Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 110
July 14, 2014
In Your Eyes by Cardeno C. - Release Day!
Happy Monday! My shifter novel, In Your Eyes, is now available. I hope you enjoy it.
Blurb:
Raised to become Alpha of the Yafenack pack, Samuel Goodwin dedicates his life to studying shifter laws, strengthening his body, and learning from his father. Taking control comes easily to Samuel, but relating to people, including those he's supposed to lead, is a constant challenge.
When Samuel meets Korban Keller, the son of a neighboring pack’s Alpha, he reacts with emotion instead of intellect for the first time in his life. Resenting the other shifter for putting him off-balance, Samuel first tries to intimidate Korban and then tries to avoid him. What he can’t do is forget Korban’s warm eyes, easy smile, and happy personality.
When a battle between their fathers results in tragedy, Samuel and Korban are thrown together. With his world crashing down around him, Samuel must save his pack and show them he can lead. But first, Korban needs to save Samuel by inspiring him to feel. Two very different men with a tumultuous history must overcome challenges from all sides and see past the rules they’ve been taught to realize they are destined to fit together.
Buy ebook (Only $4.99 for the novel!)
Buy Paperback (includes free ebook)
If you want me to email you about giveaways, sales, and discounts, please click here to be added to my list.
If you want me to email you about new releases, please click here to be added to my list.
Thanks so much for buying my books and supporting my writing. I'm very grateful.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
Blurb: Raised to become Alpha of the Yafenack pack, Samuel Goodwin dedicates his life to studying shifter laws, strengthening his body, and learning from his father. Taking control comes easily to Samuel, but relating to people, including those he's supposed to lead, is a constant challenge.
When Samuel meets Korban Keller, the son of a neighboring pack’s Alpha, he reacts with emotion instead of intellect for the first time in his life. Resenting the other shifter for putting him off-balance, Samuel first tries to intimidate Korban and then tries to avoid him. What he can’t do is forget Korban’s warm eyes, easy smile, and happy personality.
When a battle between their fathers results in tragedy, Samuel and Korban are thrown together. With his world crashing down around him, Samuel must save his pack and show them he can lead. But first, Korban needs to save Samuel by inspiring him to feel. Two very different men with a tumultuous history must overcome challenges from all sides and see past the rules they’ve been taught to realize they are destined to fit together.
Buy ebook (Only $4.99 for the novel!)
Buy Paperback (includes free ebook)
If you want me to email you about giveaways, sales, and discounts, please click here to be added to my list.
If you want me to email you about new releases, please click here to be added to my list.
Thanks so much for buying my books and supporting my writing. I'm very grateful.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
July 13, 2014
Because Kissing is Awesome
Sometimes it's just inspiring to see two people kissing. So that's what I've got for you this week:
Oh, and I suspect if you watch this while on some mind expanding drugs, the trance-y background music will take you on a pretty interesting ride. ;)
Attribution: Paul Crocker
Happy Sunday. Love, Ellis
Oh, and I suspect if you watch this while on some mind expanding drugs, the trance-y background music will take you on a pretty interesting ride. ;)
Attribution: Paul Crocker
Happy Sunday. Love, Ellis
July 10, 2014
One Eyed Trouser Trout and other Euphemisms
Ah, the penis.
It’s the stuff of legend, celebrated in literature, film, and advertisements for size-enhancement supplements (whose claims should not be believed, mostly because they never mention exactly which body part will be “enhanced” by their little miracle pill. For all you know, you may end up with a gigantic ear or big, floppy feet).
Alas, fame comes at a cost. For every civilization that ever reverently sculpted the penis out of rock, mud, wood, or latex to gain the fickle favor of the fertility gods (or at least get off a good one), there is a less-than-flattering depiction of this celebrated organ. This is true now more than ever.
Personally, I blame Photoshop.
Everybody knows how tempting it is to put googly eyes on a penis and something funny in a little talking bubble over the head, and Photoshop just makes it too damn easy.
I can’t fully put the blame on computers and technology, though. People have been poking (ha! I said “poke”) fun at penises for as long as humans have had funny bones. I don’t know what it is about the penis that makes it such an easy target. Maybe it’s the shape. You’d think the Powers That Be would’ve made such an important body part look a bit more intimidating and respectable -- like a sword, maybe, or at least like the hood ornament on a Rolls Royce. But no, the venerable penis bears an uncanny resemblance to the fungus I have to rake off the lawn after a hard rain.
Maybe it’s the fact that it spits up when it’s happy. I mean, really...who thought that was a good idea?
“Okay, let’s make it get hard when the guy gets excited and then...bam! Let it upchuck a snot-like substance.”
Ooh, sexy.
I don’t know the answer. I just know that cocks rarely get the respect they deserve.
I remember seeing a movie at the drive-in years and years ago (yes, I believe it was in Bedrock) called Flesh Gordon. Not Flash...Flesh. It starred a gigantic Claymation penis called the “Penisaurus Monster.”I kid you not. Rent it. Watch it. Be amazed by the one-eyed awesomeness of the towering, thundering, stop-motion dick.
Computer and motion picture industries aren’t the only ones to blame. The written word is no exception. Writers make fun of penises all the time. You’d think authors, especially those who write erotic romance, would be more respectful in their depictions of the organ considering the import to the author’s royalty checks. Yet, weeping, throbbing organs abound in romantic fiction, right alongside the more-uncommon-but-no-less-funny greased love poles and one-eyed trouser trout.
Here are a few more of my favorite euphemisms that never fail to make me chuckle:
Member. I like this one. I admit I’ve used it myself even though it always makes me wonder exactly what organization the penis is a member of, and what the membership requirements are. Can anyone join? Is it like a social network? Do they have mixers? I always picture a country club in my mind, where penises wear plaid pants and ride around in golf carts, playing with their little balls.
Manhood. The word makes me think of some sort of Lord of the Flies ritual; grungy boys in loincloths jabbing each other with sharp sticks. Or an auto mechanic saying, “Let’s take a look under the ol' manhood. Ah, see...here’s your problem. Nothing a lube job won’t fix.”
Arousal. Yes, I’ve used this one, too, but it sounds so...detached. It sounds like the hero's penis is the only part of him stimulated. Is the rest of his body not in the same room as his penis? Is he in the living room knitting doilies and watching Dancing with the Stars while his penis has wild and crazy monkey sex?
Organ. I’m guilty of using this one, too, but never do so without wondering whether it can play In a Gadda Da Vida.
So, the next time you see a penis, remember that for a part of the body we’re all so fond of, it puts up with a lot of crap.
Give it a kiss and a little pat on the head. It’ll appreciate it, I guarantee.
Just watch out for the spitting snot.
July 9, 2014
Ask Andrew - How Young is Too Young
Dear Andrew
How early is too early for boys to be naked with each other by choice and eventually sexual? I have a story (placed just before the civil war in a rural area for context) I'm working on that had two boys become friends at age three.
Krista
Dear Krista
I want to thank you for your question. I know there was a lot more detail in the original note you sent me, but I thought this got to the heart of the matter. As a writer, we must handle situations like sex in a way that fits the story. In a realistic, specifically a rural historical setting, children will be exposed to sexual situations sooner than children today. As young children they would be exposed to animals doing what animals do and they are very naturally curious. Another thing to consider is that within the historical context, people grew up, married, and had children much younger that we generally do today. I do believe its important to make sure that sexual interactions you choose to include, especially at a young age, are only included if they are truly important to the story you're telling.
Now some words of caution. Even though you are writing a historically set story, readers have a modern sensibility, so its important to make sure that sexual interactions between the characters are handled in a way that doesn't turn readers off. Sex between children must be handled very delicately. You want readers to enjoy your story and in todays legal environment, its important to be careful, especially when dealing with children.
Here is a possible solution. Rather than writing the childhood interactions as part of the main story, they can be included as part of the back story and recalled at an appropriate time by one of the characters. It makes the action seem a little less immediate and gives the reader some removal.
I will say that you presented me with a tough question and one that doesn't have a single straight forward answer. I hope I have been helpful.
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
How early is too early for boys to be naked with each other by choice and eventually sexual? I have a story (placed just before the civil war in a rural area for context) I'm working on that had two boys become friends at age three.
Krista
Dear Krista
I want to thank you for your question. I know there was a lot more detail in the original note you sent me, but I thought this got to the heart of the matter. As a writer, we must handle situations like sex in a way that fits the story. In a realistic, specifically a rural historical setting, children will be exposed to sexual situations sooner than children today. As young children they would be exposed to animals doing what animals do and they are very naturally curious. Another thing to consider is that within the historical context, people grew up, married, and had children much younger that we generally do today. I do believe its important to make sure that sexual interactions you choose to include, especially at a young age, are only included if they are truly important to the story you're telling.
Now some words of caution. Even though you are writing a historically set story, readers have a modern sensibility, so its important to make sure that sexual interactions between the characters are handled in a way that doesn't turn readers off. Sex between children must be handled very delicately. You want readers to enjoy your story and in todays legal environment, its important to be careful, especially when dealing with children.
Here is a possible solution. Rather than writing the childhood interactions as part of the main story, they can be included as part of the back story and recalled at an appropriate time by one of the characters. It makes the action seem a little less immediate and gives the reader some removal.
I will say that you presented me with a tough question and one that doesn't have a single straight forward answer. I hope I have been helpful.
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
July 6, 2014
June by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday! I have to say that when it's time for one of these monthly writing recaps, I find myself amazed that another month has somehow passed. But the clock keeps on ticking so here we go with June's recap.
All of Me, my shifter novella, was released on June 1st. I usually write novels, but I had a lot of fun with this short novella.I got an amazing cover from Reese Dante for McFarland’s Farm, my contemporary novella that’ll be released on September 10th and I have a blurb for it:
Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar.
Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope Crossing, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he's willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father's punishment is over.
I've been gearing up for the July 14th release of In Your Eyes, the third Mates book and I worked with readers on a new tagline for my website with the prize being all three books in
the series. I have winners picked out and I'll be announcing them soon. The plural is not a typo.I worked on the first round of edits for The Half of Us, the next Family book. It’ll be released on October 10th.I've been working on a new wolf shifter book for what I hope will be a new series.
Have a great week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
All of Me, my shifter novella, was released on June 1st. I usually write novels, but I had a lot of fun with this short novella.I got an amazing cover from Reese Dante for McFarland’s Farm, my contemporary novella that’ll be released on September 10th and I have a blurb for it:Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar.
Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope Crossing, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he's willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father's punishment is over.
I've been gearing up for the July 14th release of In Your Eyes, the third Mates book and I worked with readers on a new tagline for my website with the prize being all three books in
the series. I have winners picked out and I'll be announcing them soon. The plural is not a typo.I worked on the first round of edits for The Half of Us, the next Family book. It’ll be released on October 10th.I've been working on a new wolf shifter book for what I hope will be a new series.Have a great week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
July 2, 2014
New Stories, Free Stories, and Goodreads, oh, my!
Well, it's Thursday, right? So here I am. :P
It's been a very strange week for me, what with the craziness surrounding the whole SCOTUS decision re: Hobby Lobby's corporate freedom of religion (I think my brain just exploded a little from the sheer lack of logic inherent in the sentence). HOWEVER, I'm not going to talk about that. I mean, if you know me at all, or have read anything I've ever posted, chances are you already know what I think about SCOTUS's monumental screw-up, so... enough said.
Instead, I'm going to talk about the story I'm currently in edits on, which is for the M/M Romance Goodreads group's annual fiction-palooza. *grins*
For those who are unfamiliar, the M/M Romance group on Goodreads does this thing every year where members post pictures, along with a story idea or line of dialogue or something of that nature, and other members of the group "claim" a prompt. The claimant then writes a story using inspiration from the suggestions and the picture.
This is my first year participating, and I'm afraid my story ended up being longer than I had anticipated (shocking, I know *rolls eyes*). It clocks in right around 50K words. Haha!
Now, I'll be completely honest and admit that there isn't a whole lot of on-page sex. There was just too much story to include loads of sweating and grunting, but I think there's an appropriate amount. I'm hopeful that it won't disappoint, in any case.
This story, titled On Edge, takes place almost entirely on a college campus in Nevada and is an enemies to friends to lovers book (which is basically what Anyta, who posted the prompt, asked for). I'm not going to lie. It was a bit more difficult to write this one than most of my other books. Mainly because I had a set of parameters to stay within. But that turned out to be a good thing. I often get carried away with subplots and secondary characters and all manner of things. There's a tiny bit of that in On Edge, but nowhere near my usual degree of tangenting. LOL
I don't have an official blurb at the moment, but let's just say that Chance and Shane hate each other, with good reason. When they're thrown together unexpectedly, that hatred flourishes in unusual ways, but slowly, over time, their feelings start to mellow and change, and they start to wonder, separately, whether the hate is really worth it... And whether maybe there's something more than that between them.
The secondary characters were just as much fun to write as Chance and Shane, and provide some of my favorite moments. They also lighten things up a bit (writing all that angsty hate and such was exhausting, Hahaha).
There are loads of authors, both published and not, taking part in this event -- I believe the final count is around 200 -- and all the stories are free to members of the M/M Romance group.
Now, I'm not saying you have to join, but really, why wouldn't you? :D
I'm tossing a link up here for those who might be interested, but I'm not entirely sure whether it'll work. If not, you can go to goodreads and click on the "groups" tab at the top of the page (you may have to sign up for a free account first), then enter M/M Romance in the search field. Scan down until you see it, and go on from there. That's if this link doesn't work: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
(you may need to copy & paste from this post, I'm not sure). The front page at Goodreads can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/
And that's all from me for today. Happy Thursday, everyone, and I'll post a notification when my story goes live, too! :)
~Tis
It's been a very strange week for me, what with the craziness surrounding the whole SCOTUS decision re: Hobby Lobby's corporate freedom of religion (I think my brain just exploded a little from the sheer lack of logic inherent in the sentence). HOWEVER, I'm not going to talk about that. I mean, if you know me at all, or have read anything I've ever posted, chances are you already know what I think about SCOTUS's monumental screw-up, so... enough said.
Instead, I'm going to talk about the story I'm currently in edits on, which is for the M/M Romance Goodreads group's annual fiction-palooza. *grins*
For those who are unfamiliar, the M/M Romance group on Goodreads does this thing every year where members post pictures, along with a story idea or line of dialogue or something of that nature, and other members of the group "claim" a prompt. The claimant then writes a story using inspiration from the suggestions and the picture.
This is my first year participating, and I'm afraid my story ended up being longer than I had anticipated (shocking, I know *rolls eyes*). It clocks in right around 50K words. Haha!
Now, I'll be completely honest and admit that there isn't a whole lot of on-page sex. There was just too much story to include loads of sweating and grunting, but I think there's an appropriate amount. I'm hopeful that it won't disappoint, in any case.
This story, titled On Edge, takes place almost entirely on a college campus in Nevada and is an enemies to friends to lovers book (which is basically what Anyta, who posted the prompt, asked for). I'm not going to lie. It was a bit more difficult to write this one than most of my other books. Mainly because I had a set of parameters to stay within. But that turned out to be a good thing. I often get carried away with subplots and secondary characters and all manner of things. There's a tiny bit of that in On Edge, but nowhere near my usual degree of tangenting. LOL
I don't have an official blurb at the moment, but let's just say that Chance and Shane hate each other, with good reason. When they're thrown together unexpectedly, that hatred flourishes in unusual ways, but slowly, over time, their feelings start to mellow and change, and they start to wonder, separately, whether the hate is really worth it... And whether maybe there's something more than that between them.
The secondary characters were just as much fun to write as Chance and Shane, and provide some of my favorite moments. They also lighten things up a bit (writing all that angsty hate and such was exhausting, Hahaha).
There are loads of authors, both published and not, taking part in this event -- I believe the final count is around 200 -- and all the stories are free to members of the M/M Romance group.
Now, I'm not saying you have to join, but really, why wouldn't you? :D
I'm tossing a link up here for those who might be interested, but I'm not entirely sure whether it'll work. If not, you can go to goodreads and click on the "groups" tab at the top of the page (you may have to sign up for a free account first), then enter M/M Romance in the search field. Scan down until you see it, and go on from there. That's if this link doesn't work: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
(you may need to copy & paste from this post, I'm not sure). The front page at Goodreads can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/
And that's all from me for today. Happy Thursday, everyone, and I'll post a notification when my story goes live, too! :)
~Tis
Ask Andrew - Preparation
Dear Andrew
In many of the MM romance books, a lot of time is spent with the "preparation". Is this fact or fiction? Cuz I'll tell ya, if I hear one more, one finger, then two, then scissoring, I will SCREAM!
Thanks
Chutchy
Dear Chutchy
I have to tell you your question made me smile. Because I hear you. In fiction, the preparation is sometimes over described, but it's my opinion that authors are trying to be sensitive to real world facts. Because in real life, preparation is of major importance.
Ladies, I'm going to ask you to do something for me. Tonight when you're in bed, lean over to your husband or boyfriend and tell him you have a hankering for anal sex and to just go for it. You want it and you want it now. If he takes you at your word, and let's hope he doesn't. The first thing that's going to happen when he tries to enter you is you are going to scream and then claw his eyes out (ladies, please don't try this at home). :)
Anal sex requires preparation, and the preparation, if done right, can be pleasurable and a wonderful part of foreplay. I know that the one finger, two finger thing is a little predictable, and as authors it is our challenge to come up with alternate ways to describe preparation without it becoming tired. In some cases I have read where the preparation wasn't skipped over, but mentioned, the way condom use is mentioned, and then the author moved on. That was both refreshing and literarily accurate.
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
In many of the MM romance books, a lot of time is spent with the "preparation". Is this fact or fiction? Cuz I'll tell ya, if I hear one more, one finger, then two, then scissoring, I will SCREAM!
Thanks
Chutchy
Dear Chutchy
I have to tell you your question made me smile. Because I hear you. In fiction, the preparation is sometimes over described, but it's my opinion that authors are trying to be sensitive to real world facts. Because in real life, preparation is of major importance.
Ladies, I'm going to ask you to do something for me. Tonight when you're in bed, lean over to your husband or boyfriend and tell him you have a hankering for anal sex and to just go for it. You want it and you want it now. If he takes you at your word, and let's hope he doesn't. The first thing that's going to happen when he tries to enter you is you are going to scream and then claw his eyes out (ladies, please don't try this at home). :)
Anal sex requires preparation, and the preparation, if done right, can be pleasurable and a wonderful part of foreplay. I know that the one finger, two finger thing is a little predictable, and as authors it is our challenge to come up with alternate ways to describe preparation without it becoming tired. In some cases I have read where the preparation wasn't skipped over, but mentioned, the way condom use is mentioned, and then the author moved on. That was both refreshing and literarily accurate.
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
June 29, 2014
Sing Inspirations (Seis) by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday! It's been some time since I did a song lyric inspiration post, so I'm going for it today. I'll share the songs that inspired my most current releases (Perfect Imperfections and All of Me) and the one that inspired my upcoming release (In Your Eyes).
Perfect Imperfections - John Legend's All of Me
Perfect Imperfections is a novel about two men from different backgrounds who hit it off for a night of chatting, which leads to a great friendship, and eventually much more. As they get to know each other, Reg and Jeremy are on a new magical mystery ride. Reg gets to learn about Jeremy's world and his needs, but more than that, he gets to know the man behind the legend, warts and all. And Jeremy is lucky enough to get to know a man built strong, loyal, and fun.
Music was Jeremy's first love, his only love until he met Reg who became his rhythm and blues. And when the two men finally put their cards on the table, both to each other and themselves, they could finally follow their hearts. Together.
All of Me - My Immortal by Evanescence
All of Me is a short novella that, for me, could only be written as a
short paranormal. I'm a happy write by nature. So when I felt the pull to tell a story that had some very serious issues and pain, I needed to do it in a world where my characters could heal more easily than humans (thus a shifter book) and in a format that allowed the focus to be on the healing rather than the pain.
Abel and Kai were bound together, destined to mate, before either of them was conceived. Luckily, the boys adored each other and embraced their future without doubt. But years of holding each other's hand, both literally and figuratively, came crashing down when both were too young to handle the pain life dealt them. And the result was strong Alpha Abel walking through life alone and yet unable to shake the lingering presence of the man he wanted and thought he'd have.
No matter how often Abel told himself his mate was gone, the man he gave all of himself too lives in his heart. Torn apart at his core, Abel's wounds would never heal, no matter how many years pass, because he he could never get past losing Kai, whose light never stopped resonating in Abel's heart.
And then Kai comes back and Abel has to hope that time and love can erase some of what his mate had endured. Thankfully, both men are strong enough to wipe away each other's tears, fight away each other's fears, and finally live their happily ever after.
In Your Eyes - Animal by Miike Snow
It's hard to come up with a better song to inspire a book about wolf shifters than one called Animal, especially when one of those shifters - Samuel - struggles not to stay in his animal form and leave the human world behind. Samuel was always a good man who wanted to do right by his pack, but in many ways, he lived in a world dark from a lack of emotions and empathy, which was a danger to him and those he was meant to lead.
From the first moment Samuel saw Korban, he knew there was something in the other shifter's eyes, but it took him many years to identify what it was. In the end, Korban can fill the hole that has always lived in Samuel. Korban's strength, while different from Samuel's, compliments the Alpha well and allows him to be the strong leader he always longed to be.
The last thing I loved about this song for this book is the happy vibe in it. In Your Eyes has some sad scenes and battles, both internal and external, that the characters have to fight. It felt good to hear a peppy song as I wrote it.
Have a terrific week!
CC
www.cardenoc.com
Perfect Imperfections - John Legend's All of Me
Perfect Imperfections is a novel about two men from different backgrounds who hit it off for a night of chatting, which leads to a great friendship, and eventually much more. As they get to know each other, Reg and Jeremy are on a new magical mystery ride. Reg gets to learn about Jeremy's world and his needs, but more than that, he gets to know the man behind the legend, warts and all. And Jeremy is lucky enough to get to know a man built strong, loyal, and fun. Music was Jeremy's first love, his only love until he met Reg who became his rhythm and blues. And when the two men finally put their cards on the table, both to each other and themselves, they could finally follow their hearts. Together.
All of Me - My Immortal by Evanescence
All of Me is a short novella that, for me, could only be written as a
short paranormal. I'm a happy write by nature. So when I felt the pull to tell a story that had some very serious issues and pain, I needed to do it in a world where my characters could heal more easily than humans (thus a shifter book) and in a format that allowed the focus to be on the healing rather than the pain. Abel and Kai were bound together, destined to mate, before either of them was conceived. Luckily, the boys adored each other and embraced their future without doubt. But years of holding each other's hand, both literally and figuratively, came crashing down when both were too young to handle the pain life dealt them. And the result was strong Alpha Abel walking through life alone and yet unable to shake the lingering presence of the man he wanted and thought he'd have.
No matter how often Abel told himself his mate was gone, the man he gave all of himself too lives in his heart. Torn apart at his core, Abel's wounds would never heal, no matter how many years pass, because he he could never get past losing Kai, whose light never stopped resonating in Abel's heart.
And then Kai comes back and Abel has to hope that time and love can erase some of what his mate had endured. Thankfully, both men are strong enough to wipe away each other's tears, fight away each other's fears, and finally live their happily ever after.
In Your Eyes - Animal by Miike Snow
It's hard to come up with a better song to inspire a book about wolf shifters than one called Animal, especially when one of those shifters - Samuel - struggles not to stay in his animal form and leave the human world behind. Samuel was always a good man who wanted to do right by his pack, but in many ways, he lived in a world dark from a lack of emotions and empathy, which was a danger to him and those he was meant to lead. From the first moment Samuel saw Korban, he knew there was something in the other shifter's eyes, but it took him many years to identify what it was. In the end, Korban can fill the hole that has always lived in Samuel. Korban's strength, while different from Samuel's, compliments the Alpha well and allows him to be the strong leader he always longed to be.
The last thing I loved about this song for this book is the happy vibe in it. In Your Eyes has some sad scenes and battles, both internal and external, that the characters have to fight. It felt good to hear a peppy song as I wrote it.
Have a terrific week!
CC
www.cardenoc.com
A Little Summer Reading List
I just got back from a get-together where I got to spend time talking books, which is one of my favorite topics. I love sharing book recommendations, so I figured for my post this evening I'd make a list of the stuff I'd read lately that I enjoyed--just in case anybody else out there is looking for some new stuff to read. I know I always am.
Wood, Screws, & Nails - Kade Boehme and Piper Vaughn Blame it on the Mistletoe - Eli Easton (NA)Silent - Sara Alva (YA)Parting Shot - Mary Calmes Beckoning Blood - Daniel De Lorne (caution, this one is super dark)Better Than Friends - Lane Hayes Frat Boy and Toppy - Anne TeninoGot some good ones? I'd love to hear.
Happy reading, Love,Ellis
Wood, Screws, & Nails - Kade Boehme and Piper Vaughn Blame it on the Mistletoe - Eli Easton (NA)Silent - Sara Alva (YA)Parting Shot - Mary Calmes Beckoning Blood - Daniel De Lorne (caution, this one is super dark)Better Than Friends - Lane Hayes Frat Boy and Toppy - Anne TeninoGot some good ones? I'd love to hear.
Happy reading, Love,Ellis
June 26, 2014
Confession: Memory Like a Sieve
I admit it. I have a memory like a sieve. Stuff goes in one side of my head and immediately flies out of the other side, never to be seen again. Names and dates are especially adept at slipping through the cracks in my memory. Even the names of my characters. Especially the names of my characters.
I've written a lot of books and short stories. Unfortunately, with prolific writing sometimes comes the much-feared Deer-in-the-Headlights Syndrome, of which I often suffer.
Picture this: You're at a convention. You've just presented an eloquent presentation on some subject pertinent to writing, and opened the floor to questions. A reader stands up, clutching one of your books to her chest. Obviously, she's a fan. You smile and wait for her question.
"In Blah Blah in the Blah Blah, which character did you like best?"
You freeze, your smile still plastered on your face. Blah Blah in the Blah Blah? You dimly remember writing the book.You remember the cover. It was about a renaissance faire, wasn't it? No, wait...that was Blah Does Blah Blah. This one was about a jockey and a freakishly tall shoe salesman. No, that was Blah Meets Blah. Which one was it? The taxi driver and the Fuller Brush salesman? Yes, that's the one. What were their names again?
Damn it! You can't remember. You wrack what few brain cells are still working and not fighting to exit before your head implodes, but for the life of you, you can't recall the names of the characters. So you offer this wonderfully crafted response:
"Um...."
I hate when that happens, but it's sort of unavoidable. It's like a stressed-out mother who has a whole passel of children. When she wants to call the second to the youngest, she invariably ends up going through all of them first. "Mis-Fre-Bri-Pan-Jen-Larry!"
Sigh.
I need a cheat sheet. That's all there is to it, and isn't it sad that the author who wrote the damn book needs to shoot her cuffs in order to remember the characters' names?
I've written a lot of books and short stories. Unfortunately, with prolific writing sometimes comes the much-feared Deer-in-the-Headlights Syndrome, of which I often suffer.
Picture this: You're at a convention. You've just presented an eloquent presentation on some subject pertinent to writing, and opened the floor to questions. A reader stands up, clutching one of your books to her chest. Obviously, she's a fan. You smile and wait for her question.
"In Blah Blah in the Blah Blah, which character did you like best?"
You freeze, your smile still plastered on your face. Blah Blah in the Blah Blah? You dimly remember writing the book.You remember the cover. It was about a renaissance faire, wasn't it? No, wait...that was Blah Does Blah Blah. This one was about a jockey and a freakishly tall shoe salesman. No, that was Blah Meets Blah. Which one was it? The taxi driver and the Fuller Brush salesman? Yes, that's the one. What were their names again?
Damn it! You can't remember. You wrack what few brain cells are still working and not fighting to exit before your head implodes, but for the life of you, you can't recall the names of the characters. So you offer this wonderfully crafted response:
"Um...."
I hate when that happens, but it's sort of unavoidable. It's like a stressed-out mother who has a whole passel of children. When she wants to call the second to the youngest, she invariably ends up going through all of them first. "Mis-Fre-Bri-Pan-Jen-Larry!"
Sigh.
I need a cheat sheet. That's all there is to it, and isn't it sad that the author who wrote the damn book needs to shoot her cuffs in order to remember the characters' names?
