Leta Blake's Blog, page 39
December 12, 2014
Christmas Music – December 12, 2014 – Above Thy Dark & Dreamless #overtherhine #music
Always love her bluesy way.
December 11, 2014
Reasons Why Leta Blake Hates Winter, A Whiny-Butt List #ugh #hate #cold
So, if you love winter, this is probably not the post for you. I absolutely believe in everyone’s right to love whatever seasons they want to love, so this is not meant to be a list of reasons why you should hate winter. It simply reflects my own state of mind on this particular winter day (and, frankly, most winter days).
1) In the winter my four dogs (yes, four because of I’m nuts, apparently) can’t just go wander around in our fenced back yard, enjoying the outside, eating worms, digging holes for me to trip in, playing with sticks, or just go running around in happy loops around the fence. No, in winter my dogs are inside, bored, restless, and not happy. The new puppy is not getting enough exercise because two walks a day aren’t cutting it for her, so at this very moment she is working on chewing up her brand-new dog bed and I’m not stopping her because then she’ll whine and bark with boredom. (She already chewed up all of her latest toys. Need to buy stronger toys that will withstand the teeth of her giant maw.)
Puppy. Dog #4. 6 mos.
Dog #3. Age 9.
2) In winter it is cold. I hate being cold. I’d rather be sweaty and overheated any day of the week. Cold is sheer hell. Misery. Completely impossible to think sort of misery that leaves me almost ragey. This is one reason the walks aren’t good enough for the puppy because I can’t really stand being cold long enough to walk far enough to wear her out. Also the cold is bad for my lungs which aren’t awesome after multiple bouts of pneumonia (I sound like an old lady) and it’s awful for my rosacea which ends up getting super-inflamed after a walk in anything lower than, say, 50F.
Aside: the puppy officially ruined part of her bed while I just sat here and watched. I’m an awesome dog owner. *eyeroll* That’s why we’ve got four. Argh.
Dog #2. Age 11.
3) Winter means sickness which, for me, can mean pneumonia. Right now kiddo is home sick with a fever/headache/cough thing that kept me up monitoring her temperature much of the night. It got up to 103.7. I was pretty fretful and had a near panic attack that I’d fall asleep before her fever went down I’d wake up and she’d be dead from spiking to 106 or something. I have a very active imagination. So, yes, winter sucks because winter is germ vector kiddie time.
The old lady. Age 15. Dog #1.
4) I HATE WINTER CLOTHES. On other people they are mostly fine, but I hate them on me. They are often itchy, uncomfortable, and ugly. I don’t like sweaters since most of the pretty ones are made of wool (I’m allergic) and most of the others are shaped in some hugely unflattering way. I don’t like tights because they are itchy. Even my favorite winter shoes are problematic due to my high (and somehow damaged) arches. My most comfortable (and awesome) new boots are too cool to ruin and I am reluctant to wear them in the rain, and its rained most every day lately.
5) Socks. They are the worst. There are never enough clean ones that match and they are uncomfortable and I hate them. Give me a summer-bare foot any and every day. Florida, can I please be allowed to move to you?
6) Gray sticks and brown mud. That’s what winter looks like where I live. It doesn’t snow much (THANK GOD), so it’s not white and fluffy and frozen. It’s sticks and mud until spring. Not very gorgeous. Though I admit I love the gray fuzziness of the winter mountains. Or I would if I had on comfortable clothes and no one was sick and puppies weren’t bored and I wasn’t cold. But they’re pretty in a grungy, funky sort of fuzzy-brown-winter way.
I have more reasons but I’ve got to entertain this puppy before…well, before something. I’m not sure what. Probably before she starts up the attention barking which is maddening. You’d think the other dogs would entertain her, but they are all curled up in their beds sleeping.
This grumpy post was brought to you by WINTER which can get the eff out asap. :P I do like Christmas, though. I like Christmas trees and lights. I like Christmas carols. I like hot coffee on a cold morning. I like cozy blankets. I like…um, well, other Christmassy stuff, but that’s about it.
Spring, please be on your way. I’ll sing for you even. Baby, I need your lovin’, got to have all your lovin’.
Wah-wah-wah over now. Adios. Attention barking has begun. SHOOT ME.
ETA: It’s interesting, though, that I set almost all my books in winter. Maybe I’m trying to work out my winter issues.
Christmas Music – Dec 11, 2014 – Joy #EBTG #TraceyThorn
Oh, Tracey Thorn. Your voice undoes me.
December 10, 2014
“I loved every bit of this book and found myself longing for more!” 5 stars – Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake #mmromance #bestseller
Wendy at Hearts On Fire Revews says:
This book is set in the fall of the year leading up to Christmas. It’s my favorite season leading to my favorite holiday. I love the scenery that Mother Nature puts on display – the vivid hues of reds, oranges, and yellows of the leaves on the trees and bushes. Not everything is beautiful because there are also the darker browns and almost colorless debris that can be found as well. It all seemed kind of symbolic of the depth and complexity, the bright spots and struggles that can be found in this story. And just like my favorite season, I loved every bit of this book while it lasted and found myself longing for more in the end.
The reds, oranges and yellows:
• Christopher – humble and good to the core. He’s a man who adores his Gran and hears her advice in his head when he needs a little reality check. He has reconciled himself to always being second best (in life and in love). He puts others first even if it means heartache for himself. He secretly longs to belong in a family and to have someone really “see” him and actually make him their first choice. I would so totally make him mine if I could (or hug the stuffing out of him trying).
• Jesse – devoted and loyal. He’s open and honest and sincere about trying to do the right things whether it’s caring for and advocating for his wife, guiding his children or speaking openly with Christopher (I loved how Chris and Jesse could actually communicate and share their true thoughts with one another). He may have been bi-sexual, but it really seemed to be a one-off with his wife. He was a man’s man in all other respects.
• Strong women – Christopher’s Gran and Jesse’s sister Amanda were both awesome in their ability to give the best advice and guide their respective men with a swift kick in the ass when needed!
• The passion and the sex – reds, oranges and yellows definitely represent how hot and colorful these guys were when getting down to business. From the exceptional love of rimming (so very intimate), to down and dirty talk, to the creative use of, um, pearls, to their own special post anal sex soothing ritual, I loved being privy to their private moments and very glad they were quite plentiful!
READ MORE OF HER REVIEW AT HEARTS ON FIRE!
Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:
AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER
And now at KOBO.
December 9, 2014
“Leta’s words are so good you always want more.” Smoky Mountain Dreams #gay #amreading
“Leta’s words are so good you always want more. And I wouldn’t mind getting more of these two guys at all! I’m hoping there will be a sequel. *crosses fingers*”
via Goodreads | Pates Saint Louis, MO’s review of Smoky Mountain Dreams.
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.
Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:
AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER
And now at KOBO.
Dust of Snow by Indra Vaughn #gay #christmas #romance
Really enjoyed this Christmas book! It’s a good length, too. Good quantity and quality for your buck. :)
Originally posted on MM Good Book Reviews:
Title: Dust of Snow
Series: N/A
Author: Indra Vaughn
Genre: Contemporary/Holiday
Length: Novel (158 pages)
Publisher: Indra Ink. (December 9th, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Blurb: ‘T is the season. Greg’s nights are silent and his bells don’t jingle. This time last year his boyfriend broke up with him, and he’s determined to get through these holidays with only minor bruising.
So what if he lives with a cat and his best friend is his mother?
Peace and quiet: that’s life how he likes it. Nothing is going to blindside him this year, no sir. Especially not a rogue secret Santa.
ISBN: 978-1-62622-729-3
Product Link(s): Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/487965/1/dust-of-snow
ArE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dustofsnow-1656500-149.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Snow-Indra-Vaughn-ebook/dp/B00OXIT2W2
Reviewer: Prime
Review: This is a sweet little story which has a number of elements jumbled into it. First and foremost, this is about Gregory Peck (not after the actor) and his love life, or lack thereof…
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Christmas Music – Dec 9, 2014 – Westward Leading, Still Proceeding #music #toriamos
What we need is solar power.
December 8, 2014
Player vs. Player release day and blog tour launch!
Whoot! A new Amelia Gormley book, folks! Run, run, run!
Originally posted on The fiction of Amelia C. Gormley:
Today, Player vs. Player is officially available just about everywhere. Here are some buy links for you:
Riptide
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble
Pushing for change can be dangerous when change starts pushing back.
Video game writer Niles River loves the work he does at Third Wave Studios: creating games with mass appeal that feature women, people of color, and LGBTQ characters. To make his job even better, his best friend is his boss, and his twin brother works beside him. And they mostly agree that being on the forefront of social change is worth dealing with trollish vitriol—Niles is more worried about his clingy ex and their closeted intern’s crush on his brother than he is about internet harassment.
But now the bodies on the ground are no longer virtual, and someone’s started hand-delivering threats to Niles’s door. The vendetta against Third Wave has escalated, and…
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Christmas Music – Dec 8, 2014 – Love Came Down At Christmas #music #shawncolvin
Lovely love oh love divine.
