Leta Blake's Blog, page 66
December 27, 2013
Olympic #figureskating : It’s Gettin’ Real!
Olympic #figureskating: shit’s getting real.
(via http://www.keiraandrews.com)At the conclusion of Japanese Nationals on the weekend, the first major Olympic figure skating team was announced. And what an announcement it was! Figure skating is SUPER popular in Japan, as evidenced by the sell-out arena and the fact that the team…
Hooray, Keira talks figure skating! I love it!
Butterfly Herbs – A Surprising Place (Training Season Extras) #coolplaces #coffee #missoula
The store where Matty and Rob buy Anja’s necklace, just before Matty’s bratty little fit on the sidewalks of Missoula, truly exists. It’s called Butterfly Herbs and my BFF insisted that I put the store into the book. She went to it years ago and declared it the best smelling store she’s ever been inside. It apparently had some unforgettable jewelry in it along with the most delicious tea she’s ever had.
According to some reviews on Yelp, the store has some really excellent items on the menu as well. Ann says:
I really love their chai ice cream float, made with Missoula’s own Big Dipper Cardamom ice cream. In addition to being a great local coffee shop, this is an awesome store for gifts, carrying an assortment of soaps, herbs, teas, chocolates, and jewelry.
I loved this review of the shop by Bradley:
While some places in downtown Missoula are hipper, cooler, or more raw, BH is by far the cutest shop on Higgins. From the fancy and creative display windows to the old style pressed-tin ceiling to the wall of herbs and loose teas stored in glass jars, to the smaller items for sale in front and the bistro espresso bar in back: you’ll find yourself oooinhg and awwing a lot around here.
Not Hello Kitty cute, mind you: cute in an aromatherapy, herbes de provence, lapsang souchang sort of way. Cute in an urban hippie crossed with Montana home remedy kind of way. Many of the teas are from Montana Tea and Spice, including such awesome blends as Montana Gold, Wintermist, Wild West, Night on Glacier Bay, and Evening in Missoula. The green teas are excellent – organic hairpoint, for example – and there are some great things for do-it-yourself potpourri, if you are into that sort of thing.
All of which is a little weird, I realize.
But weird is what Missoula is all about.
Jennifer W says:
Wonderful and unique local business. I love their range of teas, their delicious sandwiches, and the bulk herbs and spices. Plus, what’s not to like about a place that smells fragrant and fantastic as soon as you walk in the door? The decor is cool– an amazing ceiling and lots of old wood. There is an eclectic feel to the place– local art on the wall (like a fuzzy sweater with a label made of masking tape that reads “Burr Sweater $$) and uber-stylish baristas who each possess a unique and colorful fashion sense. This is a great place to come on a cold rainy day and warm up with a pot of tea– I like the rose-mint.
Needless to say, when I make it to Missoula, I’ll be stopping by this place for sure. Have any readers been? What’s your favorite thing about it? What’s the best thing on the menu?
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. Coming soon to iBooks.
December 26, 2013
Review: Training Season — by Leta Blake
Review: Training Season — by Leta Blake. Training Season By Leta Blake is a quality book that deals with complex issues and has a sophisticated theme. “
Such a beautiful, amazing review. Thank you, Bea, for taking the time to write it.
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. Coming soon to iBooks.
Silent Snow, Secret Snow – Or the Story of Mental Illness #horror #snow #winter #depression #autism
My husband asked me to watch this with him the other night and I recognized within it not only threads of my own history of depression, but of my nephew’s troubles with OCD, and a friend’s son’s autism. I think, somehow, it is also apt for grief. I felt very understood when watching it, and vaguely afraid, because it has a truth that can’t be denied for anyone who’s seen these issues up close and personal.
It’s also beautifully filmed. It’s worth your time to watch.
My husband found it was due to this fanvideo of it featuring a Joy Division song. A truly haunting match.
December 25, 2013
December 24, 2013
Christmas Savings! Coupon Code! 64% Off Bestseller Training Season! Expires Jan 2nd! #mmromance #gay #discount
That’s right! I’m offering Training Season, my latest buzzing, bestselling m/m romance, at 64% off the regular price! Happy, happy holidays! *throws confetti*
Head on over to Smashwords, where you can purchase nearly every file type for any device, and use the following Coupon Code to get your happy, festive, holiday-love-filled discount!
Coupon Code: RV45B
EXPIRES JANUARY 2ND!
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?
Charlie Cochet Visits North Pole City, Where Gifts Are Guaranteed
Charlie Cochet Visits North Pole City, Where Gifts Are Guaranteed.
I haven’t read the book yet, but I love this cover so much that I probably should. See link above!
What Are Bitters? Matty’s Fave Drink Explained. #cocktails #curealls #liqueur
Bitters comes in many different flavors and brands. Some of the most famous are Agostura bitters, Bittermens, and Fee Brothers. Fee Brothers brand currently features the following flavors: Aromatic Old Fashioned, West Indies Orange, Peach, Lemon, Grapefruit, Mint, Cherry, Plum, Aztec Chocolate, Rhubarb, Plum, Celery, Black Walnut, Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters, and Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Bitters.
THIS ARTICLE from Australian Bartender discusses a tasting event involving bitters and had this lovely and handy explanatory piece with it:
Matty’s favorite is Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters with the Christmas-y notes. “It’s Christmas in a cup!”
Further historical info from Wikipedia: By 1806, American publications referenced the popularity of a new preparation termed cocktail, which was described as a combination of “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” Of the commercial aromatic bitters that would emerge from this period, perhaps the most well known is Angostura bitters, which was first compounded in Venezuela in 1824 by German physician Dr. Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert. Originally, Dr. Siegert’s bitters was compounded as a cure for sea sickness and stomach maladies, among other medicinal uses. Dr. Siegert subsequently formed the House of Angostura, a company that previously sold the bitters to sailors. Angostura bitters was named after the town of Angostura in Venezuela, although the preparation contains no angostura bark, a medicinal bark which is named after the same town.
Antique bitters bottles are collectible and some go for upwards of $10,000!
Apparently, making your own homemade cocktail bitters is a thing people do! And I sure wish I’d realized this a few months back. I could’ve made some for some fancy-pants, I’m-so-cool Christmas presents for people! Look how pretty her end result turned out!
Super cute!
Now, you may be asking, why did Matty in Training Season drink bitters in his hot water? Well, because they give flavor and they feel a little decadent. I’ve had them a few times when feeling sick and they do settle one’s stomach. I’m not even sure why it came to me that he would do this. I suppose it just seemed like something Matty would do. It’s fancy pants and snooty and feels decadent while not really adding much substance. Very Matty at the beginning of the book, especially.
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. Coming soon to iBooks.
December 23, 2013
The Elf on the Shelf – Or The Lying Liar Who Lies? #elfonshelf #christmas
the elf on the shelf. So glad to read about someone else who feels ambivalent about the Elf on the Shelf. Most of the moms I know just love it, but it makes me feel like a lying liar who lies.
Sexy Fairytales for Christmas! #Free Bundle of #Gay Fairy Tales! #mmromance #mmerotica
Keira and I are giving away ALL THREE of our fairy tales over at Long and Short Reviews as part of their Winter Blogfest! So, hop on over there for your chance to win the three hot, sexy, magical tales below! And, like the banner says, there’s going to be a prize on every post until December 27, so click around at the Long and Short Reviews site to see what all you might have a chance to win!
There’s no greater mystery in the kingdom than how Prince Mateo’s sisters wear out their shoes each night while locked away in their chambers. Using old magic, Mateo discovers their secret and follows them through a portal to an enchanted world of fairies and lusty delights.
Fairy Prince Ópalo has waited years for his male human mate, and he knows Mateo is his destiny. But convincing Mateo of that is another story altogether.
Mateo soon succumbs to the pleasures of the flesh, but as their two very different worlds collide, Ópalo has to risk everything to win his man forever. Inspired by The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Cursed as an infant with a lack of physical and emotional gravity, Prince Efrosin can’t keep his feet on the ground or his head out of the clouds. Laughing his way through life, he’s never been weighed down by love and lust.
Then one fateful day, his tenuous tie to the earth is severed and he blows away on the wind. He’s rescued by Dmitri, a handsome young woodsman who suffers from a mysterious curse of his own, and the two strangers are irresistibly drawn together. Experiencing sex and love for the first time, they dive into a delightfully sensual and passionate affair.
But the evil witch who cursed them is planning her ultimate revenge. Efrosin and Dmitri must fight to find their fairy tale ending and live happily ever after.
Inspired by The Light Princess.
Rumors of treasure have long sent fortune hunters clambering up a magic beanstalk to a mysterious castle in the clouds. Survivors told of an evil giant who guards the gold with savage strength. No sane man would dare risk the climb—but Jack has nothing left to lose. Shunned for his evil red hair and abandoned by his cruel lover, he’s desperate to escape his life.
Rion isn’t a giant—only a man bearing the burden of protecting his family’s legacy. It’s a lonely existence, but he’s duty bound. Then Jack appears, and Rion’s world changes. After a blazing confrontation, an undeniable lust sparks. Isolated in the clouds, Jack and Rion give in to their lust and growing connection. Soon they must protect the treasure—and each other—from a new threat. And they have everything to lose. Inspired by Jack & the Beanstalk.
