L.A. Witt's Blog, page 12

NOW AVAILABLE: The Left Hand of Calvus

I know...I KNOW. I'm still crazy behind on this blog. I'm sorry!!! Life's been nuts (what else is new, right?). Hopefully I can get back to my normal posting soon. Just gotta catch up on, well, everything.

In the meantime...

THE LEFT HAND OF CALVUS is now available from Riptide Publishing! This is the first book in the Warriors of Rome collection (not a series, just a collection of Roman historicals), and it is my first ever historical. Currently available from Riptide (individually or as part of the collection), Amazon, AllRomance, and Barnes & Noble.  See my website for additional buy links, which will be added as they're available.

Also, keep an eye on The Left Hand of Calvus Blog Tour -- five posts coming this week with prizes, including a "fact or crap" game where I give you ten facts about this book, and you tell me which two are complete and utter bull.

Former gladiator Saevius is certain fortune’s smiling on him when a Pompeiian politician buys him to be his bodyguard. But then his new master, Laurea Calvus, orders Saevius to discover the gladiator with whom his wife is having an affair. In order to do that, Saevius must return to the arena, training alongside the very men on whom he’s spying. Worse, he’s now under the command of Drusus, a notoriously cruel—and yet strangely intriguing—lanista. 

But Saevius’s ruse is the least of his worries. There’s more to the affair than a wife humiliating her prominent husband, and now Saevius is part of a dangerous game between dangerous men. He isn’t the only gladiator out to expose the Lady Verina’s transgressions, and her husband wants more than just the guilty man’s name. 

When Saevius learns the truth about the affair, he’s left with no choice but to betray one of his masters: one he’s come to fear, one he’s come to respect, and both of whom could have him killed without repercussion. For the first time in his life, the most dangerous place for this gladiator isn’t the arena.

In Which I Combat My Guilt Over Wasting Paper

So I've mentioned here before that I do a lot of writing by hand. It's not unusual for me to print out troublesome scenes so I can work on them by hand, and every manuscript gets completely printed at least twice. 
Needless to say, this means I use a lot of paper.
A LOT of paper. Those are the remnants of about 7 months' worth of printing. And of course, they will eventually get recycled. 
But part of me still feels guilty about wasting paper. Even though it's going to get recycled, I feel a ridiculous little pang of guilt every time I drop a few more pages onto that ever-growing stack. I should use those sheets, just one more time, before they're off to be repulpified (that's a word). 
So, I do what my co-worker and I used to do when I still worked in an office: cut pages into four smaller pieces. Instant replacement for sticky notes and index cards!  
So now they've been used twice. They have writing on both sides.  To the recycling bin!
Ah, but not all of them make it to the recycling bin.  Some still have a little bit of destiny left in their dirty little hearts. But Lori. What the hell can you do with crumpled paper?
If you're asking yourself (or me) that question, I can only come to one conclusion.
You don't have cats.


I'm not sure if this makes me an obsessive recycler/reuser, or an incredibly cheap cat parent, but the paper's getting used and my cat is entertained. I REGRET NOTHING!!!

Book Recommendation: Baptism For The Dead

Disclaimer: The author and I are friends. Still, this book has knocked my socks off every time I've read it (I beta read it several months ago). 
Do yourself a favor, folks, and pick up Libbie Hawker's Baptism for the Dead .

The perfect Mormon wife in the perfect Mormon town has a secret: she doesn’t believe in God. Her husband has a secret, too: he’s in love with another man. She’s stood by her husband for two years, tending their secrets, fading into the easy background of Rexburg, Idaho. But when she meets a man who calls himself “X,” an untidy, beer-drinking artist on a rambling sabbatical through the Western States, her resolve to be the perfect wife finally crumbles.

At first her affair with X is just another secret to keep. He’ll be gone soon, and no one will be the wiser. But she quickly realizes she can no longer be content with the structured, wholesome life of a Rexburg woman. Though she fears her husband’s reaction and the town’s rejection, she leaves to join X on his journey through the Rockies. 

Amid mountains and deserts, surrounded by art and creation, she discovers the realities of eternity. But just as she is beginning to build a life without religion, a death in the family pulls her and X back to Rexburg. She must return to the place that created and confined her, this time not as the perfect Mormon wife, but as something monstrous to the people she loves.

NOW AVAILABLE: "Switch" Multi-Author BDSM Anthology

The "Switch" BDSM Anthology is Now Available from Total-E-Bound if you've signed up for their newsletter, otherwise it'll be available October 8th.

The anthology includes stories by Desiree Holt, Lisabet Sarat, Elizabeth Coldwell, Wendi Zwadik, Amy Valenti, and my short story, Who Compels My Strength:

'Can switching roles restore their confidence in their Dom/sub relationship, or are these doubts happening for a reason?After some seemingly open-minded friends turn up their noses at Bridget and Ian's kinky lifestyle, both start having doubts of their own. Ian wonders if he truly is mistreating his wife, and Bridget can't shake her friend's accusation that she's a wimp and a doormat for letting her husband beat her.
To put their worries to bed, Bridget and Ian switch roles. Tonight, she's in charge, and they're each walking in the other's shoes.
But what happens if those shoes don't fit?
Reader Advisory: This book contains Dominance/submission, pain play (nipple clamps, flogger)

Cover Art: The Left Hand of Calvus

So I know I've been quiet as hell on this blog lately. I've been scrambling to play catch-up after being sick for a few weeks (pneumonia is SUCH FUN), and now the backlog is finally coming down. Also, my parents are coming to town in a week or so, which means we'll be doing all kinds of Omaha shenanigans, and you know what that means: pictures!

And...today I have new cover art. Behold, The Left Hand of Calvus, due out in November from Riptide Publishing as part of the Warriors of Rome collection (The collection and individual titles are currently available for pre-order)

Former gladiator Saevius is certain fortune’s smiling on him when a Pompeiian politician buys him to be his bodyguard. But then his new master, Laurea Calvus, orders Saevius to discover the gladiator with whom his wife is having an affair. In order to do that, Saevius must return to the arena, training alongside the very men on whom he’s spying. Worse, he’s now under the command of Drusus, a notoriously cruel—and yet strangely intriguing—lanista. 

But Saevius’s ruse is the least of his worries. There’s more to the affair than a wife humiliating her prominent husband, and now Saevius is part of a dangerous game between dangerous men. He isn’t the only gladiator out to expose the Lady Verina’s transgressions, and her husband wants more than just the guilty man’s name. 

When Saevius learns the truth about the affair, he’s left with no choice but to betray one of his masters: one he’s come to fear, one he’s come to respect, and both of whom could have him killed without repercussion. For the first time in his life, the most dangerous place for this gladiator isn’t the arena. 

NOW AVAILABLE: Nothing of a Son

Nothing of a Son is now available from Amber Allure! This story is part of the Forbidden Liaisons Amber Pax, along with stories by A.J. Llewellyn, Carolina Valdez, Angel Martinez, and D.J. Manly. The stories are available individually, or can be purchased together from the Amber Allure website.

When a storm forces traveling soldier Daedalus to seek shelter, a wealthy duke takes him into his home. The only condition? Stay away from the duke’s daughters. 

But the duke said nothing of a son... 

And when Daedalus meets Rauman, the two men can’t help but succumb to their mutual attraction...even if they’ll both be hanged if anyone finds out... 

NOW AVAILABLE: Who's Your Daddy?

It's release day!  Who's Your Daddy?  is now available from Samhain Publishing, and can be ordered on Samhain, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. More links to come as they're available.

Everyone’s bringing baggage to this baby shower.

After her divorce, Carmen James is still trying to get back on her feet when fate pulls the rug out from under her. She’s pregnant—and she’s not sure who’s the father. Just one more thing for her impossible-to-please family to worry about. On the bright side, there are only two candidates: her best friend, Donovan, and Isaac. His boyfriend. 

A little too much wine and the desire to comfort lead Donovan and Isaac to a night they both hope Carmen doesn’t regret. When she drops the bomb, though, Donovan’s plate, already crowded with a teenage son and a disapproving father, gets fuller. And Isaac, who’s still coming to terms with his bisexuality, wonders how he’ll handle fatherhood at forty.Above all, both men worry that whatever the answer to the ultimate question—which of them got her pregnant—it will forever alter their longstanding friendship with Carmen. 

While they’re waiting for that answer, though, continuing their casual sexual relationship with her feels natural. But when emotions get involved, the cracks in their logic begin to drive Isaac, Don and Carmen apart just when they need each other the most. 

Warning: This book contains three people in one hell of a pickle (anyone have any ice cream?), parents who suck at parenthood, parents-to-be who think they’ll suck at parenthood, a relationship-friendship-sexual-kind-of-thing that keeps getting more complicated, and a Chuck Norris joke.

Cover Art: All The King's Horses

Have I mentioned lately that I love Samhain's covers? Because I do.


All The King's Horses will be out in December. Blurb and info to come.

Viva la New Orleans! In August. o.O

In T-minus 24 hours, I'm hopping in ye olde truck, heading southward to Kansas City, and flying to New Orleans. Why in the world am I going to Louisiana in August?

Simple: Authors After Dark!

If you're going and want to say hello, I'll be hanging out with the Riptide Publishing crew, plus speaking on a few panels and signing at the public book signing on Saturday.

Panels:

Contemporary, Thursday from 10-11 amM/M, Thursday from 4-5 pmGLBT Subgenres, Friday from 1-2 pm(note: I'm on the schedule for the Multiple Points-of-View panel, but will not be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict)
I'll also be reading from one of my books at the BDSM reading on Friday from 4-5 pm.

If you're there, stop in and say hello!

Also, while I'm traveling tomorrow (August 7th), my newest title Who's Your Daddy? will be released.  I'll post third party links as soon as I can, but they may be slightly delayed due to my travel schedule.

Back in a week!

Cover Art: Who Compels My Strength, Switch antho.

Apparently I completely neglected to post cover art for the Switch anthology. Now that I have art for the individual release of my story from that anthology, Who Compels My Strength, I figured it's a good time to make up for that lapse in posting.

So here is the artwork for the entire anthology, which will be available in September:

And here is the artwork for Who Compels My Strength, which will be available on its own in November:

I swear, cover art never loses its novelty. I still get all "squeeeee" when I get some, especially when it's THAT awesome.