Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 121

This Friday in Washington DC - Women Write Gay Erotica (or Romance)

If you're in the Washington DC area this coming weekend, I strongly encourage you to hit up the OutWrite book festival. It's not as huge as some of the other LGBT reading events I've been to--nothing quite compares to the Rainbow Book Fair in NYC--but it's growing every year. This one looks like it's gonna be interesting and fun. :)

This year I'm intrigued and excited to be attending as a panel member of the Women Write Gay Erotica event (Friday August second at 6:30 pm - be there!). I classify what I write more as romance than erotica (we can debate the differences if you want but that's really a whole other post), but there are some blurred lines I suppose, and either way I'm always happy to be involved in a conversation about writing the stories I love.

The topic of women who love to write about men who love other men seems to be an ongoing source of fascination in particular. Perhaps because it's slippery and tough to pin down, because the bottom line is that the reasons we women love to write gay romance (or erotica) are as many and varied as the women who write the subject matter. Multiplied by a factor of the characters we write.

But I'm rambling. Come join us this weekend, if you're within traveling distance of U-street. It's gonna be fun. There will be readings. And shenanigans. Plus, I know a really great bar down the street.

Do the Math

 In this story recent college graduate and mathematical genius Skye McCord is determined that this summer he’s going to do something he’s always wanted to try—living. And, as a scientist, he’s not leaving anything to chance. He’s got a new job in Las Vegas, a signing bonus burning a hole in his pocket, and what else does a brainy geek spend his money on but an education? But this time, it’s one of a carnal variety.
Liam Maddox isn’t your ordinary gay male escort—he’s actually gay, and he really loves his job. Especially when he meets his newest client. Skye’s cute and awkward and sort of odd, and when he informs Liam that he wants to hire him to teach him everything about being gay, well...Liam’s too intrigued to say “no.”
Except what starts as lighthearted lessons in sex and seduction quickly becomes more as Liam taps into a submissive side of Skye the young man never knew he had. Also, Liam’s never been this drawn to anyone before, and he’s beginning to wonder if he can walk away when their time is up. Or does happily-ever-after exist for someone like Liam with someone like Skye?

Author Fae Sutherland believes in true love "Love is a choice, whether conscious or not, to give someone the power to completely and utterly destroy you...and trusting them not to." Sutherland's title Equation for Love highlights her unfailing beliefs in true love, and her not-so-secret fetish for brainy men.
When Sutherland isn't writing she is shooting monsters in video games, "Seriously, I rarely watch TV because I'd just much rather spend my free time playing video games, I don't care for the really popular war-style games like Call of Duty or Halo or anything like that.  I prefer less violent alternatives like The Elder Scrolls games." She is accompanied in life by her one true love and a cat and reflects that "Life is Good."
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Get Yes, Sir now for FREE!

In case you haven't heard the good word, Yes, Sir is now free on Amazon, Kobo, and B&N. Many thanks to those who have downloaded, read, and left reviews. Yes, Sir is currently ranked the #1 free gay romance on Amazon, and has been since the day it went free. I'm so honored. 
If you haven't yet tried it out, I'd be grateful if you do. 
Here's the info:

About Yes, Sir:

A New Orleans vacation takes an interesting turn when Grayson Harper lets a friend drag him along to see a voodoo priestess for a love spell. Suddenly he's having very vivid dreams about a mystery man that seem all too real, and doing things in them he never thought possible. But what will become of the man of his dreams once he leaves the magic of the French quarter?

Free at:  Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

The Truth Between Lovers

Luke Hamilton and Nora Macauley are definitely keeping things from each other. After the two marry and set off along the Oregon Trail hoping for a new life, the truth begins to unravel, pushing the characters to a breaking point. Can they love themselves as well as each other? Is the truth too much to handle? These questions and much much more can be found in Backwards to Oregon.


Nora Macauley is a prostitute wanting a better life for her daughter. Luke Hamilton is a woman disguised as a man. As Luke, she is trying to make it in a man’s world. “Luke and Nora are two of my all-time favorites, “ Jae said. “I love the way they learn to trust each other. They both have overcome so much more than just the physical obstacles along the way. The two have overcome the obstacles that keep them from loving themselves and each other too. I love the way the couples outer journey to Oregon parallels both character’s inner journey.”



The book’s setting was inspired by Jae’s love for American history and the Old West. “I very much admire the courage and tenacity of the pioneers back then. When researching this book, I found some interesting novels as well as articles about women fighting in wars, disguised as men, and I wondered how they could keep up their disguise for years. So, I did some more research—and came up with the idea for one of my main characters, Luke.” Jae loves writing Romance novels. “They  allow me to dig deeply into the psychological  aspects of writing, to portray the characters in a realistic way by giving them a past, fears, weaknesses, and areas in which they still need to grow to deserve their happy end.” The research for this book was her biggest challenge, and it took months for her to find all she needed about the Oregon Trail, as well as life in the 1850s. “I researched every aspect of the journey—the food, clothing, weapons, landmarks along the way, sicknesses, and other dangers.”


Jae has been writing since she was 11 years old when she wrote a 65 page mini-novel about a ten-year-old Native American boy growing up in the Black Hills. “It was basically just a series of adventures that happened to him, since I didn’t yet understand the three-act structure and the theory of character arcs when I was eleven.” Just recently, one of Jae’s readers commented that Jae, herself, had a lot in common with Luke Hamilton, her main character in Backwards to Oregon. Jae says the comparison puzzles her. “I don’t consciously write myself or the people I know into my stories, but a few of the characters share some of my traits, habits, or likes and dislikes. Otherwise, everything I write is a product of my imagination.”

 Download this story or any other title at a discounted price! Visit www.RainboweBooks.com by clicking here! 

YMCA Swim Coach by Day....

Our feature today is Something Rich and Strange by Helen Louise Caroll. In this tale Maxfield Stanton has a secret. He’s not just the swim instructor at the YMCA. He’s actually Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas and earthquakes.  Poseidon wasn't Caroll's first choice as a main character  "When I initially imagined the story, I had a different god in mind - Eros's brother Anteros, the god of unrequited love.  When I went to write the opening scene, there I was in the Y with Poseidon telling everyone to get out of the pool.  As I kept writing, I realized he was the perfect character to use for this particular story.  His connection with the sea and its changeable nature made him a natural for a story about a person in flux." Poseidon is indeed "in flux" in this tale because he is fading from existence just as other Olympians have from the beginning of time. 
On his last night on earth he wants to have one last fling. Posiedon chooses Greg Turner.  Turner isn’t the traditional dream man. He’s quiet, shy, and has a little pot-belly and love handles. But he’s there when Poseidon needs him, and now the god of earthquakes is about to find his world rocked. Caroll hopes that readers  of this story realize " that life is full of second chances.  Both my heroes, Poseidon and Greg learn this at different points in the story.  Considering how long he's lived, you would have thought Poseidon would have picked up on this before, but, well, as one of the Fates suggests, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed."

Caroll is a self professed reading junkie who also has been known to lift a crochet hook. She has been writing books since 4th grade. Her sixth grade English teacher said one day her classmates would see her name on a book, the rest has been history. She  jots down the lines to her novels anywhere and everywhere, " Well, I've written down lines in parking lots while waiting for friends to arrive for dinner and while on lunch break - eating my pbj with one hand and writing with the other.  But my favorite place to write is sitting in my big rocker-recliner in my living room, with a CD playing through the TV." It took Caroll only 3 weeks to write Something Rich and Strange despite her day job and family obligations.  Caroll reflects: " It was one of the easier ones I've written.  I didn't have to do a lot of changing of the plot or details as I went on.  If you'll pardon the water based pun, the writing really flowed."

Download this title, or any other book of your choice at a special discounted rate at www.RainboweBooks.com! All downloads qualify for our July-mas Contest! 

Smile, Laugh, Grumble, Growly-grin... the week in internet "news" (aka - T.C. Blue's random impressions)

So it's been a strange week for me, fraught with personal and not-so-personal craziness (yes, this seems to be a continuing theme in my life... go figure :P).

One thing I do every day, without fail, is spend an hour or so on my home page, reading (or watching) whatever strikes my fancy from the numerous options offered by MSN. Some of it may not technically classify as news, but every item I bother to look at succeeds in eliciting some sort of emotional response. This week -- in order -- I found myself smiling at this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPAat-T1uhE(Dustin Hoffman speaking on how appearance once limited his willingness to appreciate women).

I laughed at this (although maybe I shouldn't have):


http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/brian-read-college-pitcher-nearly-chokes-hot-dog-has-surgery-remove-chunk-esophagus-eating-contest-070813(Sorry, but a guy choking on one and a half inches... *hee* I'm sure it wasn't funny to him, but yeah. Hilarious to ME.)

And THIS made me grumble, even though it's from 1962:


http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1hwj08/a_letter_sent_from_nasa_in_1962_regarding/(The comments are hilarious, as well as the fact that way back then, the turn-around between the receipt of a letter by a gov't office and the reply was so quick. I mean, they were still delivering mail by ponies back then, right? :P)

This one makes me angry but also happy, in a really odd way (growly-grin):

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ky-church-wants-pastor-gone-after-wifes-column

(I think you'll all understand the strange combination of emotions after reading it.)

So those are my emotional reactions to the things I've linked. What are yours? *grins*

Out Now: Yes, Sir

I wrote Yes, Sir in 2011 in celebration of the original GayRomLit retreat. Finally, it has sexy new cover art created by the awesomesauce Pickyme, and it has been professionally edited and extended in length.  It’s a little different than my other stuff. Kinkier, and more about a man’s sexual journey, with a paranormal twist (okay that part isn’t different). In the end I still call this one a romance, because there’s a relationship and a happy ending but it’s definitely the smexiest of all my stories.  It's on sale for the sexy low price of only .99 cents.
I hope you enjoy:
 “Don’t worry. I won’t restrain you for your first time.” The man, who hadn’t yet given his name, stood. Like he expected Gray to grab hold and follow.
Like that, Gray’s pulse took a pause and his mouth went barren. Desert dry.
“Wait.” Gray’s fingers hovered just shy of grasping the man’s hand. What were they talking about? They had sat politely across the table discussing rules of play over the griddle-seared gulf fish and fresh berries like it was one of Gray’s installation projects.
Only this was Gray’s body they were discussing. He didn’t have a single submissive bone in him.
“We’ll stop,” the man said. “The second I do anything you don’t like.”
A thousand doubts tumbled in Gray’s gut as they linked fingers and walked through darkened streets to an even darker basement.
About Yes, Sir:

A New Orleans vacation takes an interesting turn when Grayson Harper lets a friend drag him along to see a voodoo priestess for a love spell. Suddenly he's having very vivid dreams about a mystery man that seem all too real, and doing things in them he never thought possible. But what will become of the man of his dreams once he leaves the magic of the French quarter?
Buy now from Amazon | Add to Goodreads TBR

Flags and a Brit

So what goes with American fireworks and fanfare? How about a Brit? If you missed our live Google Hangout with Joey Jameson you are in for a treat!




As Always Enjoy a Special Discount on all of your purchases at WWW.RainboweBooks.com!

The Love That Dare Not Wear a Shirt

Today's entry is x-posted at EllisCarrington.com.

Okay, so I never watch TV. I mean really never. I hardly have the time to write books. Or read them. But my author buddy Nyrae Dawn got me hooked on the latest incarnation of Spartacus, and the hot warrior couple, Agron and Nasir. If you haven't gotten to watch, Seasons 1 and 2 can be purchased from Amazon. (So's you know, Agron and Nasir's relationship doesn't start to develop until season 2). Season 3 will be out in a month-ish.

If you'd like a teaser, there a roughly twenty-bajillion fan videos up on youtube. This is one of my faves (NSFW, and mild spoilers ahead):

And while we're here I'd like to give a huge congratulatory shoutout to Nyrae, who just sold what I'm pretty sure is one of the first (if not THE first) New Adult gay romance novels to be released by a big-six publisher. Make Me Whole will be out next year with Grand Central Press. I'm super psyched for her. Please do add it to your TBR.

 Happy Sunday, Love, Ellis

Cause to Celebrate

In honor of the groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling this week our Feel Good Friday feature was written by someone very familiar....Cardeno C.  Cardeno C.  hasn't always wanted to be an author. She began writing because she felt that there were so many movies, shows, and books where the gay characters were deeply hurt or killed or otherwise made to be miserable. Cardeno C. remarks:  "I wanted to write something else, something happy, something where the characters were loved, strong, and positive and able to find happiness in their lives. That’s my inspiration. One of my writing goals is to make people feel uplifted, hopeful, warm, and happy. I’d love for readers to walk away from all of my books with a combination of those feelings." Those goals lead to the writing and eventual completion of Marriage.
Cardeno C. sent the Marriage minianthology to Dreamspinner Press in early March. However, if DOMA was upheld entirely she wouldn't have released the title. Cardeno  C. felt strongly that the title was about celebrating and that there needed to be something to celebrate.  Likewise she was compelled to adhere to the minianthology format to show how this decision impacted a variety of beloved characters from the Home series. Their varied reactions further the stories, but also give loyal readers a glimpse at what life has been like since their favorite character last appeared in text.
Cardeno C. is a self professed hopeless romantic that is very passionate about her writing and volunteer work. Cardeno C. volunteers with numerous gay rights organizations and wants to provide uplifting tales of hope and love for individuals of all sexual preference. We, here at Rainbow eBooks, want to ask all of our readers to celebrate their marriages this weekend. Spend a little extra time with your love, cuddle a little more, grab a sunrise coffee together - read this inspiring title. 
Click this link for a special discount on any title onwww.RainboweBooks.com!