Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 70
April 21, 2016
New Beginnings, or How I Finally Cleaned my Refrigerator by Felice Stevens
I have talked about it often enough these past weeks, but tonight is the start of the Passover holiday. Passover celebrates the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery under the Egyptians, and requires the eating of only unleavened bread or matzoh.
Now that may sound good to those who don't have to eat it, but after eight days of it, come talk to me.... yeah right.
This is not my favorite holiday because it requires changing all my dishes, my cutlery, and cleaning my kitchen, to make it free of all bread products. But the one thing I do enjoy is cleaning out my refrigerator. You see, I've talked about my son who, though he's ben away at school this year, loves to cook and has left me with the lovely present of a refrigerator stocked up with all kinds of bottle filled with sauces he likes to cook with.
Tonight, after I cooked my brisket and chicken soup, I took a garbage pail and one by one, gleefully tossed out the half-filled bottle and jars filled with liquids, some of which looked like a science experiment from years past. It was almost fun discovering items shoved in the back of the shelves that hadn't seen the light of day since last Passover cleaning.
So you may hear me complain, but come eight days from now, I will have a nice, newly clean refrigerator.....
Just in time for when my son comes home from his first year of college on May 2...
By the way, in case you have a road trip planned this weekend, two the books in my Breakfast Club series are now out on audio and whispersynched if you have it already on your Kindle. You can find them both on Tantor media or at Audible:
http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_p...
Now that may sound good to those who don't have to eat it, but after eight days of it, come talk to me.... yeah right.
This is not my favorite holiday because it requires changing all my dishes, my cutlery, and cleaning my kitchen, to make it free of all bread products. But the one thing I do enjoy is cleaning out my refrigerator. You see, I've talked about my son who, though he's ben away at school this year, loves to cook and has left me with the lovely present of a refrigerator stocked up with all kinds of bottle filled with sauces he likes to cook with.
Tonight, after I cooked my brisket and chicken soup, I took a garbage pail and one by one, gleefully tossed out the half-filled bottle and jars filled with liquids, some of which looked like a science experiment from years past. It was almost fun discovering items shoved in the back of the shelves that hadn't seen the light of day since last Passover cleaning.
So you may hear me complain, but come eight days from now, I will have a nice, newly clean refrigerator.....
Just in time for when my son comes home from his first year of college on May 2...
By the way, in case you have a road trip planned this weekend, two the books in my Breakfast Club series are now out on audio and whispersynched if you have it already on your Kindle. You can find them both on Tantor media or at Audible:
http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_p...
April 20, 2016
Ask Andrew - Buildings and Layout
Dear Andrew
When you are writing about structures (houses, shops, workplaces, etc) do you have a picture or visual reference or can you picture the space, and the objects in it in your mind? Basically, how do you deal with structures, furniture and the 'flow' of the space?
Sarah
Dear Sarah
When I'm writing about structures, I have a definite picture in my head. I'll let you in on a little secret. When I'm writing about various buildings I picture ones I know as a model. For example, I have used the homes of various friends for some of their homes or places they visit. For a while I watched some of those real estate shows on television and I use the buildings they tour. In the story I'm writing now, I'm using Dominic's mother's kitchen as the place where my character and his mother have their conversation about relationships.
I do the same thing with businesses. I may transplant the buildings to various parts of the country, but I use ones I know as models and shift them around. I do that for the restaurants and shops in the Carlisle Cops as well as the Taste of Love stories. I do make changes and modifications to the buildings as I need to, but this technique allows me to start with the building that I know well and make the modifications needed in my head.
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
When you are writing about structures (houses, shops, workplaces, etc) do you have a picture or visual reference or can you picture the space, and the objects in it in your mind? Basically, how do you deal with structures, furniture and the 'flow' of the space?
Sarah
Dear Sarah
When I'm writing about structures, I have a definite picture in my head. I'll let you in on a little secret. When I'm writing about various buildings I picture ones I know as a model. For example, I have used the homes of various friends for some of their homes or places they visit. For a while I watched some of those real estate shows on television and I use the buildings they tour. In the story I'm writing now, I'm using Dominic's mother's kitchen as the place where my character and his mother have their conversation about relationships.
I do the same thing with businesses. I may transplant the buildings to various parts of the country, but I use ones I know as models and shift them around. I do that for the restaurants and shops in the Carlisle Cops as well as the Taste of Love stories. I do make changes and modifications to the buildings as I need to, but this technique allows me to start with the building that I know well and make the modifications needed in my head.
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
April 18, 2016
Walk With Me Sale & Fun Interview by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday! If you haven't read Walk With Me, now is the time because it's on sale at Kobo for 30% off with this code: 30APR!
And instead of a traditional blog post, I'm going to point you to an interview I did with Alphas Do It Better. They're a great group of readers/bloggers and I had fun chatting with them.
Have a wonderful week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
And instead of a traditional blog post, I'm going to point you to an interview I did with Alphas Do It Better. They're a great group of readers/bloggers and I had fun chatting with them.
Have a wonderful week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
April 16, 2016
Safe in His Heart, by Renae Kaye
As an author, I often see the world differently. And I know this, because I view the world differently today than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was normal and just went about my life without thinking too hard. That changed when I gave myself the tag of “author.” Because now I’ve given myself permission to view the world differently.
People I meet are dissected and parts of them removed for future use in a story. It’s very cannibalistic. I also like to hear people speak about why they did things, because what makes them tick is interesting to me and I want to reuse it in a book.
Which brings me to the point of this blog. Most people know it. Most people will sit there and go – yeah, of course. But I ask you, dear reader, to try to think about it a little more, because you may find you are doing it without realising. And I have to raise my guilty hand at this – because I’m aware of it, and I still do it.
Here it is.
The big revelation.
Authors are not their characters.
**gasp**
I’ve read discourses about this that say that authors are probably very much like the firstcharacter they ever created, and I have to admit that many of my characters share traits with me, but that is just a small sliver of character. But it bears repeating. Authors are not their characters.
I was speaking to an author once who writes BDSM-type novels, and she was telling me about some of the dirty emails she gets sometimes. Men (I only remember her mentioning men, but it could’ve been women too) who mistook her for her (male!) character and wrote to her wanting sexual play. She confessed that she didn’t use BDSM practices in her real life, only in books, and was a bit perturbed about these emails.
I have to admit to making assumptions about authors too. **hangs guilty head** I tend to picture them as their cover model, or at least feminine versions of their cover models, and then I always pore over photos from conferences and laugh about how wrong I was about them. One author I was speaking to has an avatar of a red-headed cartoon figure. She told me she was invited to join a red-heads only club, just because of her avatar. She’s not a red-head and was banned from the club when they found out.
So logically we know that authors are not their characters, so why do we assume characters have the same beliefs and ideologies as their creators?
Once upon time, back when I was poor and just getting into M/M Romance reading, I borrowed every single M/M book that the libraries in my state held. One was set in America and featured a character who worked in politics. Now, I’m just an ignorant Australian, so I didn’t get all of the nuances of this book, but I pushed through to the end. I was doing some googling about the book later to try and understand the problems the characters faced (ie from different political parties), and I found an interview with the author about it, where she admitted that this character was hard for her to write. She said he was the opposite party to what she supported, but the story wouldn’t work without him being this particular party supporter and so she wrote him.
Intrigued, I went searching for reviews on Goodreads about this book and I was astonished. Instead of focusing on the book and the love story between two political opposites, they were focused on fact that they could never like a character who supported XX party. Admittedly politics is one of the things people get all het up about, but they were taking it out on the author. For writing about a character. Who, as it turns out, has a different political stance to her anyway.
Acceptance. That’s the big buzz word that flies around at the moment. Accept that people are gay. Accept that people are Muslim. Accept that people are trans. Accept that people have mental health issues. Accept that people are a different skin colour to you. Accept. If you study the statistics about how many M/M Romance readers are female, you will understand that women can read about men and empathise with the main character. You will understand that straight women and read about gay men and empathise. 95% of my readership is outside Australia (probably more). So those people can read about Australians and empathise. We can read about someone different from us and still enjoy the story, empathise with the character, and celebrate their happy ending.
My upcoming release talks about two trigger points that may send readers screaming, running for the hills and googling hitmen to take me out. Cheating and religion. I admit that they are in there. I’ve spelled it out carefully in the blurb so that people won’t send me voodoo dolls and horse heads in the mail. But I want to make something very clear – authors are not their characters. If you’re a reader who can’t bear to read about an Amish character because you’re not Amish, then that’s fine. And there’s also no offense taken if you can’t pick up my book that has two characters who identify as Catholic and Anglican. If you can’t read about a desperately closeted man who entered into a marriage of convenience to hide his homosexuality, then that’s okay. I don’t mind. I’d rather hear readers say, “You know what? I just can’t read that one” than readers get upset with me.
Because, I have to apologise if it's distasteful, but it’s something that is present in our society, no matter how much you like to think all LGBT people are welcome out of the closet. I’m in the business of writing realistic characters. For me, Andrew is real. His parents are very Catholic and he’s been told his whole life to turn away from the sin of homosexuality. Unable to bear the shame and hurt his family with his gay side, he marries a woman and has children.
Safe in His Heartis a journey of one man’s acceptance of himself. Raised in the Catholic Church, Andrew has a belief in God that cannot be erased, just because the Bible says he’s a sinner. Andrew’s life is in turmoil. He cannot see any way that he will be accepted out of the closet, so he lies and cheats and desperate holds that closet door closed.
Then he meets Paul – a man that was supposed to be a once-off hookup. Paul and Andrew are drawn together. Paul doesn’t think too highly of Andrew’s life either, but there’s something that keeps bringing him back to this closeted, married, cheating man. Technically Andrew’s wife giveshim permission to cheat, but does that make it right?
And yes, as an author who needed to explore her character, there is religion mentioned in this book. Andrew wants to hold onto his belief in God, so he has to explore his feelings on this, so the reader has to follow Andrew’s thoughts about the Bible.
My own personal beliefs of cheating and religion lie somewhere other than Andrew or Paul’s opinions. I’d probably be un-baptised if I set them out. But that’s okay. Because I’m an author and my own beliefs don’t appear in print. I’m in the business of creating characters. And sometimes characters do things that are not-so-nice. Just like real people do.
I have a hope. A goal. A wish. It’s very egotistical, and I’m a little ashamed to admit it. But one day, I hope that someone who’s struggling with his own sexuality picks up one of my books and is helped by what’s inside it. I usually visualise a young man of around seventeen who isn’t sure about who he is, browsing the shelves in a library and finding the book, then taking it home to pore over. I hope he finds the answers within the pages. I hope he sees that there’s nothing wrong with him. That gay is okay. That LGBT people can have happy, normal lives too. And if someone is struggling with their belief in God, I hope that they maybe be able to follow Andrew’s journey and see how Andrew had his “ah-ha!” moment.
I look forward to you picking up my book and following Andrew’s journey. It’s not an easy one. People do get hurt. Sometimes people do things with good intentions that fail. Sometimes people unintentionally hurt others. And sometimes it’s just bloody hard work in order to get a measure of happiness. Life is never going to be easy for Andrew, but I do guarantee he gets a HEA with Paul. Love is the only thing that is going to be easy.
eBook links Dreamspinner
Andrew and Paul learned about God and Jesus in different churches and realize their views of spirituality are worlds apart.
Andrew was raised Catholic and was told his homosexuality was a sin. For his entire life, he hid the truth. He married and had children to present a façade to the world—that of a straight man. It’s not until he has an affair with Paul, who shows him a different side of Jesus, that Andrew realizes he can be gay and still believe in God. Paul’s Jesus is one of acceptance and love, and in Paul’s church, being gay is not a problem.
For Paul and Andrew, falling in love is the easy part of their journey. They must make it through the fires of cheating, being discovered, Andrew’s wife leaving, the necessities of childcare and family life, the demands of their jobs, and working on their commitment to each other. Only then can they be safe in each other’s heart.
How to contact RenaeEmail: renaekaye@iinet.net.auWebsite: www.renaekaye.weebly.comFB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9Twitter: @renaekkaye
April 14, 2016
My First RT
Here we will go through my first experience at RT, the Romantic Times Convention, held this year in Las Vegas.
Oh Boy
There are over 3000 people here and it is overwhelming to say the least. The sheer number of authors and readers who are attending this event are mind-boggling. I've seen some of the biggest names in contemporary romance, historical romance and paranormal romance. I've met with people in the bookselling industry, such as librarians and bookstore owners and managers. However for me, the highlight of this convention has been meeting the authors whom I've only known on social media and the readers I've grown to love.
To me, we all feel like one big family, so it was a little like coming home.
Saturday is the big book signing day and I'm looking forward to meeting more fantastic readers and other authors. I'm not sure if I'll be going next year, but this has been a time I'll never forget.
Oh Boy
There are over 3000 people here and it is overwhelming to say the least. The sheer number of authors and readers who are attending this event are mind-boggling. I've seen some of the biggest names in contemporary romance, historical romance and paranormal romance. I've met with people in the bookselling industry, such as librarians and bookstore owners and managers. However for me, the highlight of this convention has been meeting the authors whom I've only known on social media and the readers I've grown to love.
To me, we all feel like one big family, so it was a little like coming home.
Saturday is the big book signing day and I'm looking forward to meeting more fantastic readers and other authors. I'm not sure if I'll be going next year, but this has been a time I'll never forget.
April 12, 2016
Movie Favorites with BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean
Today we are talking Movie Favorites, a baker's dozen questions.:
What's your favorite zombie movie?
BA: Night of the Living Dead. They're coming to get you, Barbara.
Julia: Shaun of the Dead
Kiernan: Night of the Living Dead (original in b/w). Still gives me the creeps.
Sean: Shaun of the Dead (favorite zombie thing ever is The Walking Dead)
What's your favorite horror movie (non-zombie)?
BA: Poltergeist -- the original. Do not TALK to me about the remake.
Julia: Hmmm. I do love monster movies. I tend to like adventure hybrids. How about deep blue sea
Kiernan: Cabin in the Woods (although it does have zombies in it, they're not the main focus).
Sean: I'm not good at horror films usually - 7 left me waking up in the middle of the night too scared to go to the en suite washroom, but Deep Blue Sea is one that was fun and I've seen more than once.
What's your favorite western movie?
BA: Tombstone - "I got lots of friends." "I don't."
Julia: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Kiernan: The Cowboys (an oldie with John Wayne).
Sean: Young Guns
What's your favorite comedy movie?
BA: Shaun of the Dead :D
Julia: I tend not to like what people expect me to find funny. We'll go with Clue
Kiernan: The Birdcage
Sean: The Pirates of the Carribean (what, it's hilarious)
What's your favorite sci-fi or fantasy movie?
BA: Labyrinth because David Bowie
Julia: Beastmaster
Kiernan: Labyrinth
Sean: Oh I love Labyrinth. And I love the Star Wars movies, and The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek (some of them) Okay, so I'm a fantasy and sci-fi junkie and can't possibly pick a favorite, or even a favorite for now.
What's your favorite action movie?
BA: Gladiator. Men in skirts, baybee.
Julia: The Mummy
Kiernan: Die Hard with a Vengeance
Sean: Thor
What's your favorite black and white movie?
BA: Young Frankenstein
Julia: Red River with John Wayne.
Kiernan: Psycho (or the first ten minutes of The Wizard of Oz).
Sean: Casablance
What's your favorite drama movie?
BA: A Lion in Winter (again, the original. I don't do remakes.)
Julia: Gladiator
Kiernan: The Godfather
Sean: Chariots of Fire
What's your favorite animated movie?
BA: Beauty and the Beast
Julia: Little Mermaid
Kiernan: Beauty and the Beast
Sean: Big Hero Six
What's your favorite buddy movie?
BA: Jaws
Julia: Sahara
Kiernan: Some Like it Hot
Sean: The Fellowship of the Ring
What's your favorite guilty pleasure movie?
BA: Conan the Barbarian. Beastmaster. Sword and Sorcery. Pick one.
Julia: Why be guilty? I already admitted to liking beast master. Maybe the 13th Warrior
Kiernan: Jaws 3D
Sean: A Knight's Tale
What movie have you seen the most times?
BA: The Wizard of Oz
Julia: Toss up between the mummy and Indiana jones
Kiernan: The Wizard of Oz
Sean: Star Wars (A New Hope)
What little known/underrated movie do you absolutely love?
BA: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. DO NOT JUDGE.
Julia: Alex and Emma
Kiernan: Little Voice
Sean: The Island
BA adds: I want to know why the musical genre was so desperately underrepresented here. Seriously. MUSICALS. M. U. S. I. C. A. L. S. Moulin Rouge, Jesus Chris Superstar, White Christmas, Hair, Tommy, Rent, The King and I, Sound of Music, What the fuck?
Sean replies: because I didn't think of the category when I made up the questions? we're also missing favorite sports movie, favorite foreign film... oh look, the beginnings of another post ;)
Got a topic you'd like us to tackle? Let us know!
You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot, @batortuga and @KiernanKelly
Sean’s website is 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/SeanMichaelWrites
Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly
Sean
smut fixes everything
where the naughty boys come... and play
What's your favorite zombie movie?
BA: Night of the Living Dead. They're coming to get you, Barbara.
Julia: Shaun of the Dead
Kiernan: Night of the Living Dead (original in b/w). Still gives me the creeps.
Sean: Shaun of the Dead (favorite zombie thing ever is The Walking Dead)
What's your favorite horror movie (non-zombie)?
BA: Poltergeist -- the original. Do not TALK to me about the remake.
Julia: Hmmm. I do love monster movies. I tend to like adventure hybrids. How about deep blue sea
Kiernan: Cabin in the Woods (although it does have zombies in it, they're not the main focus).
Sean: I'm not good at horror films usually - 7 left me waking up in the middle of the night too scared to go to the en suite washroom, but Deep Blue Sea is one that was fun and I've seen more than once.
What's your favorite western movie?
BA: Tombstone - "I got lots of friends." "I don't."
Julia: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Kiernan: The Cowboys (an oldie with John Wayne).
Sean: Young Guns
What's your favorite comedy movie?
BA: Shaun of the Dead :D
Julia: I tend not to like what people expect me to find funny. We'll go with Clue
Kiernan: The Birdcage
Sean: The Pirates of the Carribean (what, it's hilarious)
What's your favorite sci-fi or fantasy movie?
BA: Labyrinth because David Bowie
Julia: Beastmaster
Kiernan: Labyrinth
Sean: Oh I love Labyrinth. And I love the Star Wars movies, and The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek (some of them) Okay, so I'm a fantasy and sci-fi junkie and can't possibly pick a favorite, or even a favorite for now.
What's your favorite action movie?
BA: Gladiator. Men in skirts, baybee.
Julia: The Mummy
Kiernan: Die Hard with a Vengeance
Sean: Thor
What's your favorite black and white movie?
BA: Young Frankenstein
Julia: Red River with John Wayne.
Kiernan: Psycho (or the first ten minutes of The Wizard of Oz).
Sean: Casablance
What's your favorite drama movie?
BA: A Lion in Winter (again, the original. I don't do remakes.)
Julia: Gladiator
Kiernan: The Godfather
Sean: Chariots of Fire
What's your favorite animated movie?
BA: Beauty and the Beast
Julia: Little Mermaid
Kiernan: Beauty and the Beast
Sean: Big Hero Six
What's your favorite buddy movie?
BA: Jaws
Julia: Sahara
Kiernan: Some Like it Hot
Sean: The Fellowship of the Ring
What's your favorite guilty pleasure movie?
BA: Conan the Barbarian. Beastmaster. Sword and Sorcery. Pick one.
Julia: Why be guilty? I already admitted to liking beast master. Maybe the 13th Warrior
Kiernan: Jaws 3D
Sean: A Knight's Tale
What movie have you seen the most times?
BA: The Wizard of Oz
Julia: Toss up between the mummy and Indiana jones
Kiernan: The Wizard of Oz
Sean: Star Wars (A New Hope)
What little known/underrated movie do you absolutely love?
BA: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. DO NOT JUDGE.
Julia: Alex and Emma
Kiernan: Little Voice
Sean: The Island
BA adds: I want to know why the musical genre was so desperately underrepresented here. Seriously. MUSICALS. M. U. S. I. C. A. L. S. Moulin Rouge, Jesus Chris Superstar, White Christmas, Hair, Tommy, Rent, The King and I, Sound of Music, What the fuck?
Sean replies: because I didn't think of the category when I made up the questions? we're also missing favorite sports movie, favorite foreign film... oh look, the beginnings of another post ;)
Got a topic you'd like us to tackle? Let us know!
You can find us on Twitter at @seanmichael09, @juliatalbot, @batortuga and @KiernanKelly
Sean’s website is 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/SeanMichaelWrites
Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthor
BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga
Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly
Sean
smut fixes everything
where the naughty boys come... and play
April 11, 2016
My Wonderful Facebook Group by Cardeno C.
Happy Monday! I have a wonderful group on Facebook where readers come together to chat about all sorts of things and to help me with ideas/suggestions. Today, I'll tell you a little about the group because if you're a Facebooker and it sounds fun, we'd love to have you join us!
Every day a member or two post a discussion topic of their choosing - something insightful, something funny, something helpful (example: I'm painting my stairs, give me ideas!), or whatever. We also share book recommendations and get book suggestions. And finally, this is the place I go when I need advice from readers about anything related to the book writing/publishing process. I've asked my group for book topic ideas, quotes for marketing, places where I should sell my books, and even this very blog post topic.
I love this group of friendly, helpful, fun readers and I'm endlessly grateful for their advice and help. If you want to join us, we're at Cardeno C.'s Cinderfuckingrellas on Facebook.
Have a terrific week.
CC
www.cardenoc.com
April 9, 2016
Renae Kaye interviews Sean Kennedy
My good friend, Sean Kennedy, has recently published a novel, and I asked him to do an interview about it. People have been asking ME about the book, and so I bribed Sean with chippies and drew him out of his writing cave.
Name of book: The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson (Get Out Book 1)
Date Published: 7th April 2016
I can't wait!
Blurb
Get Out: Book One
Micah Johnson is out of options.
Following a stint as a runaway after the cruel revelation of his sexual orientation, Micah vows to get his life back on the right track. But there are roadblocks between him and his goal of making the national draft and having a shot at becoming an AFL player, including struggles with other students both on and off the football field. Hiding behind sarcasm will only protect him from so much, and Micah knows just making it to graduation will be an epic battle. If only Micah could find a fraction of the faith that his mentor, Declan Tyler, has in him, but he can’t seem to see what Declan does.
Micah is trying to reform, but the end of the road is a long way off, and it’s clear the process is ongoing.
Buy links:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
ARe
THE INTERVIEW
When did you start writing this book?
Directly after finishing Tigers on the Run. Micah was just yelling out that he wanted his story to continue. And I found myself wanting to continue it as well.
What gave you the inspiration for the story?
In Tigers on the Run Simon and Dec point out that while Dec was the first out AFL player, Micah will be the first one out from the very beginning of his career. It just kept coming back to me and I wanted to see how that would affect him.
What was the working title?
It was originally The Reformation of Micah Johnson. But as I was writing it, it became apparent that Micah’s reformation was an ongoing one with many steps back as well. Hence the change.
Where did the title of the book come from?
I sometimes see reviews that criticise Simon for being too unlikeable, which I really don’t understand personally, but I thought ‘well, if they think that about Simon, what the hell would they think about Micah?’. So the title was to reflect that Micah was growing up a little and would be different to the more troubled version seen in Tigers on the Run.
What challenges did you face with writing this?
Simon is a snarky, defensive adult; Micah is a snarky defensive teen. They are very similar, so I didn’t want them sounding that similar. It was hard to go from first person narrative to third. I’m so used to writing Simon it’s almost second nature. I struggled finding Micah’s voice at the start.
Tell us about Micah – where did the inspiration come for him?
Tigers on the Runsees Simon and Dec talking more seriously about starting a family, although Simon has his reservations. Micah was developed to show what Simon and Dec could be like raising an unruly child and to see if they were ready for it. And everybody expects Simon to be terrible at it, but he turns out to be pretty empathetic, seeing a lot of himself in Micah.
Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?
It’s a bildungsroman where Micah learns to grow up and think about other people and their pain as well as his own. But he’s not perfect. And there’s one character in this book that was only meant to be in one scene but has now become a vital part of the ongoing series.
Do you plan a follow up story?
There will be at least four in the series. There’s a story arc that I want to play out. The second book focuses on Micah again, but the third will shift to Emma. That doesn’t mean they don’t all appear in each other’s books, however! In fact I was just writing a scene in Book 3 with Sim (redacted by author)
Bonus question: Declan Tyler is mentioned in the blurb – does that mean we get to see more of his and Simon’s romance?
Dec and Simon were really only meant to be cameos in each book, but in Micah’s book they tend to turn up often – and Dec came to be quite an important character and appear in a lot more scenes than I originally intended. It was interesting to write him away from Simon’s perspective and show that they’re not always attached at the hip. We see a lot of Simon in his day job etc. in Tigers but never really Dec. He gets to come out of the shadows a little bit.
Thank you Sean for sharing chippies and doing this interview. You can find Sean... well. Not in a lot of places. Best google him, email him, and hope for the best. Or you can send me a message and I'll hide it in the bottom of the chippy container when I drop the next packet off.
How to contact Renae:Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.auWebsite: www.renaekaye.weebly.comFB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9Twitter: @renaekkaye
Name of book: The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson (Get Out Book 1)
Date Published: 7th April 2016
I can't wait!
Blurb
Get Out: Book One
Micah Johnson is out of options.
Following a stint as a runaway after the cruel revelation of his sexual orientation, Micah vows to get his life back on the right track. But there are roadblocks between him and his goal of making the national draft and having a shot at becoming an AFL player, including struggles with other students both on and off the football field. Hiding behind sarcasm will only protect him from so much, and Micah knows just making it to graduation will be an epic battle. If only Micah could find a fraction of the faith that his mentor, Declan Tyler, has in him, but he can’t seem to see what Declan does.
Micah is trying to reform, but the end of the road is a long way off, and it’s clear the process is ongoing.
Buy links:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
ARe
THE INTERVIEW
When did you start writing this book?
Directly after finishing Tigers on the Run. Micah was just yelling out that he wanted his story to continue. And I found myself wanting to continue it as well.
What gave you the inspiration for the story?
In Tigers on the Run Simon and Dec point out that while Dec was the first out AFL player, Micah will be the first one out from the very beginning of his career. It just kept coming back to me and I wanted to see how that would affect him.
What was the working title?
It was originally The Reformation of Micah Johnson. But as I was writing it, it became apparent that Micah’s reformation was an ongoing one with many steps back as well. Hence the change.
Where did the title of the book come from?
I sometimes see reviews that criticise Simon for being too unlikeable, which I really don’t understand personally, but I thought ‘well, if they think that about Simon, what the hell would they think about Micah?’. So the title was to reflect that Micah was growing up a little and would be different to the more troubled version seen in Tigers on the Run.
What challenges did you face with writing this?
Simon is a snarky, defensive adult; Micah is a snarky defensive teen. They are very similar, so I didn’t want them sounding that similar. It was hard to go from first person narrative to third. I’m so used to writing Simon it’s almost second nature. I struggled finding Micah’s voice at the start.
Tell us about Micah – where did the inspiration come for him?
Tigers on the Runsees Simon and Dec talking more seriously about starting a family, although Simon has his reservations. Micah was developed to show what Simon and Dec could be like raising an unruly child and to see if they were ready for it. And everybody expects Simon to be terrible at it, but he turns out to be pretty empathetic, seeing a lot of himself in Micah.
Is there anything special that happens in the story that you think readers would like to know about?
It’s a bildungsroman where Micah learns to grow up and think about other people and their pain as well as his own. But he’s not perfect. And there’s one character in this book that was only meant to be in one scene but has now become a vital part of the ongoing series.
Do you plan a follow up story?
There will be at least four in the series. There’s a story arc that I want to play out. The second book focuses on Micah again, but the third will shift to Emma. That doesn’t mean they don’t all appear in each other’s books, however! In fact I was just writing a scene in Book 3 with Sim (redacted by author)
Bonus question: Declan Tyler is mentioned in the blurb – does that mean we get to see more of his and Simon’s romance?
Dec and Simon were really only meant to be cameos in each book, but in Micah’s book they tend to turn up often – and Dec came to be quite an important character and appear in a lot more scenes than I originally intended. It was interesting to write him away from Simon’s perspective and show that they’re not always attached at the hip. We see a lot of Simon in his day job etc. in Tigers but never really Dec. He gets to come out of the shadows a little bit.
Thank you Sean for sharing chippies and doing this interview. You can find Sean... well. Not in a lot of places. Best google him, email him, and hope for the best. Or you can send me a message and I'll hide it in the bottom of the chippy container when I drop the next packet off.
How to contact Renae:Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.auWebsite: www.renaekaye.weebly.comFB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9Twitter: @renaekkaye
April 7, 2016
Cover Reveal and a taste of Learning to Love by Felice Stevens
One of the most exciting things about writing a book is, if you're like me, getting the email with your new cover from your cover artist.
Learning to Love is a different book for me; it is my first book written in first person and though I thought it would be difficult, I knew right from the start it couldn't be any other way. Gideon Marks spoke to me like no other character of mine has and I knew his story would be different than any other I have written.
Both of my characters are Jewish and though I've written Jewish characters before, this might be my most "Jewish book." It originally was written as a Chanukah story but evolved into so much more, once I revised and expanded it. If you know my books, many of my characters are Jewish; it is an integral part of who I am and I enjoy introducing people to the religion and culture.
One thing that is very important in Jewish holidays is the food. In Learning to Love, Gideon is a chef and he makes many of the meals I grew up with. I decided to give some of my recipes for some of my favorite meals in the book itself. Today, along with the cover I will give you my mother's recipe for the chicken soup that we had with our dinners on Friday night.
1 chicken, cut into eighths. I use a pullet.
7 cups of water
1 large onion, chopped roughly
1 parsnip cut in half length-wise
1 turnip cut in half
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 TBS salt
1/2 tsp pepper
handful of dill
Bring cold water to a boil in a large, deep stockpot. Add the chicken pieces then lower the heat to a simmer. Skim the fat as it bubbles up. Keep at low simmer for 1/2 hour, then add the vegetables. Cover the pot half way and keep at a simmer for another hour or until the carrots are soft. Remove the parsnip and turnip. Take out the chicken, remove the skin and shred the meat, then add it back to the soup and add the dill. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Wait until the dill wilts, then serve.
Oh and here is my gorgeous cover for Learning to Love. I think it's my favorite yet.
Learning to Love is a different book for me; it is my first book written in first person and though I thought it would be difficult, I knew right from the start it couldn't be any other way. Gideon Marks spoke to me like no other character of mine has and I knew his story would be different than any other I have written.
Both of my characters are Jewish and though I've written Jewish characters before, this might be my most "Jewish book." It originally was written as a Chanukah story but evolved into so much more, once I revised and expanded it. If you know my books, many of my characters are Jewish; it is an integral part of who I am and I enjoy introducing people to the religion and culture.
One thing that is very important in Jewish holidays is the food. In Learning to Love, Gideon is a chef and he makes many of the meals I grew up with. I decided to give some of my recipes for some of my favorite meals in the book itself. Today, along with the cover I will give you my mother's recipe for the chicken soup that we had with our dinners on Friday night.
1 chicken, cut into eighths. I use a pullet.
7 cups of water
1 large onion, chopped roughly
1 parsnip cut in half length-wise
1 turnip cut in half
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 TBS salt
1/2 tsp pepper
handful of dill
Bring cold water to a boil in a large, deep stockpot. Add the chicken pieces then lower the heat to a simmer. Skim the fat as it bubbles up. Keep at low simmer for 1/2 hour, then add the vegetables. Cover the pot half way and keep at a simmer for another hour or until the carrots are soft. Remove the parsnip and turnip. Take out the chicken, remove the skin and shred the meat, then add it back to the soup and add the dill. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Wait until the dill wilts, then serve.
Oh and here is my gorgeous cover for Learning to Love. I think it's my favorite yet.
April 6, 2016
Ask Andrew - The Settings
Dear Andrew
When you write your stories with all these places in mind, have you ever been to most of them or is it mostly research? If you have been to places you write about, where all have you traveled? Has Dominic ever went with you? Some places like, Accompanied By a Waltz, would be someplace I would love to go just because of the beautiful way you described the country. Or the scenery in the Rodeo series.
Tammy
Dear Tammy
I have bene or lived in many of the places that I use as settings for my books. It makes writing about a place much easier if you've actually been there and are able to convey not only how a place looks, but what it feels like. Dominic has accompanied me on much of my travels, though some like Australia and The Netherlands have been for the evil day job I no longer have.
Dominic and I travelled to Vienna a number of years ago and it was that trip and the things I saw that I included in Accompanied by a Waltz. It is impossible to visit that city and not hear or see people dancing. The Waltz is part of the fabric of life there and the entire place seems to flow right along with the dance. As for the rodeo series, I have visited Texas a number of times and I have friends who serve as a source of additional inspiration.
There have bene location I have use that I haven't been to. As an example I have never been to Syria or to Liberia. I used Syria as the location for Crossing Divides and Liberia for A Spirit Without Borders. For those locations I relied on research and talking to people who have been there.
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
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
When you write your stories with all these places in mind, have you ever been to most of them or is it mostly research? If you have been to places you write about, where all have you traveled? Has Dominic ever went with you? Some places like, Accompanied By a Waltz, would be someplace I would love to go just because of the beautiful way you described the country. Or the scenery in the Rodeo series.
Tammy
Dear Tammy
I have bene or lived in many of the places that I use as settings for my books. It makes writing about a place much easier if you've actually been there and are able to convey not only how a place looks, but what it feels like. Dominic has accompanied me on much of my travels, though some like Australia and The Netherlands have been for the evil day job I no longer have.
Dominic and I travelled to Vienna a number of years ago and it was that trip and the things I saw that I included in Accompanied by a Waltz. It is impossible to visit that city and not hear or see people dancing. The Waltz is part of the fabric of life there and the entire place seems to flow right along with the dance. As for the rodeo series, I have visited Texas a number of times and I have friends who serve as a source of additional inspiration.
There have bene location I have use that I haven't been to. As an example I have never been to Syria or to Liberia. I used Syria as the location for Crossing Divides and Liberia for A Spirit Without Borders. For those locations I relied on research and talking to people who have been there.
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
Visit Andrew's web site: www,andrewgreybooks.com
