Kaje Harper's Blog, page 34

Preparing for an introverts' convention...

This Tuesday I'll be flying out to GayRomLit - an annual retreat that brings together both readers and writers in the field of M/M romance. This is the third year for GRL, and the event will be in Atlanta, GA. Of the 400 or so attendees, 100 will be authors, and one of those will be, um, me.

I went to GRL last year in Albuquerque as a reader, which meant I got to have fun, go to all the events, and wasn't required to say anything. I had a great time, and promised myself I'd go back this year with that author badge on. This is a good event for an introvert, because among so many readers and writers, we're pretty well represented. I wasn't the only one standing in darker corners. It's nice to have like-minded company and I'm looking forward to it.

I'm also obsessing over getting ready, but what else is new?

There are things a reader doesn't need at GRL that an author does. Like swag. Official authors bring swag. This refers to the stuff that attendees pick up at the conference with author promo on it - pens, bookmarks, chocolate, postcards, keychains, and so on. This spring, after taking the plunge and signing up, I had a great time for several months looking at all the things you can put your name on, most of which were way out of my price range. But then I had to choose. I eventually found some swag items I hope will be fun. Although I still have to finish the ducks... (I'll try to post a picture after GRL.)

And books. There will be a book signing and I'm going to bring along some of my paper books to sell. I was trying to figure out how many, and was told that other authors last year sold between 2 and 50. Sooooo helpful. It may come down to the 50-pound airline weight limit on my suitcase and how many books fit in there. But if you're going to be at GRL, and want my books, I will have some.

I have a Question & Answer session scheduled for 10:10 AM on Saturday the 19th. I'll be sharing the podium with L.C. Chase, and Abigail Roux, so at least I'm not worried we'll run out of things to talk about. How many Ty & Zane fans can you fit in Ballroom A? It should be good, and maybe by Saturday I'll be over being nervous. Each author gets a 15 minute block of time, so if you have questions about my guys or my writing, there will be a chance to ask them.

The one sad thing for me is that my best friend Sammy, who was supposed to room with me and drag me along to the parties, won't be there. Health issues forced her to cancel. I've promised to pretend she's standing behind me and try to be outgoing on my own. Feel better, Sammy. I'll send you any chocolate body parts swag available in the swag room. Next year, we'll do it together.

~ ~
In unrelated news, Nor Iron Bars a Cage is doing well on Amazon, despite my having to charge .99 for it. It's in the top ten list for "Romance > Fantasy" along with some het books, which is cool. It may even earn a good donation for the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project, before Amazon makes it free.

I also have a draft cover for the Young Adult short story collection, Rainbow Briefs, which I will release soon as a Kira Harp freebie. My editor, Sara Winters, and I hope to get this out around the end of October. I can't wait to unveil the cover, which is another lovely one from Enny Kraft. I just need to write the freaking blurb first...

~ ~
So, a couple more days to pack, and unpack, and repack. And then I'll see some of you in Atlanta!

"Nor Iron Bars a Cage" a Rainbow Awards finalist

My free fantasy novel, Nor Iron Bars a Cage, made the list of 2013 Rainbow Awards Finalists! It's so cool to see my book up there with other great stories I've enjoyed this year. (And a few I haven't read, and must now go track down. More good books :) )

Winners will be announced Dec. 8th. There are a number of categories, including Young Adult, so check out the finalists. The complete lists are posted at the link above.

I have now put Nor Iron Bars a Cage up on Smashwords and All Romance ebooks for downloading in various formats, if you are interested and haven't got it from the M/M group yet. It should show up at Barnes & Noble and other sites in a couple of weeks (and I'm planning an Amazon release with proceeds to charity as soon as I get it formatted.) Thanks again to my beta readers, and everyone in the M/M Romance group working with the Love Has No Boundaries stories, who helped me get this freebie book completed and released, and to Ren Brennan for the great cover :)

Gift of the Goddess now available

Storm Moon Press has now released my story from the Carved In Flesh anthology as a stand-alone. (The new cover is the same for all the separate stories BTW.)

Gift of the Goddess is a 50 page (20,000 word) novella fantasy story.



Blurb: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Garvin's lover Nyle has been kidnapped by a band of soldiers in need of a smith. In the king's army, that means he'll serve until he's dead, and Garvin will be damned if he'll let that happen. But Garvin's a small, slight man without the skills to follow and take on trained soldiers. For the first time in his life, Garvin prays to the Goddess for help, for enough guidance to get him to Nyle, so he can do whatever it takes to rescue the man he loves. And the Goddess answers him.

*Content warning - contains a brief on-page episode of dubious to non-consensual sex.*
.

I enjoy writing fantasy. It gives me freedom to invent societies, events and even worlds, with wide open possibilities. I try to put real, believable characters into those imaginary settings. If you haven't already read this in the anthology, I hope you enjoy a look at Garvin and Nyle, and the world they live in.

Gift of the Goddess is available directly from Storm Moon Press and should soon be available from other retailers.

.
~In other news, there is a new chance for you to win a copy of Learning Curve - Life Lessons book 4.

The Sweet Spot is having one of their M/M reader appreciation days tomorrow, Saturday Sept 21st with some great prizes:
When: Saturday, September 21st from 8 am - 8 pm EDT
Where: The Sweet Spot Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheSwee...)

The following authors have donated these books or other prizes:

LoriToland - ebook copy of THE REPLACEMENT GUITARIST
Allison Cassatta - ebook copy of PATIENT PRIVILEGE
Allison Cassatta - ebook copy of THREE LITTLE WORDS
Kaje Harper - ebook copy of LEARNING CURVE - LIFE LESSONS BOOK #4
Tara Lain - ebook copy of F.A.S.T. BALLS
Willa Okati - ebook copy of IN THE KEY OF
Angel Rothamel - ebook copy of HANDCUFFS AND LACE
Lynley Wayne - ebook copy of ROCKY'S ROAD
Kendall McKenna - ebook copy of STRENGTH OF THE WOLF
Evelise Archer - ebook copy of WE ARE DADDY
Jambrea Jo Jones - ebook copy of winner's choice from backlist
Sloan Parker - winner's choice of $15 Amazon.com or All Romance eBooks Gift Card
S.J. Frost - ebook copy of winner's choice from backlist

So head on over for a chance to win.

Interview, giveaway, plus...

As a lead up to the GayRomLit retreat, The Novel Approach and Joyfully Jay have teamed up to introduce some of the authors who will be attending in Atlanta. I'm one of them, and today is my turn in the spotlight. You can find an interview, and a chance to win a backlist book, including Learning Curve, on The Novel Approach website. Come on by and say hello, and maybe win a book. And find out why that picture is on this page.

Learning Curve is on Amazon

Just a quick update to say that Learning Curve - Life Lessons Book 4 is now available on Amazon; You can find it here on Amazon - US. Release on other vendor sites, including All Romance ebooks, should be later in the month.

I want to say thanks to everyone who bought the book directly from MLR Press already, or plans to buy there - it feels like a compliment that you moved fast to get it, and it gives both myself and the publisher almost twice as much in royalties. But I know there are downsides to going directly to each publisher - for those who like the convenience of Amazon, with their one-click and back-ups/cloud, it's now available :)

Learning Curve released

It's finally out. :)



You can now get Learning Curve - the 4th Life Lessons book, on the MLR Press website. It's really great to see the book available, although also a little bittersweet since I don't expect to write more novels for this series, at least for quite a while. I'll miss Mac and Tony, but I hope you like the place they end up in, and all the adventures along the way.

I'll put up links to other vendors when available. The book has been uploaded to Amazon, but it can take hours to days for it to go live.

Thanks to everyone who has read this whole series, for sticking with my guys through 4 novels and three shorts, with all the ups and downs. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Now there are a bunch of other men I want to write books about...

Learning Curve cover, take 2, (and a free book)

Soooo the saga of the cover for this book...

When I wrote Life Lessons, MLR press knew there was one sequel coming, if the first book sold well enough to release the second. The artist picked a couple of cover guys - a Tony who was perfect and a Mac who wasn't even close. (Polished, waxed and grinning, with a gold chain - just, nope.) But she heard my comments and looked around, and changed the "Mac" to this cool angled shot of a guy who looked a bit scruffy, but solemn, and had the right feel. I loved that first cover.

And after two books, I thought the series was done. But no. The guys had more to say. By the time we hit this fourth book, Learning Curve, we were running up against the limit of plausible pictures for "Mac." Not that he doesn't have a gazillion stock picks, just that most of them are either ridiculous like this or so different looking you have to check the credits to believe it's the same guy, like these, okay, and also ridiculous, or all smiley. Some were possible... but. After looking at this guy's stuff through a long evening, the artist and I were both irritated with him, and when the artist said, "How about another guy who looks like him?", I said, "Why not?" So we did that, and around 1 a.m. decided we were done. And I liked that cover, objectively. It's pretty.

But when I posted it, people immediately were recognizing it wasn't "Mac". And what's more, Tony was bitching in my head. Now, that's a downside to being a writer. Well an upside and a downside - the guys feel real and they talk to me. A lot in some cases. (Tony Hart, I'm looking at you.) Tony didn't like being on the cover with a new guy - it felt like I was making him cheat on Mac. It was uncomfortable, no matter how pretty the cover was. Not that Tony could get Mac to pose for a freaking usable picture for me, but that didn't keep him from complaining.

So the artist and I went back to the "Mac" pictures, looking for one that might slot into the same cover, and look OK. Again. And nothing was perfect, but some were possible, and in the end we picked one. It's the right man, despite the different look: Mac cleaned up, hair shorter after cutting it in Home Work, and dressing up, which happens a couple of times in the book. And something about the expression appealed to me - I imagine their eyes meeting in the mirror this way.



Some people will like the other one better, despite the switch. Some will find some other stock picture of this guy more convincing. (You have no idea how many I played with and debated over. Indecisiveness is my middle name.) But this is it. Hopefully most folks will like it, and at least Tony isn't waking me up in the night to bitch about it.

You can sign up to win a copy of Learning Curve on the giveaway at Stumbling Over Chaos. Good luck. I hope you all enjoy the book. It's having final proofing now, and looks like it should release on schedule on the 6th. It will be available first from MLR Press directly, then Amazon shortly after, and gradually the other retail sites. And now, I need to go have fun writing the next thing. A writer's life is good :)

A release date for Learning Curve

I'm in a great mood today, because I have a cover and a release date for Learning Curve. Here's the cover:



And the (almost definitely) release date is September 6th. The book is still in proofing, so there is a very small possibility of delay, but I'm pretty sure it should sail through. I'm looking forward to getting this one out. I hope readers will enjoy watching Mac and Tony work through the situations left in the wake of Home Work, and a new mystery, of course...

Hidden Treasures

Since my own writing isn't doing anything new and exciting right now, I thought I'd do a different type of post this time. I usually don't talk about other people's books here on my blog. I'm not sure why not, except that I tend to keep things compartmentalized. I write a lot of reviews on Goodreads - over 550 so far. I enjoy letting people know about the books I love, and turning new readers on to great storytelling.

A recent book release, that didn't get the full attention I expected, made me think about all those hidden treasures - the books I've read and loved, and wonder why the whole world isn't snapping them up and loving them too. You know the ones. Although your list is no doubt different from mine, because in the wonder of human diversity, there is also diversity of tastes. But I'm sure you also have that list of the books you've loved, the ones that charmed, amused or uplifted you, or wrecked you for a span of time, while making the real world go away. Stories written by talented authors who somehow haven't found the audience they deserve.

Anyway, since my email in-box is annoyingly silent on the topic of ongoing manuscripts, and real life is a bitch, I thought maybe we could give each other this - books that make life better, and that not enough people have read.

I'm going to give you my list here, with a bit of general chat about what the story did for me, and a link to my full reviews, which tend to be wordy. (Who me? Never.) These are not all of my top favorite books, by any means, but I don't think I need to tell you to go read Amy Lane or Harper Fox or Jordan Castillo Price or Heidi Cullinan. All of them have written wonderful take-to-a-desert-island books that I love. But unless you're very new to the genre, you've already sampled those and formed your own opinions. These are the lesser-known books, ones with fewer than five hundred ratings on Goodreads, often a lot fewer. I'll give you my top ten... I invite you to list your own hidden gems in the comments below.
.

King Perry by Edmond Manning : This is the book that got me thinking about the topic. The second book in this projected six-book series just came out, and those who loved the first were thrilled. But there aren't enough of us. In my review of this first book, I wrote, “This isn't a romance. I'm not sure what it is, other than brilliant and surprising and imaginative and unexpected. There is poignancy mixed with a lot of humor...” This book startled and perplexed and delighted me, once I let go of my expectations and fell into the brilliant narrative. It's the first book in a voyage of discovery for and about the narrator, Vin Vanbly, as he interacts with one man after another, changing them and himself in the process.

I should point out that I am now a friend of the author's. But I wasn't when I read the book, and wrote this enthusiastic review. This is a book I could never have written, but I'm delighted to have read. You can get a feel for the author's voice by reading his enormously entertaining (but way too sparse, Edmond, dammit) blog; try this entry about his Mom and her post office. The same mix of humor, insight, playfulness and compassion informs his fiction writing.

.
Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen : Tamara Allen writes some of the very best historical M/M stories I've ever read. They are not erotic - the sex is mostly off-page - but the love, the passion, the emotions are very much front and center. The atmosphere is captivating, the characters real, the research impeccable and unobtrusive. I love everything of hers I've read.

And make no mistake - these are books about real men, living and loving and going through life, whose time just happens to be a century or so ago. You could know no history at all, and still love these men. Whistling in the Dark I think is my favorite, although it's a close call. This book has two men dealing with the traumas left behind from serving overseas during WWI, surviving injuries, and loss, and PTSD. As they each work to make a place for themselves in a world that has dealt them major blows, and still isn't cutting them much of break now that they're home, they meet, and recognize a kinship in each other. My Goodreads review is here.

.
Ravages by R.A. Padmos : This is a tough read. Two professional soccer players, very much in love, and in the closet, are devastated by the horrendously vicious gay-bashing of the older of the two. This book deals with the aftermath, both physical and psychological, of the trauma, and of the younger man's decision to come out publicly, in support of his beloved. Beautifully written and intense, with a love that is idealized and yet feels true to the core, this deserves a wider audience. For those who can handle the pain at its start, there is a rich reward of love at its end. My Goodreads review is here.

.
Knight Errant by K.D. Sarge : This is a lighthearted romp with a delightful main character. Although it is science fiction, the SF background is very light, and the focus of the story is heavily on the main character, Taro, and his approach to a developing relationship with former joy-boy Rafe, to dealing with the sister whose mentorship he is beginning to outgrow, and to a world that he more than meets head on. Taro may be young, inexperienced in sex and love, and trying to behave, but he is also brilliant, headstrong, wild, and talented. This is a wonderful ride, a fast, smooth, entertaining story with adventure, wit, and true love. The sex becomes plentiful in the plot, but happens exclusively off the page, making this also suitable for older YA. My Goodreads review is here.

.
Diversion by Eden Winters : The strength in this contemporary mystery book is in the main characters, particularly Lucky, who is smart-assed, brilliant, and prickly in protection of a vulnerable heart he would never admit to owning. The setting is unique, having its focus on the unfamiliar world of prescription drug distribution abuses. The background was well-researched, and fuels the interesting plot, but never intrudes on the heart of the story - the growing relationship between Lucky, and Bo, his honorable and self-controlled Narcotics Bureau partner. My Goodreads review is here.

.
Bonds of Earth by G.N. Chevalier : This is another lovely historical romance, once again about men facing the aftermath of WWI. In a different style and feel than the Tamara Allen book, this is a slower, more poignant, somewhat darker and less vigorous story, beautifully written and satisfying at its end. My Goodreads review is here.

.
White Knuckled Moments by Madeleine Ribbon : Amazingly, for a book whose MC is a young college guy facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, this is a positive, fairly low-angst story. It's a sweet tale of young love, and a story about family, about coming out and dealing with life and expectations. There are great secondary characters, notably the MC's brother. The narrator has been dealing with brain tumors since he was ten, and also hiding his sexuality from a large, religious family. Now, faced with the possibility of not living out the year, he must decide what really matters to him. Finding a chance at love makes it both easier, and harder. The author somehow found just the right tone to show me where her MC lives, caught between fear and resignation, affection and self interest, now seasoned with love, disappointment and just a touch of hope. Very well done. My Goodreads review is here.

.
A Hole in God's Pocket by K.Z. Snow : This story deals with two men, exiled from their religious communities by their sexuality, trying to make sense of attraction, love and faith. It is not an angry book, but is filled with the sense of lost possibilities. This is a lament to the pain that narrow-minded adherence to doctrine can cause, and a hymn to the healing qualities of love. The love story is very sweet and the general tone is low angst, as these two men find a new community in each other. My Goodreads review is here.

.
Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk : This is a fun paranormal, historical story with a great MC couple, especially the shy scholarly narrator, and also includes a wonderful strong female secondary character. It's a bit reminiscent of the classic turn-of-the-century paranormal adventure stories like King Solomon's Mines, but with a wonderful M/M romance added in. There is great sexual tension, and eventually sweet, hot sex, with monsters, magic, and the triumph of brains over brawn, although brawn is celebrated too. The sequel is also wonderful, and this has the bonus of a lovely cover. My Goodreads review is here.

.
The General and the Horse-Lord by Sarah Black : A contemporary romance, despite the fantasy-sounding title. The horses in question are Apache helicopters. Both men are military officers, now retiring and leaving behind stellar careers in the DADT military they served. They have a long-time relationship that has deepened into unbreakable love, although one of the men got married in hopes of a family, and, unable to stay away from his lover, has been cheating on his wife all this time. With retirement, the risks of coming out are reduced, and for once these men can think about putting their relationship ahead of the careers they have loved. But there is a cost, in pain for them and their families, and in the difficulty of reworking their lives in this new image. The military mindset is hard to leave behind, and the betrayed wife is justifiably angry and hurt, and perhaps unjustifiably vengeful. I loved the realistic tone of this established-couples romance. My Goodreads review is here.

So that's my top ten, whittled down out of about twenty-five I could have named. I hope some of you will have your interest piqued (please, not peaked... saw that error three times in the last week) by one of these books. And I'd love to hear about the books you think the world should be celebrating, and isn't, yet...

Long time no post

Hey everyone, I realized it's been a month since I posted anything. Real life took over for a bit - a family member had a health issue (somewhat ironically, severe left-side head trauma, among other major problems) and we've been dealing with the aftermath. I'm still writing the third Hidden Wolves book, currently about 3/4 done. And editing my Young Adult freebie collection.

My editor also had real-life issues with a death in her family, and Life Lessons #4 got buried for a while, but is now heading for Line editing. When I get any suggestion of a release date I will be letting you know - I'm looking forward to having some general time frame, hopefully well before Gay Rom Lit in October. The cover request also is in the works, and I'm looking forward to seeing what picture of Mac the artist can come up with - the guy has a ton of pictures on the stock sites, but... let's just say he's much more of a clown than the real Mac (literary Mac?) and leave it at that.

I have a couple of questions for you:

For those who got "And to All a Good Night" from Amazon - I just got a "quality notice" from Kindle Direct that someone reported typos in the story. The example they gave me was "Oliver was a close as he had' should be "Oliver was as close as he had" (loc: 352) . I have to admit, that's not egregious enough for me to go upload a whole new edition as they suggest. So I'm wondering... I know I had no beta or editor on this story, so I'm sure there are other typos. Were they bad enough that they were irritating to you when you read it? (I did fix one name error already with a new edition, but other than that?) Is it worth the effort to take the time to proof and reload it?

The second question is about Gay Rom Lit, the M/M writer-reader retreat in October; I actually signed up to go as an author this year. I'll be on a question-and-answer panel, (oh my.) And I'll have a space at the book signing. Which means I have two things to think about ahead of time. One is about bringing books for signing. Last year, many authors brought and sold copies of their books at the signing. But judging which books and how many is mildly boggling my mind. If you go to book signings, do you look for books to buy there? If you were going to buy one of mine in paper, which one would it be? If Learning Curve - LL#4 is out in paper, I'll bring some of those, but should I bring any of the older stuff? Your input is very welcome.

And then there's swag - the little stuff you pick up at conventions and mostly toss afterward or drop into a drawer. Or eat - edible swag is good. But I'd love to know - what did you ever pick up at a convention and really like/keep/appreciate? My favorite, I think, was a stress-relief squishy-rubber Holstein cow, although I doubt that comes in the appropriate shape for M/M (or that I'd have the nerve to hand them out if it did.) An MD friend I know did get a squishy prostate at a medical convention once... Anyway - swag. Any ideas?

Thanks for sticking with me - I'll try not to go a month without saying hello next time.