Rainbow Awards

I have squee-worthy news today! Bound by Deception has made it to the third phase of the Rainbow Awards in the historical fiction category! It will now go on to be read by the jury. I'm beyond pleased the book made it this far, and so very proud of Oliver and Vincent! :D

The Rainbow Awards is the brain child of Elisa Rolle. She has a fabulous live journal, so if you aren't already a visitor and are interested in checking it out, here's the link - Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings Elisa's a wonderful supporter of gay fiction and of the GBLT community, and the absolute sweetest person.

Thanks to everyone who voted for the book in phase 1&2. It even picked up a honorable mention in the historical fiction category of the popularity contest (phases 1&2 of the contest).

Just Kiss Him

A little change of pace from my usual man-candy pics. Today it's Pride and Prejudice...Ava style. *G*. For those of you who aren't yet aware, Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite-of-favorite books. I am of the firm belief that Mr. Darcy would have been much happier if he'd chosen Mr. Bingley and not Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy's so stiff and proper, and Bingley's such a happy, carefree fellow. They would be perfect for each other. I can't watch the movie without wishing Bingley would just....kiss Darcy!

The pics above and below are courtesy of Devon Rhodes (she's aware of Darcy/Bingley fascination *g*). The one above is from the UK version (which is my fav movie version of the book) and I love the way Bingley is gazing Darcy. :D It puts such wicked thoughts into my head. LOL.

The below pic is from the 2005 movie, which I dub the 'Kiera Knightley' version. I admit, Bingley was hotter in this one, but Darcy was a tad too brooding. To me, Colin Firth will always be Darcy. Still, it is a nice picture and the actors quite handsome. Plus, their clothes are cooler in this pic. ....sigh. I love Regency-era men's clothing. So beautifully tailored, and so much fun to get off my characters. ;)

Do any of you have a similar 'Just kiss him!' movie or TV show? One where you are certain the heroes would be so much better off with each other.

Current Favorites

I usually go for skin when selecting man-candy pics, but well...how could I resist a man in a wet white dress shirt? *G* Not much exciting going on here. I'm still messing with the darn blurb for From Afar. I'll post it when I finish it and you can judge for yourself if it was worth all the effort. Since I don't have any real news to share, I thought I'd share a list of my current favorites.

Current favorite:

1. Song - Love and Happiness by Al Green, the live version.
   
   
2. TV Show - Top Chef: Las Vegas on Bravo. My idea of cooking involves 'beep-beep-beep-start button', and I've never heard of most of the dishes they make, but damn, the food looks so good. And the Voltaggio brothers...yeah, I can now see the appeal of m/m twincest books. ;)
   
   
3. Movie - National Treasure. Don't laugh. I watch it before bed and within 5 minutes I'm out like a light. Works every time. The movie hasn't left the DVD player in more than a week.

So what are your current favorites?

Ooh - news flash - look what I found on YouTube tonight! I love his white suit, complete with white shoes ;)

Sweater Weather

It's getting to be sweater weather here in the Midwest, so I thought today's picture was appropriate. *g* Not much going on with me. I'm working on the blurb for From Afar. Some authors have a knack for blurbs, but me...it takes a lot of effort to condense a novella into two paragraphs and make it sound interesting enough to entice someone to part with hard earned cash to buy the book. Writing a blurb is right up there with the synopsis on my list of 'dreaded things I must do now that I'm lucky enough to be published'. Covers, now they top the 'Squee, so much fun!' list. They tie with coming up with new ideas for books. Sometimes the muse decides to strike when I'm crunched under a deadline, and that can be frustrating. But even then, I love mulling over a brand new book idea. It's so fresh and new and exciting to come up with new characters, get to know them, and figure out their path to their HEA.

This is a question for all you authors out there (published and yet-to-be published alike). What's your least favorite part of writing? And what is your favorite part of writing?

From Afar

I can finally share details. *g* From Afar has been contracted by Samhain, and will be available in February 2010. It's a m/m paranormal Regency-set erotic romance novella. Paranormal as in vampires. It features a very lonely Georgian-era vampire and a disinherited third son of a duke: Raphael the beautiful voyeur and Aleric the handsome rogue.

It's my first paranormal, and I already have ideas for two others. I started the book over a year and a half ago, then let it sit on the backburner while I turned my attention to Oliver and Vincent and then to Leopold and Arthur. This summer it started bugging me again, so I dusted it off and finished it. And I'm very happy I finished it, for I quite like the book and hope you will, too.

Here's a little blurb. It is little and it does need work. But polishing the blurb is on the to-do list for next week, so this will have to suffice for now -

Content to stay in the shadows and long resigned to have what little he can from afar, Raphael Laurent watches Lord Aleric Vane. But one night doesn’t end like all the others. One night Aleric diverges from his usual route home, forcing Raphael to break the rules, and giving him a chance with the man he never thought he could have.

Cover Preferences

Today's man-candy pic got me thinking about m/m book covers. It's a gorgeous picture (the guy has a perfect body complete with drool worthy abs and a backside that makes me itch to squeeze it), but his head is cropped out of the picture.

Most m/m e-book covers can be divided into two groups - the hot, nekkid man-titty covers (i.e. typically bare chests with the guys' heads cropped out of the image) or covers that include the guys' faces. I love man-titty covers, don't get me wrong. Three of my four released books have them, and I even asked for naked man chest for Object of His Desire's cover. I think historical covers are more difficult for cover artists because there aren't that many images of hot men in period clothing in the more popular online image databases. So when I fill out my cover request forms, I usually give the artist the out and indicate that man titty is fine and dandy with me. Plus, I firmly believe that hotties on a cover do attract a reader's attention to the book, and perhaps some of those readers will buy the book. A cover is, after all, a marketing device. However, the cover artist (April Martinez) for Convincing Arthur surprised me and not only put clothes on my heroes, but also, and more importantly, showed their faces. And that cover has become my favorite of all my books.

So what about you? When it comes to m/m book covers (not my books, but books in general), do you have a preference? Are you in the headless man-titty camp, or do you prefer to look your cover hotties in the eye?

Book News

Yes, it's true! I actually have news today, and it's about a book. Shocker, I know. After a couple months of posts about my mulling over next book ideas, me picking your brains about various topics, and all the man-candy pics, I finally have something interesting to share. Though I can't share all the details yet, but I can tell you that I've been offered a contract for a new book. It should be out sometime in February 2010. And yes, it's the m/m Regency vampire story that I recently completed. As soon as I am able, I promise to share all the yummy details. I'm a horrible tease, aren't I? *G* Sorry, but I'm ridiculously pleased that my vamp boys have a home and just had to share the news.

All Time Favorite Reads

I've got nothing tonight, except this beautiful picture. It rather reminds me of a scene from Convincing Arthur, except the guy's facing the wrong way. You all likely think I'm the laziest author, but I am writing. Promise. I just don't have anything exciting going on right now.

In other news, the lovely and talented Devon Rhodes is officially a published author, so I'm sending out a belated congrats! Her first story, Remarkable Restraint, is now available in the Games in the Dark anthology from Dreamspinner Press. I must admit, I love the cover for the anthology. *G* It's a collection of BDSM-themed m/m stories, so the ropes are quite fitting. And Remarkable Restraint is a wonderful book, for anyone in the mood for some restraint with your sex and angst.

What else? I'm totally looking forward to December 1st, because one of my favorite authors, K.A. Mitchell, has a Regency m/m (SQUEE!!) holiday book coming out over at Samhain. An Improper Holiday. It's her first Regency m/m book, too. I read an excerpt on her LJ a few weeks ago and...ooh, I can't wait for the book to come out. *g* I'm already getting giddy. Yeah, I'm a fangirl, but what can I say? Diving in Deep is one of my all time favorite reads. Its only competition for #1 is My Fair Captain by J.L. Langley. I absolutely love both books.

So speaking of all time favorite reads, if you had to name one and only one, what would it be?