Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 119

Coming Soon: Something Old is New Again

I'm posting this today partly to honor my amazing cover designer, who God bless her, just got out of major surgery. I wanted to celebrate this beautiful thing she did before she had the misfortune of going in to get cut open because I am so, so in love. Mostly with the cover, but also a little with her because she's so freaking talented and amazing. I totally proposed marriage when I saw this thing, people. (she's taken, I'm afraid)

So I recently got my rights reverted for my first novella, Amor Prohibido. I loved this book when I wrote it and I love it still, but I always felt like I could have done more to make it even better. So I pulled it from production, polished it a little, and had Pickyme give it this gorgeous new cover. I'm also changing the title to Forbidden Love to make things clearer for readers. I didn't anticipate when I originally published it that many people would make the assumption that it was written in Spanish, and there are actually only about three sentences of Spanish dialogue in the entire book, so I felt like that change needed to be made.

I hope to have it back on virtual shelves very shortly:

Original cover:


New cover!
Cover design by Pickyme





























About Forbidden Love:
Jacob Freehan has no job, no man, and no motivation. In pain both from ending a long-term abusive relationship and a severe back injury, he escapes to the sunny seaside town of Puerto Morelos, Mexico for a little yoga, a little R&R, and possibly a place to quietly end his own life.

Pakal is a centuries-old immortal Mayan spirit guide who has been charged with getting Jacob on the path toward healing. Romantic involvement with a spirit charge is strictly forbidden, and it has never been a problem...until now. Pakal sees something special in Jacob, but failure to keep a rapidly growing attraction at bay could result in Jacob losing his life and Pakal being condemned to the Underworld forever...

If you haven't read the original, I hope you'll check out the new version in a couple of weeks. You can add it to your Goodreads TBR, here. 

Happy Sunday,
Love, Ellis

A Very Sad Week...

This week has made me a mess.  I got word from my daughter on Monday that my ex-wife, Kaththea Spurlock, had died.

It was a shock. The first two days all I could think about was my daughter. She was overwhelmed. Her world has been rocked. She doesn’t know what to do. And I don’t know either.
Be there. Try and be there. Today I am taking her to a movie, along with my ex’s twin sister. I wonder which of them is the most devastated. The daughter? The twin. They say no one can know what it is like to be a twin except a twin. No one can understand the bond. How will Kaththea’s sister go on? They’ve lived together almost their entire lives. The years I lived with Kaththea, we mostly lived with her sister as well.
Day before yesterday it finally hit me. Kaththea is gone. I will never see her again. Never hear her voice again. We will never talk about my daughter again, consult each other when she has a problem. We will never laugh over birthday cake again. Recommend a good movie or borrow a book from each other.
Just because our partnership ended a long, long time ago doesn’t mean we don’t have a bond. God. Excuse me. Had a bond. Gosh, I am crying again.
Kaththea, wherever you are, know that I loved you as well as I could as a gay man. Know that I love you now and always will. It is more than just the fact that we have a daughter together. It is that your heart shown out to me that weekend we met so long ago. Your smile was infectious. Your generosity and your guidance and your love were amazing.
What’s more, you even cared for the man I married. And he cared for you as well.
And you helped me on my path to learning to write. You sure could edit! Bold men feared her red pen!
And I think you were proud that I am being published. I hope you were.…
Kaththea, I honor you and hold you high.
Thank you for teaching me to love.BG

Obituary:  Kathea Spurlock, Edwardsville, KS, died September 16, 2013. She is survived by her daughter, Jayli, twin sister, Linad, sister, Shellie and her nephew, Eli.
So short! Her whole life summed up in these few words??  No way!  Today my daughter and Kaththea’s sister will talk about her all day!
Kaththea and her sister Linad.   




 
 

It's that time of year again!

Our Bloghop Starts Here: Torquere Press Time for the annual Torquere Charity Sip Blitz! This year's charitable organization is SLDT,

There are many "charity" anthologies and stories out there, all of which are for good causes, but Torquere was one of the very first gay romance publishers to put one together. Authors write the stories and donate all their royalties to the cause and Torquere matches the amount, dollar for dollar. Over the years, Torquere and it's authors have raised thousands of dollars for worthy charities like It Gets Better and Doctors without Borders.

This year, the organization chosen to receive the benefits of the Blitz is OutServe-SLDN. For anyone not familiar with OutServe-SLDN, they are a non-profit organization dedicated to providing legal services and support to LGBT military individuals and families, as well as working toward equal representation and benefits.

That said, the theme for this year was, of course, "Men in Uniform." Yum! Who doesn't love some muscular Marine-loving, or a little Navy naughtiness?

My story for the Blitz is actually a bit of a historical. It's titled "The Immoral Use of Rubber," and takes place during World War II.

The title inspired the story, and has a little bit of history behind it. During WWII, the army was in dire need of raw materials during the war effort, and there was a well-publicized scrap drive going on - aluminum, iron, steel, silk, cooking fat, and rubber. It was considered your patriotic duty to do without in order to donate what you had of these materials to the drive (for example, women did without silk stockings, choosing to paint black lines up the back of their legs as faux seams). Anyway, during WWII, condoms were routinely put in soldier's packs as part of their basic kits. Certain religious took umbrage with that, calling the inclusion of condoms in soldiers' kits "an immoral use of rubber."

The quote stuck with me, and when I was trying to come up with a premise for this year's charity story, it jumped up and starting waving it's little inspiration-y arms. Here's the blurb for "The Immoral Use of Rubber":



The year is 1943, and Colin knows society and his family fully expect him to get married, but he is not as enthusiastic as everyone else over the prospect of settling down. In fact, the very idea of bedding a wife makes him physically ill, so he’s overjoyed when he received his draft notice. It will give him at least a temporary reprieve from the altar.  


At boot camp, he meets Jake, a big Texan with a warm smile and a hot, wet mouth. They hit it off immediately, and as they share stolen moments together wherever they can, their feelings for one another deepen.


Soon enough, though, cold reality sets in when the horrors of war threaten to tear their lives, and hearts, apart on a bullet-strewn beach in Normandy. 
***
Now a slightly naughty excerpt from "The Immoral Use of Rubber"





Colin didn't doubt it was true. The guys joked all the time about homosexuals, calling each other "fairy" or "faggot," but he could hear the undertone of hostility and hate in the banter. If the men ever found out he and Jake were anything more than just friends, they might end up in a ditch, too.
The first time had happened almost by accident. Neither of them had planned it. They'd just returned from a three-mile run when they were tagged by Sarge to unload a couple of supply trucks. By the time they were done, they were sweaty, smelly, and sure to draw the ire of Sarge if they showed up in the mess hall the way they were. They had some time before the dinner bell, so they hit the showers.
God, the water felt so good, hot and slick against his skin! He soaped up, but as he turned to rinse off, he found himself staring at Jake. For several long minutes, he was spellbound.
Jake was big all over. Colin knew this, had seen Jake naked many times before, but somehow, alone in the showers with him, watching soapy water follow the contours of Jake's body, and drip off the end of his erect penis...
It took a minute for the reality of that to sink in. Jake had an erection. A big, thick hard on, and the sight of it sent a shiver up Colin's spine, and blood surging into his own dick. He risked a glance at Jake's face. The hungry expression on it was unmistakable.

Better Anal Sex, and an Upcoming Release (ha!)

(Disclaimer: I'm writing this post under the influence of migraine medication. Proceed at your own risk. Love, Ellis)

Before anybody gets worried, I'm not actually about to profess any kind of authority on the subject of anal sex. Actually, as someone who only has access to "the equipment" on a sometimes basis, I know I'm no authority. I am always looking to improve my knowledge on the subject of the male prostate and tackle because I've looked stupid plenty of times, particularly in the beginning of my career. The stupid author that drove Damon Suede to write his authoritative "Numb Shots" article back in 2011? Yeah, I was that asshole. Learn from my mistakes, folks.

Lemme tell you, just when I feel like I have a handle on things? One of my guy friends gives me a piece of info that makes me go "Huh...well that's interesting." Now sure, maybe this is a topic about which I go overboard. Maybe it's my inner voyeur using authorial accuracy as an excuse to do a lot of research on what goes on with guys' butts, or maybe it's because those questions about women and their ability to write gay sex worth a damn chapped my ass. Maybe it's because as an author and as a reader, I believe that a reader has to stay rooted in reality in order to suspend their disbelief while reading fiction. Nothing pulls me out of a story like the jarring moment when I think: "waaaaiit a minute...that's not right!"

OMG folks I woke up with my ranty-pants on this morning. Terribly sorry. But research is sexy and I'm sticking to my 9mm on this one.

So. Recently Alix Bekins recommended this book on prostate pleasure, and then while descending some weird research rabbit hole I found it referenced again, in this video by adult film star Colby Keller. A flip-through of the preview looks intriguing and the reviews are very good, so my early assessment is that this is a guide worth reading. I've looked at many and bought few, but this is going on my TBR. Moreover, these informational "get in bed" videos are fucking great. Worth watching, IMO, even if you don't have your very own on-board penis. Topics covered range from manual stimulation technique, to intangibles like communication and intimacy, which apply to any sort of relationship whether you're talking real-world or fiction. Check it out:,



***

One final thing: I wanted to put in a plug (I said plug. I'm channeling my inner 12 year old today) for my upcoming novel, Stripped Clean. You can check out the blurb and add it to Goodreads, here, and Enchantress of Books is doing an official cover reveal blitz on October 17th! If you have a blog and would be so kind as to help me spread the love that day, I'd be joyously grateful. The cover art was done by the adorable and talented Pickyme, who also did the sexy cover for my dream-state BDSM short, Yes, Sir (which is still free for a limited time on Amazon and Barnes & Noble if you'd like to get in on that action).

Happy Sunday! Big squishy hugs and kisses.
--Ellis

Thank You Thank You Thank You!

"Anything Could Happen" is #11 on Amazon's Best Sellers in Gay & Lesbian Romance Top 100! Thank you ALL so very very much for your support!        Words cannot express my gratetude!NamasteBG Thomas

New Release -- Elided Cadence -- Available now! *grins*

Yep, that's right... my new book, Elided Cadence, is now available from Torquere!

This book has been a long time in the making. Longer than it should have been, to be honest, and that's entirely on me. I think I started it six different times. Hahaha!

After all that, though, it's finally ready and you can get a copy of your very own! Woot! :D

I really love the cover. What do you think?

The blurb tells you everything you need to know. *grins* And here it is!

The last thing Alan Freemont is expecting when he finishes his latest makeup gig and heads to Oak Grove, Arkansas, for a long-deserved vacation is to discover a wrecked tour bus. No. The last thing he's expecting is for the tour bus to belong to part of Andrew Lyon's band. Wait. No, again. The LAST thing he's expecting is to meet Andrew Lyon and discover that the man is more than just pretty, but smart, too. And needy, because three of Andrew's closest friends were on that bus. Only two of them made it.

Andrew Lyon has been having a relatively good year. Sure there have been disagreements between him and his record label, but what else is new? Then he gets an early morning call that changes everything. One of his closest friends is dead and two others might be following soon after. Alan Freemont, the man who discovered the accident, turns out to be a Godsend.

Can the men -- one on the periphery of celebrity and the other a favorite media target -- find their way to something real when intense emotions, paparazzi and an abundance of fans descend on the small town? Andrew isn't sure. He's already suffered enough loss already, hasn't he?

Maybe. Maybe not. If Alan has his way, he'll see to it that Andrew doesn't lose anything more.

If you're interested, you can get the book here: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=97&products_id=3985

So that's my big news for today.

Have a good one, people, and I'll see you next time! *grins*

~Tis

Poppy Dennison is here talking about Accidental Alpha

I would like you to story tell about what you get inspiration from and then specifically what inspired you to specifically write AA.

 
Hey everyone! I’d like to start by saying a big thank you to Mary for having me today. One of the questions authors are asked frequently is where we get our inspiration. For me, it comes from all around me. Sometimes I’ll see a photo that makes me want to tell a story. Others I’ll hear someone say something funny and want to find a way to use it in a book.
In the case of Accidental Alpha, my new release from Wilde City Press, inspiration came from another source altogether: my 18-month old nephew. See, a few months ago, the little stinker decided to be rotten and he bit the heck out of my sister’s neck. She was both shocked and horrified and had quite the bruise to show for it.
 Being the awesome sister I am, I laughed hysterically at her…while making sure to keep my own neck away from the little chomper. Fortunately, he grew out of that phase really quickly but the scenario stuck with me.  Since paranormal is my thing, I started to think of what would happen if a toddler happened to be a paranormal creature. Those what ifs started growing and growing….
 What if the toddler were a werewolf? What would happen then? Could a toddler turn a human into a werewolf? Oh, the possibilities. Since the idea of a toddler turning a big tough guy into a werewolf made me laugh, I figured my readers would get a kick out of it too!
 So what next? Having my main character turned into a werewolf just wasn’t quite enough for me. Where’s the fun in that? Oh no, I had to take it one step further. What if the toddler didn’t just turn him into a werewolf, but the Alpha.
 Oh my! I had a blast playing around with the idea. How could a toddler pass on alpha powers? What would a human suddenly do if they were turned into an alpha? How would the rest of the pack react? How would a human-turned-wolf deal with the whole “insta-mates” trope we paranormal readers tend to love so much?
 And that’s how it works for me! All of my novels have started with that basic “what if” scenario and developed into entire worlds with tons of characters. If the idea of Accidental Alpha makes you smile as much as I did while writing it, you can find it over at Wilde City Press.
 http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/accidental-alpha-pack-partners-book-one/#.UiukucakofQ

Here's the blurb:A quiet life. A break from the dangers of being a cop. Yep, Lex Tompkins has his future all worked out. That is, until fate—or rather the stray toddler from the house across the street—bites those plans in the ass. Well, technically Lex’s neck. Suddenly, he’s transformed into the Alpha of the secret werewolf clan hiding in the perfect, out of the way neighborhood of Lex’s dreams.
Now Lex is the unlikely leader of a dysfunctional pack… except for Spencer Robinson, the one shifter Lex can’t seem to keep his paws off. Will Spencer be able to teach Lex how to embrace who he has truly become?
 
Bio:
A sassy southern lady, Poppy Dennison developed an obsession with things that go bump in the night in her early years after a barn door flew off its hinges and nearly squashed her. Convinced it was a ghost trying to get her attention, she started looking for other strange and mysterious happenings around her. Not satisfied with what she found, Poppy has traveled to Greece, Malaysia and England to find inspiration for the burly bears and silver foxes that melt her butter. Her love of paranormal continues to flourish nearly thirty years later, and she writes steamy love stories about the very things that used to keep her up all night. If her childhood ghost is lucky, maybe one day she’ll give him his own happily ever after.

I Am Still Alive! And Reporting on My New Novel...

Okay, so writing, the thing I have always wanted to do, and LOVE to do, is a TON of work. Especially when your publisher wants three to four novels a year! 

And you work a forty-hour a week job. 
So you are working like eighty hours a week… 
*sigh* 
I love to write and I wouldn’t change that for the world, but OH for same-sex benefits so I could quit the horrid evil day job! 
So tired.… But loving almost every minute of this new life. 
Okay!  So here is the news. 
This Monday, September 9th, my new novel, “Anything Could Happen,” will be released! 
It is a spin-off of “The Boy Who Came In From the Cold.” Not really a sequel as some of events in both books take place simultaneously. But you do find out a little bit more about Todd (from TBWCIFTC) and you find out Austin’s side of the story.  

Remember that part of the reason that Todd ran away from his tiny little town is that Austin seduced him and he couldn’t deal with what they did. Austin meanwhile regrets his actions and moves to Kansas City in hopes of finding the man he loves.   
Here is the blurb.… 
Moving to Kansas City could be the best thing Austin Shelbourne has ever done. For a start, he can stop living a lie and finally come out of the closet. And there's a chance, though slim, that he might be able to locate the love of his life, Todd Burton. It had seemed like a good idea when he seduced his friend, but Todd freaked out and vanished. Austin hopes to find Todd, make things right between them, and win his love. But when he meets actor Guy Campbell, things get even more confusing.  
The moment Guy sets eyes on Austin, he knows Austin is The One. But Austin makes it clear he feels a responsibility to Todd, and Guy has some dark secrets of his own. He’s found redemption in acting and directing, but worries that if Austin learns the truth, he might not be able bear it. And what if Todd accepts Austin's apology and the love Austin offers? Guy wants Austin desperately, but he also wants him to be happy. In the play of life, with the happiness of good men in the balance, anything could happen. 
Advance word on the book is good! Check out Amos Lassen review right here:  http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=24252 So! I hope you will check it out. I adore the cover by Aaron Anderson. It is just as gorgeous as his work on TBWCIFTC.  The book, both in ebook format and paperback, is available here both for preorder and normal order on Monday:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
And I promise promise promise to be more regular here. It is a great blog and I want to do it proud!
Namasté,BG Thomas

As Promised!!! (What the heck happened at Dragon*Con and why does it matter? LOL)

Well, I'm actually keeping my word and posting again, post-con. *grins*

I may have mentioned last week that this was my 11th Dragon*Con, and I have to say that -- room-drama and friend-drama aside -- it was definitely one of the best!

I actually attended panels I wasn't sitting on, this year, and one of those was the HUSBANDS panel, which was chaired by Jane Espenson and Brad Bell (aka Cheeks). Janina Gavankar, who also starred in True Blood and Arrow, was there for a brief period, as well, as she is apparently in the new season of HUSBANDS (playing the neighbor of Cheeks and Brady). She was also on the True Blood panel I attended, of course. *hee*

I can't even begin to tell you all exactly what was said, but there was more going on than just HUSBANS-oriented talk. In fact, there was a rather extended discussion about I DREAM OF JEANIE and BEWITCHED, with regards to how they were corollaries to the societal changes occurring at the time. After the panel was finished, I had the opportunity to talk with Jane Espenson and Brad Bell for a very brief few moments. I also had the chance to snap this!

How unfair is it that they can look so good without loads of makeup? TOTALLY UNFAIR, right? *grins*

So in addition to attending panels (as I think I said), I also sat on a few of them. One was about the issues with pronouns in M/M fiction. Another was about when and where to submit your works. Another, however, was called GLBT in SF/F.

ALL of these were incredibly fun to participate in, to be honest, but the last one -- the GLBT in Science Fiction & Fantasy one -- completely blew my mind, and not merely because it was very lively. Part of my lingering excitement (okay, maybe most of it) is because THIS lady was also on the panel.


For those who may not recognize this incredible woman, who is also a remarkably prolific author, you now know what Mercedes Lackey looks like at 1 a.m. after a late-ass panel during which I was possibly a bit mouthy. The words "throbbing cock" and "exploding chicken" may or may not have left my lips. Hahaha!

The point is... I was ON A PANEL at DRAGON*CON with MERCEDES LACKEY!!! How the fuck did THAT happen? And she was incredibly nice to everyone and didn't seem to hold my rambling nature against me, so I'm calling it a win. *hee*

To be fair, I was also on that panel with the lovely and talented Kiernan Kelly, my good friend Kage Alan, and a few other people. But the important part is that I was on a panel with Mercedes Lackey!

Her series about Vanyel (Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, Magic's Price) and his life/relationship drama stunned me when I first read it and continues to do so every time I re-read. And I was on a panel with her? JFC!

I can now die with a smile on my face. You know... assuming I decide to die at some point. :D

Let's see... what else?

Oh, I went to a couple of Lost Girl panels, too. If you haven't been watching this series, you need to start! The main character is bisexual (a succubus) and there are apparently Fae all over the place! LOL The guys who play Dyson (the werewolf), Hale (the male siren), and Vex (the Mesmer-- meaning he can make you do whatever he wants with his weird-ass hypno-skills) were amazingly fun, even while hungover. Or possibly due to that very thing (not entirely sure which).

As always, John Barrowman was a hoot... and possibly not kid-friendly because he has a mouth on him like a sailor. Of course, any parents taking their kids to a Barrowman Q&A would have known that, so... whatever! *grins*

And that's what I've been up to for the last week or so. How about you?

Interview with C.J. Baty

This week Rainbow eBooks was lucky enough to get a few questions answered by C.J. Baty author of A New Dream. We are always looking for more authors and titles to promote as our Feel Good Friday Features, please feel free to email us at staff@rainbowebooks.com for more details. Enjoy!

1. What inspired you to write A New Dream?

A New Dream actually came from my love of the mountains. They have always been a great inspiration for me. The peace and quiet refreshes me and renews my strength. It just seemed natural that my very first published work would take place in a mountainous area. The other thing that inspired me was my desire to see a story that I wrote published. It was my dream and so the name just seemed right.

2. It seems like two separate but equally extreme life situations have occurred in these character's lives, what do you feel was the commonality that brought them together?

Wow, what a good question. My answer would have to be pain and loss. Sure, they each had different types of pain and loss, having lived through very different lives but it was still had similarities. Walt was determined to see his dream of Olympic gold come true and when life handed him a complication, he couldn’t see past it for the pain of his injury and loss of his goal. Curt’s pain came from the rejection of his family’s and the loss of the love every child deserves to have.

3. Where do your character's develop from? Do you know them entirely before you write them or do they develop?

One of the best things for me about writing or reading for that matter is watching a character develop…grow into something more than they were when you started the book. Do I know them entirely when I begin? No. Do I have an idea of how I want them to be at the end? Yes. It’s getting them there through the trials and the good times that makes writing personal for me.

4. What is your writing process? How do you get from start to finish on a book?

I read an interview of another author I know and they ask her if she was a plotter or a panster? I had no idea what that meant at the time. Being a writer, I did a little research and guess what, I’m both! I definitely make a list of characters where I briefly describe them and I make a short outline of what I’d like to see happen in the story but that’s about all the plotting I do. Oh, and I always know what the end will be. The rest is more of a process of mixing the main characters with the additional characters. Watching them struggle with their issues and working through the little things life throws at them to get them to that happily ever after.

5. How long does it take you to write a book?

With A New Dream it was a two part process. It started out as a short story that eventually developed into more. The book I just finished Drifting Sands took me a little over four months. I just began the concluding book and I believe it will take about the same. I am a slow writer and I tend to rewrite things if I’m not happy with the way a plot or scene is going. I also hand write everything first (very old fashioned, I know) and then I transfer to the computer and more rewriting takes place.

6. What part of writing do you like the least? What is your favorite aspect of writing?

The part of writing I like the least has always been the end of the story. It’s almost like I don’t want to let it go. It’s become a part of me and saying good bye is so hard. On the other hand, my favorite part of writing is bringing the characters through to the happily ever after I wanted for them from the very first time I thought of them and their story. I know it sounds conflicting but I feel pulled in two directions when it’s time to write The End.

7. What was your favorite character trait of each of these guys?

With Curt, it has to be his self assuredness. He had gone through hell when his parents had deserted him, but he had pulled himself up and made a life for himself. Walt took some time to get to love. He was so focused on the failures in his life; he couldn’t see what a good person he really was. He cared about the people around him. Not just his sister but the people in his community, the workers at the lodge and even the visitors. It just took him awhile to figure it out.

8. Why do you write?

That question makes me smile. I write because it makes me feel so good. It’s a way to express my own sadness or joy. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always kept journals, wrote little stories and made up stories to tell my children. It was my dream to be a published author from the time I was in high school but life happens. You grow up. You get married. You begin a career. You have children. Then one day your grown son says, “Mom what kind of dreams did you have when you were growing up. You’ve helped us follow ours. Why can’t you follow yours?” So A New Dream was my dream too.

9. Who are you when you are not writing? (hobbies, family, pets etc)

Who am I? I’m a wife. I’ve been married to the same wonderful man for almost 38 years. I’m a mother. I have two almost grown children. My youngest is a senior in high school this year and she is making life very busy right now. My son, the one I mentioned before, is becoming the man that I always dreamed he would be. We have a dog named Muffin because she was so tiny and fury when we got her she looked like a bran muffin. We have a cat named Mouse because my daughter has a sense of humor. I’m a country girl who lives in the city and runs away to the mountains every chance she gets. And my absolute favorite thing in the world is reading…period. Since I discovered e books, I haven’t gone a day without having my reader by my side.

10. What is the most interesting thing about you?

I think the most interesting thing about me is I am a middle aged straight female who writes M/M romance and mystery stories. Most of the people who know me personally were totally shocked when I first revealed what kind of story A New Dream was. That’s one of the best things about being on the other side of middle age, you’ve lived long enough to realize that love is special no matter the age, race or sex of the individuals involved and you better hang on to it with all you have in you, when you find it. The other thing I’ve learned is it’s never, ever too late to follow your dream!



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