Pia Veleno's Blog: piaveleno.com, page 5

Quick Announcements

Quickly, because I have to get my ass to the Day Job…

 

* Solo Flight is officially available today! Yay!

* To celebrate, Hounded By Love is on sale for only $4.19 on the Loose Id website!

* Speaking of sales, don’t forget LI has daily deals for readers who shop at their storefront. Last week’s releases are always on sale, and today that includes a couple of other Eostre’s Baskets titles.

* I’ve shared a “behind the book” story on LI’s new blog: www.loosenyourid.com. Along with the bloggery, LI is showcasing some beautiful jewelry inspired by the Eostre’s Baskets collection.

 

 

More later, dear readers! Happy Tuesday!

An Ode to the Courteous Driver

Not sure why I felt the urge to do this in poem form. I never really got the hang of poetry, not even in my angsty teenage years. But hey, no one is perfect. Right? …Right?? 

Thank you to the drivers who slow down when passing a runner on the road.

Thank you to the drivers who move over,

crossing the yellow line

to give me a wide berth,

as I huff and puff,

thinking about my stride and pace and pulse

all the while, hoping each and every driver sees me.

Thank you to the drivers who smile and nod.

You make me feel safer running down the shoulder of the road.

When I know you see me, I know I’m safer.

Running makes my heart race,

but that’s nothing compared to a car speeding by

well over the speed limit, and nothing like

seeing a driver holding a cell phone to his ear, unfocused,

and nothing like hoping a passing car sees me as a try

to stay as far out of the way as possible on the tight inside curve

with a white shoulder line under my feet

crumbling into the dirt and debris on the side of the road.

Thank you to those that acknowledge the runner,

who take steps to ensure we’re not a target but also

aware that you’re aware of us.

I even have a thank you for the hunters

who slow way down as they pull out of the hunt club

shouting compliments on my colors. Sure,

there may be a few who are merely appreciate

the shortness of the purple and pink shorts,

or the knee-high look of my bright yellow compression sleeves,

but some do understand and appreciate the importance of

dressing like a highlighter to enjoy a hobby safely.

I think I can safely say this for every other road runner:

To each and every one of you who take the time

to be extra safe and cautious around us crazy runners,

thank you from the bottom of our hearts

to the tips of our sore, aching toes.

Eostre’s Baskets: Books and Baskets (free baskets!)

I haven’t told you about the baskets yet? I really thought I had. You’re going to love this. I know I do!

Solo Flight isn’t just my next release, it’s one book of nine in a special collection called Eostre’s Baskets.

I borrowed this summary of the collection from Loose Id’s website:

When you order an adult Easter Basket from Sundae’s, you might not get what you’re expecting, but Essie guarantees you’ll get exactly what you need. No relationship problem too big or too small; this Easter, Essie Sundae fixes them all.

The books in this collection are linked by the gift of a basket from Sundae’s Custom Easter Baskets. Beyond that, they all stand alone and may be read independently from each other without missing anything.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I admit, each one of the Eostre’s Baskets titles sounds wonderful, and I’m trying to figure out how to find time to read them all!

Not only does this collection come with nine fabulous stand-alone titles, but two lucky readers will win their very own basket created by Essie herself! Interested? Check out Essie’s website - Sundae’s Custom Adult Gift Baskets - Click on Order a Basket to enter the drawing!

Stay tuned, dear Readers, I am collecting website links for all of the Eostre’s Baskets authors. I hope to share them with you soon. In the mean time, visit Loose Id to check out the interesting blurbs and sexy cover art for all nine books by clicking: Eostre’s Baskets

Solo Flight, by Yours Truly, will be available March 25th on LI’s website. Third-party retailers some time thereafter.

Happy Sunday!

~PV

Solo Flight, blurb and cover reveal

Hawk pulled the trigger too soon. He invited his boyfriend, Jarrod, to live with him, and the man balked. When Hawk decides to show him there are no hurt feelings with a gift basket from Sundae’s, what could go wrong?

Ask and you shall receive. Hawk, the ever-doting boyfriend, delivers the basket in person only to  meet Jarrod’s twink-on-the-side. Hawk finds himself with a broken heart, an unwanted gift basket, and an entire weekend to either mope or move on.

With the help of a sexy book and the wise words of a novelty magnet found in the basket, Hawk begins the journey of healing his heart and learning his lesson. But will Hawk recognize new love when the time comes, or get stuck on his solo flight of self-discovery?

Coming soon from Loose Id. Check out all the Eostre Baskets stories this spring. Cover art by Syneca Featherstone.

Everybody Loves a Sale!

While I slave away at edits on Solo Flight, check out these great sales over at Loose Id’s Web site.

My two previous LI releases are on sale to celebrate my birthday (now through the 15th). Click these lovely covers to see the discounts and order a book. (Each one is two dollars off!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not the only LI author with a birthday discount this month. Plus there are sales abound for back lists, award nominations, and more. Check out the Daily Deals page to see all the wonderful books on sale.

Lastly, if you read a lot every year, you may want to check out Loose Id’s VIP Club. Each year, you can sign up for discounts, coupons, and other VIP exclusive content. Click HERE to read all the deets.

Back to work with me. Happy reading, dear Readers!

 

 

 

Coming soon

It’s official. I have a contract. I have an ISBN number. I have a release date. I can’t wait. I’m so excited. Give me a little time to have the blurb officially edited and review, but I will share soon.

For now, I’ll tell you this –

It’ll be a contemporary M/M romance published by Loose Id as part of their spring collection. There’s a little magic, a lot of introspection, and a silly little magnet that inspires an important change.

More to come!

Come…

Happy New Year

2013 was a busy year. I spent a ton of time in doctor’s offices addressing neck and shoulder pain. It’s not all gone, but I’m managing it — some days better than others — and that’s the best I can ask for at this point. I’ve also revamped my diet, removing most grains and sugar-added items from my meals, returned to a steady running plan, and wrestled insomnia down to a moderate annoyance.

Between my literal pain in the neck and working through setting myself up for a potential career path adjustment with my current employer I’ve barely had time to write. Sure, I could get up early to write, but sleep is important. I could forgo football season but… hahaha. Never mind. I think you know how these things go.

So despite all of this, I do have an exciting announcement. In between all these other activities, I have managed to write a story for Loose Id, with an expected release this spring, in time for Ostara (Easter). I don’t have more than that to share today. I’ve yet to name the story, or edit my query blurb, but when these things get addressed, I will share them with you.

My fingers are crossed for a productive 2014. I hope to write more, step up my running program, and start a new role that will carry me through the next few years at the day job.

I hope you all had a wonderful 2013 and are looking forward to exciting activities and goals for this new year. Best wishes to each and every one of you.

Pia Veleno

 

(cross posted at http://www.slash-and-burn.blogspot.com)

Today is my monthly visit to Slash & Burn. Drop by and sa...

Today is my monthly visit to Slash & Burn. Drop by and say hi.

Slash & Burn: Winter Has Arrived

 

Halloween Sale

Apparently My Ghost is on sale this week (along with a bunch of other Halloween titles) only at Silver Publishing’s website.

Click here to view and buy:  Silver Publishing — Halloween

Happy Halloween, dear Readers!

Long Time…

Hopefully you’ve noticed I haven’t been around much. The blog, Crank, Goodreads, Twitter… you name it, I’ve been either spotty in posting, or completely absent.

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally admitted to myself that my back, shoulders, and neck need more than just intermittent breaks from the laptop. When it comes down to it, these breaks can’t be enough when I’m still working a full time job at a computer. I’m still working that day job. It pays the bills where writing, in its best months, might cover my groceries. So I can’t cut back on non-writing computer hours.

Backing off on the writing has been as painful as the muscle issues. My wonderful editor still sends me emails asking how things are going. She hasn’t given up on me, but there are days I feel like I have.

So now I’m officially in physical therapy, spending more money than my books have earned so far, in hopes that I can get my body to cooperate with my mind’s desire to tell a story. It’s the best option so far. I can’t cut back my hours at the job that pays the bills, and I have to get back to writing regularly for my own sanity.

If my blog continues to suffer, please forgive, and Facebook, well, I should probably delete that one outright. I have a new CRANK chapter to share this weekend, but I can’t promise I’ll return to the bi-weekly additions. I’ll finish their story, definitely, just how quickly remains to be seen.

Be patient, dear readers, and please, be like my editor. Don’t give up on me. I promise I won’t either.

—

PS I am not earning any money on ads popping up on this site, or on the CRANK site. Please see WordPress’s new rules about ads. Either I pay to go ad free, or they put ads up to supposedly keep my usage free. Oh, WordPress, I pay you already, just to use my own domain name, so I’ll be looking for a new hosting site. Anyone with web experience willing to be hired at a reasonable price want some work to set up my website on its own?