Giselle Renarde's Blog, page 164
January 5, 2011
Perfect Timing for the Crap Alligator
Oh, wait...I just remembered my New Year's resolution to be more positive and optimistic. So, I guess I could turn that statement around to say that any time something rotten happens, you can trust that something great is just down the road.What am I talking about? Excellent question. Maybe I'll get around to answering it by the time this blog post is done.
Kidding. Here's what I'm talking about: I got a WONDERFUL review from Sally, the Bibrary Bookslut herself. She reviewed two of my transgender stories, Third Rail and Red Satin.
Of Red Satin, she says, "This is a wonderfully romantic little story of newly-discovered identities and re-discovered love. [...] I think what struck me most about the story was its honesty and its realism. There are no elements of exaggerated fantasy, just the sincere coming together of two friends who are tentatively entering the next stage of their relationship."
Of Third Rail, "This is a story liberally sprinkled with eroticism, but deliberately immersed in the monotony of everyday life. It's almost comic in how the two lovers bounce between lust and life, between the sensual and the mundane[...]"
Yay! Happy me. But wait, there's more!Notice how I've linked Third Rail to somewhere you can buy a copy, but I haven't linked Red Satin? Well, that's because only a few days after I got this lovely, heartwarming review I also got a reminder from my publisher that my contract was up on Red Satin. What does that mean? It means you can't buy it anymore. It's no longer on the market.
Crap. Alligator.
It's nobody's fault. It just happened that way. Great review comes out, contract expires. Crap Alligator.
But guess what? I get to finish off this post on a positive note, because the wonderful people at loveyoudivine Alterotica have agreed to reissue Red Satin as part of their TransFix line. This makes perfect sense, since the sequel to Red Satin (The Night Before Red Satin Christmas) has already been published by lyd.
So YAY again. Take that, crap alligator.
Ah, and if you'd like to read the entire reviews of Red Satin and Third Rail at Bibrary Bookslut, here's the link:http://bibrary.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-red-satin-third-rail-by-giselle.html
Big Hugs!GiselleGiselle Renarde
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January 4, 2011
Free Boxing Classes in Toronto for Survivors of Violence
But what I wanted to share right away with the lovely people of the blogosphere is that Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club offers a FREE program to women and trans survivors of violence. Isn't that the most wonderful thing you've ever heard? The program is called "Shape Your Life" and...well, instead of trying to describe it, I'll use the words from the club's website:
Boxing Project for Survivors of Violence*The next SYL session will run Sunday, January 30th – Sunday, March 13th.** SYL and the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club are proud to be one of the partners working with the 519′s program Healthy Transactions, a new active healthy living program just for trans youth. For more info on Healthy Transactions click here: Healthy Transactions
Shape Your Life (SYL) provides women and trans survivors of violence with an opportunity to participate in a recreational boxing program. Physical exercise, reducing social isolation, exploring healthy aggression and expressing anger in a safe place can help survivors heal from violence and regain control over their lives. Shape Your Life aims to empower survivors by building self esteem and community through the sport of boxing.
SYL is about feeling strong, having fun and trying something new! The SYL boxing classes are designed for beginners and are held at the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club once a week. Each class is two hours long.
This is a free program. Equipment, TTC and free snacks are provided.
To join: If you are interested in joining Shape Your Life please contact: The SYL coordinator – Jen at shapeyourlife2010@gmail.com or call 416.787.1481 – Registration for the next SYL session opens on October 20th, 2010.
If you live around Toronto, you're female or trans, you're a survivor of violence, and this opportunity appeals to you (or if you know someone who fits these criteria and might be interested) here's the link to their site: http://shapeyourlifeboxing.com/
Big Empowered Hugs!
Giselle
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January 3, 2011
Quick Six TNG with CB Potts
Today CB Potts is here at D&D with a couple awesomely incredible book covers. Check out the Silver Foxes cover at the end of the post. I love it as much as I love my cats, and that's big-time! Anyway, on with the show...
1. What does "vanilla" mean to you?
Why, it's the spice that makes all baking better....
In erotic terms, I think vanilla is likely to mean overlooked and underexplored: we're so quick to push the envelope, to find the kinky edge, to look for those extreme moments. And all of those things are great -- but they're not the entirety of the erotic experience. The trick is to capture the everyday romance, those subtle moments that make relationships real and bring that to the reader. It's perhaps any writer's greatest challenge.
2. Is there any moment from your life that you remember in slow motion?
Why yes, and they're all incredibly unpleasant. Pleasure and joy move on greased rails, while pain takes its time. That's why it is essential to pay attention: when the good stuff is happening, it goes so fast!
3. What's the most unsettling movie you've ever seen?
Definitely The Missing. It's an older movie, from 2003, with Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. It'll rip your guts out and twist your brain.
4. If you had to get a tattoo on your face, what would you want it to
look like?
I'd like it to be a third eye, directly in the middle of my forehead. In for an inch, in for a mile!
5. How many monkeys jumping on the bed?
I don't know, but when I called the doctor, the doctor said, "NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"
6. Which of the books or stories you've written is your favourite?
Well, we always love our latest, and in my case, that would be Silver Foxes: Steamy Stories of Older Men. This is my first single author collection, from Lethe Press, and I'm inordinately proud of it. I like to tell the stories of people who don't get talked about or acknowledged all that often, and that's what you'll find in my books: the correction officers, the farmers, the city councilmen and smart ass college kids. (Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Foxes-C-B-Potts/dp/1590212339/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr?ie=UTF8&qid=1269443358)Giselle Renarde
Here's the blurb:
Daddy lovers rejoice! Author C.B. Potts has devoted an entire collection to that rough and hunky older man who has earned his place in the long history of gay erotica. Whether he has hair gun-metal gray or lustrous white, the daddy possesses a charisma that drives younger men wild. Who else offers an embrace that promises to keep you warm, safe, and snug? Potts offers readers stirring stories featuring bikers, grease monkeys, soldiers, and even an alderman--all mature men more than willing to provide some much-needed experience to the young fellows who drop to their knees to idolize what the silver fox has learned over the years.
And I'd be absolutely remiss if I didn't talk about my Rockhounds. Action, adventure, explosions, and lots of hot sex...what could be better? At this point, I've written seven novellas with Matt, Parker, and Sean and they are among my favorite characters ever. Especially Parker. *sigh* There's something about a man who will start an international conflict just to save the day that gets me every time. (buy link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=24&products_id=2415)
Here's the blurb:
Matt and Parker start out on a yacht called Tuesday's Rubies, enjoying the high life and each other. Nothing that good can last, though, as they find out when an old business partner, Sean, shows back up on the scene. Things go from bad to worse when Matt is kidnapped, especially when Parker is faced with old demons.
When the dust settles, the boys hope they can try for a normal, quiet life, but nothing works out like Matt and Parker plan it. Can they survive their next adventure, or will the Rockhound boys have to throw in the towel?
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Attention Self-Published Authors: ARe Lifts Minimum Requirement
* * * * P E R M I S S I O N TO R E P O S T G R A N T E D * * * *
New Year, New Policy from All Romance eBooks for Self-Published Authors and Small Presses
The start of a new year brings the beginning of a new policy at All Romance eBooks as they lift the requirement that sellers maintain a minimum number of titles in their online storefront.
Palm Harbor, FL (PRWEB) December 30, 2010 - All Romanc eBooks (ARe) announced today that beginning January 1, 2011 they will waive their required ten book minimum for publishers or individuals wishing to sell on the OmniLit/All Romance sites. The revision in policy is designed to accommodate the ever increasing number of publishers with just a few eBooks in their catalog and authors choosing to self-publish their own work.
The move reflects ARe's long standing policy to provide their customers with the most diverse selection of romance and mainstream titles possible, with catalogs from the major publishers (including Harlequin and Random House) as well as selections from small press and individual authors.
"Some of our hottest selling books are coming from indies," said Lori James. "More importa ntly, the change in policy is in response to author and reader requests."
The rising trend in self-publishing could be attributed to today's digital technology which makes it possible for authors to self-publish high quality digital eBooks, whether it be a single title or their entire out-of-print backlist, in addition to readers demanding an ever broadening selection of genres, authors and titles.
ABOUT ALL ROMANCE eBOOKS
All Romance eBooks, LLC was founded in 2006, is privately held in partnership, and headquartered in Palm Harbor, Florida. The company owns AllRomance.com, which specializes in the sale of romance eBooks and OmniLit.com, which sells both fiction and non-fiction eBooks.
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January 2, 2011
Lesbian Couple Survey Participants Needed
WANTED: Women couples of 5+ years who have sex 2x/month+Giselle Renarde
An invitation to participate in research for my next book
https://www. surveymonkey.com/s/LesbianCouples
I am writing a sex guide for lesbian, bisexual and queer women couples.
Much like my first book, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide
for All of Us, this book will offer explicit information, advice, and
support for lesbian, bisexual and queer women of diverse experiences.
I'd really like your help to make this the most comprehensive,
useful book possible.
Would you be willing to fill out a confidential, anonymous
questionnaire?
Whether you identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer; butch, femme or
androgynous; monogamous, nonmonogamous or polyamorous; adventurous,
sensual, kinky; boi, MTF, intersex, traditionally gendered or trans, I
want to hear from you. Would you be willing to fill out a confidential,
anonymous questionnaire about your partnered sex life? I am especially
interested in hearing from you if ANY of these statements are true:
* You and your partner have sex at least twice a month.
* You are happy with your current sex life.
* You've had an active sex life throughout your relationship.
* You and your partner stopped having sex for at least 6 months and then
resumed an active sex life.
* You and your partner have successfully resolved any type of sexual
"issue" or "problem."
You are the expert on what it is like to be in a sexual relationship
with another woman. Please fill out this brief survey and let me know if
you would be willing to be interviewed further.
Thanks so much!
Felice Newman
PS: Please post widely and send to your friends, lovers, colleagues,
email lists...
Felice Newman
Certified Somatic Coach & Sex Educator
URL: www.felicenewman.com
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January 1, 2011
Optimism and Positivity and Gratitude (Oh My!)
Well, I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I watched a documentary about the qualities and characteristics of happy people (sorry--I can't remember what it was called!) and among those qualities are:OptimismPositivityGratitudeFor as long as I can remember I've been a jaded pessimist. I KNOW the sky is falling, so what's the good in pretending it's all sunny days ahead? Hmm? Optimists are just people with their heads in the sand (and in that position you'd better believe you're going to get screwed up the ass!)
I'd like to say I was born this way, but according to the documentary I can't even blame a lousy childhood for my negativity. Lots of people have crappy childhoods and go on to become well-adjusted adults. Well, maybe not lots, but at least some.
I feel like I blog about "happiness" quite often. I actually consider myself a happy person (despite my pessimism), so these new resolutions aren't so much a means to an end. They're more like a means to a means. I want to be optimistic for optimism's sake. I want to have a positive outlook on life. I'm pretty good with gratitude, but I could be better. (Does that count as optimism?)
This is a big challenge. It's a total mindset shift. Total. I don't think I can do it, but OF COURSE I would think that way...that's my negativity speaking. My first step toward positivity will be to say, "YES, I can do this!"
I can be more positive, more optimistic, and more grateful in 2011.
Can you?
Hugs,Giselle RenardeCanada just got hotter!
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December 31, 2010
Last Day to Make Your Dollars Count!
If you know what I'm talking about and you've already purchased your copies, thank you so much! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here it is again:
As some of you may remember, for the past couple years I've been donating royalties from purchases of my e-books to a great organization called LGBT YOUTHLINE. They provide queer-positive peer-to-peer counseling by phone, instant messenger, and email to young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, queer, questioning, transgender, transsexual, and 2-Spirit.
During the summer I decided to be democratic. I asked readers to vote on which titles should be included in this year's royalties donation drive. You wonderful people chose the following three books:
Red Satin by Giselle Renarde
Regan and Maisie had sex once, back when Maisie was living the "boy's" life, but Regan wrote it off as nothing more than a drunken rebound hook-up.
Now that Maisie is in transition and all her feminine qualities are rising to the surface, Regan is realizing what she saw in Maisie that one inebriated evening so many years ago. But Maisie has fears of her own about starting up a relationship amidst the turmoil of other changes. Does Regan see her for who she really is, or will she love her and leave her like last time? See what power is evoked by mid-December mall magic, a red satin evening gown and two lovers who meet again for the first time.
Buy Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2407
Third Rail - Giselle Renarde
Perhaps it is a touch unusual to have a girlfriend and boyfriend both living in the same body, but Kokoro doesn't classify her relationship with Fiona and Martin as strange. Kokoro rides the third rail, a dutifully subservient lover to both aspects of her transgendered partner's psyche.
Buy Link: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=66&products_id=570[image error]
The Little Burlesque House by the Sea by Giselle Renarde
Sapphic secrets abound at the little burlesque house by the sea!
Madame Mireille's ocean-side parlour, Les Trois Dames Jouissantes, is one of the last houses holding to the tenets of classic burlesque. They specialize in raunchy comedy sketches, undulating fan dances, chorus lines and, of course, the striptease. In post-war Maritimes, Trois Dames enjoys notoriety thanks to an all-female cast combining the smart with the sensual.
It was this reputation that drew the troupe's two newest members to the little burlesque house by the sea. Ginger the saucy redhead is master of the Comedy Striptease. New to the business, Wild Orchid embodies all that is innocent--or so she'd have you believe! Secrets abound at Les Trois Dames Jouissantes, and it takes more than slippery fingers to bring them to the surface.
Buy Link: http://shadowfirestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_17&products_id=105This year, you can buy these titles at any reputable retailer until December 31, 2010 (that's TODAY!) and I will donate my portion of the royalties to LGBT YOUTHLINE. Keep in mind if you purchase directly from the publishers' websites a larger percentage of the purchase price will end up in YOUTHLINE's pocket. Also, The Little Burlesque House by the Sea is only available at the Shadowfire Press website.
Thanks for your support again this year!
Hugs,
Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!
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December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas 2010
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December 24, 2010
Festive Frenzy: The Night Before Red Satin Christmas
The Night Before Red Satin Christmas
Giselle Renarde
loveyoudivine Alterotica
Buy Link: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=743
_______________________
Maisie used to be Mark, and this Christmas her family will meet her as a woman for the first time.
As Maisie and her girlfriend Regan arrive in their hometown, Maisie has second thoughts about letting the family know they're more than just friends. If her mom and sisters still see her as the family's youngest son and baby brother, how will they be able to understand that she's not only a woman but also a lesbian?
Although Regan agrees to keep their relationship a secret, the deception plays heavy on her psyche. When Regan is reintroduced to Mitts, Maisie's older sister, the schooldays crush she had on Mitts explodes into fiery desire. Can Regan resist the appeal of her girlfriend's seductive sister? And will the family accept Maisie without reservation on the night before a Red Satin Christmas?
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60054-573-3
lyd Category: Transfix
Length: 11000 words
Excerpt:
Standing on the front stoop, Maisie turned around and crossed her fingers. Regan read terrified optimism in her eyes. The time between Maisie's pressing of the bell and the door's opening felt like an eternity. Regan's pulse stopped. Her heart ran to hide behind her ribcage. She couldn't even imagine breathing at a time like this.
Mitts answered the door. In high school, Regan had a huge crush on Maisie's older sister, and seeing the girl again, she remembered why. Mitts had a quiet beauty about her. Back in the day, she'd worn long sweaters over tight tights. She crimped her hair, or teased it, and wore it in a scrunchy back then. Now her hair was long, dark, and nearly as straight as Regan's. Like Maisie, she was dressed in black pants and a low-cut red top. Even with a tea towel strewn across her shoulder, she looked incredible.
"Hi," Maisie said.
It was the simplest statement Maisie could possibly have mustered, and her voice was high-pitched when she spoke it. For a moment, nothing happened. Maisie didn't say anything and neither did Mitts. She was seeing her brother as a girl for the first time ever. When Mitts' eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped into a gaping emblem of either joy or mortification, Maisie went on to say, "It's me."
Mitts took a step back. A smile, whether genuine or put on, broke across her face as she took the tea towel from her shoulder and wiped her hands with it. "Holy shit!" she said, opening the door wider. With her hand, Mitts made a laboured come-hither motion, like she was scooping wet sand. "Get in here, you! Shit, you look…" Mitts shook her head with an expression of absolute astonishment. "Shit!"
"Is mom home?" Maisie asked without taking so much as a step forward.
After another moment of silent, awe-struck staring, Mitts said, "Oh, yeah, for sure." She turned her head and yelled, "Mom!"
"What?" a disembodied voice hollered back. "I'm on the toilet!"
Mitts turned back to Maisie and, as if she couldn't hear the whole ridiculous interaction, explained, "Mom's on the throne."
"Oh my god, Mitts, do not walk by the upstairs bathroom," another voice whispered. It was Maisie's second sister, Kayla, holding her nose as she descended the stairs. "Jesus, the whole fucking hallway reeks to high…"
As Kayla spoke, her gaze seemed to settle on the open front door. Regan watched Maisie's sister from outside the action, waiting for her recognition to spark, but it didn't seem to. The fingers pinching her nose slid down until her hand covered over her embarrassed mouth. "Oops…sorry. I didn't hear the doorbell from upstairs."
"Kayla," Mitts said. "It's Mark." She whipped her head around fast to look at Maisie. "Shit, I'm sorry. You don't go by Mark anymore. Do you? Well, obviously you don't. Duh. That was a stupid question."
"It's okay," Maisie said, though Regan could hear the disappointment in her girlfriend's voice. "You don't have to apologize. I understand."
Mitts shook her head. "No, I'm an idiot. You know, I can't for the life of me remember your new name."
A voice rang out from behind Kayla on the staircase. "It's Maisie. Like my mother, your grandmother. It's a beautiful name. It's perfect."
When Maisie looked up, Regan could feel the happiness coursing through her body. "Mom!" she cried out.
As Maisie bolted through the front door, her mother ran down the staircase. They met in the hallway and dove into each other's arms. Though Maisie was taller than her mother, something about the nature of their hug dwarfed her, in Regan's eyes, and she appeared as a little child. "Mom," she whimpered.
The Night Before Red Satin Christmas
Buy Link: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=743
And if you missed last year's Christmas story RED SATIN, I encourage you to buy it now because until December 31, 2010, I will be giving all my royalties from the purchase of RED SATIN to LGBT YOUTHLINE, a queer-positive organization that supports young LGBTQ people.
Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!
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December 23, 2010
Festive Frenzy: Apples & Gin: Hot Cocoa Ice Cream
Title of Work: Apples & Gin: Hot Cocoa Ice Cream
Author Name: Jenna Jones
Buy Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2972
Blurb: Eight years, seven Christmases, one ice cream.
From Christmases apart to dealing with a relationship crisis to establishing their own traditions, Noah Kingston and Sawyer Shaw have celebrated the holidays a number of different ways. They've met each other's families and learned new facets of each other.
Noah and Sawyer have been through a lot to get where they are. One thing is certain: true love is delicious.
Excerpt: The sun had set while they were inside, and the moon was high in the clear, dark sky. Sawyer turned off all the lights in the house so there wouldn't be anything between them and the night, and Noah, after initially complaining that this was far too cold to be the desert, fell silent as he looked up at the stars.
Noah said quietly, "It's been a long time since I've been this far away from civilization."
"Yeah?" Sawyer murmured.
"It's so easy to forget about all those stars. How dark real darkness is, but how bright the night sky can be." Noah was quiet. "Sometimes I see something like this, something just vast, and I think I could photograph this until the day I died and I'd still never capture how amazing it is." He turned his head, still resting on the edge of the hot tub, to look at Sawyer. "Sometimes I feel so small, kid."
"You're not. You're as vast as this sky."
"That sounds like a song."
Sawyer smiled and said, "Maybe it is." It was a common exchange between them, and sometimes Noah was even right.
Sawyer moved closer so that he could lean against Noah's shoulder. Noah wrapped an arm around him and kissed his forehead, and rubbed his arm to warm him. "You weren't supposed to change my life. You were supposed to be just another client, not this gorgeous kid with a big heart and talent to match."
"So we are talking about our feelings."
"Just a little. I feel you are the best thing that's happened to me in a long time, and I feel happy about it."
"I feel pleased that you feel happy," Sawyer said. "I also feel it's high time there's some lovin' up in here, because I feel a little sexy." He moved to straddle Noah's thighs and took his face in both hands.
"I feel," Noah breathed, "you are absolutely right," and held Sawyer's waist as they kissed.
Buy Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2972
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