Jordan L. Hawk's Blog, page 33

Friday Link Roundup

I’m in the process of heading out the door for an internet geekery convention this weekend. If you’re in the Rockville, MD area and love webcomics, podcasts, and general geekdom, Intervention is a fabulous little con to attend!

So, to keep things quick and easy while I pack, I’m going to use this Link Roundup to list three books I’ve read recently which I think the rest of you would enjoy!

“In His Corner” is a historical romance short story from the fabulous Charlie Cochet. I’m a huge sucker for “opposites attract” and this pairs a young, college-educated guy with an older man who only knows how to do one thing: box. Even better, proceeds for this sweet tale go to support NOH8. Click on the cover image to buy!

I’ve been on a historical kick this week, apparently, because I’m currently reading (and loving) If it Ain’t Love by the fantastically talented Tamara Allen. In the darkest days of the Great Depression, New York Times reporter Whit Stoddard has lost the heart to do his job and lives a lonely hand-to-mouth existence with little hope of recovery, until he meets Peter, a man in even greater need of new hope.

Not only is this book beautifully-written and incredibly sweet, it’s FREE. So click on the cover to grab it now!

And finally, if you love well-written, thought-provoking sf/f, you can’t go wrong with Sarah Monette’s collection of short stories, Somewhere Beneath Those Waves. The stories range from urban fantasy, to science fiction, to historic fantasy, to things that just are classifiable by genre. Do yourself a favor and pick this up!

5 Things I Learned from HP Lovecraft

HP Lovecraft is known as a master of weird fiction and one of the founders of modern horror. I discovered his work as a teen, and having revisited it numerous times throughout the years, I’ve found he has several important lessons to pass along.

Wouldn’t you take life advice from this man?

1. No matter what you do, never ever study genealogy. Chances are your family history is filled with cannibals, mutant apes, and fishmen. And if it isn’t, the ancestor who bears a suspiciously close resemblance to you is plotting to return to life, murder you, and steal your identity.

2. Never take shelter in a remote farmhouse, town, or manor. Those places are full of cannibals and fishmen. Possibly mole-people as well. This goes double if you’re visiting in order to further genealogical research.

3. If the local religious authority starts dressing oddly, wearing strange tiaras, or speaks in a language never intended for human hearing, it’s best to leave town immediately, before the fishmen come.

4. Never talk to your neighbors, especially if they play the violin, are conducting chemical or electrical experiments, or need suspicious amounts of air conditioning for their apartment. Next thing you know, you’ll be digging up graves and speaking blasphemous incantations, and that never ends well for anyone.

5. If you come across a strange figurine, meteorite, or ancient city don’t poke, investigate, or speak archaic invocations to it. Unless you discovered it in the course of your genealogical studies, in which case, go ahead, you were doomed anyway.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve just received an invitation to a family reunion. It’s taking place in a remote town I’ve never been to before, but I’m sure it’s lovely. And they included a present with the invitation! I’m not sure what the strange figurine is supposed to represent, or even what it’s made out of, but it’s the thought that counts, right? After such a kind gesture, I can’t say no.

After all, what could possibly go wrong?

Monday Cat Plus Excerpt

It’s the beginning of the workweek, so you deserve a cat belly:

Hainted Excerpt:

The sun rose over the mountain, its light bathing the farm and flashing off the bright metal of Leif’s sword. He moved like a dancer, his every movement fast and graceful, the sword’s blade whistling in the air as he appeared to battle imaginary enemies. Despite the morning chill, he’d stripped off his shirt and tossed it over the seat of the still-broken-down tractor. The early sunlight gilded the sweat clinging to his lean torso, outlining every lithe muscle.

Pale scars tracked his arms here and there, and Dan noticed a black tattoo on his chest, above his heart: a rune Dan didn’t recognize. A stylized hound was tattooed on his left shoulder, also in black; a sword on the right. Metal glinted from the silver bars through each pale pink nipple, and a light dusting of golden hair traced the path from navel down, disappearing beneath his loose workout pants.

Dan’s fingers tightened convulsively on the coffee mug, heedless of the scalding heat. He could feel warmth gathering in his cock, nipples tightening, lips aching, his whole body yearning toward the lissome figure moving with such fluid grace. He wanted to run his hands over the pale skin, wanted to trace the path from navel to groin with his tongue. Wanted to pull loose the bound hair with his hands and sink his fingers into the locks, inhaling and filling his lungs with the scent of male sweat.

He swallowed convulsively, struggling to control his reaction. His erection strained against the fabric of his jeans, easily visible. If Leif saw that, he’d…well, Dan didn’t know, exactly.

I could find out.

No. No, bad idea. Leif was way out of his league. He probably wasn’t even interested in Dan, at least not beyond some light flirting which didn’t mean a thing. And even if he was, Dan couldn’t risk it, not for a guy who’d be gone in a week.

He focused his eyes on the broken tractor, forcing himself to think about fighting to repair the piece of shit, until what few mechanical skills he had failed him. He was going to have to take it to the garage, which meant more money down the drain, and he’d better just hope it was fixable and he didn’t need to buy a new one.

The unpleasant thought was enough to make him go soft, all right. Maybe the tractor wasn’t completely useless after all. Not looking directly at Leif, he walked over to it and set the mug on the hood. “I brought you some coffee.”

“Thanks.” Leif walked over, grabbed his shirt, and used it to wipe off his face and chest. Dan tried not to stare, but he could smell Leif’s sweat, mingled with the remnants of his cedar and rosewood cologne. Heat burned Dan’s cheeks.

“I’m just about done,” Leif said; if he noticed Dan was having trouble looking directly at him, he didn’t let on. “I promise to shower before eating. Don’t wait breakfast on me.”

“I’ll wait. We’ll wait,” Dan correctly hastily. “Virgil’s still asleep, anyway.”

“Thanks,” Leif said again, then laughed. “I say that to you a lot, don’t I? I’m not sure how I can repay you for everything you’ve done.”

Dan shrugged awkwardly, certain Leif could see his blush now. “You don’t have to. I’m a Walker—it’s my job.”

“Even if that’s true, you’ve done far more than I could ever have expected.” Leif’s hand came to rest on Dan’s shoulder. He glanced up in surprise. Leif’s expression was serious, his winter-sky eyes capturing Dan’s gaze effortlessly.

Dan felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He wanted to flee, but at the same time, he wanted to lean forward and taste Leif’s mouth. He could feel the heat of the other man’s fingers through his t-shirt and flannel, and he ached to feel that warmth against his skin.

Leif’s fingers tightened slightly, before dropping away. Exertion had left a pink flush on his skin, but Dan thought it deepened before he turned aside and lowered his gaze to the steaming mug. “Anyway, thanks for the coffee.”

“No problem,” Dan said; the words came out rough, and he cleared his throat self-consciously. “I better go inside and get breakfast going.”

Leif nodded, and now he was the one avoiding looking directly at Dan. “I’ll, uh, be in soon.”

“Take your time.” As Dan started away, he heard the dry leaves crunching under Leif’s boots, the whistle of the sword as he started up his exercises again. And although he ached to look back and at least let his eyes feast on the other man, he resolutely kept them fixed on the door until he was safely back inside.

Find it on:
   

Friday Link Roundup

This post was supposed to go up last Friday, but for some reason it didn’t and I was too sick to notice until, like, Tuesday. So here is a kind-of-belated, kind-of-on-time Friday Link Roundup for you.

io9 is a terrific site for all things geeky, but I have to admit I’m partial to their “holy crap wtf?” stories. If not for them, I would never have known the awesomeness of 1970s-era insane Star Trek coloring books.

I think the real question is: what ISN’T wrong with this picture?

Are you excited about The Hobbit movies? I am! This photostream on Flickr has some nice promotional stills, including Thranduil, the hottie king of the wood elves (and Legolas’ father).

I’d get lost in the woods with him.

And finally, do you like sword and sorcery and/or the Lovecraft mythos? Think about supporting the Sword & Mythos anthology from the fine folks over at Innsmouth Free Press. Given the high quality of their previous anthologies, this one will be a must-read, but only if it can get funded.

The Ghosts are Coming – are You Ready?

It’s almost October, which means my favorite holiday, Halloween! I’m going to blog ghost stories every week in October, but to get everyone in the mood, I thought I’d talk about how to get rid of ghosts, or at least keep them at bay.

Spin clockwise (or deosil) three times before entering your house, and any ghosts will be too confused to follow you inside.
If the identity of a troublesome ghost is known, take some small personal item which belonged to them. Cut a sweet potato in half and hollow out the inside. Put the item inside the hollowed-out part and pierce the potato with iron nails to keep the halves together. Bury the whole thing in a graveyard.
Ghosts can’t cross running water or a line or circle made out of salt.

If you look into a mirror and see the reflection of a loved one who is far away, that person has just died.
Some ghosts seem to have a purpose for hanging around, usually due to unfinished business. If their task can be completed, they will move on and the haunting will end.

Know any ghost-busting methods? Let me know in the comments: I love hearing from you!

Hainted Release Day

Woot! Almost exactly a year since I jotted down the first notes for what would become Hainted, it’s finally available for Nook, Kindle, and other e-formats! I’m crazy excited: seriously, I could barely sleep last night.

To celebrate, I thought I’d share an excerpt. Enjoy!

***

“Leif!” The wand fell unheeded from his hand, and Dan stumbled through the swirl of disturbed leaves, reaching for the other man. No, no, goddesses of the Underworld, please let him be all right.

Leif struggled to his knees. “I’m fine,” he gasped. “It knocked the wind out of me, and I’ll have a pretty good bruise on my back tomorrow, but I’m fine.”

Relief shivered through Dan. Leif made it to his feet, leaning against the tree for support. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

Dan took a small sip of breath, meaning to say…he didn’t even know, exactly. The moonlight cut across Leif’s features, revealing every plane of his high cheekbones, the delicate sweep of his brow. His long, pale hair tumbled about his face, tousled and utterly mad, like some fey spirit from the very dawn of time.

Safe. Safe, and relatively unhurt, and yet Dan’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Heat and cold boiled in his chest, until he wasn’t even sure where fear ended and relief began. Gods, Leif could have died if he’d hit the tree wrong, and Dan needed to say how fucking glad he was Leif was okay, but he couldn’t get the words out past the storm of emotion. He took a step forward, and another, until he could practically feel the heat of Leif’s body. Leif’s eyes widened slightly, pupils dilating. The tip of his tongue licked his lower lip.

The unconscious gesture snapped the hair-fine thread of Dan’s control. He pressed Leif back against the tree, needing to taste those lips just once, to feel Leif’s heartbeat, to know they were both warm and alive.

Leif’s mouth froze under his, and oh fuck, he’d screwed up. He started to pull away, to apologize, to rebuild whatever his impulsive action might have torn down.

Leif’s hands closed on his shoulders, and he returned the kiss with desperation, like this was something he needed just as bad. His lips were firm and supple, and tasted like the moonshine they had drunk and something else, something unique and indisputably masculine. The silver hoop in his lower lip was warm from his heat.

Gods, it was good, just what Dan needed. He leaned in tighter, felt Leif’s body against his, hard and sinewy through the layers of their clothing. Leif’s hands threaded through Dan’s hair, tugging and gripping, and he drew away just far enough to nip at Dan’s lip with his teeth, before diving back into the kiss again.

Gods. This isn’t happening. But it was; he could feel not just his own heart pounding, but the shaking of Leif’s body against his; not just the tight urgency of his own erection, but the hard length of Leif’s cock pressed against his hip.

Leif rubbed him through the denim. He gasped and broke the kiss. “D-Don’t.”

Leif stilled. His blue eyes had gone dark with desire, and his breathing was ragged. “I want to make you feel good.”

Find it on:
   

Movies, Romance, and Prizes!

Last Valentine’s day, the beta and I decided to celebrate by watching a romantic movie. “Okay,  honey,” I said, “what will it be: Stardust, Shrek, or Wall-E?”

My choice of romantic movies says a couple of things about me: one, I’m a gi-normous geek, and two, I like a certain type of romance. To me, the best romance isn’t love at first sight, bolt of lightning from the sky. I like stories to take their time, to start with two characters who might not have much of anything in common, and show me how they fall in love.

In Stardust, bumbling shop boy Tristan rashly promises to bring a fallen star to the spoiled girl he thinks he loves. When the star turns out to be a person instead of a lump of rock, he takes her prisoner and tries to drag her back with him. Hardly the most promising start! But as the two journey through the magical land of Wall, Tristan comes to realize he’d rather be with smart and funny Yvaine than the shallow girl he thought he loved, and Yvaine comes to see his hidden depths of kindness and bravery.

Shrek also features the protagonist taking the heroine back to someone, although in this case Fiona wants to go with him. Fiona thinks she needs to free herself from the curse of turning into a ogre every night, and Shrek thinks he doesn’t care about anything but finishing the job so he can get back to his solitary existence. Along their journey, they come to realize what they thought they wanted isn’t really what they need at all.

Wall-E, the adorable robot, does fall for EVE at first sight, but her mission takes priority over some boxy goofball she’s just met. It isn’t until she sees the recording of him taking care of her while she’s in standby mode that she comes to realize there’s more to him than she initially believed.

What about you? Do you prefer love at first sight, or a more gradual development? What romantic movies do you like to watch? Everyone who comments below between now and midnight EST on September 3rd will be entered to win an ebook of my m/m paranormal romance Hainted before it goes on sale! Please note: you must include an email address so I’ll have some way to contact you.

In addition, every commenter will also be entered to win the following Romancing the Hop grand prizes:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!

 You can find a full list of participating blogs here. And don’t forget to comment – the more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win!

UPDATE: The winner of Hainted is donnas1! I’ve sent you an email, so check your spam folder if it didn’t show up. Thanks to everyone who commented! You can see the grand prize winners here.