Coffee, Tea, & Sympathy
It's rare that I post on a Tuesday, so I thought I would. *shrug* Why save up what little I know for a Thursday Thirteen, in other words? - lol
The morning started with The Girl bringing me a white mocha breve and blueberry muffin from
Scooter’s. After a quick run to post some mail, we returned home, took turns in the one bathroom we have - she had to get ready for work, and I had a lunch 'coffee meeting' with another writer.
The meeting was a lot of fun.
Carol Lynne also writes m/m, and she's an interesting lady. We browsed books at Borders, sampled their wares at the snack bar, and swapped information and stories concerning publishing.
Nooo, no big gossip to tell - just two new friends bonding over caffeine. Both of us happen to write for the same
publisher in England as well as one in the
States.
Diabetic here has had too much sugar for the day, but she's a happy camper who enjoyed exploring the bookstore, meeting Carol, and seeing the pretty fall foliage in our area.
My First Sale to True StoryI have no clue what issue will feature it, but a story called "Drunk Every New Year's" should appear within the next two to three issues. I've written for just about every other magazine at Dorchester Media but never this one, so I was delighted to receive the word from Associate Editor Heather Josepowitz. Have talked to her a time or two via email, and she sounds delightful. I look forward to working with her.
In Pursuit of Woman's World MagazineThis week's short short romance was written by Stephen D. Rogers. He's on my WW Yahoo loop and seems like a nice fellow. His story has made him my new rabbit to chase. I wanna sell to that magazine - pay is like $1000 for 4 or 5 pages, which ain't bad. There's another woman on the loop who just sold her SEVENTH story to them. *sigh* Okay, they don't know it, but they are gonna buy something of mine - it's a done deal in my mind. Stephen's story is called "Hearts Collide" and is in the November 6th issue.
Edits But No Pub Date on KnightsFirst round of edits are done on Knights & White Satin - whoo hoo. Ellora's Cave editor was to get back with me last Friday, and...he must be busy. But I figure I should get the second round soon. Hope so!
Definite Pub Date for Playing the Ace!January 7th, unless I have totally screwed this up - with Total ebound Books in England! YAAAAY!!!!! This story is part of a trilogy with fellow writers Summer Devon and Alexis Fleming. More on that as the date approaches.
Time to READ?Hope so! I have one of Kate's historicals (well, a partial) to read, and I have a partial of Lex's next erotic adventure for TEB to read. I've been so under the gun with my own BS lately that I haven't had opportunity to read for enjoyment, so I'm looking forward to both stories.Today's Jokes - courtesy of HelenThe football coach noticed that his star tackle, Bubbahad so many women hanging around that he couldn'tpossibly handle all of them.
So one day he askedBubba, "Just what the hell is your secret?"
So Bubba replies, "Well Coach, whenever I'm about to have sex, I always whip it out and bang it on the dresser like a hammer. That numbs it and I can screw 'em forever!"
The coach went home early one day, and went to the bedroom. He heard his wife in the shower. Seeing a window of opportunity, he tore off his clothes and started banging it on the dresser.
His wife stuck her head out of the shower and said,"That you Bubba?"
...........and.............last but not least....................
Three old ladies named Gertrude, Maude, andTilly were sitting on a park bench having a quiet conversation when a flasher approached from across the park. The flasher came up to the ladies, stood right infront of them and opened his trench coat.
Gertrude immediately had a stroke. Then Maudealso had a stroke. But Tilly, being older and more feeble, couldn't reach that far.
And Sunny Lyn's favorite photo of the week....
Who Are They?
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The Week-Long Blog In One Post
How To Write A M/M RomanceI’ve been asked (often) how to write a male/male romance. I must confess that setting the mood is imperative for me. First, I slept late – didn’t get up until 7 instead of 5 or 6 am. Coffee was next—yesterday (Monday), for instance, it was Scooterdoodle, a Snickerdoodle flavored coffee from my favorite coffee shop, Scooter’s. Here’s their
home link.
Next came personal business, including popping a couple of personal letters into the mail. After checking email and doing everything but writing (did laundry, piddled around the kitchen, cleaning, took the dogs out for a bit once the rain let up), I finally prepared brunch. The meal consisted of a Spinach Potato Frittata with fruit on the side. The recipes can be found at
Lyn’s Licks & Laughs Recipes.
A phone call from my favorite gay male helped inspire me. First, he sent photos of one of our favorite drag queens. Then he phoned and told me of his last two trips, one to the
Azores, Portugal, and the other to
Phoenix. We discussed architecture (
Bungalows, to be precise),
allergies, wine, the drag queens, and my next visit to DC before we rang off. Then I began edits on Knights & White Satin, which debuts with Ellora’s Cave some time in early 2008 *I think*.
Back to the drag queens. February, 2006, I met Robby. We attended our first ever drag show together. He was tall enough yet diminutive, a hairy, smart-mouthed mix of Hungarian, Puerto Rican, Black, French, and something I can’t remember. Trust me—all male but definitely all gay male. At the show, we were both open-mouthed and delighted, and I kept ribbing him. “You need to do this—just look at your cheekbones! You’d be gorgeous!”
***Robby is the guy in jeans, big cheesy grin, sitting upper left with his arm around one of the queens that night.***
That was February, 2006.
Now look at her. She recently competed in her first contest, Miss Turn About, and she won!
Lipstick & Paint Make A Man What He Ain’t.
If you’re in the DC area and care to visit any of the gala festivities,
here’s the link to view their calendar.
I’m sure by now that you’ve begun questioning my sanity. HOW to write a m/m book doesn’t have anything to do with spinach frittatas to most people. You’ll just have to take my word for it as for how it works for me. But then, fruit and cheese and cracker trays, glasses of wine, and even a platter of tater tots can do the trick. Ambiance just helps.
I won’t cheat you, though. There are some definite tips for writing this sub-genre. The primary one is to write it as you would anything else…with passion, style, and honesty, and write in your own, rather than a borrowed, voice. Treat each character as if they matter, because they do. Give them an interesting plot line and make them come alive as people.
If you’re a male writer, guess what? About a third of the men you meet these days are gay. They may wear shorts and sandals in freezing weather, leather in summer, or jeans and tee shirts all year round. They may shave or not, have B.O. or not, be bald, hairy, scary, or no different (or just the same) as you. Write what you know, and if you don’t know any gay men, that’s to your disadvantage, of course, but you can still write about what you like in women (men have some of the same characteristics, you know) or about what you like in other men.
If you’re female, draw on what you like in another female as well as the characteristics you appreciate in men. Remember that it’s a romance, most likely, so sex comes with the territory if your characters engage in more than hugs and kisses. Eeew? Ick factor? Then perhaps you’re better off sticking to virginal books rather than something that pushes your buttons.
And Another One Bites The DustThursday was one of ‘those days’ with lots of delays, workers traipsing in and out of the house. Drains had to be snaked, doors had to be fixed so they’d close properly, and dinner was mucho late. We wound up ordering Chinese sometime around 8:00 pm. The tempura shrimp was a bit undercooked for me (I like it like I do my bacon, crispy), but other than that it was probably the best Chinese food I’ve had in ages. Absolutely loved the Moo Goo Gai Pan and the egg rolls. (And I just had to post a pic of the pumpkins on my front porch - they have absolutely nothing to do with the post - I just liked 'em.)
Why I Like FridaysMaybe it's because around here it's garbage pick-up day. There's something to be said for actually getting rid of what stinks - lol.
I couldn't sleep this morning, was up at 3 then every hour after that, so by 6, I finally thought screw it and stayed up. Sacked trash and took it to the curb, even got rid of some newspapers I'd been saving (I'm a clipper).
Earlier this week I cooked a nice breakfast for one (Spinach Potato Frittata + sliced fresh fruit with a cream cheese dip), but today it was slap on the sausage patties, toss in a tray of biscuits, and boil water for hot tea. Nothing fancy, in other words.
The Girl’s birthday shoes arrived. Aren’t they cute? Today is payday, and she wants to live recklessly, so we’re each taking $10 (whoo hoo) and going to a casino. We play the penny slots, so that piddly amount of money should last us quite a while – lol. Big gamblers we’re not.
Since I didn’t cook yesterday, I’m assuming that I’m not off of the hook for tonight. I couldn’t be that lucky, so we’ll have to return in plenty of time for me to whip something up at the last minute.
Ya’ll have a good weekend. I gotta let the pups outside and get ready to rumble.
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The Long Goodbye?
"Abrupt" - I suspect that's the word daughter-in-law-2-be is searching for when she gripes about how quickly I hang up the telephone. We have this conversation often enough that it's made me wonder, so I’ve done some soul-searching.
I think the long goodbye is in the genes. I’ve heard others in the family say that my little niece has the same affliction. As a toddler, she’d take the phone into the closet to avoid being caught, would hit the special speed-dial number, phone her grandparents, then say goodbye when she knew she was busted, whether her Nannie or Poppa were ready or not.
As a young mother on her way to work, I hated going through the emotional wrench of leaving #1 son with a babysitter, so there were no tearful, drug out partings. Now that I’m older, however, we’ve had the discussion – “You leave my plug alone – I’ll let you know when it’s time to say goodbye.”
Long goodbyes in books tend to piss me off as well. Once an author hits that denouement, say good-friggin’-bye, the end, fare thee well, ya know? Don’t look like Michael Jackson on his save-the-world poster, don’t grate on my nerves like the ending of a Carson McCullers book, and don’t leave a taste in my mind of The Smashing Pumpkins doing the cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”, just kiss me softly and leave, please.
Still. If I’m guilty of cutting you off when you try saying goodbye to me, I apologize. It’s either like herpes, terminal baggage we pick up at some careless point in our lives, or it’s a genetic thing. Like diabetes. It just hangs on whether we like it or not, but it’s nothing personal.
***
Now…for a joke Janet sent me.
***
A little boy goes to his father and asks "Daddy, how was I born?" The father answers, "Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: You've got male.
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Catshit Crazy
My first mistake was to double the second ingredient in the saucepan - cocoa powder, so I had to double everything else. Before I knew it, there was catshit all over the damn counters, running from stove to sink, across the kitchen in front of the coffee pot, on top of the bistro table - it was just nuts.
Describing the experience as insane would be going too far, crazy isn't really going far enough. They're deeeelicious, though. Here's the recipe. Just don't double the cocoa if you know what's good for you.
For starters...the title. Tis what they look like...catshit (and they spell it as one word). You have probably seen this same recipe (or a derivative) as No-Bake Cookies of some sort.
Now for the recipe, most of it in Jill's wording:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
Toss it all in a pan, cook it until it bubbles a little bit around the sides. Then take it off the heat and dump in 3 cups Quick Oatmeal, 1/2 cup peanuit butter, and 1 running-over teaspoon vanilla. Stir it up and drop globs of it onto waxed paper and let it cool. (Cooling, of course, is optional.)
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13 Things I've Learned
Thirteen Things That I Have Learned
True friends come in all sizes...
...and flavors...my favorites are crazy, chocolate, and comforting, not necessarily in any particular order...
Sometimes there IS a pot at the end of the rainbow.
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.Jokes about Seniors (politically correct term for'old farts') are still funny:
An elderly man and his wife went to breakfast at a restaurant where the "seniors' special" was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $1.99.
Sounds good," the wife said. "But I don't want the eggs."
Then I'll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte," the waitress warned her.
"You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?" the woman asked incredulously.
"YES!" stated the waitress.
The husband told his wife to just order from the regular menu and he'd take whatever she didn't want from her plate.
The older woman thought a moment. "I'll take the special."
The waitress readied her pen. "How do you want your eggs?"
"Raw and in the shell," the old woman replied.
Much to the waitress's consternation, the old woman put the two eggs in her purse and took them home.
There is such a thing as a bipartisan bumper sticker..."RUN HILLARY RUN"Democrats put it on the rear bumper.Republicans put it on the front bumper.
3 More things I’ve learned: Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%. It's called a wedding cake.Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.In the beginning, God created the earth and rested. Then God created Man and rested. Then God created Woman. Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.Lawyer jokes will always find an audience:
After much thought and consideration, the old ambulance chaser finally figured out how to take at least some of his money with him when he died. He instructed his wife to go to the bank and withdraw enough money to fill two pillowcases. He then directed her to take the bags of money to the attic and leave them directly above his bed. His plan: When he passed away, he would reach out and grab the bags on his way to heaven. Several weeks after the funeral, the deceased lawyer's wife, up in the attic cleaning came upon the two forgotten pillowcases stuffed with cash. "Oh, that old fool," she exclaimed. "I knew he should have had me put the money in the basement."Sometimes it doesn't pay to take the kids to the zoo...
...OR to the park...
And last but not least, I have learned that Moms still RULE. Listen to this Mom's Overture, and you'll see what I mean!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W95Y8hNQiH8Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
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Happy Birthday, J!
A friend, J, is celebrating his 9th birthday today, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sweetie! His mom has put together a skating party for him and his relatives and friends.
Remember skating as a kid? One of my fondest wishes as a youngster was to dance while skating. Long past my teens, I watched B movies like
Xandau and
Skatetown, USA and for a few hours glided, if only in my mind, through songs such as
Boogie Wonderland (sorry, but this is my favorite clip of it – LOL – no polyester).
I grew up white in a small Midwestern town where few of the whites could dance worth a damn (I was one of them). I’m sure several kids still made fun of me, but I could skate a bit and was desperate to learn how to dance. One day I asked one of the toughest black girls in school to teach me. I cornered Jackie after basketball practice and made my pitch.
Everyone knew that Jackie carried a switch blade in her bra (which was already considerably stuffed) and that her purse had a big metal chain strap. I didn’t care. My persistence paid off. Before the week was out I knew how to do such dances as “The Dirty Dog”, even though I had no clue what the term meant or that it looked rather nasty. I just knew I had to do it.
So, all of that said, memories strung out all over the blog, I’ll reel ‘em back in and end with another HAPPY BIRTHDAY to J. Hope you have a blast today, kid. Hope you boogie your buns off.
Life is a lot like a roll of toilet paper – the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. So ENJOY!
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The Paper Chase
I am the world's worst when it comes to hoarding paper, saving bits and pieces that add nothing but clutter in the long run. So I thought I'd blog it, of course, since I'm a writer and have nothing valuable worth saying ANYWAY, and today is Thursday, and...oh the heck with it. Here's my Thursday 13 for the week.
|
| Thirteen Things about Collecting PAPER Junk It’s those little things that add up and create misery later when I wish I had a clean office, kitchen, or whatever. Here’s what I’m horrid about hoarding:
1. receipts
2. recipes – Okay, now this one doesn’t bother me much. I just wish I had a better filing system for all of them. I get notebooks started then misplace them. What I need is to buy those big 3-ring binders with clear pages to stuff the recipes like they’re photos or something.
3. ideas for books
4. old newspapers – I clip stuff to send to others – everything from remodeling info, fixer-upper info, to crossword puzzles. And before I know it, that pile turns into a box full of old newspapers. And if the Boy Scouts don’t come by periodically to collect them for recycling, I’m screwed.
5. old Christmas cards, even from businesses I don’t use - lol
6. business cards that will never be used – Okay, so they’re tiny bits of paper, but they’re still useless and need to be tossed.
7. plastic bags, of all things *MAJOR GROAN here*
8. books! – I cannot get rid of a book I loved, even knowing I’ll not read it again.
9. notes & chores lists to myself – LOL – I’m still finding these occasionally
10. old telephone books – now why keep that crap?! – yet I have to toss them occasionally when I realize ‘oh, gee, it’s no longer 2003’ *doh*
11. catalogues that have long since expired
12. magazines – the absolute worst for me – maybe it’s knowing that a tree gave up its life for them – I dunno, but it drives me nuts that I keep this stuff
13. dead manuscripts – I recycle the paper to use as notepads, but daaaaum – all of them?
I’m gonna go clean house now that I’ve shamed myself in public. Ya’ll have a good day and nice rest of the week. If you see a good TV program on “What Not To Bear”, hollah.
Don’t even GO there on “What Not To Bare” – I gained weight this summer – didn’t walk as much – and now that’s next on my list…lose the poundage. Hmm. Maybe this obsession to get rid of the paper clutter is a psychological symbolism for the weight. I’d make a note of it – lol – but I’m trying to lose the paper.
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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Recipe of the day that I thought cute if not tasty:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/boneyard-cookies.aspxor...here it is...
Boneyard Cookies
From Taste of Home"With a pinch of 'spook,' these yummy cookies are an eye-catcher at any ghoul-rrific party," says Celena Cantrell-Richardson of Eau Claire, Michigan.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon
salt2 to 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry
jam16 to 18 squares (1 ounce each) white
baking chocolate
DIRECTIONS
In a small mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cornstarch. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture.
Shape dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. bone-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
On the bottom of half of the cookies, spread 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon jam down the center; top with remaining cookies. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate at 70% power. Dip each cookie in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Yield: 34 sandwich cookies.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie equals 155 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 54 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fat, 1 starch.
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Hitting the Hot Spot
I am so jazzed that my newest publisher is up and runnin' and that they are having a blog party TODAY! Pop on over and see what's happening at Total ebound if you get the chance. (I'll try to remember to add their link to my blog - doh - that might be nice.)
Lots of familiar faces over at TEB *WAVING MADLY TO ALEX & SAM* plus lots of new faces, some of whom even live near me, so we'll get to do lunch! Now isn't THAT a kick? Publisher in England, for godssakes, and some of us live here in the midwest within only a few miles of one another! *WAVES TO CAROL LYNNE*
My first publication with Total ebound Books is "Playing the Ace", the 3rd book in a trilogy with Summer Devon and Alexis Fleming. My editor is Michele, publisher is Claire, and...I shall keep you posted on the upcoming novellas in the "Who's Your Daddy?" anthology we've cooked up for our readers.
Here's
my page at the TEB site if you're interested.
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4 Comments:
Congrats on the sale, lady. You're just unstoppable! Keep up the good work.
Thankee, thankee - lol. I figure I've sat on my duff long enough. It's just been "time", ya know?
Happy writing to you as well.
Tell me about it. LOL!
Whoo Hoo! Congrats on all the books and sales! And best of luck for the Woman's World piece - that would be exciting!
Carol Lynn sounds like a lovely lady - and all in all, it sounded like a nice day!
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