Welcome to Julia Talbot's blog!

Welcome, everyone! Here's where I blather about writing, life with my wife BA, and my two basset hounds! I love to hear from readers, so comment here or email me!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

good turkey day

We had a good Thanksgiving at Chez Julia and BA

We're blessed

Sunday, November 21, 2010

trying not to whine

we've been doing house renovation and I'm trying not to be whiny. So tired and so much to do

got a new book to read tonight, though

Friday, November 19, 2010

demon hunter tips

never let your hunting partner cheat on his boyfriend

never throw holy water until you know what you're facing

never swear by anything holy in a magic shop

always listen to your partner when he says that girl is perfect for you

fleas can be cured, new love is forever

http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1496

a little excerpt

Here's an excerpt from Just Semantics!

Dix loved froufy coffee. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t terribly manly, and he’d bet the other demon hunters never admitted to it. They probably said they preferred tequila or motor oil. Still, there was nothing like a double espresso caramel macchiato with triple whip.

Maura was an Americano girl. Somehow that didn’t surprise him at all. She seemed like a control freak, no fuss kind of chick. She also looked amazed that she was having coffee with him. He couldn’t blame her. She had been pretty adamant.

“So, who is this Magnus person?” She’d come to have coffee with him to hear all about Bingo and Magnus. The whole idea of a dog shifter and a warlock seemed to intrigue her, which did not piss him off. Not at all, especially since she called him a killer.

Dix would take what he could get, but he’d much rather find out more about her. Her wavy black-brown hair and lively blue eyes fascinated him, and her curvy body intrigued the hell out of him in a very “I want that” sort of way. “I told you. Warlock. He’s the jealous type. He’s forever seeing our allies and enemies jumping into bed with Bingo. Sometimes it’s true.”

“Bad dog.” Her eyes widened after she said it, like her joke surprised her.

“You know it. What about you? Do you have dogs?”

“No. I have one very opinionated cat.”

Quelle surprise. “A familiar?”

She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Just a cat.”

He held up his free hand. “No offense intended. I just know you witchy types like cats as familiars.”

“Oh! Why am I even here with you? A woman can have a cat and not be all Gaia and granola and all.” Maura planted her hands on the table and stared at him.

“Because you want to get laid.” He regretted it as soon as he said it, and with good reason. With a noise that sounded like a teapot building to a whistle, Maura whirled around and stomped out of the coffee shop, making a grand exit. Dix had only enough time to rise and swig the last of his coffee before he heard a high-pitched cry of dismay and a crashing noise. Shit.

Hola peeps!

I'm getting a late start today (noon) because I got an early start with the organizer we hired to help us clean the garage. O.O

Lord, that's a whole blog post of its own.

Anyhoo, today I am blogging to promote my new Hot Flash over at Changeling Press. It's called Just Semantics, and it's about a demon hunter and a shopkeeper.

Dix and Maura

http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1496

Dix is kind of a manly demon hunter. Maura hates that. It's hot. Fun. Go read.

so, about natural flea remedies. If ingested, pennyroyal can be a bad, bad thing. A drop on the back of your dog's neck, though, can kill fleas. Yay. If you're going to do a flea wash, though, you have to be way more careful with what you use.

Try a rosemary flea dip. Steep two cups of rosemary in boiling water. Remove leaves after it cools and dilute with more water. Store in a plastic container with a lid. Use a few tablespoons in a bath for fleas.

I'll be back later with more!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Hot Flash Out from Changeling Press

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1496

It's called Just Semantics, and it's all about Demon hunter Dix, who's searching for his shifter hunting partner's flea remedy. Magic shopkeeper Maura thinks he's awful. Hot, but awful. Can they find any common ground?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Coming Soon!

my Hot Flash from Changeling Press!

http://changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1496

Sunday, November 14, 2010

rambling about the business of writing

books are one of the least profitable retail items in the business

part of it comes from the publishing model of paperback books, which is more than a century old and needs an update. Part of it is the cost of production. Paper is more expensive than ever, and shipping options are narrowing, not expanding. Bookstores will only carry books for 6-8 weeks unless it's a bestseller or unless you're Stephen King with a backlist that sells. And if you write m/m, you know that bookstores often won't carry you at all.

Which is where ebooks come in, right? Low production cost, a growing market of eraders, and an ever-larger number of distributors ought to make it easier than ever for an authors to make a living.

Well, yes and no. I have to admit, I am incredibly grateful that I was one of the first authors to jump on the m/m and ebook bandwagon. My readers are truly wonderful, loyal people, and I appreciate that I'm able to make a living off what I do.

On the other side of the coin, though, there's the fact that with so many books coming out every week now, it's easy to get lost. And with sites like Astatlk gaining popularity, some of us have seen a chunk of sales disappear with every new release.

Trends change a lot faster than they used to, as well. The world moves faster, and the days when you can write in the same genre for 20 years and be successful are over.

So, what's a writer to do?

I think the answer to that is the one thing that hasn't changed. Write what you love. Write it as well as you can. Hope someone loves it. Go out and tell people about it. If you change what you write to fit an audience, it will show in your words.

No matter what the market looks like, it's the best job in the world.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Hot Flash coming out from Changeling soon!

I'm very excited. My first strictly m/f book in a bit. It's a short story, about 6K, and I'm very proud. More soon!

Monday, November 08, 2010

Interview!

my partner in crime, BA Tortuga, has started doing interviews! I was her guniea pig, and my interview is up over at http://batortuga.blogspot.com/

Sunday, November 07, 2010

vote for Pictures of You!

http://www.darkdivasreviews.com/polls.php