Leta Blake's Blog, page 56
May 6, 2014
Unrepentant Tori Fan #music #toriamos
So, Tori Amos has a new album coming out, and at the writing of this post, I have as yet to hear it. I’ve heard from various sources that it’s a good one and seen many comments that Tori Amos is “back”, like maybe she was gone for awhile. I guess that confuses me. Sure, she’s put out albums that I didn’t love every song or feel like it was an album that I needed to listen to over and over and over again, but every album she’s ever released has at least one song that speaks to me and I feel like it makes my life better by having it exist in the world.
For example, my least favorite album as a whole is Abnormally Attracted to Sin, but I love the following songs from it:
1) Fast Horse
2) That Guy
3) Maybe California
4) Welcome to England
And while for some reason Lady In Blue doesn’t move me on the album, when I saw it performed live, it was utterly mesmerizing. There are others from that album that I also enjoy, but it is also my least listened to album of hers.
I guess what I’m trying to say, though, is that every album doesn’t have to be perfect for it to deserve to exist. I guess I just get sad and defensive, what with being a fan and all, at seeing so people being down on her, and even sort of tainting what looks to be a great new album with implications that her brilliance has been missing in action for some time now. Aside from the compilation records of hers, which never work for me, she’s never put out an album that I didn’t find something amazing about. I’m sure this album will be no different in that regard.
May 3, 2014
On May 18th, He Won’t Remember to Forget Him. #mmromance #gay
Coming May 18th!
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After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date.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.
Click to add the book on Goodreads! Due out May 18th!
April 29, 2014
I Used To Know How To Use This Thing #blogging
Well, hello there! I used to know how to use this site to do this cool thing called blogging, but then I decided that I needed a break because I had too much on me, and now I’m sitting here looking at this blank page and thinking, “What the hell do I do with this?”
I suppose I should mention that I’m going to have a book out very soon. I can’t decide if I should release it the last week of May or the first week of June. I feel like May is a better month. It sounds happier and it’s six months from when I released Training Season. But, realistically, if I want to have ARCs out, finalize the formatting, and not mess anything up due to a panicky rush, then I should probably set it lose in the wild the first week of June.
I’ve had people ask me what this book is about and each time I flounder. Of course I still flounder on how to talk about Training Season, too. I was at Rainbow Con (which deserves a post of its own!) and a lovely woman named Vicki was looking at a print copy of Training Season. She looked at me and said, “This is your book?” And I said, “Yes. I wrote it. It’s about…things. In a book. That people seem to like.” She looked at me like I was mad (which we all know I am) and smiled politely before putting the book down and walking away. So, yeah, saleswoman I am not!
But, this next book is totally different from Training Season. It’s shorter for one thing and it’s got zero enemas in it, which, hey, will please many folks, I’m sure. I swear I did not drink any liquor on my lunch break, just some kind of power-greens fruit juice thing which might have made me high? I don’t know. Anyway, there’s no figure skating, no ranching, and no D/s dynamics to speak of! And absolutely zero toilets! I promise!
That sells it, doesn’t it? You want to buy this book now, don’t you?
Um, let me try again. It’s a comfort-read featuring the ever-beloved amnesia trope! And a boxer! And a vlogger! And there’s romance and gay lovemaking and a kooky, cliche (in the good way) psychiatrist! And there’s drama! And angst! And hurt-comfort! And squishy, lovable, adorable characters who just make you want to hug them until they come to their senses and do their lives right! (Well, I feel that way about them anyway! And I hope you do, too!)
And if that doesn’t sell it, just look at this cover! I mean, guh, yes? When I send Dar (the cover artist) the back blurb (which is being crafted lovingly by Kathleen Tudor!), I’m going to see if she can’t pull him down just a tad so my name isn’t all up in his eyebrows. I think that will make it easier for me to make a nice little advert out of the cover later when I need one. Anyway, this cover is lovely, isn’t it? He’s looking at you and he’s saying, “Buy me. I’m an amnesiac. I’ve forgotten things and need to relearn them. You can watch me LEARN ALL THE THINGS. *cough*”
Hooray!
Hey, readers, I’ll be out during the last week of May or the first week of June, whatever my crazy author decides. In the meantime, I’ll be right here, looking like this, and you can visit anytime.
Well, lookie there. It seems I remembered how to use this thing after all! Just like riding a bike!
Amelia’s reading from Saugatuck Summer at #RainbowCon 2014 #mmromance
I was the camera woman for Amelia’s reading from her upcoming book, Saugatuck Summer, at Rainbow Con. She did a good job and the book, as usual, sounds wonderful! Check it out!
Originally posted on The fiction of Amelia C. Gormley:
http://youtu.be/hxsRKkHS_Ac
Today I had my reading at RainbowCon and I selected two excerpts from near the middle of Saugatuck Summer, where the affair Topher has been having with his BFF’s married, closeted father is coming to an end.
One month until Saugatuck Summer releases!
April 8, 2014
Coming Soon! The River Leith by Leta Blake
Yes, that’s right! A new book coming soon-ish! Probably in May, if all goes according to plan. And, yep, Dar Albert has made another amazing cover for me! Thanks, Dar!
More information about the book will be coming before too long! I’m super excited, y’all!
March 20, 2014
LISTEN: Lady Gaga’s Leaked ‘Brooklyn Nights’ | Out Magazine
LISTEN: Lady Gaga’s Leaked ‘Brooklyn Nights’ | Out Magazine.
I like it. Old skool Gaga sound that I can get behind. (Uh, though I also get behind ARTPOP because I kinda loved it.)
March 17, 2014
eBookSoda Special! $2.99 for fan favorite Training Season! #mmromance #gay
eBookSoda, a new website offering book recommendations tailored to your taste, is running a special on Training Season! Check it out!
Regularly priced at $5.99, this fan favorite is available for only $2.99 during this special offer!
March 12, 2014
Get Training Season for Only $2.99! #gay #mmromance #sale
Training Season is on sale for a week at the following outlets. Get a copy for only $2.99.
March 6, 2014
Fried and Frazzled, Flip Me, I’m Done
So, I’ve been really stressed lately and when I realized that I was running out of pre-programmed blog posts I also realized that trying to write a bunch more was a bit too much for me to handle right now. So, I’m going to be kind to myself and let the “make a blog post every day” thing go. I’m sure I’ll be back before long, but for now I’m going to just hang up my “Out Fishing” sign and give myself a break.
See you after I’ve rested and rejuvenated! If you’d like to buy Training Season or any of my other books, you can click below, or on a cover over to the right. Thanks everyone! See you on the flip side!
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. And also on iBooks.
Unquestionably talented figure skater Matty Marcus is willing to sacrifice everything for his Olympic dream, but his lack of discipline cost him the gold once before. Now the pressure’s on. He needs a coach who can keep him in line, but top coaches don’t come cheap, and Matty can’t afford to stay in the game no matter how badly he wants to win.
When a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana, Matty does his best to maintain his training regimen. Local residents turn out to be surprisingly tolerant of his flamboyant style, especially handsome young rancher Rob Lovely, who proves to be much more than a cowboy stereotype. Just as Matty requires a firm hand to perform his best on the ice, Rob shows him how strong he can be when he relinquishes control in the bedroom. With new-found self-assurance, he drives himself harder to go straight to the top.
But competition has a timetable, and to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to join his new coach in New York City, leaving Rob behind. Now he must face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned how to win—on and off the ice—during his training season?
March 5, 2014
“WOW! This book had me laughing, crying and wanting it to never end.” – The To Be Read List’s review of Training Season #mmromance #gay
“WOW! This book had me laughing, crying and wanting it to never end. The emotions were so raw I felt them deep in my soul.”
-Goodreads | The To Be Read List (Tina) (The United States)’s review of Training Season.
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. And also on iBooks.
Unquestionably talented figure skater Matty Marcus is willing to sacrifice everything for his Olympic dream, but his lack of discipline cost him the gold once before. Now the pressure’s on. He needs a coach who can keep him in line, but top coaches don’t come cheap, and Matty can’t afford to stay in the game no matter how badly he wants to win.
When a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana, Matty does his best to maintain his training regimen. Local residents turn out to be surprisingly tolerant of his flamboyant style, especially handsome young rancher Rob Lovely, who proves to be much more than a cowboy stereotype. Just as Matty requires a firm hand to perform his best on the ice, Rob shows him how strong he can be when he relinquishes control in the bedroom. With new-found self-assurance, he drives himself harder to go straight to the top.
But competition has a timetable, and to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to join his new coach in New York City, leaving Rob behind. Now he must face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned how to win—on and off the ice—during his training season?
