. Balancing a strenuous work schedule and time for his cat and dog, he's ecstatic when his best friend, Silvana, organizes a gay speed dating event, bringing into his life the magnetic and handsome criminal defense attorney, Alexio Manolis.
The two men hit it off instantly, with sparks bouncing off the walls of the Petersen Automotive Museum where the event is being held. Their conversation crackles until Alexio says he has a pet—a bunyip named Norman. Steve feels a little stupid. What the heck is a bunyip? He has no time to ask, though, since he's onto his next "date."
Alexio, however, pursues Steve and the two men start dating. Meanwhile, Steve googles bunyips and discovers they are mythical Australian creatures of Aboriginal legend. It's just impossible. Does this smart and sexy attorney really have an imaginary, violent pet? Or is "bunyip" slang for something else?
Alexio is tight-lipped and keeps putting off the meeting between Steve and his elusive pet. Soon Steve starts to worry when Alexio disappears into his basement all the time and has savage scratches on his body he says Norman gave him by accident.
Is Steve's fantastic, hot new lover absolutely crackers, or does the cantankerous bunyip actually exist?
For a HOT excerpt and to buy it, baby, buy it! Please click this link:
January 5, 2012
Hidden Mickeys and Astro Burgers
By A.J. Llewellyn
As a kid growing up in Australia I fell in love with Hollywood…old Hollywood and pined for it from afar. When my father sent me to LA to stay with a woman he was dating and I began to attend school here, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I tasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the first time. I baked brownies with my adopted siblings and best of all, the stores were open really, really late every single day AND we had a real Christmas tree!
I couldn't believe it when my dad and his paramour broke up. I think I was more heart-broken than she was.
I couldn't wait to come back here and live my life in Hollywood. And I did.
I have a strong passion for Hawaii and travel there at every opportunity but my life in LA sometimes seems…mundane, until I get out of town visitors.
Now that my friend and fellow author Serena Yates is visiting me I have creaked open the box that locked my Hollywood dreams.
It's been fun showing her the LA I know and love. What I have realized is how wonderful all of California really is. I've been dismayed to see so many changes, particularly in Ojai, a town of cowboys and orange groves. I am shocked it's now all high-end wine bars and uppity clothing boutiques. Even the once-grungy dive bar, The Hub, has had a lick or two of high-gloss paint.
But we still have our Hidden Mickeys, and I was pleased to discover, Astro Burgers.
For those who don't know, Hidden Mickeys are a secret passion for us Angelinos. The pic above was taken in Disneyland and is an air vent in one of the saloons on Main Street. The Hidden Mickey inside was is only part of the inside joke…the real Hidden Mickey is the cut-out ears on the front panel.
These little gems are all over LA…and people are obsessed with them.
Me, I'm just glad some things don't change. Not every piece of our precious celluloid paradise has been, to quote Joni Mitchell, paved over and turned into a parking lot.
I've enjoyed showing Serena the Brady Bunch house and some of my favorite little pockets of LA. Showing her these little treasures has made me fall in love with my home town again.
That in itself is a Hidden Mickey…one I didn't expect. Love is like that. Living in a place for a long time is like an enduring marriage that becomes very comfortable but not especially exciting.
An unexpected outside influence can shine a light on how lucky you really are and for that, I am grateful.
So thank you, Serena, and Mr. Walt Disney. You both have a piece of my heart.
Aloha oe,
A.J.
December 27, 2011
Harriet Klausner: For the Love of Books
By A.J. Llewellyn
As a writer I am an avid reader but I confess most of the stuff I read is non-fiction, or if it is fiction, it tends to be material related to things I adore, such as Hawaii. I have devoured a wealth of material this year but what I have found more entertaining than the books themselves are some of the Amazon reviews.
I rarely look at Goodreads as a research option. It is not a very good source of upcoming titles unless the author puts them up themselves. Sometimes clicking one book leads you to another, a fact I love, but for sheer volume of reference material, Amazon is the best. I also like ABE books but that's another story…
I have books on my TBB pile and eagerly await their releases both in ebook and paperback format. I tend to roam Amazon for information rather than actual purchases and time and again I run into one reviewer, Harriet Klausner whose name pops up as the #1 Hall of Fame Reviewer.
How in the heck does she read and review so many books? Does she have unlimited time and funds? Does she get more hours in a day than the rest of us? Does she have no life outside of reviewing?
Of course, I had to delve a little deeper (I do adore research) and she was once an acquisitions librarian in Pennsylvania. She says in her Amazon bio that she is a speed reader and reads two books a day. It still doesn't explain the plethora of reviews she posts daily but good for her that she has found a niche and works it.
I don't see how she can read two books a day and post so many reviews. She must be reading more. Further research (Google her) shows that Wikipedia posing the questions everyone asks. They also point to a Time magazine article about her where she says she reads 4 to 5 books a day which is a staggering output.
From forum posts and blogs about this fascinating lady. many question her actual reading of all the books she reviews. Almost all have glowing 4 or 5 star reviews.
It captivated me…and I was determined to learn more. I checked on a few reviews she did of books I read and loved…and some not so much.
None of her reviews have much detail. They skim the surface and sometimes skip over real issues addressed in the pages of the books she covers.
For instance, she reviewed one book I seriously detested (and won't name here) but she gave it five stars and the kind of gushing prose I've come to expect from her. I was offended by the book playing fast and loose with Hawaiian history and Princess Kaiulani in particular, but then since Klausner – who seems to love Hawaii as much as I do – glosses over the details of everything she reads, she must have missed some pertinent facts.
I have a friend who teaches speed reading and he tells me that a good speed reader ingests 60 to 70% 0f material they read and, he explained, the read down the center of the page, their brain 'filing in facts' from left to right. I am over-simplifying what he told me, but it explains why Harriet's reviews seem so…threadbare.
Whether she is retaining everything she reads or not, or even merely glancing at the books she critiques, I have to say I am glad that readers and writers have someone like Harriet.
A reader who writes, reviews and thinks about books…for the love of books.
In this sad year in which more and more book stores are closing and radio DJs are griping about the wasteful expense of keeping libraries open, I wish there were more people like Harriet spreading their love of books – and not giving one star reviews on books authors haven't yet even written (Hello, Goodreads!!!).
I wish her a year of good books in 2012 and for all of us the exact same thing.
Aloha oe,
A.J.
December 26, 2011
"Blood Slave 10: Nibiru Vampire Warriors" is OUT TODAY!
by A.J. Llewellyn | D.J. Manly |
Book ten in the Blood Slave: Nibiru Vampire Warriors Series
Stride has sent Zero back to Earth in an effort to keep him safe, but there is no safety anywhere. Evil soon follows and so must Stride…
Stride is forced to embrace his new life as Lord of the Underworld. Being in charge of some of the most evil entities the world has ever known comes at a price—the love he desires with Zero. Banishing Zero to the Earth without him, without any memory of Stride, Stride hopes for a new and peaceful life for Zero.
Honouring his destiny, Stride impregnates his sex shifter wife, Tressa who delivers his precious son, Akakios—a magnificent half demon, half vampire. Though Stride adores his child, he quickly realizes the baby isn't safe with him. There are those who wish to control and manipulate the fast-growing boy. He sends Tressa and Akakios to Earth, hoping they can find peace and contentment. They find anything but…
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series and also contains scenes of MMM ménage and bdsm.
For an excerpt and to purchase, please click this link:http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1477
December 25, 2011
Books for Christmas
By A.J. Llewellyn
Some years ago I heard an awful story about a spurned gift that still resonates in my mind. So much so that the first thing I do when I receive a book is to open it and check there's nothing inside.
It's a good habit to fall into because some people, especially older folk, like to tuck a little something extra into these books. The weirder the tome, the more likely it is to contain a hidden gem.
This year, my cousin in Australia sent me a biography of some bloke I've never heard of…a maverick priest called Chris Riley.
Now, I'm an avid reader and I like reading on a variety of topics but this book just didn't…call out to me. I looked at it, turned it over, read the back and thought, I am ashamed to say, I can wait to read this one. I tore into the rest of the things she sent me and thought no more about the gift until I called her yesterday (which was Christmas Day in Australia) to wish her a wonderful day.
"What did you think of the photo?" she asked.
What photo?
I hemmed and hawed until she said the photo she'd tucked inside the book. I raced to open it and was thoroughly ashamed I hadn't cracked it open until our phone call. Inside was a crisp one hundred dollar bill (thank you, Jesus!) and a photo taken 50 years ago at Bondi Beach of her father and mine, long before they got married and had families.
They were so handsome and excited, hope shining in these Greek immigrants' eyes for the future. My uncle is now gone after a long struggle with Alzheimer's, a disease that now has my father in its steely grip.
This photo, one I've never seen before is now my most treasured possession. I will never, ever not open another book I'm sent for Christmas or any other day. And I will hold onto the hope I see in my father's eyes. I will make a point of reading Father Riley's story, too. There has to be a damned good reason my cousin sent it.
Whoever and wherever you are today and every day over this holiday season, hug and love those you hold dear. Our time is short, but love, like books for Christmas, lives forever.
Aloha oe,
A.J.
December 24, 2011
How to Make Love to an Elf
Aloha!
I am blog-hopping over at the amazing and talented Joyee Flynn's blog. In honor of her staggering achievement – 12 days of brand new Christmas releases from her each and every day (she makes ME look like a slacker!), I am addressing the burning issue of how to make love to an elf.
Of course I haven't tried it and my suggestions are mere heresay, however, if you drop by and make a comment you'll enter the draw to win a copy of my Christmas book "Christmas in Flip Flops" so run, don't walk! Go over there.
NOW!
http://joyeeflynn.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-love-to-elf-by-aj-llewellyn.html
And if you do make love to an elf, I'd like to know if my guidance proved…useful!
Merry Christmas/Mele Kalikimaka, kids!
Aloha oe,
A.J.
December 20, 2011
Christmas in Flip Flops
By A.J. Llewellyn
My latest release, "Christmas in Flip Flops" is one of my new favorites. The idea came for it whilst I was in Honolulu this past September researching my fourth and final Pearl Harbor series book, "Avenging Heart".
Mt friend Shani had just taken up an unusual post as a dental hygienist at one of the many military bases on the island. It gave me the idea when she talked about how weird it would be to be spending Christmas in flip flops.
Yes, even though we live in LA, it's still winter…to chilly for flip flops!
Of course, I took the idea, ran with it, turned it on its head and gave it some romantic angst.
How would you cope if you'd been unemployed for almost a year, you finally land a great job with good pay and full benefits…but it's in Honolulu and your lover's entire family is traveling from Peru to Los Angeles for the holidays?
Well, my character, Devon, takes the job and ignites his lover, Manco's wrath. Devon wonders if he still has a boyfriend when he flies to Oahu reporting for duty…
I noticed with great interest the day after my book was released that the US pulled out its last soldier from Iraq this past weekend.
This doesn't mean that the war on terror is over. Far from it. We still have men and women stationed in Afghanistan, Kuwait, other points all over the world, and, in military bases all over the Hawaiian Islands. In fact there have never been so many soldiers in Hawaii since WWII.
My story is timely but it is not a political one. It is a love story between two men whose problems – unemployment, disagreements, family, work – are real, but their love is strong and very, very romantic.
It is also my love song to the islands and all the people who call it home. To the many men and women stationed in those historic facilities that played such a significant part in history following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I love you and respect you all. I hope you all get to have a peaceful Christmas, hopefully with your families, and definitely in flip flops.
For more info on "Christmas in Flip Flops", please check out this link at the awesome Amber Allure site:
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure...
Aloha oe,
A.J.
December 18, 2011
Christmas in Flip Flops
Is Out NOW!
Christmas In Flip Flops
by A. J. Llewellyn
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-228-7 (Electronic)
It's twelve days 'til Christmas and Devon Callahan is a dental hygienist with a very big problem…make that two. He's been unemployed for months and now a thief's stolen his cell phone. Tracking the guy through MobileMe, he's got a cyber lead on his purloined phone, but he's also hot on the trail of a mysterious new job. What's a guy almost maxed out on his credit cards to do?
He goes to his interview and discovers he could soon be gainfully employed. The catch is he'd have to fly to sunny Waikiki within twenty-four hours to start work at Schofield Barracks, caring for the dental health of thousands of US soldiers stationed in the islands.
Devon is thrilled to be part of such an important post, but what's his boyfriend, Manco, going to say? His movie producer lover is expecting his entire family to visit from Peru. Will Devon see the sunny side of Christmas in flip flops, or will he be feasting on dinner for one?
Gay / Contemporary / Voyeurism Heat Level: 3 Novella (28k words)
Purchase Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/ChristmasFlipFlops.html
December 4, 2011
Love in US
by A.J. Llewellyn
I had an incredible experience on Saturday night that I wish many more people could have shared. But for those of us who witnessed the giant opening of a butterfly's gorgeous, all-encompassing, shimmering rainbow wings at the Beth Chayim Chadashim, it was an evening none of us will ever forget.
The GLBT temple's cantor, the enormously charismatic and talented Juval Porat, in the words of the PR brochure, threw off his cantorial persona. He held a concert of songs and monologues on what he describes as the templates of love. Those of us who have been privileged to hear him sing week after week at the temple know he has that extra sparkle that superstars have. I have a feeling however that he himself has no clue of how seriously special he is, and that is part of his charm.
Yes, he has matinee idol good looks, a sweet smile that is haunting, and he has brains and mathematical talent on top of his high creativity. He also carries with him the heavy load of expectation. The formerly German-based Juval is the first to cantor be ordained in that country since the Holocaust. Yes, he is the shining hope of a nation still traumatized by the events of WWII.
It is his burden and an honor. I see the invisible bag of hammers he carries around and I empathize with him.
Since the city of LA snapped him up two years ago, he is the first to admit the transition was "overwhelming." I too, came from someplace else and the culture shock of coming to America is huge.
As he performed last night with his partner, Todd, beaming from the middle row behind me, and his proud mother sitting a few seats away from me (she flew in from Germany for the event) I realized that Juval has done a lot of thinking and observing in his two years here. He has come to realize how love and fear have become horribly entwined. Not just here, but everywhere.
One of the monologues he performed from John Bowe's book, US: Americans Talk About Love, was as a married mother of two who slowly comes to realize her true love is another woman.
His heart-breaking portrayal of Lisa Norgaard's story was devastating. As he describes the loneliness of being free to be herself, fear transforms to slow acceptance. I saw many heads nodding. As he talked about the mingled thrill and terror of finding the one, who doesn't come in the package she expected, it all rang true. Juval went on to talk about how all of us at some time or other in our lives hide behind a persona of some kind, yearning to be loved. For ourselves. Just for us. For who we are…and yet, we hide behind fear.
There was humor too in his fabulous rendition of "I'm Hip" and some of his interactions with his incredible band. I personally loved his encore of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" and as the audience rose to its feet, applauding him, his shyness seemed to rise to the surface. I hope this is the first of many loving concerts the cantor performs (the proceeds of this event are being donated to Project Chicken Soup, founded at BCC and ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives). I hope we don't end up losing him to a world tour and fame and riches, but I suspect not. I suspect that bag of hammers keeps him grounded and keeps him humble.
What I hope more than anything is that he keeps growing and exploring his art and the nature of Love in US.
Aloha oe,
AJ
November 23, 2011
Dream Maker
By A.J. Llewellyn
When I was twelve years old, my father gave me the best Christmas present of my life. It was an Olivetti portable typewriter. He was a little concerned about my obsession with writing and reading, but somebody must have given him the idea of the typewriter (he says he regrets it now because he hates my books!) and I will be forever grateful. I loved that thing. For me, messing with the typewriter ribbon, blue carbon paper (memba those?) and thick pieces of paper on which I taught myself to type was the stuff of dreams.
I wrote my first celebrity fan mail to actor Richard Chamberlain on it. I wrote stories, poems, ideas…and have never stopped.As a journalist, which was my first and only career choice, the company I worked for had giant behemoth manual typewriters. You had to pound on the damned things. Hello carpal tunnel!
To this day, I can always tell if a person learned to type on a typewriter first by the way they pound a computer keyboard.
By the time the company I worked for invested in electric typewriters, I was in love. Mine was an IBM Selectric and it came with an extra corrector ribbon. Remember those fiddling little orange plastic spools?
Gone were the days of having to retype each and every page because of one misspelling.
I bought my IBM from my boss because I was working on articles for a magazine in my private time. I had become attatched to the machine and was worried it would disappear one day the way the behemoth had…but I did feel as if I was cheating on poor Olivetti.
That beautiful machine has traveled the world with me. He (I think of him as a he) sits in my office in my loft and has been looked after by the House of Typewriters here in Studio City for decades. When computers became big, the store changed its name to House of Office Machines, but they still love handling typewriters.
I covet many they have on display (people dropped them off and never picked them up again) and once had a sizable collection. I cut them all back and have kept Olivetti and my laptop. The thing of it is, I can't let go of my first love. The machine that listened, without judgment and let me pour my heart out. Computers will come and go but Olivetti will be with me until some natural disaster separates us.
How about you? What was the first thing you learned to type on and do you still have it?
Aloha oe,
A.J.
