V.L. Locey's Blog, page 41

Silent Sunday

*Field of a Thousand Wishes*

Throwback Thursday Tunes

We all know that June is the traditional month for weddings so we'll be celebrating songs about wedded bliss for the next 5 Thursdays. To kick things off we have the amazing Mackelmore & Lewis singing their hit Same Love. 

Tuesday Tales - Picture Prompt

Hello! It`s time for Tuesday Tales.


 I'm kicking off a brand new LGBTQ romance this week and it's not about hockey! I know, I'm shocked as well. We're going to be having some zombie fun as I begin working on the fourth and final Two Guys Walk Into an Apocalypse novella. This one is titled Zombies, Zendra and Ziegfeld Follies. It's been some time since I got to hang out with Paul Cooke and Gordon Moretti, my leading men in this zom-rom-com series, and boy did I miss them!
To set things up, Paul and Gordon found themselves smack dab in the middle of a zombie breakout. The virus, a super rabies, manufactured by a company called Zendra, has now mutated and zombies have taken over. Paul and Gordon have headed north to the Northwest Territories to try to get away from the undead and they've picked up some interesting characters along the way. 
In the last book Paul, Gordon, and they friends stumbled across an abandoned lumberjack camp and took it over. Winter was long and hard but somehow our two ex-educators and their rag-tag group managed to survive. Spring has now crept into the Territories and our leading men are going to have to face things more frightening than the dead-the living and Zendra, the company who unwittingly unleashed the end of civilization on an unsuspecting world.
Now onto the warnings and such-
 This story contains crude language, gore because of the darn zombies, and gay sexual situations. If that offends now would be the time to move onto another Tuesday Tales offering.  This week we have a picture prompt and our excerpt must be less than 300 words and reflect the picture.
Don`t forget to visit the other talented Tuesday Tales authors. Thanks for stopping by!




"O were my love yon Lilac fair, Wi' purple blossoms to the Spring,And I, a bird to shelter there,When wearied on my little wing!"
I lowered my hand from the air to glance down at my kneeling gardening partner. Tink, who was now free from her pink roots, ran the back of her hand over her brow and cocked a thin eyebrow at me.
"That was Robert Burns," I explained when she continued to look at me oddly.
"I know a poem about spring too, Paul. Want to hear it?"
"I would love to." I smiled at her. No one was more excited about the knowledge that winter was on its way out than I was. It had been a long - and Mister when I say long I mean L-O-N-G winter - up here in the glorious and beautiful Northwest Territories of Canada. Our little band of survivors had somehow managed to eke out an existence as the snow piled up outside our little lumberjack cabins. At one point, we were moving from one cabin to another through snowy lanes dug into several feet of snow. It was ghastly. Tortuous. Mind-numbingly boring. Did I mention how bad it had been?
"Spring has sprung; now get the fuck back to work. I want to get back to Dottie and help with the baby."
"Your poetic meter is sadly lacking." I frowned then knelt down beside the skinny little lesbian with mud streaked over her cheeks. "Also, just so you know, you are killing my spring buzz."
"Just work the damn dirt. Save your poetry for after-dinner entertainment."
"We're doing arts and crafts after dinner this evening," I informed her. Tink rolled her dark eyes and continued working the still cold ground with a small hand rake.



Copyright 2016 ©by V.L. Locey
*~*~*
Click on the link below to return to the Tuesday Tales main blog for more great reads from the Tuesday Tales authors.
Tuesday Tales
See you next week!

Remembering Those Who Gave All

Memorial Day 2016

Silent Sunday

* New Goslings*

To Weigh or Not to Weigh

That really is the question, and a damn tough one to boot.
As many of you know, I started a new healthier living regime last July. I was sick and tired of my rump not fitting into the seats at public venues. I opted to use portion control and hatha/vinyasa yoga to help me slim down while I grew stronger and more flexible. Weighing myself once a week seemed like plenty to me. From July to the end of December, I lost 47 pounds. Go me!
Sounds darn good, right? I thought so too. I was stoked to see 2016 start so I could continue seeing great results. Well, so far, 2016 has been a real bitch, pardon my French. From January to now, I've lost 5 pounds. Yes, you read that right. 5 pounds. I have not changed what I was doing, I've even added walking (which I do every other day so that I can continue doing yoga which I love) thinking it might jump start my weight loss. Nope. Now I do understand that since I'm now walking around 8-10 miles a week I'm building muscle and losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, yep, I get that truly I do but man alive, getting on that scale every Saturday was getting to be depressing. And then I slowly started seeing where I was going wrong.
It was the scale. I was letting myself fixate on those numbers instead of seeing how much better I felt, how much stronger I had become, how much bigger my old clothes were (I even went down a full cup size which is AMAZINGLY GROOVY) and how proud I was of my achievements. A good friend of mine who goes to a personal trainer had been telling me all along not to weigh or measure. This is what her trainer tells her and I can now see the merit of that thinking.
But yet, how do we know if we're getting thinner if we don't step on that scale or use that measuring tape? Well, I have to think it comes back to how we feel in our own skin. Choosing healthy foods, fueling our bodies right, and exercising in whatever form we enjoy and are comfortable doing should guide us, not those numbers. Seeing that I can climb uphill in the morning to do chores and not gasp for breath, going from a 5 X down to a 2X, looking forward to the rush that walking gives me or the serenity of my yoga practice.
All of these things are what tells me that what I'm doing is working. Deep in my soul, I know I'm doing good things for my body by eating better, working my muscles by walking, and refreshing my soul with yoga. Do I really need those numbers? I don't know but I'm willing to find out.
I plan to cut down to monthly weigh-ins while I battle with my body and this damn set point my metabolism seems to be stuck in. I hope that with patience, continued healthy eating, and slowly walking further and further I can kick this mucky-magoo my healthy living plan (I don't like the word diet and try not to use it) has fallen into in the backside. We'll see how it goes but even if I don't lose another pound, I've started to change my eating habits, seen how enjoyable exercise can be, and have found peace through my yoga practices.
And, you know, that is pretty awesome all by itself.



What do you think about weekly/daily/monthly weigh-ins? Are they beneficial or detrimental to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Throwback Thursday Tunes

I couldn't think of a more fitting song to end our month of flowery songs.

Tuesday Tales - Purple

Hello! It`s time for Tuesday Tales.


 Today we'll have the last excerpt from my LGBTQ hockey romance Snap Shot. I'm about to start on a new book so we'll be wrapping things up for Mario and Madame Lila. Since I don't wish to reveal all the twists and turns, we're jumping ahead a little in the story. I'm sorry to leave everyone hanging. If all goes well we'll be able to read the entire story next year some time! Fingers crossed. So, onto the warnings and such-
 This story contains crude language (they are hockey players after all) and gay sexual situations. If that offends now would be the time to move onto another Tuesday Tales offering.  Our word prompt for the week is "Purple".
Don`t forget to visit the other talented Tuesday Tales authors. Thanks for stopping by!





            I had barely stepped foot inside the Rader Arena when the new special teams coach strolled out of the dressing room carrying a can of Coke.
            "Yay, look who finally showed up, "Victor Kalinski said then popped the top on his can of soda."You know what sucks?"
            "You and Arou," I stated and tried to get around the redheaded Pole with the venomous tongue. He snapped out an arm to block my path. I was not in the mood for Vic's mouth this morning. The Langley news and the flat tire on the New York/Pennsylvania border had pushed my usual good humor off a cliff.
            "Har-de-har. Damn you are a riot. But no, what sucks is being on the job for two weeks and having to discipline a man who I think of as a sort-of friend."
            I gave the tall bearded Pole in the gray suit paired with a purple tie a long look. "You're going to discipline me?"
            "I got no choice. You blew off special teams' drills without even calling in. Dude, that is not cool. You know our penalty kill sucks balls." Vic lowered his arm. I glanced around him into the dressing room. "So, you planning on telling me why you pulled a no-show? I mean, give me something so that Dewey won't think I'm playing favorites. I'd be happy as a contented clam to just sit you down and give you a firm talking to and call it good."
            "I had shit to deal with." Vic gave me a sour look right before I shoved past him. Sometimes it irked the piss out of me that I had to take orders from someone eleven years younger than I was. Not that I begrudged Kalinski his new position, because I didn't. The man had been dealt a shit hand. He was too young and too talented to be behind the bench. Fucking concussions ruined so many careers.
            No, what twisted my nuts about it was the fact that I had clocked so many more years than Vic and had nothing but bloody piss to show for it. And yeah, it was not Vic's fault that he was more talented than I could ever hope to be. Let the pity party for Mario begin.
            "What kind of shit? Like literal shit because sitting on the can is not the most original excuse for missing mandatory drills that I've ever heard." He caught up to me with ease then sucked down what seemed to be half a can of soda at once.
            "Life shit, okay? Fuck sake, Kalinski, back off." I threw my bag into my cubicle. The chitchat among the guys around us ended.
            "What. Ever. I was just trying to help you out, buddy."
            Eyes closed I tried to get my shitty attitude under control. When I turned around to cough up an apology Kalinski was gone.


Copyright 2016 ©by V.L. Locey
*~*~*
Click on the link below to return to the Tuesday Tales main blog for more great reads from the Tuesday Tales authors.
Tuesday Tales
See you next week!

Silent Sunday

*May in the PA woodlands*

Another Milestone for Good 'Ole Victor K

Who woulda thunk it?!

Not me, that is for darn sure. Never in a million years did I think that one of my books would reach 100 ratings on Goodreads. And the fact that it's Two Man Advantage just tickles my knickers to no end! Now I know 100 ratings may not be a big deal to some authors. To me, it's huge!
Two Man Advantage on Goodreads


When I first sat down to write about Victor Kalinski, I honestly never thought he would even get a contract. I mean, this guy is a first class jerk. He's crude, venomous, misogynistic, self-centered, and volatile.  He was on a downward spiral with little chance of redemption. Not your typical romance novel hero. And then the Venomous Pole met Dan Arou and well, you know how it goes . . . those two fell hard for each other and finally got their happily ever after.

Out of all the books that I've written, this trilogy has been my best selling and most controversial. Oh my, do some readers hate Victor. I mean they loathe him and the horse he rode in on, as they say. Yet there are others who love the man and I am proud to say I'm one of Vic's biggest fans and not because he has sold the most books or gotten the most ratings. I adore his face because he is real, honest, and flawed. Man, is he flawed. Yet, even when he is trying his best to be his worst, we can see Victor clawing and scrabbling to find the light amid the darkness. And when he does discover his salvation in Dan Arou's arms, we get to see Victor grow into a man that we might like to actually spend time with.

In closing, I'd like to say thanks to Victor and Dan. They've been a pure joy to write. Thanks to them, and the scores of fans who have begged for it, I have just completed Snap Shot, book #1 in the Cayuga Cougars duology, which is Mario McGarrity and Madame Lila's book. After Lila and Mario there will be one more novella but I'm not saying who the book will be about. I'm terrible, I know. Kind of like a certain acidic redheaded Pole that we all know and love. 






If you've never read the trilogy, now is a great time to get to know Vic, Dan, and the Cayuga Cougars better! 

Two Man Advantage - Amazon