Mickie B. Ashling's Blog, page 152

Coming Soon!

I had to share my beautiful new cover for the upcoming sequel to Vessel. Once again, Anne Cain has created the perfect artwork to showcase my novel. Cleave is slated to release in May and will be showing up on the Dreamspinner Press "Coming Soon" page in the next week or so.

Blurb:

On New Year's Eve, Cole Fujiwara stands vigil at his father's deathbed while his surrogate wife, Noriko, gives birth to twins. As Cole contemplates his future, he acknowledges that he's living his father's dream… and that he's probably destroyed his chance at happiness with Sloan, the love of his life.

Finding harmony in an emerging D/s relationship has not been without issue for Sloan Driscoll and his Master, Trent Hamilton. Their journey has been littered with mishaps, but their powerful love and sexual connection continue to bind them together—until Sloan comes face to face with Cole for the first time in nine months.

The meeting means different things to each of them. To Cole, it's the first step on the path to a reunion. To Sloan, it's a terrible mistake, one he confesses immediately. As for Trent, the bitter realization that a connection between the former lovers still exists forces him to issue an ultimatum. Is Sloan willing to do anything to prove their relationship is worth saving, including becoming Trent's 24/7 slave? And if Sloan stays with Trent, how can Cole ever hope to find happiness again?

Stay tuned for the exact release date and giveaways...

I survived!

Actually, I've already moved, but I thought I'd post to explain my long absence. I haven't done a thing on this blog since January but don't think I've been sitting at home eating M&M (I wish). The move went surprisingly well, with the help of two sons. I'm still sifting through boxes and wondering why in hell I separated a pair of shoes (it was not funny at 7am last Tuesday when I was trying to get dressed for work) but I am settling in nicely. My writing area was the first to get organized and once my computer and printer were plugged in, and the internet connected, I felt like I was home.

The good news-I have covered parking again and won't have to dig my car out of snow drifts in the freezing cold. This is a big deal when you live in the Midwest. The down side to high rise living is schlepping the groceries from the garage to my apartment. I may have to invest in one of those rolling cart things or look into Peapod.

March is going to be crazy busy! My eldest son is getting married on St. Patrick's day in North Carolina, a two hour plane trip from Chicago. I'll be gone four days, come back home, work another three, then leave for New York City to attend a writing workshop hosted by the wonderful people at Dreamspinner Press. This is in conjunction with the Rainbow Book Fair which I'll be attending for the first time. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone I've only known online.

On the writing front. Cleave has almost completed the editing process and should release in early May. The sequel to Taste has been contracted and will be out sometime in the late summer. I've started working on a historical. Gasp! Trust me when I say I've never been more challenged but if I do finish this novel it will be a huge personal accomplishment.

Lastly, there's been a recent kerfuffle on a popular book that I rated 5 stars last year. I stand by my rating because it's a wonderful book and I enjoyed it immensely. If you haven't had the opportunity to read Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune, now's your chance. It's available as a FREE download here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/

That's all my news for now. Stayed tuned for excerpts and artwork on Cleave as it becomes available.

Sneak Peek

Join us over at Clare London's blog for a sneak peek of my upcoming novel Cleave , book three in the Cutting Cords universe. Here's the link.

http://clarelondon.livejournal.com/392361.html

Charlie- 1999-2011

We lost Charlie this morning after a brief illness. I know the timing of this post sucks, but I wanted to give him a proper send off. He was the sweetest dog in the world, and the only one who could smile. No kidding! He'd grace us with a toothy grin whenever we walked through the door. He loved to cuddle and his favorite food was popcorn and pizza. It seems appropriate that he chose to leave us on the last day of this horribly stressful year. He was that kind of a dog. Considerate enough to want his family to have a fresh start tomorrow. We will miss him terribly...

Happy New Year!

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Best wishes to everyone for a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous 2012!

Holiday Wishes

I know I'm a week early but I had to share this picture of AJ. It's not his best, but it sure put a smile on my face, and now I'm in the right frame of mind to brave the long lines at the mall.

I wish you all the very best for this holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year. I can't believe another year is just around the corner, and in a way, I'm almost glad to say goodbye to 2011. It was very busy, and extremely stressful, but I did accomplish all my writing goals, and was very pleasantly surprised by the Honorable Mention for Momentos at the recent Rainbow Awards.

Thank you to all the readers who've supported my work and continue to send me positive feedback. I look forward to another challenging year and the opportunity to share my stories with you.

2011 Rainbow Awards

The winners of the 2011 Rainbow Awards were announced today and I was pleasantly surprised to find Momentos had tied for ninth place in the Contemporary Gay Romance category. This novel is a part of the Basque Trilogy and one that's near and dear to my heart. Congratulations to all the winners of this annual contest and a special thanks to Elisa Rolle and her many volunteers for undertaking this huge event.

Vessel Reviewed

I was pleased to find this in-depth review of Vessel the other day. There are a few spoilers so be warned. This novel continues to generate controversy. There's nothing in-between about my characters or the plot. You'll either love it or hate it, and I'm very pleased to say that the good comments are overtaking the bad:) Here's the link to Amos Lassen's review. For more feedback on the novel you can check out some of the reader reviews on my website. The link is on my sidebar.

http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=12768

Counting Blessings...

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October has been an eventful month for me and my family. We welcomed a new member on October 2. Anthony Joseph aka AJ was born at 10:24 and weighed in at 7lbs 10oz. Mommy and Daddy are ecstatic, as are all the grandmas (3), grandpas (3), uncles (4) and aunties (7). We are all so excited to have a little one in our lives again.

My other baby, Vessel, made it's debut on the 7th. Vessel is my ninth novel and I must say that I've never received as many comments or emails on a story since my days in fan fiction. Some were wonderful, and others not so much, but everyone is entitled to an opinion, and so long as they are respectful, I will always listen. The ones that aren't get deleted. No sense getting into a lather when my muse calls the shots. You can see some of the comments on my newly designed website, another gift I received in the month of October. Thank you Sam aka Marillart. The link is here: http://www.mickieashling.com.

Lastly, for those invested in the Cutting Cords series, book 3 was just contracted by Dreamspinner Press and will release in May 2012. All in all, a good month, filled with many blessings.

Winner!

The winner for the two e-books is mlmhm45 . Please contact me at mickie.ashling at gmail dot com.

Vessel is now available for purchase here:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/products_new.php?osCsid=tjojfk72qu276ma1lbintm5g23