Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 39

Author Behavior by S.C. Wynne

I read a post recently asking about what sort of things turns you off about author behavior. It was
interesting but not surprising to see certain gripes.

Readers hated seeing authors bitch about other authors. You would think authors would know better than to do this in public, but I see it all the time. It seems like that time would be better spent promoting their own works, which wasn't something that bothered readers, or spreading some positivity in the world. And it's even more mystifying why anyone would do this publicly, considering you can bitch to your friends privately all you want all day long on private channels. (I certainly do this)

Readers also hated when authors bitched about low sales or posted too much depressing stuff like dying pets and family members. It's a fine line between sharing monumental events in your life, and talking about nothing but negative stuff.

As authors we need to be real people, that's kind of the point of social media, but we need  to always be aware that we are selling ourselves as well as our books. This is why bitching about low sales is so odd. Why would we want to come off like we can't sell our books? That makes no sense to me. You don't see big name restaurants complaining no one will buy their burgers? If I did see that, it would make me think there must be something wrong with their burgers and I would avoid that restaurant. It seems like a pretty horrible way to gain new readers.

What I took away from that survey was readers gravitate to positive people. They're drawn to authors who are confident and passionate about what they do. In other words, they're attracted to professionals, and I will strive to always be that.

S.C.
www.sc-wynne.com

Thank you by Riley Hart

As you guys know, last week was the release for DEPTH OF FIELD. It's been a crazy, exciting, stressful week!

I've dealt with some tough stuff--like one of my books being illegally sold on iBooks--THE iBooks. It still blows my mind. As of this time, I'm still waiting for it to get pulled. There's a long process and lots of negatives for me involved with this but I don't want to get into that right now...what this post is about is how, despite the troublesome things that have happened this week, I'm grateful. I couldn't be more thankful for the support with DEPTH OF FIELD. As I'm writing this blog on Wednesday night, it's sitting at number 53 on Amazon... Fifty-three in the Amazon store! That blows my mind.

Obviously, I couldn't do that without the readers. Without you guys taking a chance on my men. For buying and reading. Reviewing and spreading the word. There aren't enough thank yous in the world.

Every day I sit down at my computer and think about how lucky I am. Writing is my safe place. My solace. There are times I honestly feel like it keeps me sane. People often ask how I write so much, or how I manage it with some of the things I'm dealing with in my personal life, and the answer is, I do it because I NEED it. I need writing like I need air and there is no way I would survive without it.

Thank you for taking this journey with me!

Top Ten TV shows with Sean, BA, Julia and Kiernan

Sean Michael

Oh man, another top ten favorite list - as always, it's hard for me to narrow things down. But I will do my bests. These are in no particular order

Criminal Minds - barring the last season for sure, but it used to be one of my total favorites

Killjoys - I love the humor that goes with the action, and I love the way the three mains care for each other. 4 if you count Lucy.

Wynonna Earp - again wonderful humor with the action

The Night Shift - I love the whole ensemble of this medical drama

The Great British Baking Show - love this one so very much, especially how much the contestants support each other

The Big Bang Theory - funny, geeks as heroes, what's not to love.

Masterchef Australia - After seeing the Australian one, I can hardly watch the US one - the mentors are so mean on the US one

Lucifer - again, humor along with the action. And I adore Lucifer, and all the supporting cast. If I had to pick one favorite only, it would be this one.

Lethal Weapon - more humor mixed with your regular cop show and a man who is haunted by his wife's death - this one is so much better than I was expecting when I found out they were making a series based off the movies.

Castle - it's over now, but I loved it - especially the first few seasons. Once again there is humor, along with cleverness and Rick's utter joy at the improbable - the more improbable the more he liked it.

There we go - ten shows I really like!

BA and Julia

We're married, so we watch together. The agreement in our house is we both have to give enough shits to watch the show, and to keep watching it.

Basically this boils us down to a few tried and true shows that keep on keeping on.

Project Runway

Top Chef

Face Off

First 48

So You Think You Can Dance

CSI - I know, but we still watch

Sherlock

Great British Baking Show until everyone leaves and then no

Whitechapel

X Files

Honorable mentions: Julia- Spartacus, Dr Who BA- Criminal Minds, Ghost Asylum, Haunted Collector

Coming soon, Kiernan's answers

http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly

New Release: Smitty's Sheriff by Cardeno C.

It's release day! My newest book is a contemporary May-December, second chance novella called Smitty's Sheriff.

Here's what Gabbi at Top2Bottom Reviews had to say about it: "Both heroes are not perfect *far from it*, BUT they seem to be perfect for each other. Richard likes order and to be in control. Todd is a little flighty and needs to be guided through day to day life. Together, Richard’s dominance is just what Todd needs. In some ways, they have D/s relationship without the BDSM aspect to it and I admit, I liked it."


Todd is too flakey. Richard is too stubborn. Together, they're perfect. A May-December couple get a second chance at love.
Retired soldier Richard Davis wants a stable life in a quiet town with a forever man. Becoming the sheriff of Hope, Arizona, accomplishes two of his three goals, but instead of finding a serious partner, he falls for too-young-to-be-committed and too-flakey-to-be-serious Todd Smitty. Richard won’t find the right man if he’s obsessed with the wrong one, so he walks away from Todd.
It’s lust at first sight when Todd meets his sister’s army friend. He sets his sights on the worldly, strong, stable older man, and the more time he spends with Richard, the harder he falls. But after three years together, Richard cuts off all contact with no explanation. 
When a mutual obligation requires Todd to move into Richard’s house, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to earn a second chance. Ignoring Todd from across town was hard enough. Can Richard resist temptation under his own roof?

Happy reading!
CCwww.cardenoc.com

Do all people who like summer have pools? By S.C. Wynne

I have a theory.

You see, I hate summer. With a passion. Granted I live where it's very hellishly hot during the summer, so that might be one reason. But I literally detest when June rolls around.

I really love rain. I think that's genetic because I'm Scottish and Irish and Italian and French.
But back to my hatred of summer. I've noticed a trend; people who say they love summer almost always have a pool! I do not have a pool, hence my dislike of summer.

Do you have a pool? Do you love summer? Maybe I'm wrong. Feel free to comment and put me in my place. :) I'll just be over here loathing summer.

S.C.
www.sc-wynne.com

Up and Coming by Felice Stevens

This week I received my new cover for my next book coming out later this summer. Under the Boardwalk started out as a light book about falling in love under a famous landmark. Hence, the Landmarks series.

But Alexi and Cam became real to me and before I knew it, I was immersed in their story and in love with them. They have so much sweetness and love between them, they made it almost easy to write their book. And when it was over, I didn't want it to end. I think they might be my sweetest couple since Alex and Rafe from One Step Further. Of course there are some hot and sexy times; Alexi might look innocent but don't let him fool you.
You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

 Here is the blurb:

Beneath the famous Brooklyn landmark, love is hidden but not denied:

All his life, Alexi Kharpov has dreamed of traveling to unknown exciting places instead of working at his family’s frozen custard stand on the famous Coney Island boardwalk. Every year is the same until a gorgeous man picks a spot in front of his stand to sing, captivating him with his beautiful voice. After two summers of listening, it might finally be time for him to cross that boardwalk and take a chance.

Opera singer Cameron Maxwell has traveled the world, but the sight of the beautiful man serving custard to tourists touches his heart like nothing ever has before. A summer fling might be exactly what he needs to put his problems out of his mind, but the last thing Cam expects is to want the summer to last forever.

It’s a season of discovery for both men who learn to dig deep within their heads and hearts to decide whether secrets old and new should remain buried, or if love is too important to keep hidden under the boardwalk.


In other news, I have a new audiobook release. After the Fire, the second book in the Through Hell and Back series is now available in audiobook, and Kale Williams is back to narrate. I think he does an amazing job; there's so much tension and unresolved angst between Jordan and Drew and Luke and Ash. Kale portrayed the reunion scene perfectly.Here is the link:http://amzn.to/2vj2lu5
Happy Reading AND Listening!

Depth of Field by Riley Hart

Book release days always stress me out. But the more I connect to a book, the harder it is. And I loved this book, you guys. I did. Of course, I have to love every book I write but...Every once in a while the perfect idea hits at the perfect time. A book that takes me over. A book I live and breathe and fall incredibly hard for. A book that I know I was supposed to write. As an author, I live for those moments. I never know when they will hit.

It happened with Collide. I had traditional publishing contracts to fill, and deadlines to make but Noah and Cooper needed their story. I needed their story.

It happened with Crossroads. My original plan had been to jump straight into Rock Solid book two (which I hope will eventually come one day!). I struggled with it, as you know. I still struggle with it...but then there was Bryce and Nick. These men who didn't know what was happening to them, but the one thing they did know was they loved each other. Their story consumed me.

And it happened with Depth of Field. Again, my plan was to jump right into Wild Side three (Chance is screaming for his story so it is coming!). But as loud as Chance is...Van and Shane were louder. They needed their happily ever after first because they'd been through so much. DEPTH OF FIELD took on a life of it's own. Van's career took on a life of its own. And yes, the book is hot but it feels like so much more than that to me. It's about second chances. It's about redemption. It's about family. It's about mental illness. It's about love and acceptance and being true to yourself.

I hope you guys love Shane and Van's book as much as I do.

This one is Amazon exclusive for now, and available to read FREE with KU!

You can purchase it HERE.



Shane Wallace has made a decent life for himself in Last Chance. He built his own home on his mom’s property to take care of her, owns an automotive repair shop, and when he wants to get laid, Portland isn’t too far away. Not too shabby for the boy who spent his childhood getting bullied and feeling alone. Shane’s content to leave his past behind him...until one of his childhood tormentors comes back to town.

Maxwell Sullivan never planned to step foot in Last Chance again. Here, he was Maxwell, a teen who suffered in silence while everyone thought he had the perfect life. Now, he’s “Van,” the erotic artist and photographer. He’s only here to help his mom tie up some loose ends after his father’s death and to apologize to Shane. After that, he’s heading back to LA for good.

Shane never thought he’d have anything in common with Maxwell, but there’s a depth to Van that surprises him. Van knows what it feels like to be alone. He sees Shane in ways no one else does. There’s a shared connection neither can deny. Somehow, despite their rocky history, they get each other.

It’s not long before the two are so drawn to each other that they tumble into bed—sometimes with Van’s camera involved. Their chemistry in and out of the bedroom is undeniable. Except nothing is ever black and white. Shane can’t leave his mom and Van’s life is in LA. With two different lives pulling them in opposite directions, their picture-perfect ending might not be in the cards.

Ask Andrew - Characters

Dear Andrew

Are the experiences of your characters based on any of your own or people that you know?

HugsDawn
Dear Dawn
Sometimes early on I used some of my own experiences and people I met in my characters.  One prime example is Eli from Love Means... No Shame.  He came out of a visit to an Amish Bakery that I made when I was in high school.  Now I have to say that a lot of Len's back story from Love Means... Courage comes form my own High School experience and I used some of my friends at the time as models for some of the other characters.  
I will tell you that the characters I based my closely on myself ate probably Tom from Master of the Revels, my first story ever, and Geoff from Love Means... No Shame.  However I did include some of my early interests in my books including antiques, hence Tyler from The Best Revenge.  As an author I put some of myself in every book.  Its just that in some cases, I add more.  
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

Favorite Fantasy Films with BA, Kiernan, Julia and Sean

Hey y'all!

Today we take on our fave fantasy films!

BA Tortuga- Sharktopus is a fantasy movie, right?

Julia

Conan the Barbarian, the old one. Mary Poppins. Alice in Wonderland. Disney, please. I love most of the ones Kiernan and Sean mention, too, so I can be lazy...

Kiernan Kelly

Fantasy is my second favorite genre of movie, right after horror, so narrowing my list down to ten was difficult to say the least. There were SO many films I would’ve liked to include, but had to leave on the cutting room floor. Here’s my list though:

Labyrinth – David Bowie, stuffed codpieces, puppets and music. Doesn’t get much better than this.

Wizard of Oz. “A heart will never be made practical until it can be made unbreakable.” Sigh.

The Princess Bride. “Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father! Prepare to die!” Snort.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Especially if you fast forward past the hobbits and all the walking and get right to the elves and the battle scenes.

The Harry Potter Octo…Oct…er…eight films. Some more than others. My personal favorite is Goblet of Fire.

The Neverending Story. Fluffy dragons for everyone!

Jason and the Argonauts. Ray Harryhausen at his very best.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. “Be excellent to each other.”

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). “She was a bad egg.”

Edward Scissorhands. Come on…a guy with knives for hands being sold Avon products. Classic.

Sean Michael

I love fantasy films! Choosing my faves is not easy, but I've given it a go.to share my top ten.

Labyrinth - I have always loved David Bowie. I would have liked this movie anyway, but he put it on top of the list for me. You remind me of the babe.

Willow - might be tied for my favorite with Labyrinth

Legend - I know it's a terrible movie, but I love it.

A Knight's Tale - some might argue this is a historical, but I argue that the anacrosticness of it makes it a fantasy. This is one that I will sit and watch, commercials and all, no matter where in the movie I come in if I happen to find it on TV.

Edward Scissorhands - I always cry at the end.

Star Wars - all of them. I've been a fan since I saw the first one (that was released) in the theatre when I was eleven

Pirates of the Caribbean - I can watch the first one in the series whenever it's on.

Transformers - I think you can argue this one is fantasy as much as sci-fi. I love the first movie in this series

The Princess Bride - how can I not include a movie that has ROUS's in it?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy - I had to include this set.

What are your favorites? What did we miss?

http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly

Do you read Mpreg? By S.C. Wynne

Hello all,

I recently released my first Mpreg story. It's doing really well and I'll admit I wasn't sure what my usual readers would think of this book. I was super nervous and even considered releasing it under another pen name. But in the end I trusted my readers, and I'm glad I did. So far, everyone has been
very receptive. I've even converted a few Mpreg virgins!

I've always written lots of different kinds of stories. I don't like only writing the same formula over and over and over. I know that all romance stories have a similar theme, but I like to mix it up a little. I love writing mysteries, new adult, Mpreg and even psychic elements.

I like to think my readers know that they will always have variety when it comes to S.C. Wynne. :D

If you're interested in Mpreg, you can check out my new release at these following links:

Amazon

Other Vendors

See you next week!
S.C.
www.sc-wynne.com