HAH!

I know it's confusing. You probably think it's an entirely different story...but it's COMPLICATED.

Here's Gob in print, along with Amber Green's One Good Turn.



So...what do you think. BE HONEST.

I like his belly button. Iz cutie.

G..is for Germany

So my G is in Germany this week. We try to email, but one thing my husband is not, is a writer. Whoooo-boy. We try to call, but he uses Skype and it sounds like a wind tunnel on my phone. Mostly, we send each other little notes and shout I LOVE YOU into the ... wind.

Here's what arrived in my email just now.

No. He's not getting me this, I mean, for real?

"I can see you in this, your hair in the wind."

Aw. Makes my heart go pitter pat and a big smile on my face and..really? I DREAM of having the kind of luxurious hair he's talking about.

Mine is rather flatty and fine.

Still.

He's the sweetest thing.

All Me. All The Time.

But come by anyway!!

Today I'm over at Book Binge, hawking my wares, struggling for coherence, and flinging loot to the masses. Please stop by.

::crickets::

Yesterday I had a very exciting thing happen. I had my first pedicure in months and months (omg) and today? I can't stop admiring my toes. So. Cute. A very pale pink. I usually go for the raspberries. Nice change actually. And my feet don't look like horned toads any more.

If you have a moment, TPig has a wonderful review of Long Horns, by icon Victor Banis. If you haven't read Victor, you should.

Flogging the wip today.

And flogging. I wish Tinkerbell would come and throw some pixie dust on this one. It's a right bastard.

PS

What one adjective would you use to describe yourself? I'd use down to earth. Yes. That's a phrase, not an adjective, but I always cheat to win.

Anyway, I'm curious. Leave me a wee note.

ManLoveMonday:Sunday...and Monday

Today and tomorrow, I'll be hanging out over at Romance Novel TV.

Here's the blurb from Marissa:

Join us this Sunday and Monday (February 22nd and 23rd) for a round table discussion with authors Ally Blue, Jamie Craig, LB Gregg, JL Langley, Josh Lanyon, K.A. Mitchell, Jet Mykles and Chris Owen. These authors of M/M romance engage in an honest and provocative discussion of what they’re writing and why they write it. The discussion will be presented in 6 different blogs and we’ll be posting 3 new blogs on Sunday and 3 on Monday. Join the discussion about M/M romance. And of course, we’ll have book excerpts and book give aways both days.

Eep. Such company! All those fancy pants and..uh...me. ::gulp:: They were pretty honest AND provocative. I marched around in my sassy majorette boots and tried not to fling too much confetti. Actually, uh, I sort of blinked a lot and hid behind a potted palm.

(this author thing is all so incredibly weird to me)

So stop on by. We're flinging out free stuff!!

And thanks again. Here's slab of ab.

****Stunning NEWS******

HAH. Made you look!

Couple things to note in bloglandia today.

• My sekrit girl crush has posted the cover of her next guardian book.

I.Love.It.

• Gal Pal Samantha Kane's first m/m story, Island, is out TODAY over at E.C. This is the m/m story that joins Esprit de Corp in print...er...soonish.

His breast alarms me.

• Finally!! Sam and I are blogging together over at the Kiss and Tell girls. I'm not sure WHO I am anymore...but...uh..it's me! Check it out.
  

Batman's thigh is skinny. But Robin?
Bubble butt.

Pondering

I've been wondering about give away promo items.

After last year's visit to the RWA promo room, where I didn't even have a stupid business card, I started panicking about what I should do THIS year...for the promo room. I still have Carrie Lofty's purple pen in my purse (say that five times fast) and..well I like her little pen! It helps that I also rather like her. Pens seem to be the smart choice. Cheap, useful, not likely to be tossed immediately into the landfill, they linger in drawers and purses and car door slots (my Samhain pen lives there). It's a good thing, a pen.

But WAAHHH!!! I want more!!!

I'm a first time m/m author showing up at that big ole RWA fest were, let's be honest, very few people read my chosen genre, never mind care about who the hell I am or how FUN AND EXCELLENT my book is. ::blushes::

Here are my recent considerations. Feedback is expected and encouraged.

Item ONE:
Chapstick fair SCREAMS ManLove..does it not?

Item TWO:

Man titty fan to fan thy self in over heated rooms with four thousand women...I may have to go with the MLR Press cover (to be revealed shortly) cuz it's TRES TITTY.




Item THREE:

::paper airplane::

I have a vision of my blogging friends flying these around the hotel lobby. Alcohol need not factor into the equations.


Item FOUR:

No?

Item FIVE:

Pen it is...you know that's all I have in the budget. Maybe I can put my BDSM cookie guy on one of these. Liven it up a bit.

DC in July

Having lived in DC during my calm and utterly focused college years ::Tracks volleyball pit:: I can easily say that the DC swamp isn't exactly paradise in the dog days of summer.

HOWEVER: it will be at the Marriott this July 15-18!! Woot! RWA babies!

I've put up a little poll to see how many noseinabook friends will attend.

Er. This photo has nothing to do with this post.

Yup.

ManLoveMonday: Part Two....I finally started reading

The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks, by Josh Lanyon

This is a clear indication that I'm really behind on my reading and a bit..exhausted.

I started socks last night and I had such an immediate initial reaction that I was compelled this morning to do another post. I needed to share...my lurve for all things Josh.

First:

I am always so impressed and a little in awe of his ability to put so much awareness into a single paragraph. It's amazing and...well it's the tiny touches that shine and set him apart from everyone else.

In this opening scene he waits until the very last second to let the reader know that Perry is having an asthma attack....just as he reaches for his inhaler. Josh strings the moment out pefectly. It's so great.

Someone was just coming in the front door, pushing it closed against the sheets of rain. Overhead, the chandelier tinkled musically in the gust of the storm’s breath, throwing eerie colored red shadows across the man’s figure.

He wore a hooded olive parka, and for a moment, Perry didn’t recognize him. In fact, he couldn’t see any face at all in the cowl of the parka, and (his nerves shot to hell) he gasped, the soft sound carrying in the quiet hall.

Shoving the hood back, the man stared at Perry. Now Perry recognized him. He was new to Mrs. MacQueen’s rooming house, an ex-marine or something. Tall, dark, and hostile.

Perry opened his mouth to inform the newcomer about the dead man upstairs, but the words wouldn’t come. Maybe he was in shock. He felt kind of funny, detached, rather light-headed. He hoped he wasn’t going to pass out. That would be too humiliating

It's all so very carefully arranged and it's just fluid. There's such drama, there's an actual story. and you can feel it unfold as your eyes gobble down each and every word.

OK so that's the writing stuff that I really love about Lanyon.


Second:

It's a mystery. It's a gay mystery with tons of interesting characterizations and little observations and maybe some sex later, maybe it's erotic only in the sense that the sex is between two men...but this feels like a mystery. I think that's a real problem for Josh in places like Loose-id AND YET it's also a great place to cross into a new market because many readers WANT to be impressed and surprised but something this wonderfully well written.



Third:

I love that this is a boarding house. There's a feel here that I'll nail later. I don't want to miscall the old movie whodunnit...but that's how it feels with the canned laughter and the murky old building and the woman in curlers ... the dog...the cat....the doorways and hallways with all these odd people looking down each others shirts and judging each other quietly. It's like an old movie. I want to read it in black and white.


I'm only at the beginning. I'll keep you posted.

ManLoveMonday: The Kiss

I was thinking about this yesterday. The male kiss. For some of us...there's an incredible degree of tension and heat, and for others, it crosses lines. We all know that I enjoy crossing the line..I mean that's where the tension and the heat come from!!

So today, since I'm wicked behind on both my review of Wicked Gentlemen AND my celebratory post for Victor Banis...I thought I'd gack steal lift borrow display some interesting photos.

If I get hauled away for questioning because of these pix...please send Caek.

If you all have seen these elsewhere..forgive me. I'm out of the loop lately. Can't imagine why.

Mwah ::girlkiss::

The Tender Kiss

The Top Kiss

The Staged Kiss

But the thing is...when you start looking for photos of kissing, man kissing, and I guess this is true of m/f kissing as well, what you wind up with is a lot of porn and George Bush kissing a variety of people.

Which makes me think about how far we're willing to go and what we as romance readers are actually wanting to see vs. what we love to read about. What visual information is too much? And wouldn't we rather leave a lot to the imagination?

I don't mind reading about love, romance, intimacy, fuzznucking in various ways and levels of athleticism. I don't mind all those Tab A's going into Slot..A's or B's...but, and perhaps this is the chick in me, I'd rather not actually SEE too much of any one, boy, girl, werewolf, log riding pixie (OMG JOEY HILL)... I'll read it and write it instead.

Joe Phillip's
Cartoon Kiss

Am I a prude? I think the hint of something, the tension, the inner monologue and the landscape of our imagination is often far more appealing as we get to know character and story and conflict and emotion... than it is to see two people paid to perform a mindless act that lacks...intimacy.

The kiss. There's more here in these images of kissing than in the entire world of pron I had to sift through to find these photos.

Not that I didn't, you know, look at the pron.

The Snuggled Kiss

Happy Monday. Kiss someone you like.

Peeve

G and I have been married a long time. 20 years this July. We do a lot of small things that charm/irritate each other...but probably the thing that drives me most crazy is...

no matter what I'm cooking...he tampers with it. He adds salt, turns down the heat, stirs it, comments, fusses, pours water in...and it makes me see RED.

Just this minute I put some ramen into a pot of boiling water, then walked into the office to print a reciept. He walked in and announced: these noodles are cooked enough. He turned off the heat and removed them from the stove and walked out the door.

RED.

I can fricken boil noodles!! I CAN! I SWEAR TO GOD.

::ahem::

Carry on. Otherwise he's practically perfect in every way.

Thank You

(Look at this cool little trinket AMP gave me. so cute!!)

I'm so new to this writer thing, but I do know something...and that is I owe a big thank you to my imaginary invisible internet friends for supporting, pimping, blabbing, clapping, and slapping me. I made all romance ebook top ten..which is cool considering the book was released just over a week ago and I have no effing klew what the hell I'm doin' or what that website is...but...er...that seems like a thing to go in the + column. I'm very grateful.

::shucks::

So thank you, my Noseinabook friends.

Here's hot nekkid man titty as my way of huggin' yas.


And yes, Shirley! I stole it from you. I'm too tired to hunt for man flesh.



::fawns on bubble boy::

Well. Well. Well.

Guess who posted a freebie story about mmmm....Nate.....mmmm? Yes? yes? Fan girl squee? I think so.

Iz naughty and sort of spanky.


Happy Valentine's Day, Biotches.

Oh. Oh noes. Beware the Time Sucker.

Cake Wrecks
I look at these cakes and I snort. chortle. spray coffee.

The Time Suck I'd Forgotten.

Which means I need to go catch up.

Why do I love that blog so much?

Shout Out

I'm delighted that my friend Shannon C is blogging on her blog again. Funny. Sharp as a tack. Quietly opinionated, ::cough:: she offers up reviews covering a reading list that is as diverse as it is impressive, Flight into Fantasy is back, baby. Er. No pressure Shannon. None at all.



squee.




PS totally jacked this nekkid fur-crotch from Matthew Melmon.

ManLoveMonday: Guest Hosts Dakota Flint & ZA Maxfield

ZA Maxfield and Dakota Flint steal the keys to the Manlove Monday Locker Room

Hey everyone! Lisabea has graciously asked myself (Dakota—in blue) and ZA Maxfield (in black)—or Sha-ZAM as some of us like to say—to guest host today’s MLM. ZAM is just made of pure awesomeness and she sure knows her stuff and I, of course, never turn down an opportunity to blather about a favorite topic of mine.

ZAM and I did a fun version of a Manlove draft, and we each picked six awesome m/m characters for our A-teams. And let me tell you, boy was it tough to just pick six! Some really worthy characters got stuck on the bench and a few got red-shirted, but don’t worry; there’s always next season. *g* There are so many characters from books that I love that would be no-brainers on this list. So many times it's the ones that got away, the ones that aren't being argued about constantly and getting all of the attention in a particular book, the guys that love the Main Character that make me happy.

So let’s hope Lbea doesn’t regret this let’s take a look at our starting line-ups:

(Dakota’s Disclaimer: The contents of this blog post are not meant for those offended by bad sports analogies, out of control punctuation, inanity, or squees, as I tend to engage in all of those. Usually at the same time.)

(Zam’s Disclaimer: In no way does this represent my very favorite m/m characters of all time… I was just trying to come up with some stand outs, and tomorrow if you were to ask, I’d probably have six different guys and a number of really good reasons for them too.)

Team ZAM 1st pick: Hector from Jay Lygon's Chaos Magic and Love Runes. I love these books so much, and it would be a no-brainer for me to pick Sam, who is the twink-alicious character staying young by paying off the Goddess of Eternal Youth with his power. But it's Hector I find engaging, possibly because I know him. I grew up in Long Beach, where the book is set, and I can see Hector driving up in his pristine vintage truck, immaculately dressed, quiet, reserved, as much a victim of his upbringing and his culture as he is the poster boy for it. And I feel for him. He's the Leather Daddy's leather daddy and he's had the misfortune of falling passionately, hopelessly in love with the most power exchange-conflicted submissive in the known universe. I don't normally read BDSM, but Jay Lygon is too fresh and arresting and wonderful for me to pass up. I understand there's a third book that wraps things up and I'll be devastated. (Hey, somebody pull out Lbea’s BDSM cookie!)

Team Dakota 1st pick: Caesar Serrano from The Good Thief by James Buchanan. Caesar is a THIEF. And before you get all dreamy eyed and start thinking of Cary Grant, he’s not reformed (or a jewel thief, really…but hey, I get it. You just want to think of Grant. I don’t blame you. Yum). The whole premise of the book is based on something he finds when he’s housebreaking. I can’t believe I love him so much when he likes to steal other people’s property—really not very sexy at all.(When I read this I thought Buchanan is the only author on the planet that can make me like a thief) Yet Caesar is unquestioningly sexy as hell…flippin’ lickable, I say. I think it’s evidence of the skill Buchanan employs in crafting this tale because I sympathize with Caesar and I root for him. I don’t want him sitting in jail and I want him to land the sexy cop (and OH MY, does he, er, land him). All because, when it really counts, Caesar does the right thing. He doesn’t even give a thought to saving his own ass, he just steps up to the plate and does what needs to be done to ensure that a monster will be caught. Quite a bit of a reluctant hero, our Caesar, and I can’t help but love him for that. And did I mention that he is one sexy dude and has a really cute dog? (Oh, no kidding the dog aspect of this is… I love that dog.)


Team ZAM 2nd pick: Jake Goodall from Riding Heartbreak Road by Kiernan Kelly. Which is weird, because as a dyed in the wool city woman my fantasy man wouldn't make me camp in a pup tent for our first time together. There's just something about a long, lean, blue-eyed, blond cowboy that sort of does it for me though, and he's a bull rider. He's a resolute and unrepentant top when he meets Brent, and they fall in love. Since Brent is as New York City as that salsa those cowboys keep complaining about before they try the authentic on television, it's fun. Jake is loving and loyal, and he helps Brent recover from a gay bashing that was hard to read. He's officially Brent's 'soft place to fall' (oh man, ZAM I think you put it like that to lure me into making a bawdy joke…but I’m going to manfully resist), and yet he's so much more than that. And yeah, he and Brent expand their relationship and open it to the kind of equality that makes for great couples and great books. I have to say though, Kiernan Kelly, if you're listening, it's just a damn good thing my momma taught me not to rip the pages out of a book, or I'd surely have torn a couple from this one. I have been sorely tempted. (ZOMG, I second that! You are a cruel woman, Miz Kelly. I LOVED this book but…damn. I cried.)

Team Dakota 2nd pick: Brandon Bartlett from Caught Running by Madeleinne Urban and Abigail Roux. Oh this one was such a tough choice between the two main guys from this book, Brandon or Jake. I loved them both, and this book is one of my favorite m/m reads. Definitely not the book if you’re in the mood for angst or lots of internal conflict, but if you’re looking for a sweet, romantic read about finding love with someone right beneath your nose then pick this book up! (I loved this book. I’m known as a writer who likes it sweet for the most part, but that’s cause I’m a reader who likes it that way too.) After I read it, I just sat there and sighed and smiled. Warm fuzzies for sure. Anywho, although I think Jake is a great character—and a stellar addition to any team since he’s a player that just won’t quit!—I picked Brandon because he’s so very sweet. Not in an overtly, sugary way or anything, but just a really nice guy, sincere, a little uncertain but ultimately willing to just grab on when he realizes love was waiting for him, right there, all that time. There’s something very poignant, too, about this book and the way Brandon—and Jake—find happiness even if their lives didn’t turn out quite the way they envisioned. I can so identify with that, and it just gets me right here in the big thumpety-thump organ in my chest. Also, Brandon is a teacher (so is Jake…kind of) and I think that’s a profession that tells a lot about a person, what ideals and values they have, and I can’t help it, I find it pretty sexy in a very sweet way. Oh, and he’s a runner, and I have always seriously admired the endurance that takes. I’d probably make it a mile or two and then I’d need a break. And some cake or something.

Team ZAM 3rd pick: Oh, hello? Joey Miller? (from KA Mitchell’s Collision Course) This man is the poster boy for twinkalicious, with BRAINS, which I love, and not in that zombie with a spoon kind of way. Joey is driving his Yaris (I had to look this up, but, yeah. There's actually a car called a Yaris) and he sees an accident happen right in front of him. He's holding a fistful of napkins on the driver's bleeding gash because she's stuck in the front seat of the car by twisted metal while at the same time he's singing 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' with her little boy who is tucked cozily into his car seat in the back. Okay, I'm a mom, and I have to say that guys who like kids? Ones who understand them and protect them? Oh... that is a sexy, sexy thing. (Hey, I’m not a mom and I heartily agree.) On top of this? He's passionate and intelligent and dresses like a rent boy. And he surfs... I'm going to need a moment here to picture my Joey in a wetsuit. What is not to love about him? I ADORED this guy. There are just not enough capital letters to express how much I loved Joey Miller (Here try this: I ADORED this guy!!!!!!!!!!). Aaron is one big old bronzed softy and he loves him too. He might not want to admit it. And he's got a lot of reasons to be suspicious of it. But you know from the first moment you meet him that Joey is exactly what the EMT/paramedic ordered. Plus, you have to love a guy that gets cut up and concussed during your first sexual encounter and doesn't notice. This book? Fabulous. K.A. Mitchell always writes exactly my kind of book.

Team Dakota 3rd pick: Gabriel Sandalini from Mexican Heat (part of the Crimes and Cock Tales series…heh) by Josh Lanyon and Laura Baumbach. He’s cynical, a bit reckless, stubborn, a total smart ass, and he recognizes designer shoes. Definitely my kind of guy. *g* (Nuff said here. I know you mean to say more, but really. Josh/Laura cocktails… heat… what more, even if you use a thousand words, needs saying. But go ahead and say them anyway. I LOVE this guy.) Gabriel, like all the best characters, has issues, he’s maybe a little damaged—and I’m even talking about the beginning of the book. He’s not looking for love, far from it, and he covers any vulnerability and fear with attitude and contrariness. And he’s courageous, willing to give up his life to do his job, to do good. Again my kind of guy. I think ZAM’s right though, there’s not much more to be said than I really do love Gabriel as a character. A lot. He’s so very…human. He has amazing depth, and pain, and—ultimately—love. He grabbed me by the throat from the very beginning, and he never let go. He’s definitely a keeper.

Team ZAM 4th pick: Nathan Doyle from Snowball in Hell, and a word here, Josh Lanyon never wrote a character that I didn't love. Or love to hate. But he's certainly never written a word that I didn't love, and honestly? The mere fact that Nathan is on this list is because I found it impossible to pick from those others. You know who I'm talking about. The endlessly debated dynamic duo of Jake and Adrien. I love Adrien, he's my homey. I love Jake like I love little else, because he's conflicted. And pathetic. And sometime he's so damned attractive even I let him get away with his crap. (Somehow I think you just snuck in two more players here ZAM—backdoor draft. Heh.) But Nathan Doyle? I cared about Nathan Doyle. He's a character that is so completely driven, caught between need and self-loathing and unable to live up to the standard of the man he expects himself to be. He's looking for a cure for his 'affliction', hopeful and fearful and resentful and then prone to compulsive stranger sex in the banana trees in Pershing Square, for heaven's sake, across from the Biltmore. (Oh, you Californians. Before we know it you’ll all be talking about the redundant “the” in the La Brea Tar Pits or something. When’s somebody going to write a book set somewhere different like…New England? *wink*) This whole book is kind of a loving homage to the LA of my parents, who had their reception and spent their wedding night at the Biltmore, and reads like Dashiell Hammett (I should add that I loved the way Josh brought 1940s LA to life…this book had atmosphere, baby). Love Nate and feel for him. Josh says he's going to follow up on this and I hope he does. Nate is really a wonderful enigma. Hell of a thing, huh?

Team Dakota 4th pick: Jamie Killian from The Tin Star by JL Langley. Okay, somehow I have a feeling (though I could be way off base—it’s been known to happen!) that most of you would pick Ethan over Jamie. Ethan is…ROWR! Very hot, of course. But Jamie feels more like a BFF type character to me. (Nope, ZAM’s on team Jamie.) Maybe it’s his age and mine, but Jamie just leaps off the page for me as someone I’d be good friends with. He’s eager, impulsive and still responsible, youthful, playful. Definitely a bit of cheeky bastard in him. (The end? His surprise for Ethan? Ha, I loved that bit!) He’s fun. Even when he’s dealing with the bad shit in his life, he’s still so good-natured it’s hard not to love him. And he cooks and cleans! I think I need a roommate like him. *g* And let me just say, I sure do like the way JL writes cowboys. In fact, I can’t wait to read her cowboy story in Studs & Spurs, an upcoming anthology from MLR press with authors Angela Fiddler, Kiernan Kelly, and *cough* me *cough* Heh. Okay, okay, sorry. I couldn’t give up the opportunity to shamelessly plug myself. Er. Plug my story. Er. Moving on…(WHAT?! YOU”RE IN THE STUDS AND SPURS ANTHOLOGY COMING SOON FROM MLR PRESS AND PERFECT FOR EVERYDAY READING AND GIFT GIVING? I DID NOT KNOW THAT.)

Team ZAM 5th pick: I thought I'd pick someone who is really unusual for me because I'm not a fantasy reader (copycat! ha). When I started reading m/m I picked up L.E. Bryce's books because her plots are so complex, rich in detail, and often political. They take place in a lavish world that echoes some aspect of a real historical part of our world but is different enough to be both fantastic and at the same time accessible. I chose Erred, from Dead To The World, because I liked him so much. He's a victim, and yet he's not; he's a hero, but he's cold. His story of kidnap and subsequent sale into slavery is told with such deft precision I could not put it down. He's a prince, but because he's been called to serve the Lady, a water goddess, he becomes a priest. What happens to Erred over two novels is so interesting, and different, his story has really stuck with me. Plus, he's beautiful. Did I mention all of the Lady's chosen are beautiful? Drop dead gorgeous? And that once Erred is sold into slavery he's trained to dance and play instruments (ha, is that why my classmates and I used to call our dance teacher a slave driver?) and...Oh my. A lot of people get to 'love' Erred because he's a pleasure slave. But when Erred loves someone back... When he wants them and decides to please them of his own free will? It's a very, very moving thing. Erred's tale takes place over two books, Dead to the World and Twice Born.

Team Dakota 5th pick: Alric of Kray from The Devil’s Fire by Sara Bell. Okay, I’m not really a fantasy reader either. I rarely, if ever, read them but in this case I’m so glad I did! Kings, royal alliances, a society that views same-sex relationships as natural, fire shooting from someone’s fingertips…what a blast! I love this book, and I think Alric is a must have for my A-team. (So is Gareth but I had to choose. Wah.) (Your guys are totally going to whip my guys’ asses. I should have at least picked one of Laura Baumbach’s or Jourdan Lane’s fab vampires or something) Alric’s father is King of their kingdom of Kray, and though he’s a prince, Alric isn’t spoiled at all. In fact, he’s noble and selfless, maybe even a little too selfless. The love he has for his family, especially his father, is obvious and I can’t help but really love a guy who never loses sight of what’s important in life. One of the main reasons I picked him though? He’s smart. Practical. Reasonable. When he’s in danger, he doesn’t let some misleading sense of macho pride demand that he be the one to fight the villain and save the day if he’s not the best suited to do it. He’s willing to fight and to protect himself and those he loves, but he’s smart enough to know about the better part of valor and all that jazz. Oh, and did I mention that this dude can summon fire? How cool is that? (Who wouldn’t want someone with fire-power on their team? I’m sure we can all think of times in life—your co-worker won’t stop singing songs that should have stayed in the 80s while you’re trying your best to get that report in by 5 o’clock, the person next to you keeps tapping their pencil during The Big Test—when shooting fire from your fingertips would come in handy. Erm. To scare them, of course. But yeah, Alric of Kray is pure WIN. (I HAVE to read this now.)

Team ZAM 6th pick: Okay, no doubt about it, this is a good choice. Phil from the Happy Onion by Ally Blue. Original, natural, quirky, the restaurateur and laid back flower child Phil meets his ultimate match in Thom, who is tiny, cranky, and an uber top. Phil is large. Thom is small. Phil is like a bear with a braid down his back, Thom looks like Bubbles, the Powerpuff Girl. The thing is, when Bubbles is mad, it pushes all of Phil's buttons, so they push each other's buttons through the entire, luscious book. Do I actually believe that either of these awesome men exist? No. (Why do I feel like you just old me there’s no Santa Claus?) (ZAM adds: WTF? There’s no—? Shit.) Do I care? Not a whit. Phil has been content to float through his life enjoying the restaurant the Happy Onion, his HO. He loves his life, he loves his job, and smack into this comes the one man he's going to love forever. They just have to stop arguing or making love for long enough for both of them to see that. Cute? Outrageously. Hot. Oh, dang. My Phil seems mature, which I like in a character, physically, in that he's not 22 years young. Sure he's hot, but for some reason, I kept thinking about the underground comic book 'Fat Freddie's Cat', and my hippie days. (Now, sadly, referring more to my anatomy than my lifestyle.)




Team Dakota 6th pick: Nate Tavaras from Clear Cut by Alexa Snow. I love that book. An environmentalist and a logger. Instant conflict. Me likey. Nate is the logger (is that the same as a lumberjack?) and he doesn’t put up with nonsense or time wasting, he’s direct and pointed, tough, not a big talker, kind of unbending and…he’s just kind of a jerk about it all. I think he’s a GREAT character. He doesn’t do bullshit, which I can always appreciate, and he’s very male, very sexy in a low-key way. And when he starts to fall for Carter (the environmentalist) who is more vocal, more open, more even-tempered than Nate is, the consequences of Nate’s lack of…finesse with Carter are plain to see and I find it so very endearing when Nate feels a little vulnerable or confused about his feelings. It’s so…cute, though I think he’d have me for breakfast for calling him that (and not in the fun, sexy way). It’s so obvious that Nate’s totally into Carter, is falling in love with him, but he just has no idea what to do about it or with it, and invariably he says something that makes him come across as a tool. He never disappoints and I love it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I totally dig it. Dig him. What can I say? I guess I just like dicks. (I really think our Nates must cancel each other out. I have to read this one too… where have I BEEN?)

And on that note…it’s time for our guys to suit up and, um, play. Heh.

Uh. Dakota? What will they be playing? (I’m all for nekkid Frisbee golf, but it’s raining here in Cali today.)

ZAM, didn’t I tell you? It’s nekkid wrestling. Oh yeah.

Thanks again, Lisabea, for letting us play in your sandbox!

Holy Wow it's So. Cal.

I have fallen off the map. Sew. Sorry.

I've seen so many friends out here, eaten such great food, had a bit of wine, and now...jesus h. christ...I have an eye twitch thanks to the whole omg my book is out and people are reading it and it's out of my hands. ::twitch:: You think I'm kidding, I know, but ask Rosie and Tracy and they'll tell you that I'm officially a spaz.

The only picture I have thus far of So. Cal (still waiting for Tracy to send some..yes...I forgot my g.d. camera) is this of me and Rosie practically necking in the parking lot as we said goodbye. And yes. Those are COATS. Dang it's cold.

I've never been to PF Chang's before and I'd like to rec. it to anyone and everyone, particularly if you're with a group of 12 women. And I HAD RED VELVET CAKE. Could that be better? Here's who came:

Lori

Tracy

Wendy

Nikki

Holly

Daphne

Alice

Blanche

Thea

Renee

Here's the link for my book, hey man, it's only 5 bucks! Thank you every single one of you who squeed and hugged and said yeah! and pimped and were just wonderful. I am truly blessed to have so much support. Mwah mwah.

/lovefest.

BTW Tomorrow, MLM, I fly across the country. Miss Dakota Flint will take up the reins. Can't wait to see what she has cooked up. Thanks DF.

lb

Sweet (possible?) Release!!

Today, my pal Josh and my other friend Laura have a..ok not new..but an ebook release...yes folks, it's Mexican Heat. Be there or be square.

From Samhain:
Warning: Combination of Italian stallion and Spanish conquistador could cause spontaneous combustion. Read with icy cold margaritas on hand for emergencies.

Don't you just love how they do that.

And goddamn I need a margarita right this second because, in an awkward turn of events I never ever could have anticipated, although maybe I should have....because hey Feb 6 IS today and this IS the date I was given: my book doesn't seem to be up at AMP. Wah.

I want to thank all of you who are offering kind support at the various blogs. You cannot know how much I appreciate it. You're all very sweet. Thank you for the emails, the calls, the texts and...the promo. Love that promo. I'm blogging over at Sarah's today. Stop by if you can.

Mwah mwah mwah. As soon as I have this straightened out...and even before then...we'll celebrate! Wa-hooo! Happy non-release day!
Margies for everyone!!

Particularly the 12 of us going to PF Changs on Sunday. Yeah Babies.

Ed. Note: Aspen assures me that the book will be up later today. Thanks everyone for...the nice nice.

ManLove Monday: Hiatus

Top Ten Reasons Lisabea Is Taking A Day Off Today

Number Ten Reason Lisabea is Taking A Day Off Today
Kurt Warner was so close. So. Close.
Best Super Bowl Ever.

Number Nine Reasons Lisabea is Taking A Day Off
My Book Is Out on Friday and..No Cover. Still.
::paper bag to breathe into PLZE::

Number Eight Excuse Reason Lisabea is Taking a Day Off
Ack! Ack! Ack!
Leaving in 36 hours and NOT READY. Ack!

Number Seven Reason blah blah blah
Hey do you think he's cute? Because MAN he was fine.

Number Six Reason that I'm Scatter, Smattered, and ...Look!
Josh Won Number Two Mystery
At Pred & Ed!! Yippie Skippy!

Number Five Movie I Want to See This Year
(So? I'm just all over the map today)
Star Trek. Did you see the commercial last night? Can't Wait!!

Number Four Reason Lisabea is Taking A Day Off

Did you say something?




Number Three Reason Lisabea is Taking a Day Off
Interview With Sarah Later

Number Two Reason Lisabea Is Taking A Fricken Day, Man
Iz Not Werking Rite.
Iz. Not.
Werking.
Rite!!
o.O

and the Number One Reason Lisabea is Taking a Day Off?

Ski with Little Girl for Four Hours Today
No Matter What!

Have A Great Day Folks!!