Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 61

Weirdest things we've done to make money and more! BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean

Thanks to Labor Day, we were inspired to write about jobs!

The questions!

What was your first job.

What's been your best job besides writing

what's the weirdest thing you've done for money

describe your hottest co-worker ever

did you ever dramatically quit a job/get fired/ walk out on the first day?

Here we go!

BA says:

My first job was running orders and food for a food truck at a trade days. I worked Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday.

Audio Bloopers (Home Collection) By Cardeno C.

Happy Monday! Today I'm sharing something fun - out takes from Alexander Collins' narration of my Home books. They made me chuckle and hopefully you'll do the same.


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Home Again (1)




Home Again (2)




Walk With Me



He Completes Me




All of the Home books are available in audio with links here.

Also, All Romance ebooks is having a 50% rebate today. It's a great day to stock up on books. Or what I like to do is buy myself a gift certificate and then I get 150% of what I spend to set aside for books I'll want in the future. 



Have a terrific week.

CC
www.cardenoc.com

Re-Release! by Felice Stevens

Happy Friday and Happy Labor Day Weekend! In celebration of all the reading you'll be doing, I have the pre-order of Rescued available for you, and a little exclusive excerpt from new content added. 

     Jason ran a hand down his tightly muscled abdomen and Ryder swallowed hard, imagining Jason’s body under him…on top of him. He opened the refrigerator, took out two bottles and handed one to Jason without commenting.
“Liam and I always thought building muscle was the best, but I seriously lacked in my cardio.” Jason uncapped the bottle and took a healthy swallow. Ryder watched Jason’s throat move and wanted to lick the strong cords of his neck. Damn. He turned his back and wrenched off his own cap and gulped down the beer without tasting.     For the past week, since that uncomfortable evening at the bar where he’d met Jason’s ex-girlfriend and played that game on her, Jason had joined him on his nightly run with Pearl. He and Trouper would meet up with Ryder and Pearl at the rescue, then either drive to the Brooklyn waterfront and run through Brooklyn Bridge Park, or head to the city and run along the path by the West Side Highway. Afterwards, they’d pick up either a pizza or some other take out and go hang out at Ryder’s apartment to watch basketball or hockey. Ryder convinced himself he was using this time to make sure Jason qualified as a good match for the rescued puppy, ignoring how much he truly enjoyed spending the time with Jason.     “You’re fine; I don’t think you have to worry.”     “Well, I like keeping in shape and the running is helping. Maybe when the weather gets better you’ll come further into Brooklyn and we can hit the trails in Prospect Park.”     The fact that Jason thought that far ahead should have comforted Ryder, but instead he began to doubt himself. While he loved Connor as a brother, his first responsibility was to Emily and their marriage, not to Ryder’s broken heart. And one could never have enough friends. But Jason was that deadly combination of looks, intelligence and kindness, all wrapped up in a gorgeous package, and Ryder couldn’t help his attraction.     “Yeah, sounds great.” He pointed to the bags Jason carried which held the eggplant and chicken cutlet parm heroes they’d picked up on their walk back to his apartment. “But if we keep eating like this after running, we’re gonna need to do this forever, ‘cause we’re defeating our purpose.”     Jason put the food on the coffee table and flopped down on the sofa. “I’m fine with that. With Liam hot on the dating scene and John busy with the bar, I’ve sort of lost my usual crew.” His laughter sounded a bit uncertain. “And to be honest, I’m not that into hanging out at clubs and chatting up women anymore. I never was too much, but after spending time with Connor and Emily, it would be nice to have what they have, y’know?” He picked up the remote and turned on the game.     Ryder joined him in the living room but chose the club chair off to the side and propped his legs up on the coffee table.  He didn’t want to sit too close to Jason. “Yeah, but I don’t expect to find that. What those two have is something special; I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people so perfect for one another.”
     The game forgotten, Jason held his gaze with those mesmerizing eyes. “Sounds like you haven’t found the right person.”
     
BUY LINKS
Amazon:myBook.to/RyderandJason
Ibooks: http://bit.ly/2bDrIS3
All Romance: http://bit.ly/AReRescued
Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboRescued

New Release: WEIGHT OF THE WORLD by Riley Hart

I have a new release out! I really loved writing WEIGHT OF THE WORLD. Of course I love all the books I write but this book felt special from the beginning. I really hope readers will enjoy Tommy and Zack's story as much as Devon and I enjoyed writing it.




Available only from Amazon

"The world’s an awfully big thing to carry by yourself."

Zack lost his job, his apartment, and his hope, which is why he ends up on the roof of a high rise, certain that one final step will solve his problems. But a mysterious stranger named Rob happens to be on the roof that night too. He talks Zack down, convincing him there's still hope left in the world. Zack thinks maybe he's right, which is why he's shocked when he turns on the news the next morning to find out Rob jumped himself. Disturbed and confused, he searches for answers, starting with Rob’s brother Tommy Rayburn.

It’s been Tommy’s job to take care of his brother since they were kids, taking the blows from their father so Rob wouldn’t have to. Tommy thought he could protect him, even if it meant carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Considering Rob threw himself off a building, he obviously couldn't.

Then he meets Zack, a friend of Rob’s who’s suspiciously evasive about how they knew each other. But they’re both grieving and determined to find out why Rob jumped. Answers don’t come easily, and soon they’re soothing each other with sweat-slicked, passionate encounters. Hot as things get in the bedroom, it doesn’t take them long to realize there’s more between them than mind-blowing sex and their pain. But the heaviness is still there, threatening to pull them under, and if they can’t open up with each other to lighten the load, the weight just might be enough to crush them both.

Writing Themed Questions with Ba, Julia, Kiernan and Sean

Today we're answering some writing themed questions.
What's your favorite genre to write?What genre do you think you'll never write?Edits - love 'em? hate em? Favorite place to write.Favorite time of day to write.Keyboard or pen?Third or first person?Past or present?Day or night?Pantser or plotter?
B.a.
westernI never say neverEdits are a part of the job and they make the book better, so I love that. The parts where I was a moron and screwed up? Hate that.in my sunroommorning, but I'm most productive in the evening.keyboard. My hands have trouble holding a pen for any length of time.THIRD.I prefer past.I'd rather write during the day, but I tend to have to write in both, to make deadlines.Plotter. 100%. I have outlines and cards and notes and scenes written out completely.

Julia

Paranormal. I am so into bears right now! Werebears, naturally. Probably hard sci fi or high fantasy. I can do space opera but the others require so much world building!Every editor I ever have would say I hate them. I get easily frustrated, but I do love it when a book is so much better for an editcoffeeshop or my couchearly evening seems to get the most donekeyboard. I only longhand when there's no other choicethird. I loathe first person unless it's a very specific type of historical. both please. I like to write historicals and I adore contempsDay. I sleep at night these daysPlotter. I used to pants, but my books are better now that I plot them out

KiernanI love to write paranormals, because I get to make the rules!I can't imagine a genre I wouldn't take a stab at, with the exception of regencies. There are too many tight and fast rules associated with it.I consider edits a necessary evil.In my office or at Starbucks. At night, when it's quiet and I have no interruptions.Keyboard! I can barely read my own handwriting when I write quickly.I've written in both. Sometimes the story dictates what tense I need to use.Past tense, almost always. I find present tense awkward to write.I've always been a night owl!I was always a pantser, but lately, with a giant to-do list and deadlines, I've found plotting out the book helps...although some times things take a left turn and I need to go with the flow.
Seancontemporary - whether I'm doing BDSM or sweet/with kidshorror - I just don't have the touch although I enjoy reading itedits are a necessary evilmy writing chairI probably get my best work done after darkkeyboard all the waythird person, I find first person a challengepast, again I find present tense more challenging nightpantser all the way - I tried plotting once and it was a disaster

Got random questions? Comment or email one of us :)
You can find us on Twitter at @batortuga, @juliatalbot, @KiernanKelly and @seanmichael09
BA’s website is http://www.batortuga.comJulia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.comSean’s is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Facebook:BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortugaJulia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthorKiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kellySean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
Seansmut fixes everything

My Work Space (During or After-ish) by Cardeno C.

Happy Monday! Promising to get my work space done so I could get the "after" picture to you this week was great motivation and I *almost* go there. I'm still figuring out lamps and an ottoman but other than that, I'm really happy with how it turned out. Comfortable, plenty of room for the pups to cuddle beside me, and handy surfaces for my many beverages.


So? What do you think? Any suggestions (other than the lamps and ottoman)? 

Have a great week.

CC
www.cardenoc.com

Renae Kaye's new release

So Don't Twunk With My Heart has been unleashed on the world.

If you've grabbed a copy - thank you, ever so much.  **big heart**  And if you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review.  It appears that reviews are the way to go on ebook sellers sites.


If you haven't had a chance to grab a copy yet, then you can head to your nearest (favourite) seller and grab a copy.  It's available everywhere.  Amazon, Dreamspinner, ARe, Kobo...

If you're not sure about if you want to read it, how about a review or two?  I've picked out some of my favourite bits.

From Love Bytes:

"I tend to find reviewing books by this author difficult, because there’s always so many different things I could talk about. Renae Kaye creates complex characters, without making them obscenely angsty. Characters whom others see as weak, or lesser, but they prove that they are strong. None of them are perfect, and I love that these men didn’t need to overcome their fears to demonstrate that strength, they just learned to deal with their limitations."

This is a wonderful mention, because it's something I try to write with honesty.  As much as I love the HEA at the end of the book, and the bad guys caught and punished, I am aware of things not being that realistic.
In Safe in His Arms, Casey had been sexually abused as a child and was still receiving counselling and taking medication to deal with that.  He wanted to heal.  He wanted to be "normal."  But the truth is he is never going to be normal after that.  I didn't wish to write a book where his experience was "dealt with" and he was "cured" at the end.  Safe is a book about knowing that is never going to go away.  You learn to live with knowledge.  You have to accept you are going to carry this burden for the rest of your life.
Similarly, an experience such as drug addiction or alcoholism is never going to be "cured."  In Don't Twunk With My Heart, Tate has an eating problem.  It is not "cured" by the end of the book.  It will never be cured.  But Tate acknowledges he has a problem and that is the first step.  It is about realism - not just tying up loose ends and making the ending of the book pretty.
From Diverse Reader:

"Loving Jay was the first Renae Kaye book I read. When I finished it I knew she was a writer I was always going to love. So book after book I read her. Then Don’t Twunk with my Heart comes out… the SEQUEL to Loving Jay and I died! JUST DIED! I grabbed it and ran to a corner and wouldn’t talk to anyone until I finished it!

It was FABULOUS! It was the Renae Kaye I fell in love with and I almost cried with joy."

Loving Jay was released over two years ago, so yes, I can understand that some readers have been anxious to get their hands on more Liam and Jay.  I truly hope this book gives them their fix. 
When writing Don't Twunk I wondered if there was a way to take the zaniness of Jay and place it in another story.  I didn't want another character like Jay - because there only can be one Jay in this world.  In many aspects, Kee and Tate are both like Jay.  Tate, however, has teamed his femme and twinkish ways with intelligence and a drive to succeed in his chosen field.  And Kee has had obstacles in his way that has turned him introspective. 
I think that quiet Kee could become a favourite of mine to visit in other stories.  One sharp eyed reader has already spotted two other characters from other series in Don't Twunk... will you?

Check out Renae's website for more information on her other books: http://renaekaye.weebly.com/

Something Fun by Riley Hart

My family is big into motocross. My husband rides dirt bikes and my girls started this past December. My oldest rides every weekend with my husband. My youngest isn't as into it. She only rides sometimes but we all love watching the races and going to Supercross. My husband works on his own bikes. He's taught my daughter to change the oil on hers. Dirt bikes are just a big part of our lives. Below is a picture of my husband and one of my daughter.



I've wanted to write a motocross racer for a while. I finally got the chance while writing Beckett Monroe's story. It's a novella and the fourth book in the Crossroads series, releasing this November.

I have to admit that my favorite scenes to write in the story involved racing or riding. As I said, I've known I wanted to write a racer but I didn't realize just how much I would love it. I found myself smiling as I wrote the dirt bike scenes. I had this little buzz of excitement under my skin, just putting the words on paper. I think it's special to write about something you're personally connected to. Dirt bikes are such a part of my life, that I felt like I got to put a little bit of my family, a little bit of how we spend our weekends and things we talk about--into a book.

I'm really excited for readers to get the chance to read it and I hope they like reading about motocross as much as I enjoyed writing about it. I definitely think I'm going to have to do this again!

More on Beckett Monroe's story coming soon!

Ask Andrew - Dropped Subjects

Dear Andrew,

Was there ever something you thought to write about but didn't, because you thought the fans wouldn't receive it well or maybe it didn't feel like the right time?

Thx, Kendra

Dear Kendra

There have bene many subjects and ideas that I've had throughout the years that never made it into a story.  Sometimes I'll read something that will kick off an idea, but it doesn't go anywhere.  I had an idea very early on for a character who was recovering from a rape.  A friend told me that she had been kidnapped and raped when she was a teenager and she even gave me permission to fictionalize her story.  But I couldn't write the story in the end.  It was too personal for her and when it came right down to it, I wasn't comfortable telling that story and was afraid I couldn't do it justice.  I doubt I will ever write that story. 

There have been other ideas that have come and gone.  That happens on a regular basis for me.  Its the ideas that stick around for more than a few minutes that really have a chance to become stories. 

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

Summer Questions with BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean

Today we have ten random questions to answer.

favorite olympic moment?favorite thing about summer?favorite flower?favorite color?favorite nut?Sun or rain?hot or cold?wet or dry?long or short?soft or hard?

B.a. 

Simone Manuel's reaction to her first medal. Grilling out. Carnations. Pink! Pecans (and it's pronounced puh-con, not PEE-can).Sunshine is my friend. Both, neither, they all have their place. Dry. Short. Soft.

Julia

The ladies winning the gymnastics goldthe late summer part where days start to get longrosespurplealmondssun mostly, but I like rainI like it at 65-70 degreesdepends on what you're asking aboutLoooong like a bassetand I like a hard mattress, but soft is pretty good otherwise

Kiernan 

When the USA Men's Gymnastic Team debated competing topless. It should totally be s thing. Lounging in the pool.Lilacs. We had a tree in our yard when I was growing up. I love the fragrance of fresh lilac.I love rich colors, especially in the red/blue spectrumBrazil nuts. Rain. Storms, thunder and lightning...as long as I'm inside!Um, neither? I prefer cool. Wet. Dry hurts. That's why they invented lube. Snort.All sizes! Except maybe micro, because...yeah, not a whole lot of fun there.