Pia Veleno's Blog: piaveleno.com, page 4

Book Review: A New Dawn, by Allie Berg

Fair warning, I’m writing about a book with girl bits today.

I recently read A New Dawn by Allie Berg. This story is the unofficial anchor story for the Eostre’s Baskets collection. A New Dawn tells the tale of Essie, the sexy and mysterious woman who creates gift baskets for the men and women of the entire Eostre’s Baskets collection. Essie, or Eostre, despite being a female character, turned out to be fun, strong, and stubborn, while also being willing to let down her guard here and there. Sometimes for a sexy shape-shifting man, and sometimes simply to befriend a sorta-feral boar.

Oh, I shouldn’t say “despite” but let’s face it – I rarely read heterosexual romance stories. I couldn’t even finish the Black Dagger Brotherhood that everyone seems to love. This, however – the fiery Essie, her mysterious male suitor, the mo’o who wanted them both off her island, and even Smithy, the lame sort-of-feral boar – this story, its magic and all its characters, kept me reading despite the girl bits. Both ladies, Essie and Moana, were unique and enjoyable, each with their own flaws and strengths, and personalities that made me want to read more of them.

Meanwhile our sexy male lead, Xav, despite his different faces and names, was a guy I could cheer for, even when it seemed Essie would set him ablaze like the dawn before letting him touch her again. Not that he didn’t deserve it, of course, but no spoilers here.

With a goddess who’s forgotten her past, an incarnation of internet porn, a pissy ancient guardian, a pissier and even more ancient god, and a few teasers for Essie’s other success stories, this is a book I can recommend to anyone who likes a bit of magic mixed in with their doses of sexy.

Need more? Check out Allie’s website HERE, or you can view the blurb and download A New Dawn on Loose Id’s website HERE.

 

Disclaimer: I did receive a copy of this book free, from Allie, with the hope for, but not the promise of, some nice words. Free, as us Kindle whores know, doesn’t make a book good. Allie, on the other hand, does. 

Jabberwocky: writing, reading, working, and sitting

Time’s been flying by since the release of Solo Flight. I haven’t done much writing, but I have been keeping very busy. The biggest loss of personal time stems from finally landing a job I’d been angling for over the past six months. With this new department, I have no down time but less stress, so while I won’t be balancing my checkbook during market hours anymore, I have already noticed a change in my mood, energy, and behavior.

Carving out time for writing should come as I settle into the new routine. As will time to clean the house, catch up on laundry, and other things being neglected lately. Including Crank. Yes, I know it’s been a while since I posted a chapter to that fun online web series. I know what comes next. It’s in my head, waiting for the time to sit down and write. Perhaps I should’ve chosen that obnoxious redhead over the blog this morning, but I’m barely awake and will have a better shot at coherent fiction after my run. I’ll get back to him. Soon, I promise.

Even reading has become scarce in my life. I’ve had the anchor story for the Eostre’s Baskets collection on my Kindle since release date, and still have about an hour left to read. A New Dawn is a great story, too, and I want to finish it. (Warning for you M/M “purists”, this is a het romance. You know, girl bits.) Essie, the creator of the baskets in Solo Flight (and the other stories) has her own tale to tell and her own shot at a sexily ever after in A New Dawn. I’ve enjoyed it so far, and will have to let you know more once I’ve finished reading it.

Oh, I’d meant to write about the new running club, but I’ve rambled at you enough for one Sunday morning. I’ll add that to the list of things to do. It’s already there, in a way, because I’m hoping to come back to the health/fitness posts in between writing updates. Let’s face it. Both readers and writers spend a lot of time sitting, and so once in a while we need to set the stories aside and come up for air. Our bodies will appreciate it, even if our muses object.

Happy Sunday, dear Readers!

Update on Silver books

So, yeah… Silver Publishing is done. What, exactly, happened I don’t know. Oh, sure, money. Blah, blah. As has been the problem for a while now, there’s been little to no communication on the matter, but the sudden shut down was not surprising since I haven’t seen a royalty report in a couple of quarters, and requests for information kept being put off.

It’s fine. This will save me the hassle of asking for the rights back. However, for those of you who have previously purchased any Silver Publishing books, please make sure you have a back-up of your purchase. The SP servers will be taken off line as of May first. Check your copies now, and download what you’ve paid for.

Going forward, I do intend to have the four stories I had with SP rereleased soon. I haven’t decided where yet, but they do have priority on my to-do list. My current thought involves sending Fallen and Man Whore out to publishers, and self-pubbing the two shorts: Bound By Love and My Ghost.

I’ve had two invitations from other publishers, and that makes this much easier to address. Perhaps, once these four stories are back online at your favorite storefronts, I’ll also have a publisher lined up that is eager to get the sequel to Man Whore cleaned up and published. It’s been ready, but I haven’t been. Yep, for that now obvious reason… that I’m not the least bit surprised that I now have Man Whore back in my full ownership.

In the meantime, Solo Flight is now available on Amazon. Click HERE to purchase.

Winners!

Everyone is a winner! If you left me a joke, email me your mailing address and I’ll get your book in the mail (hopefully) this week.

Send all important data to: piathewriter@gmail.com

Congratulations to HB, Trix, and TracyG!

…and thank you for participating in this blog hop for Autism!

For those of you who didn’t have a chance to visit sooner or were shy about the jokes, stay tuned to this blog. As soon as I get all my ducks in a row and re-release the former Silver Publishing stories, I’ll be hosting another giveaway to celebrate.

Have a great day, dear Readers!

~Pia

 

Who Loves a Book Sale?

My latest release, Solo Flight, is on sale for only $3.49 right now! That’s 40% off!

Several of the other Eostre’s Baskets stories are on sale too. Click the beautiful graphic to see the full list of available ebooks in this collection, and their tempting sale prices.

 

Autism Speaks

“people with autism can understand humour & make jokes but an often literal understanding of the world can lead to confusions”

I met my nieces in Florida this month. They ran me ragged at every turn. We waited a half hour for the Dumbo ride. I learned the names of five My Little Ponies, and the story of Princess Luna. I figured out how to allow high-fives without letting it turn into a hitting game. I witnessed bits and pieces of sixteen viewings of Frozen, laughed every time I was tickled by little fingers, and patiently repeated “please cover your mouth” at dozens of coughs as if I hadn’t said it several times already.

They wore me out. No doubt about it. I have a new respect for parents who do this 24-hours a day.

I may have returned home exhausted, but I loved the visit. They were full of pure energy and joy, untainted by the stresses of work, bills, and other adult nonsense. They reminded me what it was like to be a child. To believe in magic. To adore a favorite stuffed animal. To hug a princess but cringe from the Grinch.

My nieces are healthy and beautiful and clever and even a little sassy. I’m grateful they haven’t had many struggles beyond having to shut off the iPad to take a bath or breaking into tears after being caught hitting each other. I’ve read a lot about autism since signing up for RJ’s blog hop, but there’s a lot more information out there. I don’t have to do this – my girls aren’t affected by this disorder, but you never know when you might meet someone who is. From mild, barely noticeable symptoms to facts like the one bolded above, and beyond, austism runs a wide spectrum. Aren’t you curious what’s out there affecting the kids all around you?

Thank you for visiting, dear Readers. Don’t forget to check RJ’s list of participants to hop to the next blog and the next autism fact by clicking HERE. And to learn more about autism, www.autismspeaks.org has some great articles.

For those of you that stayed this long, how about a prize or two? In support of the autism fact above, tell me a joke and then tell me your preferred prize: paperback of Fallen, Man Whore, or Hounded by Love, or one of the ebooks on my backlist. Don’t forget to come back April 15th to see if you won. I don’t have time to chase you down.

Goodbye Silver

 

With little notice, Silver Publishing has gone through some changes that required them to revert all rights back to me. All Silver Publishing books should now be off any retail websites. Please be patient, as I hope to turn them around to other publishers as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I hope to give away a couple of paperbacks still kicking around the house somewhere. Possibly this week.

With this, I’m also asking for recommendations for cover artists. I hope to self-publish the short stories while I work through the submission process for the longer ones. Send me names and examples. If I score a good one, I could have a finder’s fee. Free ebooks anyone?

 

For a Cause

April 2nd was the seventh annual World Autism Awareness Day. My friend and fellow author, RJ Scott, has organized another blog hop to help raise awareness about Autism. Every day during the first half of April, bloggers will post a fact about autism, and share not only a blog post, but also a prize for lucky readers. So hop on over to RJ’s blog to find the links to several posts already live, and make note of others to read as the month goes on.

 

Enigma in Introversion

I’m a bit of an enigma, even to myself.

Here I sit, contemplating the strange contradiction of my mind, while waiting for another hour to pass so we can get this event over with. No, not the contemplation, but the wedding event. I’m in Tampa. It’s raining, thundering too, and that’s today’s saving grace. I love a powerful storm, and I hate weddings.

Yes, the author who writes happily ever after over and over again hates weddings. Maybe hate is too strong of a word you may think, but let’s face it, the bride will never read this, and besides, it’s not her fault. She’s a wonderful girl, and she’s got a great family, both by birth and, soon, by marriage. I’m happy for her — I am — but I’d rather stay in the hotel tonight.

It’s me. It may be the start of their happily ever after, but it’s also a party. A party with a lot of people. A party with a lot of people I don’t know. A party with a lot of people I don’t know being loud and drunk and social. I could keep going but I think you get the idea. It’s all well and good to celebrate a marriage, and it’s a perfect milestone to what should be many years of love and happiness — their own happily ever after — but as a world-class introvert, I dread the celebration.

Maybe I’m not really an enigma, but I like the word. Enigma. It’ll give me something to think about when I retreat from the inundation of stimulation within the wild celebration of romance and happiness. Happily ever after. I wonder if the best man needs one with that twink usher?

I could cut you off with a shoulder of stone

Smoke all night and leave the party alone

Screw myself with an inscrutable pout

But I just want you to come figure me out

I don’t want to be another mystery, oh no

I don’t want to see who’s looking at me, oh no

~Dar Williams, Another Mystery

Solo Flight: excerpt and news

Thank you, dear Readers, for making Solo Flight a bestseller on ARe!

 

 

 

 

For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, here’s an excerpt:

 

Friday, March 21st

Hawk pounded down two flights of stairs. No waiting for the elevator. Not when everyone in the office was excited for the weekend. He jumped the last three steps and landed on both feet, breathing hard. He pushed through the fire door into the lobby and melded into the crowd of employees filtering through the turnstiles and out the main entrance.

Finally. The weekend.

Once out the doors, Hawk powered up his phone. “C’mon. C’mon. C’mon.” He hated having to keep his phone off in the building, but not so much that he’d risk his job. Not in this economy. He willed it to find a signal as he hurried to his car. It took so long to connect and check for messages.

He paused at his car, shaking the phone as if the action would speed up the process. “C’mon. There’s got to be a message.” Nothing. He swiped the screen and hit the Voice Mail button. Just because the icon didn’t indicate a new message didn’t mean Jarrod hadn’t called.

Hawk listened to the digital voice: “no new messages.” His heart fell into his already churning stomach. He hit Disconnect and dialed Jarrod’s number. While the phone rang solemnly in his ear, Hawk opened the car door and dropped into the driver’s seat. No need for his coworkers to hear him plead at a voice mail. It was embarrassing enough alone.

After the brief, curt message and the beep, Hawk spoke. “Hey, honey, I hope you’re not still mad at me, huh? I mean, let’s just forget I even asked. Okay? Go back to the way we were? I know you’re going out with your friends tonight, but call me. Okay? Okay, um, bye.”

Hawk stared at the phone, disgusted with it when he knew he should loathe himself instead. If Jarrod didn’t want to move in together, maybe Hawk should face the fact that they weren’t meant to be. They’d been dating for over a year.

On the other hand, Jarrod had standing plans with his friends to go clubbing every Friday. So, even if they hadn’t had an all-out screaming match Wednesday evening when Hawk had spontaneously suggested Jarrod move in with him, Jarrod still wouldn’t call. Maybe his silence was just normal Jarrod. Maybe.

“He’s just not ready.” Hawk laughed, and it sounded hollow as it echoed in the small cab of the car. He shook his head. “I just have to give him more time.”

He tossed the phone on the seat and stuck the key in the ignition. Just because they couldn’t live together didn’t mean he and Jarrod didn’t have something good. It wasn’t perfect by far, but it wasn’t awful either. Having a boyfriend with commitment issues was better than not having someone at all.

Being lonely would be much more painful.

* * * *

Hawk poked at the dinner in the microwave. The corn was steaming, but the cobbler still looked frozen in the middle. He considered the so-called Salisbury steak and decided if the dessert wouldn’t cook, then the rest probably wasn’t worth his bother.

With a frayed and singed pot holder, he lifted the tray from the oven and dropped it into the garbage. He tossed the pot holder in on top and slammed the lid shut. As he dialed the pizza place down the street, he dug a marker out of the drawer by the fridge and then scrawled “pot holders” on his grocery list, right under “frozen dinners.”

He ordered a pepperoni, olive, and feta pizza while staring at the short grocery list. How depressing. Jarrod could cook but preferred to eat out, and Hawk couldn’t cook anything that didn’t have microwave instructions on the package. Even then… He glowered at the garbage can. That was not his fault.

A half hour later when a knock sounded at his door, Hawk checked his phone one last time and promised not to hope for a message from Jarrod for the rest of the night. Jarrod always called on Saturday mornings anyway. Jarrod would sleep off Friday night, walk down to the corner for a double something with chocolate or whipped cream or however the heck he ordered in that secret coffee-shop language, and then call Hawk to set plans. He would probably act like nothing happened, and Hawk decided he would too. He was content with status quo. He only wanted more when he saw some straight couple being sappy and sweet in public. He didn’t really need that kind of romance when he knew Saturday would be an expensive dinner on Jarrod, a stupidly funny movie, and wild monkey sex until they both passed out. It was their routine, and Hawk did love a comfortable routine. And good food. And great sex.

Hawk grabbed his wallet off the counter. As the second knock sounded, he was already opening the door. It wasn’t pizza awaiting him on the other side. He frowned at a giant basket wrapped in dark, opaque cellophane.

The basket shifted as the deliveryman peeked around it.

“Delivery for a Mr. Hawk?”

Hawk cocked his head and forced a smile. No reason not to smile at a cute man. Wasn’t that what Jarrod often said to excuse his constant flirting?

“Just Hawk,” he said. “But I was the one that ordered the basket. It was supposed to go to Jarrod Peyton over at the Center Street apartments.”

The deliveryman shook his head. His smile remained, and he sounded convinced. “No, this is the address we got. You look like you need this.”

“Need…?” Hawk frowned again, but under the glow of the deliveryman’s handsome smile, Hawk’s irritation softened almost as soon as it started. “I didn’t buy it for myself.”

The man shoved the basket at Hawk, and Hawk instinctively raised his arms to catch it. The man stepped back, nodded once, and said, “I hope you don’t mind me being so forward, but if you’re convinced this is a mistaken delivery, how about I stick around and help you explore all the gifts you weren’t expecting?”

Yes.

“No.”

Hawk swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn’t consider such things. He didn’t even fantasize about anyone except Jarrod most of the time. The energy sizzling between him and this stranger bearing gifts caught Hawk off guard. He’d believed in chemistry once upon a time, but he’d also thought he was falling in love at first sight a dozen times before and, a dozen times, had his heart broken.

Lust. That was all it was, even if it was stronger and more alluring than ever before. Just steamy, needy, sexy lust inspired by a little spat with his boyfriend.

Hawk bit back an apology and then an invitation. He tore his gaze away from the man’s deep eyes, the color of churned earth. While avoiding the man’s powerful gaze, Hawk found his own skipping along a body that screamed masculine from underneath his clothes. Even behind the jeans and warm coat, the man looked strong and sturdy. Just the way Hawk liked them. The breast of his jacket had a name patch sewn on just below a Rabbit Run courier service logo. Joe.

Joe. Simple, masculine, sexy. Oh, gods, Hawk, you have a boyfriend!

Hawk couldn’t remember the chemistry between him and Jarrod ever being so strong that it left him tongue-tied. Finally, he managed to find words acceptable to voice. “Thank you, though.” He swallowed, hard. “Joe.” He nodded, resisting the urge to squirm under such intense scrutiny. “I’ll just bring this by myself.” He licked his dry lips. He tried and failed at not watching Joe’s mouth as Joe mirrored the gesture with a shy flicker of his tongue. “To my boyfriend,” Hawk hastily added. The electricity in the air fizzled, as did the smile on Joe’s ruggedly handsome face.

“Oh.” Joe put on a stoic expression, but Hawk could tell it was forced. “My apologies, Mr. Hawk.” Joe nodded once. “Enjoy your basket.” He turned and started walking away.

“It’s not for me.” But Joe didn’t seem to hear him. He disappeared down the stairway without looking back.

Copyright © Pia Veleno