L.A. Witt's Blog, page 27

NOW AVAILABLE: Getting off the Ground

Getting off the Ground is now available for purchase from Amber Quill Press. More links to be added as they're available.
Keep an eye out for the sequel, Infinity Pools, which will be released in May.
And for those of you who prefer printed books, both titles will be available in June as Changing Plans, a combined paperback edition:
Go forth, and enjoy! :D

Cover Art: Static

More cover art today, this one for the book that is rivaling Reconstructing Meredith as being my pride and joy.

Behold...Static:
Blurb:

Damon Bryce is worried sick when he doesn't hear from his girlfriend after she visits her estranged parents, but when he checks up on her, he's in for the shock of his life: She's a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population who can shift genders at will. Thanks to her parents, though, she's been forcibly given an implant that leaves her static—unable to shift—and male.

Alex Nichols desperately wants the implant removed, but getting it out isn't nearly as easy as putting it in. The surgery is expensive and dangerous. Left in, the implant carries its own set of risks, with the potential to cripple or even kill him. On top of that, he's carefully kept his identity a secret from more people in his life than just Damon, and his parents aren't the only ones appalled by shifters.

Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical effects and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn't see how their relationship can get through this unscathed.

Especially if Alex is a static male permanently.

***

This will be my first foray into the realms of urban fantasy. It's not nearly as dirty as my usual stuff, either. Keep an eye on my blogs for more info!

Cover Art: Master of Mine BDSM Anthology

Just got the cover art for the Master of Mine BDSM Anthology coming soon from Evernight Publishing:

My short story, Denied, will be included - can't wait to read the other stories! Release info to come.

Another chance to win a book!

Marie Sexton ever so kindly (and patiently) interviewed me, and that interview is here. Stop by for a chance to win a book! What book, you ask? Your choice off my backlist. Go! Go! Go! You know you want to...

Also, keep an eye on my various blogs and sites this week -- Getting off the Ground will be released, and Nine-tenths of the Law is coming out in print!

Stupidly Easy Contest

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm having a ridiculously simple contest over on my professional blog. Want to win a book? Pop by and answer a question.

You know you want to.

Whew, I think I'm caught up.

Back when I still worked in salt mines -- er, cubicle farms -- I learned quite a few indisputable truths. Fluorescent lights and migraines do not mix. The last hour on Friday afternoon is three times longer than any other hour, and that extra time is taken out of Sunday evenings. The phone will always ring right when someone gets to the good part of a joke, anecdote, or piece of juicy gossip.

And...the worst part about going on vacation is coming back to that mammoth pile of work that makes you wonder why the hell you ever thought it was a good idea to leave in the first place. It is there that my current job is both similar to and the opposite of those periods of indentured servitude. I mean, my previous jobs.

I've reached a point with my writing where it's becoming a demanding job. (And I love it, love it, LOVE IT) There are deadlines (plural! How cool is that!). There are edits, galley copies, and forms. So, it came as no surprise when, while I was on vacation with my parents over the last couple of weeks, the work didn't exactly go into suspended animation. Edits came in for two books due out this summer. A galley copy wandered through. A completed-but-unedited manuscript did not, in spite of my pleas, edit itself.

And it was ALL still waiting when I sat down at my desk to return to my usual work schedule. It's taken three solid days to get caught up, but you know what? I couldn't be happier. I fucking love this job, and even when I'm up to my ass in work, and I can't wander off to do something more fun (like actual writing), I wouldn't trade it for the world. Any of it.

So, now that I'm caught up with edits and paperwork, I get to jump back into the really fun stuff. I'm currently outlining a couple of books, and haven't yet settled on which one I'm working on next. I'll Show You Mine is one I'd started before vacation, but I've got a couple of others that are being seriously vocal, so it might have to wait a little while. Looks like I'm going to dip into some different subgenres fairly soon instead of just contemporary romances, so keep an eye out for updates when I finish and sell those.

Now...back to work! But first, here's some Leto loveliness:

Cover Art: Infinity Pools

Getting off the Ground will be out in a week, so what perfect timing for the sequel's cover art!
Getting off the Ground will be out April 3, Infinity Pools will be out May 6, and the combined paperback edition - Changing Plans - will be out sometime in June, all from Amber Allure. More links and updates to come!

NOTE: You may wish to wait to read the blurb until after you've read the prequel, but if not, here it is:

It started with a snowstorm and ended with a sizzling one-night-stand, but neither man is ready for it to be over.

Jilted groom Elliott Chandler doesn't do "last minute" or "impulsive," but at the very last minute, he impulsively changes his flight from Oahu to Maui. What was supposed to be his honeymoon turned into two weeks with a man he just met.

Derek Windsor is all about "last minute" and "impulsive," but what he doesn't do is fall in love. He's a happily promiscuous bachelor and that's final.

They thought one night together wasn't enough. Two weeks is going to be more than they bargained for…

Win a copy of With the Band!

Head on over to Coffee & Porn in the Morning for a chance to win a copy of With the Band!
Good luck!

Mom & Dad Visit Okinawa - Part II

Have you gone over and checked out my guest blog entry at Whipped Cream Reviews? If you haven't, do so. I mean, haven't you ever wanted to know all about extreme people-watching? hehehe You know you want to. :D

Anyway. I left off with our visit to Shuri Castle with my folks. The following day, it was off to Nakagusuku Castle:
There's a ninja in this picture:
The archaeological dig at the top of the castle ruins:
Mom and Dad at Nakagusuku:
Once we'd had our fill of 14th century castles, it was back into Naha to visit the famed Kokusai Street and all its shopping, shopping, and more shopping:
Did I mention shopping?
It just so happens a lot of shops there sell Ryukyu glass, and Eddie and I have been looking for a nice piece at a decent price. We lucked out: we practically stole the decanter, and got the glasses for a song.
We also obtained a few more shi shi dogs while out with my folks. This is but a fraction of our army of shi shis:
Anyway. More Kokusai Street.

Window Shi Shi says, "What has been seen...cannot be unseen."
I had to take a picture of these because most people wouldn't believe me if I didn't have photographic evidence. You just can't make some of this shit up:
With everyone shopped out and tired of walking, we hopped in the car and went in a northerly direction to check out Cape Mazamo...
...and Cape Hedo:
And finally today, the weather was cooperative enough for us to spend the entire day goofing off at the beach. Three beaches, actually.

First, Kanna Beach:
Photoshop? Me? Never.

Of course we had to play with some hermit crabs. This one had a bit of an attitude:
Eddie and Mom with Fred the Hapless Hermit Crab:
On to "Crabby Beach" (which we named for its abundance of crabs)...
And Camp Schwab, which I didn't photograph because I was busily collecting shells and had left my camera in the car. I did, however, accumulate a LOT of shells:
Mom collected a bunch too, and my kitchen counter is currently covered with them. Also, I was entirely too excited about the acquisition of a couple of abalone shells:

Cowrie shells are awesome:
As we washed the shells in my kitchen, we heard a noise, and realized one of Mom's shells had decided to leave. Apparently it wasn't as vacant as we thought:
Don't worry, the little guy was safely deposited at a nearby beach on our way to dinner.

Tomorrow, my folks head back to civilization, where they will probably sleep for a week after we hauled them back and forth all over this boring, westernized, nothing-to-do-here dump of an island.

And after I've also caught up on some sleep, it's back to work. Lots of projects coming down the pipe in the near future, including another foray into urban fantasy, some more het action, and probably another sequel or two. Stick around!

Mom & Dad Visit Okinawa - Part I

First of all, I'm guest-blogging today about Extreme People-Watching over at Whipped Cream Reviews. Go have a look!!

Done reading it? Left a comment questioning my sanity? Awesome. Moving right along...

Before we came to Okinawa, a lot of people told us this place was a dump, was completely westernized, and there was nothing to do. We'd be bored stupid and climbing the walls, ready to leave, etc.

Um...bullshit. Never is that more apparent than when someone comes to visit. This week, my folks are in town. Say hi to my parents, loyal blog minions:
They're standing beside the bell at Shuri Castle, one of the many places we've gone this week. The thing is, there is SO MUCH to do and see on this island, we've been running my parents RAGGED.

Their flight came in late in the evening, so they had the first night to adjust to the time zone, sleep off the billion hours of flying, and be ready for the fun and shenanigans to begin the next morning. First stop: Katsuren Castle.
Then there was White Beach, a couple of restaurants, and our apartment. The next day, we dashed southward for some shopping, the Himeyuri Peace Memorial, and a couple of wind turbines. Oh, and Okinawa World, where we wandered through the cave:
Eddie, muttering something about "Preeccioussssss..."
Eddie, ruining a staring bird's photo, and the staring bird expressing his displeasure at this scenario:
Before they could fully recover from that adventure, we hauled ass to the north for a visit to the butterfly farm...
...and the aquarium. An aspiring supermodel, ready for his close-up:
Screw Disneyland. THIS is the Happiest Place on Earth:
Then, there was the Nago Pineapple Park and the Fruit Park.
OMG, You Guys. Seriously. Pineapple wine, pineapple on a stick, pineapple juice, pineapple tarts, pineapple cookies, pineapple white chocolate, pineapple cake. It was a pineapple explosion, and I was in HEAVEN.

Assuming heaven has automated golf carts with pineapples on top, anyway:
They also gave us little cups of what I assume was sugar water, and birds landed on us so they could dine lavishly on said sugar water:
Then it was a somewhat more somber visit to the underground Japanese Naval Headquarters. Pretty much anything involving the Battle of Okinawa is rather jarring and solemn, and this was no exception.
The tunnels alone were pretty eerie:
I mean, people were LIVING down here. By the hundreds, if not over 1,000 at a time.
Then you come across a room like this, which has pockmarks all over the wall:
Those pockmarks are from people using grenades to commit suicide after the battle was lost. It was unreal.

After that, it was time for something a bit more fun, so we went over to Shuri Castle:
By this point, everyone's exhausted, but we're having fun and there's still so much left to see, so we can't stop now! Stay tuned for pictures from Nakagusuku Castle, Kokusai Street, and a few beaches.