Note: For some authors in this series, I'll be looking at a series or set of books rather than just one.

While I read (finally) the Lost and Founds recently, I'm starting with them because I had meant to read them before the last GRL. Yeah. We see how that goes.

It's hard to know where to start with these. While we often caution readers not to confuse the author with the story, it's hard to disentangle them in this case. I will try my best to explain why...

First, let me back up (because some days are not for linear thinking) and say that these are not romance, even though they get stuck in romance categories. Or perhaps they are, but not in the modern, boy-meets-boy sense. Except that they are. Wait. this isn't working.

The Lost and Founds are roman in the old sense of the word - quests of self discovery, fraught with pitfalls for the soul and sometimes perceived physical peril. They are, indeed, love stories with what we hope will be happily ever afters, but not the kind where the two principle characters stay together. They are about a love that has more to do with giving of the self than sex.

They are profoundly moving, profoundly silly, incredible in the leaps of faith and suspension of disbelief we, as readers, must navigate, and yet the quixotic nature of the story arcs don't distance us from the journey. It draws us in, captures us in helpless wonder, tugs us forward another step and another step until we read slack-jawed and shattered, broken and laughing.

King Perry is about a man who has repressed grief, tamped down on it so hard that he doesn't even recognize it any longer, hiding it behind a veneer of businessman and civil, appropriate behavior. King Mai is about a man who uses his anger to keep the world at a distance while insisting on self-fulfilling prophecies of doom. But both books, and the entire series, are equally about the enigmatic Vin Vanbly (not his real name.) The series of stories are told out of order, backwards and inside-out, so that both the mythology of the Found Kings and Vin himself are revealed slowly, since they are inextricably intertwined. Vin is the anomaly in every situation, the perpetual outsider. He sees himself as one of the Lost Ones, and yet his compassion and his love, we begin to understand, have been the catalyst for so many other men to regain their Found kingship over the years.

When we meet Vin in King Perry, he's well-versed in how these King Weekends should go. Manipulative, scheming, not always ethical, Vin should strike us as dangerous and maybe a little creepy. But he doesn't. We're inside his brain and we're rooting for him. Edmond gives us just enough of his history, his intentions that we see his goofy charm, his moments of doubt, his tenacious drive to stay on task, to succeed in showing Perry what he needs to see to be whole again. But this is Vin at his most confident. He's been doing this for a while and he's pretty sure he has everything figured out. The human heart is an odd thing, and he recognizes that his plans may fall flat, but he has all the tricks up his sleeve carefully in line. The ultimate event planner.

In King Mai, we meet a younger and less experienced Vin. Sure, he's done this before, but he's still making mistakes, still figuring this out. The tenacity, the compassion, the manic drive are all there, but not quite the smooth delivery we see in King Perry. Now that we know the series will be six stories - since we're getting bits of King Daniel online and we see that Daniel will be the spider silk that holds these stories together - I suspect that the order of the stories has as much to do with a deconstruction of Vin as it does with the individual journeys.

Vin is...well, there's a lot of Edmond in Vin. He might be disturbed to hear that, but I think he knows. The quirky sense of humor, the head tilted way of looking at the world, the ability to see differently - these are all Edmond things. That's not surprising, of course. All of our characters carry bits of ourselves since they spring from our brains. But I can't help seeing Edmond when Vin speaks, even though I know they're not the same. Edmond is fun to hang out with, to talk to. With Vin, I'd probably always wonder what he was planning.

Long story short - I don't read contemporary romance. I just don't enjoy it. But these are stories of miracles and wonder. I'm completely hooked. Waiting for The Butterfly King and for October and for all of us to find our way home.

It's that time of year again, more or less, for me to start posting reviews and things I know/think/wonder about authors attending this year's GRL. Partly, it's an excuse for me to read more books from authors I haven't read before and partly it makes me write some of the reviews I keep meaning to write.

I do have preferences and I do have some rules. If I don't review you, please don't hate me. I won't review business partners. That's simply conflict of interest. I won't review something I didn't enjoy. That's not fair to the author. (Just because I didn't like it, that doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile read. I'm odd, we all know that.) I generally don't review regular contemporary romance. Just not something I usually read. It either has to be something unusual or there has to be an "and" in there somewhere. Contemporary and suspense/mystery/thriller. That sort of thing. Contemporary but odd and quirky. You know. Odd.

In the next few weeks and months, I should be cranking some out and possibly making some other observation types of posts for publishers and whatnot. I have a ridiculous backlog to get through. Wish me luck.

Hi all! We're here to interrogate, er, chat a bit with the lovely Silvia Violet today about her new release, If Wishes Were Horses. Settle down and pay attention, because there's a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card on the line!

Without further fuss - 10 Questions for Silvia:

1. Folks probably ask what it is you like best about writing an Alpha/Alpha couple, but let’s go farther back. Who was your first Alpha on Alpha couple, the one that made you say, “Whoa, that’s hot.”

Ty and Zane. The Cut and Run series started my m/m reading addiction. And as soon as I met those men I started asking for more alpha/alpha recs.

2. My heart went out to Andy reading his story, PTSD compounded by additional violent trauma. How did you research posttraumatic stress to make this seem so believable?

I researched both information written by psychologists and accounts written by people suffering from PTSD. I’ve also read several books which, though fictional, are touted as being very realistic in the portrayal of PTSD.

3. When you were first writing this story, you had made it clear that Karl Urban (*drool*) was the inspiration for Ken and the Not-Karl-Urban’s Ranch. Do you find you write better with specific models for your characters or was Karl as Ken a special case?

Karl *sigh*. I usually have a picture that is my image for the main characters but sometimes I have a few different pics I’ve seen that have the right feel even though they are of different models. Often, my images are of models whose names I don’t know, a pic I happened to see on FB or Tumblr. But I had a dream about this story with Karl Urban as Ken and that became firmly set in my mind.

4. I’ve always enjoyed the sense of place in your stories, the ones set in and around Asheville and so on. What prompted you to place this story in Texas?

I wanted Ken to have grown up in a large city and to have a ranch outside of it. I wanted him in the south because that is familiar ground to me. I’ve not lived in Houston but I’ve visited and I’m fortunate to have friends willing to make sure I got the setting right.

5.Supporting cast characters are often half the fun in romance. Do you find yourself developing them as you need them or do you have some idea of who they are before you start?

Unless it’s a series story where the secondary characters have already shown up earlier in the series, I typically develop them as I go. Often they pop up and insist on a much larger role than I anticipated for them, or in the case of Tristan from Wild R Farm, they try to take over the book and many books thereafter.

6. Speaking of supporting characters, I hear a follow-up calling with Rusty’s name on it. How often and when does it hit you during the writing process that a supporting character will need his own book?

That happens a lot more than I plan for it to. Usually it hits me after writing a few scenes with a character who keeps talking to me and insists I give him more. And yes, Rusty is one of those characters.

7.Too often in M/M fiction, we see female characters reduced to caricature. This isn’t the case with your stories – Renata and Lt. Gomez are both good examples. Do you have role models in your life or in pop culture that you draw from to write strong women who aren’t crazy or evil bitches?

I don’t consciously model my female characters after people I know or famous women but I’m sure that the women I’m drawn to who are strong and multi-faceted are informing me even if I’m not realizing it. I think it’s important that both the women and the men who appear in m/m fiction are fully realized and show the range of humanity from evil bitches to sweet mothering types to strong women who are true friends.

8. Writing sex. Your favorite part.

I do love writing sex, particularly including character development in sex scenes. Sex can make even the toughest man vulnerable, whether or not he wants to be.

9. If one of your own kids said to you, “Mom, I want to be a writer,” what would you say?

I’d say that’s fantastic but I’d also be realistic about how it’s truly hard work.

10. Dream cast time! If someone wanted to make IWWH into a movie, we know Karl would play Ken. But how about the rest of the cast?

Hmm. I always struggle with actor names outside my circle of favorites. I could go with Chris Evans for Andy. *am now lost in fantasies of him and Karl and unable to think of much else*  Let’s see. Gina Torres for Gomez. I love her so much. For Rusty…maybe Colton Haynes.

If Wishes Were Horses
Silvia Violet
Cover Artist: LC Chase

Blurb: Kenneth Carver had everything growing up except warmth and acceptance. When protecting his family’s name became more than he could bear, he came out as gay, sold his company, and bought a horse ranch.

Andrew Wofford's last undercover assignment nearly cost him his sanity. Now he has another chance of catching the drug runner who killed one of his informants and then escaped, but gruesome flashbacks threaten his ability to function in the field.

Andy’s latest investigation sends him to Ken’s ranch where he poses as a ranch hand. Ken is a prime suspect, but Andy refuses to believe Ken is guilty, in part because Andy is falling for him. Ken knows Andy isn’t who he seems, but he can’t bring himself to push the man away. When Ken hears rumors that someone is using his land to move drugs out of the city, he worries that it’s Andy. Neither man can trust the other even though that’s exactly what their hearts tell them to do.


Author Bio: Silvia Violet writes erotic romance in a variety of genres including paranormal, contemporary, sci fi, and historical. She can be found haunting coffee shops looking for the darkest, strongest cup of coffee she can find. Once equipped with the needed fuel, she can happily sit for hours pounding away at her laptop. Silvia typically leaves home disguised as a suburban stay-at-home-mom, and other coffee shop patrons tend to ask her hilarious questions like "Do you write children's books?" She loves watching the looks on their faces when they learn what she's actually up to. When not writing, Silvia enjoys baking sinfully delicious treats, exploring new styles of cooking, and reading to her incorrigible offspring.

Author Links:

Website: http://silviaviolet.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/silvia.violet
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Silvia_Violet

To visit the rest of the Blog Tour (and for more chances to win):
Tour Dates: May 19 - 23

Tour Stops:

May 19 - MM Good Books, Top2Bottom, Prism Book Alliance

May 20 – Kimi-Chan, Mrs. Condit & Friends, Dawn’s Reading Nook

May 21 – Havan Fellows, My Fiction Nook, Parker Williams

May 22 – Angel Martinez, Lee Brazil

May 23 – Love Bytes, Amanda C. Stone

The lovely Rory Ni Coileain messaged me and asked if I wouldn't mind being tagged for an ongoing blog hop. I just met Rory recently at Rainbow Con in Tampa, shared a hot tub with her and sat on a panel with her about religion in genre fiction (hot tub and panel did not occur simultaneously.) And if those aren't bonding experiences, I don't know what is. How could I say no?

What am I working on? I'm finally down to two WIP's right now, which makes me feel less frantic. I'm not good with several works rattling around my brain at once. The focus for the next month and a half is on No Fae Is An Island, the fourth Endangered Fae book in which Diego returns from exile, parts of the world have major issues with magic users, and Theo the vampire decides to play hero.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? There are a couple of ways to look at this question. I do write genre fiction, science fiction and fantasy, but I'm also writing, to some extent, romance, and I'm also writing, much of the time, M/M fiction. When you write sub-sub genres, and sometimes sub-sub-sub genres, (e.g. the M/M Science Fiction Fairytale) you're work is already different, a little off center. I write dark things sometimes, but don't enjoy the overload of pages upon pages of internal angst one often finds in romance. I write humor but don't like a story that's over the top slapstick, non stop funny. I like a good story. I like surprises. I like to throw odd things in the recipe.

Why do I write what I do? Because I can't write anything else. That's a rather glib answer to a complicated question, sorry. Why do I write SFF? Those are the genres I've loved from childhood. Sure, I read other fiction - mysteries, horror, suspense, literary - but it always comes back to Science Fiction and Fantasy. Those are my snuggle in and devour genres, my "I got seven new ones for Christmas and now it's New Year's Day and I've finished them all" genres.

Why do I write M/M romance over M/F? This is the complicated part, but I'll condense it down to three things:

1. I can't stand het romance, with very few exceptions. The roles men and women are forced to play in them, the mindless, repetitive plots, the stupid choices characters make. Just doesn't sit well with me.

2. But I still like the idea of romance, the core of it that says everyone deserves to be loved for who they are and everyone deserves someone willing to fight for them. Writing M/M romance gives me more freedom to let the characters be who they are. You don't have to have a heroine who melts when the hero kisses her. You don't have to have an Alpha male who must always be strong and forceful. It's less constrictive. While there are tropes by  the dozens in M/M fiction, the expectation that the writer will color within the lines isn't there as it is with M/F

3. Love is love - this is important to me on both a personal and societal level. LGBT readers need heroes, too, heroes who find love and triumph and get their happy endings. The world is full of het normal heroes in fiction, in film, in television. Why should I feed the beast with more? And why should LGBT readers be stuck with only peripheral characters or characters who die tragically? I hope I'm able to supply some better options.

How does my writing process work? Right. Process. I've always felt I should have more of a process. Most of my stories begin with process intent, anyway, the woolly mammoth looming in the corner of my room which, partway in, I manage to ignore. I don't keep character spreadsheets. I don't have novel bibles or lexicons or index cards.

I have scribbles. So - here's how the scribble method works:

1. Idea strikes, usually at 3 a.m. Make mental shelf for idea. Let it ferment a bit in the dark.

2. Characters begin to form from the ether. This is not a character stat sheet process. This is an organic messy process, like getting acquainted with a new friend. Jot down possible names. These may or may not make it into one of the spiral bound scribble notebooks.

3. Scenelet strikes. It has no grounding in solid plot, nor will it necessarily survive to the end of the process. Scenelet will often be a snippet of dialogue, more often than not written on a cocktail napkin or the back or a receipt. It has become more than idea now. It has evolved into The Thing That Must Be Written.

4. At first opportune moment, turn to new page in scribble notebook. Write possible titles or at least name of what the story is ("3rd Finn story", something like that.) Scribble in barely legible handwriting names of main characters and basics about them, all subject to change without notice when the dreaded I Have A Better Idea moment strikes.

5. Begin structural plot notes. These are often simply road markers along the way - here's how we want to start, here's how we want to end. Scribble questions to self regarding plot directions and how certain conflicts might work or how resolutions might be possible. Realize that certain aspects of story will require RESEARCH or WORLD BUILDING. Backpedal.

6. Construct answers to questions - all those things that will comprise the Plausibility Foundation for the story. How is this possible? How might this happen? Under what circumstances might this occur? How cold is frozen nitrogen? How does a cannon work? What would speech sound like with large, sharp teeth? If page is out of room, scribble in margins. Don't want to turn page.

7. Begin story. Write first scene. Agonize over first scene. Rewrite. Realize more research is necessary. More scribbling. Ask in-house experts certain questions. More scribbling.

8. Whine to trusty beta reader about plot issues. Toss idea around. Have lightning strikes moment.

9. Now story begins to gel. Write at ponderously slow pace - often less than 1K words per day - until story is complete. Rewrite constantly while making slow progress forward. Reach end. Go back and rewrite certain scenes from beginning. Give to beta reader. Add, delete, rewrite more. Consult scribbles. Laugh hysterically because story no long in any way resembles scribbles.

Some or all of these steps may be omitted and different ones added. I suppose that's a process of some sort. The gods of chaos love me.

Look for writing process posts from Freddy Mackay, Silvia Violet, Toni Griffin, Grace Duncan, and Lee Brazil to follow this one!

Hi all! Thank you for joining us for the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014! Yep, there will be a prize up for grabs for one commenter (details at the bottom of the post.) Always fun, but not what this hop's really about.

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and while the issues facing the LGBTQ community are ones we should be aware of every day, this is a day for the world to come together and share stories, information and triumphs.

In the past, I've concentrated on LGBTQ youth, particularly homeless and at-risk youth. This year, I want to talk about something hopeful and joyous - the changing map of the US. Let's take a look at April of 2004 first. Note that most states specifically said at this time that same sex marriage was illegal - not just that they didn't recognize it, but that it was illegal - in 2004. Massachusetts is the lone, brave pioneer:

Moving forward a bit, to October of 2006, take a look at how the anti-gay marriage factions have hurried to put in state constitutional bans - not merely illegal any longer, but banned according to that state's constitution. It was discouraging, to say the least, for marriage rights advocates.

But the fight was on. As they say - bring it. Poor California changes color several times over the next seven years, as does Hawaii, Illinois and little Delaware. But look what's happening, slowly but surely, as we go to July of 2013:

It's far from over. We all know that. But the momentum, slow and ponderous as it has been, keeps gathering. Federal courts find it harder and harder to uphold laws that are obviously in violation of the country's constitution, in violation of the civil rights of its citizens. The laws are there to protect against the tyranny of the majority. It's a lesson we have to keep learning, apparently. But look - just look! - at the map today. See all the states that are bi-colored? Those are the ones where the courts are saying no. And all that lovely blue. Not there yet - but it's quite a difference from the first map, wouldn't you say?

Come on states, you can do this. Denying people basic rights is inhumane and marriage has both financial and legal rights attached to it (just ask the young man who wasn't allowed to attend his partner's funeral, the one who was denied hospital visitation rights, the elderly couple who were separated and their property seized.) It's time to join the rest of us in the 21st century.

Here comes the prize part (hey, I promised, right?) Please leave me a comment and your contact info (please, please leave contact info) for a chance to win a copy of Finn: Endangered Fae 1.

Winner will be drawn on May 27th - I'll contact you then if you've won to ask for your preferred file format.

Thank you for stopping by!


Back to the hop!

Most people of my generation (and movie buffs of all generations) think of Harvey the white rabbit when someone says “pooka.” Fair enough. Unless you’re steeped in the myth and folklore of the British Isles, you may never have run across a pooka (pookha, puca) otherwise. But this elusive creature is not merely a giant white rabbit bent on making Jimmy Stewart go a bit mad. So what is he?

The short answer is: opinions differ. In folktales, the pooka takes numerous forms and his habits vary depending on the story and the teller. A few things we know for certain:

• The pooka is a uniquely Irish spirit or fae
• He is a shapeshifter who has problems with plain, un-garnished truth
• He is most associated with mountaintops and streams

Even the origin of the name is questionable. Pooka could be derived from the Old Irish, púca, meaning ‘fairy’, the Old Norse, puke, ‘nature spirit’, or an old Gaelic word poc, ‘billy goat’. Does that last one seem farfetched? Not when we know the pooka’s favorite forms. Most people familiar with the stories know about the pooka’s horse form but he also appears in different parts of Ireland as a big, black goat with curling horns, a black eagle with a massive wingspan, a deformed little goblin, or even as a human traveler.

Pooka/human relations have been rather dysfunctional for many centuries. In the pre-Christian past, the pooka was revered and respected as part of the Irish horse cults and as a nature spirit, brought offerings, asked advice. He obviously misses that and resents being shuffled into the realm of folklore. Meeting the sleek, black horse with the glowing eyes at night means being swept up and dumped in the nearest bog rather than having a civil conversation. Forgetting to leave out offerings of grain or milk means the Irish farmer may find his fences knocked down, his livestock scattered, his hens too frightened to lay and his cows’ milk curdled.

It’s important to note that the pooka never actually harms humans. His mischief may be malicious and frightening at times but he stops short of anything more serious than vandalism or a good scare. When treated with respect, he has been known to answer questions and give sound advice. He even seems to crave human company from time to time, appearing out of the dark as a weary traveler who will come in if invited and spin fantastic tales for his hosts before disappearing again into the night.

The only man ever to tame the pooka horse was the High King Brian Boru, who made a magic bridle using three hairs from the pooka’s tail so he would not be thrown off, and rode the poor thing to exhaustion. He then demanded that the pooka promise to stop vandalizing Christian property and to leave Irishman traveling at night alone so long as they were sober and not abroad with evil intentions. He got his promise and, for a time, the mischief stopped. Eventually, the pooka returned to old habits which could mean he simply lied so Brian would leave him alone, that he forgot his promise, or that he believed he had made the promise only to that one human, which became null and void after the death of the High King.

So from all these bits and pieces was born Finn, my own favorite pooka. Since the pooka can take any shape, why not tall, dark, and handsome? And from all the stories, why not one who is both largely puzzled and helplessly fascinated by humans? Add to that a fertile imagination, a prodigious sex drive, a sense of curiosity any cat would be proud of, and a wicked sense of humor, and we have our Finn.

Finn still insists that King Brian was a bit of a bully, but he does admit that maybe some of the things he used to do weren’t quite cricket.

Come read more about him (and, oh, yes, Diego, too) in the first installment of Endangered Fae:

Finn: Endangered Fae 1

Print

Amazon

All Romance

Lost and starving, Finn wakes to a poisoned world, but a man comes to him, a white light in the darkness---can a centuries old pooka find what he needs with a heartbroken, modern man?

When Diego rescues a naked man from the rail of the Brooklyn Bridge, he just wants to get the poor man out of traffic and to social services. He gets more than he bargained for when he discovers Finn is an ailing pooka, poisoned by the city's pollution. To help him recover, Diego takes him to New Brunswick where Finn inadvertently wakes an ancient, evil spirit: the wendigo.

While they struggle to find a way to destroy the wendigo before it can possess Diego or kill nearby innocents, Diego wrestles with his growing feelings for Finn. Kill the monster and navigate a relationship between a modern man and a centuries old pooka. Piece of cake.

Hi all!

Our series of guest authors with cool new releases continues today with the lovely Vastine Bondurant, whose haunting writing can be both enchanting and heart-wrenching. There is a prize at the end - you know the drill ;)

Glory Lands
by Vastine Bondurant

Dreamspinner
Amazon
All Romance

Blurb:
A Texas Piney Woods Story

Rural East Texas, 1931. Preacher’s son Emory Joe Logan and a fiddler from Shreveport, Glory Lands, meet and form a tender bond. When they are caught and arrested for homosexual acts by Sheriff Elihu Bishop, the lawman’s sanctimonious bigotry threatens to rip the young men from their families.

Emory Joe’s father, Pastor Charles Logan, is brought to his knees in terror, confusion, and anger. He still regrets not standing up against Bishop when the lawman murdered a youth in cold blood nine years ago.

Now there’s no longer a choice for the preacher to stand up to the lawman. Cold-blooded justice, bigotry-disguised-as-religion, and hatred take on a whole new meaning when they’re standing on his doorstep, ready to take the son he loves.

What readers are saying:

"...This story is beautifully written with charm and a very classy style.  ” cathy- (Amazon)"..

But every so often a story comes along and absolutely annihilates me. Glory Lands is that story...~ Astrid (Amazon)


About the Author:

I’m Texas born and raised, an old fashioned, bling-loving girly girl. I love to read and write stories of men and women and the sizzling chemistry that draws them together. Passion. My heart is helplessly bound to romance of a time long gone- gritty, sexy stories of men in fedoras and overcoats. Old Spice Aftershave, Lucky Strike cigarettes, fancy cuff links, hair pomade, mobsters. Clandestine whispers on Bakelite telephones from the shadows of cheesy restaurant phone booths. Stories of a time when sex was all the more sexy because it wasn’t plastered on every billboard—no naked Joes and dames in every ad in every magazine. Lovemaking—hot, sweet-and-naughty, a secret between lovers. My make believe world is sex and danger, hotter than Hades but wrapped up in a deceptive package—gals with soft skin, pretty lace slips, seamed stockings, satin peignoirs, powder puffs and Chanel No. 5. And the tough guys in dress shirts and suspenders who lust to get their hands on the garters they know tease just beneath those kick pleats. I’m a goner for the dynamics of testosterone meets sugar and spice.
Find Vastine online at:

Blog
Facebook
Pintrest
Twitter
Goodreads Author Page
Glory Lands Goodreads
PagePurly Gates Goodreads Page
Amazon Author Page

And now for the Rafflecopter - cause I promised...