Holy moly, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Well I’m back and I’ve got presents! Today kicks off the 29 day (30 would have made more sense, but you see how organized I am) countdown to the release of FIT (#1 in the Fit Trilogy). If you haven’t added it to your to-read list on goodreads you totally should . For the next month I’ll be doing #LineADay teasers on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on this here blog. I’ll also be giving away copies of FIT and some fun book swag. Check in with me everyday for the rest of the month or every few days. Or like once. Either way, you’ll catch something fun for FIT! But first it’s only appropriate to introduce you to my lovers. Meet Grant and Violet.

Special thanks to Allison Teng of Curvy Girl Chic for letting me use her as Violet’s face-spiration. If you haven’t check out Allison’s site you totally should. Her sense of style is freaking amazing! Also keep in mind that FIT is is Violet’s journey, not Allison’s. They only share a face ’cause Allison is so dang beautiful.

And since you were so nice to stop by I’ll leave you with the first #LineADay

#1: It was tempting to fall flat on the floor once Margaret called their final time, but Violet had to get out of there.

Hope you like!

p.s. At Her Feet is up for a Lambda Literary Award AND a Golden Crown Literary Award. That story was something I wrote knowing that it might not work for a lot of people. It’s amazing to see that it’s being received with so much love. Suzy&Pilar4Ever! ❤

You might be wondering what this post is about. No, I’m just kidding. I’m sure you’ve figured it out. In 2014, I’ll be jumping into the self-publishing pool that now seems like a huge lake with plenty of beach chairs for everyone.

Why? I have a great working relationship with an LGBT publisher and I figured I can self-publish a few of my hetero romances on my own. At this very moment, I don’t want to seek out or sign a contract with another publisher for my straight stuff. I know I will one day. I have plans for something extra romancey with almost no sex that I think needs to go the traditional route, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Why now? When I first got into the writing game, self-publishing was still new to the larger Romance community, plus I didn’t know shit about it, so I figured it would be much, much easier for me to work with a publisher. Now that I have four full length novels and five shorts under my belt, I have a much better understanding of how the process works. I know what story and copy editing mean to me. I know what kind of cover art I like as an author and as a reader. I get what promo appeals to me and what feels like peeing into the wind. Let’s just say I have more confidence in the whole process. So I’ve gotten the process started. I’ve found an editor. I’ve found a cover artist. It’s. About. To go. Down.

What? During NaNoWriMo I was little too stressed out to write a full-length novel, but I had an idea for a hetero novella. I’ve been planning on writing hetero couples forever, but I was waiting for my muse to come back with chips and soda. She finally came back and I pumped that bad boy out, then considered my options for what to do with it. I’ll be completely honest and say that option number one didn’t work out, but this is good because option number one was actually a bad idea for me. While considering option number two, I came up with some changes for my heroine that I really liked. Then after a few more days I realized that I had a story for the hero’s best friend and then I realized I had a story for their co-worker. WHY NOT DO A TRILOGY!?!?

When? Life is happening right now, so in order to do things at a pace that I’m comfortable with, I’m hoping to have the first book out in May or June. If all goes as planned, novella two will be released three or four months later and the final novella, three or four months after that.

AND THEN AFTER THAT??? I have a full length hetero trilogy in the works and I plan to self-publish those as well. All of these stories will be fun, steamy, contemporary romances with interracial couples, Black, White, Chinese, Indian, Mexican… LOVE FOR EVERYBODY!

I’ll still be writing lesbian and bisexual romances with my LGBT publisher so you can definitely expect more of that. We’ll catch up with my sorority girls and their vampires, and possibly Bizzy and Holly from At Her Feet (there’s no possibly about it. i’m totally writing them their own book). I have plans to rework some fairy tales with a transgender lesbian twist. I want to work on some sirens and witches. There will totally be lesbian witches.

I’m looking forward to exploring all of these stories and I hope you guys will come along on this fun ride with me.

Have I mentioned that I’m forgetful? Well, I am. So here’s the skinny on some new stuff from meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Next Tuesday, December 17, Love Burns Bright: A Lifetime of Lesbian Romance, hits bookstore shelves.

I have two stories in this anthology. The first, Forever Yours, Eileen, is one I’m particularly proud off. It features two black women who spend a lifetime as friends only to find love together in their sixties.

The second story, Sweetest Noelle, features two women that may be familiar to some of you. Noelle and Ronnie from The Fling share their sensual holiday adventure with you.

This was actually this first story I ever wrote for publication, but I never ended up submitting it to a lesbian publishing house until now. Noelle and Ronnie stayed with me and even though I wasn’t ready to give them their full book, I wanted them to stick around, so Oksana was given some pretty cool friends. If you’re going by a semi realistic timeline, this comes after The Fling.

The stories are very different, but both hold a special place in my heart.

You can pre-order Love Burns Brightly now and it’ll be available whereever books are sold on Decemeber 17. That’s real soon!

Welcome to the Queer Romance Blog Hop, where queer writers and readers of queer romance share their thoughts on the genre, as well as a few recommendations for books to read! Everyone participating in this blog hop identifies as queer and also reads and/or writes (or edits, or reviews!) queer romance. For our purposes, queer romance refers to books with:

1. LGBTQ+ main characters

2. In romantic relationships

3. That have a happy ending. (No Brokeback Mountain here, folks!)

It’s my turn on the fun party-go-round! Rebekah Weatherspoon, here. I write lesbian and bisexual erotic and paranormal romance for Bold Strokes Books. I like to focus on interracial/multicultural couples. It’s kinda my thing.

1. Let’s start off with the getting-to-know-you stuff: How do you identify, and what does that mean to you? Whatever level of detail you’re comfortable with, of course!

I identify as pansexual. I’ve seen a lot of definitions for the term, but for me pansexuality means I’m drawn to one’s  personality and not what’s going on in their pants.

2. What’s your preferred “flavour” of queer romance (e.g. trans*, f/f, m/m, menage with queer characters, etc.) Why?

As I mentioned above, I write lesbian and bisexual romance, with the characters’ happily ever after ending with two women together. Why? I enjoy writing about women. I find the sexual politics between men and women work their way into a great deal of our lives. It’s nice to focus on a relationship where men aren’t the focus.

3. Do you write/read/review? Do you think being queer affects your participation or platform in romancelandia?

I do read a lot and review as well. I suppose my being queer does affect my platform, but not my participation. I live as a queer person, so it’s going to inform all aspects of my life. As a writer of lesbian relationships my place in romancelandia is an interesting one. I find that lesbian romance has a smaller support system. Our readers are loyal and amazing and though I don’t think my voice as an author has been silenced by other authors, it is difficult to get reviewers and new readers to try my work. Lesbian romance doesn’t have to support that gay or m/m romance does.

4. What drew you to queer romance?

I started writing in the world of fanfiction. Twilight fanfiction to be exact. I wrote a few hetero pairings, but I wanted to explore some of the female characters who were left out in the wind. I wanted more of Rose and Leah and way more of Bella without Edward. I ended up writing a story about Bella and Alice and then another story about Bella and Leah. When I started working on my original stories I wanted to keep going with female pairings.

5. What do you love about queer romance in general, and/or your specific subgenre?

I just love romance in general. I tend to write fun playful characters, so when I write about two women together I can shift between a serious seductions to post coital conversations that take on the air of a slumber party.

6. What’s your pet peeve?

My pet peeve is the realities of LGBT representation and marketing in romanceland. I see LGBT/GLBT used to describe blogs, lists, even publishers, but what they really mean is a very specific kind of m/m. I think people should be free to read and enjoy whatever they want, but those four letters mean something very specific to me and I’d like to see those things represented equally.

7. What growth would you like to see in the genre, going forward? Any ideas on how to accomplish that?

I would like to see queer authors and characters marketed equally. I think publishers see LGBT works as a niche market so they treat those works as if they belong in a niche market and then say SEE THESE TITLES DON’T SELL AS MUCH. That’s because they don’t get the shelf space or the marketing pushes. My local B&N carries my titles nearly fifty yards away from the romance section. How are romance readers going to take a chance on them if they can’t even see them?

8. Do you seek out other queer authors when you read?

I do.

9. How do you feel, in general, about straight peoples’ participation in reading, writing, and reviewing queer romance?

I think straight people writing and reviewing queer characters and authors is great. I don’t like it when straight authors praise themselves for being inclusive and ignore queer authors who are also doing the work.

10. Rec us 3 titles in your chosen subgenre and tell us why you love them.

Such a Pretty Face by Gabrielle Goldsby – Plus-sized Latina finds love with a white contractor. Very sweet romance, with realistic family subplot.

The Collectors by Lesley Gowan – One of the best BDSM romance I’ve ever read. Newbie submissive matched with a super sexy Mistress and they actually fall in love.

The Sublime and Spirited Voyage of Original Sin by Colette Moody. Two words. Lesbian. Pirates.

All said, I’d like to thank Heidi for putting this together! Happy Reading!

Thanks for reading and for following the tour! Be sure to use the links below to check out more great posts from our participants!

Hey party people! With At Her Feet out in the world (and emotionally scarring a reader or two) it’s way past the time where I should have another book on its way to the printers. Well, I don’t but I am working on something new. Here are the stats!

Title: TOUCH

Genre: Erotic Romance (This will be my first hetero romance that I’ll be writing for publication. I have tons of hetero fan fic floating around)

Premise: Two commitment-shy workaholics with their own sets of issues find each other through a craiglists-esque ad and realize that being single and lonely as hell, for whatever reason, is not all it’s cracked up to be. My hero, Alex, has a problem connecting with women due a particular physical situation. My heroine, Brigitte, has it drilled into her head that her career is all that matters. They meet. Sparks Fly. They totally dry hump.

Status: 19,750/75,000 words

My Characters:

I saw Brigitte as Kelis with this particular haircut. In my head Alex looks like this young man, who’s name is actually Alex. I found him way after I started the story. He gave me permission to use his pretty face.

I was originally going to write this as a novella to submit to a large publisher. Both characters started out white and then Brigitte was like NO, IM BLACK! And then I started working on Alex’s tattoos and I was like wait this guy is half-Samoan. I tried. Really I did. (I didn’t try at all )

And about that NaNoWriMo, I usually don’t participate because I should be writing all the time, but by the time Nov 1 rolls around, I should have 50,000 words left on this story. I NEED to finish it by December 1st so I can get rolling on the next Vampire Sorority Sisters book. I really need to get on that. So I will be NaNoWriMoing in an effort to finish this story. The current plan is to self-publish it in the Spring, but we’ll see how that works out.

In other news, I’ve become obsessed with Sleepy Hollow. That’s my dealio. What’s new with you?

Hey! Things have been kind of crazy in my non-writing life, (stupid life and it’s happening and crap). I’ve been self-medicating with Sleepy Hollow, Elementary, and hours and hours of Spartacus, but I’ve been working on getting back on track. I’m working on a story that I’m calling TOUCH. I don’t want to promise anything in terms of date of completion because I may have to stop working on it to punch out the next in the Vampire Sorority Sisters series, but we’ll see.

In other, more exciting news!!!!! I was slightly terrified about people reading At Her Feet. The subject matter is a wee taboo. I know people within the BDSM community who aren’t down the it, but so far the feedback has been awesome. I want to say Thank You to everyone who has picked it up so far and given it a try.

Jim Lyons at the Seattle P-I posted this review this week, calling At Her Feet “the best and most original book that I have read in any genre for a very long time.”

JJ over at Rainbow Book Reviews had some wonderful things to say about At Her Feet as well. AND THEN! She went and read my other books and wonderful things to say about them too. Check out her kind words.

Better Off Red Review

Blacker Than Blue Review

The Fling Review

I nearly missed the next bit, but At Her Feet was also listed with thew new releases on the USAToday Happy Ever After page. Extra cool considering how many books are released each week. It’s a lot of books.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

Blacker Than Blue is a finalist in the Rainbow Reader Awards. Not too bad, I say. I’ll try to post more updates on TOUCH in the coming weeks.

image source

Today At Her Feet will be released everywhere. Everywhere. You should go buy it. Here are a few other books from BSB that share Suzy and Pilar’s book birthday!

It should have been simple, but life has a way of getting complicated.

When correspondent Tate McKenna broke her own rules and took navy pilot Lieutenant Commander Evan Kane home from an embassy dinner in Bahrain, she knew all the reasons why it wouldn’t work. Long, unpredictable work hours. Extended absences. The dangers inherent in their jobs. Yet after being with Evan once, it was inconceivable she wouldn’t be with her again.

When they finally have a chance to get things right, danger follows them home from Afghanistan. Now, Tate and Evan must stand together in a show of force or risk losing everything—including their lives. (Lesbian Romance, Intrigue/Thriller)

After a vicious attack, Morgan Masters wakes up to find that nothing is how she remembers it. John Major isn’t the prime minister anymore, the Millennium has been and gone, and it’s been a very long time since she was in college.

When Erin’s worst fears become reality and her world crumbles around her, she has to pick up the pieces and start all over again.

Can losing everything actually be the best thing that ever happened to Morgan? Can Erin learn to forgive the sins of the past and let her heart lead her head for a change? Or is happiness beyond their reach? (Lesbian Romance)

The note attached to her grandmother’s will has left debutante Mae St. John with this: the family fortune is gone; the father she never knew lives in Louisiana; and her only income is a modest trust fund left for the care of Big Mae’s poodle, Rhett.

Hog-tied by her father’s financial predicament and mental decline, Whit Casey is not happy at being strong-armed to hire Mae, who knows nothing about quarter horse racing, to write for her racing magazine and dot-com. Still, attraction grows between the two women until Mae’s investigation into a horse cloning controversy implicates Whit and the colt she is depending on to stop the foreclosure of her father’s farm. It’s a race against time to clear the colt before the big race and claim what both women desire most in their lives—someone to hold them forever. (Lesbian Romance)

Sometimes love can blow you away.

When struggling college student Adam Parsh accepts a tutoring position, he is immediately drawn into the unknown world of the wealthy Vassalo family. Fighting off the sexual advances of Dario Vassalo, the Greek tycoon and patriarch, Adam finds himself the object of the dangerous desires of one of the most powerful men in the world—his married employer. Torn between his attraction to Dario and his deepening love for his best friend, Victor Maldonado, Adam is forced to choose between right and wrong. Surrounded by lust, glamour, and greed, Adam soon uncovers dark secrets strong enough to destroy lives forever. (Gay Romance)

Honey Agency: If we can’t solve your problem, we’re sorry.

Greg Honey has bigger issues than a sketchy tagline for his one-man detective agency. To start with, his mother is pressuring him to date debutantes, his stalker keeps leaving threatening messages, his new boyfriend is at least four levels higher up on the gay boy food chain, and his best friend, Willa, has lost her panties. To top it all off, things keep pointing toward trouble at the family estate. Will Greg figure out what’s going on in time to help Willa find her panties? Lord knows he wants to because Greg is more than a detective… he’s also a Honey. (Gay Mystery)

David Jacobs is your average, everyday gay Joe. He has a good job, the two best neighbors that anyone could ask for, and a precocious twelve-year-old son. Nothing out of the ordinary has ever happened to David. That is until the day he is nearly killed by a phantom truck, saved by a handsome stranger, and receives a bizarre FAX at his office that propels him, his son, his neighbors, and the attractive stranger who saved his life into the most fascinating and disturbing adventure of a lifetime. (Gay Mystery)

The day fourteen-year-old Asher receives a Minolta camera from his aunt Sharon, he buys the last roll of black-and-white film and takes his first photograph—a picture of a twisted pine tree. He’s so preoccupied with his new hobby he fails to notice his dad’s plan to move out, his increasing alienation from his testosterone-ridden best friend, Levi, and his own budding sexuality. When his little brother drowns at the same moment Asher experiences his first same-sex kiss, he can no longer hide behind the lens of his camera. Asher thinks it’s his fault, but after his brother dies, his father resurfaces along with clues challenging Asher’s black-and-white view of the world. The truth is as twisted as the pine tree in his first photograph. (Young Adult)

Hey party people! I’m guestblogging over at Women and Words today. Head on over and check out what I have to say about how At Her Feet came to be.

It’s Labor Day here in UhMerikah and At Her Feet is available now in paperback and ebook!

This is me, eating a celebratory fruit salad.

Oh, if you haven’t noticed you can now find me and my books here, at this fancy new website brought to you by my friend and webgoddess, AngstyG.

I’m terrible at being an author. Or terrible at being an organized author. 9 days ago– Yeah, 9. I told you I’m terrible– I started posting a line every day from At Her Feet on facebook, tumblr, and twitter. Why didn’t I post it here too? Cause I suck. Here’s what I’ve posted so far. I’ll update it every day, for the month of August. Also keep a heads up on tumblr and twitter and facebook, I’ll be giving away books!

—

I’m previewing AT HER FEET , one line at a time.

Day 1: “Shit, she could lead me around Hawaii on a leash, naked as a baby if wants.”

Day 2: “I think she’s about to lecture me on back-talking. Instead she takes my chin in her hand and kisses me.”

Day 3: “I shuffle to the floor and in a heartbeat, my head is under her skirt.”

Day 4: “You can get more if your nephew never walks again,” Holly says.

Day 5: “I realize she means for me to sleep alone again, and I’m disappointed, but this time I keep my mouth shut.”

Day 6: “What’s the point of lotioning up your naked plaything if you’re not gonna linger on the butt?”

Day 7: “He tilts my phone and looks closer at the picture. “The duckies are cute, but you need a wax, girl.’”

Day 8: “I squirm some more, trying to get her fingers a little farther down.”

Day 9: “‘You’re naked in a cage on the side of the freeway, and you need me to comes save you.’ That’s how he says hello.”

Day 10: “I feel her fingers on me next, cool with lube as she runs a slippery glob up and down my crack.”