Weirdest things I have written off on taxes

On Twitter, reviewer Joyfully Jay and author Amy Lane were talking about whether or not costumes for cons were tax deductible.

Oh, yes, they are if they were for business. I have written off a ton of bizarre things on my taxes as a writer.

Music lessons.

Consultant fees for a trapeze artist

fused glass-making classes

software for keeping track of word count

corsets, hats, and a very sound of music costume that was meant to be steampunk and ended up more yodeling clothing

mini corn dogs, chip and dip, and redneck wineglases (That was a disaster)

which reminds me, FedEx never got back to us on our claim. Hmm.

Dog training

and that doesn't even begin to cover the things I've bought for gift baskets and giveaways

That's a whole 'nother post

XXOO

Julia

I really need to blog

what about?

Can't sleep. Clowns will eat me

Hi, I'm Julia, and I suffer from hormonal insomnia

I would love to say that I get a lot done when I can't sleep. 2-3 days before the start of my new cycle, I get swollen, crampy, painful, toss and turn insomnia. So I get up. I read Facebook. I watch Sherlock. I try not to wake BA.

I don't get a lot done. I did write a story once about an insomniac who could only sleep on trains. This was not written after a bout of insomnia. It was written after my friends and I all fell asleep on the London tube, missed our stop, ended up at the last stop after the tube stopped running, and had to walk back to a friend's house at like, 2 am

Stratford is a scary place at 2am

not as scary as my hair when I have insomnia nights

Pray for me to sleep, y'all

XXOO

Julia

elemental ops: ice

It's out!

Elemental Ops: Ice has ice elementals, dragons, guardians, and hot sex.

Find it here!

XXOO

Julia

Sunday Snippet - Ice and Keon

Elemental Ops Ice is coming out Friday at Changeling Press

"Ice? Ice, have you seen the hatchling?"

Keon wandered into the bathing room, on;t to stop dead when he got there, a smile spreading over his face. Tatiana, the almost grown dragon girl, lay asleep, her head on the side of the pool, her body floating in the hot water. Ice lay on her back, snoring, while his little blue dragon, Chi, wrapped around his neck. The tiny hatchling slept in the crook of Ice's arm, tail dangling in the water.

His family. God, he was a lucky Guardian. So fucking lucky to have Ice to share his life, after all these years alone.

He stripped off his pants, wading into the water. A bath-nap sounded pretty damned good.

***

I promise to use more prompts from y'all next week!

XXOO

Julia

Valentine's Day is for lovers, not writers

I have to admit, I'm a lucky gal. My girl, BA Tortuga, is perfectly happy on V Day to get a card. Maybe a dark chocolate pavlova, which is dessert tonight.

Fortunate for me, because as a romance writer, Valentine's Day is one of those days we have to start thinking about back in the fall. Are we doing a story for an anthology, are we doing promo, is everyone over V Day? Add to that the fact that Valentine's Day sucked for me for years and years, and I don't love it.

So we make it pretty much another day, and I think a lot of romance authors do the same. Which maybe people don't want to hear, because fantasy is nice.

Grins

I do amuse myself by pondering what my characters would get each other.

Lovers of her Dreams boys and girl, for instance. Tim would get Ry a bone. Ry would get Savannah a scratching post and Ry and Savvy would get together and get Tim a new tattoo.

In my book that's about to come out from Changeling Press, Elemental Ops, Ice would get Keon movies and a player. Keon would make Ice a greasy pizza.

And my Thatcher boys, Jed and Eli, would get dog treats for the pack of mutts they have now.

Happy V Day!

XXOO

Julia

Lady Luck

Hey y'all

Dipping my toes in the self-pub waters. I'm embarrassed because I put up an unedited file first, and had to fix it, but up at Amazon now it Lady Luck.

Check it out here!

F/F, old west, a lady gambler, a lady deputy, and some hot humping

Woo

J

sunday snippet

Nora Gale gave me hot sun and melting Popsicles

"Why are the Popsicles melting out on the deck?" Savannah came in from her jog with Tim, looking like the hot sun hadn't even touched her. She was sweaty, but on her it looked like a glow. Tim looked like a wrung-out dishcloth. A sexy one, but still...

Ryder stretched ad grinned at their lady. "I wanted the crushed ice effect. Better to rub on Tim's skin.

Her smile would light up the whole room. "I like it. He is looking a little hot."

"And bothered," Ry agreed, rolling to his feet and stalking Tim, who had no idea they were about to attack. Poor baby.

"I'll flank him," Savvy murmured. Such a good hunter.

They pounced only moments later, both of them grabbing Tim in personal areas.

The melting Popsicles might just have to wait.

***

Ryder Tim and Savannah can be found in Lovers of her Dreams, here!

Releasing Tomorrow!

My new menage at Ellora's Cave! See it here!

Look at this hottie hot cover

Savannah isn't a fan of magic, so why are a werewolf and a dreamwalker tattooing her in her dreams...

Snippet Sunday

Kiernan Kelly gave me flyswatter, M&Ms and a beaker

"I swear to God, Harve, if you don't stop stinking up the place I will hit you with this flyswatter." Adelia glared at him over her cat-eye glasses, her victory roll hairdo sliding down one cheek thanks to the heat.

Harve chuckled. "I was just seeing if I could melt M&Ms. They appear to be mostly plastic."

"Who gave you a chemistry set?" She sent a mean look at the beaker and bunsen burner set-up he had bubbling merrily away on his desk. "And why would you start a fire when our air conditioner is out?"

"Because he's an asshole." Stone came in, looking edible in the workout shorts and tank top he'd changed into. "If you're going to melt something, make it cheese on a pizza."

"I'll order," Ades murmured. "That way I can have a salad." She stalked off, heels clicking, leaving him with Stone the hottie. Harve grinned. "Like you don't want M&Ms."

Stone grabbed a handful of unmelted chocolate and nodded. "There are lots of things I want."

Oh. He licked his lips, the as yet untapped sexual tension springing up between them like it always did. "Awful hot for that, Boss."

"Mmmhmm. Just think of all the things we can melt."

The phone on Harve's desk rang, which it never did. Damn it all.

"Next time," Stone said, and left him to answer.

Harve turned off the burner just before the beaker cracked. Maybe he needed to just go buy a new air conditioner.

Harve and Stone appear in the Full Moon Dating series at www.torquerebooks.com

XXOO

Julia