Eli Easton's Blog, page 20
January 10, 2015
New Edition of “Before I Wake”!
My very first m/m story published was “Before I Wake”, which came out from Torquere Press in April 2013. They only had a year contract, so the story has been out of print since Apr 2014. I finally got my ass in gear and have self-published a new edition.
The original story was written for a fairy tale anthology with a strict 8000 word count. Of course, self-pubbing I was able to expand it a bit, adding a new 3K epilogue.
You can find it here:
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-beforeiwake-1721954-145.html
BARNES & NOBLE – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-i-wake-eli-easton/1121024294?ean=2940150207943&itm=1&usri=2940150207943
Hope you like the new version,
Eli
December 23, 2014
Second half of "Fielding's Fa La La" posted! Free story.
This Christmas story features Mick and Fielding from “Blame it on the Mistletoe”.
Merry Christmas!
Eli
Second half of “Fielding’s Fa La La” posted!
I’ve finished my little Christmas freebie, “Fielding’s Fa La La”. You can now find the entire story here! http://elieaston.com/fieldings-fa-la-la/
This Christmas story features Mick and Fielding from “Blame it on the Mistletoe”.
Merry Christmas!
Eli
December 14, 2014
Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Eli Easton 2014 to 2015
I published my first Eli Easton m/m romance in April 2013, so 2014 was a “year two” for me. That’s the year when newbie enthusiasm faces the realities of the market and the daily work flow, and you either flunk out entirely, settle into a dabblers casual ‘tude, or decide you’re in it for the serious long haul.
As of Dec 2014 I can say that it’s option c—my butt is firmly planted on this piece o’ earth.
In 2014 I published 5 m/m romance books, making 13 total. I had less publications in 2014 than in 2013, but I released my first full-length novel (“The Mating of Michael”).
Many readers of m/m romance also write it, so you will know what I’m talking about when I say there are things an author must consider when deciding whether or not to invest more time in a genre. First: Am I objectively any good at writing it? Second: Do I really like the genre enough to dedicate a large chunk of my time to building a career in it? Third: Can I continue to come up with fresh ideas and fresh work in this area story after story?
The answer to those questions for me is ‘yes’. I still feel I have something to offer the genre, I still really enjoy writing it, and I’ve gotten some lovely encouragement which makes me feel like my efforts are not in vain.
The m/m romance genre is an interesting beast. If being a ‘romance author’ is not taken very seriously by the general population and/or literary world, writing m/m romance is regarded with even more confusion/embarrassment/disdain. It seems to be the equivalent of saying ‘I write porn’. Now, I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing porn, but that’s not the way I consider my Eli Easton books.
Granted, I am probably in tune with point-oh-one percent of the population in this, but I really don’t see a lot of difference in regular (m/f) romance and gay (m/m) romance. At the heart, a romance is a romance. Love is a mystery. Why do two people fit together? And how do they figure it out? To me, a romance is about two people discovering their perfect partner—from first meeting, to getting to know one another, to overcoming obstacles, to realizing they want to be together for life. It’s about the dynamics of their personalities and daily lives and how they fit together. It’s about realizing that love is more important than anything else. It’s family and psychology, personal flaws and strengths. It’s chemistry and heat. In the end, very few things in life impact us the way our choice of life partner does. So what could be a more important subject to write about?
How I landed in the m/m genre is a bit of luck and a bit of good casting. My first exposure to m/m was Anne Rice’s “Cry to Heaven”, which I read in high school and found compellingly unusual and sensual. Later on, there was fan fiction (johnlock and sterek mostly). As a writer, I’ve always been more comfortable with male characters. Never a girly girl, I am sometimes irritated by romance heroines. Bottom line: I find men more interesting creatures and far sexier. So being able to write two male leads works for me on many levels. I also find the social and personal dynamics of being gay interesting. Let’s face it, unless you want to write regency romance, there’s not a lot left in our modern society to keep men and women from doing whatever they damn well please. There are more hoops to jump through, and thus more opportunity for denial, obstacle, and conflict, in a gay relationship. I also like the idea of contributing, however obliquely, to normalizing gay relationships. I am absolutely in favor of gay rights.
As for stigma or literary snobbery, I am old enough to have given up on expecting to rule the world—or the NY Times bestseller list. The fact is, whatever people think of romance, more people read it, and buy it, than any other genre of book. People read it because they enjoy it—it’s an escape, a comfort, entertainment, and a solace. It’s fantasy and an outlet for the love and desire that is often lacking in our ‘real lives’. I am honored to provide that for readers.
On to the old and new!
2014: Looking Back
Publications:
“Stitch” (gothika anthology, my story “Reparation”), Apr 2014
“The Mating of Michael” (Sex in Seattle #3), Jun 2014
“Heaven Can’t Wait” (in Dreamspinner’s Daily Dose), Jul 2014
“Bones” (gothika anthology, my story “The Bird”), Oct 2014
“Unwrapping Hank” (Christmas novella), Nov 2014
Cons Attended:
Dreamspinner’s author con
Milestones:
“Blame it on the Mistletoe” gets over 2000 rankings on Goodreads
“Unwrapping Hank” hits #1 on Amazon’s gay romance list (briefly, but it was there!)
“The Mating of Michael” wins #1 place in the William Neale Award for Best Gay Contemporary Romance category, 2014 Rainbow Awards and #2 place in “Best Gay Book” overall.
3 audio books published in 2014: “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “A Prairie Dog’s Love Song”, and “Superhero”.
‘Came out’ as Eli Easton under my writing/game design nom de plume of Jane Jensen
2015: Looking Ahead
I plan to spend more time writing in 2015 since I’ve recently finished a huge work project.
![LionandtheCrow[The]FS FINAL COVER - Copy](http://elieaston.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/LionandtheCrowTheFS-FINAL-COVER-Copy.jpg)
Publications Anticipated:
“The Lion and the Crow” (expanded edition), Dreamspinner, Jan 2015
“How to Howl at the Moon” (new paranormal dog shifter series), Love Lane Books, Feb 2015
“Claw” (gothika anthology, my story “The Black Dog”), Apr 2015
A novel for Dreamspinner (TBD– probably Sex in Seattle #4 or Prairie Dog #2), Aug 2015
“gothika #4” (anthology), Oct 2015
Christmas novella 2015 (Micah Springfield’s story), Nov 2015
“Kingdom Come” (murder mystery set in Amish country from Berkeley’s Prime Crime line),- sometime in 2015
Writing in 2015: Kingdom Come #2, Howl at the Moon #2
Cons Attending:
Dreamspinner’s author con
Rainbow Con
Romantic Times
Goals:
* continue to build name recognition and reader base
* do a better job updating my blog!
* would be lovely to have a #1 on amazon for longer than one day!
That’s it for this year’s round-up. Please let me know your suggestions and if there’s anything you are dying for me to write in 2015!
Eli
December 10, 2014
Fielding’s Fa-La-La
This story features the main characters from my 2013 Christmas novella, “Blame It On The Mistletoe”. It takes place during Fielding and Mick’s second Christmas as a couple, just before the epilogue of “Blame It On The Mistletoe”. It was written for RJ Scott’s Christmas story posting.
FIELDING’S FA-LA-LA
by Eli Easton
On the morning of December 2nd, Mick wandered into the kitchen of the little house he shared with Fielding near the Cornell campus. He was midway through a nice, juicy morning yawn and stretch when he noticed the card propped up on the kitchen table. It looked like this:
Mick huffed a confused laugh, picked up the card, and turned it over. There was nothing else on the card. Probably it was something from Fielding’s physics department, but it looked odd for an assignment.
He made a couple of mugs of green tea, tucked the card under his arm, and went back into the bedroom. He sat the cups on the bedside table and bounced his ass on the bed.
“Come on, Babe! Time to wake up.”
Fielding, lying on his stomach like a very large, dark-haired, and angly rag doll, grunted without opening his eyes. “Kay.” That meant he was about to go back to sleep.
“Hey, I found a card on the kitchen table. What is it?” Mick picked up the card and turned it over again, but there was still nothing written on the back.
Fielding abruptly sat up. His eyes blinked from dreamland to fully alert in record time. “Oh. I put that there.”
Mick snorted. “Really? It wasn’t midnight elves? Or maybe a cat burglar who gets off on leaving enigmatic mathematical messages?”
Fielding rolled his eyes, but his mouth tugged up into a smile. He took his cup of green tea and had a sip. “It’s for you.”
“Oh?”
“It’s December 2nd. Last year on December 2nd I asked you to kiss me. The rest, as they say, lives in infamy.”
Mick smiled, a genuine, deep-down, giddy smile this time. “It was a year ago, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Fielding said seriously.
“Okay, so what is this supposed to be then?” Mick held up the card.
“It’s the formula for a Euclidian triangle.”
“Under mistletoe. Okay.” Mick pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s… sweet. Thanks.”
Fielding huffed. “The card is merely bracketing the start of a series of proofs. It gets better. Also, this isn’t your real Christmas present. You’ll get that at Christmas. This is merely preparing the stage. A little holiday Euclidian fa-la-la.”
Mick sighed and looked fondly at his boyfriend. Only Fielding would think Euclidian geometry was… romantic? Holiday fun? Then again, knowing Fielding’s kinky side, this could get interesting.
“A series of proofs, huh? Does this involve you and me getting naked in some way, he asked hopefully.” Mick waggled his eyebrows.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Fielding said in his gravelly morning voice. “Anticipate and tremble, Mick. Anticipate and tremble.”
With a final enigmatic glare, Fielding hopped out of bed and headed for the shower.
* * *
Proof #1
That weekend, Mick didn’t have to work on Friday night. He was looking forward to a slothful night at home with Fielding—no studying, just some good quality couch potato time. But when he got home, Fielding met him at the door wearing his winter coat.
“Get dressed for the cold. You’ll want thermals under your jeans and on top, but you’ll need flexibility, so don’t get too bulky.”
“For…?” Mick asked.
“Proof number one. You’ll see.” Fielding smirked.
Mick was game. After all, there was a sparkle in Fielding’s eye that promised fun or, at the very least, something interesting and unexpected. Practically every day with Fielding was interesting and unexpected, but when Fielding put a bit of effort into it, things really got wild.
Mick changed and followed Fielding down the street toward campus. They held each other’s gloved hands, interlocked like padded pythons. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Where they were going was Lynah Rink, Cornell’s ice skating venue. Fielding paid for two entrances and two pairs of rental skates.
“I don’t actually skate,” Mick said, wondering where Fielding had gotten the idea.
“Precisely the point.” Fielding led them over to the rental skate counter.
“Okay. So this proof is to see how many times I can fall on my ass?” Mick smiled. He was always up for anything athletic, despite his protests.
“No.”
They got their skates and took them over to a bench to put them on.
“Proof number one, the first side of the Euclidean triangle, is friendship,” Fielding explained, all serious intensity. “How do you demonstrate friendship? I determined that a defining characteristic of our friendship was one person teaching the other how to do something. It’s a shared skillset. A willingness to bring the other to one’s own level of competency. As opposed to the opposite of friendship, which would be competition and jealousy, hoarding one’s skills in an effort to yield the upper hand.”
“Makes total sense.” Mick bit back a grin. God, Fielding was adorable.
“Ice skating is a skill I have from when the pater took me to Rockefeller Center. Hence it is a skill I can share with you.”
“So no sex then?” Mick feigned a pout. “I was hoping the proof would be of a highly sexual nature.”
He dropped his gaze to Fielding’s lips and allowed it to grow heated. Mick knew his boyfriend—that look was a hundred percent guaranteed Fielding kindling right there, a weapon Mick only dared wield when he was ready to go to bed immediately. Because once Fielding’s brain locked on sex, it didn’t shift gears until they were both boneless–in all senses of the word–and their balls were set on “E”.
Which was, of course, not possible in a skating rink. Fielding deserved a little payback. Just because.
Fielding sucked in a breath and grabbed Mick’s forearm. “Stop it. No anticipating the other proofs. This is proof number one. Friendship.”
“Oh, so there is sex in this plan somewhere?” Mick licked his lips and winked.
Fielding glowered. “I’ve never attempted to skate whilst having an erection, but I doubt it’s a pleasant experience.”
Mick chuckled and relented. “Okay, pal. I get it. I’ll be good. But only if you promise me a blowjob when we get home.”
Fielding narrowed his eyes. “Hand job,” he countered.
Mick snorted. “As if you could ever have my dick in your hand and have it not end up in your mouth.”
Fielding seemed to take that as a challenge. “Just because that’s my usual modus operandi doesn’t mean I can’t complete a hand job without oral. I told you, no anticipating the proofs. Hand job. That’s my final offer. Say yes.”
Mick laughed and kissed Fielding with hard, closed mouthed enthusiasm. “Okay. I look forward to seeing your mental struggle over your oral fixation later then during my hand job. Now show me how to skate.”
Fielding did. He was graceful on the ice, sturdy and stable. He made it look effortless. He was a gliding post for Mick to hang on to as Fielding led him around and around the arena. Mick clung on for dear life at first. And then he thought, well, it didn’t look that hard, and he was pretty fit. He wanted to try it on his own, to look cool. So he let go and moved his feet more confidently. And he fell. Repeatedly.
“Fuck, this ice is hard!” Mick laughed after a particularly meaty thump.
“There’s a Vickers hardness scale for ice, but it depends significantly on the temperature,” Fielding offered.
“Yeah, my ass appreciates that tidbit.”
“Your ass might be less bruised if you weren’t such a dare devil. Go slow, and use the toe stops,” Fielding advised, helping Mick up. “And there’s no shame in holding my hand, you know.”
“True,” Mick said as he regained his feet. Or his blades anyway. He was holding both Fielding’s hands and he leaned in for a chaste kiss. “No shame in holding your hand, Babe.”
Fielding smiled shyly. “Good. Let’s go again.”
So Mick kept ahold of Fielding’s hand and, yeah, that worked much better.
When they got home, Fielding had apparently been thinking about the hand job, because his fingers dove into Mick’s pants before he even got his coat off.
“Hey! Your hand is freezing!” Mick yelped, pulling away.
“Oh. Sorry.” Fielding looked abashed, then his eyes brightened. “Hot water.” He ran off into the bathroom and Mick heard the sink run.
He chuckled and went to change into his flannel pj bottoms. He intended to enjoy this. A lot.
Mick was on the couch, arms stretched out over the back, pj-clad groin open for business when Fielding came in. He was drying his hands on a towel and carrying a bottle of lotion in the crook of his arm.
“Hand lotion? Not lube?” Mick said with surprise.
“I’m not supposed to put my mouth on you,” Fielding said. “Our lube is edible. I don’t like the taste of the lotion.”
“Stacking the deck in your favor. I see.”
“Yes, that’s why they call me a genius,” Fielding said facetiously.
Mick was half hard just at the idea of what was to happen, and the hunger in Fielding’s eyes made his blood rush faster still. Fielding made Mick sit up and slipped behind him on the couch so Mick was sitting between Fielding’s spread legs. Fielding carefully pulled down Mick’s pj bottoms to expose him, gave off a little growl of interest at the sight, and pumped lotion onto his hands.
“I thought, if I’m to bring you to orgasm with a hand job only, this position would be ideal. I can touch you like I touch myself.”
“Also, conveniently, you can’t get your mouth near my dick.”
“Also a bonus.”
Mick gasped as Fielding’s hot and lotion slick hands took turns wrapping around his cock and pulling up slowly, spreading the lotion all over him.
“Fuck. Nice job warming up your hands.”
“Mmm.”
An ‘mmm’ meant Fielding was going quiet, which he tended to do when he got really aroused. When he was fully cranked his mouthiness turned off except for spontaneous curses, Mick’s name, and groans. Mick loved seeing Fielding reach that state.
“That’s so good,” Mick panted. He was absolutely hard now as Fielding stroked him firm and slow. Those long fingers of his were dexterous from dancing over computer keys all day.
“Oh,” Fielding agreed.
“Not gonna have any problem achieving your objective.” Mick sucked in a calming breath, wanting this to last. No trouble at all.
“Mmm.” Fielding nuzzled into Mick’s ear. “But you’re right. I do want it in my mouth. Badly.”
“Oh God,” Mick groaned, his hips pushing up involuntarily. Fielding increased the pace and pressure and it was awesome.
“Can’t touch your penis or even see it without wanting it in my mouth. All the way in.”
Apparently, verbal stimulation was part of Fielding’s hands-only strategy. It was highly effective.
“Oh my God,” Mick groaned. His baby did have an oral fixation. Mick had never been with any girl who loved sucking cock the way Fielding did. And that… that was fucking fantastic. Mick loved that. Just the thought of it….
Fielding cupped Mick’s balls with one hand while jerking rapidly with the other. His thrust his tongue in Mick’s ear.
“Fuck!” Mick’s orgasm slammed into him with embarrassing speed. But, man, it was too good to regret.
“Fa la la,” Fielding said, a smirk in his voice as he kissed Mick’s ear.
* * *
~ The second half of this story will be posted after Dec 15th ~
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Eli Easton
December 8, 2014
“The Mating of Michael” wins in the Rainbow Awards
Pardon me while I hyperventilate. This is the first year I’ve had a book in the Rainbow Awards and I’m shocked to find that “The Mating of Michael” won 1st place in the Best Gay Contemporary Romance category and second place in the Best Gay Book category.
Wow! I feel so incredibly lucky that Michael and James’ story resonated with the judges. This will hopefully get some people to pick it up who otherwise might not have tried it. Thank you.
Also, the “Stitch” anthology I wrote along with Jamie Fessenden, Kim Fielding, and Sue Brown, won 4th place for Best Gay Anthology and also won an award for the cover. Whoot!
Check out all the Rainbow Award winners here:
http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4489098.html
November 21, 2014
“Unwrapping Hank” hits #1 on Amazon gay romance list!
As an author, I have a soft spot for every book I write, even if others don’t love them like I do. lol But it’s amazing, wonderful, hopeful, sustaining to have one that gets good sales. I was super excited this morning to see that “Unwrapping Hank” has hit #1 in gay romance on Amazon. I’m so grateful, because getting good results means I get to keep writing m/m romance, which I LOVE, and I get to spend more time on it. So thank you so much for anyone who bought the book. In these days of rampant piracy, your support is so, so, so much appreciated!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/14044691/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_b_3_5_last
November 14, 2014
Desktop: “Unwrapping Hank”
My 2014 Christmas novella, “Unwrapping Hank” released today! Here’s my traditional desktop post in which I share images that inspired me while I was writing the story.
THESE IMAGES ARE TAKEN OFF GOOGLE and do not belong to me. They do not appear in the book itself but only in this post. If anyone has an issue with one of these being in this post, please email me at eli@elieaston.com and I’ll be happy to remove it.
SLOAN:
I Googled a lot to find this guy. He has the sort of smart ass, intelligent, slightly Euro look. Sloan!
HANK & MICAH:
My husband just told me today there’s a new thing called a “lumbersexual” — a guy who has a beard and wears flannel and likes to build things. That’s Hank all right (well, maybe not the building things). His brother Micah is slightly more on the hippy side. Here are a few images I found that remind me of Hank and Micah.
PSU (Penn State Uni in State College, PA)
Here are some mood-setting location shots.
DEAD SANTA PARTY:
I mocked this up and then decided not to include it in the book.
LILITH AND KARMA:
The parents of Hank and Micah are lovely hippy, homesteading peeps. Here are a few images I found for inspiration.
THE TURKEY:
I was too soft-hearted to write the turkey-killing ceremony. I’m sorry.
AMISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS:
Actually, the Springfield’s farm turned out to be very autobiographical. It’s based on our real farm in Lancaster County, PA. We do have 3 cows (named Trueheart, Tinkerbell, and Bessy) and chickens. Our barn similar to the one in the book.
GRINCH:
Our bulldog, Lucy, walking out by the cornfields along the lane by our house. Lucy was the cover model for Wrapping Hank.
TALLY HO tavern in Lancaster
Is a real place.
‘
That’s it for this desktop! The story is live today!
Here’s the Amazon link. (kindle edition)
Here’s the link for ARE (epub, pdf, kindle editions)
Eli
October 30, 2014
Dreamspinner Press has produced an audio book version ...
Dreamspinner Press has produced an audio book version of my Christmas story from last year’s advent, “A Prairie Dog’s Love Song”. It’s really good! Check it out here:
Eli
October 27, 2014
Launch day for "bones" and desktop
"bones" is out today! Here is my desktop post showing my visual inspirations for this story:
http://elieaston.com/desktop-the-bird...
Currently 25% off at DSP til Oct 31st!
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
