Poem Post #6

Sometimes, poetry is most powerful when read outloud by it's author. Today, I am going to share a video from Button Poetry. The poem is titled "21" by Patrick Roche. 

Cross & Crown Giveaway

Let's get started with a list of all the booty. ;) 

1.) A pre-ordered eBook copy of Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux from Riptide Publishing.

2.) Minion themed duct tape - for all your kidnapping and sexy times needs.

3.) Minion Bandaids - for all your wound care needs.

4.) Vinyl Minion doll - just because.

5.) Minion themed recipe cards (not pictured).

6.) Cross & Crown/Nickels themed sticker collection.

7.) "LUCKY" postcards.

8.) Candy/Snack/Beverage combination of your choice.

9.) Anything else I feel like adding at the last minute. ;)

How to enter 

On tumblr: Reblog for one entry. Follow for one entry. Like for one entry. Reblog as many times as you want but it will only count once. Make sure your ask box is open. If it isn't, I'm just going to pick someone new.

On Goodreads: Comment on this thread with your preferred contact info (PM, email, smoke signal, whatever).

On Blogger: Comment on this post with your preferred email address. A follow will get you an extra entry.

THIS MEANS YOU CAN HAVE UP TO SIX ENTRIES FOLKS!

The Details 

I will pick the winner on Friday, May 30, 2014 at 8:00pm CST. I will use random.org to select the winner. The winner will have 24 hours to get back to me, at which point I will select a new winner. 

Good luck!!

Poem Post #5

Today, I am sharing another favorite poem: Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death. It is just so beautifully written. It makes smile, sigh and think of Sally Sparrow (of Doctor Who) saying "sad is happy for deep people."

Because I Could Not Stop For Death (479)
By Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

For only Gossamer, my Gown –

My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –

The Roof was scarcely visible –

The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –

Hump Day Pretty

Gah...it's only halfway through the week. I think I need some hot guys to even be able to contemplate continuing on. I guess I can share with you guys. :D

Tuesday Teaser

Hello All - I finally have a title for my Love's Landscape story!! For some reason I just couldn't settle on one for this story. I am still not 100% pleased with it but I think it will stick.

So without further ado, I give you an excerpt from To The End.

***

"Iryandeth Hirat. That was your full name. I called you Iry for short."

MarShael had sat up as they were talking but at that statement, Deth surged forward and pressed him into the bed again, knife once more at his throat.

"That's a lie. I grew up as a dedicant to the King's Assassins. It is all I have ever known. I am here to kill you because you have betrayed your King."

A look of revulsion flitted quickly across MarShael's face but was quickly pushed aside. Cautiously, as though he realized how close to death he really was, MarShael lifted a hand and placed it against Deth's cheek.

"My name is Akrandsmar Shaelen. You would call me Akr. Mother hated it. So of course I refused to respond to anything else."

Suddenly, a memory flashed through Deth's mind. A small bright room filled with cheerful laughter. A woman, no older than he was now baking bread with two young boys sitting at the table throwing scraps of dough at each other.

His hand shook and the knife was close enough to Akr's throat that blood began to trickle down towards the bed.

"No." Deth whispered. But even he could recognize a losing battle while he was still fighting.

Akr saw the opening. "Iry. Let me show you. Let me help you remember who you are. Let me show you what I'm fighting for."

Deth had almost given in until that last part. He was a King's Assassin, bred to do his will, loyal to the end, beyond question and this man was a traitor. He lifted his arm to slit Ak..no MarShael's throat but at the last minute, diverted the blow. He brought the hilt of his knife down on MarShael's head and knocked him out.

Hump Day Pretty

Happy Wednesday. Here's some pretty to get you through the rest of the week. :D

Poem Post #2

Back when I was in grad school, I took a class on caring during crisis - specifically spiritual distress and how to deal with it when your faith or the faith of someone close to you has been rocked by a traumatic event. The following poems was in one of our texts and I don't think I have ever connected with a poem so dramatically at the time I read it. The idea of this "fact of glass," that there are some things that cannot be changed no matter how many times you bang your head up against them, resonated. It's hard to really say why this poem is so important to me, even all these years later but every time I read it, it rings through me.

Up Against It 
By Eamon Grennan

It’s the way they cannot understand the window

they buzz and buzz against, the bees that take

a wrong turn at my door and end up thus

in a drift at first of almost idle curiosity,

cruising the room until they find themselves

smack up against it and they cannot fathom how

the air has hardened and the world they know

with their eyes keeps out of reach as, stuck there

with all they want just in front of them, they must

fling their bodies against the one unalterable law

of things—this fact of glass—and can only go on

making the sound that tethers their electric

fury to what’s impossible, feeling the sting in it.

Do you have any poems that resonate with you? I'd love to read them! Post in the comments (can be original or not).

Teaser from Love's Landscapes story

I am not sharing a snippet with you yet (I will at some point). Today, I am going to share a creepy little audio file I made of a "nursrey rhyme" from my universe. ;) Unfortunately, I am not sure how to post the audio file over here so I am going link over to my tumblr.

Check it out here. Also, in case you don't remember, this is the picture and prompt I worked from.

Enjoy.

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Roger, who entered over on Goodreads. He has won the six months LT3 serial subscription. If he doesn't respond to my email within 48 hours then I will pick a new winner. Until then, I leave you with some pretty to start out your week with. ;)

Friday First Kiss - Surprise

It's been an eternity since I did a Friday First Kiss. It was just a random coincidence that this little ficlet is ready for posting on a Friday. I hope you enjoy this little dose of sugar before your weekend.

Surprise

I shook my arm as the tingling numbness threatened to spread up towards my chest. I'd never been so nervous in my life. A year ago, I had been a nobody from a nowhere town. Somehow in the last year I had become a teen sensation. That'll happen when you get a recurring guest role on one of the most popular musical high school dramas on television.

But, that wasn't what was making me nervous. It was the boy behind the door I was staring at. It seemed like an innocuous door - standard issue hotel fare with a card swiper and the black painted number in the center of it. But behind that door was Sean. Sean, who I'd known since we'd shared a look and decided peeing in the sandbox in kindergarten was the way to go. Sean, who I'm pretty sure I'd been in love with for the past two years. Sean, who had flown to visit me while I was filming over his spring break. He'd been here for two days already and it was amazing. I hadn't realized how much I had truly missed him.

I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. It opened a mere seconds later – like he had been waiting next to the door. A smile spread across his face like the sun rising over the desert. My heart stuttered as I did my best to return his smile.

I must have done a pretty poor job of it because Sean's smile faltered. He reached a hand out to grab my shoulder and pull me into the room.

"Hey, Bri. What's wrong?"

I had decided honesty was the only way to go with this thing so I picked a spot on the wall and stared at it as I spoke. There was no way I was going to get through this while looking at him.

"Um, so, you know I have to do some filming tomorrow." I offered a small smile and darted my eyes to his face before focusing back on the wall over his shoulder. "You'll be happy to know that all the Stephton shippers will be happy. Stephanie and Barton are sharing their first kiss. But, um, I've never kissed anyone before." I paused.

Sean took that as an indication that I was done. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll do fine."

I shook my head. That wasn't really what I was here to say. It was just the background. "No. I'm not worried about that. I mean, I am, but that's not why I'm here."

Sean looked worried and stepped towards me. He was close enough that I couldn't keep eye contact with the wall anymore. I turned towards him and finally, really looked him in the eyes. They were fierce with something I'd never seen there before. His words were almost a whisper between us. "Then, why are you here?"

I couldn't look away. "I always wanted my first kiss to be special, with someone I cared about – not on television with a colleague."

"Yeah? Anyone in particular?" He leaned in closer and heat bloomed across my skin.

I let my forehead rest against his and threaded my fingers through his hair. It was now or never. "You, Sean. I've always wanted it to be you."

I'd barely finished speaking before he pressed his lips against mine. My chest tightened and goose bumps followed in the wake of his hands as he pulled me closer. I melted into him and he held me tight. It was perfect.

Sean eventually broke the kiss and just held me close. His whisper barely touched air as it traveled to my ear. "God, Brian. I've wanted to do that for so long."

I was stunned and all I could do was whisper back, "Me too."

Much too soon, Sean pulled away. All of the sudden, he looked nervous like he never had in the lead up to our kiss. He ran his hand through his already mussed hair and glanced towards his bag then back at me.

"I've got something of a surprise too." He smiled a bit sheepishly.

I watched curiously as he walked over to his bag, dug around a bit and finally pulled out an envelope. I could feel the nerves rolling off him as he walked over and handed it to me.

I opened it and looked at the paper it had contained.

Dear Mr. Sean Anskar,

We are pleased to accept you for admissions to the University of California, Los Angeles. You have been awarded a full academic scholarship…

I stopped reading as the paper fell from my hands. "But, Sean, you're going to UT. You've always been gonna go to UT – just like your Dad and your uncles and your grandpa."

"Yeah, but," he paused and shrugged his shoulders, "you're here. Even it was going to be just as friends, I couldn't bear the thought of being away from you four years. These past few months have been terrible. I've missed you like nothing else in my life. Besides, Dad kind of figured out that I was in love with you." Sean took a deep breath. "He asked me what you were worth to me and I said everything. So he said he would kick my ass if I didn't do something about. You just beat me to the punch by a bit."

My brain had stuck on the "Dad kind of figured out that I was in love with you" line and happiness burst in my chest like a cold water balloon on a hot day. My cheeks hurt from the smile I couldn't make leave my face.

I pulled him back into my arms. A laugh of pure joy bubbled up from my chest and made it hard to speak but managed, "I love you, too," before I kissed him again.

The Beginning.

Hump Day Pretty

Happy Hump Day to all!!! Here's some pretty to get you through your midweek slump. :D

Updates

Thing the First - My story, Light Perpetual Shines, was accepted by Less Than Three Press and is currently queued to be edited (so it might be awhile until is available...I have no idea how long these things take). You probably know this because of the giveaway but my excitement over it means it has to be Thing the First. :D

Thing the Second - I have not forgotten about True Love's Kiss. I am working on it right now. However, unlike last time, I am not going to post any new chapters until it is completely done. That way, once I start posting again, there will be no more delays. For those of you who have completely forgotten about it (because it has been an eternity since I posted a new chapter) once it is done, I will be publishing it in it's entirity as an eBook - probably through Smashwords. 

Thing the Third - Goodreads' M/M Romance Group's annual prompt story writing event (this year it is called Love's Landscapes) is going on right now. My prompt is pretty awesome and I am having fun with it. You can check out the prompt here. This is the picture that came with the prompt:

I think that's all the updates for now, folks. I've got two more things in queue for the next wee while so be on the lookout. :D

GIVEAWAY!

I have some really exciting news! You remember that story I said I was going to submit to Less Than Three Press' Missed Connections anthology? Well, submit I did. My country music singers stopped talking to me so it ended up being a different story - but it's still awesome. Anyway, it didn't get accepted for the anthology but it did get accepted as individual story! This is very exciting news for me and this story is going to be my first professionally published story.

So, in celebration of my excitement, I'm going to have a giveaway!!! Less Than Three Press has a serial subscription that runs 5-6 stories at a time. It is pretty awesome. I have my subscription paid up for the next two years and Tuesday night is my favorite cause I get to sit down and read new chapters. The stories that are currently running are as follows:

A Suitable Replacement by Megan Derr
The Heart of the Kingdom by Sasha L. Miller
Rocking Hard Vol. 3 by LOTS OF PEOPLE
Fairy Tales by LOTS OF PEOPLE
Paint, Guns, Money and Love by Mell Eight

Click here to read blurbs for all of them. They are all pretty great and when each story is completed you can download it in an eBook format of your choice.

So, to the giveaway - I am giving away SIX MONTHS of serial subscription time. If you don't have a subscription, it can start at any time. If you already have a subscription, it can be tacked on the time you have already paid for.

The winner will be picked via random.org  on April 27, 2014 at 8:00pm CST. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my notification before I pick a different winner.

How to Enter

On Blogger:
Comment on this post. Make sure to include your email address.

On Tumblr:
Reblog for one entry. Only one reblog counts. I'm feeling generous so a like will get you a second entry. MAKE SURE YOUR ASK BOX IS OPEN. If it isn't I am not going to try to track you down. I am just going to pick a new winner.

On Goodreads:
Comment on this thread. Make sure you are set so you can receive a PM or leave your email address.

I think that pretty much covers all my social media (I don't do twitter and I don't think I have logged onto my facebook in like six months...). You are welcome to enter in all three places. This means you can have as many as FOUR entries.

I've a got few more posts queued up for this week with some updates, a little short and some pretty so be on the look out!

Time Travel, Flavored Lube and Going to the Gym, Oh My!!!

Thing the First - Since we last communed on this here blog I have moved my family 2,000 miles across the country into the frozen northern tundra (aka North Dakota) and started a brand new job! It has been a crazy two months but it has been really good too. The hubby, the cat and I love our new apartment and a job that let's us, you know, buy food and pay rent without worrying about bank overdrafts. YAY for being a proper adult.

Thing the Second - This means that everything in my last has sort of been pushed forward by two months - it is still my plan of attack but beginning now instead of two months ago! In the meantime, I did finish an entirely new project that I didn't mention in that post (see thing the third).

Thing the Third - If you are a part of the M/M Romance Group on goodreads.com, you will have heard of the Scavenger Hunt. For those of you who are not, I will give a brief explanation. Each month ten categories were chosen (books with a green cover, book that starts with a "K", book with a doctor as an MC, etc). We had to pick a book for each category. Then, as we were reading those books we had to scavenge for points. There were ten items (eg jock strap, flavored lube), ten locations (eg mansion, gym), ten themes (eg law enforcement, time travel), and ten items to be found on the cover (eg baby, sunglasses). Those items were assigned point values so each book we read had a total point value based on the items found in that book. The team with the most combined points over the course of six months won!

Katie is the fearless leader who kept everything organized and fielded all the nit picky and ridiculous questions concerning what counted for each thing (eg Does a baby dragon on the cover count for the baby on the cover points?). She did all this while pregnant and then with a brand new baby. As a thank you, a bunch of us got together and decided to create a book that hit all FORTY items, locations, themes, and cover items. This is where Hunting Under Covers was born. Over a dozen of us from the scavenger hunt got together to write, beta, edit, design a cover for, and publish this amazing anthology. You can download it for free on goodreads, smashwords, or Divergent Publishing. Contributing authors are Aimee Brissay, Kaje Harper, MYSELF, Shayla Mist, M.E. Sanford, and Jay Vaughn. There is also one round robin story written by many different contributors. I am in the middle of reading the rest of the stories in the anthology but as soon as I am done, I'll be back with details and reviews.

In the interim - here are pics of the two fellows from my contribution (it's story about a Scottish warrior who travels through time in order to save his true love from death), Home.

Angus:

Brian:

If the list of great authors who are in this anthology don't convince you to check it out - then maybe those pics will succeed! ;) Until next time! 

NaNoWriMo

So, many of may have noticed that I have sporadic at best and then mostly silent lately. I have had a lot of trouble finding inspiration and motivation. SO, I have decided to join NaNoWriMo this year. For those you who look at that and go WTF are all those random letters - it stands for the National Novel Writing Month (which is November btw). The goal is to write 50,000 words over the course of a month. Eeeep!  My goals for the month are twofold. First off - Finish True Love's Kiss (OH MY GOODNESS - IT IS TIME ALREADY). I will still parcel it out to you a chapter at a time but it will come on a regular schedule cause it is, you know, already written. But I am not predicting that to take up the full 50,000 words because I already have a good 14,400 words of it written and it is only meant to be novella length by the time it is done. Second off - get started on my next project. I have decided to write something to submit to an actual publisher. One of my very favorite publishers is Less Than Three Press. They are having a submission call for stories about missed connections for an anthology. I have a plot bunny about country singers that was actually inspired by my brief experiment with Music Mondays (hopefully I will get a few more of those in soon - if anyone has songs they want me to use, post in the comments).

So for the tl;dr version - National Novel Writing Month is a thing. I WILL finish True Love's Kiss and I will start my next project which involves country singers and a missed connection. ;)

Thank you for your time and have some pretty for your trouble.