B.A. Tortuga's Blog, page 34
August 12, 2015
August 11, 2015
Julia takes over the blog today
The wife here, hijacking the blog to tell you about my new Full Moon Dating story. Gage and Hamish is book 4, and at this point they're all interconnected, so go read Aiden and Ben, Coy and Denver, and Evgeny and Feng, 'kay?
Ahem.
See how I did that promo thing?
So. Gage and Hamish.
Cat shifter Gage is an impossible bottom. No one has ever been able to tame him, even if he wants them to. He’s willing to keep trying, though, and when he finds out about the paranormal dating site Full Moon Dating, he puts himself in their hands. He longs for someone who will take him in hand and make him like it.
Hamish is a bear shifter who plays too rough for most subs. Gage sounds like just what he needs, so when Full Moon matches them up, he’s happy to see how they get along. Can he convince Gage that he’s the one to make the man toe the line?
Find it here at ARE and here at Amazon!I love bears. Love them. I mean, what's not to love? Fuzzy. Grumpy yet sweet. Too big to know their own strength.
That's Hamish. Say hi, Hamish.
Then there's Gage. Pretty kitty. Finicky. Likes to groom.
Good kitty.
Thanks to BA for letting me hang out, and I hope y'all will give the series a shot!
XXOO
Julia
August 10, 2015
I'm a Create-a-holic...
I am.
I quilt. I knit. I sew. I make paper. I paint. I crochet. I make miniatures. I draw. I do multimedia art. I dye. I take weird art photographs. I do art journals. I garden. I cook.
If it’s a craft, I’ve tried it.
If I haven’t, my wife has.
If you’ve looked at my Pinterest, you’ll see it. I love to make things. I can’t imagine not creating — in my work life, in my home life. I’ve never worked at a profession where I wasn’t making things. I’ve been an illustrator, a cook, a designer, a toymaker,
A writer.
I make things. I’m married to someone who makes things. We have 3 rooms in our house dedicated to making things. O.o
I did a guided meditation once and we were supposed to get advice from our ancestors. The ancestor that chose to visit my was my mother’s great grandmother, Gramma Copey. She smiled at me, handed me a sewing box and said, “We make things, little girl. That’s what we do. We make things."
So now I have an excuse.
It’s a family thing.
We make things.
Much love, y’all.
BA
August 9, 2015
What I'm Working on this Week
Refired in edits
Needing to Breathe in editsMidnight Rodeo in editsAnd a Smile in editsPicking Roses in rewritesAce & Kitty in editsOdd Wolf Out in edits At beta:nothing At proofing:City/CountryBoys in the Band Subbed:nothing Next week's plan?WRITE ALL THE WORDS!
August 8, 2015
What I'm Reading This Week
7. Shadow Man by Cody Macfayden — I have to admit by the end I was furious and screaming. This could have been exceptional. It was not.
8. The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis — nothing I didn’t know, but I needed the reminder.
9. Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy Cohen — very interesting. This one’s a keeper.
10. Writing Mystery and Crime by Marg McAllister — for a beginning writer more than an experienced one, I think.
11. The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg — beautifully written, a lovely, warm read that’s like a hug. Gave me a lot to talk about with J.
12. Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten Shockey — cookbook, not the best read, but decent recipes
13. Borderline by TA Chase — loved it. Think the wife will love it, too.
14. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez — a fabulous collection of short stories set in Cuba.
15. Poe by J. Lincoln Fenn — clever as hell, not scary, but viciously clever.
16. The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles — quite adored this one. Clever and utterly charming.
17. Wolf’s Desire by Ambrielle Kirk — Uh. Not my thing. At all. Whoa.
18. Controlling Parker by Sean Michael — KINKY
19. Dark Carnival: An Anthology of Horror, Edited by Jolene Haley, Kristen Jett and Jessi Shakarian — nothing happened. Ever.
20. Blue Collar by Sean Michael — adorable, sexy and sweet
21. Guarding January by Sean Michael — I love the depth of characters in this one
22. The Biker's Pup by Sean Michael -- you know whose story I want next, right?
23. Voices from the Moon by Andre Dubus -- I just want to write 1/200000th as well
24. Fearie Tales edited by Stephen Jones -- incredibly satisfying collection
25. Spirit Rider by Cotton Smith -- I got bored. :P
26. The Witch and the Gentleman by JR Rain
27. Super Structure by James Scott Bell
28. The Cowboy’s Pride and Joy by Laureen Child
29. The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller
August 7, 2015
A Tiffany Story
Miss Tiff is my baby-est sister. She was born on my 18th birthday, In fact, she showed up in January, my older sister had a baby in April and I had one in September.
1989 had a theme in our family.
Now, having a little sister that’s so much younger leads to some issues — mainly that the older ones of us were all more uncles and aunties than siblings, especially when the kiddos were wee. You tend to give orders, you know?
“Y’all quit that!"
“Goddamn it, y’all get in the house right now!"
“Don’t make me get the fly swatter."
When she was little, though, I would torture Tiff endlessly (beginning at Christmas) with this conversation:
Tiff: My birthday is coming.
Me: Nope, it’s my birthday.
Tiff: *blinks* Uh-uh.
Me: Yes, ma’am. It was my birthday first and you were my birthday present.
Tiff: *beginning to turn red* Nuh-UH!
Me: Go ask Daddy.
Tiff: DADDY! Sister says it was her birthday first!
Daddy: Well, it was.
Tiff: But she says I was HER birthday present!
Daddy: Well, you were.
Tiff *burst into a fit*
*All the older siblings crack up*
Daddy: Oh for fuck’s sake, y’all stop teasing each other!
It never got old.
Never.
*grins*
She’s still the neatest birthday present (and that includes the piccolo and the cruise to the Bahamas) that I ever got. ;-)
Much love, y’all.
BA
August 6, 2015
August 5, 2015
August 4, 2015
Guest Post: K. Lyn
Must Love Dogs, my latest novella from Dreamspinner Press, focuses on the emerging love story of Ben and Jay.
Since a mugging a year ago, Ben’s lived with blindness. Despite an art career on hold and a deadbeat boyfriend who left him because of his disability, he's finally getting his life back on track. Ben is gaining a new sense of independence thanks to his guide dog, Colt.
But Ben’s carefully balanced life is thrown into chaos when veterinarian Dr. Jay Connor hits Colt with his car. While Colt is on the mend and recovering nicely, Ben finds that Jay is not only fond of Colt, but also quite interested in Ben.
However, one overheard conversation might put a stop to their romance before it can grow into something more. Maybe Ben’s destined to go it alone in the dark. Or can Jay help him see there’s still a chance for happily ever after?
Ben is the main character, and he's been through a lot in his life thus far. He thought he had everything in line – a successful career as a painter, a wonderful home, and a loving partner. In one instant, though, all of that was taken away from him. A mugging gone bad took away his sight, which took away his ability to paint, and the strain of recovery took away his partner. Ben was at rock bottom and has been slowly making his way back up over the past year. He had Colt, he was surviving, and he wasn't looking for anything else. That is, until fate had a way of throwing him yet another curveball.
Coming up with Dr. Jay, I knew that I wanted him to be different than Ben. He hasn't gone through the tragedy that Ben has, but instead has been focused on his veterinary practice and his love of animals. Like Ben, he wasn't really focusing on his love life, but he was at least open to the possibility. And good thing he was, since Ben literally fell into his path, and Jay took that as a sign. Even when Ben was resistant to what may transpire between them, Jay was persistent and that persistence paid off for them all.
And finally there's the lovely Colt. He's the reason Ben and Jay got together, and he's the grounding point between them. Ben loves Colt, Dr. Jay does as well, and he is the third point in their triangle. He's a very good guide dog, committed to his job, but he's also a puppy at heart and very loving to those around him. For those wondering, Colt is a mix of Labrador and Golden Retriever breeds, which are the most common types used as guide dogs in the United States. Colt was a good student and a good match for Ben. Together, they're navigating the world around them and learning new experiences along the way.
~~
About K. Lynn
K. Lynn has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. While in college, K. Lynn increased her involvement in LGBT issues and writing within the LGBT fiction genre. She has become a long-time fan of the authors that seek to explore the commonality that exists within all sexualities and genders. Most of K. Lynn's work features LGBT characters, many of whom are in established relationships and show how love perseveres through every trial and tribulation that life holds. She also has a particular interest in seeing transgender characters gain a larger foothold within the LGBT fiction genre, hoping that the market for these works expand in the future. Contact K. Lynn at writerklynn@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @WriterKLynn
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Purchase Must Love Dogs
Must Love Dogs released from Dreamspinner Press on July 22nd and you can pick it up from your favorite online retailers.
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6669
http://www.amazon.com/Must-Love-Dogs-K-Lynn-ebook/dp/B01297BHXU
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/must-love-dogs-k-lynn/1122343608
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-mustlovedogs-1842161-149.html
August 3, 2015
Movie Day!
So, my wife and I decided to watch movies Saturday and it was remarkably fun and successful.
Our first one was The Quiet Ones which starred Jared Harris from the second Sherlock Holmes movie, It was a supernatural thriller. I liked it more than J did. She found it slow and a little boring, but I quite enjoyed it and thought it had a good boo factor.
Then we watched Chef, which was OMG utterly fabulous. We found it utterly charming and I’m going to buy it.
Finally we watched Hotel Transylvania which was just fine. Cute, funny, lots of music — I wouldn’t watch it again, but I didn’t feel like I wasted my time. :D
(Also, that’s three and it was August, so only have to watch 1 more to keep my promise for the WHOLE month.
GO TEAM ME!
Much love, y’all.
BA
