Full Moon Dreaming

Winners and a new release!

2012-03-02T09:32:00.000-06:00

As promised, here are the winners of my Backlist Friday contest. I decided to pick two. Congratulations to Debby and PaParanormal Fan! I'll be getting in touch with you both!

Yesterday, the third installment of my Forbidden series released. Let me tell you a bit about it.

Blurb: Jerico’s wish to be alone with sexy Father Sergio comes true when an unexpected storm traps them in a farm on their journey to Sanctum. Jerico lays his plans for a night of seduction, while Sergio’s assistant, Valencia, is left to explain to a very wealthy and influential man why his son isn’t where he should be.

Things are heating up out on the farm, and they promise to get even hotter…

Excerpt:

“How will you see where you’re going?” Sergio asked. The question was practical, but Jerico was way ahead of the priest.

“Couldn’t you guide me?” Jerico tried to make the request guileless but figured by the look on Sergio’s face that he hadn’t been successful. Oh well.

“Come on, let’s do this.” Sergio took Jerico’s wrist in a strong grip. Jerico practically lit up inside at his touch.

“Let’s go,” he agreed, and followed the priest from the house. He heard Sergio shut the door behind them. Keeping his head down as instructed, he held the blankets tightly against his body. Sergio led him down the steps and across the yard. The rain fell in a steady deluge.

“God’s wrath,” Jerico murmured.

The listing van loomed in the darkness. Head down and eyes focused on the muddy ground, he caught a glimpse of the ruined tires outlined in silhouette when a streak of lightning lit the area. He blessed Mother Nature and the priest’s apparent inability to perform routine vehicle repairs. Jerico had never had that problem. Not like he knew one end of a wrench from the other, or anything else having to do with his car. The James Family employed a mechanic, and when that gentleman asked a few too many questions, Jerico found a mechanic of his own. Hopefully, he’d be back behind the wheel and home before he needed to learn any new skills.

Sergio’s grip was firm and comforting, despite the drizzle that engulfed them. All too soon, they quickly traversed the distance between the house and the barn. One moment they were in the rain, the next they were inside the darkened structure. It smelled suspiciously like wet wood. Jerico sneezed. Sergio released his hand to his disappointment and closed the door.

“Bless you.”

Jerico sneezed again and sniffled. What was that smell? He glanced warily about him, but that didn’t help. The lantern had its limits, one of them being a small range of visibility, but it was better than complete darkness. Noises outside the circle of light startled him so badly he almost ran right back out into the storm. What the hell was in here with them?

As if reading his mind, Sergio supplied the answer. “Their animals.”

“They have animals?”

Sergio’s laughter traveled straight down Jerico’s spine to his cock.

If you want to read more, Unexpected Storm: Forbidden 3 is now available!

Silver Shorts Week 9: Personal Business

2012-03-01T09:59:00.000-06:00

I used the prompt: "Forgotten loves are like..." to write my flash fiction for this week's Silver Shorts flash fiction. To my surprise, it turned out to be the first chapter in what will be my first PI novel. Enjoy! You can download the entire anthology free here.

Personal Business, Chapter 1

Forgotten loves are like time bombs waiting to explode. The trouble is they don't always pick the best of times to detonate.

The idea of a forgotten love, while romantic, is a misnomer. Real love is never forgotten, so by its very nature those that are weren't true love, but infatuation. Or obsession. Or any one of a dozen other nomenclatures. A rose by any other name…

If you truly loved someone, you wouldn't forget. I never forgot Jeremy. Even to this day, I think about him, wonder how he's doing. Is he still married? Does he still pretend to love her? Do they have kids? You don't have to love someone to give them kids, or sleep with them. Any port in a storm, as the sailors like to say.

He made his choice, and it wasn't me. It was her. He denied who he was in order to hide that person. To pretend to fit in so that he could do what society considers normal and proper—i.e., get married and procreate. How ironic, since it's society that prevents guys like us from getting married in the first place, when there's nothing I'd rather do.

Yeah, I admit it. I want to find Mr. Right, settle down, get married and build a future. White picket fence, 2.5 kids, dog, the whole nine yards. Okay, maybe I'd rather have a cat, but that's beside the point. I can't have that because of who and what I am—a gay man in a straight world.

If it were the other way around… If the straights were in the minority and the gays the overwhelming majority, do you think we'd bother to deny them the benefits and joys of marriage because of where they choose to dip their wicks? Hell no, why would we? What goes on in other people's bedrooms is no one's business but theirs. I wish the heteros saw it that way.

Did Jeremy ever love me? Truly love me? He said he did. He swore it with every breath, kiss, hug, caress. Every moment he stole to be with me. With every beat of his heart, every throb of his cock, every earth-shattering climax proclaimed his love and adoration.

And yet, he left me for her. Was it love? Was I so easily forgotten?

Maybe that's part of why I became what I am. Holden Heidegger, private investigator. Delver into secrets and illuminator of lies. The nastier the truth, the harder I work to unearth it.

My father always said that detective work suited me, that I was made to seek out the truth. Even as a kid, I was obsessed with knowing what was real and what wasn't. Not that I think things can't be real even if they aren't. I mean, stuff like Santa Clause or fairy tales. There's a difference between using one's imagination and lying, although I've been told on good authority by some of my writer friends that that's a very thin line indeed.

He was proud of me, my Pop. He knew I was gay shortly after I did, because I told him. He never thought less of me because of it. Said he was proud that I knew myself well enough to be myself. I still miss him, even though he's been gone for seven years. I always will. So do the guys down at the station, the ones he used to work with. They treat me like their kid or something. When I pop in, often doing some routine investigation, they're always helpful, never give me the runaround. And usually the conversation, once it's run its official course, winds up being about my Pop.

Mom I never knew. She was gone before I was aware she'd ever been there. Do I miss her? How can you miss what you didn't know? Pop did, I know, whether he admitted it to me or not, 'cause he didn't. Admit it, that is. But you don't keep photographs of someone you don't think about or care about, just because you hate them. He loved her 'til he died. Did she love him? I couldn't say. If she did, I guess that makes him her forgotten love.

A lot of my clients are women. Most, in fact. They want to check out the men in their lives. Make sure they're on the level. See if they're what they claim to be. So I follow their guys and see what secrets they're keeping from them. Mostly it's two-timing with some other chick. I've taken so many pictures of motels, I could print my own brochure of the best places to stay in the tri-state area. If you're into sleaze, that is. Most guys who cheat on their women don't do it at the Hilton or the Ritz. For one thing, those aren't cheap places. For another, those are charges that might be difficult to explain on one's credit card bill. Places like Bill's Hideaway or Pete's Discreet demand cash and get it. No questions asked.

Sometimes the men that I shadow are thieves, stealing from their employers, or from other people. One guy turned out to be a cat burglar. He told his wife he worked at a security job, but in reality he was doing B&E's in upscale homes on the West side. He might have gotten away with it longer, if someone hadn't turned in an anonymous tip regarding his illicit activities.

C'est la vie.

"Mr. Heidegger?"

I'm kicked back at my desk, resting my feet while I mull over a few things. Like if I need to bring someone else into the business. Not as a partner, more of an employee. I'm getting more and more jobs these days; it might not be a bad idea. But do I trust anyone enough to do it?

The door to the office stays open, naturally. Can't expect clients to deal with a locked door, so naturally they come in at any time, in order to conduct business. That's why I have a secretary, just so people don't walk in on me. Normally she sits in the outer office and handles the walk-ins. I'm guessing she's stepped out for a minute.

I try not to choke on the bottle of root beer I'm guzzling. Pushing back my chair, I plant my feet on the floor, set the bottle on the desk and take a quick swipe at my mouth.

"Yes, ma'am. Holden Heidegger." I rise, wiping my damp hands on my trousers, then hold one out to her. She takes it without reservation.

She's not a bad looking woman. If I were into women. I can see where guys would be attracted to her. She's a little over five feet—maybe five three or so. Dark curls frame a heart-shaped face. Pale complected, like she doesn't get out much. Cupid lips with a light coating of gloss, just enough to produce a shine. She's wearing a dress. You don't see that much in young women nowadays. It's mostly pants and T-shirts. Don't think I'm complaining, 'cause I'm not. I just notice things. And no, I'm not particularly into fashion, one way or another. Still, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress. In my line of work, powers of observation are handy to have.

She's married. A quick glance at her ring finger confirms that. Not surprising. Like I said, many of my clients are women looking to catch their spouses doing something they shouldn't.

"Won't you have a seat, Mrs…?" I wave at the chair on the other side of my desk, and she takes it, crossing stockinged legs, setting her handbag beside her on the seat.

"Call me Pamela, please, Mr. Heidegger."

"Then make it Holden." I offer her a smile, trying to set her at ease. I know it's not an easy decision, digging up dirt on one's mate or potential mate. The lucky ones do it before they tie the knot. Some women need to get their eyes opened first, before they realize there's anything to worry about.

"How can I help you, Pamela? Would you like something to drink? I have some root beer. I can make coffee, if you prefer."

"No thank you, Holden." She leans forward, wringing her hands in her lap, twisting at the wedding band nervously.

"I came… that is, I was told… A friend of mine recommended you. Margie Dunwood. Do you remember her?"

Margie Dunwood. Ah yes, the wife of the financier who was not only spending his evenings diddling an associate on company property, but he had her cooking the books for him and putting some of the profits in his pocket. Ironically, his mistress became my client too, when she suspected he was cheating on her. What a shock it came to her when she found out his wife hadn't died, as he claimed.

I nod. "Yes, I do remember Mrs. Dunwood. How's she doing?" Last seen, she was well on her way to a rather beneficial divorce which promised to yield a great deal of money. Sometimes those pre-nups can work in a woman's favor.

"She's doing better. Found herself someone else who treats her like a queen. Mr. Heid—Holden… I think he's cheating on me. I'd like you to follow him, please, and let me know what you find out. I just want the truth, that's all. Only the truth."

She fumbles with her purse, setting it onto her lap. It's a small red clutch. Doesn't look very practical, unless you don't need to carry a lot of things. She rifles through it, before pulling out a photo, laying it on top of the desk.

"Here he is. I just know he's seeing someone, but I can't ask him about it. I'm afraid to. Can you help me?"

I pick up the photo. This won't be the first or the last time I've gotten one of these. I have a collection of them too. Regular rogues' gallery of cheating hubbies.

Handsome guy. Very nice looking. I frown at the photo, holding it up to catch a better view. Is this someone I've trailed at some time in the past? Maybe he's been married before and I've already done this? Repeat business isn't impossible, not in my line of work. Some people get married the way other people eat candy. It's all in the adrenaline surge that comes from that happy ever after feeling when you tie the knot. Or so I've been told.

"Who's the lucky guy?" I ask, squinting into some damn pretty eyes. And he's got one of those chins, you know the kind. With the dimple in it. Something about those drives me crazy.

"Jeremy Daniels," she says, just as recognition washes over me.

The time bomb has just gone off…

to be continued

I'd love to hear what you think about my PI, about the story - feel free to comment! Tomorrow I'll announce the winner of my Backlist Friday contest! Stay tuned!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Wednesday Briefs: Dallas in Wonderland #15

2012-02-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, it must be time for another bit of flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! This week the prompt was: "I wish I had a nickel for every time..." and then the alternate prompts were:

Machiavelli, rain, nuance or "The first time I saw you, I...." or use a sex toy.

In the next episode of Dallas in Wonderland, after finding himself shrunk to the size of a small boy, Dallas sees a hippie. What's going on there? Read the story and find out! Then check with the other Wednesday Briefers, whose links follow.

Dallas in Wonderland #15

Dallas did a double take. A small wooden boat floated toward him, decorated with bright yellow daisies and pink and purple suns. At first Dallas assumed its strange skipper propelled the vessel by means of an oar, but he held none, neither did Dallas see one dipping into the water. When he glanced where the motor should have been, the back of the boat was devoid of that as well.

“Hello friend!”

Dallas turned his attention back to the hippie. Electric green dreads danced about his head—literally. The locks twined together as if performing a strange mating ritual, before releasing and reforming in new configurations. He was dressed in a yellow and orange tie-dyed T-shirt, and matching bell bottoms. A large glass hookah sat between his legs; connected to a hose he held in one hand. The other contained a bright red object. The closer he drew, the more Dallas stared curiously at it, wondering what it was. By the time he made out the object’s familiar shape, he felt himself blush.

“What is your pleasure?” the hippie asked, turning a smile on Dallas so bright, it was downright dazzling.

“This is the Love Boat, little man, and I can give you anything your heart desires. Just make a wish, and it shall be yours.”

“Who are you?” Dallas blurted out, ignoring the “little man” comment and focusing on the hookah, rather than what some of his single female friends jokingly referred to as their battery operated boyfriend. Not that he was a prude in regard to sex toys or anything, but at the moment, his thoughts were straying too close to Dr. Levi, and looking at the dildo only reminded him how badly he wanted to feel Samuel’s own personal sex toy in his flesh.

The boat bumped against the shore and stopped. Instantly, the hippie hopped up and gracefully leapt onto the ground by Dallas. “I’m Harry Kat. You must be Dallas.” He held out one hand, and Dallas accepted it.

“Wait a minute,” he said, releasing the hand quickly. “How do you know my name?”

“Everyone in Wonderland knows who you are, dude. Everyone.”

Dallas could see now that the hookah actually hung by a leather strap about the hippie’s neck; he carried it like a child. He placed the tip between his lips and inhaled. Pink and blue smoke issued from his ears, forming a small cloud about his head. “What’s your pleasure, little man,” he repeated, sliding the dildo into a back pocket which Dallas could have sworn didn’t exist. But one moment it was in his hand, the next it wasn’t. He proceeded to pull out red and green capsules, which he held out to Dallas, displayed on his palm, along with a little tag that read, “Take me.”

Dallas wasn’t going to necessarily accept that invitation any time soon. On the other hand, he did have one particular wish—to go back to being his own size again. He glanced down at his miniaturized body, then at Harry Kat.

“Can you make me my proper size?”

The hippie grinned. He flipped his hand over and then back; the pills had disappeared. Now a large blue mushroom sat on his palm. Dallas had never seen one in that shade before, certainly not on the Food Network. In fact, he’d thought that, other than blueberries, blue food didn’t exist.

“Here, little man, take this.”

“I can’t,” he protested, “I have nothing—“

“Don’t need nothing,” Harry Kat interrupted. “Don’t think twice, it’s all right.” He held out the mushroom persistently, and Dallas took it, albeit reluctantly.

“What does it do?”

The hippie began to back towards the boat, grinning widely. “One side makes you taller, the other makes you small…”

Perfect, but which was which?

Dallas examined the blue fungus carefully. There was no delineation, one side from the other. They looked identical to him. He flipped it over. Nothing there either, other than the back of the mushroom. He glanced up at Harry. He was sitting in his boat, contentedly inhaling, exhaling purple rivulets into the air.

“Which side is which?” Dallas asked, but the boat was already sliding back into the strawberry water, headed downstream. Dallas followed its course along the riverbank, calling out, “Which side? Which side?” But to no avail. The current must have grown stronger, for the boat picked up speed, and before Dallas knew what had happened, it was just a colorful blur in the distance. The last glimpse he had of the hippie was a hand raised in the air, two fingers split in a peace sign, a final farewell.

What to do, what to do, what to do.

Dallas walked slowly back to where he’d been, hoping perhaps the artists had returned and maybe they could offer him a bit of advice, but alas, the palettes were as lifeless as they were before. And no sign of Samuel either. Damn.

Logically speaking, the odds were fifty-fifty that if he chose a side at random and nibbled at it, it would be the correct side. The question was: did he like those odds?

Not really, but he really disliked being the height he currently was, so what choice did he have?

Reluctantly he brought the mushroom up to his lips, so close that he could see the various shades of blue that colored the surface of the mushroom. The edge was lighter than the rest, but unfortunately there was nothing to give him a sign which part to eat first.

Okay, here goes nothing.

He took a dainty nibble. It was surprisingly moist, and not at all day. And very flavorful. The first bite was sweet, t the second savory. This was tastier than he’d expected. Addictive ,even. Then came a spicy bit, with a touch of citrus…

He stopped eating suddenly and looked about him. Where had these huge green trees come from?

His eyes grew wide. Dammit, those weren’t trees, they were blades of grass!

to be continued

Don't forget to see what the wonderful Wednesday Briefers are up to!

AJ Jarrett m/m

Nephylim m/m

Lily Sawyer m/m

MC Houle m/m

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

A Modern Twist on a classic tale: Jekyll - a Review

2012-02-28T13:49:00.000-06:00

Jekyll
Starring: James Nesbitt, Gina Bellman, Denis Lawson
Director/Studio/Author: Matt Kinsey, Douglas McKinnon/BBC Worldwide/Steven Moffat
American release date: September 18, 2007
Format/Genre/Length: DVD/Horror/360 minutes
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Tom Jackman (James Nesbitt) has a bit of a problem. On the surface, he seems to have everything he could possibly want—a beautiful wife, Claire (Gina Bellman) who adores him and a set of twin sons that he loves to death. But Tom’s problem lies beneath the surface. He’s just discovered that someone else is sharing his personal space, and this someone else is more than just a facet of Tom’s personality, he’s an entity all of his own that happens to also inhabit Tom’s body. And he’s a psychopath.

Synopsis:

Tom leaves his family, for their own protection, but doesn’t offer a reason, and takes a sleazy flat where he installs a chair with a wicked containment system, and a psychiatric nurse, Katherine (Michelle Ryan) to help him keep an eye on things. She helps him keep track of the comings and goings of his alter ego, who is basically an overgrown child as well as devilishly charming. He calls himself Mr. Hyde, after the character in the Robert Louis Stevenson story. Tom sets rules for him, and non-obedience has its consequences, primarily being restrained for long periods of time, which Hyde abhors. He communicates with Hyde by means of a Dictaphone which he always carries with him.

A distraught Claire hires a detective, Miranda, to follow Tom, who reports back that he isn’t having an affair, as she feared. But Miranda doesn’t tell Claire all that she’s found out. Claire confronts Tom, demanding to know what’s going on. He traces the photographs back to Miranda and her pregnant partner, Min. He tells her he knows she’s been following him, he’s seen the big black van. While Miranda admits to her surveillance, she tells him he has other problems—she doesn’t own a big black van.

In searching for the truth, Tom begins to wonder if somehow he is related to Stevenson’s original Dr. Jekyll, and that maybe the story wasn’t the piece of fiction everyone believes it to be. All roads lead to Rome, and what he learns threatens the lives of everyone around him, as a hundred year old plot is uncovered. The lines between good and evil become blurred, and it’s hard to tell which side is which, and which side will emerge victorious.

Commentary:

The entirety of Jekyll is six short episodes, which is a travesty. I could have kept watching for a lot longer, I was so intrigued by the characters. But the BBC, in its infinite wisdom, stopped there, for its own reasons. The series was penned by veteran Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat. Quite the pedigree, eh? Interestingly, when David Tennant announced his departure from that long-running series, apparently James Nesbitt was mentioned as a possible replacement, but he declined the role, saying he could not follow in the footsteps of Tennant and Eccleston. But I digress.

This show will pull you in from the beginning, from the first image of the chair in the flat. It’ll keep you guessing and speculating and trying to keep ahead of what’s going on trying to second-guess the truth. But chances are you’ll still be wrong.

James Nesbitt is brilliant as Tom Jackman/Hyde. He plays both roles to perfection, and at times you forget that they aren’t two different men. They look different, sound different, move differently and act differently. Hyde is a hedonist, an amoral child who does what he wants, when he wants, and has no interest in the consequences. He is also quite charming, and fascinating to watch.

At first, I really didn’t like Tom’s wife Claire, and her poor me I want my husband back brand of sniveling. But as the series progressed, I saw her in a different light, and came to appreciate her as a person. By the end, I saw her as a worthy mate to Tom, and the perfect foil for Mr. Hyde. An interesting side note on the actor who plays Tom’s best friend, Peter Syme – he played a pilot in the Star Wars film, and inspired his nephew to go into acting also, and years later he too played in Star Wars films. The nephew’s name, by the way, was Ewan McGregor.

The acting is superb, the writing quick-witted and fascinating. There is never a dull moment, especially not when Mr. Hyde is around. It’s only six hours long, but it’s a fascinating six hours, and a journey I heartily recommend. In the hierarchy of films that deal with the infamous case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I place this series at the top. If you enjoy this, find the soundtrack to the musical version of Jekyll and Hyde, as sung by Robert Cuccioli. But be warned not to bother with the DVD, for that contains David Hasselhoff in the title role and is to be avoided at all costs because oh my God, he can neither sing nor act. Just saying.

Side note: I find it interesting and sometimes amusing when British actors take on an American accent. I imagine the British feel the same way when Americans attempt theirs.

Of Oscars and Paiche and a new series to watch for

2012-02-27T08:59:00.000-06:00

So last night was the night of nights for those in the film industry, time to pass out the beloved Oscars and see whose performance/talent reigned supreme. Well, in theory, anyway. Actually, what it comes down to in essence is what most any contest of its kind does - popularity. Who can garner the most votes. Which doesn't mean the best person will win, by any means. I couldn't watch the Oscars as I was at a convention meeting last night, although I almost would have rather stayed home, but that's another story. I haven't watched the Oscars for at least several years now, the two basic reasons being they are long, and I have lost any faith in them I might ever have had. Perhaps it began the night that Brokeback Mountain lost out as best picture to Crash. I'm not saying Crash wasn't a good film, because it was. A complicated film. But complicated does not equate to better, and I think that BBM had an intensity and a heart that the other didn't have. I own BBM and would watch it again. I can't say that about Crash. I went to the theater to watch BBM with my good friend Gail. Although I'd already read the short story by Annie Proulx, and I knew what to expect, I still cried. That movie has touched me, and many people, deep down. I know of at least one writing career that was inspired because of it.

And yet it lost. Why? There are probably a number of reasons, but I think the big one was that Hollywood wasn't ready to present its top award to a film celebrating the love between two men. Bottom line. Politics played a part and continues to play a part in how these awards are given out. My favorite actor in all the world was finally nominated for one. That would be, of course, Gary Oldman, for his performance in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He lost out to a newcomer, who had been the favorite. Do I think he deserved to win? Of course I do. Am I prejudiced? Undoubtedly. But it's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it. Am I upset that he didn't win? No, not really. Because when it comes down to it, win or lose, he did an amazing job, and that cannot be taken away from him. The fact that he won't have a gold-plated nude statue to put up on his mantel just means the maid won't have to dust it. Nothing else changes. Certainly not my opinion of or admiration for Gary as an actor, or as a person.

There are many awards out there, most not quite so high profile as the Oscars. Many writing awards. We're bombarded with them all the time. Vote for me, I'm up for ...... (fill in the blank). Some are more well known than others. But they all basically come down to popularity contests. See who can round up the most votes, get their mates together to say that they're the best. That has nothing to do with writing ability at all, and doesn't affect the ultimate truth - how well the writer writes. Neither does sales reflect a writer's worth. Some very fine writers went unappreciated and unlauded until after their deaths. Didn't make them bad writers for it. Doesn't make the winners of these contests better writers.

So what do these contests prove? Heck if I know. All I can figure is they're designed to increased one's profile on the Internet, give the author a reason to crow - for five minutes - and then it's on to the next. So Gary has no reason to be upset that he lost. There are many people who know what a fine and wonderful actor he is. The guy who won isn't necessarily better, but something in his performance struck the voters and they voted. Do I think politics of some kind were involved? That's impossible to say, I've not seen the film involved, though I'd like to. But in years past I know they've played a part, being given to actors who were considered to be at the end of their careers and had never won before, even if they were now winning with a performance that was not as good as the one they should have received one for years ago. I think you also have to consider the loony factor - the mercurial disposition and temperament of many in the Academy - and then just resign yourself that sometimes there just isn't any rhyme or reason for what happens there.

Same with books. There are books out there that are popular and sell well, but when you look at samples of the writing, you have to ask yourself - why? Because taste is subjective, and sometimes shit does float. Enough said about that.

***SPOILERS AHEAD****This morning, I watched Iron Chef America from two battles ago, being a little behind there. Challenger Chef Justin Boggle took on Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. For the secret ingredient, the nimble Chairman went to South America and brought back a prehistoric fish - paiche. Chef Boggle describled it as an alligator without legs. It was huge and damn ugly, and he seemed a bit thrown at first sight. The fish itself did not have a lot of bones, but what it did have were huge, as were the scales. It was interesting to watch the butchering done on the fish at the commencement of the battle.

One interesting thing that the challenger did was to take a cucumber concoction and make dippin dots with it. Luckily, neither chef chose to make ice cream, not sure how well that would have gone over. I try to watch, as the judges evaluate each chef, to see which I think has earned more points with them. I'm usually right, and this week was no exception. I could tell they liked Iron Chef Morimoto better, and the final score reflected that. In fact, Morimoto received his first perfect score in Kitchen Stadium.

I'm excited that this week the new NBC series Awake begins. Awake stars Jason Isaacs, who is probably best known as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, among other things. He was a damn sexy Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and he played opposite Jason Clarke in Showtime's Brotherhood, as well as a lot of damn fine BBC productions. I adore the man, I think he's wonderful and sexy and lots of fun to watch, so you know I'll be watching Awake.

And last night, if you heard my squeal of delight, which I must admit was rather loud, it is because I learned from Sarah that Sweet Genius is returning March 15th and I will once again be able to get my fill of Chef Ron Ben-Israel. Oh happy day!

A few of the shows are on temporary hiatus for varying lengths of time, not sure why. Next time I'll tell you about a series that I just started watching which has already won me over, and I've only watched three episodes. Sadly, I think there are just three left. But I'll save that for later. Tomorrow is Sarah's birthday, gotta see what I can do around the house. And think about making a cake. Oh, I forgot to mention, the name of the series is Jekyll.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Backlist Friday and a new contest!

2012-02-24T09:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday one and all! Today we're having another Backlist Friday, another chance to win something off of my backlist. Got something you've been wanting to read? Now's yours chance! All I ask is that you comment on this post between now and midnight on Sunday, follow my blog, and give me your email address. Simple, eh?

Have at it!

Silver Shorts Week 8: Hearts in Limbo

2012-02-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

This week I used the prompt: "We fell in love..." and came up with my story, Hearts in Limbo. I hope you enjoy it! Don't forget you can download the entire anthology for free at the Silver site. All you need is an account, and those are free too. Enjoy!

Hearts in Limbo

How the hell did we ever get to this point?

We're sitting together in the lawyer's office. Well, together is a misnomer, especially considering the reason why we're here. We're occupying the same space, but that's about all.

Chaz is sitting on the large burgundy leather chair on the other side of the room. Button's in his lap. Button's our only child. And by only child, I mean our champagne Pomeranian, whom we both adore. The fact that he's sitting with Chaz means nothing; our puppy would never choose sides. He loves me just as much as Chaz does. I mean, as much as he loves Chaz. Freudian slip.

"Kent, you're not paying attention."

I jerk my head up at the sound of my name. Chaz's lawyer, D.E. Fenestra. I swear that his initials stand for dirty and evil. He's pure bastard and definitely out for blood.

"We're discussing the beach house in Malibu."

Ah, yes, the beach house. Lots of happy memories there. I've always loved that place. Without replying, I pretend that I'm studying the screen of my iPad, giving them the impression that I'm researching something important and relevant to this current situation, but in actuality, I'm sneaking peeks at pictures I've taken and stored there. Most of Chaz. So sexy. So sweet.

I remember the time we were on the beach in front of the house, playing with Button, and these two hot guys walked up and introduced themselves, and the next thing we knew, we were all back in our bedroom, getting to know one another in a very intimate way.

That was fun.

Does Chaz remember? I dart a glance at him from beneath my carefully curled eyelashes. He's not even looking at me. Damn.

"The beach house, Kent."

That's my lawyer now. Ms. Donatella Donofrio. Man-eater to her friends. Frankly, she scares the pants off of me. Not that that's hard to do. The only reason I retained her is that she's my best friend CeCe's sister. And she's good. But gruff.

"So, are we agreed?" Dirty & Evil continues, twirling his ridiculous moustaches in a Snidely Whiplash sort of way. All right, I made that part up. He has no moustaches. But I swear if he did, he'd be twirling them.

Donatella nudges me, so that means I'm supposed to say something here, but since I haven't really been listening, I don't know what.

"Um, just a minute," I mumble, as I move to the next picture. The beach party we threw last Fourth of July. Chaz buck naked, holding a snake in his hand. Not a real one, of course, don't be silly. One of those cheap ones that you light and they curl and writhe, extruding a faux black snake body. For when the real thing is illegal. Whatever.

He looks so hot, and I've caught him with the most adorable expression on his face. Like a little boy with his finger caught in the cookie jar. Just makes me want to cuddle him forever.

So, why are we here again?

I glance at him, and he's openly staring at me now. They all are. Button yips, his small pink tongue protruding in a happy pant. Little does he know.

His Daddies are getting divorced.

Ugh, I do not feel well at all. My stomach is churning, and I don't think it's because of lunch, which I had with Cece and her sister. Even though Donatella's presence was a little off-putting, the food was delicious. Pad Thai, with satay on the side. I loved it, but now it's sitting heavy inside of me, and I'm afraid if I don't move quickly, something unpleasant is going to occur. Something neither attorney will enjoy.

I stand, placing my hand delicately over my mouth to stem the rising tide. I know that excusing myself would be the polite thing to do, but I'm afraid that if I try to speak, I won't be held accountable for the consequences, so I simply bolt instead.

Now where was that damn bathroom? Oh yeah, right here.

This building has pretensions of glamour, but its biggest claim to fame is that Marilyn Monroe got divorced here. I mean, met her attorney here, who filed her divorce. At least, that's what I've heard. Right now, I don't really care. Faux marble, or the real thing, it's all one to me, as I find an open stall, and lunch comes rushing back.

When I've done all I can, I sit back on my heels, teetering uncertainly before I lose my balance and find myself sprawled flat on my back. Great. I feel even more ridiculous than I did before.

Looking up, I'm startled to find Chaz standing over me. He looks concerned. Maybe he's afraid I've barfed on his cashmere coat, the one I stole just because it still has his scent on it. I know it's too hot to wear it, but so what? I did, anyway.

He reaches for my hand, further surprising me, and pulls me to my feet. His other arm contains Button, who is trying to get to me, but he has a pretty good grip on him, and his struggles are futile.

Now my humiliation is complete. This is not the way I wish to be remembered. Not at all.

Dammit, don't cry, I tell myself, feeling tears prickling the corners of my eyes. Don't do this, don't do this…

Too late, I've done this. I can feel them leaking down one cheek, then the other. I turn away so he can't see any more than he already has. Besides, I'm sure my breath is beastly now, and I need a drink badly. Water, that is.

I charge for the sink and turn the tap, running water into my cupped hands, which I guzzle. Carefully. Well, as carefully as you can guzzle and not be considered a pig. And oh hell, I'm babbling now.

"Kent…"

He's standing behind me, I can feel his shoe bump against mine. Gucci loafers. Nice ones. We have great taste. Except when it comes to men, apparently.

"How did we end up here?" he asks plaintively.

I raise my eyes to the mirror, stare into his reflection. There's that little boy look again. It goes straight to my heart.

"How did we end up here?" I echo, turning so that I can see the real thing. Why does he have to be so handsome? And so adorable? And why do I still have to want him so badly, despite everything?

"We fell in love..."

He holds out his arm, the one that isn't holding our dog, and I curl myself against him, grateful for his warmth, pressing my face against his vest. He smells wonderful. I've missed this.

We stand there for a long while without speaking, our hearts in limbo, along with our lives.

I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Wednesday briefs: Dallas in Wonderland #14

2012-02-22T00:01:00.004-06:00

Happy Hump Day! Here we are again with another edition of Wednesday Briefs! This week's prompt was: "...the trial cannot proceed" and the alternative prompts: lily, dust pan, sugar coated or a close encounter of the (fill in the blank) kind or Parthenon, virile, slander or "The purple-headed monster reared its angry head."

It'll be fun to see what the Briefers did!

My story, Dallas in Wonderland, continues this week after Dr. Samuel Levi has struck again - kissed and run! What next? Find out here, then be sure to check out the flash fiction offerings of the other Wednesday Briefers!

Dallas in Wonderland #14

Grown men don't just shrink, grown men don't just shrink, grown men…

Dallas looked at himself, down at the ground, then back again. Nothing looked different; he didn’t really feel different. He walked up to one of the easels. Placing his hand on top of his head, he moved it toward the canvas, marking his height against it, then surveyed the result critically. No way. He knew he was taller than that. That was about how tall Oz was.

Apparently, grown men do shrink.

Oddly enough, it had only happened after Samuel kissed him. Or was that some sort of ill-timed coincidence? He was feeling small, in more ways than his suddenly reduced stature. Nothing he’d just been through made any sense. This place made no sense. Where was he and how had he gotten here? Why was Samuel here and where had he gone? Why did he randomly drop in and out of Dallas’ life, without any apparent rhyme or reason? Get him all charged up and then leave him frustrated? And why were the trees orange?

He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. What he was thinking was preposterous. Logic told him so. This had more of the quality of a demented… Dallas snapped his fingers. Of course, that was it! Tangerine trees and marmalade skies…” It wasn’t real—it was all a dream; a crazy, albeit surreal dream. Certainly the most realistic dream he’d ever experienced. But in real life, people didn’t suddenly shrink, and neither did artists suddenly puddle into watercolors. Or acrylics. And handsome men didn’t simply appear and disappear without so much as a by your leave.

This was undoubtedly a close encounter of the bizarre kind.

Damn. Why did Samuel have to rev his engine up in that way? He’d never ached for someone so much in his entire life.

Well, if this was a dream, might as well enjoy it, if enjoy was the proper word to use. Maybe experience it?

There seemed little point in waiting about for the artists to re-materialize. He thought he needed something other than this now loose-fitting black coat to wear, although it did satisfy the basic decency requirements. He still felt odd, wearing nothing underneath it, not to mention he was almost swimming in it. Was there a psychological significance to that? Did Samuel make him feel like a child in comparison to his maturity?

Dallas shook his head to clear it. He cinched the belt on the coat, feeling less exposed. He idly eyed the palette at his feet. Bending over, he picked it up, along with the brush, and began to apply random brush strokes against the empty canvas. The lines seemed to come together, resembling a very primitive drawing of a fish. He added an eye for good measure, as well as a smile. No sooner had he finished these touches, then the fish seemed to move. It turned it’s head,regarding him, as if it were a 3-D image, rather than a two dimensional drawing. As Dallas gaped at it, the mouth opened and closed several times. Then, before his startled eyes, the fish popped off the canvas, onto the ground, wriggling through the grass.

But fish can’t do that, his logical mind protested. They need water, they need… Well, damn. He guessed dream fish could do whatever they wanted.

For something without legs, the fish moved rather quickly. He tracked its path, watching it as it beelined toward a river he’d not noticed before, with water the color of ripe strawberries. The fish stood on two fins at the edge, turned back toward Dallas and waved. Did he just hear it say, So long and thanks for… No, he surely didn’t.

Curiously, he turned back to the canvas, almost afraid to paint anything else. He had a very stray, very random thought. If he were to draw Samuel’s picture, would Samuel himself appear? Why not? His dream, his way, right?

He pictured Samuel’s face—so very handsome, so masculine, and so damn kissable. Made him hard just to think about him. He loved his long hair. How badly he wanted to unwind it from its tight plait, splay it across his face, and lose himself behind that auburn veil. He wasn’t sure he had the skills to bring the doctor to life, but he sure as hell was gonna try.

He dipped the brush into the red. Might as well start there. Lips set in concentration, he touched it to the canvas, imagining Samuel in his mind’s eye. But for some reason, what he conceived and what he painted were two different animals entirely. In fact, his painting resembled a pair of red trousers. He scratched his head, looking at it, until it burst out of the canvas, onto the ground at his feet. When he picked it up, he found a small tag attached through one belt loop: Wear me.

Dallas glanced around him. What curious business was this? The material in his hand was soft and warm, as he rubbed it between his fingers. And it looked to be about his size. His new size, that is. What the heck, he could at least try them on, right?

First one leg, then the other. He pulled the pants up, and adjusted the belt, although he didn’t remember drawing one of those, but there it was. It fit as though it were designed for his body. Testing the waters further, he kept painting and soon found himself with a black long-sleeve shirt, matching socks, and black boots. Although fully dressed, he kept the coat, simply because it smelled of Samuel.

Now what?

Following the path the ersatz fish had taken, Dallas neared the red river. On the surface, lilies floated, resembling a painting by Monet, bobbing about on the gentle waves. Hearing a splash, he turned his head. A strange vessel was making its way in his direction.

At the helm, he saw a hippie…

to be continued

Now here are the rest of the Wednesday Briefers - check them out!

Sara York m/m

Elyzabeth VaLey m/f

Scarlett Knight m/f

Nephylim m/m

Eden Connor m/f

MC Houle m/m

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

On Censorship, Justice, and Irony - and sandwiches!

2012-02-21T11:04:00.000-06:00

By now a lot of you know about the escalating PayPal brouhaha. This financial institution has taken upon itself the position of moral arbiter and are strong arming sites such as Bookstrand and others to comply with their fascist demands - or else. I'm blogging on that subject today at my friend Margaret West's blog - if you want join in the fray, go there. I'm going to discuss other things here.

Top Chef Texas is down to the final three, but I've been too disheartened to blog about it since the show before last when two bad things happened - as I feared, Bev was brought back into the competition via the Last Chef Standing showdown. And the chef that was eliminated was Edward. I was so pissed, especially as I felt that Last Chef second chance deal was bogus.Bev was eliminated, she should have stayed that way. But Karma came back last week and bit her in the ass, eliminating her for a second time. Lindsay won the quick fire challenge and was passed into the last show. Then Paul secured a spot, and it came down to Bev and Sarah. Sarah came through, and Bev's gone and she'll stay gone this time. That leaves the final three - Paul, Lindsay, Sarah. I like all three chefs, so I won't be disappointed, no matter who wins, but I think I'm leaning toward Paul as the winner. In the meantime, I'm mourning Edward's loss. He should have been there too.

A brief Vampire Diaries note - the show is off again until March. I don't really care. I'm sick to death of Klaus and his family, and if it weren't for Damon, I wouldn't care if I never saw the show again. Tired of martyr Stefan - yeah, we all knew that he's being a hardass for Elena. Not that I wanted her with Damon, 'cause I don't. But I want to see him happy. Paradox.

Poor Hank! He keeps getting blamed for stuff he didn't even do! Trying to protect Karen's new hubby by claiming the stripper Richard banged as his own girlfriend just didn't work out so well. Now Karen and Becca are mad at him without reason, and he was forced to agree to read the first ten pages of Becca's handsome but no-good boyfriend's screenplay. One good thing - at least Mia isn't in the picture any more. *quickly throws salt over my shoulder* I'm really loving the fifth season, things are always happening, and you gotta love Hank Moody, right?

In other news, the Sandwich King is back! The second season of Jeff Mauro's show premiered Sunday, and this season is already off to a good start. In the first episode, Jeff visited a deli there in Chicago, and showed us how to make grilled cheese two ways - one for children, one for adults, along with a hearty tomato soup, and then he made a meat loaf sandwich. Everything looked delicious! All the recipes can be found at the Food Network site, and I for one intend to grab them. I'm glad Jeff's back. I think he's more self-assured in front of the camera, and I really enjoy this show.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Things are heating up in The Walking Dead, which came back after a brief hiatus. There is growing dissension, and hard decisions are being made. When Herschel disappears, they find they need him for a girl who's gone into shock, so Rick and Glenn track him to the bar in town, where he's tying on one. While there, two men show up, one of whom is Raymond Michael James, late of Terriers and True Blood. The two draw first, and Rick has to shoot them. Unfortunately, they weren't alone, and they end up taking a wounded young man back to the farm. Now they fear to release him because he might give away their location. Shane is more and more unhappy with the way things are going, and Lori suspects he had something to do with Otis' death. Which he did. She tells Rick that Shane is obsessed with her, and is convinced the baby is his, but that she says it's Rick's regardless. That tells me it might be Shane's and she's just not going to deal with the possibility. Their son Carl is growing up far too fast, seen things he should never have seen. When Shane blurts out about the baby in front of him, he asks that if it's a girl, she be named Sophia, after his late friend.

Out of everyone, the character that is developing the most is Glenn. He's come a long way from the innocent young nerd he was at the beginning of the series, and I think there is a definite chance for him and Maggie to forge a lasting a alliance. I really do not like Lori, and the best thing would be if she and Shane ran off, but I don't see that happening, as she's starting to see him as a psycho. It's a really rough world, and I'm not sure things will ever get better, at least not in the foreseeable future.

Alcatraz keeps on delivering, this week's episode involving Johnny McKee, a guy who specialized in poison. In order to learn something about him, Rebecca wants to talk to the prisoner who occupied the cell next to his - Jack Sylvane. When she wants to go to the prison where he's being held, Hauser stalls, and says he'll bring him to her, which he does. There's a lot that she and Diego don't know about what's going on, but I predict someday it'll come out. It's coming closer all the time. For one thing, the fact that Lucy comes from the same time as the prisoners. They know Hauser worked at The Rock then, but not about her, not to mention she looks the same as she did then. Hauser has moved her from the hospital where she was at to the facility where the prisoners are housed. Rebecca is trying to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her grandfather, but Hauser seems determined to keep her from up. Keep up the good work.

All for now, gotta get back to editing and writing. I have an idea for an open call at DSP, but I don't want to jinx it by talking about it!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Great opportunity from Muse it UP

2012-02-20T16:56:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm now an editor at Muse it Up Publishing, and loving it. Recently they've come up with something new, an idea I've never seen before with another publisher. I think this is a great idea and I'm going to promote it here. If you order a print book from them, they'll send you the e-book free so you can start reading right away, while waiting for the print to come. It's a win-win situation!

Check it out here.

I'll be bragging about my Muse authors as they're published. Take a gander around the site, and see what interesting books they have! Make Muse your place to shop for books!

Guest Blogging today at Jana Down's place, and other stuff

2012-02-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

Happy President's Day, to those of you in the US! Being unemployed, holidays don't have quite the same feel. In fact, this one's keeping me from going to the post office as well as the unemployment office! Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

Today I'm visiting at Jana Down's blog, talking about historical crushes. Why don't y'all join me there?

Then mosey on over to Ginger Simpson's blog, 'cause my friend Lorrie Struiff is talking about a monkey named Beggar, who's quite the handful, as well as her upcoming release, A Heap of Trouble. I'm here to tell you it's one heck of a good book. I know, because I had the honor and privilege of editing it. So stop on by and say howdy to Beggar and Lorrie.

What are my President's Day plans?

Started the day by making Snickerdoodle Muffins as a surprise for Sarah. I'm working on a flash fiction for the Bigger Briefs anthology. Have I mentioned that before? It's like an offshoot of the Wednesday Briefs, except the stories run from 2 to 3k, and they're going to be assembled and published by a publisher in the UK. How awesome is that? I'll keep you updated on it as it progresses. Actually, there will be anthologies - one m/m and one m/f. I've already written a story for the m/f, now working on the other. The theme for the first anthology is voyeurism.

I'm also considering an open sub for Dreamspinner, we'll see how that works out. And editing a book for Muse. So quite the full day ahead.

Tomorrow I'll probably discuss stuff like The Walking Dead, Californication, and the return of The Sandwich King. Going to do some writing now! Have a great day!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

DIY is the Better Way to Go

2012-02-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

This morning, I found myself facing a small dilemma. Nothing major as problems go, rather more annoying than anything. The taskbars at the top and bottom of my screen refused to stay in position, no matter what I did. Now I knew that if I asked my daughter Sarah, she'd be able to help me out of my situation, even if she grumbled about it because I'm pretty sure she's told me how to do it before and I'd forgotten. But she was asleep, and I sure as Hell wasn't about to wake her to ask her. I prefer to live, thank you.

So I did the most logical thing - I googled the problem. Found an assortment of answers, some of which were germaine, some not. The most relevant involved locking my taskbar, not auto-hiding it, etc. I tried their suggestions, and still nothing worked. I was getting frustrated, but I didn't give up. I kept looking and looking, and then I noticed a small box which was checked - I think it said exit full screen.

Durp. I unchecked the box and problem solved.

Now, my point wasn't to show you how computer illiterate I am (although sadly true), but to show you the satisfaction of figuring out a problem yourself. I felt like I'd won a victory, albeit a small one, because I'd applied actual logic and perserverance and found a solution. Of course, not everything in life is that easy. But then again, who wants it to be? People who have things that come too easily to them tend not to appreciate them, and take such things for granted.

Money is a great motivator. In its pursuit, we become damn creative at times, doing what we can to keep afloat. If you're born with it, the motivation isn't always there, as is evident if you check out the infamous scions of wealthy people. They're not all bad, of course not, but some of them are just plain wastes of space. They think life consists of pleasures and having fun. Their idea of reality is not real at all.

I get annoyed with some of the people on a particular FB game I play because they're always whining - I need this, give me that, blah blah blah. While I don't mind helping people with extra items if I have them, I think these people are missing the point. Didn't they start playing in order to enjoy playing the game? Looking for the items is part of that play, and if you get everything too fast, then you end up not having anything to play. It's not the destination, folks, it's the journey that counts.

One of my favorite mottos comes from a Chinese gentleman named Lao Tzu: "Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime".

How true, how very true. I'd rather learn how to fish and be able to apply the techniques for myself, then have someone give me a handout. The same holds true for the things you know, that you teach to other people. If you're going to tell someone they're wrong about something, explain why, so they can avoid such an error in the future. I strive to do that with my editing. Of course, I'm not perfect. But I do welcome questions, and if you ask, I'll give you my reason for what I said.

I think some of the biggest problems in my life have come from waiting for someone to do something that I need done. I went without heat for three winters because of promises made by different people, offers of assistance that never came about. The sad thing about being poor is you can't afford certain things, and this was one of them. So we stayed cold. Very cold. But finally, in the third winter, a suggestion from a friend led to getting heat and hooray for warmth, cause it's wonderful! I ended up boosting the process, instead of sitting back and waiting for it to happen. I'm very glad I did.

I think from now on when issues arise, I'll google them and try to find solutions online that I can apply. There is a wealth of information on the Internet, and generally help on any given topic. If you're willing to look, and if you're willing to apply yourself. I may not be a plumber, but by golly, I'll learn some of their tricks to help me fix things. Nothing too major, of course. I'm not stupid enough to think I could wire my house, or put on a roof (that also has to do with a fear of heights).

But I'll never know what I can do unless I try. Although, I'm also wiling to accept help, if offered.

DIY - better than give it to me any day.

And what I learn, I'm more than willing to teach so you can do it yourself too!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 11 Review

2012-02-18T14:52:00.000-06:00

Ouran High School is about to hold its first sports festival! Tamaki and Kyoya are on opposing teams, a highly unusual situation. Which one will prevail? And what effect will it have on their friendship. Kyoya is the strategist, while Tamaki operates on sheer emotion. Will Kyoya over think the situation, or has he pegged his friend perfectly? But what other forces are in play that might have a hand in what is happening?

Hikaru and Kaoru are also on opposite teams, which makes them uncomfortable with keeping secrets from one another. But there’s more to their estrangement then that, if only they could put their finger on what that something is. Or is it someone?

By the time the first half of the festival is over, Tamaki’s Red Team has proven itself to be its own worst enemy, and it seems that the White Team will handily take the day. Is there any way to turn things around?

When it comes down to the relay race, Tamaki and Kyoya make a private wager between themselves—if Tamaki wins, he gets a free year-round use of Kyoya’s kotatsu passport, but if Kyoya emerges triumphant, then Tamaki has to greet customers the following week wearing only a fundoshi.

The Host Club is wearing kilts—all except Tamaki, who’s in his fundoshi and complaining about it (although the customers certainly aren’t). Haruhi buys him a superball to keep him occupied; it works a little too well, leading to the discovery of a mischievous tanuki whose behavior becomes a bit extreme.

The class trip is coming up, and the destination is France. Tamaki doesn’t let on to the others, but he confides in Kyoya that he isn’t going. Meanwhile, the twins are discovering new things about themselves.

In a bonus story, we get a look at Hunny’s brother, Chika as he fights against his attraction to cute cuddly animals.

There’s a lot going on in this volume, and we get some real indepth looks into the characters and their motivations, although Haruhi’s appearances are rather minimal. It’s more about the relationship between Tamaki and Kyoya, and Hikaru and Kaoru. The sports festival stories are enjoyable and fun. In one episode, Ranka and Misuzu and Mei make a brief appearance. I wish there’d been a host club in my high school. How much fun would that have been?

Another great volume of Host Club, can’t wait to see more!

Follow Friday and the Winners of the With Love VDay contest

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday to you all! Before I ask this week's question, I'd like to announce that I chose two winners of the With Love Valentine's Day Blog Hop. Thanks to all who entered, and be sure to come back for Hoppy Easter! And now, drum roll if you please...... the winners are: Norma and Lisa! I will be contacting both of you to choose which book from my backlist you'd like! Congratulations to you both! Now, on to this week's question!

Q: I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What’s the most unique character name you’ve come across?

A: I've seen a lot of unusual names, and I have to agree that Renesmee from Twilight is one of those. Horrible, horrible name. Sookie Stackhouse is unique and memorable, and I like that - especially the way Bill says it. It's hard to define unique, though, because constant usage takes something that was unique and makes it commonplace. Everyone and their brother jumps on the bandwagon and there you go. These days, romance writers are overusing names like Jayden so that you get tired of seeing them. Real people have common names too.

Silver Shorts: Curing His Performance Anxiety

2012-02-16T07:39:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Week Seven of the Silver Shorts Flash Fiction. We were given several prompts to choose from, I chose to use: "You can't judge a book by its cover..." You can download the entire anthology for free here. Enjoy! Also, come back tomorrow when I'll make an announcement concerning my recent Valentine's Blog Hop contest!

Curing His Performance Anxiety

Wade Berdeaux was a fully-loaded pistol, and the quickest way to trip his trigger was to call him a dumb jock.

Just because he was Du Bois High’s starting quarterback, and just because he’d been scouted out by several sports-conscious universities, didn’t make him stupid by any means.

No, his grades alone did that. But God help the man or boy who told him that to his face. Chances were they’d live to regret it rather quickly. Wade was prone to punch first, think things through afterward.

Wade wasn’t stupid, far from it. In fact, he considered himself to be rather intelligent. But there were some kinds of smarts that didn’t show up on standardized tests, and his was one of them. He knew things, he understood the subjects he took. But when it came to putting those facts down on paper, he quickly became mired in his own discombobulation.

Don’t anyone dare say performance anxiety to Wade’s face.

Still, grades were the litmus test which would decide whether or not he’d be able to pursue his dreams. Grades and test scores. To be more specific, the test scores received by the taking of certain college placement tests, aka the ACT and the SAT. Once upon a time, colleges would help their less academically proficient athletes, more concerned with winning games than furthering their players’ education, by enrolling them in throw-away classes which didn’t challenge their intelligence, allowing them to acquire much-coveted sheepskins.

Those days were gone.

Wade was expected to attain a score of at least 25 on the ACT for two major reasons. One being in order to obtain admission to the college of his father’s choosing, the second being to avoid his father’s wrath should he fail to obtain goal number one. His father had made it painfully clear to him that he had to buckle down and study, or the consequences would not be pretty. Jefferson Berdeaux had plans for his son, and no excuse extant would be sufficient should Wade fail live up to his expectations.

His father also had quick fists. Painful fists.

The trouble was, Wade had failed the test already. Twice. He’d studied for it diligently, but when push came to shove and he was faced with the reality of the paper and pencil before him, he froze. He was about to take the damn thing for the third time on Saturday. For that reason, his father had hired a tutor for him. Which in itself was humiliating enough, but to make matters worse, he’d hired the biggest geek in Wade’s class.

Garland Gilburt.

Just thinking about the boy made Wade shudder. The opposite of Wade in every way, he was thin, non-muscular, non-athletic, near-sighted in a distinctly nerdish way, badly dressed, and lacking in every imaginable social skill. What the girls referred to as a pity date, except Wade was pretty sure he’d never found anyone who’d date him. At least not in Wade’s memory.

To add insult to injury, they were studying up in Wade’s room, as if even his father didn’t want to be burdened with the sight of the geek. To lessen the chance of distraction, his father said, hijacking his cellphone for the duration of the study session. Probably afraid one of Wade’s friends might call and distract him. Or, heaven forbid, plot to free him for his academic captivity. Now that couldn’t happen.

The first two nights of studying had not gone well. Garland had basically talked to him the first night, like a broken record, pounding in facts, figures, dates and events ‘til Wade thought he’d puke. The second night, he’d brought sample tests he’d prepared himself, based on the four parts of the ACT. Wade had scored badly on them, of course, choking up at every question.

Tonight was the last night. Now it was do or die. Wade sure as hell didn’t want to die. But he also didn’t see how he was gonna do it, either.

He sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on yet another test, not seeing it. Wishing it would go away. He ran a thick hand through his short brown locks and groaned.

“Can’t we take a break?”

“No, are you kidding?”

Wade swiveled his head to regard the speaker. Garland looked every inch the nerd. He wore a white button down shirt, and dark pants that would have benefited from a belt to cinch them about his slender waist. A bow tie wouldn’t have appeared out of place, Wade thought, but he didn’t voice his opinion. As he watched, the dark-haired boy pushed his glasses further up his long, pale nose, glaring at Wade with piercing blue eyes. Wade fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, stretching cramped muscles.

Garland had been pacing behind him as he wrote, which didn’t help Wade’s situation; he’d been tempted to order him to sit, but thought better of it. He paced across the room in long strides, stopped, pivoted and headed back. He looked at Wade again, sighed, and took a seat on the bed.

“I think I need a new strategy,” Wade heard him mumble to himself.

You think?

“Wade, you need to relax more. Your problem is you let the test frighten you, but you shouldn’t. There’s no reason to be scared of it.”

“That’s what you think.”

“No, that’s what I know. Answering questions shouldn’t be painful.”

“You don’t know my dad,” Wade muttered.

Garland plopped onto Wade’s bed, chewing thoughtfully at his lower lip. A few moments of silence elapsed between them. “C’mere,” he said at last, patting the bed beside him. “And bring one of the tests.”

Wade pushed back from his desk, lumbered to his feet, and lurched across the room. He flopped into the space indicated, giving Garland a wary look even as he handed him the paper. What was this guy up to?

“You’ve got to get over the idea that test are scary, so I’m going to teach you to associate them with something else. Something more pleasurable.”

“What do you mean?” Wade gave him a baffled look.

“What I mean is that I’ll show you that taking tests can be fun.”

Wade snorted. “I don’t think so, ‘cause it’s not.”

“You’ll see. Pavlov 101. Take off your shirt.”

“What? What the hell for?”

Garland gave him a wide-eyed gaze. “To relax you, of course. Your tension’s running all through your muscles. Let me loosen them a little. I know something about massages.”

Wade was pretty sure that no proctor at the ACT site would be willing to go this route, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a reason why not, so he pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor.

Garland quickly kicked off his tennis shoes, then crawled onto the bed, positioning himself behind Wade. The next thing Wade knew, he felt Garland’s hands on his shoulders, rubbing them. His touch was surprisingly nice. For being a boy, that is. And a geek.

“Pick up the paper,” Garland commanded.

Wade obeyed, careful not to move away from the aegis of that soothing touch. “Now what?”

“Read the first question, and then answer it.”

Wade obeyed, giving the first response that came to mind.

“That’s correct,” Garland said, his hands moving down along Wade’s spine, kneading the solid flesh. “Go on.”

Wade answered the next question correctly.

“Good boy,” Garland cooed, his hands curling around Wade’s waist, continuing with his ministrations.

Encouraged, Wade continued to read and answer the test questions. When he didn’t know the answer, or guessed wrong, Garland would withhold his touch. But oh, when he got it right, then he was treated to the soothing hands he was thoroughly coming to enjoy.

They reached the end of the first test, and for the first time since they’d started studying, Wade passed most of the questions. Not a perfect score, but he didn’t really need a perfect score, nor did anyone expect it from him.

“You deserve something special for that.”

Wade turned his head at Garland’s words, wondering what he meant, wondering what that something special might be. He watched as Garland removed his glasses, setting them carefully on the bedside table. His eyes were even bluer without the obstruction of the spectacles. Somehow, up close and personal, he seemed less geeky to Wade too.

Before he could ask, his unspoken question was answered when Garland pressed his mouth against Wade’s and kissed him. Wade’s first instinct was to push him away, even as his brain went what the fuck. But he didn’t. Not right away. And the longer the kiss went on, the harder it got to think about breaking it off. Sure he’d been kissed before, and he’d kissed people back. But this was way different. Especially the part where Garland was a guy and all.

When they finally came up for air, they were both panting.

“You did good, Wade,” Garland praised him. “Let’s go on. With the test, I mean.”

“You mean if I keep doing good like this, I’ll get more of that?” Wade’s eyes widened, his cock involuntarily hardening at the thought.

“That and more,” the brunet assured him. “In fact, why don’t you lose the pants now? Save time?”

Save time for what?

Wade didn’t bother asking stupid questions. He was a horny teenage boy who wanted to pass the ACT more than anything else, and if this is what it took, then who was he to argue? He stood, quickly toeing off his own tennis shoes, before unzipping his jeans, and pulling them down over his muscular legs, followed by his underwear. He left the socks on for good measure.

Garland looked him up and down, nodding his approval. “Very nice,” he commented. “Next question.”

Eagerly, Wade resumed his position on the bed, Garland kneeling behind him, pressed against him. He read out the next few questions, then answered them. For the first correct response, Garland placed his hand over one of Wade’s nipples, brushing over it with the palm. Wade moaned.

He moaned even louder when Garland twisted his body and took that same nipple into his mouth and sucked on it.

And when Garland’s head began to bob up and down in Wade’s lap, sucking with all his might on Wade’s very hard cock, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

He came quickly, without having time to warn Garland of the fact, but the other boy didn’t seem to mind. He lapped it up, like a contented cat with a bowl of cream, gently kissing the head, before he sat up again, taking the test paper back.

“All done, I see,” he commented, to Wade’s disappointment. “I think you’ll do just fine tomorrow, Wade. I think you’ll get at least a 25. Maybe higher.”

“Really?” Some of Wade’s anxiety returned, hovering about the edges. “But how do you know? I mean, you won’t be there, and you won’t be… doing this… So, how do you know?” He couldn’t afford to freeze up, not now. And he sure wasn’t about to ask the proctor to suck his cock in order to relax him.

“Because you have another reward coming when you’re through.” Garland smiled.

“Oh? And just what would that reward be?” Wade stared intently into Garland’s big blue eyes, waiting for his response, his breathing becoming more and more intense.

Garland rose up on his knees, crawling closer to Wade. He placed both of his pale, slight hands on either side of Wade’s face, and pulled him in for a long, hard kiss, one that left them both breathless. Placing his lips against Wade’s ear, he whispered, “Because after the test, if you do good, I’m going to fuck your brains out.”

Wade’s body shivered, frissons of anticipation skirling through every nerve ending he possessed. “I’ll do real good on the test,” he promised, his whole opinion of and attitude toward Garland Gilburt having just done a complete backflip. From nerd to sex buddy.

Whodathinkit? Just went to show, you sure couldn’t judge a book by its cover…

Wade was gonna pass that test, or else. And then… and then… Oh, then…

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to get the entire anthology for free at the Silver Site and see what the other authors have done!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Wednesday Briefs; Dallas in Wonderland #13

2012-02-15T00:01:00.004-06:00

Happy post Valentine's Day! Hope everyone had a wonderful day of love! It's time for some more of your favorite flash fiction, aka the Wednesday Briefs. Here are this week's prompts: I have no self-control where (blank) is concerned. The alternate prompts are: use any type of Australian animal or lollygag, job, psychosis or

Pringles, Asia, guava or use a haunted house.

In this week's episode of Dallas in Wonderland, things get really strange. Like they weren't before, right? Well, seeing is believing, although Dallas is seeing and not sure he's believing. See what's up, then be sure to visit all the other Wednesday Briefers. Their links follow my story. We're welcoming a Flash Virgin this week - M.C. Houle!

Dallas in Wonderland #13

As Dallas fluttered back to consciousness, the first thing he became aware of was a great deal of warmth beating against his eyelids, trying to force them open.

He gapped first one eye, and then the other. Damn, that was bright. Quickly he threw up a protective arm against the overly bright glare from the…

…the sun?

He sat up abruptly, instantly regretting that he’d done so. His head throbbed, conga drum painfully. He threw his hands to either side of him for balance, his fingers digging into the thick grass.

What the hell? Where was he? And why? And where was Samuel?

Think think, think , he exhorted himself. What was the last thing he remembered?

The ache in his cock reminded him. He’d been dancing with Samuel. In one of the university houses. He was house sitting there or something. He remembered the heart-stopping kisses, taking his clothes off—with Samuel’s assistance— and spinning… Yes, Samuel had asked him to spin, so he had, receiving his approbation. Admiration. Confabulation. Spinning, and spinning…

Eyes. He remembered seeing the eyes behind Samuel. Gleaming… dangerous… terrible eyes. Watch out, Samuel. But he couldn’t get the words out, no matter how he tried. Then nothing but darkness.

So where was he now?

“Quit moving.”

Dallas jerked his head in surprise. Who was there?

“Models are not meant to move, they are meant to sit quietly and look pretty and allow us to get on with it.” The voice sounded exasperated, as well as critical, but why? Who was he speaking to?

“Allow him to stretch his muscles, and do not be so critical.” Another voice. This second voice sounded familiar. Very familiar. Achingly familiar.

“Harrumph.” That was the first voice, the grumpy one, apparently subsiding into some sort of acquiescence.

Samuel!

Dallas twisted himself, searching for the source of that second voice. As he did, he became aware of a few things… first among those the fact that he was completely naked, and very… hard.

He lay on the ground in the middle of a group of people, maybe half a dozen or so, both men and women. Each stood before an easel. Each wore a floppy green beret and a paint-smeared blue smock. Palettes in hand, they eyed him critically, looking between him and the canvas before them, assiduously touching their brushes to the medium and judging the result.

Standing behind them in a long black coat was Samuel. Blue-tinted spectacles with small octagonal lenses hid his eyes from Dallas’ view.

“Bellissimo!” he commented, his words not directed at any of the artist,s but rather toward Dallas himself. Dallas shivered, but not with cold.

Collecting himself, he threw his hands awkwardly over his crotch, shielding it from view.

“Be a love and move that, will you dear? I hadn’t quite got that part done.” The speaker was a middle-aged woman with dark curly hair, and overly applied lipstick. “Come on now, not like we haven’t all seen what you’ve got. Give us some cooperation, will you? No time for lollygagging, we’ve a job to do, don’t we?”

Dallas blinked. Did they?

“Let’s take a break, shall we?” Samuel suggested.

He clapped his hands, and suddenly the artists soundlessly froze in place. As Dallas watched in horrified fascination, each one began to melt, from the top down, coalescing into a liquid rainbow, each artist puddling onto his or her palette.

And then they were alone.

Dallas blinked up at Samuel , who stood above him. When had he moved? The doctor reached down, offering his hand, and Dallas grasped it. An electrical surge poured through Samuel’s hand into his as he was helped to his feet. Removing the black coat, Samuel offered it to Dallas. He accepted it, shrugging into it. It fit snugly; he felt like he’d just been given the quarterback’s sweater.

“Samuel…” Dallas didn’t know where to begin, too many questions crowded his brain. Before he could ask any of them, he felt the now familiar lips claim his, and he warmed at his touch. Mmmm, he felt so good. So very good.

Dallas thought he could kiss Samuel Levi forever and a day. Anytime, anywhere. He wanted to feel the other man inside him, so badly. He’d never wanted another man the way he wanted Samuel. He slid his arms about the doctor’s neck, straining to reach him, standing on tip toe to do so. Even with that, he couldn’t quite reach him…

How odd. Since when had there been such a different between their heights? In fact, he could have sworn that he was maybe a smidge taller than the doctor?

His head was spinning again. Opening his eyes, he felt himself swimming in the long, dark coat. It hadn’t seemed so loose a moment ago. And the hands which he’d felt Samuel place on his ass were not simply caressing, they seemed to be holding him up, so that their lips continued to connect. A frightened Dallas pulled back, and looked down toward the ground—it seemed so far away. And he felt as though he were shrinking, although that stopped the moment he stopped…

Samuel smiled at him, before claiming his lips again. So good, so good… stop, no, stop, don’t… stop…

He wrenched out of Samuel’s grasp, thumping onto the ground. To his dismay, he seemed to be about the size of a small boy. Oz’s size. How? Why? His confusion was only multiplying, along with his terror.

Samuel pulled a large pocket watch from his pocket, pulling down the blue-tinted glasses, before turning his topaz eyes toward Dallas.

“Oh dear, it appears my time management skills are somewhat lacking today. I’m late. I must leave you, dear boy, but we shall meet again, never fear. ” He snapped his fingers above his head, changing into a suit so white it was almost silver, matching waistcoat and jacket, and form-fitting pants.

“Ta ta for now.” And then he was gone.

What psychosis was this?

to be continued

Check out the other Wednesday Briefers, see what fun they're up to!

Elyzabeth VaLey m/f

Sara York m/m

Nephylim m/m

Scarlett Knight m/f

Victoria Blisse m/f

MC Houle m/m **FLASH VIRGIN**

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest Blogger Cynthia Arsuaga

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I am privileged to have author Cynthia Arsuaga as my guest. She has also answered the same Rick Reed questions. Let's see what she had to say. Also, she's talking about her February hot and romantic releases. Why don't you all get comfortable? I think I'm going to make us some cappucino. Go ahead, Cynthia.

The Questions - Cynthia Arsuaga

1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Well, let’s see. Hubby, of course! And since he’d probably pick one thing, like matches, I’ll say a weapon, a sharp knife. With that we can protect ourselves and use to cut vegetation, fish, etc. to eat.

2) Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

Wow! A tough one. I love musicals, but is there one that best describes my life? If I had to choose, I’d say Damn Yankees and the part of Lola. She’s misunderstood. Deep down she’s good, but when she wants to be bad, she is.

3) Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: block, hardback, like

The chip resting on his shoulder begged for someone to knock it off. His arrogant attitude made that chip seem more like a large block and no one in the room had the balls to challenge him. Then a young man of slight build approached the sonofabitch ruining the study time at the library and coldcocked the brute with the closest thing he could find—a beautiful leather-bound hardback copy of Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary.

4) You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

OMG! Julie! I think I’ll plead the fifth. Hubby could be reading this.

What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

Depends on the time we have. If it is one night, probably dinner and talking. If we have time to get away, then to a romantic place like a Greek Isle or Caribbean Island, someplace warm and indulge in a few spa sessions, sight-seeing, eating decadent foods.

When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

Most of the time a mini-plot expanded from an idea. From there I see the characters and then build on the idea. The first plot idea usually changes as I write. I don’t use an outline. The characters guide me.

If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Well, hubby always says I remind him of Katherine Hepburn, but since she’s no longer with us, I’d say maybe Jennifer Garner.

8) Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I don’t know horror, don’t watch or read, so I’d have no idea how to answer this.

9) Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

A crush, depends upon what you mean by crush? Man or woman? A man that I’d like to meet perhaps, not necessarily have a crush on would be Alexander the Great. I’m doing research now for a story and the man was fascinating considering what he accomplished in such a short lifetime. A woman I’d like to meet would be Cleopatra. I love Egyptian history and she was a dynamic woman. I admire her strength, intelligence and cunning abilities.

10 Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

A story with reincarnation elements, historical elements mixed in the contemporary setting.

FOUR WOMEN, FOUR FANTASIES, ONE NIGHT

Come on an erotic ride in a 1976 Bubble Gum Pink Cadillac Fleetwood limousine to a mysterious nightclub where the VIP package fulfills the fantasies of four women. Mistress Claudine, the owner and hostess at Nightfall, invites each woman in for her choice of pleasure. Beware, no fantasy is beyond reach once night falls.

CASSIDY’S FANTASY

Accompany Cassidy Morgan as she discovers how one night with a dark and deliciously dangerous man satisfies the craving to be claimed—to experience and learn the meaning of belonging to a vampire.

With the scene over, Cassidy feels disappointment that the time ended. As the night falls into morning, a new man walks into her life. In the end, will she get more than she paid for?

Tagline: Four Women, Four Fantasies. The Night Falls for One.

BLURB LOST IN THE SEA OF YOU

Part of the Valentine’s Anthology – Five Hearts from Secret Cravings Publishing

He found the boat in late afternoon, on a February day as cold and dry as it gets in Maine. That’s how the adventure began for Mikael Larson, ex-Army, relatively new sheriff and unattached man in a small town. Starting uneventfully at home, by the time he walked into the station, the day turned weird on the way to unexplainable and a lifetime of love satisfied in death.

INFO ON THE FREE GIFT:
Get the Five Hearts Valentine's Anthology absolutely free with your paid subscription to the Cravings Club between now and 2/14/12! This book is not available for sale to the general public. It's our free gift to you!
Cravings Club

We invite you to become a Charter Member of the Cravings eBook Club and receive Taming The Cougar* by Sandy Sullivan and Hunting Jaguar** by D. McEntire absolutely FREE! As a club member, you’ll receive 4 BRAND-NEW EBOOKS, specially selected by our Editorial Director, every month for a total price of only $9.99 for all 4. This comes out to barely $2.50 per book, much less than the retail price and you’ll be able to enjoy your books even before they hit Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

*Taming the Cougar, a western, erotic romance:
Marla isn't looking for love or anything else from a man. Can Marla put aside her distrust of men for a younger man? Can Chris convince her he's not like other guys?

**Hunting Jaguar, paranormal erotic romance:
Rachel Hayes' Father set out to prove the existence of the Miloni temple and the Jaguar people. Tumi is a descendant of the Miloni race and is sworn to protect their secret with his life. Will he be forced to uphold his vow at the cost of his heart and Rachel's life?

As a club member, you will also receive:
1. Our monthly newsletter
2. Sneak previews of new books
3. Exclusive interviews with your favorite authors
4 Special offers not available to the general public

You will be charged, automatically, through PayPal, only $9.99 every month. Your books will be shipped within one day after PayPal payment has cleared. You may cancel at any time by clicking on the “unsubscribe” button located on the Cravings Club tab at the bottom of our website and keep the FREE BOOKS as our gift.

BLURB A VAMPIRE IN PARIS

The attraction is instant, but their new found love is tested on the journey to love eternal.
For over two hundred years, London-based security and private investigator, Ramsey Weiss has existed as the quintessential confirmed bachelor. New Years’ Day he is dispatched to Paris, France, to rescue an abducted cosmetics company heiress. In the melee, he butts heads with an unexpected woman.
Camille du Bassin is the head chemist at Institut de Beauté Biologique and her niece has been kidnapped. She teams up with a private security investigator with special skills hired by her brother. The two unlikely pair work together playing a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse not only with each other, but battle an evil ancient vampire determined to take Camille as his consort. Somewhere along the journey, Camille and Ramsey are surprised by the physical attraction that develops between them, denying the attraction.

Just when the two lovers' think their love can be forever...Fate steps in to challenge the power of their love.

Speaking of hubby, I see him now. I hope you two have a wonderful Valentine's Day. Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia, it's been a pleasure.

What does Valentine's Day mean to you? Have plans? Going in or staying out? We'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest blogger Raine Delight

2012-02-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome if you will author Raine Delight! She's bravely answered my infamous Rick Reed questions. Plus she's going to add to the Valentine's Day spirit with a little Red Hot Magic - Devon Falls style. So sit back and relax while she and I make ourselves comfortable on the beach and summon a handsome waiter to do our bidding. In the meantime, go ahead and answer the questions, Raine.

The Questions

1) 1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

RD: Oh man I can’t have two??? *begs prettily then pouts* Well if I can’t have two then I guess Johnny Depp or Gerard Butler would be my choices. Have to flip a coin to see which one though. *grins*

What I would have…my toy box. *winks* Hey I never said it was empty. :-:P

2) 2) Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

RD: Oh sweet god….*thinks a minute* maybe Phantom of the Opera….and I want to be Christine and NOT pick the good guy Comte….I would go for the Phantom…especially if it’s Gerard Butler like in the Movie. :-P

3) 3) Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: oxygen, organized, damage

RDR: Dante looked around as the spaceship jerked and the noises of explosions reached his ears. Checking his oxygen levels, he tried to get a sense of the damage the space pirates did to his ship, The Lucky Lady. Shaking his head, he got his thoughts organized and went to work.

4) 4)You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

RD: Oh sweet bejesus….talk about a proverbial gourmet buffet here. *thinks* Well for an appetizer I would take Diana Galbadon’s Jamie from her Outlander series. Something about him just steals my heart….the Scottish accent helps as well. *grins* Then for main course….maybe a little Masters of Shadowland men…maybe Master Z and Master Cullen. Something about those Shadowlands men that leave me all hot and bothered. *fans face*

5) 5)What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

RD: I love going to dinner and maybe a movie, bowling or off to the arcade to play video games. *nods head* Yes I know not very romantic but it’s what we like.

6) 6)When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

RD: Actually I get snippets really of a story or I get a character just talking away in my head. Drives me nuts because then I have to figure out the beginning/middle/end part but I love it.

7) 7)If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

RD: *blinks and then claps hands* Really? Hollywood finally saw the box office appeal of my life. Ok now I have to think on this one…..maybe Drew Barrymore since I can be a bit quirky. J

8) 8)Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

RD: *shudders* oh no...no horror for me. I get nightmares on top of nightmares. LOL

9) 9) Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

RD: *thinks* Um…..nope, not that I am aware of.

10 10) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

RD: *grins* Not really…..though that may change. LOL

Now, let's get into the holiday spirit! Tell us a little something about Red Hot Magic.

Get in the Valentine's spirit with a little RED HOT MAGIC (Devon Falls 2)

Red Hot Magic
Devon Falls 2
Paranormal/Light Bondage/Contemporary
Secret Cravings Publishing
Buy link: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=125
Book Trailer link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLZcr8ubIr8

Raven Demarco has sworn off men after one too many disastrous dates and soon begins dreaming of a mystery man who makes her feel things that she never expects to feel again. When the auction comes closer, her sensual dreams become more than she can handle and she finds herself wishing her dream man would show up and sweep her off her feet. What will she do when the man himself comes to claim her: Heart, body and soul?

Jean-Claude LeFever is a dream walker and has searched for years for his mate and finally found her in Raven. With his seduction of her in her dreams driving them wild, he makes sure to come to Devon Falls and make her his for all time as time is running out for him and their love. If she doesn’t fall in love with him by midnight, Jean-Claude is destined to walk the planes of dreams for the next hundred years before finding his love again. Can he be able to steal her heart and make her his for all time? Or will it be too late for them?

adult excerpt:

Soon it was time for the man of the hour. It seemed the energy in the room went up a hundredfold. The women looked as if they eagerly awaited a rock star.

Raven saw from the corner of her eye, Jenna smiling at Marc craftily. They were up to something, but what was beyond her grasp at the moment. Raven turned her full attention to the stage where the most magnificent man walked amid the catcalls and cheers, so supremely handsome that he took her breath away.

That chiseled face and those bright eyes…the rock-hard body in a tux tailored to look as if made just for him…the way he walked… sex on legs, all hot and molten.

God, when he turned around, the room went in a tizzy with screams. Man, did he have a nice, tight ass. Raven almost came right then and there when she thought about how her hands would feel holding on to those cheeks. It was a perfect ass in her opinion—perfect to grab, wrap her legs around, and never let go of.

The bidding started with a furious passion, and soon it soared over a thousand dollars.

“Go ahead, honey, bid on the man!” Jenna encouraged as she practically climbed out of her seat with excitement. “The dog is so cute, with its scrunched face. The colors are amazing on the Boxer. I know how you like that breed.”

Raven blinked. The man looked right at her from the end of the runway. Gulping quickly, she raised her paddle to bid twelve hundred dollars on him.

Before she knew it, she was in a bidding war with Hailey Meredith.

“Two thousand,” Raven called out.

The crowd roared as each bid went up even more.

“Two thousand five hundred!” Hailey’s voice called out.

Raven gulped and bid the last amount she knew she could afford and prayed as hard as she could, never taking her eyes off this man. “Three thousand dollars!”

The crowd groaned as no one bid again. As the gavel went down once…twice…three times, Raven almost fell off her chair in shock. The gavel rang down as sold…to her!

Stunned disbelief raced across her face as Jean-Claude came down the stairs, with Jeb. He looked at her and smiled a slow, sexy grin all too familiar…yet he was still a stranger.

Oh my god! I just won that sex god!

Raine’s Bio:

Raine Delight loves to be pampered by her harem of men that exist solely for her pleasure. Wait…..that was in a movie she saw. Hey, she can dream. J Raine loves to fight with her muse, attack her manuscripts and find a way to silence the many voices in her head. Inspiration hits at odd times and for Raine, a blank word document page gives her many possibilities on story ideas. Living with her two kids, a significant other who supports her every move in writing and doesn’t seem to mind she gets up at 2 am to type away on the computer. With a love for Johnny Depp, movies and 80’s hair bands, Raine finds a way to bring all her chaotic thoughts into a story that tells her readers about love and romance.

Raine Delight is a pseudonym of a self-professed book lover and after one too many TSTL characters, decided to see if she could write something a little better. Well many drafts later, Devon Falls series came together. Check out my book pages to see what is going on with me. My muse is a male nut who likes to leave me to go sip mai tais on the beach and leave me foundering for words; though eventually he takes pity on me and gets my words flowing and characters start settling down.

Personal notes: I live with my own boytoy and two kids. I love Johnny Depp movies and enjoy hiking, reading and watching movies with my family.

My links:

Website: http://authorrainedelight.com

Raine’s Blog: http://authorrainedelight.wordpress.com

Author/Reader Loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Author_Raine_Delight

Email me: rainedelight@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorRaine-Delight

Secret Cravings Publishing: www.secretcravingspublishing.com

Haunting Magic book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8G5qDzyllY

Red Hot Magic Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLZcr8ubIr8

Have any questions for Raine? Any comments? She'd love to hear them. Just post them here, she'll get to them, in between flirting with the cute guys and drinking!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

With Love Valentine Blog Hop

2012-02-11T08:02:00.000-06:00

Valentine's day is coming soon, a day traditionally associated with chocolate and hearts and, most of all, love! Now let's fill it with something more - we're having a blog hop to celebrate this day of love, and over 150 authors are participating. Go to their blogs, they're each running a contest, with prizes that run the gamut from books to GC to more. You'll be able to find the list of participating authors here

These contests run from today through midnight on February 14th. Here's my contest. All you have to do is comment and leave an email address. If you'd like to follow my blog too, that would be great. Let me tell you a little about me. I've been writing for many years, and most of my published works are in the m/m romance genre, although I have a book in the m/f under the name Reinette. I forgot to mention - the prize I am offering is anything from my backlist. Let me show you a couple of my covers.

This is Max, my gay werewolf. For Love of Max is his story, sequel to To the Max. He's a forty-something guy, in a long term relationship with the love of his life, Richard. He has his family and friends and tries to lead a peaceful existence. But things just seem to happen.

Samantha loves vampires and the Tarot. Which works out well as she works at the McHenry House of Horror and Museum of the Supernatural in St. Louis. She's been engaged to one of the owners, Fowler McHenry, for a while, but has never set a date. The cards tell her something or someone is coming that will be her destiny. When the mysterious European investor, Eric Vargas, arrives, she wonders if he's that destiny. Little does she know that he is not only handsome, but he is also a vampire.

Fisher Roberts and Hunter Long have been best friends since they were small. Now in their thirties, they live in a house they bought together, and life is good. But something seems to be changing - Hunter seems to be changing - and Fisher is afraid he's going to lose his best friend... before he can tell him that he loves him. The fact that it's Halloween isn't helping, as Fisher is not a fan of this or any other holiday, and Hunter revels in them.

If he tells Hunter the truth, will he lose him? If he stays quiet, he might lose him too. What's a guy to do?

Those are just three of my titles. Be sure to leave a comment, along with your email address. And if you like what you see, follow my blog. I try to update almost every day. I look forward to seeing you here!

Happy blogging!

Refugees Review

2012-02-10T17:04:00.000-06:00

Refugees

Author: SL Danielson

Publisher: SL Danielson

American release date: November 16, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/M/M Romance/254 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

David and Robert’s lives have taken a turn for the worse. Each has been dumped by his lover. What they don’t know is that their exes are now together—and their own paths are about to cross. Fate or Karma? You decide.

Synopsis:

David returns one night to the home he shares with Andrew, only to discover his lover and almost fiancé gone, along with his small daughter. Stressed out, David finds life in the ER a bit too much to handle, so his understanding boss and friend finds him a spot as a physical therapist in a quiet office.

Robert loves Phillip with all his heart, but he knows that he’s never had Phillip’s heart, so it’s no surprise when he leaves, although it still hurts. So much so that while trying to take out his aggressions on a punching bag, he hurts his hand, and his sister takes him to get help.

David and Robert meet, although each is unaware of who the other is. At first David is taciturn and not very forthcoming, but Robert works on him until he begins to talk, and then they discover, to their amazement, that they have more in common than they’d realized.

Bound in mutual misery, they become friends, commiserating together over the men who broke their hearts. They’re both lonely and unhappy, and it seems logical that they should live together. There’s an attraction between them, but will they be able to act on it? Or will the spectre of love lost hang between them forever?

When David sees a news story about an assault and realizes it involves his ex, he can’t help but be concerned, and he and Robert fly to lend their support. This is the first time the four men have been together in one room and awkwardness ensues, but also some clearing of the air.

David and Robert take their relationship to the next level, and all should be well. Except it’s not, and ghosts are still getting in the way. Will they ever be free? Is their love real? Or is it just a pale imitation of what came before? Are they both just refugees? Forgotten and unloved?

Commentary:

Refugees is the sequel to Ms. Danielson’s, For the Heart of Phillip, which I reviewed previously. It’s basically a love story about picking up the pieces and moving on, not being afraid of getting hurt again, and taking chances. Both David and Robert feel as if they’ve been thrown away, like refuse, so it’s hard to be able to trust anyone with their hearts again. Ironic that Fate has brought them together, united in their joint misery.

You can read this volume without having read the first one, but I don’t recommend it. The first one explains a lot, and you see how the obsessions begin, whether you understand them or not. Especially the one concerning Phillip, but I ranted enough about that in the first review.

Ms. Danielson’s style is unique in its sparseness. She doesn’t waste words, but gets down to brass tacks quickly. Those people who eschew lengthy descriptions—or almost any descriptions at all—will enjoy this brevity on the author’s part.

She delves down to the heart of the matter, to the feelings of her characters, and draws them out, sometimes almost painfully. Her men are not stereotype beauties often found in m/m novels. They have hairy legs, and sometimes they need to lose weight, and they do have bodily functions.

However, in this novel especially, I find that these men do not stick out in my mind individually, and I often cannot remember one from another. They are almost interchangeable, with nothing giving particular definition or any defining characteristics.

Sometimes there are lapses in continuity or in common sense, things that make me scratch my head and say huh? A real wtf moment, for me, occurs late in the book. Okay, the law of probability is somewhat bent that Robert and David get together, considering that their exes are together, but putting that aside, there is a scene in which Robert and David, while at the mall, run into two other of their exes (one of whom is English and was in England), and these two exes are….. wait for it…. Together? Seriously? This defies odds, for me. Just unbelievable.

Also, her men cry at the drop of a hat. People, not just men, don’t cry as much as these guys, who turn on the waterworks whenever they’re thwarted, crossed, or frustrated. Got on my nerves. Also the interfering father who threatened to cold cock Phillip. For God’s sake, these men are way too old for parental inference, either one. Grow a backbone, boy.

Notwithstanding, her fans will enjoy it. It’s an interesting read, although I have to say that the cover is a little creepy. My daughter, while I was reading it, insisted I turn it over. The men on the cover look like zombie Sims. I think Castaways would be a more fitting title; they look like they’ve been languishing on Gilligan’s Island before the picture was taken.

Ms. Danielson certainly has her fans. I would recommend this as a light read, for anyone who finds flowery words too much to bear, and simply wants to get to it. Bare emotions, albeit sometimes illogical and confusing.

Silver Shorts: Closet Case

2012-02-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

Silver Publishing is now running their own flash fiction, which they've titled Silver Shorts. Each week will see a new anthology of these shorts, available for free download at the Silver site, while the individual authors will be posting their own stories at their blogs. This is my story from the first anthology, available at Silver now. My story used the prompt: "This closet isn't big enough for both of us..." I call it Closet Case. Enjoy!

Closet Case

Brad Kenyon hunched over his drink. His eyes bored into the dark wood of the bar, staring at the spots where the wood was peeling as he willed himself into invisibility. But a man of his height—he stood six foot four in his bare feet, and weighed a solid two twenty-five—wasn't someone who blended easily into the woodwork. Plus, he had a face that was far too famous to dwell in anonymity for long.

He busied himself with the plastic stirrer he'd gotten with the White Russian. Round and round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows. He created a white whirlpool in the center of the glass; it swirled around the cubes of ice. That was his life now. Caught in the midst of a monstrous Charybdis, being sucked down into… into what?

He wished he knew.

His first thoughts, as he'd made the mad dash from Kevin's apartment, had been to find a bar and drink himself into oblivion. But not a sports bar, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof. Too many televisions, all sports oriented, and all bound to be blaring the news. He didn't need to see it—he was living it.

He'd hopped into a cab and told the driver to just go, nowhere in particular. He'd know his destination once he arrived. And when he was tired of being driven, he told him to stop, in a seedier part of town, and sent him on his way.

So that's how he'd ended up here, at the Hotel Ferdinand, sitting in the hotel bar, along with maybe a half dozen other people. Maybe it wasn't exactly quality accommodations. And maybe Michelin would be hard put to give it one star, if that. But it was quiet, and it was out of the way, and right now, it was just the haven he needed. No one seemed to know him here. And the single sorry excuse for a TV was situated on a shelf behind the bar, tuned to some program he'd never seen before. Something with vampires. Not his style, but at least it wasn't sports.

"Is this seat taken?"

Brad turned his head away from the sound of the smoky voice. Go away. If he ignored him, the guy would surely leave him alone.

He heard the creak of wood as the stranger eased himself into the seat beside him. Some guys just couldn't take a hint.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Is this guy blind or something? Brad's drink was virtually untouched, unless you counted playing with the straw. What was he hoping, to get lucky or something? Not tonight, pal, you're straight up out of luck here. Move along, little man.

He heard the sound of a striking match, smelt sulfur, caught the illumination from the corner of one eye. Despite himself, he turned slightly, eyeing the newcomer with misgiving. He couldn't help but notice that he held a lit candle in his hand. What the hell?

"You celebrating something?" he heard himself say, the words seeming to come from a great distance, as if reluctantly dragged out.

"No, but I think you are."

Brad swiveled fully in his seat, facing his undesired companion, afraid of what he might find. Or who. This guy was a stranger to him, though; he was sure he'd remember if he'd seen someone so good looking before, especially among the vultures of the press. Even in the dim light of the bar, his looks stood out. Tawny hair swept back from his smooth forehead, well coifed. Dark eyes which fairly gleamed; a nose that looked as though it had been broken at least once, but wore its injury with dignity and sensuality. And lips that begged to be kissed.

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. That was the last thing he needed. A one night stand. He had far bigger fish to fry.

Besides, this guy obviously knew something. Or thought that he did.

"I think you got the wrong person." Brad help up the White Russian. "And I already have a drink, as you can see."

"I can see that, Brad, just wanted to get your attention."

Brad's heart sank. So it had begun. Why had he thought that he'd be able to hide out, enjoy a drink, and escape the attention which was undoubtedly headed his way? Even in this small hole-in-the-wall hotel, he'd been outed.

Ironic choice of words.

"Who the fuck are you?" he brazened. Stripping the drink of his play toy, he took a long drink, then set it down onto its napkin, one stamped with the picture of a cartoonish bull. The hotel's logo or something.

The stranger held out one hand. The one that didn't contain the candle.

"Garrison McKenzie."

The name meant nothing to Brad. He looked askance at the proffered hand.

"Let me guess. You're a sports reporter, and you want to talk to me about tonight?"

The handsome man shook his head. "Reporter? Not me. I couldn't write to save my life. And I have no interest in sports. No offense."

"None taken," Brad automatically responded. Without thinking, he reached out and took the other's hand in his own. It was warm to the touch, sent electric tingles that traversed down his spine.

"Then what is it you think you know about me? And why the candle?" Brad was intrigued, in spite of himself.

"I know who you are, if that's what you mean. I've been looking at your face all night. On TV, I mean, not here," he amended. "A very nice face it is."

Brad felt his very nice face warm at the compliment, before focusing on the other words. The damning ones. He knew it. He'd just known that's how it would play out. Sticking his head in the sand and playing ostrich changed nothing. It was out now, and nothing to be done about it.

That didn't explain the candle, though.

"Charlie, turn on Fox, will you, please?"

At Garrison's request, the bartender clicked a button on the remote. The picture changed. What was once a pouty vampire became a sports commentator. Brad couldn't think of his name. But he knew the name of the man sitting beside him. Kevin O'Leary. Sports reporter for a growing online site. Hungry as they came. Possessed of unbridled ambition. Not to mention that he was Brad's ex.

And now he was famous as being the man who'd just outed Brad Kenyon, star quarterback, to the world.

Brad had begged him not to do it. He said it would damage his career. Ruin it. Kevin didn't care. He'd laughed, in fact. That was when Brad had punched him and ran. He eyed the asshole on the small screen, a growl escaping his lips. Make-up did hide a multitude of sins. Including black eyes.

He still remembered Kevin's parting words, as he headed toward the door of his dumpy apartment.

"This closet ain't big enough for the both of us..."

So he'd jettisoned Brad without a second thought, while remaining safely inside.

But that didn't explain this guy, this Garrison. Or what he wanted.

"I'm not into sports, just good looking men." Garrison tightened his clasp. The electricity surged between them again. "I have a place, not too far from here. No one would find you there…"

Brad searched the other man's eyes. He couldn't help but notice again how handsome he was. He took a deep breath.

"So, you don't care… I mean, about what they're saying? About me?"

"Now really, that would make me a hypocrite, wouldn't it?" The candle flickered in an errant breeze; Garrison puckered his sexy lips and blew it out, setting it on the bar.

His voice was doing things to Brad, things he hadn't experienced in quite some time. He let this handsome stranger help him from his seat, welcomed the feel of his hand against the small of his back as they headed toward the door.

They walked closely together out of the hotel and into the night, fingers twined against the evening chill. Brad couldn't help but wonder if maybe his ex hadn't just done him a big favor by outing him. Too bad that he'd stayed in the closet himself, the coward. His loss.

Once they reached his place, Garrison's first kiss erased the memories of Kevin. They spent the rest of the night in making new ones.

The End

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Wednesday Briefs: Dallas in Wonderland #12

2012-02-08T00:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Hump Day and welcome to another Wednesday Brief, brought to you by the fine authors that comprise the Briefers! We're having fun, and we hope you're having fun too! This week our prompt was: I got you under my skin. The alternate prompts were: Use Paul Bunyan, bad food, and wishes or use paper mache in your story or make a Doctor Seuss reference. Betcha curious to see who did what, aren't you? You'll find the links to the other Briefers at the end of my story!

Dallas in Wonderland continues. Dallas and Dr. Levi are together, and what happens next is anyone's guess! Enjoy!

Dallas in Wonderland #12

Dallas attempted to get the words out, force his thoughts into some semblance of coherency—so many questions welling up inside his brain—but the longer they kissed, the more he stopped wondering what anything meant. Anything other than the feel of this magnetic man, that is. Even as their lips tangled, the dance continued, rhythmically swaying from one foot to the next, back and forth, their bodies pressed tightly together.

Dallas felt Samuel’s fingers in his hair, caressing his ear, stroking his neck. He shivered at the possibilities inherent in this scenario. It had been a long time for him; he hoped he was reading the other man’s non-verbal cues correctly.

Reluctantly, he felt the kiss broken as the need to breathe emerged.

“You have amazing lips,” Dr. Levi whispered breathily, strumming his fingers along Dallas’ cheek. Dallas felt the caress of the well-manicured nails lightly scratch his skin. His cock tightened, filling his trousers to overflowing.

“Let me see you,” he murmured.

Startled, Dallas gazed into his topaz eyes. His mouth opened, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He hadn’t expected to hear such a request, especially not from the sexy doctor.

Dr. Levi traced Dallas’ upper lip with one finger, never breaking their locked gaze. “I’d like to see your beautiful body. With your permission, of course. Permesso?”

Dallas wasn’t sure of the language, but he had a good idea what he was being asked, and echoed the word in return. “Permesso.” Insecurities instantly filled him. What should he do now? Should he take off his clothes, or should he allow the older man to do as he wished… or what? He’d never been in quite this position before. When he was with his former lover, Quentin had demanded and he’d simply obeyed. It seemed as though he actually had a choice here. He didn’t want to assume anything, though.

The music changed. Dallas recognized the new song as an old Cole Porter tune.

Taking one of Dallas’ hands, Dr. Levi spun him about, encompassing him in his embrace. He felt the other man pressed familiarly against his backside. Felt his warm breath against his ear, as he whispered, “I’ve got you… under my skin…”

Dallas had never felt so close to fainting in his life. At least, not from sheer desire.

A warm hand slid beneath his shirt, caressing his skin. Dallas caught his breath at the welcome intrusion. He felt his free will melting, surrendering himself to an overwhelming passion. One that threatened to override any common sense he possessed.

Cooler air blew across his skin; he felt his shirt being pushed upward. Now his nipples were exposed. Samuel brushed his palm over each in turn, hardening them. Dallas moaned.

“Raise your arms, per favore…”

Dallas obeyed, without hesitation. As the fabric passed over his head, he was engulfed in darkness for a moment, triggering a feeling of panic. His heart rate accelerated as he flailed slightly. And then he was free once more, and the doctor’s lips were sliding along his neck, pressing against his pulse point, tethering him once more. He leaned backwards against him, relieved that the decision had been made for him. Or had he somehow managed to relay his wishes, and Samuel had acted on them? Reaching back, as if for reassurance, his hand grazed the doctor’s cool cheek, deriving comfort from the slight touch of stubble beneath his palm. It lent the other man a certain solidity, an affirmation of his reality. Under the circumstances, Dallas felt his uncertainties were warranted.

“Shoes,” Doctor Levi directed in the same breathy whisper, and Dallas quickly toed them off. They landed somewhere out of sight. Feeling emboldened, he gave his ass a slight shake. He was rewarded with the touch of Dr. Levi’s hands, squeezing and kneading his ass, before reaching around Dallas’ waist. There went the first button. It had been precariously placed at best; it popped off and disappeared. Second button fared better, sliding smoothly through the hole.

Dallas’ cock strained against the material, as the zipper began its careful descent. He thought it would never end, the teeth seeming to taunt him as they disengaged in agonizing slow motion, but it did. His briefs openly bulged now, an embarrassing wet spot no doubt visible, but Dallas didn’t care. The jeans were being pushed down, taking his underwear with them, setting goose bumps free to cascade along his bare skin. And then he stepped from them, and kicked them away.

“Spin for me, pretty baby,” the ethereal doctor coaxed, taking a step back.

Dallas stood uncertainly for a minute, but his body began to react, almost without his volition, his hands rising up above his hand, meeting palm to palm, as he began to turn, slowly, pivoting on an unseen axis.

“Yes, that’s right,” Samuel encouraged him. “Just like that.”

Dallas increased his speed, spreading out his arms to provide better balance; he’d never felt so secure, so sure-footed in his life. He could do anything; Doctor Levi made him invincible. That thought made him smile.

As he rotated, he lived for glimpses of his doctor, his Samuel, basking in the approbation on the handsome man’s face. He was doing something right, for once, and someone actually cared. As he spun, the room seemed to darken, everything else fading from his vision until only Dr. Levi remained, the one bright spot of color in the darkness.

A pair of bright eyes blinked open in the darkness. What was that? The more Dallas spun, the more confused he became. Whose eyes were those? Who was here? He tried to scream a warning of peril, but his throat muscles seemed to have locked up, his vocal chords refusing to work. He spun faster, racing the phantom. Closer it came, and closer, to his Samuel.

He grabbed at one of the arm chairs to halt his frenzied spinning; his feet began to slide…

…and then darkness kissed him.

to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Nephylim m/m

Sara York m/m

Lindsay Klug m/f

Lily Sawyer m/m

Victoria Blisse m/f

Pender Mackie m/m

Mathilde Watson m/m

Have a wonderful week and join us next time for more of our Wednesday Briefs!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

A Valentine's Day Blog Hop filled with love!

2012-02-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

Cupid is coming and he's bearing gifts!

Love to read? Who doesn't? Then come join in our With Love Valentine's Day Blog Hop! This is the perfect Valentine's Day gift for the reader in your life, or for yourself. Some 265 authors are participating, each hosting reader contests on his or her blog. The contest starts February 11th and ends on February 14th! I'll be offering a copy of anything from my backlist. Be there or be square!

Of Teddybears, Fairy Tales and Things that go Bump in the Night

2012-02-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

Californication is back for its fifth season, and now we're several episodes in and I'm all caught up. **SPOILERS AHEAD*** It starts out a couple of years after the fourth season ended. We're all done with Hank's probation over the statutory rape of Mia and hopefully she won't pop up again. But having said that, one never knows. Karen is married to Richard Bates (you may remember him as the psychotic drunken writer who likes to show his schlong at inappropriate times), Marci and Stu are still together, and they have a child Stuart, who is actually Charlie's son, conceived after his vasectomy was found not to have taken. At the age of two and a half, Stuart doesn't speak, which disturbs Charlie, but Marci says it's normal. And now Becca, Hank's teenage moody daughter has a boyfriend. And damned if she didn't pick a guy just like her old man. Which he learns, when he catches said boyfriend cheating on her. What's Hank doing? He's writing a script for a rapper named Samurai Apocalypse, who's making the transition to actor, and it's called Santa Monica Cop. Don't dare compare it to Beverly Hills Cop, Sam gets really ticked off. On the flight from NY to California to see about doing this project, Hank meets a lovely lady on the plane and they do it in the bathroom. Of course, being Hank, Karma bites him in the ass when he discovers that he just boned Samurai A's girl.

Besides sharing custody of his son, Charlie isn't doing very well in the romance department (not that Hank is doing much better - he broke up with a girl in NY who turned out to be all kinds of crazy and torched his apartment, played by the actress who plays Winona Hawkins on Justified). Charlie's problem is that he treats women the way he sees them treated in the porn he loves - and that doesn't get him very far. Now let's talk about Charlie for a minute. As an agent, he's had his ups and downs. If you'll recall, he was fired from one agency because he was caught too many times in the act of self-love while in his office. Hank's his main client, but Hank had a dry spell. And then the whole Mia stealing his book thing. He worked briefly for Kathleen Turner, who demanded he service her when she wanted it. It was through her that he met Rick Springfield and Marci got to have her fantasy fuck. Then there was the whole Vagina Town debacle, and his liason with the girl who became the porn actress.

In last night's episode, Charlie got a long time wish when he and Hank went with Samurai Apocalypse on a ride along with the police department, to prepare for the role. Of course things got horribly fucked up. The policeman had a seizure at a donut shop and they had to call 911. At that point, they should have taken the car back and found something else to do. But that would have been sensible, right? Especially after Samurai learns his girl, who left him two weeks before, is out with some dude. Things go from bad to worse. After that, Hank gets a call from Becca. Her bf has gotten Richard drunk and he's exposing himself in public. In attempting to deal with that, the bf recognizes Samurai as one of the group that beat the shit out of him after Hank caught him cheating, and now Becca and Karen think he had something to do with that, which he didn't. And then Charlie ends up getting a blow job from a tranny hooker, which Hank and Samurai are bound to never let him forget.

Charlie Runkle. Yes, he's not perfect, far from it. But there is something about him. He's a teddy bear. He's cuddly and adorable. If I had to choose between him and Hank for dating purposes, sorry Hank, but I'm taking Charlie. Hank is not only hopelessly in love with Karen, he's also incapable of commitment and being in a long term relationship. Charlie has possibilities. I think with the right woman, he'd settle down and be a great husband and father. He has very pretty eyes. And bald is sexy, so yeah...

Grimm is still going strong, and I hope it stays that way. I enjoy the stories, the writing and acting are good. It's a definite twist on a police show, and I know there are interesting things ahead. I especially enjoy the relationship between Nick and Monroe, his werewolf friend. In one episode, Monroe suffered bodily harm from other supernaturals because of his relationship with Nick. But he decided he wasn't going to give in to their pressure, he'd help Nick all he wanted to. The make-up and cgi work is really great. The last episode was based on Hansel and Gretel and concerned a black market for human organs. They take familiar fairy tales and give them a modern twist. I'm not sure what the ratings are, so watch it while you can. It's definitely worth it.

***SPOILERS***Once Upon a Time is getting really good too. After the death of the Sheriff, Emma was elected as his replacement, to Regina's dismay. Mary Margaret and David try to fight their feelings for one another, as David is trying to be a good husband to a wife he doesn't remember, but their love is too strong. After a storm, Regina has had Henry's secret play area torn down, to his distress. And his book is now missing. Emma tries to catch her in misappropriation of town funds, but only succeeds in making her look better when it's revealed that she's planning a park for the children, including Henry, to play in. Emma turns to Sidney, whom Regina has cast off, to help her take the Mayor down, and we learn about Sidney's story - as the wicked queen's one time lover who became the genie in the mirror. What Emma doesn't realize is that Sidney is not what he appears to be, and he's still in Regina's pocket. A stranger has come to town, and Emma and Henry both wonder why and who he is, cause strangers never come to Storybrooke - other than Emma. I suspect he's Henry's father, but we'll just have to see. Sunday nights on ABC - definitely worth watching.

Top Chef Texas is winding down, hopefully they have a great replacement waiting in the wings. Not the best Top Chef season they've ever had. In last week's we were down to five chefs, and I was afraid Edward was going to be axed, but he's still in. I'm really happy that Beverly got taken out, I just hope she doesn't come back with that little survivor thing they have going on after each episode. I think we'll find out this week. Apparently, she beat Nyesha, so let's hope someone beats her or we'll see her back again. I'm rooting for Edward all the way!

There is a new Restaurant Impossible this week and a new Chopped. Looking forward to those. No Iron Chef America, instead it was a night of Cupcake Wars. I watch that sometimes, but it's of limited interest. New Alcatraz tonight, looking forward to it. I'll talk about the new season of Vampire Diaries another time.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Sexy Villain Sunday; Jim Profit's the Man

2012-02-05T12:21:00.002-06:00

The definition of a villain lies in the eye of the beholder. According to Merriam-Webster, a villain is "a character in a story or play who opposes the hero." But what if the villain is the hero? In other words, the protagonist. Does that change anything, such as the perception we have of him? Conversely, does it make the good guys the heroes? I guess it depends on your point of view.

I just finished watching the pitifully few episodes of Profit that were made. It was never picked up for a second season, and never given resolution. At one time, shows had the plug pulled and never had the opportunity to wrap everything up in a neat little package, knowing they'd been cancelled. Hence, we left the brave castaways still shipwrecked on Gilligan's Island ('til many years later, when the miracle of TV movies rescued them at long last). The bad thing about this scenario is that we don't find out the answer to the burning questions we have regarding our favorite characters. Of course, on the other hand, some series that were allowed to do this, did it pretty ridiculously and we'd have been better served if they'd simply avoided it. One example of this is St. Elsewhere, whose resolution involved an austic boy's dream. The entire series. Seriously? That's worse than the Bobby-dream sequence season of Dallas, which was horrible too, but at least we only lost one season. In the case of St. Elsewhere, it was all in a child's head, nothing more.

Profit was the brainchild of David Greenwalt and John McNamara, produced by Stephen Cannell. The trouble with Profit is that it was ahead of its time. Cable networks weren't what they are now, and although it was picked up by Fox, it proved to be too edgy for mainstream television audiences. I'm convinced, to quote Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar: If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation. Okay, maybe he was talking about Israel in 4 B.C., but you get the point. If Profit were to air now, it would be quite successful, of that I have no doubt.

The protagonist of Profit is, of course, Jim Profit, played by the delectable Adrian Pasdar. He is the hero, but arguably he is also a villain. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants - power, wealth, control - inside of G&G, Gracen & Gracen, his employers.

****SPOILERS****** A little background first. Jim Profit was born Jim Stakowski in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father was worse than neglectful, he was abusive. He stuck the year old child into a large cardboard box, with a slit cut out through which he could view the television; once a week he threw in food and supplies. The television was Jim's only contact with the outside world. He grew to hate it once he became an adult. He decided to make a place for himself at G&G - not surprisingly, the box was one of theirs, the only family he has really known. As the series began, Jim has just received a promotion following the death of the former VP of Acquisitions at G&G. G&G is a family-owned business. Chaz Gracen is the CEO, bumbling brother Pete is Senior VP of Acquisitions; Jack Walters is married to their cousin, and is President of Acquisitions (but not for long); Joanne Meltzer (Lisa Zane) is Jack's ex and the obsessive head of Security who is determined to destroy Jim Profit at all costs.

And then there's Bobby (Lisa Blount). We first see her in the pilot, at the end of the first hour. Jim is told he has a visitor in his office. He enters, sees her and closes the door, whereupon the woman practically throws herself into his arms and they proceed to kiss rather warmly. When they finally pull apart, she greets him with, "Hello Jimmy," and he responds with, "Hi Mom". Yeah, right. I was very amazed myself at first, until it's revealed that she's his stepmother, not his biological mother. However, I learned when I watched the extras on the dvd that originally Bobby was his mother, and that the reason for the first rejection of the series was due to that. Fox picked it up, but before it was actually shot, they requested the change to stepmother.

Every good villain needs a sidekick, right? For Jim Profit, it was Gail Koner (Lisa Darr). She's Jack's assistant, and a nice person. But he learns her secret (everyone has at least one) - she's skimming a few cents here and there, in order to make her mother more comfortable in the nursing home she's in. Jim thinks that's an admirable motive - as he tells her when he reveals his knowledge of her crime - and would she please do him a favor? Thus begins their relationship. Gail ends up as Jim's assistant, and he leads her down the path of... well, that's for you to decide. Personally, if that were me, I'd have no problem doing what he asks of her. He's charming, sexy, handsome, intelligent. Did I say drop dead gorgeous? Is Gail a good guy or bad guy? I guess that depends on how your moral compass swings. And how you view Jim Profit. In just the few episodes made, you can watch her evolution from unwilling accomplice to trusted sidekick, her dreams of being a player in this world shattered by indifferent corporate execs - until Jim Profit takes her in hand. . I like to believe that under Jim's tutelage, someday she achieved her goals.

Jim uses whomever he needs to use. He exploits the loneliness of drunken Pete's wife Nora, becomes her friend, hints at more, plans a romantic assignation, but at the last minute tells her he cares too much to do that to her.(But he manages some mighty fine manipulation in the process) When he finally kills his father - an action begun when he was fifteen (Jim handcuffed him to the bed and set the trailer on fire, then took off), he thinks he's rid of his stepmother, but the plucky Bobby has other ideas. She's loud, brash, loose and amoral. She loves to live high on the hog but she doesn't want to do any more work than is involved in spreading her legs. And she knows the value of an audio recording. So he tolerates her, and has to give in to her demands, material and otherwise, for now. And yes, he continues to service her as well. At least he goes through the paces. You just know she broke him in, years ago. Theirs is a love/hate relationship, as much as Jim can feel love. Which isn't much.

One of the most shocking, haunting, mind blowing images you'll ever want to see occurs at the end of the pilot. Throughout the series, you see Jim at home at his computer, sitting before it in the nude. He has a secret area in his apartment, where no one is allowed, where he makes his Machiavellian plans. You might think he's attempting to wrest control of G&G, but you'd be wrong. He doesn't wish to step into the light, he chooses to remain in the shadows. To be the power behind the throne. To eliminate everyone who gets in his way. In the pilot, he gets a program, thanks to Gail, which gives him virtual access to G&G, and everyone's files, including digital representations of everyone there. He delights in blowing up these 3-D images as he destroys each person.

But about the image. As I said, he spends a lot of time at this computer, scheming, sitting there in the nude (if you're hoping to see something, remember - this was shown on Fox, not happening). At the very end of the pilot, when he calls it a night and retires, we see what we haven't seen before - he has THE box, there in his little sanctuary. The one he was brought up in. (If not the very one, then the same type, we're never sure, but it's definitely a G&G box). And he curls up in it and sleeps there, every night. I'm telling you that was one hell of a surprise, and that image is indelibly burned into my brain.

I realized while watching the extra something that probably explains at least part of my attraction to Jim Profit. It's that whole power behind the throne angle. Just like the man who's my historical crush - Cardinal Armand Jean Duplessis Richeileu. Although he virtually ruled France for many years, he was content to appear to be the king's right-hand man. Richelieu was a very complex and fascinating character. And yet if you ask most people today about him, they'll say he was a villain. Why? Most likely because Alexander Dumas painted him that way in his Musketeer books, a portrayal which has been replicated in the film versions. It's all a matter of perception.

So there you have it - Jim Profit is my modern day Cardinal Richelieu. No wonder I'm attracted to him.

Sinner or Saint? You make the call. There is no right or wrong. I recommend that you check out Profit - you'll be glad you did.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Guest Blogging with RC Bonitz

2012-02-04T09:54:00.000-06:00

Today I'm visiting with RC Bonitz on his blog, and talking about hookers and blow. Er, I mean book titles. Drop by and you'll see what I mean.

The newest installment in my Forbidden series came out on February 1st, at Romance First Publishing. Never fear, I am hard at work on the third part of the story. In order to beat the winter chill, RFP is having a contest, and part of the prize is a copy of the first and second chapters of Forbidden! Stop by and enter to win! Better hurry, the contest ends tomorrow!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Follow Friday #37

2012-02-03T11:43:00.000-06:00

Good morning and happy Friday! Time for another Follow Friday and Blog Hop, sponsored by parajunkee.com. We have a new logo! Thanks for stopping by, and on to today's questions:

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kickass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

A. I love books of all different types, but I do enjoy a story that is different, with characters that aren't stereotypes or predictable. The writing has to hold my interested, and I hate to be distracted with bad editing. Bad covers just keep me from looking at the book to begin with. One consistency I do have is that in the Regency romances that I read, there is always a titled male character, who is generally some sort of a rogue, and a very strong character. I think I like my male vampires to be rather Alpha, too. Other than that, just give me a good story!

Guest Blogger West Thornhill

2012-02-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

Please welcome back author West Thornhill, who today is going to discuss one of her passions - yaoi! For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, yaoi (pronounced yow-ee) is also known as boys love. In other words, when a man loves a man... Yaoi originated in Japan, where the best yaoi is still written. Join West and me as we sit in our favorite butler cafe, enjoying the food and the tea and the pampering. I've persuaded our butler to allow us to take his picture! Go ahead, West, while I get to know him a little better.

Yaoi Obsession by West Thornhill

I have an obsession that grew out of reading fan fiction – Yaoi. I love Yaoi. I even have a bag that boldly proclaims this. I kind of fell into yaoi when I was watching the anime Weiss Kreuz. The fan fic was always pairing up Yoji and Aya, either together or with members of Schwartz. Then I discovered P.L. Nunn’s artwork and my obsession grew.

In the past few years I have found one anime/manga that I can go to when I need a pick-me-up. That would be Junjo Romantica by Shungiku Nakamura. The three couples—Misaki/Usagi-san; Hiro-san/Nowaki; Shinobu/Miyagi—are fun and engaging. While I love Misaki and Usagi-san, Hiro-san and Nowaki are my favorites.

Shungiku Nakamura has another series that is just as much fun —Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi. The best part of this series is the fact that it’s about a shojo manga department of a publishing house. The ups and downs of putting together the releases and the relationships between the characters are great.

I enjoy several others—Loveless, Fake, Gravitation, Kizuna, anything by Nitta Youka and Minase Masara, the Finders series by Ayano Yamane, and more. Also among my Yaoi obsession is an obsession with Bleach by Tite Kubo. While Bleach is not Yaoi, there is a huge fan fic following dedicated to M/M pairings.

So, if you have read my first novel, Transcend, or seen the cover, I think you might understand a little more about the creation of my main characters, Gael and Jason. It took me a little while to figure out I was actually writing Yaoi-based characters. It doesn’t bother me in the least because it continues to be a fun and exciting journey. I love all of my guys and every one of them embodies some Yaoi aspect.

West, I totally join you in that love of yaoi! Thanks for sharing with us today! Ah, I could sit here all day, couldn't you?

Do you like yaoi? Who's your favorite author? Favorite characters? We'd love to hear! Leave a comment or a question!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie