K-lee Klein's Blog: Chaos in the Moonlight , page 21

Music Monday - Anberlin

Anberlin - a Florida-based rock band with a little harder edge to some of their songs. I saw them in concert during The Next Best Thing and they put on an awesome show. Not sure what else to say except I like them. Enjoy.

Suit-Up Sunday - Hut! Hut! Hike!

Happy Sunday!
Our suits for today involve, yeah, you guessed it - football. I know I'm a little late for the season but since I'm Canadian, I have a good excuse.

PS Saw Safe House last night - fab performances by Denzel Washington & Ryan Reynolds. Roller coaster of a movie had me unsure how I actually wanted it to end - very unusual for me. I recommend it if you don't mind some violence & a slash-worthy enemy-mance.














I don't know if he even plays football but I had to include him. *growls*

Sexy Saturday - Tighty whiteys (slight NSFW) and some Joe

TIGHTY WHITEYS
THAT IS ALL.
Oh and some Joe Manganiello
*growls*


(Scheduled post - hope it works cuz I probably won't be around)









 
 





Rafael Nadal

Mark Wahlberg

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

David Beckham


*****
Not exactly tighty whiteys but...there's always room for Joe Manganiello

Pics from the latest OUT magazine = smokin'I totally have a new werewolf in my head now *howls* Joe you're so inspirational.

And speaking of my favourite werewolf (Alcide) Joe -Who in their right mind does not want to see the new movie he's in?"Magic Mike" starring (in order of pic)Joe, Matt Bomer, Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer

They apparently all play male strippers and there's rumours of full frontal.Unfortunately, it's not out until the summer.

Thinking Thursday - Radical Acceptance

I signed up for Gay Rom Lit in October and while I was doing it I was so excited. I swear I was one of the first five to sign up. Also, made the registration for the fabulous hotel in Albuquerque with my lovely roommate. All was good last night. 


I'm going as an author, instead of a reader like last year, which means I have to think of some swag to bring and I get to have a table for book signing - which means I have to actually have written some books to sign (there will be more on that at a later date - but it's promising at least). I signed up for a Q & A which I thought was ridiculous since there will be no one who will even know me as a writer, let alone ask me questions. My wonderful friend, William Neale, convinced me to do that one though. He said others would like to ask me what it feels like to start being published and have other newbie questions so I went for it. My MLR editor, Kris Jacen, will be running the Q & A so that's a familiar face at least.


So like I said, I signed up then went to bed, I woke up and freaked out. Not so much freaked out on the outside but my insides are scared to death now. It makes no sense really. I've been there before, I've met some of the people and they made me feel welcome and accepted but that doesn't help the insecurity that suddenly floods my entire body with thoughts of "I'm going to be the odd man out", "no one's going to want to talk to me", "I'll be a burden to those I try to hang around with". Guh. When will all that shit just leave my mind alone and let me be?


I've already made it abundantly clear that I have social anxiety and panic attacks and last year my form of therapy on an especially bad night was the encouraging words of a few friends (I'd never met) on Twitter. I got through it and I absolutely love the whole experience, and in the back of my mind I know it's useless to worry about it especially this far in advance. But as usual, my mind does not listen to logic - cue emotional mind as opposed to reasonable mind or wise mind. One of the big skills of DBT is radical acceptance and it's also one of the hardest, at least for me. 


One of the best working definitions of radical acceptance (for me) is
To accept your circumstances radically simply means that you do it from the depths of your soul and in every bone in your body. It does not mean that things will never change or that you are not affected by the realities of your life. Radical acceptance just means that you acknowledge reality for what it is. 


In some ways radical acceptance is like validation. It's validating how you're feeling and the situation/circumstances that you are in, without ruminating about ways you can fix it. It's accepting things for what they are and not judging yourself or the situation. It's being willing instead of wilful to how things are. It's about turning your mind to choose the road to acceptance rather than the road to denial. I'm not an easy skill but it's one that is important for peace of mind. 


I am in absolute love with Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser and one of his catch phrases is "It is what it is" and that is so the best way to describe radical acceptance. That doesn't mean "it" can't change or "it' is something you like or want, "it's" just there and you have to deal with it.


Another reason for my low mood is the issue that's still going on with my knee. It's been over a month of swelling and up to 9/10 pain and I'm so frustrated with the whole thing. Frustration brings on self-judgment that maybe I'm not doing what I should be doing or even - yeah, this is a weird one - that the pain is all in my head. I've been to the doctor, who assured me I was having pain,  and had X-rays and major anti-inflammatories and even stupid crutches, but it's still the same. I went to a walk-in clinic and had a fabulous doctor there but if nothing shows up on the X-ray then they don't even call you back. It's been a week and no call so I'm assuming there were no findings.

So now what do I do? Pretend it doesn't hurt and just keep keepin' on? I can't do that when I have a trip to NYC in 3 weeks. The walk-in doctor said the next step might be an MRI so do I go to my own doctor who I really don't like at all and who usually doesn't actually see me but has a resident do everything on the chance they'll do something? Last time I went, I ended up feeling small and reprimanded and the young man tried to teach me about mindfulness - of course, he didn't know the word mindfulness - something I could write a goddamn book about. Do I need to radically accept that my knee hurts and that's just how it is, and if I do that, what then? I don't believe it's going to get better all on it's own. I guess my only option is to bite the bullet and call my doctor, added frustration or not. And I could probably use a whole lot of mindfulness exercises right now, or in the alternative, I should do a lot of writing which usually helps me clear my head of all this crap.

This was much longer than I'd anticipated, not unusual for me, and I apologize if I came off preachy or out-of-my-mind. Lol that last one may be the truth. In closing, I'm going to list a few good things in my life and things I am grateful for.

- I am grateful that I've signed up for GRL, and nervous and freaking out or not, I'm going and it's going to be another awesome experience.

- I am grateful that I have a very special online friend that accepts all my bazillion emails and texts and just tells me I'm awesome all the time (even though I don't believe it). And even though she called me a dork twice yesterday, I still appreciate her. :P

- I am grateful my middle child landed safe and sound in Japan and is probably having an absolute blast. (I'm a little jealous too)

- I am ecstatic that a good friend of mine agreed to do the cover for Lucius' Bite which has tentatively been accepted for publication, along with my Lawyers in Love story, too.

- And finally, I am grateful for all the online friends I have who give me support and encouragement when I'm acting like a loon on crack and spewing my insecurities all over the web. You. Are. Awesome.

End of post. Have a good (almost) weekend everyone.

Writer's Wednesday - prompt story

I don't really have writers' block but I thought it was a cute picture.

I tend to go more in the way of writers' overload, meaning I have too many projects going on at once. But as my muse(s) explained last week, sometimes that's a better solution for me if I do get stuck or disillusioned with what I'm writing at the time. I tend to switch back and forth depending on how hard my muses are working at that particular time. I'd love to be a one-story-at-a-time woman, but that's just not me.

And on that note, I have picked up yet another project - this one a free read for a group on GR. The object was to post a pic and a Dear Author letter and then hopefully someone would pick yours to write about. I got the one I wanted 2 seconds after the whistle blew for the main event. There were a few I had listed as maybes but this one was the first one I really felt hooked into. I don't have names or a title but I have a pretty good idea where I want the story to go, and as usual, it will involve one of my favorite sub-genres (or whatever you wanna call it.)  That's all I'm going to say so here's the pic and the letter to go with it.


I watch him sleep, he looks so young and beautiful.  We met in a bar a few months ago, I don't know why he came home with me that night, but he did, he stay the next day and keeps coming back. I ask myself: What are we? Lovers? Fuck buddies? Boyfriends? But I only dare ask myself. Why does he keeps coming back? I'm older than him, a geek, with a boring life. But I don't ask him anything, beacuse I don't want him to stop... I'm falling for him, no, that's a lie, I'm in love with him.  What can I do? 
(How could I pass that up? Sounds like angst to me - my favorite kind.)
*****
I posted a pic and letter as well, and it was chosen by the fabulous Belinda McBridewho wrote one of my faves, Blacque and Bleu. Here's mine:

Five years ago his long-time lover was taken hostage by the enemy and was never heard from again. He drew upon everything he had to find the man he loved while his friends watched him become a hard, uncaring man before their eyes.

After three years, he was forced to give up, his heart hardened by the loss of the only love he ever knew, and now he doesn't care whether he lives or dies just as long as he takes the enemy with him. He intends for this to be his last battle until he sees an impossibly familiar face staring at him over the blade of a sword. 
(I had already decided that if my pic wasn't chosen, I was quite happy to write it myself. And then it occurred to me that it's an awesome blurb I wrote  - you know, those blurbs I can't for the life of me write about my own stories - ack - the irony of it)*****


And OH EM GEE! I got my digital copy of OUT magazine for March -
Joe Manganiello on the cover and inside *growls and swoons*

StarCrossed - fabulous series by MacCleod & Valentine

I'm not sure if you've all heard the big kerluffle going on with PayPal and some of the ebook sellers including All Romance Ebooks. I'm not going to go into the whole situation except to say PayPal is basically forcing these booksellers to remove books that fall into a few select categories or they'll stop doing business with them. Don't quote me on that because maybe I'm not explaining it right but my overall opinion is that PayPal has no right to do what they're doing.

Now, on to my task for the night. I am an absolute fangirl for the writing of Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine, both for their unique ideas and their beautiful character and world building. One of my favorite series is StarCrossed which just happens to be in one of the categories of books that will be removed from All Romance. Reno said they'd be gone by Friday, and since they self-publish, I don't think they know where or when they'll be available again for a while. I'm also bummed that the 5th book in the series will now be delayed because of all this PayPal madness.  If you like paranormal/fantasy with a variety of creatures and beings, I urge you to check this series out because it's completely awesome. (PS Check out the covers too - designed by Reno himself)

****

StarCrossed 1: Demon Tailz

Famous for the witch trials of 1692, Salem has been trying to smudge out the horrible images of murder and injustice for centuries. In a complete turnaround, the town began welcoming all witches, and by the early 21st century one in four Salem residents either claimed to be a witch or to know one.

Jace Barton is a demon making a comfortable living as co-owner of Tailz -- a colorful pub in Salem -- along with his twin brother Konnor. Strange people pass through its doors all the time, but on Halloween things always tend to get even more bizarre. Still, Jace is surprised when Cash Rowan pays him a visit with a tale that stands Jace's hair on end. Ten years of desperate searching has brought Cash to Jace's door, and he isn't leaving until Jace gives him exactly what he needs. 


Link: StarCrossed 1: Demon Tailz

****

StarCrossed 2: Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
Incubus Dekin Swain finds himself plucked from his monochrome, sex-feeding lifestyle and thrown into the harsh, chilling world of a traveling carnival freak show. His life gains a vibrant splash of color when he is caged beside a fellow 'freak' who should be his mortal enemy.

A prisoner of the carnival long before the demon arrived, Kelly, the 'Scarlet Angel', has almost given up hope of ever escaping his captors. His extraordinary hair and wings quickly catch Dekin's interest and lustful stares.

Thrust together by the cold fingers of fate, Dekin and Kelly are forced to put aside their differences and work together. The appearance of an artist with an unusual talent puts the fragile bond between angel and demon to the test. Dekin and Kelly quickly discover that although life together will never be easy, life apart would be unbearable. 


Link: StarCrossed 2: Opposite Ends of the Spectrum


****

StarCrossed 2 1/2: Sangria and Seraphim


Identical twin demons Jace and Konnor Barton run Tailz, a supernatural-friendly bar in Salem, Massachusetts. The sort of place where things are never dull, on the weekend of a full moon things can get even more interesting. When Jace encounters an angel in distress, he can hardly resist the urge to offer his own special brand of help.

Ariel is an angel with an itch to experience the darker side of earthly life, and he has heard through the grapevine that Jace is the demon for the job. Much to his surprise, Ariel finds out he will be getting both brothers coming to his aid for the price of one.


Link: StarCrossed 2 1/2: Sangria and Seraphim


****
StarCrossed 3: Objects in the Mirror
StarCrossed 3: Objects in the Mirror takes us back to the town of Salem, Massachusetts, where the populace is busy making up for its witch-burning reputation by letting all manner of unusual folks live there. Jace and Konnor are demon twins grabbing a second chance at life, but trouble starts when local clergy are brutally murdered, and the Salem Special Council is asked to investigate.

Twenty years should be enough to leave their past behind, but it comes charging after the brothers with an unholy vengeance. When one falls under suspicion for the murders, it shatters the heart of the other. Only an unlikely alliance of angels, vampires, were-creatures, and humans can help the brothers and keep the secret of supernatural beings living in Salem safe from the outside world. The clock is ticking.

Link: StarCrossed 3: Objects in the Mirror
****
StarCrossed 4: In the Blink of an Eye
StarCrossed 4: In the Blink of an Eye takes us back to Salem, Massachusetts, where the town is evolving from openly making amends for its witch-burning past to something darker. While some people choose to lock their doors and pretend those who are Other don't exist, some decide to use them to turn a profit.

For years the home of vampire Gennady Zaitsev has been a refuge to wayward supernatural boys. Taken in at the age of four, werefox Fallon Demeter has grown up with the love and caring of his blended, surrogate family. As the fragile peace enjoyed by the supernaturals begins to break down, Fallon draws the unwanted attention of a vicious enemy from Gennady's past. Plunged into a harrowing adventure that brings his forgotten past back with horrifying clarity, Fallon becomes lost and alone in the brutal outside world.

As the buffer the supernaturals have enjoyed for so long continues to erode, Salem may no longer be their safe haven.  The secret is about to get out.

Link: StarCrossed 4: In the Blink of an Eye


WARNING: Author's Note: This dark urban fantasy series contains graphic violence and a consensual sexual relationship between non-human twin brothers.

Tattoo Tuesday - Unknown hot dude = TODD

I searched high and low for this dude's name but all I could find is the photographer - Mike Fard. So maybe one of you recognize him and can put a name to his fabulousness. There wasn't that many pics of him but the ones I found are artsy and beautiful.


EDIT: Thanks to Fae Sutherland, we have a first name. Todd. He does not look like a Todd but there you have it.  Enjoy.











If you'd like to read what Todd has to say about his tats,you can go here --> Mike Fard Flickr streamI was going to post it but it's a little too Biblical for me. :)

Music Monday - Thriving Ivory

San Francisco band whose first album came out in 2008. I love the melodies, the lyrics and the lead singer's voice totally draws me in. I find their songs very emotional and that right there, does it for me every time. They remind me a little of Savage Garden. Take a listen.


White lines that never fade
Burn deep with everyday
And I need to know

You live here in a photograph
No sound and no regrets
And I need to know

Heart-stained but never weak
You lay down alone but you don't mind
Questions that never breathe
Your face on a wall that I can't shake

I'm walking on air, close to you
Through a long hallway with a broken light
And I, I need to know
If you're still alive

You hold me like a bag of bones
Wrapped up and underground
Pull me out so I can feel
Make me believe, that one more night's
Not a minute too long when a moment's all I need

I'm walking on air, close to you
Through a long hallway with a broken light
And I, I need to know
If you're still alive

You'll marry the night
Dance with the pain but you don't mind
See the city burn tonight, hearts up in flames
Would you carry me away?

I'm walking on air, close to you
Through a long hallway with a broken light
And I, I need to know
If you're still alive

~~"Long Hallway with a Broken Light", Thriving Ivory

Sexy Suit-Up Sunday - notice the sexy part?

Dear Suit-Up Sunday,
I had a horrible time thinking of what theme I could go with this week. I searched high and low and in the end decided that since my Sexy Saturday was more about hair than sexy, today would be a good day for some Sexy Suit-Up Sunday.

So please excuse me if you think I've made a mockery of your theme but I think some of the ladies will still maintain some respect for you after they see what exactly my theme is. And it's not like these aren't considered suits - these men have to wear them to work so I think they totally count.

Sincerely, K-lee
PS I know I post too many pics but that seems to be MY overall theme of this blog and you know it's torturous work having to look over all the pics I find so again, forgive me.

Suits for Male Exotic/Erotic Occupations :)
#1. The Go Go Dancer
Ho, Ho, Ho.

Me, Tarzan - you're out of here.

1st rule of Go Go - know where your tips are at all times

Um. Wow, just... wow.

Um, no.

#2. The Male Pole Dancer 
Simple is usually best.

Half-dressed is nice.

Um, no.

#3. The Male Strippergram
Classic cop - kinda meh.

Definitely like the SWAT look better.

Classic Fireman - too bad he doesn't have his hose out.

Ride 'em cowboy. Woo doggie!

Athlete-o-gram.
Holy hell - I'm gonna have clown nightmares now.

Pimpin' it out. Better you than me. Not.

Classic 80's look stripper? Not even the hair saves this one for me.

#4. Male Exotic Dancers (yeah, strippers)
Sticking with the 80's theme. That's a whole lotta bear.

Some classic Chippendales.

Mmm, jeans and bare chests. Nice, but I swear that blond guy's head does not go with his body.

More jeans and looking a tiny bit more natural... maybe.

The Thunder from Down Under.I so gotta go to Vegas just for this. Road Trip!!(dibs on 4th cowboy from the left)

Happy Sunday. Y'all come back now, ya hear. :)


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Sexy Saturday - Fabulous Hair (slight NSFW)

I'm not afraid to admit I'm a total throw-back from the 80's. I love the hair metal bands - Bon Jovi, Poison, Extreme, Skid Row - wow, there are just too many to name. Love straight flowing hair or curly-than-curly masses to sink your fingers in. I had the 80's hair too and I'm not ashamed I'd go back to it in a minute.  Anyhow, you put two smoking hot guys side-by-side, both with great looks, great bods but one with long hair and one short - I'll look at the long-hair first every time. I think it's still that rock star lover in me coming out to play.

This post may not be too NSFW - unfortunately these lovely-locked boys have clothes on but I posted a treat at the end so to speak (lol, pun intended) that has nothing to do with long hair at all. Enjoy.

First - I was very excited this morning to find some pics that are dead-on of what I imagine Nicu (my gypsy in Lucius' Bite) to look like. A lot of people don't write from an inspirational pic but I find it really helps me to put that dude up on my desktop and look at him (them) once and a while.


My writing process can start begin with a pic or very quickly incorporate one in - it's just a quirk of mine. Anyhow - this is Samuel Larsen and I swear to God in another life his name was Nicu the gypsy. Lol



Okay - on to the rest of the long-hairs I've picked out today.
Where it all began for me. Mr. Jon Bon Jovi, circa 1982

Just wow.


Yeah, I've shown him before but I just adore his hair.

Ponytails are nice, too.

Pretty in blond.


Ozzy - I'm not sure how he got in here. :P

Ug - another one snuck in. My beloved Hephaistion of course.

Mid-length but hot 'do and bod.



Looks like he just finished some hot, sweaty sport. Yums.



Ah yes - Tristan from Legends of the Fall (Brad Pitt with beautious hair)

He's gorgeous.

Now this is rock star hair.

Sebastian Bach (Skid Row - the 80's)

Another rocker - Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish I believe.

Perttu Kivilaakso from Apocalypta.


Oh dear. My apologies, this post has yet again gone "the way of the rock star".So here is your treat for sitting through another of my obsessions.Have a good END to your weekend. ;)