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, March 29, 2015

Silly love songs

do y'all have a favorite love song?

I will no doubt date myself when I say I used to love Air Supply. Lost in Love in particular. Blake Shelton's Austin makes me smile. Lost love? Everywhere by Tim McGraw.

What are y'all's?

XXOO

Julia

Thursday, March 26, 2015

I had issues...

I was going to write about all sorts of things going on in the romance world today.

Then I realized I was stressing myself out and giving a lot of people more power over me, and over the romance genre in general, than they deserved.

Focus on the positive or you get stress cold sores on your eyeball again. Not kidding. The wife is having a terrible arthritis flare from stress, barely able to move. Why let silly kerfuffles make it worse?

So, on the good side, congratulations to m/m writers Amy Lane and Heidi Cullinan on their RITA nominations. A huge step forward for all of us. I remember my first RT in 2005, when people would look at my bookcovers and literally run. This is an amazing thing, y'all

Also, we have tulips! Volunteers from before we moved in. Red and proud and very New Mexico looking somehow.

Almost done with my kilt short, hopefully for TQ's anthology. These boys have fought me every step of the way, wanting a slow build you can't allow in a short story. I love them, but man I want to whack them.

The sun is shining, the bassets are singing, and I have muffins in the oven. Not a bad deal at all.

XXOO

Julia

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

What happened to Monday?

Oh, I know. Minor toe surgery. If you never have to have a nasty callus removed, feel lucky. They just take a scalpel and hack at your foot. Eurgh

On the good side, I got 2K words yesterday. That might not seem like much, but it was a tough day and getting back into the swing has been hard since Florida and Daddy and all.

On the bad side, temporarily back in the boot until the foot heals. Only wearing shoes when I drive.

Love writing bear shifters

Hell, I love all shifters

Also on the good side, got a date for the next Minerva Howe release from Resplendence. April 22

Woot

XXOO

Julia

Friday, March 20, 2015

Dr Who on a wet, blustery day

I love the library episodes.

Love Forest of the Dead, especially. River Song makes me happy. Sppoooilers.

I also love how these episodes show us that the Doctor has a lot he can still learn. I love that, when a character grows, when he proves he has to face that he doesn't have all the answers and might need help.

Then there's the finger snap.

And 10 isn't even mt favorite Doctor

XXOO

Julia

Monday, March 16, 2015

Career uncertainty happens even with the old guard

I recently had a contemporary novella published with Dreamspinner. Drive Your Truck, if anyone is interested. I was so proud. I thought it was realistic instead of schmoopy, maybe a little gritty, but it really hearkened back to my early days in M/M before the paranormals, but with modern themes, and with all the attendant shit that happens in a modern gay relationship. I pulled back from erotic romance with it, too, as all of my DSP author friends said DSP was less about the sex. Now, I have no idea what the sales look like, but it was a bestseller on DSP for a few weeks. It was my first title on ARE not to hit the top 40 in maybe three years. The Goodreads folks HATED it. Grins.

I am not looking for sympathy. This is where I launch into career doubt and how it affects the writer.

Me to my wife BA: OMG do you think I made a huge mistake? I'm writing another contemporary, I have 18K already. What if they don't take it?

BA: Shut up. It did fine.

Me: But they hate it! What if it kills my sales on the next book and and and

BA: You have to write what you like. I wrote a YA lesbian softball story that no one but the publisher read

Me: But I wrote a historical menage femmedom as my next book. What's the market for that? Ahhhhh (much hair tearing and blinking commences)

BA: Shut up and write

Me: Gotcha

Now, I could go into branding, and how for the last few years I've been doing mostly paranormal and mostly 20K and under and how expectation for a known author like my 4 star reviewed Elemental Ops stuff versus a new audience like I have with DSP does impact sales and reviews, but I thought y'all might like to see what the thought process really looks like O.O

Even those of us who have been around since the time of the dinos wonder if we've totally lost our minds sometimes.

But we still have to keep on swimming

XXOO

Julia

Saturday, March 14, 2015

my girl comes home today

her daddy is better, and has a long recovery ahead. So ready to see my lady

That is all

XXOO

Julia

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Alone gives me too much time to think

My girl had to go to Texas to see her daddy. I've been sitting on the couch with the dogs watching Tiny House Nation, and I keep thinking...

Am I the only person on earth who has no desire to "entertain" in my home?

I mean, all of these people are going on about "I just can't see me entertaining here", and I'm like, O.o.

Sure, when the holidays rolled around in Texas, we built buffets, and they did come. But that was still about pulling a TV tray up to the couch. The most leaves we've ever managed to put in the table is one, no matter the size of the dining room.

We'd have folks over in the 1400 square foot house or the 900 Sq ft condo. They'd sit on the couch or the floor and watch football or movies or whatever. I think that qualifies as more of hanging out than entertaining.

So, does anyone really do that thing they mean on HGTV? I'm not judging. I'm just curious.

XXOO

Julia

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Dreamspinner Author Meet recap 2015

So, we went to Florida for a week. We being me, my wife BA and our friend Sean Michael.

We spent the first 3 days at Disneyworld at the Port Orleans Riverside. Next time I think we'd stay at the Port Orleans French Quarter, as that's where the gluten free beignets live. You heard me, people. GF beignets. The food could be just okay, as we were on a meal plan, but let me tell you, the meal plan is worth it. And the GF fish and chips at Cooke's in Downtown Disney was downright ecstatic. I wish I had pics, but somehow I just didn't take too many. I blame Sean's privacy paranoia.

Grins

Here's BA in the Magic Kingdom with Pooh. Or was that Epcot?

BA is short, no?

Here am I at the end of the weekend. Yeah.

The meetup would have been perfect had it not been for the news that BA's daddy was very ill. While her sister told her there was nothing she could do being there in person that she couldn't do on the phone, that made for huge stress. I came down with the con crud, too, sore throat, sniffles, cough. Urgh.

I got to see Kiernan Kelly, TC Blue, KC Wells, Andrew Grey and a host of old friends, as well as meet new ones like KC Burn and staff members Tammy and Erica.

The best thing was Poppy Dennison's social media talk. The most head pounding was the speed dating with the staff. So loud! Sadly I missed Damon Suede's workshop, but I did get Damon hugs, so it's all good. I put up a word goal, and Andrew Grey was skeptical. I'll show him! Ha :D and I hope to get to go back next year :D

Hugs to all I may have missed and all I miss already.

XXOO

Julia

Saturday, March 07, 2015

the week in review

Disney was awesome.

The rest of the week's awesome was tempered by BA's daddy having a stroke.

Awesome> Kiernan Kelly, TC Blue, Sean Michael, and all the amazing people here at the DSP meet.

Sorry about the lack of posts

XXOO

Julia

Monday, March 02, 2015

Monday travels

Spending today traveling to Orlandoo to go to the Dreamspinner author meet.

Sean Michael, BA and I are going to Disney for a few days ahead of time. Kiernan Kelly has promised to do Epcot with us.

Thank God for the house sitter.

Downtown Disney had GF fish and chips. OMG

Expect many goofy instagram posts

XXOO

Julia