Sol Crafter's Blog, page 29

One step forward, two steps back, thus progress is unachieved.

I reloaded ScribeFire Classic. The new ScribeFire was very unhappy making, and since WordPress changed their settings so Semagic doesn't work, I had to find something that would

ScribeFire has never been my favorite, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to what works, even if it is slow and ungainly and a pain to use.

Anyways, back to writing.

Filed under: Real Life Tagged: blogging, RL

Writing, editing, and watching TV

I've been trying my hand at watercolor painting. It has not been going well at all While I have the eye of a great artist, I have the drawing/painting skills of a less than third grader. It is very sad.

There's so many things I want to be able to do, so I get kind of sad when I try my best and it doesn't come out very well. Still, I'm going to keep at it and hopefully I'll find some kind of skill at it. If not, at least I'll have enjoyed myself.

What's up:

[SC] "Fiends" mm fantasy/sci-fi

[HF] "The Creeping Chill" horror

[SC] "Across Two Divides" mm contemporary

[LB] "Altredes" drama

[HK] "Hyacinth" drama

[SC] "Just Another Titanic Tuesday" mm AU

[LB] "Simulacrum" sci-fi horror

[HK] "From Diamond to Coal" mm AU

Kid shows:

I've been letting the kids watch "Beakman's World" on Netflix. They're really enjoying it, they're getting into science, and I actually think it's draining some of the dumbness out of their bodies. I was having a hard time getting The Girl interested in anything that's not a cartoon, but she really loves "Beakman's World" and has actually shown a lot of interest in the experiments and stuff. I think this show is better than Bill Nye.

We recently watched a documentary on Machu Pichu, but the kids weren't that into it. It maybe held their interest for 10 minutes, but it got pretty dry after awhile.

Korean movies:

–"The Man From Nowhere" was kind of a surprise for me. I really enjoyed this movie. Pure action movie with a clear cut group of bad guys that totally needed to be taken down. I also appreciate the fact that he knew he was going to have to pay for what he did at the end and he didn't flinch away from that. All he cared about was saving the girl. Rating: 5 stars

–"I Saw the Devil" is a revenge thriller that probably went a bit too far. Not for the stomach weak, or anyone that doesn't like that kind of thing. I spent most of the movie with my hands over my face, just to let you know. Rating: 2.5-3 stars

–"A Better Tomorrow," I honestly don't know what to say about this one. On the one hand it was kind of interesting and the main guy was the dude from "200 Pound Beauty," a movie I absolutely love. On the other hand, though, it was straight up one of those movies that left me blinking and wondering what happened. Still, there was a definite slash vibe going on, though nothing happened. I guess it kind of reminded me of "View Finder," you know, if it was a totally bleak downer of a story. Rating: 3 stars

–"Natural City" has spawned some definite ideas in my brain and I've already sketched out the tentatively titled "Hallucinate A Beautiful Boy," so there's that. The movie itself is reminiscent of "Blade Runner" in that there's cyborgs and questions about humanity, but the POV it's told from… well, that's kind of odd. This is a movie that's not told from the POV of the "hero," but from the perspective of the guy that messes everything up by falling in love with his sex toy. So through the whole thing you're expecting him to man up and be the hero, but really the hero is a guy he keeps running into and who is supposed to be his best friend and partner. Worth watching once. Rating: 3 stars

Filed under: Journal, Movie Reviews, Real Life

Happy Holidays to everyone out there.

The house currently reeks of roasting turkey and Kahluah is going crazy.

We got a phone call from the half-brother I haven't spoken to in close to 10 years. That's pretty crazy right there. Crazy awkward, but good crazy too.

I guess the holidays really are about coming together. Though the kids are still a couple of jerks and next year is going to be different. Less presents if they're going to keep acting so bad, and more time outs if they're going to be such gigantic spoiled brats.

Anyways, it's the holidays again, and even amidst the chaos and yelling, it's still a time of family and all that jazz. So have a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year.

Filed under: Real Life

I hate writer's block, but I'm getting past it. I hope #amwriting

So lately I've had tons of ideas. The problem is that every time I start to write, I get distracted by various things and then it's impossible to come back to what I was doing. So lame.

I've still typed up some stuff, but it's taking me longer to get to it than I would like.

"Altredes" is coming along very nicely. Is anyone else as excited as I am? There's just something so entirely thrilling about gender benders. Sure, it's gen het, but it kind of flexes against some boundaries and that's always fun.

"The Panic Pure" should have already been finished, but these guys just keep getting up to crazy serial killer hijinks. No, the main characters aren't killing people, but there is a psychopath out there. Danny is adorable though.

"Allies & Enemies" will be making a public appearance February-ish.

"Doggy Style" is making its way to paper, or something non-dead tree-like, you know, if that's your thing

"Tuesday Night" is getting pretty spicy. Sunfire/Seth has developed some hidden depths that I didn't even know were there and some part of me is tempted to turn it into a kid!fic, though I'm holding myself back, because that way lies evil. Evil and nerdiness.

CHAPTER ONE

There was something wonderful about waking up happy every morning. Warrick opened his eyes with a grin and stretched, liking the feel of his muscles flexing in the cool comfort of his silk pajamas.

He sat up and turned his head to look down at Vereint. His lover was still deeply asleep, his always young-looking face innocent in the half-light of the drawn curtains. He breathed softly and his chest rose and fell with a gentle rhythm.

"Well aren't you just the cutest when you're sleeping," Warrick whispered, leaning down to kiss Vereint on the cheek before climbing out of bed.

He stretched hugely, arching his back so far that his hands almost touched the floor behind him. He yawned and slipped his robe on over his pajamas before padding quietly out of the room.

Melissa was sitting on the living room couch in her teddy bear print pajamas, eating a big bowl of cereal and watching cartoons with the volume turned low. She looked up when he came in and smiled.

"Good morning," he said, heading straight for the kitchen and a cup of coffee.

"G'morn'ng," she answered.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he ordered, grabbing a mug out of the cabinet, "it's rude."

She laughed. "That's me all the way. Rude, rude, rude little sidekick girl."

"Hey, watch it. You know there's no secret superhero talk out around where anyone can hear."

"Come on, we're in private," she said. "There's no one to hear but Vereint, and he doesn't care, 'cause he knows all your secrets."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vereint asked, coming out of the bedroom. His hair was sleep rumpled and he wore a pair of dark blue silk pajamas. He was beautiful in the morning light. Then again, he was beautiful in any kind of light, and that wasn't just Warrick's personal opinion either. Numerous people had noted his uncommon attractiveness.

"Hey, you know all of Warrick's secrets, but you don't know mine." Melissa poked her thumb at her chest. "I'm a woman of mystery."

"'Woman of mystery,' heh, I like that." Warrick poured another cup of coffee and held it out to Vereint.

Vereint ignored the coffee and wrapped his arms around Warrick's waist and nuzzled his chin into the warm nest of his neck. "Um, missed you."

"What, I just left the bed like five seconds ago."

Vereint kissed Warrick's neck. "It's still too long." He "whuffed" a warm little laugh. "I don't ever want to be away from you."

Warrick turned in his arms, setting the cup on the counter. "You're always with me, even when you're not." He brought his mouth to Vereint's and felt the same melting feeling he always did. "Um, you're always so warm."

"Twenty degrees hotter than a normal," Vereint whispered, "you know that."

"Gaw, can't you two get a room or something!" Melissa slouched down on the couch and made a disgusted, "Ew, adults are making out" kind of face.

Vereint pulled away from Warrick and grabbed a handful of Apple Jacks from the open box. He popped two in his mouth and threw the rest at Melissa. "Punk, this is our house!"

She squealed and covered her head like she was afraid of getting hurt. "Hey, I'm a kid here. You're gonna put out my eye one day with the abuse you're dishing out."

He made a "tsking" sound and shook his head. "What're you watching?" he asked, pulling out of Warrick's grasp to pick up his coffee cup.

"What does it look like I'm watching? I'm watching cartoons! Duh."

Warrick snorted a laugh. "You were just asking for that," he said to Vereint.

"Oh shut up. It's too early in the morning to be dealing with a bratty teenager and an even brattier adult." Vereint walked halfway to the living room, then turned and stuck out his tongue. "N'yah!"

Warrick lunged at him, and he giggled and ran to sit on the couch. "Hah, safe." He snuggled down next to Melissa, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "Now, seriously, what show is this?"

She gave him a squint-eyed glance out of the corner of her eyes. "It's… well, it's an anime I got from a friend."

Warrick came over to sit down in the armchair closest to the couch. "I thought we told you before not to get any fansubbed anime. No one's getting paid for them and they're not completely legal. We don't need the trouble. If someone tracked you down through your IP address and started an in-depth investigation… well, we'd be screwed."

"Come on, calm down a little," Vereint said, waving his coffee cup. "She's a kid, and kids do stupid things all the time. No one's going to come busting down the door to arrest her for watching anime."

"Yeah, chill out," Melissa said. "Thanks Ver, I think. I really don't like being classified as a 'stupid kid,' though."

He grinned at her. "But isn't that what you are? Anyone below the age of twenty-five is a stupid kid."

"You just say that 'cause you're twenty-six."

He pulled her closer against his side. "Yeah, well, just be glad I'm on your side against the evil Warrick. He's always such a downer, isn't he?"

Warrick almost spit out his coffee when they both gave him that same squint-eyed glance. "Come on guys, no ganging up on me. It's not fair."

"The world is not fair. Besides, I'm the cool one in this relationship," Vereint said.

"Yeah, it's too bad you're not the one with the superpowers," Melissa said, then frowned in confusion when the two men laughed. "What's so funny?"

Vereint stroked her hair. "Nothing's funny, honey bear. You're absolutely right–it's too bad I don't have superpowers. The world would be a different kind of place then, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. I think you would make an awesome superhero. I can just see you out there saving the day, getting babe kisses from grateful, yet stupid young debutantes for saving their worthless lives. You'd probably have as big of a fanbase as… the legendary Darkstar! Except, you know, for the good." She didn't understand why Vereint and Warrick shared such a weird look.

"Probably, I guess so," Vereint said, his voice wavering with laughter. "But I don't really think I was made for the superhero life. I make a good superhero husband, but I wouldn't be able to fit into the tights."

"I don't know why you settled for Warrick either," Melissa said, watching Warrick out of the corner of her eye as she spoke. "You're so good looking and charming and young and smart, while Warrick… he's old and not very cool, but at least he's rich. You, though, Vereint, you could do so much better."

Warrick slapped her lightly on the back of the head. "Hey, you're my ward, you're supposed to treat me with respect, not make time with my husband."

She smirked at him. "N'yah, n'yah. I could so steal him away from you without even trying. If you guys weren't such a cute couple… Vereint would be mine." She gave an evil laugh ala Dr. Vondevil, with his orange-red hair and his file sharpened teeth.

"Except that you're like twelve and not a man," Vereint said, ruffling her hair with his hand.

"Hey, I'm fifteen!"

"Twelve, fifteen, what's the difference? You're a girl!" Vereint said.

"That's sexist!" She pouted at him.

"Sorry, sweetie, but your gender matters when it comes to getting into a homosexual relationship with someone," Vereint said mock-sympathetically.

She shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Warrick said. "Deal with it."

"You're so mean to me," she whined, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Vereint reached out to tug on the ends of her hair. "Come on, cutie. You don't want to be stuck with me anyway. I'm an old man of twenty-six and by the time you're thirty I'll be forty-one, positively ancient. Besides, I am faithfully devoted to my Warry-poo." He made comical cow eyes at Warrick, who snorted loudly and shook his head.

"You're about as bad as she is," he said, but he sounded amused. He loved the way Vereint felt free to tease him. There was no one else in the world that Vereint was so open with.

"So, what are we going to do with our day?" Vereint asked.

"I thought that we might hang out here for a little while to pretend interest in the child, then retreat back to the bedroom until late afternoon when we'll go out for dinner at Laytola's. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Vereint said, his lips curling.

"Ew!" Melissa squealed. "It's so gross how you plan your assignations right in front of me like that. I really don't want to hear about what you guys are going to do once you get it in the bedroom. I don't want to know about your sex life. That's nasty."

Warrick thwapped her on the back of the head. "Then don't listen. Our love life is really none of your business and I don't want you thinking otherwise."

"Be nice," Vereint ordered, then gave Melissa one of his sweetest smiles. She really was a good girl, even if she did have the overblown ego of a superheroine-in-training. She would grow out of that soon enough, all she needed was a little more life experience and everything would be hunky-dory.

Melissa grinned back at him, a bright, shiny expression. To look at her now, no one would ever think that not too long ago she had been an aggressively independent orphan with a mile high chip on her shoulder. To people meeting her, she seemed like the rosy image of perfection, a great candidate for cheerleader and a life of high school popularity.

She was nothing like people would ever expect. The bubbly exterior hiding the fact that in her free time or when the world needed it she was the sidekick to one of the world's most famous superheroes, Blue Ice.

Sometimes he felt sad that she had to lie all the time, but that was pretty much how the life of a superhero went. Though he really had to wonder what kind of impact all of that deception had on the psyche of a fifteen year old.

To make up for the mental anguish she so thoughtlessly put herself through, he tried his hardest to make her everyday life as normal as possible. He was always careful to treat her as though she was just another girl, never making a big deal out of the fact that she could easily bench press a Buick or could melt a building into rubble with her plasma bursts.

Even though she had all the power of a young god, she was just that, young. And though there were those that would dare to call her otherwise, even with all her power and ability, she was still human and a girl and he was never going to treat her as anything less than that.

He remembered all the times Warrick had dragged himself home, covered in soot and blood and even darker things. He remembered the look that burned in Warrick's eyes and it tasted like ashes and death in his mouth. And he knew that someday Melissa might wear that same look and feel the same helplessness at not being able to save everyone or even anyone sometimes, but he would try his hardest to give her some kind of base to fall back on.

She would never feel as though she was not allowed to experience grief. Even in the darkest times, she would know that there were people in the world that cared about her, that knew she was still human even under the cape. And no matter how things turned out, she would always know that he was there for her.

"What, do I have something on my face?" Melissa asked, swiping a hand across her cheek.

He shook his head, smiling at her fondly. "No, you're just perfect."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You're gonna have to start reining in that maternal instinct of yours, or I'm going to have to start mocking you terribly."

"Ah, and I really wanted you to start calling me Mama," he said.

"More like Auntie Mame."

"See, that's what happens when you force a malleable young teenaged mind to watch your crazy classic movies," Vereint said, looking at Warrick.

"Hey, I'm not the one that forced her to watch 'Mommy Dearest' last week," Warrick said.

Vereint looked at Melissa and together they both shrieked, "No more wire hangers!" before cackling loudly.

Warrick growled in his throat and shook his head. "You guys. Just for that, we're watching 'The Cain Mutiny.'"

"Oh noes, the horror!" Melissa cried, cupping her face in her hands ala The Scream.

"No respect. I get no respect." Warrick shook his head.

Vereint wrapped his arms around his lover's shoulders. "At least you're a lot prettier than Rodney Dangerfield," he said.

"Allow me to reiterate once again: I am not a woman," Warrick said.

"Yeah, 'cause if you were, I wouldn't be with you right now," Vereint said, smirking.

Warrick sighed heavily, though a smile lurked around his lips when Vereint and Melissa high-fived each other.

They were so cute together and he was happy to have them in his life. The three of them had somehow made a family, a funny kind of superpowered bunch. And even though there were secrets he and Vereint had yet to share with Melissa, it didn't matter in the here and now because they had given her all the love that she needed and deserved.

"I love you," he said.

Vereint turned to look at him out of surprisingly moist eyes, a smile hovering around his lips. "So you wanna do that thing we talked about?"

Warrick shivered. "I'm still not comfortable with the idea of that. We'll have to research it some more."

"Ah, come on," Vereint said, all pleading eyes and kissable lips.

"What are you guys talking about?" Melissa asked, rising up on her knees on the couch. She could tell that there was something going on here, something more than the usual and everyday.

Vereint glanced at Warrick before he turned to her. "I was talking to Dr. Zee and… Well, you know that Warrick and I have been together for awhile and we really love each other and… Dr. Zee told me that if we really wanted it there is a way for us to have a child together."

"What? But you're like two guys," Melissa said.

Vereint shrugged. "It's the technological age, baby. You've seen some of the dangerous toys the baddies have come up with, well… With a little bit of adaptation and some good old fashioned science work, Dr. Zee has found a way to combine mine and Warrick's DNA into what would hopefully become a viable offspring. A little bit of him and a little bit of me and we could have a child of our own."

"Whoa." Melissa rubbed her face. "That's kind of wild."

"Yeah, that's what I said." Warrick moved to wrap his arms around Vereint's back, resting his chin on top of his husband's head as he looked at Melissa. "I'm really not sure that we're ready for a child. Plus, the fact that I'm a metahuman might have an adverse affect on the child. That's why I think we need to do a little more research before a final decision is made."

"Still," Melissa said, "a baby. I could have a little brother or sister. Whoa."

"Yeah," Vereint said. "We could have a little superhero or heroine on our hands. All tiny fingers and toes and adorable superpowers. It would be great. Baby's first bout of laser vision. The time baby juggled the refrigerator. Dozens of memories just waiting to be made."

"But we live dangerous lives," Warrick said. "Melissa and I are always out there… thwarting evil."

"But I'm not," Vereint said. "I could take care of our child and…"

The small phone in the corner went off. It was THE PHONE, the direct line to the Commissioner. The Hero Hotline as Vereint had laughingly dubbed it.

"We're going to have to finish this later," Warrick said.

Vereint sighed. "Give me a kiss before you go. And promise me that you're going to be careful. Both of you."

"Promise." Warrick pressed a kiss against Vereint's forehead. "I'll keep Melissa out of trouble too."

Vereint watched as the hero and his sidekick blurred away, a sad smile curving his lips. He had the strange feeling in his chest that something wasn't quite right, but he really couldn't explain it.

"Be good," he whispered, knowing they were already too far away to hear him. Off to fight the bad guys and save the day for the citizens of Megacity.

Filed under: Real Life, Sneak Peeks, Upcoming Projects Tagged: Allies & Enemies, Altredes, Doggy Style, excerpt, mm romance, Panic Pure

Winners of the Blog Hop

The winner for Dec 16:  Acm05

The winner for Dec 17:  Vampedchik

The winner for Dec 18: Shadow

And the grand prize winner is: Darth Insidious

All winners will be contacted by e-mail. Many thanks to everyone that's entered.

Have a happy holiday and a wonderful new year.

Filed under: Discounts & Specials

Winners so far in the Blog Hop

The winner for Dec 16:  Acm05

The winner for Dec 17:  Vampedchik

The winner for Dec 18:

And the grand prize winner is:

All winners will be contacted by e-mail. Many thanks to everyone that's entered.

Filed under: Discounts & Specials

Stuff Your Stockings Christmas Blog Hop #giveaway #free stuff

I'm pretty excited about having signed up for the Blog Hop and I'm hoping that a lot of people decide to play

Read the excerpt below, make a comment, and you'll be in the running towards winning an ebook of your choice. One winner will be chosen for each day of the Blog Hop–16, 17, 18–to receive an ebook, and at the end one grand prize winner will be chosen out of all the entries to receive a free paperback copy of "Heroes & Villains." (The ebook winners can choose a title from anything I've written.)

"Doggy Style" by Sol Crafter

CHAPTER TWO

After discovering Zack's phone abandoned on a table, Faraday wasn't even thinking that it was any kind of joke anymore. There was no way Zack would ever willingly go anywhere without his phone, which meant this was a case of missing persons.

Freaking out, he called the police. He emphasized the fact that their shop contained lots of expensive things that someone might decide to kidnap someone over. He only relaxed a little when they said they would send someone around to check things out.

Then he drew in a deep breath and took the plunge. He called Angela Branagh, Zack's mother.

He'd known the woman since he was a child, so he was intimately acquainted with just how crazily overprotective she was. He'd barely got the words "I think Zack's been kidnapped" out before he was talking to empty air and he knew she was already on her way.

He went out front to tell Lily to close the store and brace for impact. Hurricane Angela was on her way.

Lily was so shaken at the idea of one of her bosses having been taken without her even noticing that she just quietly walked to the door and flipped the sign to CLOSED. She looked pale and scared, her fingers twisting and twisting the little pendant on her necklace.

"Do you think Mr. Branagh's okay?" she asked.

Faraday shook his head. "I don't know." He wasn't going to lie to her; not when he didn't even have the freedom to lie to himself.

Fear churned in his gut and he couldn't help imagining all the terrible things that could be happening to Zack. It made him want to throw up. And that wasn't even counting the guilt he felt.

Zack had been his best friend since they were kids. They were closer than brothers. They'd made the decision to go into business together because it just seemed like the thing to do, and they were good at the antique business.

But Faraday had always been a free-spirit, and he had used that against Zack. He'd taken to slacking off and leaving Zack to pick up the slack and he'd kind of talked himself out of feeling guilty about it, except now it was all coming back on him.

Zack was missing, and it was his fault. Because if he'd been here like he'd promised, helping to sort through the new shipment, there was no way anyone could have broken in through the back and gotten Zack away.

Zack had always been kind of quiet and bookish. He occasionally practiced yoga, but he'd never focused much on strength training and Faraday had always been there if anyone wanted to cause a fight. He'd taken on the mantle of protector and all through school he'd taken the role pretty seriously, making sure that any bullies quickly learned to leave Zack alone.

Only when Zack really needed him, he'd been fucking some chick whose name he could barely remember.

Bile burned the back of his throat and he leaned against the counter, waiting.

He figured he only had a couple of minutes before Angela would make her appearance. And there was no way she was going to be any kind of calm and reasonable, not where her "baby boy" was concerned.

* * *

After dinner, Sean rinsed his dishes and set them in the sink for later. He usually washed them immediately, but he felt kind of lazy and just looking at the dog snoring away had made him a bit sleepy.

He figured he'd watch TV for a little while, then just go to bed.

"Come on, boy," he said, gently nudging the dog's side with his foot.

The black dog woke with a start, jerking upright and blinking around rapidly. It made Sean to laugh to see it. "You're so silly."

The dog gave him a reproving look, but followed him into the living room. He looked like he wanted to jump up on the couch for a second, but instead he just curled up on the floor next to Sean's feet.

Sean reached down and stroked the dog's head, liking the softness of his fur. "You sure are a good looking dog," he said. "I bet someone's really missing you right now."

The dog snuffed, then laid his chin on the floor. Sean leaned down to scratch at his neck, then reached further to scratch around his ribs. The dog sighed and uncurled, rolling on his side to expose a bit of his belly. His back legs spread a little and he stuck out his chest, his head falling back in bliss.

Sean laughed. "Well, I can see what you want." He rubbed the dog's belly for awhile, making him jerk his leg spasmodically. He looked so happy lying there.

When Sean finally stopped scratching him and sat back on the couch, the dog still lay on his back with his feet in the air. He'd fallen asleep in that ridiculous pose.

Sean shook his head and turned the TV on, lowering the volume so as not to wake him. He relaxed back on the couch and felt more content than he had in a long time.

His stomach was full, he didn't have anywhere to be, and he had a dog at his feet. All was right in the world.

 

At some point the dog started making a whining sound and his left back left leg started jerking. He rolled on his side and whimpered.

Sean looked at him concernedly, realizing that he was dreaming, having some kind of nightmare. The sound he was making was so pitiful that Sean couldn't stand it anymore and he slid down onto the floor next to him, carefully laying his hand on the dog's side. The last thing he wanted was to scare him and have him bite him.

He shook the dog gently. "Come on, it's all right," he soothed.

The dog woke with startling abruptness, staring at him. Then it whined and crawled close against his side, pressing its face against his stomach.

Sean sighed and gently pet the dog's head. "It'd all right. I don't know what you were dreaming about, but it's all right."

The dog burrowed in closer, rising up on his back legs so he could put his front paws across Sean's legs. He was trying to crawl into Sean's lap, which was kind of cute, except he was big enough that Sean was unbalanced and fell on his butt on the floor.

The dog seemed to take that as permission and Sean found himself with a lapful of black mutt.

"You are the silliest dog," Sean said, hugging him close. He laughed a little at the way the dog nuzzled his head up under Sean's chin. "You really need a name if we're going to be this intimate."

The dog didn't answer, of course, just snuggled close against him, practically forcing Sean to wrap his arms around him to keep him from falling over.

"You know, I'm glad I met you," Sean said. The dog glanced at him, seeming to listen. He snorted a laugh. "I was feeling kind of down in the dumps, and then there you were. There's always something so nice about having a dog around."

He leaned his back against the edge of the couch. "You know, he came into the cafe again today. I tried to talk to him, but as usual he was in his own little world. I don't think he even knows that I exist." He sighed sadly. "I thought crushes were something you outgrew once you stopped being a teenager, but I actually think it's worse now then when I was younger." He pressed his cheek against the dog's head. "He makes me feel like a fifteen year old girl. I want to write in my diary about him and wallow in angst whenever I think about him. It's kind of stupid."

He stroked the dog's ears. He could tell that the animal was starting to relax from whatever fright he'd had, soothed by the sound of his voice. And it was actually kind of nice to tell someone about what he was feeling, since there was no one else in his life he had even trusted the information of his crush too. And who would a dog tell anyway?

"He wears sweater vests and glasses. He should look like a total nerd, but he's just so cute. He always orders the same thing, and the way he closes his eyes as he takes a big breath of the steam…" Sean shook his head ruefully. "Sometimes I use that for my fantasies when I beat off. He just… he looks like he's having an orgasm or something when he breathes in my coffee, and I know it's stupid to be jealous of a hot beverage, but I totally am jealous.

"He always orders the same thing, but he never just says 'Give me the usual.' And I think that it's because he doesn't even realize that I'm the same guy that serves him every day. He doesn't even realize that I exist. And I just don't have the balls to tell him that I've got a teenaged crush on him and I'd really like to carry his books to class please and maybe make out behind the bleachers later."

Sean scrubbed a hand through his hair and looked into the dog's eyes. He thought he saw understanding there, which was ridiculous. Though it was nice to pretend. "He's my girl in a red dress. I see him, I want him, but he's never going to even notice that I exist at all. So what do you think about that, huh?" He roughly scratched the dog's neck ruff. "Huh? What do you think?"

There was no answer, not that he expected one, and the dog seemed to have completely relaxed against him.

It must be nice to simply live in the moment and just be able to let go of all worries like that.

"I'd forget all about him if I could," Sean said. "You're one lucky dog."

* * *

He hadn't even realized that Sean was talking about him at first. Not until the sweater vest and glasses thing.

It was weird to realize that someone had been watching him every day, and he felt like kind of a jerk that he hadn't even noticed he had an admirer. Though he really felt guilty that he'd made Sean feel as though he hadn't noticed that the same guy was making his coffee every day. He had.

He'd also noticed that Sean was very good looking, and thus totally out of his league. So he'd kept his head down and tried not to show exactly how affected he was by the guy. Which must have come off as him being a complete jerk.

But there was nothing he could do about any of that now. Especially since he was currently a dog, which he was still freaking out about.

It just seemed incredibly hard to be bothered by anything. He would start to get into a real panic mode, then something would just kind of derail the whole emotion and he would find himself distracted by something.

Like how good Sean smelled.

Zack buried his nose against Sean's shirt and snuffled loudly. Sean smelled like comfort and safety and home somehow.

Some animal instinct wanted to insist that Sean was his man. Not his master, because he hadn't lost himself that completely, but still someone that belonged to him. And he wanted to stay close to him and stake his claim just in case some other dog wanted to move in and try to take his place. Which he would never let happen because Sean belonged to him and he would fight anyone that tried to take him away and…

He was startled to realize that that low growling sound had come from his throat. It was still vibrating through him and he was shocked because he hadn't even realized he was going to do it.

Sean was looking down at him worriedly, his hands still on Zack's back. "You're not going to try biting me, are you? Because that's all I really need, a rabies shot."

Zack lowered his head ashamedly and after a moment Sean resumed his stroking. His fingers were clever and worked in to find spots that Zack hadn't even realized would feel good until he felt his bones trying to melt.

He had no idea what was going on or what he was going to do about it, but as long as Sean kept petting him he simply couldn't find it in him to care.

He'd been turned into a dog somehow, but all he wanted was for Sean to keep scratching him forever. Everything else was just too distant for him to even worry about.

It was as though "Zack Branagh" was some other person, and the only life that mattered was the one he was living right now. With fur and paws and sharp teeth that had him biting his tongue occasionally when he wasn't careful.

This was the only moment that mattered and nothing else could ever mean as much as now. With Sean scratching him, the TV a warm background murmur, and the world something that happened to other people.

He yawned hugely and rested his head against Sean's chest. He could hear the man's heartbeat under his skin, a soothing staccato thrum.

=END EXCERPT=

So what do you think about "Doggy Style" so far? A mild-mannered antique shop owner turned into a big black dog. Zack has to figure out what's happened to him and find some way to regain his humanity.

Filed under: Discounts & Specials, Sneak Peeks, Upcoming Projects Tagged: BlogHop, Doggy Style, freebie, giveaway, Sol Crafter

It's 3 in the morning. Why am I still awake? #editing

I told myself I wasn't going to sleep until I finished editing. I've probably done about 100 pages, which is pretty good, and I've only got like 30 pages left. Still, every time I turn around I keep getting distracted by things on the internet ^_^

I even took some time out to search the Web to see if anyone has written any fanfic about my stuff. I am very sad to say that there is NONE

When is someone out there going to write some fanfic about my stuff? I know it should be something I wouldn't want to have happen, but honestly, it would make me totally happy. Ugh, the horrors of being completely clingy and emotionally stunted.

~Come on, write some fanfic!

BTW, as I mentioned before, I signed up for the BlogHop, which will start on the 17th. What does that mean? Well, I have to put up a BlogHop entry, and if people comment, I'm giving out 3 free ebooks to 3 readers, and 1 print copy of "Heroes & Villains."

I'm not quite sure how I'm sending the paperback out, since this is my first time doing this, but I might just drop ship it or something. Still, there will be one lucky ducky out there. And it could be YOU!  Sorry people outside the US, I think you're pretty much stuck with ebooks, though it's readers' choice so you could actually pick something that's not even out yet if you wanted (like "Allies & Enemies" perhaps? Though there's a wait until doneness.)

Filed under: Discounts & Specials, Real Life, Self-Publishing Tagged: freebies, giveaway, RL

Happy Holidays!So I should be writing (heh!) but instea...

Happy Holidays!

So I should be writing (heh!) but instead I'm goofing around. That's so typically me.

Basically, I just wasted HOURS of my life trying to figure out how to do one of the simplest internet things in the world and I still can't get it to work. Suxors.

Trying to figure out how to make files for Podio. Is anyone out there interested in being able to listen to one of my novels as a serialized audiobook? Sure, I have the voice of a small child, but I'm willing to try my best.

Anyways, back to work/on to bed, whichever comes first

 

Filed under: Real Life Tagged: audiobooks, RL, stupid

If you're curious, these are all the things I've written and published so far:

Here's a list of all I've written and published in order of when they were written:

"Fantasy"–full-length novel. One of the first novels I ever finished, which shows in how rough around the edges it is. Still, it will always be one of those things that I love and come back to from time to time. Vaj will always be this crazy, irrepressible character that lives in the center of my heart. Kind of a jerk, egotistical, yet at the same time incredibly compassionate. My first-person, sword and sorcery story.

"Visions of Blood & Shadow"–full-length novel.  Vampires, lycanthropes, and Others. This was like a patchwork quilt–dozens of separate pieces all joined together, resulting in a single story. It's about destiny and fate and sacrifice, with a jolt of love and death thrown in.

"Estarion: Book One"

"Shame"–short story. The introduction of Simon Peters. I wrote this in a style somewhat strange to me, leaving descriptions unexplored so that the reader is forced to fill them in rather than indulging in my normal over-descriptiveness. This story left kind of a sour taste on my tongue, but it was one of those things that forced me to write it. I just kind of picture a tumor being ripped out of my brain, the ends trailing behind, freeing me from something I simply could not let go on my own.

"Blood Wine"–full-length novel. The continuation of Valerie Pendleton Hardain's story. It's a chunk of time in the world shown through the eyes of Valerie. I was madly in love with him at the time of writing and I still hold a fondness for him, flaws and all. And he certainly has some flaws, ego being a big part of it all.

"Little Boy Blue"–full-length novel. I really wanted to write my own band story. Unfortunately, somehow my lead singer turned into a demon along with his best friend, a war developed in the Pit, and everything somehow morphed into a quest.

To me, Ashley is an almost disturbingly innocent character. He was kept sheltered in Erusidamus' "harem," but now he's free to explore the world around him. As a consequence, he is forced to find his independence and develop his personal strength. Which he fights every step of the way.

"Origins: Starburst"–short piece. Was supposed to be the prologue of Heroes & Villains until I realized that it didn't belong with the story. At the same time, I figured that maybe people might be interested in how Vereint first manifested his metabilities.

"Heroes & Villains"–full-length novel. My current baby. I love superheroes and I like expanding on the largely two-dimensional idea of comic book heroes and villains. Vereint and Warrick were made for each other, though the world unknowingly tries to get in the way. This is the sweetest installment of the "Heroes & Villains" series, the taste of happiness before the story really begins.

"Pulse of the City"–novella. An amnesiac girl that finds out she used to be someone completely different than she ever imagined. Teen friendly (as in, Foul-Mouth didn't get to make an appearance here.)

"Heroes & Villains: The Wedding"–novella. Set during "Heroes & Villains," it became a separate piece as it did not fit with the rest of the novel. A touch of smut, a fairy tale wedding, and a bunch of jerky superhero chatter.

"Boy Loves Bears"–short story. PWP? all the way.

"Sweet Desire"–short story. Two chefs that circle around each other and the attraction they feel. Andre does all the flirting, and Calvin does all the putting off as he tries to hide the biggest secret of his life.

"Echo"–novella. Two men that meet and form an instant connection. Written in a minimalist style that has kind of become the Sol Crafter hallmark. Simple, sweet, and HEA all the way.

I have an unpublished full-length novel, "Lianndra," that will probably never see the light of day. Why? Because it's so long! It's the first thing I wrote and finished and is set in the same world as the "Of Blood" series and centers around the vampire Lianndra. And while it contains some interesting things, I simply do not have the strength of will to wade through it and edit it.

Maybe, someday in the future when I'm super rich ~ I'll have my personal assistant handle all that stuff. When exactly am I allowed to get myself an intern again? Heh.

Filed under: Real Life, Self-Publishing Tagged: RL, writing