Looking toward the New Year

Have a lot of exciting projects this year.

I have a new book for Changeling that I'm about to turn in for the Soul Debt shared universe. I'll also have Mixed Breeds 2 and 3 out with them, and Keeping Score 3.

My next Ellora's Cave submission is written and in Beta. It's smokin' hot. I just have to implement all the good ideas my beta reader suggested.

Georgia Knights, which has been on the coming soon for years, will be out in March or April! I had to guarantee it for RT in May, so it WILL be done

I have co-writes with BA, some projects with my friend Vic Winter, and hopefully some stories about smokejumpers getting it on, and some historical werewolves

Happy New Year, y'all!

I can't wait

XXOO

Julia

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

From our family to yours

Julia, BA, Sadie, and Sonny (pictured is sonny)

OMG y'all

Haagen Dazs peanut butter chocolate ice cream

Yum

woo

Hey, y'all!

So, this is the Next Big Thing Blog hop

Kari Lynn tagged me for this, and silly me, I said sure! Sadly, most of the people I tapped to tag are in already, so I didn't come up with five. I might just tag random people anyway...

So, here we go!

What is the working title of your next book?

Well, uh, for the purposes of this blog hop we're going to say it's Opportunity Knocks, my Soul Debt story for Changeling Press!

Where did the idea come from for the book?

There was a a flash fiction challenge. Someone knocks on the door. You open it, and boom, demon you owe a debt.

What genre does your book fall under?

M/m paranormal, erotic romance

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? Oh, heck, I suck at this. There are never any actors who look just like my boys and yadda ya... Jordie is a rock star, though, so let's say Adam Levine for him, and uh, Mal is a beautiful demon. Uh, maybe Channing Tatum.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Demon shows up at singer's door to collect three years worth of sex magic in return for renewed popularity in music biz.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Can we say in between? My book will be e-published by Changeling Press, and the deadline is whooshing up.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About three weeks. :D

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

There's going to be a whole Soul Debt series releasing in the first quarter of 2013, so there will be a bunch to go forth and read!

Who or what inspired you to write this book? My partner BA Tortuga. She loves musicians, and I thought, what if I wrote one for BA...

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? It's smokin' hot m/m, y'all. A little spanky, a little bondage-y

And now for the fun part:

I get to pass on the blog hop to my volunteers!

Marteeka Kartland is a writer and an artist and she makes me happy just by existing! Check her out.

TC Blue, who I tagged because she's the laziest blogger on earth. She's also hilariously good at karaoke. She writes sometimes, too *wink* She does m/m that makes me sparkle. Uh, so, I could also randomly tag people, but I might go ask them first. Next week, Teeka and TC should be posting to their blogs!

XXOO

Julia

another random holiday thingee

"What's going on?" Jacob asked, hands held firmly by his twins, Damien and Gianni. The blindfold made it necessary for them to lead him.

We got you something." They said it together, their voices blending seamlessly.

"Oh, now I'm worried." Jacob was only half joking. The twins tended toward extravagance at Christmas. Hell, the whole Rossi-Miggliozzi clan tended that way, and seven years in Italy with them hadn't made Jacob any less awed by their huge generosity.

"Pssh. You'll like it."

Well, he certainly hoped so, but Jacob was polite enough to lie. The palazzo was plenty big enough to simply lose whatever it was they got him until Marco could put it in the charity auction.

Generally, though, Jacob didn't have to lie. Damien and Gianni had amazing taste.

They stopped, and he rocked back and forth a little, his balance affected by the blindfold. He reached out when they let go, and both his men grabbed him once more, supporting him.

"So? Can I look?"

"Si!" Damien laughed against his ear. "I will help."

Damien took his blindfold off, and Jacob blinked at the enormous gilded frame that held a relatively well-known Renaissance master painting. Last Jacob knew, it had been in a private collection in Pisa. "This is real?"

"Mmm. He approached Alessio, who asked if we wanted it for your collection."

He stared, his mouth hanging open. He knew they thought nothing of adding to one of the largest art collections in the world, but to Jacob, this was like the holy Grail. He stared at the dainty, bare feet of the blue-robed Madonna.

"Thank you." It was weak at best, but heartfelt.

"You like it?" They looked so pleased.

"Of course I do." He hugged Damien, then Gianni. "You're amazing."

Damien chuckled. "No, we just like how accommodating you are after we give you a good present."

Jacob snorted. "You don't have to give me things to get that."

"No? Well, it's Christmas time." Gianni kissed the corner of his mouth.

Laughing, Jacob let them wrap around him. "I love you both."

They grinned back at him, speaking as one. "Oh, good."

random Christmas post: Tank and Ross

Thatcher brother anyone?

Here we go

"Ross? Did you see the dog sitting on the porch?"

Ross poked his head out of the shower, knowing Tank would eventually holler at him for dripping on the floor, but Tank sounded concerned enough that he would worry on it later.

"It's not Pancake?"

"Nope. Not Rosie, either."

"Well, that's weird. Let me rinse off."

He didn't bother to put clothes on. It was unseasonably warm, even for Texas. Ross just toweled off and headed to the porch, where a huge pitbull lay panting, her pregnant belly sticking out to there. She was in tough shape, but still healthy enough to support the pups inside her.

Ross grinned at Tank. "Did you say you wanted puppies for Christmas?"

Tank pursed his lips, looking like he was fighting a smile. "Nope. I asked Santa for a new bottler. This is just stocking stuffers."

Ross laughed, bending to scratch the sweet girl's ears as her tail thumped. He hoped Tank would take him up on the offer his ass was making. "We'd better get more stockings. She's gonna have a few."

"Mmmhmm." Tank patted Ross' butt. "I'll get her settled. You go get the lube, buddy."

Bingo. "Merry fucking Christmas to me."

Tank and Ross can be found in the Thatchers book Taking the Leap.

I wanted to do something clever for December

But hey, I'm swamped.

Periodically, I'll try to pop in and let y'all know what the boys are up to.

Like how Deke from An Itch to Scratch is re-gifting the big studded collar Duke gave him to Jared, the Aussie werewolf Top who runs the Bloodrose now. Surely he needs it more...

Happy Dec y'all!

XXOO

Julia

excerpt from Fever for Three

Hey, y'all!

Everyone who knows me knows my boys touch, even with a lady in bed with them. I just don't buy a menage where the boys aren't into each other, too.

With that in mind, I picked this excerpt from my EC release, Fever for Three, so you could enjoy m/m/f in all its glory!

Buy it here!

Here we go!

“Lift your hips, querida. Let me taste you.” Paulo’s hands helped her arch up, slide her jeans and panties down, baring her.

She lifted right up, letting him have her. He buried his nose in her curls, his lips already sliding along her slit. “Paulo…”

His tongue slid over her folds, then circled her clit, making her shoulders leave the mattress, her breasts press into Josh’s chest. Josh held her, one arm around her back, and he put his head to her breasts, sucking one nipple into his mouth.

Caught between those two sets of lips, Cheri was lost. She let out this sound—a weird, sharp noise that tore from her as pleasure clawed up her spine. She thrashed a little, but Josh held her easily, keeping her where Paulo could give her more and more pleasure.

Fingers pushed inside her, giving her the pressure and friction she needed, while all the time Paulo’s tongue flicked her clit, making her thighs shake. She was going to fall apart at the seams. It was like those cartoons from way back when, where someone took earthquake pills.

Sharp teeth teased her nipple, made it ache, burn. Made her breasts feel heavy. She reached out, trying to find someone to hold on to, and her fingers sank into Paulo’s soft, thick hair.

She felt his moan against her pussy, and his fingers curled, stroking her inside. Josh grunted, his body rocking against them. “You feel so good. Both of you.” They were both still dressed, cotton and denim rasping against her and it didn’t matter. None of it did. The only thing she cared about was how they made her fly. They kissed her and licked her and bit her, touches that made her skin burn and her muscles clench. Her pussy felt full and yet empty at the same time.

“Please.” She panted out the words. “Please, inside me.”

“Fuck yes. Yes. Our girl. Paulo…” Josh’s voice was nothing but a growl, but Paulo’s fingers pushed deep, filling her up for a second before sliding away.

Paulo was the one to slip up between her legs, his cock like iron and fire against the inside of her thigh.

“Querida. Ours.” Paulo pushed close, but it was Josh’s hand that slipped down, guided the thick head into her.

Hope that tempts you!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.vom

New Release from Ellora's Cave!

Hey y'all

I've been busier than a one-legged butt kicker, but I wanted to run in and chat about my newest release, which is a mmf enage from Ellora's Cave.

It's called Fever for Three (okay, I know that tells you nothing) and it's about Cheri, a teacher who moves from Houston to small town Lobo Basin, New Mexico. She meets a cowboy and a handyman, and thinks she has to choose between them, but does she?

There's the super hot cover.

Here's where you can buy it at EC

Here it is at ARE

Aaaand here it is from Amazon

Y'all I am so bloody tickled about my first EC release! ARE has it at a 50% rebate today!

XXOO

Julia

Play Dead

Hey y'all!

I have a new Sip out today!

It's called Play Dead, and it's a short story about two werewolves and a vampire who decide to play nice together...

Can I tell you a secret? This one wants to be long. It wants to be a whole book. The characters are fun, the backstory is wicked, and the boys want to go on and on.

You should read it now in its first incarnation so you can say you knew it when, just in case it becomes a novel!

Check it out here!

Here's a wee bit to tempt you!

He didn’t like the idea of squatting in someone’s occupied house, though, even if the guy was like sleeping beauty. Or sleeping like the dead, all pale and barely breathing and—

Poke. Kayne poked the man again.

“Would you quit it!” God, if the guy woke up now, all bruised and shit, they could be in trouble.

“What? It’s a were-possum.”

“There is no way a possum is going to have a house as nice as this.” Those things were nasty, all teeth and naked tails. This guy, he had smooth skin that smelled like spice, and pretty long hair and wide shoulders…

“Are you jonesing on him?” Kayne asked, starting at him, nose quivering. “No!” He wasn’t. Who needed more than one man in his life? One was rough enough. Kayne frowned. “Well, he does look to have two good legs.”

“Stop it. It’s my fault you almost lost yours.” Beck had been the one stupid enough to challenge the alpha about two men having a wild, passionate affair, and Kayne had been the one to get his ass kicked trying to save Beck’s throat.

It was a thing.

“Besides, it’s not like it really slows you down, baby,” Beck went on. “I think it’s dashing.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” Kayne grin chased the frown away. “So, what do we do about the dead guy?”

“He’s breathing. He’s not dead. I say we move on.”

“Oh, come on. We should at least check out his fridge.”

“You’re such a freak. Come on.” Beck was pretty hungry, so he checked on the sleeping man one more time before heading to the kitchen. The place was state of the art for a house that looked so abandoned on the outside, with stainless appliances and marble counters. Nice.

“Huh. Nothing in here but bags, man.”

“Bags?” Beck wandered over to peer over Kayne’s shoulder. “Bags of what?”

“Uh. Blood?”

He tilted his head, staring at the rows of neatly stacked blood, all labeled and dated like a blood bank stash. “Babe? I think we need to get out of here.” “Oh, come on, this guy has got to be weak as a kitten if he needs this much blood.” Beck whapped Kayne on the back of the head.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“Asshole tax.” He stared at the blood, which was marked with a million different blood types. “This is not for transfusions. This guy isn’t dying. He’s undead.”

“How very astute of you.” The voice came from behind them, making them both jump half a foot. “I’m also quite awake now. Which one of you was poking me with the stick?”

Winner of BA and Julia gift pack

Congratulations to strive4bst for winning the BA and Julia Spurs and Shifters gift pack!

Charity Blog Hop!

Hey, y'all!

Every year Torquere Press does a charity Sip drive. Sips are short stories, and we authors get to choose the charity. We chose NOH8 this year, and the theme was leather, for Torquere Press' ninth anniversary.

My Sip is called Dead Cow Pants, and I was so tickled to get to name a story that. I love silly stuff that can be translated into werewolf life.

Here's the official blurb:

Returning from a foray into the world beyond pack lands, Shay is heartsick and skinny. His best friend Dar knows he just needs confidence, and thinks leather pants will do the trick. Shay might just the only werewolf on earth who doesn't like leather. Is there anything Darius can do to get Shay to wear dead cow pants?

And here's where you can find it!

Now, the theme of the blog hop this weekend is Leather and Love: How Romance Helps Stamp out Hate.

Here's my take on the theme. I've had more than one reader tell me they used to be scared of gay folks. M/M was crazy scary to them. Then they read onr of my books, and found out that romance was still romance no matter what gender the partners were. In fact, some of these readers are now activists, working to legalize gay marriage, or to help with projects like NOH8 and It Gets Better.

Every time I hear a story like that, I'm reminded of the very first lady I talked to at Romantic Times. It was my first RT, heck, my first convention, and most everyone saw my book covers and walked by. But one lady, she stopped and asked me, "Why do you write this? Doesn't it freak you out?"

I explained that I loved the idea of two men loving each other, and I promised her if she read a m/m book, she would love it to. Everyone deserves a happy ending, I said. She emailed me a week later and told me I was right. She was in love with love... That was 2005, and she still emails me regularly.

Thanks for reading, y'all! I had a ball.

Oh, and my partner, BA Tortuga and I will be doing a joint giveaway. We call ourselves Spurs and Shifters because she writes cowboys and I write shifters, and we'll give away a gift pack!

Have a great weekend!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

What I did last weekend

I bought a notebook and some gel pens

I know this doesn't sound like much, but it means I'm serious about improving my word count. I rarely get blocked, but I do occasionally get really slow. Lazy, even. I'm a procrastinator. So when I buy a notebook and new pens, it means I'm serious about being able to write anywhere I go, even the line at the grocery.

I also sat with my girl, BA, and plotted out all our works in progress on index cards, a new method she wanted to try. I think it's goi9ng to work great. I'm way more of a pantser, but I think this will keep us on schedule.

On a this week note, congratulations to President Obama. A vote for civil rights heard all over the world!

XXOO

Julia

RAH blog hop!

Hey y'all! Check out my interview for the RAH blog hop!

Such fun!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Poultrygeist

Once upon a time, there was a very smart rooster named Rodney. He was a lab chicken, genetically enhanced so that his scientist creator, Dr. Bob, would have someone with whom he could play chess and discuss viral particle physics.

Rodney was a happy rooster. He had all the corn he cold peck, but he also had intellectual stimulation, a fine human companion, and occasional electroshock therapy, just for thrills. Dr. Bob had created a tiny pair of electrodes, just for that purpose.

One cold, blustery October day, however, Dr. Bob got a shipment of alpacas in from South America. Apparently, the alpacas, usually very docile animals of much yarn, were all suffering from a terrible virus, one that produced unusual amounts of rage and spittle.

Rodney observed the alpacas with Dr. Bob for days, scratching out notes on a tablet with his beak.

Notes: Subjects spit, bite, and smell like ass. ~R~

Nearly a fortnight after the alpaca arrival, Bob began to exhibit strange symptoms. Worried for his human friend, Rodney ordered pizza online, and managed to pry open a bottle of wine. They would share a meal, and he would find out what was wrong with his human.

Bob sat with him, breaking crust, but the wine seemed to be some sort of catalyst, driving Bob mad. The man picked up the bottle and tried to bash in Rodney's chicken skull.

Rodney ran, but not before Bob broke the bottle and shanked him just like a prison bitch. Squawking, Rodney ran, for the blood seemed to enrage the alpacas, too, who broke free of their cages and started eating the computer equipment.

Rodney hid, bleeding and terrified, pretty sure one of his eyes had fallen out. When the lab quieted down, he was certain the alpacas had eaten one another, so he stuck his head out from under the full spectrum laser stand, determined to escape this horror alive.

A terrible laugh split the stillness, and the animated corpse of his dear human friend reached for him, flesh hanging off the skeletal fingers.

Rodney flapped his wings and ran right at Bob, determined to put his friend out of the misery of being undead.

Unfortunately for Rodney, it was a trap. The alpacas appeared from the deep freeze, ice crystals bunched in their fur, and descended on him, tearing Rodney apart.

His pieces would never be mended again, but when they began to move independently from one another, even the alpacas ran...

Poultrygeist had begun...

The End

Happy Halloween

XXOO

Julia Talbot

The adventures of Og

I was reminded recently by several folks that I used to write a barbarian named Og, who had a chicken companion named Syuck.

I promise all y'all I will not make Syuck into a zombie.

Og came about when I misspelled "Oh" during a rant in which I used "Oh, the humanity."

BA Tortuga asked me who "Og, the humanity" was, and I was off and running. There are footnotes. If I can find some of it buried on my old LJ, I promise to post some here ;)

In the meantime, poultrygeist is working it's way into reality.

In other news, my Ellora's Cave release has been delayed. As soon as I have a date, I'll holler! Bites nails. I hate technical difficulties...

In other, other news, BA is making cranberry bread. Guy Fieri has the neatest colander, and colander is a word that never looks right no matter what you do...

Off to look at my emails. Fear the inbox

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Poultrygeist and other titles

I was asking on Twitter last night for people to tell me NOT to write a book titled Poultrygeist.

No one has been trying to discourage me. No, indeed. In fact, people have been encouraging zombie chickens. You just wait until Halloween, y'all.

Hell, I wrote a charity Sip for NOH8 this year titled Dead Cow Pants.

Can I just mention here how hard it is to find royalty free pics of men in leather pants? It's either leiderhosen or chaps. You can tell which one I find sexier.

In the meantime, ponder zombie chickens. I promise, Poultrygeist is coming...

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

GRL round Up 2012

Hey y'all!

Finally got caught up on sleep, emails and not on edits, so I thought I'd do a wrap up on my impressions of GRL 2012 in Albuquerque.

First off, let me thank everyone who organized the con. Carol, JP, Ethan, Damon, Heidi, Teresa, and all the volunteers. Brandi and Randy were particularly helpful. If I missed anyone, please hit me with a rock. Y'all did a great job, and we appreciate it.

Next, the hotel. We'd read the online comments, and we were scared. With our various food allergies, especially, we were frightened of being out on the pueblo with no way to get into Albuquerque proper. Well, the hotel (The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the Isleta Pueblo) was awesome. It was really inexpensive as con hotels go, and it had three great restaurants, a coffee shop, and a little bitty drugstore. The best part? 90% of their Mexican food was gluten free, and they had good enough cross contamination practices that BA Tortuga, my partner, never got sick once. We gorged on tacos and Frito pie, and the night we ate at the steakhouse, Embers, with the amazing ladies at Resplendence Press, we were amazed at how yummy it all was. Everyone at the bell desk was incredibly accommodating, too, especially Donna, who was always in the know.

We got late Tuesday night, and were there through Monday morning, which, Lord, y'all, that's a long time to be away from bassets. (My niece, who housesat for us, thought it was a long time to be WITH bassets.) We laughed, and hugged and basically behaved badly with our friends and fellow authors until Thursday, when most everyone else showed up. At the opening dinner, we sat with the ladies from Ndulgent Bloggers, and those ladies are a hoot! We had a Torquere Press luncheon in Old Town on Friday, which I thought went really well, thanks to La Hacienda, who catered our almuerza. After the luncheon it was off to the CVS to pick up good drugs for my injured BA, and then she got to hallucinate all night at the Resplendence karaoke party. Dude, if you've never taken mind-altering substances and listened to Damon Suede sing, you NEED to come next year.

On Saturday, we attended the booksigning, which was so neat, as I got to meet so many readers and chat about books. The most interesting thing anyone said to us was that BA and I were the "old ladies" of m/m, and she was more interested in reading new folks. So, tell me the truth, guys, am I over? (winks) I think not. I have too many stories to tell.

Saturday night we did the bowling party with Amy Lane, Marshall Thornton, Kiernan Kelly, TC Blue and AR Moler. That was so much fun, y'all! We had 4-5 readers per lane, gave out amazing bags of stuff, drank lots of beer, and (mostly) bowled badly. It was a hoot to get to know everyone! Brunch Sunday with Ariel from Dreamspinner capped us off, and it was great to get to say I'll be a Dreamspinner when my advent calendar story comes out!

Mostly, it was so much fun to hang with everyone and meet new people. Andrew Grey, you owe us coffee! (g)

Thanks to everyone who made it such a great trip. Next year is in Atlanta, and while I loathe that town (sorry if I offend, it's true) I might just have to suck it up and take one for the GRL team ;)

XXOO

Julia Talbot

Think you can't change the world?

Or, what I learned from GRL 2012

Hey, y'all!

I've been mostly absent, which I apologize for! I had family in visiting starting the 12th, and I went to GayRomLit on the 16th, so I've been in a bit of a whirlwind.

GRL is always amazing, and I fully intend to do a con report, but I have to relate a story from the other day first. I was at a publisher spotlight, and was discussing m/m with one of the readers there. She was telling me that reading glbt romance had changed her life, an she wasn't talking about just her tastes in reading.

This reader, a self-proclaimed military wife and soccer mom, said that m/m had changed the way she saw the world. A friend had given her a gay romance, and she read it and never looked back. But what I loved about what she talked about was how she said she'd never been a homophobe, but she'd never really been an activist in any way. Now she's not just a GLBT activist, but she's more aware of how she and her family interact with the world at large. And she says how her candidates view GLBT issues, women's issues, and things like marriage affect who she votes for.

How awesome is that?

I often say the m/m genre is changing the world one book at a time.

Think you can't change the world?

Think again

XXOO

Julia Talbot

Moon Shine!

So, I've been co-writing some with my girl, BA Tortuga.

It's been a blast, playing with the boys. I can't wait to see what y'all think!

Our new release, Moon Shine, is a hot little story about a moonshine runner who happens to be a werewolf, and this yummy man who shows up on Jenson's doorstep, frantic because he's just been turned. Lucky for David, Jenson knows just what to do to release all that tension.

Here's where you can find it!

You can also find it at All Romance Ebooks and Amazon.com

Who doesn't love some bitey werewolf hotness?

Happy Friday, y'all

XXOO

Julia

Sunday round up

what writerly things did I do this week?

I did 2K on my newest novel. That may not seem like much, but I'm only working on it as I have time.

I did my edits for my Dreamspinner Advent calendar. So much fun, that story, y'all, and I can't wait to show it to you.

I did about 15K on co-writes with my partner, BA Tortuga. We've always passed the writing torch back and forth a little, but lately, a la Cereus Opening, we've been writing a lot together.

I did my newsletter! Find it on the front page of my site, www.juliatalbot.com for a free snippet featuring Jed and Eli from Jumping Into Things.

I also finished up an emergency Halloween story, got my promo stuff ready for Crazy in Love and did a lot of book packing for GRL

Woo!

Only a week left before then!

XXOO

Julia

Passionate Cooks

Hey y'all!

Most of you know that my partner, BA Tortuga, and I like to cook. Hey, we like to eat, too ;) A lot. But still, we enjoy playing in the kitchen. So when All Romance Ebooks opened up the Passionate Cooks cookbook for submissions, I was so tickled!

I decided to go super simple with the Menage Peanut Butter cookies. Three ingredients and pretty much foolproof. I'll post pictures when I make them this weekend. In the meantime, y'all should go get the cookbook. It's free!

Here's the link!

The cookies are gluten free, too! Sommer Marsden and BA Tortuga have GF recipes, as well, and my buddy Tory Temple is in there as well!

Yum!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

covers for upcoming stories

have a look!

Okay, so that's a pitbull. I was scrolling through my pics and couldn't resist. She lives with BA Tortuga's daddy.

Here are the covers ;)

Crazy in Love, m/m paranormal, Torquere Oct 17 2012

Fever for Three, m/m/f paranormal, Ellora's Cave, Oct 19, 2012

Woo! As soon as I have new covers, I'll toss them up.

XXOO

Julia

Top ten reasons to watch country music videos today

5. Cruise by Florida Georgia Line

4. Angel Eyes by Love and Theft

3. Country Girl Shake it For Me by Luke Bryan

2.Beer Money by Kip Moore

1. Truck Yeah by Tim McGraw

Y'all. Have you not seen Tim's new video? We've been playing it all morning.

Here's a Tim pic to get you going

XXOO

Julia

The Indulgent hop!

Hey y'all!

I'm participating in the Indulgent Blog Hop.

The folks at Indulgent want us to tell you all about our indulgences. Woo hoo. I'm your girl on that. Later in the week I'll probably talk about my indulgent fiction, but right now, I'll just list my top five favorite indulgences.

5: Whipped cream. I eat it on chopped bananas, on berries, on cupcakes. I love whipped cream

4: Good moisturizer. I used to get my makeup and such at Wal-Mart. Now that I have crow's feet, I buy my stuff at Origins. Life is too short for breakouts

3. Pictures of hot men. I do love a hot guy, and I'm not above posting pics. See?

2. a long, hot shower. Never underestimate the power of water, washing away your daily grind 1. German chocolate cake. What? Dessert is my favorite sin!

Comment here to be entered to win a $10.00 Torquere Press gift certificate! I'll pick a winner at the end of the hop, on the 22nd.

In addition, you can go see the raffle at the hop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XXOO

Julia

Charity Sips out!

Hey y'all!

So excited to announce that my Charity Sip (or short story) is out with Torquere Press!

This year the theme was Leather Bound, which was left open to our imaginations, and the chosen Charity is NOH8. As my editor said, only I would call a story Dead Cow Pants. But hey! That's what the werewolf in question calls them.

Here's all the relevant stuff ;)

Returning from a foray into the world beyond pack lands, Shay is heartsick and skinny. His best friend Dar knows he just needs confidence, and thinks leather pants will do the trick. Shay might just the only werewolf on earth who doesn't like leather. Is there anything Darius can do to get Shay to wear dead cow pants?

Buy it here!

And here's a wee bit to get you going!

“I don’t like leather, man.”

“What?” Darius raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re a werewolf. How can you not like leather?” That was, like, enough to get a man kicked out of the paranormal creature club. Dar loved the advent of the modern age so you could say things like “paranormal” instead of beastie or thing that goes bump in the night.

So much more classy.

“I said, I don’t like leather. It clings, and it smells like dead cows. I don’t wear dead cow pants.”

Lord, but Shay was a weird one. They’d been friends since they were pups, but Shay had always been a cipher, and he’d left right after they’d come of age, right after Darius had realized he wanted Shay more than he wanted his next breath. So, it had come as quite a shock when a gaunt, shivering Shay-wolf had shown up on pack territory a week ago with nothing but the fur on his back.

Shay had been recovering for a week, sleeping off whatever had happened, and now Darius was trying to find clothes that fit that lanky, too-skinny frame. Leather was a fantasy of his, so why not?

“Dead cow is a nice smell.”

“If you say so.” Shay wrinkled his nose. “I think it’s ghoulish. Who wants to be a wolf in cow’s clothing?”

“Well, how about sheep?” Darius dropped the pants and held up a wool sweater.

“Do you have anything synthetic?”

“I have denim and jersey, I guess. Jeans and t-shirt.”

“Nothing will fit me. You’re ginormous.”

Dar sucked in his gut instinctively, wishing Shay would tell him how hot he was, not how not he was. “I’m not that big.”

Shay gave him an incredulous look. “You’re tall, broad, and amazing.”

“Oh. Well, you’re too skinny by half.”

Shay chuckled. “I underestimated how hard it would be without the pack.”

“It’s not easy to go your own way.”

Something hard and bitter flashed across Shay’s face. “Yeah. The pack sets it up that way, for sure. I guess I should be glad Kallan was willing to take me back.”

“Kallan is tough but fair,” Dar murmured, defending their pack Alpha. He’d never understood why Shay had left in the first place. What had driven the silly beast out of the pack. It hadn’t been Kallan. The man understood all kinds of wolves.

“Sure. Sure. I’ll just take sweats if you have any.” Shay wouldn’t look at him now, and he pressed his lips together to keep from saying anything else.

The guy had been through enough for a while. He didn’t need Dar to say I told you so.

“I’ll get you in a pair of leather pants someday, though.”

“No way.”

He handed Shay a pair of sweats, standing there until he realized the flushed cheeks and downcast eyes meant Shay would rather not take the robe off in front of him and put the clothes on. Again, weird. They’d spent days naked together as teenagers, testing out their shifting abilities. Maybe leaving the pack was like leaving the Garden of Eden. Maybe you got all self-conscious out there in the world.

Or maybe Dar was just projecting how much he wanted to see Shay naked.

***

Thanks for reading y'all! It's only 1.99 and it's for charity!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Writing away

What am I working on right now?

charity sip about leather coming out next week with Torquere. I have a story called Crazy in Love coming out in October with TQ as well. In November the second Keeping Score book comes out with Changeling. And if don't get a date soon for my menage with EC, I might have a brain explosion!

Wait, that's what I've worked on. What am I working on now? A co-write with the lovely BA Tortuga called Moonshine. Well, we just finished that, and are starting the sequel. For Changeling, I'm working on a demon story, as well as plotting Keeping Score 3 and Mixed Breeds 2. And for EC, I'm working on psychic, werewolf and werecat, oh my!

I'm also working on a novel. I know, right? How exciting. Now, if I could just stop having to brake (and break) to send copyright infringement takedown notices I would have time to write. (argh)

What are y'all up to

XXOO

Julia

weapon of choice

For the last few months I've been embroiled in writing a series called Keeping Score for Changeling Press

The first book, One Up came out in August, and it's about Rhys and Noah, two demon hunters who know hooking up is a bad idea...

It's interesting to me that without any conscious thought, the guys chose bladed weapons as their weapons of choice. In book two, Two Down, which will be out in November, Janus and his lover Cillian also chose blades.

Most of the hunters in this universe carry machete type blades, like the one below.

(any idea how tough it is to find a good machete pic in royalty free pictures?)

It's short enough to handle in close quarters, sturdy enough to hack of limbs or underbrush, and concealable.

Some carry that and a sword, too, which is harder to hide, and means they have to wear long coats, which can be tricky in say, New Orleans. Or Florida. Still, these are guys wearing leather pants, right?

In hunting a sword pic for y'all, I cam across this

Now I know the direction I'm taking book three in, and I got started this am!

I do love the idea of a hunter in a suit...

Later, y'all!

XXOO

Julia

Guys in towels

There was a scene in, oh, I think it was American Horror Story that BA and I were watching the other day. Dylan McDermott in a towel, and he was being attacked in the bathroom. His towel stayed on through the whole scene, much to our disgust, but in the end all we could take away from the scene was, "How? A towel falls off me if I breathe."

We decided it was the fact that men can drape them around the hips, not the boobs.

Observe

So not fair, right? Pretty, though. Still, it's a law of physics. That area is far more narrow and tight than a woman's breast area.

I do like a man in a towel, though, so I guess I can put up with the injustice...

XXOO

Julia

Big thank you

Hey y'all!

Want to say a big thank you to the folks at Rainbow Book reviews for the blog hop. I got to go read a lot of neat posts, and many fine folks stopped by my blog to say hello. I really appreciate all the comments and encouragement, and it's great to know so many people see things the same way I do.

Today I got nothin'. I'm wrung out from work and I'm frazzled with my upcoming MRI and all. So I offer this.

Happy Hump Day!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Rainbow Book Reviews Blog Hop!

Hey y'all!

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Rainbow Reviews Blog Hop. Check out the linky here!

The subject of this particular blog hop is What Writing GLBTQ Literature Means to Me

Okay, y'all, this is where I admit that if semantics makes me twitchy. I know, I know, literature in this instance is meant in a very general genre sort of way, but I'm not sure I qualify. It's a bit of a misnomer.

I write romance. I write all kinds, from het to menage to gay and lesbian. I'm best known for my m/m, which makes me happy, and that's where I'll delve into what writing the stuff I write means to me in a GLBTQ sort of way.

I write gay romance because I believe everyone should have a happy ending. I write it because I love love, and two men in a relationship appeals to me on a deep level. I write gay romance because I like the way it takes away my necessity of identifying with a female heroine.

But mostly I write gay romance because I'm a member of the LGBTQ community. I live with my partner of nine years, who is a woman. I have been part of a "B" relationship. I know how hard it is when you don't see yourself reflected in what you read.

When I started writing m/m, it wasn't well-accepted. In fact, it was downright vilified in many places. I still hear people at conventions who say they read or write menage, but the boys or girls, whichever there are more of, don't touch because it's "gross".

Love is love, y'all, and it's not gross, even if you wouldn't do it yourself.

That's why I write GLBTQ fiction, whether it qualifies as lit or not. And that's why I still have more stories to tell.

Thanks so much to the folks at the Rainbow Reviews Blog Hop for letting me regale y'all with my story.

Edited to add my contest! Shoot, y'all, I'm dumb. How about a 25.00 Torquere gift certificate! Comment to win!

If you want to read my books, check out my website at www.juliatalbot.com

You can also find my stories at www.torquerepress.com, www.changelingpress.com and my upcoming m/mf menage Fever for Three at www.ellorascave.com

XXOO

Julia

the disappointment factor

I've recently had a nudge from a reader (waves at Avis. Hi, hon, hope you don't mind me getting all meta) about a sequel to a book I wrote a while back. The book, titled the High-Class Highwayman, was my first historical in a long while, and a fun romp to write.

The problem is, the sequel never took off in my brain. Now, this is a problem mainly because I promised the sequel to TQ, so it's mentioned in the first book. It's languishing on my hard drive.

I dislike disappointing people. And I know that there's this implicit contract with the reader when I finish the first story on a cliffhanger of sorts. When I don't do what I promise, the implied contract is broken. I don't want to be that author, who makes promises and doesn't keep them.

On the other hand, when a story goes fallow, it's hard to flog it back to life. And it's not doing justice to the story to beat it out of a dead horse. It shows that you weren't in the moment, and the story suffers.

I know the obvious answer here is to take that promise of a sequel out of the story, but I really do plan to finish it.

So what does a writer do?

Thoughts?

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Stubborn pride goeth before the fall

or something like that

I refused to take my sore foot to the doctor for weeks, and now I have a touch of bone infection. I'll get the joy of surgery.

I hate doctors, y'all. Pathologically. Oh, not the people. It's the smell. I hate the antiseptic smell, the sour odor of illness. I'm not afraid of dying, I'm just afraid of how it will happen ;)

On a better note, the time spent sitting up waiting for the antibiotics to take effect have given me time to write. I have three new stories in the works, and one promises to be a novel!

In the meantime, wish me luck with the foot! Pray I don't have to sit in the hospital for a few days. I'll go nuts!

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Best moments at Authors After Dark!

hey y'all!

Just got back from Authors After Dark in NOLA! I love New Orleans and this time I got to see Marie Laveau's grave, which I had never done before. I also got to take a carriage ride, eat lots of red beans and rice (and wheat-based stuff, which I try to avoid, but in NOLA it's like crack) and see lots of drunk folks on Bourbon Street.

The best part was the actual con, however. Stella Price and her amazing cadre of volunteers did a fabulous job of setting up a great event. BA Tortuga and I hosted the opening event at the reception, and we had a blast talking with readers and giving out books.

So, I'll tell you a secret. I suck at con reports. Instead, I'll give you a ticky list, because those I adore!

The best things that happened to Julia at AAD, con-related

The opening reception, where 200 books disappeared in literally the first five minutes, and we gave out 400 swag bags full of stress bulls and werewolf chip clips

Being on panels with amazing m/m and menage writers like Andrew Grey, Damon Suede, Mia Watts and Jennifer Armintrout

Listening to my girl BA Tortuga do readings. She was a hoot, and she had the room in the palm of her hand! I loved Sophie Oak, too, who I hadn't read yet, and who gained a new fan in me!

Watching my homegirl Dakota Cassidy accept her bookie award by pointing out that she'd beaten other candidates, and later tweeting that people on Bourbon thought she was a call girl

Hanging out with all of the amazing authors, readers, and bloggers who came to NOLA because they love books!

The booksigning! Oh, y'all, that was so fun, and I hope everyone who got a book from me loves it!

Top non-convention related events in NOLA

Angelo, the cab driver of extreme joy who told us all about the Quarter back in his childhood days, thus inspiring a short story I have to write and have no idea where it will go

My new best friends from all around the French Quarter including Joann at Desire Oyster bar, Lloyd at Oceana, Derron at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, and Doc the mule.

Getting to meet my girl's niece, who also happens to be our research intern

All of the naked people who ran through and around Bourbon street!

You can see why it was a roller coaster of a good time.

Y'all should so come to Savannah next year!

XXOO

Julia

My top five reasons you should read my new book

Keeping Score: One Up

Buy it here

5- Demon hunter action sequences

4- smokin hot demon hunters

3- angsty I shouldn't want you scene

2- smokin' hot demon hunters

1- read it so you can read the sequel I'm writing now about Janus, the head trainer from One Up, it's called Keeping Score: Two Down, and it has demons, mummies, and Cillian, Janus' blind boyfriend...

Go. Shoo. Read book one so they accept book two

XXOO

Julia

Keeping Score: One Up!

Hey y'all!

My new book at Changeling Press is out! It's a m/m, called Keeping Score: One Up.

You can find it here!

I love this one, y'all. It's not too long, but long enough. It's funny, smokin' hot, and a great romp.

Here's the official description:

Rhys is a demon hunter, and he works alone. That's the safest thing, after all. Hunters who get attached end up dead. Which is why hooking up with super-hot fellow hunter Noah is a really bad idea.

Noah thinks Rhys is a stud, even if the man never can manage to make a kill on his own. He also knows that there's safety in numbers, and that two can be better than one. Can he convince Rhys that being alone isn't good for anyone before one of them gets hurt?

Here's the cover from the talented Karen Fox

And here's the fun part. An excerpt:

God, Rhys hated the full moon. It wasn't just the weres that drove him crazy, though that was enough to make any hunter want to pull his hair out. No, all sorts of crazy shit came out on the full moon, especially the ones around the autumnal equinox. Lifting his head, Rhys scented the wind, catching a whiff of decay. Not garbage or architectural waste; this was human. Shambling. Zombie. He pulled his machete out of its scabbard. The best way to deal with zombies was just to move fast. Otherwise the stench just got bad, and things got gooey. This should take maybe five minutes, and then he'd have his quota for the night. After that he'd head back to the boarding house and get some shut-eye. Sleep was his one indulgence these days, and Rhys loved to wallow in it. The smell got stronger, and he flipped his blade end over end a couple of times, just waiting for the thing to turn the corner. Maybe he'd get a bite to eat, too. Tiana had said she would make meatballs. There was nothing like a crazy Yemeni/Italian lady to make amazing lamb meatballs with this insane tomato-feta sauce. The scrape of a shoe sole on concrete came from just around the way, and Rhys took a ready stance, ready to incapacitate and decapitate. The thing came into sight, pieces of flesh and goo hanging off it, and Rhys shook his head. How did people not see this shit? Oh, he knew about the whole Veil of Sanity thing, with all of its random capitalization, and he knew he had a special psychic sense and all, but man, this thing smelled bad. He raised his machete, his arm muscles smoothly obeying the command from his brain. Too bad he was too late. The sound of steel slicing through rotted flesh sounded all right, but not from Rhys' blade. No, the head of the zombie landed at his feet, and Rhys looked up the length of a flashy katana blade into the smiling face of another fucking hunter. "Hey, man! Sorry if I stepped on your toes. All I could smell was this guy." The guy had a deep voice, a pair of deep dimples and a bushy head of blond hair. Hello. Asshole, but pretty. "I had this." Rhys was no closer to his damned quota now. Fuck a duck. "I said sorry." The guy's high-wattage grin faded a bit, but he gamely held out a hand. The one not holding the big blade covered in gore. "I'm Noah." "Rhys." They never gave last names. Hell, he'd bet Noah was no more this guy's real name than Rhys was his. He didn't even think his real name anymore, at least not that he knew of. Maybe somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind he knew it, but it would take a lot to dig it out. More than most vamps or psychics were willing to do, anyway. He did shake Noah's hand, at least. That was a mistake, because a little shock ran up his arm and his cock jolted awake, giving a nice little surge. Damn. Being attracted to a civilian could be a disaster. Being hot for another hunter was more like suicide. "So, are you working this part of town, or are you just passing through?" Rhys raised a brow, trying not to snarl. Hunters didn't answer personal questions. "I live here." "Right here?" Noah cracked up, waving his blade. "Sorry, I crack myself up. We ought to get this out of sight, huh?" "Your kill, your mess." Turning on his heel, Rhys walked away, his shoulders hunched. He needed to get his damned quota. Then maybe he could go have a meatball or two. * * * Noah stared at the mess on the street and sighed. At least with a decapitated zombie clean up was easier. The demon virus that reanimated them started eating itself when the head was no longer attached, and the limbs were spongy enough to remove easily. It took him ten minutes to get the thing in a dumpster, and by the time they emptied it there would be a few scraps of clothing and some fingernails. Once he'd gotten all the remains in the big trash bin, he decided he needed a place to wash up and something to eat. He took a deep breath, ignoring the rot smell from the dumpster. He had an idea about where he could find a place to wash up. He just sort of had to open up his senses a little and find that hot hunter. Rhys. It was a good name as names went. It was Welsh, and sometimes meant "dragon," but he would bet Rhys wasn't Welsh. Maybe Irish-Italian. Pretty, though. Very pretty, and really uptight. There was the lickable thing, too. Yummy. Honestly, if this Rhys had anything close to a shower, Noah could make the man smile. Noah opened up, let his senses guide him. He wandered down an alley, through an intersection holding a used bookstore and a convenience store, and headed toward a leaning brick building that had to be a boarding house. Excellent. The air buzzed with hunters, but he ignored the lot of them, focusing on a single bright light. Noah slipped past the sleepy-looking lady at the front desk, which was a little counter that had been put in by the stairs. The stairs led him to a back bedroom, set at the end of a hall, next to a window with a fire escape. Smart. Here, kitty, kitty. Come play with me. I have this itch. Noah was reaching for the doorknob when the door flew open, a crossbow aimed at his head. "What do you want?" "You." Honesty was the best policy, right?

XXOO Julia

Friday is writing day

I love Fridays. I set aside most everything else and write. It makes me happy. Today I am working on a sequel to a book that comes out Aug 3.

The one coming out in Aug is Keeping Score: One Up. It's a demon hunter story about two manly men, Rhys and Noah. Yummy. They know hunters should stay single. Too bad they can't manage to keep their hands off each other.

Book two is a WIP featuring Janus, a character I introed in book one. He's lean. He's mean, he has an eyepatch. He also has a problem. He's been assigned to protect his ex.

Yum.

I'll post an excerpt as soon as I can, but it's a little dirty in the manuscript area right now.

Hugs you all

XXOO

Julia

Sunday Seven

Seven things I did this week to the house--

7) bought a new chair and took the old one to Goodwill

6) bought a gravy boat

5)rearranged the front room to accommodate said new chair

4) swept up a whole dog's worth of hair

3) put away all my clothes

2) cooked and ate low carb fried cheese with my girl (what? sustenance is important to housework)

1) tried and failed to clean the office, which I will try again now

What are y'all up to?

Round up

hey y'all!

Sadly, I don't mean cowboys.

Still, I do have a bunch of stuff to share with y'all.

First of all, I'm an interview! The lovely Mamakitty did an interview for me at her blog for an Authors After Dark spotlight.

I have a new book called Keeping Score: One Up coming out at Changeling Press on August 1. I'm really proud of this one. It's hot and not too long, but not too short. It's about demon-hunter Rhys and how he finds another hunter to compete with. And have hot sex with. Noah is impulsive, and smoking' hot, and he wants Rhys in the worst way. Can they manage to stay alive, and stay together? Keep an eye out here!

Finally, I'll be at Authors After Dark in NOLA August 8-12, 2012. Just over a month away! I'll be at the book signing on Saturday, which is open to the public, and I'll also be doing panels and parties if you're going to the con!

Now, if I can just find me some cowboys...

XXOO

Julia

I have been tagged- lucky 7 meme

http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com/2012/06/meme-lucky-seven.html?zx=166eb2cd02d79d61

Here are the rules: The ‘rules’ are: Go to page 7 or 77 of your latest work. Read down to the seventh line and then post online the next seven lines or sentences. Then head off and tag seven more writers.

Here we go. This is from my upcoming release at Changeling Press, which I just got the green light on and am waiting for edits.

Fucking Noah. Clueless, oh-bite-me-now, beautiful, fucking hot Noah.

There was no way he was losing his kill to Noah. Again. Asshole. The man was a wonder in the sack, but he was such a pain in the ass.

A major pain.

---

And I tag Chris Owen http://www.chrisowen.net/, Tory Temple http://www.torytemple.com/, Dakota Cassidy http://www.dakotacassidy.com/, Renae Jones http://www.renaejones.net/, Missouri Dalton http://missouridalton.blogspot.com/, Neena Jaydon http://koemoe.net/index.html, and Meredith Shayne http://meredithshayne.com/

dragging butt

I'm tired.

Fighting with the HOA makes me tired.

Sigh

I don't like confrontation, but you know, I put hours of work in my yard. Being told it looks like a junkyard makes me peeved

There's no broken down cars. No furniture on the porch. There are 8 potted plants and 5 pieces of expensive metal yard art, y'all

In a perfect world, petty tyrants wouldn't be allowed to threaten you in your own home

In better news, I am writing and I think in my story I will spray the HOA president with the hose. Hard. Maybe a fire hose.

HUgs

Julia

Tim and Kenny

As an early birthday present, BA Tortuga took me to Dallas this past weekend to see Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney in their Brothers of the Sun tour...

Uhn, y'all.

I admit, I was there for Tim. I love Kenny Chesney. I know all his songs. Tim is the one I adore, though. He makes me silly. Makes me literally flail.

There's just something about that big redneck that does it for me.

So, I went and watched, and watched BA watch Tim, which also makes me happy. She gets all blinky and happy. *g*

I'm trying to remember if I had a point. Thinking on Tim's hotness derails me.

Oh, I got my newsletter up! You can sign up for it here! I'm giving away a 25.00 amazon gift card!

I think I need more coffee. Later, y'all

XXOO

Julia

www.juliatalbot.com

Once upon a time

Why is it that cliches are cliches? Why is it we love them?

Oh, I know a lot of folks hate them, and that publishers go out of their way to eradicate them from titles and from stories.

I love the idea of collective memory, though. I love the idea that I can say, "He's madder than a wet hen" and everyone knows what I'm saying. You hear someone say, "Once Upon a Time" and you start to expect a fairy tale, or at least an ironic lead in.

What are my other favorites? Oh, gosh. Whether its sayings like, "She looked at him like a goat looking at a new fence," or even just the cliche of the plain girl who suddenly gets the interest of the too-hot guy, I love them all.

You'll never catch me being the girl who says, "You can't use that, it's too cliche."

What all are y'all's favs?

XXOO

Julia

just a wee update

Hey y'all!
Let's see; what's new?
My dad starts chemo today. Y'all send some good will out to the universe for him. It kinda irks me, because they never have explained exactly how this is better for him than doing nothing, you know? They make it clear there is no actual cure, and he's not symptomatic yet, so what are they hoping to accomplish by killing his immune system. Sometimes doctors piss me off ;)

I have a new book coming out with Ellora's Cave! It's a m/m/f menage, and I have no idea when it will come out, but the title has been approved as Fever for Three and the contract is in! Yay! I'll keep y'all posted.

I have a new story ready to go into Changeling Press, too, but it's not approved yet, so I'll let y'all know when it is!

My coming soon at Torquere us a novella called Crazy in Love. It's about a werewolf in an asylum. How cool is that?

Grins

Also, I'll be updating my newsletter (finally) this week. You can sign up at the bottom of my webpage http://www.juliatalbot.com/

Okay, off to write more.

Hugs

XXOO

Julia

Things Julia does when she can't sleep

10- surfs DIY home improvement blogs

9- reads about basset hound rescue

8-Watches her own bassets sleep

7- tries not to wake up BA Tortuga

6- reads magazines on her Kindle

5- reads books about Mt Everest

4- tries to figure out where her archive went on her kindle fire

3- does squats

2- stares at the ceiling and counts back from 1000

1- writes

Guess which I am about to do now! I think door number 5, peeps

XXOO

Julia

Day 7, desperation sets in

Things are getting a little desperate at chez BA and Julia. The bassets have given into despair. They no longer believe their other mother is coming home, even though I told them first thing that she comes home tomorrow.

I found the screws to the keyboard tray. I got it installed. In the wrong place. I need to move it over 2 inches or so. Right now it's holding my calendar so I have access to the side of my desk. Bah. I will reposition it when BA is back and can help me hold it in place. I am turning into my mother, y'all. She never once installed something right the first time, but she was a stud, nonetheless. I miss her. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, and hug your mom's neck if you can.

Today I have to haul out the ladder and hang things, vacuum, laundry, and get more reports done. I might go get root beer. We'll see.

Also, I might head whap some people a la Gibbs on NCIS, just because it feels good!

Happy Sunday, y'all

XXOO

Julia

Day 6 on my own

Going a little stir crazy. Working like a fiend.

headed out to yard sales this am. Came back with a teacup. No saucer. It's pretty, though, and for a buck, I can make a bird feeder out of it.

got a good latte with almond milk from a local coffee shop I've been wanting to try, came home, let the hysterical dogs out and in and gave them snacks and now?

now I work and write and try to get all the stuff done that hasn't gotten done thanks to running dad all over central Texas for doctors visits.

On the good side, I saw a pair of cardinals this morning, right on the side of the road, like they were just there for my pleasure. I had yummy eggs, and Sonny cleaned my plate. We've had good rain. And! I have a bunch of movies lined up to keep mne company.

Now if I could just find the screws for my keyboard tray...

XXOO Julia

Movie review

Hey y'all!

Back in the early 2000s (how weird is it to say that?) I went on a gay movie binge. The Sum of Us? you know it. Priest? Heck yeah. Velvet Goldmine was never a fav, but I saw it for Ewan. I loved how the guy in Big Eden called his gramdpa Sam-pa. I even watched coming of age stuff like Beautiful Thing.

I have to admit, as I got older, coming of age, coming out and identity struggle was way less on my radar. As you get older and find out who you are, watching someone else wrangle with it is a lot less appealing, right?

So, I haven't looked at movies that much of late. I watch action adventure like the Raven (which I am waiting to see with BA)

With BA Tortuga out of town, though, I was looking for a movie to watch on my iPad in bed.

Boy Culture came out in 2006, so I may be late catching the train, but it's on .99 rental on iTunes, so it's worth a shot if you're looking for a great little movie. It's about a hustler, but he's high class, snarky, and onscreen he reads a lot like a BA Tortuga character (grins at her girl). X, as he calls himself, is in love with one of his roommates, but they're unable to get their timing right. His other roommate is in love with X, but that's never going to work. The story also centers on one of X's older clients, and how he influences the guys' lives. If you can get past the first 15 minutes of too much self-conscious gay snark, and settle in for the sarcastic yet emotional and yes, fun, ride that follows, it's well worth the watch. I really surprised myself with how much I got invested in the characters.

It doesn't hurt that the main character is total eye candy.

I'd give it 4 stars, but the beginning is a little slow to warm up, so 3 1/2 for me.

XXOO

Julia

Life without BA day 4

Well, it's day 4 without BA at home. I have done laundry and dishes. I have run errands. I have dragged hysterical dogs to my dad's house next door while the exterminator was in. The yard guys picked this week to do extra work, so the fertilizer guy came, meaning I had even more hysterical dogs. I have dragged two fifty pound plus basset hounds on daily walks, when one of them flatly refuses to go unless I pull her along like a giant weight at a tractor pull. I need to put my keyboard tray under my desk, for lo, my shoulders are sore. I need to reseed the birdfeeders, which are a swampy mess. I need to do my work Instead I made yummy GF pancakes and bacon, and am writing this post *g* 4 more days after today And now to get dad to his appt and then take boy basset to the vet for his allergies XXOO Julia

life without BA- day one

yep BA went to Canada to visit Sean Michael. For those of you who continually wonder, no, we are not all the same person. We write together on occasion, we're critique partners, and we've all known each other since at least 1999. (See, they said SOME kind of apocalypse would happen that year) I have not been apart from BA for more than a few hours since 2010, when she went on a 3 day cruise without me. Very, very early this am, she left on the shuttle for the airport, and I went back to bed with two very despondent bassets. I was reawakened at 7:45 by the trash truck. Thus far today I have done a half hour of edits, done 2 hours of data entry, cleaned out a closet, hung a curtain rod and curtain, hung a shelf, made french toast, chatted with BA while she dealt with a cancelled flight in O'Hare, dealt with the pooper scooper and written most of a blog post. It might be time for a nap. The bassets certainly seem to think so. How's y'all? XXOO Julia

Lazy Sundays are not for meta

I was gearing up to a ranty mcrant pants about how the world "marginalize" is overused, and how saying a woman who writes m/m knows nothing about being in the glbt community and is not an advocate is, oh, marginalization to those of us who identify as bi or lesbian, but I decided it was too nice a day. I mean, really, I have better things to do than rant about people supporting charitable causes, for whatever reason they do it. Like, oh, support a charitable cause or two. Some of my favs? NOH8, Lambda Legal, and the House of Puddles Senior Basset rescue. Go look at that instead of kerfluffles. I also write occasionally. Sometimes I knit, crochet or cross stitch. I read, I do home improvement with my girl, and I work in my garden. I had a very well-read and passionately political lesbian I met at EAA con last year tell a well-known (straight male editing m/m) that his use of "gay lifestyle" was insulting, and that there were just lives, gay, straight or otherwise. I think I'll choose to live mine and not marginalize anyone, even folks who don't bother to get to know a who community before bitching about them. ;) XXOO Julia

Writing away

Most of you probably know my dad was just diagnosed with lung cancer. Between that, moving, and BA's uncle Bob passing away, we've had a rough month and a half. Writing has suffered some. I had a Changeling book that was meant to come out in May that will probably be June or July now. Cereus got put on hold while BA and I stopped co-writing for a couple of weeks. And my Diamond Birthstone for Torquere didn't make it in April. Still, I'm happy to report that like a turtle, I am slowly getting back into the swing. I got werewolves and weretigers aplenty, and Cereus is getting done inch by inch lalala hugs to all Have a good day! XXOO Julia

Just scrambling

Hey y'all! Nope, not scrambling eggs. Scrambling to get it all done. O.O Grins. Still, there are birds in the feeders for BA to watch, there are petunias in my dad's yard for him to enjoy, and we have a new pot of moss roses. We had a trip to the beach, and I get a week of the house to myself while BA hies off to visit Sean Michael in Canada. (I didn't get to go this time because our boarder for the dogs is going to the beach, lol) Still, I have to admit that when BA goes out of town I get to eat really bad food. Like wheaty pizza. I just have to eat it outside or at the restaurant. I generally treat myself to one pizza and one hamburger with a wheat bun. Then I bitch about my skin breaking out and my joints aching... Cackles. Today I get to play with chalkboard paint and curtain rods! Woot I'll look at updating y'all on the writing in the next couple of days hugs Julia

Trying to get back to normal

been a long month or two. Dad got diagnosed with lung cancer. My partner's uncle died, and we had to go to Boston as the jumping off point for the funeral. Let me tell you, folks, Boston during the marathon weekend is whoa. Very crowded, very expensive and a little scary, traffic-wise. Still, from a writer's POV, the whole setting up for the marathon infrastructure was neat, and now I know how and where to sign up for the Boston Marathon should I ever decide to write on it. I'm running on fumes, but pretty darned happy with the house and garden. BA and I have been working on it pretty hard, and it's looking great. I love getting my hands dirty and actually getting stuff accomplished. We've hung shelves and built herb tables. We've drilled and hammered and dug. It's awesome. Now I have gluten free Grissini and cheese and I'm about to settle in for some writing time have y'all seen my free read from Changeling? http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-changelingencountersomethingsweet-638223-180.html it's free!

check me out on TRS!

Hey y'all

I have a blog post about Po Boys over at the The Rainbow Studio blog

http://therainbowstudio.blogspot.com/

accidents, new stories, and trying to get back on track

I keep trying to update here and I'm having a rough time

Back in mid-February BA and I were rear-ended pretty hard, our car totaled, and both of us shaken up and bruised badly. It's taken ages to get back into life. I also had a lot of business deadlines to hit, which I was late on

So! Now I am catching up. Yay! \O/

I have a new Sip out called Doggie Style

This is no reprint, y'all. This is brand new! Hooray

Ray is a designer who does small dog fashion. He's also a closeted werewolf. When his adopted sister Allie brings him a giant rescue dog, he's less than thrilled. Then again, so is the dog. Can Ray learn to embrace a more doggie style of life?

Go here and get it!

what people don't want to know about writing for a living

top five, maybe? I love tip lists, and we had this talk in a chat the other night

what are the top five things, in my experience, that folks don't want to know about what it takes to do writing as a day job?

5- that it's not glamorous - nope. No Misery-like when I finish a book I go to a spa in the Rockies and smoke and drink. Just "yay, next book, please"

4- you have to make changes. Oftentimes lots of changes. no one is Mozart, doing first drafts that are perfect. Sometimes it makes us cry. But we do it.

3 - sometime stories don't work. sometimes they get rejected, or you just don't finish them or whatever. Not every idea even gets a start

2 - a lot of really famous authors have more than one pseudonym. no one wants to think a writer can write more than 2 or 3 books a year, so people diversify. Or some folks have different names for different genres. One of my favorite authors is Barbara Mertz, Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels...

1- word count. to make a living an author has to put out a lot of words. Every day. It's a job. Really. Luckily for me, it's the best job in the world.

What I've learned from 12 days of yoga

hey y'all!

I've been doing a 40 day yoga challenge at my local studio

You do 30 classes in 40 days and get entered to win a free class pass.

It's more about starting a habit than getting a class pass, though, and I did class 12 this am. It was an intense but gentle class working on hips and shoulders, and my ribs are sore.

Who ever thinks about the muscles between their ribs?

Anyway, I'm thinking of writing a m/m/f where the girl is a yoga instructor...

been writing like mad

and it seems like I'm not getting anywhere, y'all

I swear, I'm trying ;)

hugs

J

over at the Torquere blog

today

woo!

http://glbtromance.blogspot.com/

stop by and see me

like molasses in winter

my writing, that is. It's been as slow as molasses in winter

when I was a kid, I couldn't imagine why someone would make a food with mole asses. It just seemed like a bad idea.

I pitched a story to an editor at Ellora's Cave, and she invited me to submit a full synopsis. I did that yesterday. Now I nervously bite my nails until she gets back to me. O.O

Been doing a lot of yoga lately, trying to get through whatever blockage I have emotionally in my system. It's not writer's block; I have plenty of ideas. It's work block. I haven't been productive at all, save the pantry reorganization with BA...

How do you get yourself back on track?

whoa busy

working on the finishing touches/edits of a new m/m novelette for Torquere called Loose Snow. Going back to my Colorado roots, this one is about forest rangers AJ and Jack, who don't quite know how to handle relationships and all, and it takes a wall of moving snow to make them realize what they could have...

Also working on finishing up my next release at Changeling Press! It's a m/m/f called Outfoxed, and it's about a wolf, a coyote and a fox shifter who go on a blind date. Woo

Got a few other projects in the works, which I don't want to Jinx, but I promise I'll chat about them soon!

Popping the Cork: A new Short

Hey y'all

Have I mentioned my newest Sip from Torquere?

If I have, I apologize for it, but here I am again!

It's called Popping the Cork, and it's my favorite kind of short, a how did they meet kind of thing. I love to know how couples meet. It's something I almost always ask married and partnered folks I meet. I love it when someone says they met on a blind date or on the subway or in this case, at a wedding.

You can find it here!