Pia Veleno's Blog: piaveleno.com, page 10
August 11, 2012
For RJ, With Words
I’m supposed to be writing a blog post about writing. Let’s be honest, there hasn’t been much of that going on around here lately. I won’t bore you with the details, because it’s not supposed to be a blog post about lack-of-writing.
Why, then, you may ask, am I writing this? RJ asked me to, and I adore her.
RJ Scott is celebrating her writing anniversary this weekend. I’m so happy for her. She had a fabulous backlist, and she’s a sweet, wonderful person. At the same time, I’m insanely jealous. You see, I signed on with Silver Publishing just a couple of short months after RJ did. Look at her long list of books and accolades, and then… oh, I really need to get back into writing!
Okay, you got me. It’s a friendly kind of jealous. I am truly happy for RJ, and that’s why I’m blogging during her weekend celebration. I’m using her however. That is, I’m using RJ as inspiration. I’ve let my Day Job get in the way of writing lately. I need to find that Muse again. Last week, I read RJ’s Deefur Dog, and it made me want to carve time out to write a story of my own A good book will always do that to me — push the reader into writer mode. So thanks, RJ, and congratulations on your anniversary. It’s well earned!
That would be my lesson to you for this blog hop, cari miei. It’s exciting to get started, but just like those first rejection letters, sometimes it’s frustrating too. Writing has its ups and downs, but if you can stand strong and weather the downs, the ups come back eventually. And if you don’t, you may be waiting a very long time to celebrate your own publishing anniversary.
I love RJ’s writing, dear Readers. If you have yet to experience Oracle, or Deefur Dog, or any number of other works that she’s written alone, or with other authors, take this weekend to do so. (By the way, she’s giving away a sweet prize during this celebration, so yet another reason to click the links.)
Before you go, however, I’d like to share an excerpt of that first story I published in those first few months when we were both wide-eyed at experiencing the publishing process for the first time, and then I’m going to squeeze in a little work on the still untitled sequel to Man Whore. I promise!
Without further ado, here’s an excerpt of my first Silver work — the one with the lickable Jimmy Thomas in wings on the cover — Fallen.
*~*
Angels can, and do, fall from Heaven. Most of the time it is willingly, like today, but other times, they are cast down for their sins and that Fall is much, much harder. I would rather not discuss this. It breaks my heart to consider the rare brethren who fail so completely that they Fall into the innermost circles of Hell.
A fall is not gentle or graceful, but being as immortal as a sentient creature can get, I am not harmed when I land on Earth. I can be disoriented, which has yet to get any easier with experience, but I accept this and plan my landing accordingly.
Except today.
I land in a crouch, taking the impact through my legs and up my body. A large object looms in my unfocused vision to the left. It hits me, and I sprawl across pavement.
This hurts much more than falling.
Yes, I am an angel, and yes, it is true I cannot die a mortal death. I can, however, feel pain when ensconced in a human body. I close my eyes and take a silent inventory of myself. I hurt, yes, but my injuries are not severe. I will bruise, but nothing is broken. Human body, but not a human mind; I am confident of my diagnosis.
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.”
I open my eyes to see from where the voice emanates. A blur moves towards me from that direction.
The voice asks, “Are you okay?” The face is still fuzzy, but I am settling slowly into my human senses. “Can you move? I’ll call an ambulance.”
His words help me snap through the fog of my fall. I grab his arm as he flips his portable phone open. “No,” I say, “I do not need an ambulance.”
I hurt, yes, but doctors would slow me down and do very little otherwise. I heal quicker than a true human and an angel’s physical form can sometimes cause the little hairs on the back of a doctor’s neck to quiver. They know, but they do not. Professional instinct is strong, though we often appear the same as our mortal charges.
I blink, my eyes focusing on the face hovering over me. I cannot go to the hospital because I have found him. I cannot explain how I know he is the one; I am a guardian angel, and he is my charge. I know.
He is beautiful in his concern, but I recognize sorrow veiled in his deep brown eyes. “So brown,” I whisper. I blink. I had not intended to say a word.
“You’re hurt,” he says, blushing.
“I will be fine.” I sit up, and he turns his hand to take mine and assist me. I am surprised to find I need his strength to steady me. Closing my eyes, I again seek out broken bones or internal injuries. I find nothing, but I am still shaken.
“Are you sure? Look, I’m really sorry.”
When I attempt to stand, his hand is there, helping me. With his arm around my waist, I ease myself to my feet. I look up into his eyes. He did not look tall while I sat on the pavement, but now, both of us on our feet, he looks down at me. My heart pounds in my chest, and the adrenaline makes me sway on my feet.
“Shit. I really think we should get you to the hospital.” He catches me, though I am not falling. Not any more anyway.
~*~
Want to read more?
Fallen is available in ebook, print, and audio formats from Silver Publishing, as well as your favorite third-party distributors.
I’m giving away one ebook and one audio copy this weekend. Just leave your comment here to enter (please include you email with the @ written out to avoid the spam filter, and your format choice — audio, prc, pdf, etc)
And don’t forget to check out the other bloggers celebrating with RJ, and actually managing to blog about writing like they’ve been asked.
Happy weekend, cari miei, and happy anniversary RJ Scott!
August 9, 2012
Emotional Intelligence, guest blog
Drop by Jessica’s blog, Friskbiskit, where I’m discussing emotional intelligence and the contagion of emotions on the internet. Leave a comment and you could win a copy of Hounded By Love too.
Hope to see you there!
Happy reading, cari miei,
Pia
August 7, 2012
Revamping
Sunday I revealed another resolution on the Slash & Burn group blog. I intend – and I hope you, dear Readers, will hold me to this – to blog more often. Yes, I’m sorely aware that I haven’t done much more than post review links and other quick hits, and while it wasn’t intentional to let this blog become so boring, let’s just blame the day job and move on. Okay?
Here are some ideas I have for sprucing up the blog posts. I’d love some feedback on what sounds fun, or not, and if there are blog post styles or ideas you’d like to see in the future.
“Once Upon A Time” Writing topics. Specifically, the creative process. How the stories are born, grow up, and eventually end up on your e-reader of choice. Did you know Man Whore was birthed from a song? You’d never guess the song since the story grew and changed so much that there’s no remnants of the song as inspiration in the published work!
“He Said, He Said” Character interviews. Who’d you like to see interviewed first?
“Teasers” One or two lines of WiPs (or published works) to give you a taste of what I’m working on.
“Quickies” You’ve already seen these. Bullet point updates when I’ve fallen behind on announcements. Hopefully, there won’t be many of these because I do intend to be better about posting.
“Just For Fun” Off topic posts about what I do (or try out) when I’m not writing.
“On A Tangent” You’ve seen these too. Off topic (sometimes) about anything – running, socializing, work, and yes, writing too.
“Coming This Week” I have my doubts I’ll have interesting stuff to post every single week, but like a road race, it’s good to have a goal you’ve trained for, and a stretch goal to shoot for if you’re having a good run and want to give a little push.
What do you think, dear Readers? I think I’m going to struggle to keep up, as always, but I also think it’ll be fun to experiment with these different blog headers. Where should I start? You, after all, read this site, so you should have a say in what you get.
Happy Tuesday, cari miei! Don’t forget to smile. It confuses people.
August 5, 2012
Coming This Week
I’m over at Slash & Burn today following up on last month’s post about blogging. I know I’ve been neglecting this blog, and that’s the focus of this month’s S&B post. Stay tuned here for more on that topic later this week.
Also this week (Thursday, I believe) I’ll be visiting Jessica Freely’s blog with a post about emotions around the internet. Jessica is a fellow Loose Id writer, and one that has those lovely PL Nunn covers too. Yes, that’s why I first tried her stories, but I stayed for the wonderful characters. Drop by Thursday for a chance to win a copy of Hounded By Love.
Last, but certainly not least, RJ Scott is celebrating her anniversary as an author. To celebrate with her, several of her writing friends have gathered to share our thoughts on writing, publishing, and more. I’ll share details at the end of the week.
Happy Sunday, dear Readers!
July 22, 2012
Guest post: Freddy MacKay
I’m taking a writing break this weekend, but please welcome Freddy MacKay in my place. Freddy is here to share an excerpt of a new Silver Publishing release Incubation. Welcome Freddy!
~PV
Thank you Pia for having me today and hello to everyone who has stopped by. My name is Freddy MacKay and I’m here to talk about my new release.
My book, Incubation: Finding Peace 2, was released yesterday by Silver Publishing. And Pia is letting me give you guys a taste of it.
Blurb
David McCourt’s makeshift family moves in together and forms a protective cocoon around him. But they don’t know David’s whole story and he finds the constant noise a distraction instead of a help.
Bobby, Chris, and Austin want to help David however possible—but he needs to open up.
Jackson crossed a line he never thought he would. He wants to take a chance with David, even if his dreams of a normal life are firmly rooted with Alyssa.
The group has the makings of a rag tag family, but secrets—old and new—threaten their fragile bond. The community takes sides and David ends up where he doesn’t want to be: the center of everything.
Content Advisories: This has references to rape or near rape, and has MF and MM scenes.
The excerpt I chose today actually shows a scene between David’s professor, Junnosuke – Jun – Ito, and his longtime friend Henry Wilson. Jun plays the role of David’s protector and father-figure in the series, and he becomes an important part in David’s past, present and future. He’s a little nutty but I love him. Jun is driven by his own past haunts and it is those that draw him to David.
So I felt it was only fitting he got some props during my little blog hop.
‘Fixing the Kitchen’ Excerpt
Pulling the cabinet away from the wall with a crowbar, Junnosuke–Jun–Ito grunted. The muscles in his arms strained from the effort it took to bring the old oak cupboards down. Sadness churned in his chest for the slow destruction of his former home, but the boys needed a safe place to live. Giving them a residence where he could watch over them was imperative. He needed to know they would be okay. And, in a strange way, remodeling was almost liberating. The house had been stuck in time, a constant reminder of better days… and worse ones.
The kitchen hadn’t changed in the nearly thirty years since he and the guys put it in during their undergraduate school days. Neither had the bathrooms for that matter, and the tacky, early-1980s décor had to go. Jun chuckled. How had they ever thought any of this crap had been a good choice?
Bright blue eyes with unruly, dirty blond hair flashed in Jun’s mind. Abby. His best friend always had… eclectic taste.
“What are you laughing about?”
Jun glanced back. Henry Wilson had his arms crossed, eyebrow arched, and a questioning look on his face. His friend’s T-shirt had sweat marks around the neck and armpits, and his shoulders slumped forward ever so slightly. Guilt seeped into Jun. Henry felt the demo every bit as much he did, if not more. Henry had been the one to stay behind, kept the house when Jun couldn’t stay; the anger, remorse, and confusion over Abby’s disappearance driving him from their home.
“Just wondering where our good sense was when we decorated the place.”
Henry grinned and looked around. “You mean, why we let Abby take over?”
“Did we have a choice?” Jun asked defiantly.
Henry shook his head, squinted at Jun. “You’re the one with carpentry experience.”
Jun snorted. “Do you think that would have really mattered? Abby didn’t even remember until we tore up his bathroom.”
“No,” Henry answered. His smile widened, and his eyes sparkled with the memories of their friend. “Abby was a force unto himself.”
“Yeah, he was,” replied Jun quietly. He looked around the room. “But I can’t believe you haven’t made any updates; it’s almost ridiculous.”
Henry stepped next to Jun, grabbed the crowbar, and planted his foot against the wall. “Just wanted Abby to have a place to call home if he ever decided to come back… thirty years passed before I realized it and, well, I—” Henry shook his head. “Time just got away from me. Besides, being your lawyer has kept me more than busy over the years.”
Jun gave Henry a half smile and nudged his friend’s shoulder. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” chastised Henry affectionately.
Jun’s grin spread across his face. “Nope.”
Henry managed to pop the cabinet off of the wall.
Tilting his head to one side, he winked. “And I’m pretty sure with how well you have this kitchen and the rest of the house put together you never intended for any of it to come out… ever.”
“Fuck you, Henry.”
“No thanks, Manami’s got that covered.”
Jun flipped Henry off then motioned for his friend to place the crowbar between the wall and next cupboard to be removed. Turning back to the cabinet, Henry slid the flat end of the tool against its edge, and looked around.
“Mallet?”
Smiling, Jun handed his friend the tool. “You did learn something from me.”
“Asshole,” Henry grumbled and hit the crowbar. His lips pressed together in concentration, his gaze focused directly in front of him. “How are Manami and the kids? I missed Kana’s orchestra concert last week and didn’t get the chance to see them.”
“I—uh, they’re good.” Jun grabbed the cold steel and helped Henry pull. “Kana was a bit put out you didn’t show.”
They grunted, yanking hard, and the cabinet popped off the wall.
“She adores you,” mumbled Jun, scowling. He let go of the crowbar and wiped his hands on his pants.
Henry laughed. “I know.”
Standing back, Jun looked up at his bulky friend and smiled. “All the kids do. Toku and Yuu have missed you too. I wish you’d have dinner with us more often. It’s not healthy to eat by yourself so much.”
Henry shrugged, giving Jun his standard non-reply reply.
“Well…” Jun looked around the kitchen, a sense of loss overwhelming him. “It looks like the demo’s done here.”
Henry agreed quietly. “Yes, it does.”
Jun didn’t move, didn’t speak to Henry. He just stood with Henry in their old, demolished room. If Henry felt half of what Jun did, then all the old memories of the space filled his thoughts, too. A familiar dull pain bloomed in his chest.
“We still have a lot to get done,” said Henry finally, somberly, glancing around the room. “Those bathrooms aren’t gonna ignore us.”
“That’s true. We need to get everything out so the kids can paint.”
Henry sighed. “I never wanted to deal with those horrid rooms again.”
“Horrid?” Jun squinted in Henry’s direction.
Excerpt End
Here’s a little more info about me:
http://freddysstereograph.weebly.com
http://freddymackay.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/freddy.m.mackay
For my FREE flash fiction pieces, if you would like a taste, you can go to: http://freddymackaysshorts.blogspot.com
Thanks for having me Pia! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
July 18, 2012
Free Read
The Wolf at My Door has been posted in the M/M Romance group at Goodreads. This is a free story based on the photo and reader prompt provided. When I saw this prompt was abandoned by its original author I couldn’t help but drop everything and give the poor guy a resolution… though only after tormenting him a bit.
The group threads are only for members, but the group is open to new members and, as last time, there are a ton of free stories in this writing event.
So drop on by and check out The Wolf at My Door, because not all wolves are big and bad.
The Wolf at My Door on Goodreads.com
PS This will eventually be posted on Smashwords and ARe, and maybe even faster than I managed to get Freedom’s Souvenirformatted and posted. Though any recommendations on cover art from you, dear Readers, would surely speed this process along.
PSS Yes, there is a rough sketch of a sequel, though Man Whore and Fallen are due their sequels first. Perhaps even Freedom’s Souvenir too.
Oh, gods, how far behind am I?
Loose Id update
Looking for Loose Id books? Your purchase history? New releases? Your wishlist?
LI has released a very detailed letter to its customers explaining the issues and what they’re doing to correct it: ”A Letter to Our Customers“
In short, don’t worry. LI is not going anywhere, and they’re working their butts off to get things back to normal.
And, as a reminder, anything not showing on the interim site is probably available through third-party distributors such as ARe who is hosting a 25% rebate on LI titles through July.
AllRomanceeBooks
(Apparently, I can’t link to my book list on ARe, but there’s a search box on the top right)
Also available at:
My Amazon page
My B&N page
Thanks for your patience, dear Readers.
July 17, 2012
Loose Id site update
From Loose-Id:
Thank you for sticking with us during this recent website downtime, and we have good news! By *tomorrow afternoon, *that’s Tuesday, we’ll have last week’s releases (already available at authorized resellers) and this week’s new releases available at www.loose-id.com. We’ll also be having an ongoing 25% off sale on all e-books available off the site to thank you for your loyalty.
We’ll have more news and updates for you about what’s being done to get us back up to speed and moving into the future, also tomorrow. At this time, we just want to reassure you that all’s well here at Loose Id, and we’re looking forward to seeing all of you back on the site again tomorrow.
July 15, 2012
Loose Id ARe Rebate
From the 15th through the end of the month, get a 25% rebate from Loose Id purchases at AllRomanceEbooks.com.
What a perfect time to pick up Hounded By Love or Make You Sweat, or any other Loose Id ebook you’ve been eyeing.
For those of you who haven’t experienced and ARe rebate, basically you pay the list price of the book, but then your account gets credited 25% of eligible dollars which you can use immediately, or save toward your next download.
July 14, 2012
Review and Giveaway
Hounded By Love was recently reviewed at The Romance Reviews. Bridget had this to say about the story:
“HOUNDED BY LOVE was a welcome surprise, with an emotional depth that was quite unexpected. “
Read the full review HERE
~*~
In other news, the winner of the Slash & Burn giveaway is comment #1, Melora. Mel, please email me at piathewriter@gmail.com with your preferred ebook format to claim your prize. Congratulations!
While there weren’t many responses, I was happy with the comments on this giveaway. Basically, readers seem to like the same thing in blogs that I like to both read and write. The next step is finding time to actually keep up with writing those blog posts. Anyone have a few extra hours each week they could donate?
Have a great weekend, dear Readers!
