GRL hangover

I'm physically back from this year's GRL, but mentally I think I'm still stuck somewhere between dancing with gorgeous (and  mostly naked) eye candy at the eXstasy Books  and  Wilde City Press Juke Joint and the cozy fireplace nook where everyone gathered to warm up and chat. *g*

I'll have a recap of my very first (but certainly not my last!) GRL later, after I've  begged photos off other  people  since I came home and realized  that I didn't take a single one! A good sign, I suppose. Usually I have tons of photos, but I was having too much fun to even think about it last week.

I'll  also have some updates about books that  are  coming out soon, including a cover reveal for what may be my favorite cover yet. Stay tuned!

All in a Day's Work is available for pre-order!

I've never organized an anthology before, but I will definitely do it again--it's been amazing  working with the authors involved in All in a Day's Work. In fact, it's been so fun that it hardly felt like work at all, which is why I was absolutely floored when the book appeared on Dreamspinner's Coming Soon page.

The editing process is always as painless as possible over at Dreamspinner Press, but this one seemed especially quick and easy. Must be because I did it in fabulous company, right? Hard to believe such an awesome anthology started with a simple Tweet. Behold, the power of social media! *g*

You can pre-order it (in ebook or paperback) now.

The book will be available Sept. 22, just in time for GayRomLit in October! If you order a paperback and will be going  to GRL, you'll have the option of picking it up there if you like. Several of the authors (including me!) will be at GRL, so if you see us stop us and say hi. I'll have some awesome book lights for anyone who buys a paperback of one of my books, this one included!

Cover reveal: All in a Day's Work

Sometimes I think  I should be banned from the internet because it makes me so much less productive. And other times it helps connect me with other writers and things like the All in a Day's Work anthology are born!

Eight short stories about  finding love—or a hot hook-up—at work. All but one are contemporary, with the outlier being a 1930s historical that will give you a new perspective on dance halls. From newlyweds who can't keep their hands off each other in the office to Revolutionary War reenactors who spice up Washington's Army to high society spies engaged in dangerous espionage, no one will suggest that the characters in All in a Day's Work give up their day jobs!

My piece in All in a Day's Work is My  OTP, and yes, that's a nod to fandom. It was a blast to channel all that fandom squee into an original fiction piece!

Troy Casley and Ryder Hamilton cohost a popular myth-debunking reality television show, and their on-air chemistry is a big part of the show's huge fan base. Fans have long suspected there's more between them than just friendship, and most posts on Tumblr about them are accompanied with exclamation points and the tag OTP--One True Pairing.Little do the fans know, but they're on to something. Troy and Ryder have been having a secret affair for months.

But Troy wants more than just a casual relationship with Ryder.  Like their hardcore fans,  he  wants  Ryder  to  be his  OTP.  When Ryder discovers the social media sites where Troy obsessively reads about them, his reaction just might surprise Troy.

The anthology will be available from Dreamspinner Press in  late September, just in time for GayRomLit!

Book three is finished! Party's on!

It's done! The final installment in the Dropping Anchor series has been sent in to my publisher. *big sigh of relief*

Credit: PlentyofColour

I've really enjoyed getting to know Niall and Ethan, Luke and Ian, and now, in the latest book, Frank and Warner. And as much fun as I've had with them, I'm definitely ready to move on and discover a new universe of characters.

This is also the first time since October 2013 that I don't have deadlines I'm working toward. It's both freeing and terrifying! There are probably half a dozen manuscript snippets I've started and put aside over the last nine months because I had to devote my time to the books already scheduled for publication, so now I'm at loose ends trying to decide what do pick up first. I feel like a kid in a candy store--any way I turn there's something exciting waiting for me, and I can't make up my mind!

For today, though, I'm going to focus on some of the mundane things that slip through the cracks when I'm on deadline...like vacuuming. And folding a mountain of laundry.

It's release week for Finding Home, and I'm celebrating by giving away a $20 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate!

Wow, is it just me or is this year just flying by?! It seems like I just finished writing Finding Home a few days ago, but it's actually been almost seven months. (And even more mind-blowing for me: I'm a few days away from finishing the third book in the series!)

Today is release day for Finding Home, and I'm so excited to share Ian's journey from the roguish playboy we met in Island House to the man he is at the end of Finding Home. Don't get me wrong--Ian didn't completely transform his personality. I think we'd all be upset if he wasn't the same snarky, slightly selfish bastard he was when we got to know him. But in Finding Home he matures and finally starts to settle down, and it's so much fun to see how he reacts to domesticity. (Hint: There are quite a few bumps on the way.)

I'm on the Dreamspinner Press blog all day today talking about the book and giving away prizes, so come see me there. If you miss it, don't worry--I'll be touring blogs for the next month talking about Ian and the first man who's ever captured his heart enough to make him want to settle down: Luke Keys.

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BLOG TOUR

June 19: Why I love flawed characters, on J.P. Barnaby

June 23: Writing a series, on Charley Descoteaux

June 25: Living vicariously through my characters, on Tempeste O'Riley

June 27: Writing kids, on Jamie Lynn Miller 

July 7: Character continuity, on Anne Barwell

July 28: Dropping Anchor book 3, on Kim Fielding

July 31: When Pinterest leads us astray, Cup 'o Porn

I'll be guesting with Jana Denardo, Grace Duncan, and CJane Elliott as well!

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Finding Home is available from Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, AllRomance, and other online book vendors.

In the meantime, I'll be giving away a $20 Dreamspinner Press gift certificate to celebrate Finding Home's release. The contest runs from June 23 through June 27, and there are opportunities to enter daily. Good luck!

EDIT: Congrats to Andrea, who won the gift certificate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrating Branded's release with a Dreamspinner Press giveaway!

I've had my head down for a while since I've been so focused on getting the third book in the Dropping Anchor series written (I feel like Dorie... just keep writing/just keep writing/writing, writing wriiiiiiitiiiinnggg), so today's release kind of snuck up on me. Oops!

That's a good thing, though. New releases are always happy things, even when I'm up til 4 a.m. the night of the release frantically writing blog posts for the release day blog party that I also somehow managed to forget about.

I'll be over on the Dreamspinner Press blog all day today talking about the hurt/comfort trope (it's one of my favorites!), the book, and some of the whacked out things I researched on Google so I could make it as accurate as possible. There will be several chances to enter to win a $10 Dreamspinner gift certificate that I'll be drawing a winner for at 9 p.m. EST tonight (June 1), so make sure you come by at least once to enter. (Hint: You can enter on each post today, so come by often and comment a lot for more chances to win!)

Branded is part of the Dreamspinner Press Mended Anthology, which is a collection of 30 different hurt/comfort stories. They're available individually or you can buy the whole set.

Finally back up to speed! (And that speed is slow. But still.)

The view from the comfy chair in my study. Where I
spent a lot of time recovering from that pesky pulled ab.

I know I'd posted that I was good as new and back to writing, but then I had a recovery set-back that quite literally landed me on my ass for two weeks. Who knew you could pull an ab muscle? Or that I even had ab muscles under all this untoned glory? Apparently it's a fairly common complication when patients get back into exercise after a hysterectomy with muscle repair. I've always had a love-hate relationship with running, but when I ended up on the sidewalk throwing up after 2 miles? Yeah, definitely hate-hate.

But I really am all mended now. I took the good advice that a few of you gave me and took it easy, and I'm happy to say that I'm back to running again (but not a 2 mile sprint two months after major abdominal surgery...that was not my brightest idea). So I'm back up to speed, even if that speed is much slower than I'd like it to be.





I spent a few days in April in Portland with a great group of Dreamspinner Press authors at the annual Dreamspinner Press Author's Workshop, and I came home revitalized and ready to get back to writing.

While my progress on training for a half-marathon are slow thanks to my surgery and set-back, my creative muscles are working overtime plugging along at a merry pace on my latest manuscript. I'm settled back into a normal writing routine, which has brought a flurry of productivity both on Playing House (the third in the Dropping Anchor series) and in other areas.

The Barnacle in her
sparkly Anna dress.

Does anyone else have a spike in general creativity when they're writing regularly? When I make the effort to get my butt in the chair and write a certain amount daily I tend to suddenly have urges to start other creative projects. (And not as a procrastination method...in addition to the writing! *g*)

A poorly lit shot of my great
new chevron headboard.

So far I'm 25K into the Playing House manuscript, and I've managed to make my daughter an Anna costume (from Frozen), rescreen a patio door to allow for a nice cross-breeze while I'm writing in my study, build an adorable headboard (from scratch!) for my bedroom, experiment with making my own organic hair styling wax (it's working pretty well) and deodorant (it's not), and make wildflower seed paper with the kids for their teacher cards. (You can plant the paper flowers they made and real flowers will grow. How cool is that?)

Hair wax...in old
Easter eggs, since
I didn't have
containers.

What nonwriting things do you do when your creativity is spiked?