Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 107

McFarland's Farm Giveaways!

Happy Monday! Just a quick post today to tell you about three giveaways for McFarland's Farm.

1. Joyfully Jay.
2. Hearts on Fire.
3. Swept Away by Romance (with an excerpt and a link to the video trailer).

Good luck and have a great week!

CC
www.cardenoc.com

A peek at my childhood

September the 19th is the release of my newest novel, The Shearing Gun.  It’s the story of a firmly closeted shearer who falls for the new doctor in town.  This is Elliot’s and Hank’s story, but of course we couldn’t leave out the wonderful secondary characters we meet along the way.  The Shearing Gun has a lovely line up of friends and family, but there is a character who is a special inclusion in the book.
Although you never meet her, she is mentioned several times, and she makes Hank blush a lot.  She is Hank’s pet sheep, Lilly.
Lilly is a childhood memory of mine, and in celebration of my new release, I wanted to share this story of her with you. 
The story of Lilly
I grew up on a small farm where we had horses, cats, dogs, chickens, cows, and a huge array of other animals.  We also had a handful of sheep.  From time-to-time they were shipped off to the big property that we had, but for most of my childhood, we had between three and twenty-five sheep at home.  All of them were named, and all were (to us) distinctly recognisable.
Lilly came to us as a five-month-old stray.  The ranger brought her around, as her owner never claimed her.  As a merino-cross, she had fine wool and a beautiful temperament.  Every year, she gave us a set of twins, and I had a lot of fun naming them:  Flora and Fauna, Romeo and Juliet, and Stew and Casserole {wink} just to name a few.
The first year we had her, she birthed her twins during the night, and we were excited to see two small, wobbly-legged girls the next morning.  Being twins, they were a bit premature and smaller than usual, and Mum watched them carefully as we didn’t know if Lilly was a good mother.  Lilly was a wonderful mother, but by that evening, it was obvious the twins were weak and faltering.  They were not getting any milk and would not make it through the night without help.
With effort, we managed to separate Lilly from the others and herded her into the hayshed (which had a lockable gate due to a very naughty pony we owned). My sister carried the two tiny lambs in, who were so weak they could hardly stand, and Mum made up a bottle of milk.  Lilly was upset with the change of location, but once the twins were fed, they settled down for the night.  We snuck down at midnight to feed them again, and again at dawn.  By this time, with three good feedings, the twins were bright and strong again.  We continued to bottle feed them during that day, but by the next morning there was a remarkable change.  Flora and Fauna were now drinking from Lilly, and were thriving.
My mother concluded that Lilly’s milk had been delayed, but now that it was through, we let her out to join the others, and Flora and Fauna were fine.
A year later, Stew and Casserole were born.  Once more my mother watched Lilly that first day, and it became obvious that Lilly had no milk again.  The lambs were attempting to drink, but getting nothing.  We swung into action for a second time, locking them up and bottle feeding the premature twins for the first two days.  This time Lilly was calmer about our actions toward her babies, content in the knowledge that we were not harming them.

As previous, by Day Three her milk was in, and the trio was let free to rejoin the family flock.
It was the third year that cemented Lilly’s presence in my heart as my favourite sheep of all time.  She birthed during the night, and at dawn the next morning when my sister went down to feed the horses, she found Lilly and her twins waiting at the hayshed door.  Lilly had willingly brought her babies to us, and patiently waited at the hayshed where she knew her babies would be fed.  My sister opened the gate, and Lilly trotted in and made herself at home.
Every year after that, she would bring her babies to us, knowing that we would save them.  They would need a bottle for the first two days, but after that Lilly was able to feed them by herself.

Lilly is now in the great sheep heaven, but her memory lives on.  Her inclusion in The Shearing Gun is my little way of thanking that beautiful sheep for giving me beautiful memories.

How to contact Renae:
Email:  renaekaye@iinet.net.au
Website:  www.renaekaye.weebly.com
FB:  www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9
Twitter:  @renaekkaye

Ask Andrew - Top and Bottom

Dear Andrew

In a M/M relationship, is there typically one man who always tops or do they have a tendency to switch? Is it less emotionally fulfilling to be just a bottom or just a top?

Aimee

Dear Aimee

This is a very interesting question and goes back to a basic tenant that everyone is different.  There is an old story of a drag queen in San Francisco who stopped the music at a packed gay club and asked the tops to move to one end of the room and the bottoms to the other.  According to legend, the building shook a little and everyone thought there had been an earthquake, actually it was the building tilting slightly toward the bottom side of the room, there were so many.  :)

The truth is that some men prefer the top role and some the bottom role during sex, and some are switch hitters.   The thing is that the preferred role can change over time.  A younger guy may prefer the bottom role, but as he ages, comes to prefer topping.  A lot depends upon partners, relationships, and personal preference.  A switch hitter may take the role most of the time if his partner is strictly a bottom.  In a new relationship part of the fun can be experimenting to figure this out.  (The finding out and exploration can be half the fun.)

As far as emotional fulfillment, as long as each partner is happy and getting what they need, that's probably covered.  Just like so many other things when it comes to sex and relationships, we are all individuals with no two are alike.  I like to think that emotional fulfillment comes from your partner and the heart felt connection between you.  If that is present, then position has little to do with it.  But then again, that could just be the romantic in me.  :)

Hugs and Love
Andrew

Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author.  The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture.    I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.

So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net.  This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost.  I will answer one question a week.

Please remember this is meant to be all in fun.  (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.)    So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.

Visit Andrew on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks  and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.

Follow him on Twitter:  @andrewgreybooks

Visit Andrew's web site:  www,andrewgreybooks.com

August Writing Recap by Cardeno C.

Happy Monday! I’m happy to report that August didn’t slip away while I wasn’t looking, but it’s still gone so it’s time for my monthly writing recap.

I finished up all the work on McFarland's Farm, the first book in my new contemporary standalone novella grouping called Hope. This is my first venture away from traditional publishing but I’m hesitant to call it self-publishing because I didn’t do it myself. I had help from a wonderful editor (Jae Ashley), gorgeous art from Reese Dante, and I had the amazing Kelly Shorten holding my hand and doing all the hard behind the scenes work. After hearing from readers (thank you!), I decided to put the book up at multiple sites. You can see all the preorder links on my website and it’ll be released September 10th.
As part of the pre-release fun for that book, I'm taking over Surrender to Books Facebook page for an hour on Wednesday. I hope you can join me to chat books.

I finished edits and the galley proof for The Half of Us, a contemporary novel in my Family series. It’ll be released on October 10th. The official cover will be revealed at Shh Moms Reading on September 15th, but here's what I have for now:

I finished writing Blue Mountain, the first book in my new wolf shifter standalone novella grouping called Pack. I enjoyed jumping back into the paranormal world for that one.

Speaking of paranormal, I’m working on a new novel-length paranormal standalone grouping called Siphon. I’m excited about the world for those novels and the unique lions living in it. The working title for the first book is James.

Have a great week.

CC
www.cardenoc.com

Coming out to my husband

Those who follow me on Facebook may be aware that I’m not “out” to my family.  Oh, I don’t mean in terms of my sexuality, I mean in the fact that I write.  They don’t know I write, and they definitely don’t know I write m/m romance.
It’s not that I’m ashamed of the “m/m” bit – although that will definitely be an awkward conversation for me to have with my mother – it’s more I don’t want the criticism and “helpful” advice from my family.  You see, I’m the youngest of nine children.  As such, it has been the lifetime role for me to “accept” advice from my siblings.  After all, they are much older and wiser than me. <cough cough>
When I first started writing, I had three reasons for keeping the writing a secret:
                1.  I didn’t wish to face the “I told you so’s” if my writing failed. 
                2.  I didn’t wish for the inevitable advice against being an author as a career.
                3.  I didn’t want 61 people telling me what to write.
(Yes – 61.  I counted.  When you add up all my siblings, their spouses, their children, theirspouses and their children, I have 61 immediate family members on my side of the family.  My husband, in contrast, has four.)
So when I published my first book, #1 on the above list ceased to exist, but in its place was now the awkward conversation about writing m/m.  Never fear – I do plan to tell them.  Soon…(ish).  But just not yet.  I need some more courage, more confidence and perhaps another successful novel.

BUT – my husband does know, and I’m going to share the story of my “coming out” to him.When I first started writing, it was usually a couple of hours a day while he was at work, and maybe an hour or two after the kids went to sleep.  I could’ve been playing solitaire on my computer for all hubby knew.  I’m sure I told him a couple of times in vague terms – “Oh, I’m writing a book” – but since the last book hubby read was when he was in Year 12 English, he just shrugged and walked away.
Once I’d submitted Loving Jay to the publisher, I told him, “I finished a novel and I’ve sent it off.”  He was happy for me.  But neither of us really expected it to be accepted.  When it was, I was in shock for three days before I managed to tell him.  He got really excited for me, but I needed bring him down to earth.  “Don’t expect it to make money.  I’m hoping for a couple of hundred, but that’s it.  I mean, how many people get lucky on a book like Harry Potter was?”
He asked me with eagerness, “Can I tell my parents?”
My reaction to the thought of
telling my in-lawsI looked horrified.  “Gosh, no!”  At this stage I couldn’t even admit to him about the m/m stuff.  Imagine telling his parents!  And imagine the horror of the book being released and rubbished to bits?
So I continued on my author journey without telling hubby anything apart from, “I got another contract.” And “I’m doing editing this week.”  I didn’t even tell him my pen name.  It’s not that I was deliberately hiding, it was just that he was goddamn happy for me, but not exactly interested in publishing, reading and writing.  We just didn’t discuss it.  Much the same as he doesn’t tell me about his work.  We both work, but prefer to talk about the kids or the house or other parts of our lives.
I was hiding so much, I didn’t even tell him the day it was released.  I kept it all inside me and only told my BFF.  She told me I had to tell him.  I knew I had to, but hubby is not really the “open mind” type of person.  I stewed and fretted for ages.
Then hubby told me he wanted to tell his best mate.  He was so proud of me that I was a “published author,” he wanted to brag about me.  I screwed up my courage, “You don’t want to do that, sweetie.”
“Why not?”
“Umm… Have you ever wondered about what I write?”
“No.  Not really.”
“You won’t like it.”
“Why not?”
I breathed deeply and said, “Okay.  I will tell you.  But I want you to just think about it for a while and then tomorrow you can ask me questions, alright?”
He agreed, so I pulled out the cover picture of Loving Jay.  He looked, but didn’t get it.  “Can I give you my honest opinion?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“They look a bit… gay.”
I hid a smile.  “They are.”
“Oh.”  He was silent for a while.  “Why did you write that?”
“Because that’s what I read.  Now do you see the reason I don’t want you telling people?”
“Yes.”
That was four months ago.  Since then I’ve tried to discuss the topic with him, but he’s not interested.  Oh, he’s supportive of my writing, and he likes the fact that I’m earning money, but he’s not comfortable with the “m/m” bit, so I allow him some slack and not push it.

So that is the story of my “coming out.”  Nothing terribly exciting, but nothing bad either.

Now if only my big confession to my family would be as non-eventive.  
How to contact Renae:
Email:  renaekaye@iinet.net.au
Website:  www.renaekaye.weebly.com
FB:  www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9
Twitter:  @renaekkaye

Dragon*Con Ahoy! :D

Well, it's that time of year again, and I am, of course, heading off to Dragon*Con (even though I feel like i just got back from AAD, which... wait, I did)!

For those who aren't familiar, Dragon*Con is a truly enormous Science Fiction and Fantasy convention held yearly in downtown Atlanta, and when i say "huge," I do mean HUGE. I think last year there were something like 50,000 registered attendees.

It's multi-media, with authors and actors, directors, makeup artists, computer folk, gamers, costumer, artists... you name it, there's someone there who's associated with those areas.

I've been going to Dragon*Con for probably 11 years now, and I alternately bless and curse the friend who got me started. It depends on the day, really. :P

So, why am I telling you this? Mostly because I hope to be here in two weeks with a con-report, and maybe some pictures.

Until then, I hope you all have fun, and if you're going to be at Dragon*Con and are so inclined, come find me. I'm always happy to meet new people and raise a glass to the Convention Gods!

Ask Andrew - Condoms

Dear Andrew,

My question is regarding the use of condoms by gay men (or straights as well). How do you feel about men using condoms, even if they are in a committed relationship? Paraphrase of old adage: if you sleep with one you sleep with all previous lovers/partners. With all the risks out there and evil doers poking holes in condoms, how can you truly  be safe. What are your thoughts?

Rita Dear Rita You ask about using condoms in a committed relationship and the answer to that questions depends upon the couple and the relationship.  First, I'll go for the easy part of the answer. If a couple has been together for a while, has been tested and they're both negative, then they should sit down and have a discussion about their commitment to each other and possibly discontinuing the use of condoms.  This is what Dominic and I did a number of years ago as part of our commitment to each other.  This requires commitment and can be one of the ultimate signs of trust. Now, if a couple has an open relationship, then that's a different story.  Having sexual relations outside of the actual relationship adds another level of concern.  The partners must sit down and determine what the rules are for that relationship, including the continued use of condoms within the relationship along with periodic testing.   The purpose of condoms are to keep yourself and your partner safe and that should be important regardless of the type of relationship.  This is especially true if one of the partners is HIV positive, then condoms should be used throughout the relationship.  The partners should talk about continued prevention and testing.   You can see my these developing I'm sure.  There isn't a one size fits all answer because couples and relationships are different.  But for most people, once you've decided to be exclusive, and you've each been tested to help wipe the 'sleeping with previous partners' slate clean, then deciding to 'go bare' can be an amazing experience, like the first time all over again.  The important thing is to open lines of communication and make decisions together about the kind of relationship you want and the use of condoms so you can play safe and happy.   Hugs and LoveAndrew  Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author.  The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture.    I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.

So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net.  This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost.  I will answer one question a week.

Please remember this is meant to be all in fun.  (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.)    So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.

Visit Andrew on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks  and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.

Follow him on Twitter:  @andrewgreybooks

Visit Andrew's web site:  www,andrewgreybooks.com  

New Facebook Group by Cardeno C.

Happy Monday! Just a quick post today to let you know about a new Facebook group I started. I'm hoping for a place where interacting is easier than on a page and so far, it's been great. Plus, we voted on a fun name. You can join us here. 

Thanks to Janie Oor for the great cover!
Have a terrific week!

CC
www.cardenoc.com

Who you are - writing ME

I have a theory.  This theory is simply my observation and is based on observing my family, so its accuracy could be skewed.  It's based on observing my female relations in their home environment.
My observation started with my mother: she must have a spotless kitchen.  She cannot leave the house in the morning without doing the dishes (including drying and putting away).  She cannot go to bed at night without doing the dishes.  Her kitchen is devoid of the clutter of papers, fruit bowls, lunchboxes, coffee mugs and all the other stuff that usually finds itself in my kitchen.  I know that when she visits me she often ends up doing my dishes – I think because she can’t stand the state of my kitchen.
My oldest sister, however, has the same urge about her bedroom.  I spent a lot of time at her house when I was a teenager. She had four small children, and there were toys and clothes and mess everywhere – but her bedroom was spotless.  Her first task in the morning was to always make her bed.  Her clothes were always hung up or away, and there was never any more than a single book on her bedside table.
Another sister has the same outlook on her formal lounge room.  Her kitchen is often a mess, and her bedroom is always untidy (rather like mine!), but her formal lounge room is a showcase. Another sister (yes, I have a lot of sisters!) couldn’t care less about the state of her house.  But her stables are clean, organised and perfect.
So I have a belief that every woman (and this probably extends to men as well) have something that is important to them that is their priority and that they keep spotless.  For me, it would be my bookcase.  It is perfectly ordered and neat as.
Last week I was straightening my linen cupboard and looking at the dozens of tablecloths I own – most given to me by my mother-in-law.  My MIL always has a perfect table.  It is always covered with perfect tablecloths, and usually has a perfect arrangement of flowers in the middle.  At dinnertime we have beautiful placemats and cutlery, serviette holders, salt and pepper… You get the picture.  I gazed at the pretty designs in my linen cupboard and wondered why I didn’t make more of an effort.  It was just a tablecloth.  I could bring it out and make my house look pretty.  I could impress my MIL instead of always having a bare table.
I pulled one out and smiled to myself – I could be like my MIL.
Several hours later my mother came for coffee and I spent most of my time straightening the cloth that kept skewing from our afternoon meeting.  My daughter nearly ripped the cloth off when she left the table and ended up slopping coffee as our mugs took a joyride on it.  That night my two children spilled their dinner over the cloth.  The next morning I discovered that one (or more!) of the cats had decided it was a nice place to sleep and had left cat hair and sand on the cloth.  The final straw came when I caught my children playing with it as a cape.
I suddenly remembered why I don’t have tablecloths.  It’s because I have children and pets.  And because of the most important reason – I am not my MIL.  I am me.
This thought has stayed with me for the last week.  There are so many websites out there that tell you the right way and wrong way to do things.  But unless it is a law (yes – you need to use your indicators on your car!  Hello!!), then sometimes these right and wrong ways to do things are not set in stone.  It is what works for that person and may not necessarily work for you.
Authors need to remember this too.  I’ve heard authors say, “I write in the style of {insert famous author’s name}” and I have to wonder how far that author can go by making themselves write like another.  I often have to remind myself to write like ME, and I hope most days I succeed.
Just like having a spotless kitchen wouldn’t work for me (because truthfully I’d rather keep the kids asleep than wake them up clanging pots around), writing the same stuff in the same way as another author is never going to work in the long term.
As many gay people can attest to, you can’t change who you are.  You can’t pray the gay away. Or you can’t be “straight-acting” if you are really a flamboyant character.  Why not write like you want to?
The point of my story?  My newest release, The ShearingGun , has just hit the Coming Soon pages of Dreamspinner.  I'm really excited about this book.  This is ME.  This is my HOME.  But then I look at the other covers of the other releases and realise that it's very different.  I mean – sheep? Really?
But I remind myself that I am ME.  I write what I know and in the style I like.  And you know what?  Some people seem to like that.  So I hope you enjoy my story of Hank and Elliot.  


How to contact Renae:
Email:  renaekaye@iinet.net.au
Website:  www.renaekaye.weebly.com
FB:  www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9
Twitter:  @renaekkaye

Ask Andrew - Professions

Dear Andrew
 I've read a great many m/m romance novels, and if everything I knew about gay came only from what I read, I'd believe that the vast majority of gay men are attorneys, CEOs, firefighters/police officers/EMTs doctors or ranchers.  While I've occasionally encountered lead characters who are artists (mostly in your novels), I don't think I've ever read one where one of the central characters is a florist, hair stylist, decorator or fashion designer, and yet many gay men work in these fields. Is there a reason that the writers of m/m romance novels avoid these careers for their main characters?
Liz
Dear Liz

Romance novels are for the most part about fantasy and in this case, as sexy a fantasy as possible.  I do know that there have been main characters in MM novels who have been florists, fashion designers, and many other professions.  However the authors quickly realize that those professions aren't considered "sexy"  Lawyers, doctors, EMTs, firemen, police officers, etc rate pretty high on the overall sexy scale.  So authors tend to choose those types of professions for their characters. 

I don't necessarily agree with that when I'm writing my stories and that isn't to say that there haven't been very successful MM romance stories where the characters are other professions, but the ones you mentioned instantly connect with readers.  I think that some professions carry a mystique.  Cowboys instantly bring up images of the Marlboro man.  Doctors, EMT's, firefighters, police officers, all put their lives on the line for their jobs.  Its that mystique and strength that tend to make them popular heroes for romance novels.  That isn't to say that other professions can't be used, they just aren't as glamorous.

Hugs and Love
Andrew

Ask Andrew is your chance to ask questions of a gay romance author.  The questions can be about the writing process in general, writing sex scenes, gay men, sex, characters in romance, characters having sex... okay you probably get the picture.    I promise to answer your questions as frankly and with as much humor as I possibly can.

So if you have a question, please send it to andrewgreybooks@comcast.net.  This is different from my usual email so your questions don't get lost.  I will answer one question a week.

Please remember this is meant to be all in fun.  (I was going to say good, clean fun, but who wants that.)    So send me your questions and let's see what mischief we can get into.

Visit Andrew on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks  and you can join Andrew's fan group All The Way With Andrew Grey.

Follow him on Twitter:  @andrewgreybooks

Visit Andrew's web site:  www,andrewgreybooks.com