Leta Blake's Blog, page 13
December 21, 2015
2015 – You were a year! And I did some things in you! #2015 #yearinreview
So tonight is the winter solstice. The longest night of the year. The true turn of the year. From this point until Summer Solstice, the days will slowly get longer and longer. Earlier tonight, a friend pointed out an article from a fellow writer suggesting that we stop beating ourselves up for all the things we didn’t get done this year and instead celebrate the things we did do. I thought that sounded like a stress-busting idea, so why not? I’ll divide my 2015 accomplishments into professional and personal.
Professional:
I don’t think it’s terrible to say that this one kicked my ass while writing it. Every release has challenges, but this one had extra challenges. The fact that I wrangled this into a book-shaped finished product is kinda amazing. No matter what, I give myself a high five for accomplishing it. (Let’s set aside whether or not I should have accomplished it, because the fact is that I did.) It was Rainbow Award runner-up in Erotic Romance.
Indra Vaughn and I co-wrote this book. We started in, hm, March, I think? And we had a finished product out in September. I think Indra deserves a lot more credit than I do because she wrote her parts while undergoing serious life-upheaval that might have undone anyone else. I’m incredibly proud of her and I’m proud of what we accomplished together. I think this is one of the most romantic books I’ve had the honor to write. In fact, I know I shouldn’t say this, but it might be my favorite book that I’ve had a hand in making. It wasn’t without difficulties. Co-writing–no, writing–never is, but, hey, look-it. It’s there. It’s just out there in the world being all romantic and lovely and I love it so much.
Yeah, that’s right. Three novella-length installments of a new serial, co-written with Alice Griffiths. Our goal is for each installment to be “worth it”, so each of them is at least 30,000 words, but most are closer to 35,000 words. I honestly have no idea what that translates into with pages. As a writer, I think in terms of words, but I know that it’s not easy to wrangle words into behaving, and I feel like the pacing and beats of the first three episodes of this serial are fun, funny, and ultimately romantic. I’m having a wonderful time with them. Also, look at Dar’s gorgeous covers! I am proud of what we’ve accomplished, but this one is harder for me, since there is still work to be done, and my main stress in life right now revolves around accomplishing miracles with the timing of the next three releases. BUT THIS IS ABOUT HOW AWESOME 2015 HAS BEEN SO…YAY WILL & PATRICK!
I was able to re-release Levity (originally Earthly Desires) and Flight (originally Love’s Nest). Keira re-released Rise (originally Ascending Hearts). I didn’t really have to do much. I considered adding and expanding, but decided that the past is better left in the past, and it was better to move onward. So, these books are out with new covers and the names we’d originally planned.
I worked with Juno Publications to release a French translation of The River Leith (Le Retour de Leith).I worked with Monica Rivero to release a Spanish translation of Smoky Mountain Dreams.
December 20, 2015
“I feel like a better title for this book would be ‘Perfect Season’ .” Review of Training Season by Leta Blake
“I feel like a better title for this book would be “Perfect Season” because that is what it was all about to me. It’s what we want: perfection. It’s what we want to see in others: perfection. It’s where we want our lives to be – the place we want to live. It’s just not always the most realistic viewpoint to carry.
I’ll spare you the blurb, which actually describes this gem perfectly.
From the characters to the prose to the level of angst and love this one delivers a Gold Medal winning performance. I loved both characters – though sometimes I didn’t like them very much. It felt absolutely real. We all strive for the “Perfect Season” in our lives and so very rarely do we get it – until we look back on what we’ve done, seen, loved, and worked towards and realized that it really was all for a reason. Sometimes we get kicked down so hard that we think we’re so far underground we won’t see the light of day, well, ever – and yet we keep going. The drive, the motivation, to do something like Matty is doing seems foreign to many – but people who have it, who give like that, who commit like that, it’s overwhelming, painful, endorphin producing, rewarding, and downright costly. All at the same time.
What great fortune to also find a book that contains BDSM but is not about it. No fancy schmancy clubs here with paraded twinks naked with collars. No discussion or negotiation, no BDSM101 lecture, nada. No “Boy” this and “Sir” that protocol. Just honest need, want, and desire that gets expressed with a more D/s theme running through. I will definitely say that this one has two kinks that are neither common nor comfortable for a great amount of people: breath play and medical (enema). Yet I would challenge anyone to read this and not to understand what was going on, how these fit in to the story, and come away with the thought that it was those things that identified the book. Because they just so don’t. The scenes’s are memorable for how they express the characters relationship and growth and understanding. They are expressions – of something far greater and far more importance. Divine.
A top 5 pick of the year for me. I very rarely stay up until 4am to finish a book. I did here and didn’t regret it one bit and didn’t even wake up tired. I woke up with this feeling that I’d just left my Grandma’s house on Christmas day after all the food, festivities, and love and I so want to go back to that place again. For that moment, in that time, at that place – it was, for me, The Perfect Season.”
Amazon.com: AlexJouJou’s review of Training Season.
“Does Training Season by Leta Blake live up to all it’s crazy hype? IT SO DOES!” – Breann, Boy Meets Boy Reviews
“A tale told with such flair and tenderness, and with such insight into the two main characters that I will read it over and over again.” – Susan Mac Nicol, The Romance Review Site
“If you are looking something real with passion that leaps off the pages, read this book. Now. You will NOT be disappointed.” – Mama Kitty Reviews
“I am stunned. I am shocked. What did I just read? A wonderful story? A gorgeous tale of love, hope, loss, acceptance, forgiveness? All of the above? You bet your sweet ass.” – The Risque Redhead Reviews
“I loved it in pretty much every way it’s possible to love a book and its characters.” – Lisa, The Novel Approach
December 19, 2015
“The action was very hot!” Review of Levity by Leta Blake
“I loved this story. I didn’t expect the plot to suck me in quite as much as it did, but once the story started rolling I couldn’t put my Kindle down! The action was very hot, and the story had just enough heartbreak to make the ending all the more sweet.”
Amazon.com: Erin’s review of Levity (formerly Earthly Desires).
Previously released in 2012 as Earthly Desires.
December 15, 2015
5 Shiny Holiday Stars to If Only In My Dreams by Keira Andrews! Yay Gay Christmas Romance! #amreading
If Only in My Dreams by Keira Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Truly one of my favorite holiday reads ever, I think. So friggin’ cute with a nice dollop of angst. New adult holiday romance with mixed faiths and all the best tropes: hate-to-love, road trip, “snowed in”, and reunited exes (kinda). Cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for the perfect holiday gay romance!
December 14, 2015
“These authors made magic with this story.” Review of Vespertine by Leta Blake & Indra Vaughn
“This book had me reeling basically from the beginning. I couldn’t put it down. The tension and true love between these men left me hurting and yearning for them. There pain and hurt but also peace and hope and love. I just loved this book so much. Like I said these authors made magic with this story. It’s an absolute must read!”
Source: Goodreads | Love Bytes Reviews (Oak Harbor, WA)’s review of Vespertine
December 12, 2015
5 stars for The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn! “Heartwarming, romantic, and full of the holiday spirit.” #gay #romance
The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely LOVED this book! It’s heartwarming, romantic, and full of the holiday spirit. I strongly recommend it for Christmastime, especially, but it’s a good read for anytime of the year. I stayed up late beta reading because I had to see how these adorable characters get their Christmas miracle.
December 11, 2015
Rainbow Award Runner Up! Best Gay Erotic Romance 2015! Training Complex by Leta Blake #gay #yay
I’m so honored and excited to announce that the Training Complex, the critically acclaimed sequel to fan favorite Training Season, was a runner-up for Best Erotic Romance in the 2015 Rainbow Awards hosted by the amazing Elisa Rolle.
This judged annual awards competition not only help to promote LGBT books across all genres, but help to raise funds for LGBT charitable organizations. In 2015 the Rainbow Awards raised over $17,000, going to a variety of LGBT charities worldwide. I couldn’t be prouder to be associated with these awards and to have had Training Complex do so well overall.
Thank you, Elisa and judges, for your efforts in the LGBT literary community!
Buckle up – Matty’s back!
Figure skater Matty Marcus didn’t capture Olympic gold, but he won rancher Rob Lovely’s heart.
After Rob sold his ranch and Matty hung up his skates, they started a new life together in New York City. Now Matty has taken on a fresh challenge as a figure skating coach, and Rob’s second career as a physical therapist should be everything he’s dreamed of. But in the brutal heat of their third summer in the city, Rob yearns for the wide-open country, and the intensity of city life awakens Matty’s demons.
Matty asks for increasingly intense BDSM scenes, and his disordered eating and erratic behavior ramp up the stakes. Rob struggles to stay in control, and after a well-intentioned anniversary gift goes awry, he still thinks he can handle the fallout. But the concrete jungle is closing in and his coping skills are unraveling.
Their love is deep, but Rob will have to admit the truth about what he really wants before they both tumble into chaos.
December 10, 2015
Rainbow Award Runner-Up for Best Bisexual Romance & Best Bisexual Book! Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake #amreading #yay
I’m so honored and excited to announce that my book, the #1 bestselling Smoky Mountain Dreams, was a runner-up for Best Bisexual Romance and Best Bisexual Book in the 2015 Rainbow Awards hosted by the amazing Elisa Rolle. This judged annual awards competition not only help to promote LGBT books across all genres, but help to raise funds for LGBT charitable organizations. In 2015 the Rainbow Awards raised over $17,000, going to a variety of LGBT charities worldwide. I couldn’t be prouder to be associated with these awards and to have had Smoky Mountain Dreams do so well overall.
Thank you, Elisa and judges, for your efforts in the LGBT literary community!
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
NOW AVAILABLE EN ESPAÑOL!
Algunas veces, aferrarse a algo significa dejarlo ir
Después de renunciar a su carrera como cantante de música country en Nashville, Christopher Ryder es feliz actuando en el parque temático Sueños en las Montañas Humeantes de Tennessee. Pero mientras que su querida Nana lo quiere tal y como es, Christopher se siente dolorosamente invisible para el resto del mundo. Incluso cuando está en el centro del escenario, anhela que alguien vea quién realmente es.
El joven bisexual Jesse Birch no tiene tiempo en su vida para salir con nadie. Centrado en la educación de dos niños y peleando constantemente con la familia después de que un trágico accidente le arrebatara a la madre de sus hijos, no siente interés por nada más allá de un polvo ocasional. Entre sus planes no se encuentra de ningún modo enamorarse de su cantante local favorito, pero cuando Christopher entra en su taller de joyería, Jesse escucha una nueva canción en su corazón.
December 9, 2015
“I had to laugh!” Review: Will & Patrick Wake Up Married by Leta Blake & Alice Griffiths #gay
“I really enjoyed getting to know Will and Patrick and had to laugh at the situation that they find themselves in. I absolutely fell in love with Patrick. He just has a way about expressing himself that comes across hilarious. This was a sweet story and can’t wait for the next in the series.”
via Lynette, Inked Rainbow Reads
December 6, 2015
“What an emotional journey. I wish I could hug everyone in this book.” Review of The River Leith by Leta Blake #gayromance
“What an emotional journey. I felt for Zach, Marian, Ava and Arthur. How much do you tell Leith or do you wait for it come back? What would I do if my loved one saw me as a stranger? It’s amazing at how the body retains certain memory even when the cognitive mind doesn’t. I appreciate this author tackling a difficult subject with sensitivity yet conveying the sense of helplessness the characters felt. I could see everyone’s POV and I just had to walk with them with hope and patience.
I wish I could hug everyone in this book.”
via Goodreads | Ezinwanyi~the Troublemaker Oh My Shelves The Colony, TX’s review of The River Leith.
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
