What..Wednesday Again...

Finished Out of Bounds and submitted it. Keep your fingers crossed that they want it. New publisher, so we'll have to see. At least, I'll know by June 10th whether they want it or not. If not, I'll just add a little more to it and sub it to LSB. :)

Now I can focus all of my attention on Tony's story. Well, almost all of it. I have to take breaks to work on the installments for The Vanguard, but Tony takes priority over all my other stories right now. His story needs to be finished. I'm giving myself to the end of June to finish it. Hope it works.

I finished reading Wiccan Man: Tongue Tied by Emily Veinglory the other night. It was really good. Just like all of Emily's books.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Hurray for a short work week.

Remembering....

Sand cried
Water bled
Sky screamed
Rocks hid.

Legs trembled
Hands clenched
Teeth bit
Eyes burned.

Crosses stand
Stars reflect
Flags wave
Freedom reigns.

TA Chase (c) 2007

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day and thank you to all those who have served.

Release Date

Hey everyone, Three has gotten a release date....June 11th. Mark it down on your calender. It's a hot anthology with Bonnie and Lisa joining me. :) I posted another excerpt today and I'm sure Bonnie and Lisa will be posting theirs sometime during the day, so stop by SiN and check them out.

I finished the short story I was working on. Sent it out to my cps and already heard back from one. Lila remarked about one of the last scenes and I agreed with her, so I'll be working on fixing that today. Plus doing working on Vanguard and Home of his Own (Tony's story)

Hope you all have a wonderful day. :)

Movie Review

I watched Pan's Labyrinth the other night. I was told by people that this movie could change my life. I don't know about that. I've seen very few movies in the last couple of years that have changed me in some fundamental way. (Brokeback Mountain being one of the few.)

But even though it didn't change my life, PL was still a very good movie and deserved all of the accolades it received. The imagery was stunning along with the fantastic creatures Guillermo del Toro created to tell this story of a little girl's search for the marvelous and beautiful in a world gone mad. There are two story lines going on during the movie and if you can't handle violence and sadistic torture, don't watch it. For the real world this little girl lives in would break the heart of a strong man.

Oh, Sherrill tagged me, so I have to give you eight more things you didn't know about me. Hmm...it was hard enough coming up with the first eight. But here I go...

1. As you can tell, I love movies, but my absolute favorite kind are martial art movies. Jet Li is a god in my eyes....though my favorite movie of his is Unleashed (and not just because it has Morgan Freeman in it.)

2.I listen to all kinds of music: country, opera, rock, pop. One of my all-time favorite songs is Seven Spanish Angels sung by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson. Just the story that song tells of two doomed lovers touches my heart. There's a story there and I'm going to write it someday (with my own little twist of course)

3. As if you didn't already know, my favorite animals in the whole world are horses. All the different breeds and types. From ponies to draft horses. I love them for their strength, for their gentleness. I love them for their unconditional love and overwhelming willingness to trust. For their beauty and their heart.

4. I'm of the theory that God exists, but He started the evolution process long ago and then stepped back to see what we do with what He created. (I can't think He's very happy with what we've done) All the good and bad that happens to us in this life is because of us and not God. How can I thank Him for the good and not blame Him for the bad if He controls everything?

5. My favorite color is dark green. Not sure why except there's a feeling of vibrant life and growth in that color.

6. Rainy days are my favorite days to stay home and write all day. Maybe it's the sound of the rain falling outside my window while I'm sitting warm and dry that makes the words flow better. (As you can tell with these facts.)

7. My cats make me laugh.

8. I've written over 135,000 words so far this year and finished four stories. :) I've had two books released so far with one more coming out soon. (those are the ones that have been contracted.)

have a great Saturday, everyone.

Pimping Books...

I read this book earlier in the week...instead of doing my own writing. I really enjoy Slipping the Stream. Mike Shade does a great job bringing a cyperpunk feel to the story. If you liked the Matrix movies, you'll like this book.

Mike Shade has a few other books that I've read and enjoyed. I tried to see if I could find a website for him, but I didn't. If someone else might be able to find one, just post it in the comment section here. :)

I was supposed to do another eight things about me since Sherrill tagged me, but I don't have time to do it today. I'll post it tomorrow.

Hope you all have a great Friday.

The Vanguard

Hey everyone, due to the fact that I was late for work and had to rush out of the house, leaving behind my flash drive-the very flashdrive with the next intallment of The Vanguard on it- The Vanguard will have to be postponed until tomorrow. I'm very sorry about that. I even put it out with my phone and ipod. Guess it must have slipped off on to the couch or something. But I promise, the next installment will be up tomorrow and don't miss it because there'll be a little after-dinner show...involving Martin and Antioc with Stakel watching.

But since you're here, zip over to SEx and check out the excerpt from Stealing Life. I'm holding a contest over there as well. Anyone who posts a comment will be entered to win a Stealing Life mug and magnet. :) So stop by and say hi.

Thanks.

Manic Monday..Poetry Train

It's Monday..which means two things.

First, STEALING LIFE is live. Can't wait to hear from everyone about whether or not you liked the expanded version of SL. Run and buy it. :)

Second, it's poetry time again. Now remember I don't usually write happy poems. Most are really rather depressing...lol. So I've dug through my stuff, trying to find the least depressing ones and to be honest, it didn't really work.

Here you go:

Untitled

Foolish to believe
That dreams would live
In the fragile nerves of our Minds.
Placing them there was
Never the spot for them.
Putting them in words on Paper
Or in paint on canvas
That is where dreams should live.
Instead because we are selfish,
We lock our dreams away
In prisons of flesh and blood.
Lock them away and only let
Them out when we chose to see.
No one else can be inspired by them.
No one else could possibly understand them.
Foolish to believe that our
Dreams are so important they could affect the
World so much that we must hide them
Away before they hurt someone.
Hiding them will only hurt the prisons they hide in.
Our dreams will beat and tear to be free.
Our dreams long to breath air,
To live a life that is full.
Locking dreams away is
Tearing wings from butterflies
One wing at a time.

Hope this isn't too depressing for a Monday. Enjoy your day and don't forget to stop by LSB later on tonight to pick up a copy of Stealing Life.

No Triple Crown

Curlin destroyed any hope of a Triple Crown for Street Sense. So for thirty-one years, we keep waiting to find a horse who can do it all. It was a thrilling race though. I hoped Street Sense could do it again, but I would have bet on either Curlin or Hard Spun. Just didn't have enough faith that the racing gods would smile down on him again.

In other news, it was a bittersweet moment for Michael Matz as his horse Chelokee won the inaugural running of The Barbaro Stakes. It does seem rather fitting though. In one of the other undercard races at Pimilco yesterday, the Dixie Stakes (raced on the turf), one of the horses, Mending Fences broke down going around the far turn. He fractured his ankle and dislocated it which caused him to do down. It was a compound fracture, so he was humanely euthanized after they got him back to the barn. Sad news to mar the day again.

But we'll see what Curlin can do in the Belmont. His breeding suggests he should like the longer distance.

Since you probably didn't stop by to read me talking about horses and racing, I'll let you all know that I'm only 5k or so away from finishing my basketball story. I have a party to go, but I'm hoping I can get the story finished today. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Pimping Books...

Today's book is Thirty Days by Shayla Kersten from LSB. If you like BDSM, this is a good one with lots of angst as well. :) Though it's not as immersed into the lifestyle as some I have read, but you still get the feel of it.

I haven't read Shayla's other m/m book from Ellora's Cave, but I'm sure it's just as good as this one. She also has some m/f stories coming out. If you visit her website, you'll find out about every thing she has coming out.

Also, even though Paige has gotten her website back, I'm not sure if she's had time to fix it or post her meme. Being the wonderful friend I am, I'm letting her post it on my blog. So here you go...8 things to know about Paige.

1. I don't match my panties and bra. Or if I do, it's by accident.

2. I HATE making cold calls. If I have to call a store to find out their location or what time they close I totally freeze.

3. If my husband asked, I would participate in a threesome.

4. Despite all apperances, I am NOT an orgainzed person. :)

5. My dream is to write Young Adult books.

6. I play video games, and I like it. Yes, I even have my own XBOX gamertag.

7. I love rollercoasters.

8. Muscles do it for me. Bad.

Click here for Paige's website.

Hmm....what else to talk about? Oh the Wings lost last night, so it's back to Detroit for another game. I'm getting the feeling it's going to come down to a game seven. Oh well, more hockey to watch then. I finished the second set of edits on Two for One. That means we're that much closer to a release date for Three. :)

Hope you all have a good Friday.

Wet Wednesday

So last night, I was happily adding more background story to The Vanguard...earlier in the story than where we are now. :) I actually ended up adding a whole new first chapter. As I was re-reading it, I realized I dropped us right into the story without any real build-up...which is fine for the blog story, but need more for the full story. Anyway, I was typing away..adding little things here and there when Lila (wonderful friend..taskmaster she is) reminds me that I need to get my Valentine's story finished if I want her to look it over for me before I have to submit it.

Darn it, she's right. It has to be submitted by June 1 and I don't want to end up doing it the day before....lol. Not a good impression to make about hitting deadlines. If it gets accepted, it'll be for a new-to-me publisher, Samhain. If not, I'll re-work it (which means add more to it) and send it to LSB.

So, I closed Vanguard down and was about to open Out of Bounds when storms blew in. I ended up writing more of the story out in long hand. I'll be typing it in today to see where I'm at in the story. I've got to add a couple of sex scenes (always fun). It needs to be around 25k and I'm at 17k at the moment. There isn't any doubt I'll reach the word count needed...though I might go over a little.

Umm...other than that, I didn't do anything except watch the latest episode of Sopranos (the coolest theme song ever) and the hockey game. Detroit Red Wings won 5-0, but not before Anahiem tried to take Tomas Holmstrom out. The man is the toughest s.o.b. in hockey, imo. His forehead was split open and he probably had a concussion, but he came back after they stitched him up. Just no quit in that man.

Well, I hope you all have a great Wednesday..just keep telling yourself there's only two more days left before the weekend.

Poetry

Okay, so I noticed on Rhian's blog that on Mondays, she posts some of her poetry. Then, being the observant person I am, I saw several other people are doing it as well. I thought I can do this. I've got tons of bad poetry sitting around my house...lol. I can inflict it on people.

But what I'm posting today isn't just a poem. It's part of a WIP I have. The WIP is called His Heart's Home. The third book in the Home series. (I don't have Tony's story finished yet-in case you're wondering...lol)

His Heart's Home is the story of Max (whose last name escapes me at the moment). He's the foreman at Tony's ranch. Max gets to babysit Derek St. Martin. Derek's the biggest country star in the music industry at the moment. Derek's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Fame and fortune is eating him alive.

This is a song Derek writes for Max.

Tamed

Not a care in the world,
I ran wild and free.
Believed happiness was
Living only for the moment.

Didn’t need a soul mate
Except for a night.
Never wanted more.
Never saw the point.

You caught my eye,
Standing silent
In a crowd of people
Screaming my name.

A scarred hand
Reached
A soft word
Spoken.

And with a gentle touch,
You tamed me.
With a whispered word,
You chained me.

I haven't figured out how to link to any of the other people who do this, but if you hop over to Rhian's, she has a list and if you're interested in joining in, she has the linky thing where you can get added to the list. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.

What to do?

Not much going on today. The sky's grey and it looks like it'll be raining before long. I've got nothing planned...so it might just be a lazy day.

I'll write of course and see how much I can get done by the end of the day. Hopefully I'll be closer to finishing Out of Bounds. Then I'll do more work on The Vanguard. I have to find out where that story is taking me. Not sure yet.

I got an idea for a new story, so I might even do some work on that one. Not sure about a lot of the plot, but it'll be a Native American shifter story, so have to do some research on Native American culture.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday...where ever you live. :)

Pimping Books....

Today, we're pimping Kiernan Kelly's books. Riding Heartbreak Road is the first of Kiernan's books I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Who wouldn't? Cowboys and hot man love. Yum. It's available in paperback as well. :)


Kiernan has several other books out, so I suggest stopping by Kiernan's site to check out the other ones. I've enjoyed all of them so far. Definitely on my auto-buy list.


And stop by Elisa's blog. You can vote for me as the Best Blog Author for 2006. Click here to head over there. (You might have to scroll down a little)


Okay because both Rhian and Shayla memed me, I'll be posting eight more things about me that no one knows...except those closest to me. (I know since I got tagged by two people I should do sixteen, but I can't think of sixteen things..lol)


1. I love William Shanter-not because I'm a Trekkie fan or anything, but because he's confident enough that he can make fun of himself and because he love horses. (no one who loves horses can be all bad.)


2. I'm fascinated by sharks and snakes. So primeval. They could teach us a lesson on survival-if we'd just listen and watch them instead of killing them.


3. My idea of camping or roughing it, is a hotel without room service. :)


4. I lust after men with tattoos. Must be the bad boy in me or the urge to have a bad boy of my own.


5. My favorite spot on a man is the soft skin right at the hip. ;)


6. Before I die (which I'm planning will be a long time from now) I want to take a horseback riding trip around Ireland. I've always wanted to see Ireland and what better way to see it than on the back of a horse.


7. Like Jude Law's character in The Holiday, I'm easily brought to tears. Usually if there's an animal involved somehow.


8. Finally the last one, I believe in reincarnation and that we really do have soulmates in the world.


I'm tagging Lila Dubois (who doesn't have a blog, but I'm willing to let her take over mine.) and Pagie Burns (who's website/blog is down at the moment, so she'll be using mine as well). I know I'm not playing this right because I'm only tagging those two, but at the moment, I can't think of six other people...lol.



Here are the rules according to whomever likes to makeup rules:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Release Date...

LSB informed me last night that Stealing Life will be released on May 21st. They release their books around 6 or 7 pm on Mondays, so mark your calendar.

I can't wait for Rue and Vlatko to be released for the world to enjoy. I think they are my favorite pair of characters I've written so far. Though Kael from Here Be Dragons is my all-time favorite hero.

I'm getting closer to finishing Out of Bounds (my Valentine's story) and more is being written on The Vanguard. Maybe I'll find out who the voice is soon. So far, it's been very mysterious.

Tony's story is coming along as well as is Dreaming of Dragons (my working title for the next Dragon book).

I hope you all enjoy your Wednesday. It's raining here. It's the kind of day I'd prefer to stay home and snuggle under the blankets with C or a good book.

Hot Fuzz

Went to see Hot Fuzz Saturday. I loved Shaun of the Dead, so I couldn't wait to see this movie.

It's different from Shaun, but still hilarious. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been friends for a long time and it shows in their acting. I'm not sure any other actors could pull off this homage to buddy cop films. :) I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for laughs and action.

I'm halfway through edits on Two for One. It's taken me longer than usual to get it finished because my schedule has been thrown off. But I'm planning on getting it done tonight...so my editor and fellow anthology mates won't come hunt me down...lol.

Have a great Monday.

The Curse is Broken....

Congrats to Street Sense, his jockey and all his connections. He won the Derby yesterday in a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Plus he broke the curse. Which one you might ask? (okay, so you're probably not really wondering, but still I'm going to tell you...lol)

No Two-year old Champion has won the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1980. Also, no horse who has ever won the Breeder's Cup Juvenile has ever won. And Street Sense went off as the Derby favorite which tends to be a curse all of its own.

But he did it. Now will he be able to go on and win the Preakness and the Belmont to give us our first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, I'm not sure. I'm not ready to crown him the second coming of Secretariat, but maybe he has what it takes to do it. Guess we'll just have to wait for the Preakness. :)

I plan on finishing up edits on Two for One today. (My short story in the Three anthology) and then I'll be working on Vanguard and Out of Bounds (the Valentine's story I want to submit to Samhain.)

Hope you all have a great day.

P.S. Check out Stealing Life at SiN. I added a new little excerpt for everyone.

Pimping Books...

Ugh! I can't get a bigger version of this cover, so unfortunately we're stuck with this one.

I actually just got done reading Drew Zachary's newest book, Jericho Jones: The Adventure Begins. But Transforming Hades is one that I've re-read several times. It's a futuristic/sci-fi story and rather well written, imo. :) Drew writes well in any genre he tries.

Writing is going well. I'm getting a bunch done on The Vanguard, but also I'm working on a story to submit to Samhain for their 2008 m/m Valentine's Day anthology. Keep your fingers crossed that I finish it in time for the deadline and then that they like it. It's about a pro basketball player and the nightclub owner he falls in love with.

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday.