Lisa Worrall's Blog, page 21

WINNERS OF I CAN SEE FOR MILES

CONGRATULATIONS TO :-

Littlesuze!

and

Debby!

Evil Genius... or Little Shit?

There was a little girl, who had a little curlRight in the middle of her foreheadAnd when she was good, she was very very goodBut when she was bad... she was horrid!
Ah yes, the age old nursery rhyme and, as mothers of little girls, how many of us can hold up our hands and say... OH HELL YEAH... 'cause after yesterday, I am waving every appendage I possess and borrowing the dog's, too! 
The incident which I will regale you with in this post, left me wondering whether I should punish my little Angel, or give her points for creativity. It was one of those times when you are so angry but at the same time, you feel a flash of envy... because I'd never have thought of it. Here we go...
I have two lovely children (most of the time) and my daughter is, as most of you know, teeny tiny, squeaky little girl voiced, blonde haired, blue-eyed, pretty little dolly (as my friend Sharon likes to call her). But see that's because Sharon, like so many of you have been sucked in by the butter wouldn't melt smile, the fluttering eyelashes and the perfected expression of, "Me? Good lord no. I've never even contemplated not doing as I'm told, or trying to lie my way out of a situation."
Whereas I - wait, I think Elvis expressed it more eloquently than I can...
"You look like an angel, walk like an angel, talk like an angel, but I got wise... you're the Devil in disguise, oh yes you are."
Let me clarify - both my children are off school with conjunctivitis so I had to purchase some antibiotic drops from the chemist/pharmacy yesterday. Alex, who is in fact the bigger girl of the two even though he has a penis, took his drops surprisingly well. Gracie, however, decided she didn't have conjunctivitis, because she has obviously developed self-diagnosis powers over night and knows these things - so wasn't having her drops in. 
I decided, rather than upset her, I would keep trying throughout the day so I asked Alex to put her drops in the fridge with his. An hour later he went to retrieve them and they were gone. Now, I don't know about yours, but what my children fail to understand is that there is only one person in this world who can tell when they're lying - before they even open their mouths - and that's ME! Gracie obviously thought I was going to believe that she had not taken her drops out of the fridge and hidden them.
I calmly advised her that she was not in trouble, but those drops had cost me money. That they needed to remain in the fridge because they were antibiotics and if she put them back, we wouldn't mention the subject again. She, of course, let out the plaintive, tearless and far too calm wail of, "But I didn't do anything with them."
Time ticked along and the drops did not reappear and Alex had to have his next dose. I told him to get his drops from the fridge. He came back to tell me his were now missing, too. So... quite understandably, I lost my shit. I told her she had fifteen minutes to put the drops back or I was going to tell the gymnastics club we had been waiting months for her to get a place in, that the spot she was going to start in this evening could be given to someone else. Her response was the same plaintive wail, followed by an, "I don't care!"
At 4.00pm, I cancelled gymnastics. Then I impressed upon her that if she didn't tell me what she'd done with her brother's medication, she might find it difficult to sit down for roughly a month. 
Finally my Angel told me that she... are you ready for this... thought she saw some eye drops behind the dryer in the kitchen! After they were retrieved, both bottles, she was rubbing her bottom for a while and was then sat on to have the drops put in her eyes.
All the while I was thinking you little cow... why didn't I think of that when my dad tried to give me that shitty cough mixture when I was a kid!
So next time I post a picture of my Angel, just remember these words... SHEER EVIL!

I CAN SEE FOR MILES GIVEAWAY

Who wants to get their hands on a copy of I Can See For Miles?

I've got two copies for you to get your hot little mitts on. And what do you have to do to receive this wondrous bounty you wonder? Could it be that you have to hand over your first born? Or clean my car every week for the next year? Hmmm... could it be that you have to take the rugrats off my hands and not bring them back until they have finished their education and have their own apartment and well paid job? As tempting as the last one is (for me at least) all you have to do is leave me a comment and your email, then keep your eyes peeled for next Saturday, when my glamorous assistant will dip into the tombola and pull out the lucky winners.

BLURB:

After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper.

Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.

GOOD LUCK!

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN LISA LAND?

I thought it was about time I gave you a little update as to what's happening in Lisa Land.

Hurrah, I hear you cry! Or in some instances, oh God not her again!

My candle has been burning at both ends and the little grey cells have been stretched to the limit. Considering the lack of said cells in the first place, the old noggin is on overload, trying to deal with the voices of characters clamouring to be heard.

Let's kick off with Monty... and here's the man himself!

I am in the process of setting up a separate page on my website, detailing everything you would want to know about Finn and Aiden's burgeoning romance. You can wander through the history of the park, get a little insight into each character as well as be kept up to date with what's happening next.

There are a few misconceptions about the Marshall's Park series, mainly that it's a serial. It's not. Each short is a snippet from the first year of Finn and Aiden's relationship, whether it be how they met, their first date, or running into an ex on a romantic weekend away. They do not follow on from each other like a serial would.

After a little hiccup at the beginning, you'll also be pleased to note that future shorts will be released on the 20th of each month, starting with #4, Meeting Monty's Parents. Just to whet your appetite and tickle your taste buds, here are a few further titles...

#5 Monty Loses his Head
#6 Monty Moves In
#7 Monty's Show and Tell
#8 Monty Meets the Parents
#9 Monty Gets Married
#10 Christmas with Monty

I'm excited to see what hilarity ensues and sometimes the hardships they overcome along the way, and I hope you are, too.

Oh and don't forget, after short #10 is released, all the Marshall's Park series will be available in a single print book :)

~*~
Another little bit of news is that I will be updating and re-releasing A Nanny for Nate! I don't know about you, but I'm very interested to find out what's been happening with Parker, Jake and Nate. When we left them, Nate's meddling had brought Parker and Jake together, but will they have stood the test of time, or will having a ready made family and competing with a ghost have been too much for Jake? I guess we'll be finding out this Summer!

~*~
I have two works in progress on the go at the moment. One is Un-Expected, the story of Micah and Harry, set in rural England. Harry broke Micah's heart in university and it took Micah a long time to put himself back together. He manages to do it, too - until Harry moves into the cottage opposite in the tiny village of Ellendale where Micah grew up. Not only does he turn Micah's world upside down, but he has with him a very pregnant girlfriend who, as a local midwife, Micah has to treat. But all is not what it seems, either when they were in university, or now.

The other is Before Sundown. Set in the 1800's, this is the story of wealthy landowner's son Samuel Somerfield and the ranch hand he falls in love with, Ely Watkins. But Samuel's sadistic father has a plan for his son and they do not include running away with another man. Can Ely stop Samuel being forced into a marriage of a convenience to line his father's pockets? And if he can, how will Samuel react to the knowledge that his father lied when he said Ely was dead?

~*~
Finally... for the moment...

Coming later this year is the long awaited sequel to Laurel Heights.
The book was supposed to be a standalone, but public demand and a teeny idea for a sequel has had me thinking that a few loose ends need tying up.

However, while some aspects will be tied with a pretty bow, it doesn't mean there won't be some angst along the way.

How is Will and Scott's relationship standing up to the pressures of their job? Is working in such close proximity actually driving them apart instead of bringing them together?

When they start working on the high profile case of the serial killer who has been murdering young gay men in their city, will their love be strong enough to weather the storm when one of them is placed in mortal danger?

And what about Todd? Did he and Jason get to their dreamed of ranch? Or does the mysterious Mr Jones stand in their way?

Watch this space!

MAINSTREAM VERSUS GLBTQ - WHAT IS A FAIR PRICE?

Here it is... can you smell it? Can you feel the crinkle of that special kind of silky paper beneath your fingertips? 'Course you can. I'm salivating right now just looking at that giant pile of the green stuff (although it would be shiny gold stuff for me in the shape of the great pound coin *sigh* how I miss the pound note. When you had one of those in your purse you actually felt like you had money, not loose change - anyhoo, I digress)

December 2011, Rebel Ink released my Too Much Christmas Spirit short of almost 4,000 words (told you it was short) for $2.99 and it flew off the shelves, sold really well, which surprised me. When I saw how much it was up for my immediate thought was "That's way too expensive, no one's going to buy it." So when it did I kind of thanked my lucky stars and did my Snoopy dance.

December 2012, I self-published 'Tis the Season, another Christmas short of just under 4,000 words - I think there may have been like three hundred words difference between the two stories - at the gigantic price of 99c American which is 66p British. The only thing that amazed me about this short, although it did sell very well, were the comments made on both Amazon and Goodreads about how it wasn't worth 99c. Well maybe those people didn't like the actual story you might say. Actually no, they said it was a good story, just not long enough for the 99c they paid out.

I was so upset by this that I posted on my blog about the actual monetary cost a lot of self-publishers face in producing a story - whether it be 4,000 words or 70,000 words. 'Tis the Season cost nearly $300 to produce and publish, so I kind of thought 99c was a pretty good deal and with the commission only 35% on books at Amazon priced less than $2.99, I didn't break even.

I also had the same thing happen with the Monty Series, where someone complained about paying 66p for the first one and so on. The whole idea behind Monty was that while I was working on meatier, longer stuff, I could release a little bit of cheap fluff (again, cheap to purchase, but not cheap for me to produce) for my readers enjoyment and didn't have to wait months and months for a new release. It certainly wasn't intended to rip anyone off.

Anyhoo... now that's the background out of the way, let's get to the reason for my rambling. I released Monty #3 today, but before I did, I had a discussion with a reviewer friend of mine as I have to admit I am slightly paranoid about pricing now, so needed a second opinion.

Monty #3 is longer than the others, coming in at just over 16,000 words, and I asked her whether she would be happy to pay $2.99 for a story that length. I was half expecting her response to be God that's way too much, sending me to run off with my tail between my legs. However, she actually said that she'd be more than happy to pay that. She indicated that in her opinion GLBTQ authors price their books way too low, and that mainstream authors charge a lot more for a lot less.

This got me thinking...

Have we been pricing too low? Are we thinking, deep down, that because we write in a specific genre, people won't buy our stuff unless we practically give it away? Why? Aren't we just as good as mainstream? Isn't there just as much call for our genre as there is for fluffy white picket fences and 2.4 children? Should we be relegated to the bargain bin because of our genre, not the quality of our work?

There is also the inimitable question... why are publishers able to price some of our books at such a high price and they still sell? Try and put up 4,000 words for less than a dollar/pound as a self-pub and you're a money-grabbing sleaze-bag. Does a story have more weight because it is released through a publisher? I don't see how. It's the same story you would submit to your publisher, you're just cutting out the middle man, not cutting any of the quality. As a self-pub author, I still have to pay for an editor, a cover artist, a proof reader and a formatter. The only thing different is that its my company name on the bottom left hand corner, no one else's.

I may be opening up a whole can of worms here... but what's your opinion... as author, as reader, as reviewer... lay it on me.

Lisa xx

TODAY'S GUEST : AUTHOR OF THE BLUE NOTES SERIES : SHIRA ANTHONY!!

I've put the kettle on and opened the cookie jar as I have a special guest today. Shira Anthony has popped in to talk about Prelude, part of the Blue Notes Series, so I'm going to sit back and let her take the floor... enjoy.


Fictional Characters and Real Life
Thanks, Lisa, for hosting the Prelude Blog Tour today!  Thanks also for letting me talk about the fourth book in my Blue Notes Series of classical music themed gay romances, Prelude , which was just released by Dreamspinner Press on May 6th.  The Blue Notes Series  are spinoff novels, so the books can be read in any order.  Prelude is chronologically the first, even though it’s the fourth book in the series.
A few days after Prelude was released, a friend of mine posted a photo of a dangerously sexy violinist on Facebook.  Long hair, tattoos, and the kind of smolderingly intense eyes that just make you want to meld into a puddle of goo where you stand.  I figured he was one good-looking model.  Wrong!  My friend sent me a link to a video. (Check it out – it’s amazing!)  Not a model.  Try “good-looking and super talented crossover violinist” David Garrett.  It was one of those “holy crap!” moments.   Why?  Because other than the fact word has it David is straight, he could have literally walked off the pages of Prelude.  Let me explain...
Prelude is a story of apparent opposites.  David Somers, a world-renowned conductor who grew up in a wealthy New England family.  Sophisticated and a bit of a classical music purist, David meets violinist Alex Bishop when Alex fills in for an ailing soloist and plays with the Chicago Symphony under David’s baton.  Alex has tattoos, long hair, and is a popular crossover artist.  He plays Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart as easily as he plays the Stones or Led Zepplin.  Alex grew up as a foster kid on the rough Chicago streets and nearly died on them.  Underneath it all, Alex and David have the strongest bond: their love for music.  And that’s where the story starts:  when David hears Alex play.
Alex is a fictional character, obviously.  But I drew on my love of crossover violin music and specifically Jean-Luc Ponty, who I grew up listening to, to create Alex.  I’d never heard of David Garrett.  Which is why I was so stunned when I saw his photograph and then watched the video.  In Prelude, David Somers notices how comfortable Alex is with his audience, and how much he responds to their excitement when he plays for them.  That same intensity of connection between audience and performer is there when you watch David Garrett play.  Alex is an amazing violinist.  His tone is beautiful, and his sense of the music natural.  I see the same ability in David Garrett.  In spite of the fact that he’s rocking out to Led Zepplin or playing Vivaldi with a rock beat, David’s tone is beautiful and his technique incredibly solid.
So if you read Prelude, I suggest you take a look at one of David Garrett’s videos.  Enjoy the view (he’s stunning!), enjoy the sound, and enjoy the intensity of his focus.  That’s exactly what I had in mind when my co-author, Venona Keyes, and I wrote Prelude. 
If you haven’t read any of the Blue Notes Series, you can dive in with any story and in any order.  I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.  Want to read an excerpt from Prelude? Click on this link (my website) and scroll down to the excerpt tab, or you can read a second excerpt on the Dreamspinner Press book page (same deal – scroll down and click the excerpt link). -Shira
PS:  Want to win some Blue Notes swag?  I’ll be giving away winner’s choice of a paperback or ebook of one of the Blue Notes novels as well as a Blue Notes Series t-shirt (winner’s choice of cover) at the end of the Blue Notes blog tour.  To enter, comment on this post and the other blog posts to win!  I’ll be drawing winners at the end of the blog tour.  If I have a lot of entries, I’ll add a few more prizes to sweeten the pot!****************************
Summary:  World-renowned conductor David Somers never wanted the investment firm he inherited from his domineering grandfather. He only wanted to be a composer. But no matter how he struggles, David can’t translate the music in his head into notes on paper.When a guest violinist at the Chicago Symphony falls ill, David meets Alex Bishop, a last-minute substitute. Alex’s fame and outrageous tattoos fail to move David. Then Alex puts bow to string, and David hears the brilliance of Alex’s soul.
David has sworn off relationships, believing he will eventually drive away those he loves, or that he'll lose them as he lost his wife and parents. But Alex is outgoing, relaxed, and congenial—everything David is not—and soon makes dents in the armor around David's heart. David begins to dream of Alex, wonderful dreams full of music. Becoming a composer suddenly feels attainable.David’s fragile ego, worn away by years of his grandfather’s disdain, makes losing control difficult. When David’s structured world comes crashing down, his fledgling relationship with Alex is the first casualty. Still, David hears Alex’s music, haunting and beautiful. David wants to love Alex, but first he must find the strength to acknowledge himself.
NOTE: Each Blue Notes novel is a standalone story and books in the series can be read in any order.
Want to buy the Blue Notes Series books? You can find them all here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=54_673   ****************************In her last incarnation, Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.

Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Shira can be found on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com
E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com


Thank you, Shira, and I wish you many, many sales which there will be, I have no doubt!Well I don't know about you, but I am rushing hot-footed to my Kindle to buy Prelude!Don't forget to comment to get your chance of participating in her wonderful giveaway - good luck!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT WILL & SCOTT?

Will and Scott from Laurel Heights are going to be visiting me next week, and I thought it would be fun to ask them some of the questions you, the readers, really want to know the answers to.

They were a little reluctant at first, especially Will, who likes to keep his cards close to his chest, but Scott managed to talk him round, so I think it's going to be quite an interesting interview.

So if there's anything you want to know, why don't you leave me a question and I can ask them for you.

I know there are a few things I'm interested to find out...

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF INTERNET DATING

This is me... well a variation of me in an alternative universe where I can get my laptop that close and there is no two ten pound children belly in the way... trawling through the too many to count messages I receive daily from the couple of internet dating sites I am registered with.

I am becoming more and more disheartened with these sites. Not because they don't work, hell, I met the man who would be my soul mate for thirteen years, until he decided his soul should spread it's wings.

I'm not saying there aren't wonderful men out there to be met, I'm just a little concerned about the amount of frogs you have to trawl through to find your Prince. For instance...

While I'm not that bothered about looks, I like to think I'm a little less shallow than that (especially when I'm not exactly Jennifer Lawrence - I had to update that from Meg Ryan so I don't show my age), but aren't we all secretly hoping the guy on the other end of the email looks like him (see right)?

I don't mind if you don't want to meet me because I'm not your type, we have nothing in common, I'm not Jennifer Lawrence etc, but to find your interesting waning because of my chosen profession? I kind of take offence to that.

Take, lets call him Bob, who I'd been chatting to for a couple of weeks. We seemed to have quite a bit in common, he only lived a couple of miles away, worked in traffic control (a grown up job) and didn't mind kids, having some of his own, albeit grown up. I'd decided to look for a slightly more mature man for a change in the hope of finding someone a bit more grounded and less likely to have the need to be attached at the hip, and at six years older than me, he seemed to fit the bill - or Bob.

Anyhoo, during one of our conversations he'd asked me what type of literature I wrote. I replied, gay erotic romance. His response was, "Well that's pissed on my chips." I was confused and was then outraged when he explained... "I could see myself having a relationship with a writer, but not sure I could have one with a writer who has gay images going through her head twenty-four hours a day. Unless of course you wanted anal."

First of all, I don't have gay images going through my head twenty-four hours a day - I sleep for at least five for God's sake! I also object to the assumption that;

1. Because I write gay romance, I would want him to be gay.

and

2. That during more intimate moments, I would be thinking about two men having sex. (I'd be more likely to be thinking about Jensen Ackles, but didn't think it was the appropriate time to point that out).

I informed him, politely of course, that I am a straight woman and have no aspirations to be a gay man (don't have the right equipment) or be in a relationship with a gay man. That I am not ashamed of what I do, that I'm actually not that bad at it and it makes me enough money to pay the bills and treat my kids. I did point out that contrary to his concerns, I don't think about gay men all day. I sit down to work, do what I have to do and then at the end of my working day I put my mummy hat on and don't put my work hat on again until the following day.
That I would like to think that when we were making love he wasn't thinking about directing traffic and that I would hope he would be thinking about me - as I would be thinking about him. Oh,  and I also indicated, maybe a little less politely, that there is one of these (see left) on my arse!

I guess age really is just a number and it amazed me to see the differing mindset those few short years between us had.

*sigh* I shall, however, keep plugging away and am actually talking to a really nice guy at the moment (but then they're all nice - sorry the cynic in me rises to the surface) who likes old movies, Dr Who and has tried to out-dweeb me on several occasions and failed dismally. Will we meet? I don't know... guess we'll just have to wait and see if he turns out to be another frog... or the elusive Prince.

SNIPPET SUNDAY

SNIPPET SUNDAY
Each week I shall be posting a ten line snippet to tantalise your taste budsof either a work in progress or an already published work.
If you're an author who wants to join in, leave me a comment here and if there is enough interest, I will consider setting up a Snippet Sunday page.
BLURB:
After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper. Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.
“I guess everyone’s a matchmaker around here,” Josh mumbled, one of his hands moving from Charlie’s waist and trailing up Charlie’s arm until he met the line of Charlie’s jaw with his fingertips. Charlie swallowed a moan at the tentative stroking of Josh’s fingers and a tremor ran through him when Josh’s fingers drifted to his mouth, just as they had the night before. “Your momma’s wrong about one thing, though,” Josh said softly, bending his head with purpose. “You’re not pretty.”“No?” Charlie couldn’t help the gasp that fell from his lips. He should be pulling away. This was completely unprofessional. Josh was a client. Why wasn’t he pulling away?         “You’re beautiful.” 



GET YOUR COPY HERE
See you next week!
Lisa x

RELEASE DAY! I CAN SEE FOR MILES AVAILABLE NOW!

BLURB:


After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper.
Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.



COVER BY PAUL RICHMOND!
AVAILABLE HERE NOW