Good News, Bad News

Meet the Author. 
That be me, of course.  Dreamspinner Press has its own discussion group at Goodreads, and on Sunday afternoon, May 1, I'll be holding court hanging out in the "Meet the Author" forum (click on post title to get there).  So stop by and bitch at me if you'd like, or ask questions, or just ramble about anything book-related that's on your mind.

You Can't Buy This Kind of Promotion! 
One of my former fellow authors at Ellora's Cave, Judy Mays, is a RL teacher whose second career as a writer of erotic romance was outed.  You can read the ridiculous news item HERE.  This story has received gobs of attention on the Interwebz and, as a result, Judy has received gobs of support, including two dedicated groups on Facebook.  A little birdie told me that her books are now selling quite well, thank you very much, and her supporters can expect to receive postcards sent from her world cruise.  (Okay, I made that last part up.)  Go, Judy!

A Beautiful Blog.
If you haven't yet visited 2boysinlove, get over there.  It's charming and heartfelt and will make you feel so, so good.  Really, it's absolutely lovely -- and, I hope, will prove an inspiration to other gay teens.

A Fond Farewell.
This update is the hardest one to write.  Very early Tuesday morning, my best friend, Jerry, died suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep.  He's the same person responsible for my "Jokes from Jerr" posts.  Nobody knows precisely what happened, but speculation leads to a grim conclusion.  Jerr was on a lot of pain meds (long story involving accidents and such) and was also very fond of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.  It's possible he indulged too much in both before turning in the night before.

Jerry was an almost legendary figure in this county.  Hundreds of people knew him.  He was also one of the most good-natured and generous individuals I've ever known.  Never, ever did he refuse a friend anything it was in his power to provide -- housing included.  The person he was putting up at the time of his death was a local woman whose alcoholism likely provoked Jerry into drinking more than he normally would have.  That this tragic turn could have been prevented is the toughest part to take.     

A New Excerpt

Coming April 27

from Dreamspinner Press

(Click on post title to see sales page.)

Cover by Anne Cain

Although you can read the Prologue and Chapter One in their entirety at the Dreamspinner site (click on post title), here's another little snip.

It takes place the night before Chris Borgasian leaves the sober-living house where he's been staying since his three-month stint in rehab.

* * *

Whether it was a sound that woke him, or that distinctive fragrance, or a sense of somebody else's presence in the room, Chris couldn't tell. His eyes merely opened. A muted creak sounded from the other bed, the one that should've been empty, the one Beni Sanchez had vacated.

Had he come back?

Chris's heart thumped against the wall of his chest. The longer he stared into the wadded darkness, the more it thinned. A shadowy figure was poised on Beni's mattress, only it didn't seem to be Beni.

Breathing heavily, Chris did an awkward, frantic flip to his right and scrambled to turn on the nightstand lamp. Sure as shit, some guy dressed in faded jeans and a Cooler Near the Lake T-shirt sat on the edge of the second bed, facing him.

"Hi," he said brightly.

Chris stretched his eyelids. "What are you doing here?"

The guy smiled. "Guess you don't recognize me. I'm Denny."

Recognize him? From where? "Oh."

"I'll be staying with you."

"You mean…." Chris tried to get more awake. He rubbed his face. Stubble sanded his palms. All he had on were briefs, and his hair probably looked like a Nikola Tesla lab experiment gone horribly awry. He wasn't prepared to greet a new resident. "Did you just check in?"

"Not just. I've been here awhile."

"And this is your room."

"Well yeah. Of course. Temporarily, anyway."

Finally, Chris focused on the newcomer. He was pretty damned attractive. Not picture-perfect, but… short, reddish-brown hair, appealingly chaotic; perfectly proportioned nose; rosy cheeks; strong, shadowed jaw. Nice physique, too, its interlocked dips and rises flowing from a pair of broad shoulders.

He isn't so special. I've just been deprived, that's all.

Denny kept watching Chris. The dark brows over those fawn-colored eyes gave his gaze a soft intensity. It wasn't in the least bit threatening, but it didn't quite suit his youth. He seemed to be around Chris's age.

"I, uh… I'll be moving out in the morning," Chris said, because that thought had suddenly popped into his head—specifically, how glad he was, how relieved. Sharing a room with this guy would've been agonizing. He might not have been all that special, but he was special enough to make Chris squirmy.

"I know." Denny was calm, good-natured. Some people in rehab were like that, as if dodging the big-ass bullet of addiction, and the bigger-ass bullet of fatal overdose, had packed their dispositions with smiling porpoises leaping through fluffy clouds.

"What's that beside you on the bed?" Chris had just noticed it, some sort of bouquet. Denny's girlfriend or mother or sister must've given it to him. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring, so he likely didn't have a wife.

"Oh!" Denny lifted the bundle. They were branches, frothing with delicate white flowers. "I brought these for you. I know how you love the smell." He held them out, his smile sweet and guileless.

Chris gaped at the cluster. The scent again wafted over him. A familiar scent. "Wh-what are they?" he whispered.

"You know."

Numbly, Chris shook his head, as if denial of recognition could erase recognition.

He heard what he'd expected to hear.

"Plum blossoms."

That's when the dizziness began, and the trembling. "Who are you?"

A Book's Journey on Goodreads

With a new release imminent, as well as a "special" appearance

(meaning, there was a time slot open April 30) 

on Dreamspinners' Goodreads group, I can't help but wonder

how books must feel once they're out in the GR world.

Here's how I imagine an illustrated autobookography would look. 

CHAPTER I

Woohoo, I'm free! 
And I'm closer to 5 than to 4! 

The first people who read me really liked me. 

Gosh, appreciation is the best high. Maybe I am good!

CHAPTER II

Okay, can't float above 4.5 forever.
Well, not most of us, anyway.
But I'm doing okay; I'm still in the race, holding my own!

CHAPTER III

Uh-oh. I'm mighty close to that 4 mark.
Nobody's interested in a book that drops below a 4.
Where's all this negativity coming from?  It's weighing me down!

CHAPTER IV

Oh, shit. The nay-sayers' boat has rolled over me!
I'm sinking, sinking . . .
*bbbllllbbbblblblbbbllllbll*

CHAPTER V

 

But here's my dad, the author!
We're not going down without making a statement.
We've had it. Fuck y'all with your 1 and 2 stars
and the woodwork you crawled out of! 
Who the hell are you, anyway? 
Wait, we really don't care.  You're goin' down!

  © 2011, 91.7 % of the Books on Goodreads

Asspressions & Acronyms

Sorry, but this is all I've got for you.
 

(_!_) a regular ass

(__!__) a fat ass

(!) a tight ass

(_*_) a sore ass

{_!_} a swishy ass

(_o_) an ass that's been around

(_x_) kiss my ass

(_X_) leave my ass alone

(_zzz_) a tired ass

(_E=mc2_) a smart ass

(_$_) money coming out of his ass

(_?_) dumb ass

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Dear Employees:

Due to the current financial situation caused by the slowdown of economy, Management has decided to implement a scheme to put workers of 45 years of age and above on early retirement. This scheme will be known as RAPE (Retire Aging Personnel Early).

Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to management to be eligible

for the SHAFT scheme (Special Help After Forced Termination). Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the SCREW program (Scheme Covering Retired Early Workers). A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice, and SCREWED as many times as Management deems appropriate.

Persons who have been RAPED can only get AIDS (Additional Income for Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel Early Severance).

Obviously persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED or

SCREWED any further by Management.

Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on will receive as much SHIT (Special High Intensity Training) as possible. Management has always prided itself on the amount of SHIT it gives employees. Should you feel that you do not receive enough SHIT, please bring to the attention of your supervisor. They have been trained to give you all the SHIT you can absorb.

~ The Management

Something's actually happening this week!

Yes, it's true!  An event is scheduled in my usually uneventful little world!

Fellow Dreamspinner author SJD Peterson will be posting an interview with me and a new excerpt from Visible Friend on Thursday and Friday.  You can get to the right place by clicking on the post title (if this changes, I'll amend the link accordingly).  So, stop by and say hi.