Angelia Sparrow's Blog, page 18
September 29, 2014
Extra Kid needs a hand up
All right, Fiends and Neighbors, you know I have lots of extra kids.
Right now, I have one who is need of some help. Imani is couch surfing, unable to afford to go back to college, not finding work in our depressed economy. But he hasn't let this stop him. He's all set to go to truck driving school, which will get him a CDL-A, and promises a job after graduation. (They have lifetime placement. In a year *I* can check back and they believe they can get me a job!) Being OTR will let him have a place to live while being gainfully employed.
But!
There is always a but.
We need to lay our hands on $150, by Monday the 6th. None of us has this in ready cash. It will pay for his physical, his CDL test and fees and his background check.
So, this is the deal.
We're asking for you to help us give this kid a hand up. I've committed to getting him to classes for the three weeks and making sure he passes.
Just kick in a buck, $5. It all goes to getting him into school and then on the road.
This goes through my paypal, you know the drill: valarltd at yahoo
We're not asking you to do it for nothing:
$1 gets you a three card Tarot pull
$5 gets you an ebook of your choice from my backlist.
$10 gets you the ebook and a cross-stitched bookmark with a snarky saying
$15 gets the ebook, the bookmark and a 15 card Tarot pull
$20 gets you a paperback from my back list
$50 gets you a lap afghan
Anything we go over $150 will get equipment for him for the road: a plug-in cooler, bedding, etc.
Right now, I have one who is need of some help. Imani is couch surfing, unable to afford to go back to college, not finding work in our depressed economy. But he hasn't let this stop him. He's all set to go to truck driving school, which will get him a CDL-A, and promises a job after graduation. (They have lifetime placement. In a year *I* can check back and they believe they can get me a job!) Being OTR will let him have a place to live while being gainfully employed.
But!
There is always a but.
We need to lay our hands on $150, by Monday the 6th. None of us has this in ready cash. It will pay for his physical, his CDL test and fees and his background check.
So, this is the deal.
We're asking for you to help us give this kid a hand up. I've committed to getting him to classes for the three weeks and making sure he passes.
Just kick in a buck, $5. It all goes to getting him into school and then on the road.
This goes through my paypal, you know the drill: valarltd at yahoo
We're not asking you to do it for nothing:
$1 gets you a three card Tarot pull
$5 gets you an ebook of your choice from my backlist.
$10 gets you the ebook and a cross-stitched bookmark with a snarky saying
$15 gets the ebook, the bookmark and a 15 card Tarot pull
$20 gets you a paperback from my back list
$50 gets you a lap afghan
Anything we go over $150 will get equipment for him for the road: a plug-in cooler, bedding, etc.
September 21, 2014
Boy Meets Boy Reviews: Review: Dominant Tendencies: A BDSM Anthology
Boy Meets Boy Reviews: Review: Dominant Tendencies: A BDSM Anthology: What Master wants, Master gets. And in these five stories, his man delights in giving it to him. Daelyn’s online gambling lands him in...
The reviewer had a lot of nice things to say about Inkstained Succubus' first anthology.
And a fair number for my story, "Riding the Edge." When Naomi and I are on, we're on!
The reviewer had a lot of nice things to say about Inkstained Succubus' first anthology.
And a fair number for my story, "Riding the Edge." When Naomi and I are on, we're on!
September 20, 2014
My Sexy Saturday: Our Sexy Romance
This week, show us the characters who who love each other so much that it doesn’t matter where they are, who they are, what they have or don’t have. Show us that these characters are going to stick with each other through thick and thin. These are the ones who just want to be with each other, love each other and always be together, no matter how long or short the time.
And along the way, they have the sexiest romance ever. They love each other to distraction and with every word we know and come to understand that love.
While you're reading this, I'll be at Imaginarium in Louisville, KY, talking about Monster Porn or Pre-editing. So enjoy.
The first couple I thought of for this was Sean and Gabe.
Buy link
Blurb:
Sean Dempsey came home from Iraq with artificial knees, scorched retinas and a lot of baggage. He supplements his disability checks with money made writing romance novels under a female pseudonym, ironic as he has grown very nervous around women since a certain suicide bomber. When he meets Gabriel Herne, legless phone psychic, the sparks startle him. It’s everything he’s written about and never believed.
Swept into a whirlwind romance, Sean has to learn about his newfound bisexuality and his lover’s pagan faith at the same time. And when he has a religious experience of his own, he discovers everything changes in its time, just like the Wheel of the Year.
Your Sexy Seven Paragraphs:
Sean let Gabe kiss him for a couple minutes and then startled with a scream when a car backfired. Gabe's hands on his arms stopped his automatic reach for his rifle. Gabe's magic voice stroked over him, soothing him.
"Shh. It'll be all right. It's just a car. Just a car, Sean. Did you have to take a pill to get to the clinic today?"
Sean nodded, breathing fast and sweating. "Yeah. The dreams were really bad last night, Gabe. I was almost too shaky to go, but it was my last pill. Really bad dreams. The drugs aren't cutting the cycle anymore. I have a VA appointment the first."
Gabe grew serious. "Sean, the drugs are going to kill you if a sudden dive to the pavement doesn't." He kissed the scraped skin of Sean's palms. "That stuff is so bad for you and it sounds like you're needing more."
Sean's face went tight and he shook his head. "It's all I got, Gabe, all that works and even this isn't working." The fear he had never voiced until now turned his words panicky.
"Shh." Gabe held him tightly. "I have a couple of ideas. Sex, of course, being the sovereign remedy for sleeplessness and bad dreams."
Sean just nodded and clung. He still had Gabe. Beautiful Gabe and his magic voice that made all the bad things back off a little.
The Other Lovely Folks on the Hop:
And along the way, they have the sexiest romance ever. They love each other to distraction and with every word we know and come to understand that love.
While you're reading this, I'll be at Imaginarium in Louisville, KY, talking about Monster Porn or Pre-editing. So enjoy.
The first couple I thought of for this was Sean and Gabe.
Buy link
Blurb:
Sean Dempsey came home from Iraq with artificial knees, scorched retinas and a lot of baggage. He supplements his disability checks with money made writing romance novels under a female pseudonym, ironic as he has grown very nervous around women since a certain suicide bomber. When he meets Gabriel Herne, legless phone psychic, the sparks startle him. It’s everything he’s written about and never believed.
Swept into a whirlwind romance, Sean has to learn about his newfound bisexuality and his lover’s pagan faith at the same time. And when he has a religious experience of his own, he discovers everything changes in its time, just like the Wheel of the Year.
Your Sexy Seven Paragraphs:
Sean let Gabe kiss him for a couple minutes and then startled with a scream when a car backfired. Gabe's hands on his arms stopped his automatic reach for his rifle. Gabe's magic voice stroked over him, soothing him.
"Shh. It'll be all right. It's just a car. Just a car, Sean. Did you have to take a pill to get to the clinic today?"
Sean nodded, breathing fast and sweating. "Yeah. The dreams were really bad last night, Gabe. I was almost too shaky to go, but it was my last pill. Really bad dreams. The drugs aren't cutting the cycle anymore. I have a VA appointment the first."
Gabe grew serious. "Sean, the drugs are going to kill you if a sudden dive to the pavement doesn't." He kissed the scraped skin of Sean's palms. "That stuff is so bad for you and it sounds like you're needing more."
Sean's face went tight and he shook his head. "It's all I got, Gabe, all that works and even this isn't working." The fear he had never voiced until now turned his words panicky.
"Shh." Gabe held him tightly. "I have a couple of ideas. Sex, of course, being the sovereign remedy for sleeplessness and bad dreams."
Sean just nodded and clung. He still had Gabe. Beautiful Gabe and his magic voice that made all the bad things back off a little.
The Other Lovely Folks on the Hop:
September 17, 2014
Imaginarium check list
I'm packing! I'm packing!
1) Pack clothes. Where's my Inkstained Succubus T shirt? Why do I have two Inkstained Succubus T shirts? Where's my Angelia Sparrow T shirt? Where's my BRA? (I am, however past the age when the kids would steal it and wear it for a hat.)
2) Pack books! We have Spellbound Desire and Nikolai Revenant in print! Books are packed.
3) Pack kitchen: clean the cooler, clean the hotplate, replenish the breakfast foods, hard boil the eggs!
4) Panic. No, wait, not time yet.
5) make edible glitter.
6) make oodles of chocolate cupcakes. In a toaster oven.
7) pack white icing, toothpicks, knife, spoon and cherry pie filling to turn the cupcakes evil. Glitter, because sparkly vampires.
8) Panic. No, still not time.
9) Buy ingredients for Scarecrow Crunch and possible other party mix.
10) Consider baking pumpkin pasties.
11) Consider glittery pumpkin pasties as con wear.
12) Discard pumpkin ideas and panic.
13) Update Iphone with music and sexy e-books.
13a) swear at Apple and go with radio
14) collapse and catch 3 hours of sleep before the 384 mile drive.
1) Pack clothes. Where's my Inkstained Succubus T shirt? Why do I have two Inkstained Succubus T shirts? Where's my Angelia Sparrow T shirt? Where's my BRA? (I am, however past the age when the kids would steal it and wear it for a hat.)
2) Pack books! We have Spellbound Desire and Nikolai Revenant in print! Books are packed.
3) Pack kitchen: clean the cooler, clean the hotplate, replenish the breakfast foods, hard boil the eggs!
4) Panic. No, wait, not time yet.
5) make edible glitter.
6) make oodles of chocolate cupcakes. In a toaster oven.
7) pack white icing, toothpicks, knife, spoon and cherry pie filling to turn the cupcakes evil. Glitter, because sparkly vampires.
8) Panic. No, still not time.
9) Buy ingredients for Scarecrow Crunch and possible other party mix.
10) Consider baking pumpkin pasties.
11) Consider glittery pumpkin pasties as con wear.
12) Discard pumpkin ideas and panic.
13) Update Iphone with music and sexy e-books.
13a) swear at Apple and go with radio
14) collapse and catch 3 hours of sleep before the 384 mile drive.
Wednesday Notes
It's been a fairly busy day.
I guestblogged at the Science Fiction Romance Brigade about love, sex and dystopias.
I helped with intake on Candle in the Dark, the Inkstained Succubus winter holiday anthology. That's not political correctness. We have a New Year's Story, a couple Yule stories, a Christmas story, and a couple others.
And, I got a surprise in the mail.
I meeped. A lot.
This weekend I'll be in Louisville KY at the Imaginarium. It's $35 for a door pass.
If you're in the area, don't miss the Saturday afternoon Monster Porn panel, with me, Alexandra Christian and Crymsyn Hart. That's going to be a hoot!
I guestblogged at the Science Fiction Romance Brigade about love, sex and dystopias.
I helped with intake on Candle in the Dark, the Inkstained Succubus winter holiday anthology. That's not political correctness. We have a New Year's Story, a couple Yule stories, a Christmas story, and a couple others.
And, I got a surprise in the mail.
I meeped. A lot.
This weekend I'll be in Louisville KY at the Imaginarium. It's $35 for a door pass.
If you're in the area, don't miss the Saturday afternoon Monster Porn panel, with me, Alexandra Christian and Crymsyn Hart. That's going to be a hoot!
September 13, 2014
My Sexy Saturday: Sexy Into you
How about the characters that are over the top about each other, regardless of the situation? The ones who can never keep their hands off one another. The ones you know will be that little old couple you see at the park, still holding hands after 50 years. It’s those couples we are talking about this week.
This week, it's Marcus and Samil. Who will never be the little old couple holding hands in the park, because Samil has been dead for 4000 years and Marcus has been assigned by the Council of Eternity to be his body servant and keep him grounded in the modern age.
Buy Link
The next noontime, over shirred eggs, Samil looked at him. "Emperors aren't usually outed until they are dead," he said.
Marcus just nodded. "Very good, sir."
Samil rolled his eyes and slammed his coffee cup into the table. "Have you no opinions on anything, man?"
Marcus kept his face neutral. "You pay me to cook and kill and keep you comfortable. You do not pay me to have opinions."
Samil caught his eyes with the dark ones that seemed to be the very definition of infinity, cold, black and endless. "Then at least tell me this. What, exactly do you think of me?"
Marcus saw Samil wanted the truth. He swallowed hard against all his training and spoke his personal opinions. "You are a handsome and complicated man. Dangerous, certainly, and a perfectionist as well. Keeping you pleased is a challenge even for me. You are ruthless when it suits you and surprisingly generous. I find you quite attractive, but since you are not interested, I will not pester."
Samil ran one slow finger down Marcus' face, leaving a trail of fire behind it. "Don't mistake caution for lack of interest."
This week, it's Marcus and Samil. Who will never be the little old couple holding hands in the park, because Samil has been dead for 4000 years and Marcus has been assigned by the Council of Eternity to be his body servant and keep him grounded in the modern age.
Buy Link
The next noontime, over shirred eggs, Samil looked at him. "Emperors aren't usually outed until they are dead," he said.
Marcus just nodded. "Very good, sir."
Samil rolled his eyes and slammed his coffee cup into the table. "Have you no opinions on anything, man?"
Marcus kept his face neutral. "You pay me to cook and kill and keep you comfortable. You do not pay me to have opinions."
Samil caught his eyes with the dark ones that seemed to be the very definition of infinity, cold, black and endless. "Then at least tell me this. What, exactly do you think of me?"
Marcus saw Samil wanted the truth. He swallowed hard against all his training and spoke his personal opinions. "You are a handsome and complicated man. Dangerous, certainly, and a perfectionist as well. Keeping you pleased is a challenge even for me. You are ruthless when it suits you and surprisingly generous. I find you quite attractive, but since you are not interested, I will not pester."
Samil ran one slow finger down Marcus' face, leaving a trail of fire behind it. "Don't mistake caution for lack of interest."
September 4, 2014
Free e-book
Some years back, I wrote a book called Nikolai. Things have changed, and Nikolai was looking a little dated. So with the aid of Gabriel Belthir, I rewrote Nikolai, changing things I had never been happy with and setting up for the forthcoming books.
This is for you loyal readers who have copies, and for new readers interested in our work. If you've played in the Eight Thrones universe, or listened to me ramble, or whatever.
Nikolai Revenant, the rewritten Nikolai, is currently free for the month of September.Anthony, the prequel, will be out soon.
To get your .pdf copy, right click here Nikolai Revenant
To get a .mobi or .epub copy, drop an email to inkstainedsuccubus at gmail.
We love you, our faithful fanbase, and hope you will join us on the journey to finish the series.
This is for you loyal readers who have copies, and for new readers interested in our work. If you've played in the Eight Thrones universe, or listened to me ramble, or whatever.
Nikolai Revenant, the rewritten Nikolai, is currently free for the month of September.Anthony, the prequel, will be out soon.
To get your .pdf copy, right click here Nikolai Revenant
To get a .mobi or .epub copy, drop an email to inkstainedsuccubus at gmail.
We love you, our faithful fanbase, and hope you will join us on the journey to finish the series.
August 23, 2014
My Sexy Saturday: Our Sexy Life
You’ve seen these characters. They are the founding couple of a pack, an investigation unit, a rag-tag bunch of soldiers out to save the universe. These are the ones readers can’t get enough of and want to know what happens to them even if they aren’t the couple in the forefront. Share with us those sexy couples and let us know how their happily-ever-after stacks up against the rest of those couples out there.
There's only one couple suitable for this...
And alas they don't end well at all. (This may change. Niko-Chan is getting a total rewrite after we finish the book that belongs between it and Nikolai)
From Niko-Chan (Out of Print):
"Valerio, lovely, did you really spend your life-savings on me?” He bit his lip as Valerio nodded and popped the beer. David bent in and kissed his cheek. “Would you like them back? Here, in Europe, I have
several fortunes. They do me no good as I am.”
"No regrets. Yer worth it,” Val said, taking a drink. He ducked out of David’s arms and went
to sit.
"A quiet arrangement, man to man. I reimburse you, you keep me." David sounded almost
pleading.
Val shook his head. David kissed him again, his mouth soft on Val’s. Val took control of the kiss, hungry for the taste of his man. He set the beer down and ran his big hands over David’s body.
"Yours,” David whispered. Val kissed him again, harder, splitting his lip until they both tasted blood. David moaned and pressed closer. When Val released him, he stripped out of the whites, very fast, standing before Val in only the collar.
Val watched, biting his lip. “Valerio? What's wrong, love?” David asked.
"Want you. Too much, sometimes.”
There's only one couple suitable for this...
And alas they don't end well at all. (This may change. Niko-Chan is getting a total rewrite after we finish the book that belongs between it and Nikolai)
From Niko-Chan (Out of Print):
"Valerio, lovely, did you really spend your life-savings on me?” He bit his lip as Valerio nodded and popped the beer. David bent in and kissed his cheek. “Would you like them back? Here, in Europe, I have
several fortunes. They do me no good as I am.”
"No regrets. Yer worth it,” Val said, taking a drink. He ducked out of David’s arms and went
to sit.
"A quiet arrangement, man to man. I reimburse you, you keep me." David sounded almost
pleading.
Val shook his head. David kissed him again, his mouth soft on Val’s. Val took control of the kiss, hungry for the taste of his man. He set the beer down and ran his big hands over David’s body.
"Yours,” David whispered. Val kissed him again, harder, splitting his lip until they both tasted blood. David moaned and pressed closer. When Val released him, he stripped out of the whites, very fast, standing before Val in only the collar.
Val watched, biting his lip. “Valerio? What's wrong, love?” David asked.
"Want you. Too much, sometimes.”
August 22, 2014
Finally, Print!
Spellbound Desire is out in print today from Ellora's Cave.
Come help P.I. DJ Admire and combat mage Bran McKay save the world from a demon in charge of oath-breaking.
http://www.ellorascave.com/spellbound-desire.html buy link
Come help P.I. DJ Admire and combat mage Bran McKay save the world from a demon in charge of oath-breaking.
http://www.ellorascave.com/spellbound-desire.html buy link
August 20, 2014
Ten Influential Books
On Facebook, I was tagged to List 10 books that have affected you in some way. They don’t need to be the ‘right’ books or great works of literature. Tag 10 friends including me: (Basically, if you want to do it, TAG)
1) Julian May's Pliocene Exile series (all 4 books, but especially The Many Colored Land) We just figured out how much this influenced my Eight Thrones series. She also introduced me to gay characters as part of the landscape. From riverboatmen to nuns to aircraft engineers, they were everywhere.
2) Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series, the first three, and Mastermind of Mars. There is more than a little of Ras Thavis in my Davids.
3) Brian Dailey's Han Solo trilogy. Taught me about writing action, backstory and generally how to keep a plot rolling.
4) Friday by Robert Heinlein. Lots of worldbuilding here that has influnced a great deal of my own future visions. Like many SF geeks, I suffer from Heinlein damage and think polygamy might not be terrible if you can pull it off.
5) The Windflower by Laura London. My favorite pirate romance ever. Also my first introduction to subtext.
6) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I never read this as a dystopia. Everyone had a job they were well suited to do. Plenty of sex, plenty of entertainment in a world free from pain, illness, poverty and age. I'm glad I'm a Beta...
7) 1984 by George Orwell. The big bad granddaddy of all dystopias.
8) The Stories of Ray Bradbury. The man is a master of horror, SF, and even slice of life. Everything I know about writing short stories from this and 9. I can still quote a great many of them. And I am overdue for a re-read
9) Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison. Brilliant, angry short story writer. Ellison engages love, death, terror and modernity in this collection. "From A to Z in the chocolate alphabet" is my favorite.
10) The Stand by Stephen King. The post-apoc book that started it all. I learned more about human nature reading this book than I did in 2 semester of psych class.
Honorable mentions:
Lord of the Rings
The Chronicles of Narnia
Calvin Miller's The Singer, The Song and The Finale
A MidSummer Night's Dream
The Myth-Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve
Ray Harry Harrison's Deathworld Trilogy
A Stainless Steel Rat
The Dragonlance Twins trilogy
Slavegirl of Gor. (bad influence. I threw it across the room, announced I could write better smutty fantasy and DID)
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller (not one of the better places to get your sex ed)
The Hite Report on Female Sexuality (I know, I know, terrible methodology, but a revelation to an isolated bi-girl in rural 1980s America)
1) Julian May's Pliocene Exile series (all 4 books, but especially The Many Colored Land) We just figured out how much this influenced my Eight Thrones series. She also introduced me to gay characters as part of the landscape. From riverboatmen to nuns to aircraft engineers, they were everywhere.
2) Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series, the first three, and Mastermind of Mars. There is more than a little of Ras Thavis in my Davids.
3) Brian Dailey's Han Solo trilogy. Taught me about writing action, backstory and generally how to keep a plot rolling.
4) Friday by Robert Heinlein. Lots of worldbuilding here that has influnced a great deal of my own future visions. Like many SF geeks, I suffer from Heinlein damage and think polygamy might not be terrible if you can pull it off.
5) The Windflower by Laura London. My favorite pirate romance ever. Also my first introduction to subtext.
6) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I never read this as a dystopia. Everyone had a job they were well suited to do. Plenty of sex, plenty of entertainment in a world free from pain, illness, poverty and age. I'm glad I'm a Beta...
7) 1984 by George Orwell. The big bad granddaddy of all dystopias.
8) The Stories of Ray Bradbury. The man is a master of horror, SF, and even slice of life. Everything I know about writing short stories from this and 9. I can still quote a great many of them. And I am overdue for a re-read
9) Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison. Brilliant, angry short story writer. Ellison engages love, death, terror and modernity in this collection. "From A to Z in the chocolate alphabet" is my favorite.
10) The Stand by Stephen King. The post-apoc book that started it all. I learned more about human nature reading this book than I did in 2 semester of psych class.
Honorable mentions:
Lord of the Rings
The Chronicles of Narnia
Calvin Miller's The Singer, The Song and The Finale
A MidSummer Night's Dream
The Myth-Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve
Ray Harry Harrison's Deathworld Trilogy
A Stainless Steel Rat
The Dragonlance Twins trilogy
Slavegirl of Gor. (bad influence. I threw it across the room, announced I could write better smutty fantasy and DID)
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller (not one of the better places to get your sex ed)
The Hite Report on Female Sexuality (I know, I know, terrible methodology, but a revelation to an isolated bi-girl in rural 1980s America)
