Accidental Alpha #19

Fenris cleared his throat and contemplated his water glass. Explaining his family dynamic was difficult. “My father is a wolf, my mother isn’t. For some reason it skipped her even though both of her parents and her sisters are shifters. We later learned she doesn’t even have it in a recessive gene. My father tried for many years to turn her but eventually it tore them apart.” He met Stanley’s sympathetic gaze. “They are one of the few cases where a mating shouldn’t have been. My father never remarried. My mother did, to a human, but it’s always best to keep them apart, especially right before a full moon. My father’s wolf doesn’t always respect the divorce.”

“How sad.” Stanley patted Fenris’ hand in silent commiseration.

“Yeah. I mean the guy she married is nice enough but he’s not her mate.”

Stanley intertwined his fingers with Fenris. “We won’t have that problem. We both can turn into wolves.”

Fenris gave his mate a half-hearted smile. Discussing his parents was always bittersweet. He loved them both but thinking of them not together always made his heart ache a little. For a long time he’d thought maybe he would be fated to have a mismatch also. Looking at his beautiful mate, Fenris knew this time whoever matched up wayward wolves got it right.

“I still think you just imprinted on the first wolf you met,” the Overseer said to his son.

“Shut up dear,” Millie said in a sweet voice. “You lost now be gracious about it.”

“Sebastian’s not going to be gracious once he wakes up and discovers Stanley won’t have anything to do with him,” the Overseer snarled.

Millie’s expression was as calm as if she were discussing the table settings. “We’ll deal with Sebastian if he starts to cause trouble. I’m pretty sure between us we can handle one wolf.”

“He’ll bring back up,” Fenris said. He didn’t want Stanley’s mother to have a false sense of bravado and get killed. “Sebastian’s an alpha and usually pretty tough. You took him by surprise but he’ll be ready for you next time and bring help.”

“Perfect.” Millie gave him a blinding smile. “I haven’t had a chance to do target practice in a while and I got a new shiny pistol for Mother’s day.”

“I thought you said you got her something personal,” Stanley said to his father with a frown.

The Overseer shrugged. “I didn’t want you to ask why I was getting your mother a gun.”

“Are they always this protective?” Fenris couldn’t help asking. He’d never seen such unnecessary hovering in his life. Of course his parents knew he was a wolf and had always been one. Maybe humans had a different take on child rearing than sending their child to the movies with a wad of cash and an admonition to not kill anyone.

Stanley nodded. “I kind of thought they might pull back now that I’ve been changed.”

The Oveseer’s eyes turned to his son. “There are bigger dangers now than ever before. Except now I can tell you they are coming. You’ve got a powerful Alpha angry at your poor choice of mates and a shiny new mob connection so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m concerned.”

“If you put Fenris down one more time you’re not going to have to worry about mob connections,” Stanley growled. Fenris could see his mate’s wolf was close to the surface.

“Stanley dear, don’t threaten your father, that’s my job.”

“Ouch,” the Overseer snarled.

“Sorry mom.” Stanley gave his mother a brilliant smile.

Fenris threw back his head and laughed. At least he’d never be bored with his in-laws.

Visit Amber Kell

It’s nearly time for the GayRomLit Retreat in New Orleans! I’m bursting with excitement and can’t wait to see the city (first time there!), meet readers, and meet my wonderful fellow authors and publishers! It’s going to be an amazing time for everyone involved.

Will you be attending? If so, would you like to meet and/or hang out with me? Being a new author, I have no delusions of grandeur, but I’d love to meet readers, fans, and make new friends. If you’d like to hang out for cocktails, dinner, coffee, or just chat for a while, please contact me before or during the retreat and we can arrange something. I will be arriving on October 11th in New Orleans for a couple extra days of fun and will be available then and any time during the retreat I’m not otherwise scheduled to do something. You can easily get in touch with me through my email or via twitter.

Additionally, the first three people to walk up to me during the retreat and say TRICK OR TREAT LYDIA! will get a little treat–a package of goodies I’ve put together! So please, don’t hesitate to come up and say hello.

See you in New Orleans!

In 2008, Torquere Press’ fantastic authors decided to support a charity with an annual short story collection called our Charity Sip blitz. In the past three years, we’ve donated more than $13,000.00 to charitable organizations that support GLBT causes.

For 2011, Torquere’s authors have chosen the theme “Getting Better” in honor of the It Gets Better project, which helps LGBT youth understand that life as an openly queer adult is not only possible, but happening for millions of people, worldwide. More than thirty authors have written short fiction pieces and have agreed to donate all proceeds of the sales of these stories to this year’s charitable organization. Torquere Press Inc. will match the authors’ donations completely.

This year, we’re also pleased to announce that our distribution partner, Rainbow eBooks, has agreed to be the title sponsor of our Sip collection, and will be our sole distributor outside of the Torquere Books website. Please support our sponsor by visiting them at www.rainbowebooks.com

Torquere Press and our authors truly believe we can make a difference by donating to organizations that promote awareness and equality. If you’d like to help, please support the Charity Sip Blitz and enjoy some great romance today!

Available September 17, 2011 at www.torquerebooks.com and www.rainbowebooks.com

My own story, Miracle on LaSalle Street will be included:

Illinois has just legalized gay marriage and Danny is about to obtain a license with his partner Eric–a dream come true for both of them. On his way to City Hall in Chicago, Danny meets a curious, quiet young man in the LaSalle Street station. Though a seemingly innocuous meeting, Danny doesn’t realize the encounter will change both their lives, in an even bigger way than Danny’s life is already changing.

Official Press Release:

The Eight Ball will help celebrate our eighth anniversary here at Torquere Press! Join us for the celebration!

We’re having a reader scavenger hunt with weekly gift basket prizes and a grand prize (this year, a brand-new 3G Kindle along with a CD of stories from each participating author), plus daily prizes of gift certificates to show our appreciation to you — our readers! Check our blog,  http://glbtromance.blogspot.com/ where we’ll have a number of our authors visiting the whole month. We’ll post excerpts, hang out to chat, and talk about our stories.

In addition to the grand prize of the Kindle, we’re giving away gift baskets every week! Some are silly, some are smutty, and all are fun. The themed ones are: m/m, ménage, BDSM, and lesbian plus our authors have chipped in with extra goodies.

Here’s how to play. Visit our contest page,   http://www.torquerebooks.com/contest/contactmain.html, and start scavenging for the Eight Ball answers. Visit the author pages and find the graphic somewhere on their site. An online form  is set up, and we’ll randomly choose a winner for the Kindle from all of the correct entries. Plus, every day, readers will have the chance to win a Torquere gift certificate and a gift basket.

Help us celebrate our eighth anniversary and ask the Eight Ball your question… Like, will I win a prize from Torquere Press?

Thanks, and have fun playing.

If you’re looking for the Eight Ball answer on my site, here’s a clue: you’ll have to go from the desert to the City of Love!

Note: CONTEST NOW CLOSED. Thank you for the wonderful comments!

Today is a very special day for me: it’s been one year since my first professional publication! On August 2, 2010, my first short story The Game in Spain (Noble Romance Publishing) hit the market! It was an exciting day for me, the culmination of twenty years of writing, striving, and fighting to become a published author. There were many times along the way I nearly gave up out of frustration and hopelessness. The fact that today I’m having this anniversary makes me very, very happy I never actually did.

The past year has been a whirlwind for me. After my first publication I ended up being quite prolific. I got my first novel acceptance in October, and all total this year I’ve published 7 short stories and novellas, 2 novels, and at the moment I’m contracted for 2 more short stories and 2 more novellas that will come out later this year.  I’ve been published with Noble Romance Publishing, Torquere Press, Dreamspinner Press, Freaky Fountain Press, Lillibridge Press, and Storm Moon Press.  Because of my short story Maleficent and an essay I wrote for Kit O’Connell’s blog, I was asked to speak on various panels at Penguicon–several of which I got to sit on and talk shop with New York Times bestseller Brandon Sanderson! It was an amazing experience I’ll never forget. I will also be attending the GayRomLit Retreat in October as an author.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in just a year, and a little intimidated by it too, as now I’ve apparently set the bar for myself. I look back on all the times I nearly laid down and gave up and I can’t believe I’m here now. I hope to have many more years of writing and publishing, and hopefully readers enjoying my work!

All this horn-tooting aside, to celebrate, I’m having a contest!

I’m going to give away to one lucky winner my entire body of work from the past year (minus Impasto from the ‘Mine’ anthology and Maleficent from the ‘Bad Romance’ anthology, as I can’t give away the other stories included in the anthologies) and as an added bonus three free reads I’ve had on my website during the past year. This package includes:

Shorts and Novellas:

- The Game in Spain (Noble Romance Publishing)
- Fire in the Desert (Noble Romance Publishing)
- Merger (Noble Romance Publishing)
- Le Ankou (Torquere Press)
- Risky (Dreamspinner Press)

Novels:

- From Morocco to Paris (Torquere Press)
- Black Shore of the White City (Torquere Press)

Free stories:

- In Love and War
- Moon Over Montana
- A Friend Indeed

All stories will be in PDF format, packed into one .zip file. If you want to learn more about these works, please go here and here.

So how do you win this?

Simply leave a comment on this post, along with an email I can reach you at! I will run this contest until midnight EST tomorrow (August 3rd) and contact the winner by email on Thursday August 4th. Simple!

Feel free to spread this around! And thank you to everyone who has made this past year the most amazing year possible for this very happy author!

On Sunday, May 1^st, the first official festivities of the GayRomLit Retreat get under way as many of the participating authors gather together in the Chatting with Joyfully Reviewed Yahoo Group where we’ll be posting excerpts, running contests for free books, and chatting about all the new and upcoming releases from your favorite authors.

Organizers will be on hand to talk about the Retreat, which is being held in New Orleans, October 13-16, 2011. Reader registration will only remain open until June 15^th, so don’t wait! Stop by OUR WEBSITE for more information or to reserve your spot.

The thirty-six authors listed below will be participating in Sunday’s chat and have generously offered up the following e-books as giveaways which you can enter for a chance to win!!

WILLIAM NEALE - HOME ~ CAROL LYNNE - SPRING

RICK R. REED – HOW I MET MY MAN & HOMECOMING

PD SINGER – CROSS THE MOUNTAIN ~ MARIE SEXTON – PROMISES

HEIDI CULLINAN – THE SEVENTH VEIL

KATE MCMURRAY – THE BOY NEXT DOOR

JP BARNABY - ENLIGHTENED ~ KC BURN – SPICE ‘N’ SOLACE

BELINDA MCBRIDE – BLACK WOLF ~ AMBER KELL – KEVIN’S ALPHA

TD MCKINNEY – PAXTON’S WINTER ~ KIERNAN KELLY – CORNFED

ROWAN SPEEDWELL – KINDRED HEARTS

EM LYNLEY – EMERALD ~ ETHAN DAY – CHOICE FROM BACKLIST

EDEN WINTERS – SETTLING THE SCORE

BRYL R TYNE – FORSAKEN & TOUGH GUY

VIOLET SUMMERS – SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

BRITA ADDAMS – SPLENDID CAPTIVITY & LOVE IMMORTAL

SIMONE ANDERSON – TO LOVE AGAIN ~ AMBER GREEN - TURNCOAT

LYDIA NYX – FROM MOROCCO TO PARIS ~ MISSY WELCH – KLT23

DC JURIS – WHAT THE LADY WANTS & NO PLACE LIKE HOME

DAMON SUEDE – HOT HEAD ~ VJ SUMMERS – UNDER THE INFLUENCE

CLARE LONDON – CHOICE FROM BACKLIST

ANGELIA SPARROW – HOWL AT THE MISTLETOE

JAIME SAMMS – FIX THIS, SIR ~ JAMBREA JO JONES – TELL ME NOW

TREVA HARTE – MAXXED OUT ~ TRINA LANE – IN DREAMS HE CAME

TD MCKINNEY & TERRY WYLIS – PORTRAIT OF A KISS

JP BOWIE – BLOOD LURE & TRIP OF A LIFETIME

LYNN LORENZ – ROUGAROUX SOCIAL CLUB

In addition you’ll be treated to excerpts from some of the latest releases like the ones provided by the following authors!

WILLIAM NEALE – A NEW NORMAL ~ TC BLUE – MANDARIN ORANGE

ANGELIA SPARROW – SWIMMING THROUGH THE NET

CLARE LONDON – THE TOURIST ~ BRYL R TYNE – AT DAY’S END

TRINA LANE – THE PERFECT BALANCE ~ BARRY BRENNESSEL - TINSELTOWN

CAROL LYNNE – CRIMSON MOON ~ PD SINGER – FALL DOWN THE MOUNTAIN

MARIE SEXTON – PARIS A TO Z ~ BELINDA MCBRIDE – BLAQUE/BLEU

KIERNAN KELLY – A WEAPON OF OPPORTUNITY

AMANDA YOUNG – PRECIOUS ACHE

EM LYNLEY – THIEF OF HEARTS

The day will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST in the Chatting with Joyfully Reviewed Yahoo Group. I hope everyone will stop by to catch up with your favorite authors and join in all the fun!

Can’t wait to see you there!

J.P. Bowie * Ethan Day * Lynn Lorenz * Carol Lynne * Amanda Young

For anyone who might be attending Penguicon and wants to come say hello to me,  here is a full schedule of the panels I will be speaking on!

APRIL 29th:

The Ethical Slut 9pm
Ballroom G
A discussion on open relationships and sexuality (including, but not limited to polyamory), examining both the positive, and the negative elements of this lifestyle choice, as well as the social construct of monogamous relationships.

E-Pub vs. Print 10 pm
Dennison 1
Pros and Cons.

Vampires vs. Werewolves: Who’s the Better Lover? 11pm
Ballroom C
Let’s talk about sex baby! Join this roundtable style discussion of which cultural construct has been designed as the “better” sexual partner between Vampires and Werewolves. Discuss what behavioral preferences might indicate, why you want Jacob’s hot bod over Edward’s sparkly coolness, or how Being Human is sparking your fancy. Compare media and personal opinions, mortal safety and pregnancy, as well as other possible problems with getting it on with one of these supernatural beings. Must be 18 or older to participate. Sponsored by Dazzled by Twilight

APRIL 30th:

You Like to Do What Where? 1am
Dennison 1
The doors are closed. The lights are out. Welcome to After Dark programming. Come share your thoughts on all manner of sexual fetish and proclivity in an open roundtable discussion.

It’s OKAY, the First Draft Is SUPPOSED to Suck! 4pm
Ballroom A
Turning off the inner editor.

Big House, Little House, or Self-Pub? 10pm
Ballroom A
A look at which direction authors should take with their work.

MAY 1st:

Let There Be Life! 11am
Ballroom A
How writers form characters and make them seem real.

Ray Bradbury says I’m not a real author. And neither are you, if your works are e-published.

In this interview with the Paris Review, Mr. Bradbury, when asked his opinion on e-books and Amazon Kindle, states ‘Those aren’t books,’ and expounds upon why printed books are superior and implies anything read from an electronic device isn’t valid. While I won’t at all deny the man is a great author and has influenced literature in a major way, it is also plainly obvious from the interview he is a technophobe and chooses not to embrace emerging technologies available to authors. This is certainly his choice, but I take exception to being told my work is not valid because of the medium through which it is published. Rather ironic of him, as an author who has written extensively in the genre of science fiction.

I won’t deny a love for paper, solid books. I’m a writer, after all. The printed word is still powerful and physical books are wonderful and always will be. However, this doesn’t mean I shun anything which deviates from the standard. I respect the work of authors who do not have their words printed on pages. I still believe there is a great force of creativity, skill, and dedication involved in works which are only available electronically. To imply these works ought to be dismissed is foolish. Saying e-books are not valid is like saying any visual artist who creates their work on an electronic tablet is not a real artist because they didn’t use paint or pens.

Electronic publishing is beneficial to both authors and readers in many ways. Less production costs and wider, easier distribution means authors make more money off their work. Readers can more easily transport these works–imagine carrying every book on your Kindle or Nook onto a plane for a long flight–and the works are also cheaper for the reader to purchase. Nothing will ever wholly replace printed work but that doesn’t mean literature produced digitally is not, in fact, literature. E-book sales are steadily on the rise and a 193% increase in sales certainly means someone out there is enjoying this widely available, easier form of distribution and think it’s worth something.

I sign contracts, do edits, receive galleys, and earn royalties on my work–my e-published work. Just like a ‘real’ writer. People read my work, review it, and talk to me about it. I have readers. I have editors. Just like a ‘real’ writer. I spend countless hours writing, re-writing, and editing my work as well as honing my craft, learning anything and everything I can about it. Just like a ‘real’ writer. I refuse to be told my work isn’t valid because I am e-published. I refuse to believe my publishers aren’t ‘real’ even though they run a business, have a staff, pay taxes, and buy advertising.

If you don’t believe I’m real: Google me, Ray Bradbury.

Oh wait, you don’t know how.

There is a part of me that resists saying that I love being a published writer, that it has been a dream come true, first of all because it is so much more complicated than that. ~ Anne Lamott

Since I finally achieved my life-long dream of being published in August of 2010, I thought the subject would make a good inaugural post for my shiny new blog.

The whole thing happened very fast for me, faster than I expected, largely because I didn’t just ‘publish something’ but blasted into the world of publication with one acceptance quickly followed by four more. I have another publication coming in March and my first full-length novel in April. That makes a grand total of seven published works in less than a year, and hopefully, with all the things I have out there circulating, it’ll be even more. Of course I’m proud of my accomplishments, but the swiftness of it all didn’t give me a lot of time to get my footing and I’m still trying to get a grip–most notably on the steering wheel, so I can keep my new career on the road.

But, although it’s been a long-sought dream, like Anne says, it’s ‘much more complicated than that.’

I started writing my freshman year of high school, at the age of fourteen. At least, that’s when I remember starting. I’m sure I probably wrote before that. One doesn’t just pick up a pen and bing, you’re a writer. It isn’t some notion that springs up fully grown and viable. I seem to remember having written things in grade school which got recognition or awards, but I don’t conciously recall writing any of these things or how the process made me feel. I do remember study hall my freshman year, writing stories in my red notebook and the thrill it gave me. I still have the notebook. The stories, so breathtaking and brilliant at the time, are terrifying–but not in the awesome ‘horror novel’ sense, unfortunately, though I was trying to write a horror novel.

Even then I knew I had been ‘tapped,’ for lack of a better explanation. Some force greater than myself–or as great as myself–hung a sign around my neck and I had a label. I’ve always gotten a certain comfort from having known my calling at a young age.  I never had to struggle to figure out who I was and what I was supposed to do with my life. I didn’t have to go through trial and error, or try this and that, or be disappointed or frustrated in the search for purpose. I knew as surely at fourteen as I know now–I am a writer. I have never been anything but a writer. I have never wanted to be anything but a writer.

This doesn’t mean my life was ever easy because of the knowledge, or even that writing didn’t frustrate, disappoint, and leave me for dead multiple times along the way. Even when I thought I could never make words again, when I was so fed up and unhappy and never thought I’d get anywhere with this silly writing thing, I knew in the back of my head what I was. There were even times I ‘gave it up,’ only to turn into the void and see–nothing else for me. An utter lack of desire to do any other thing and be any other thing. And I could still hear the desire to be a writer in my head, in my blood, in my soul, laughing at me and telling me to stop being an idiot and get back here. This sounds horrible, but it’s not. I was not fighting some vicious overlord, I was just fighting myself. And we all know how those fights turn out–if one of you doesn’t concede, then one of you ends up bruised, broken, or dead.

Of course, ‘being published’ was always the huge goal. The ultimate goal. The one thing that would validate me and make me a ‘real writer.’ The thing that would make all my struggles and trials and those horrible black moments worth it. The thing that would validate all my work and make me a whole person.

Except, it’s much more complicated than that.

Don’t get me wrong, being published is wonderful. It is validating, and it does soothe the struggles of the past a bit. But, it’s no longer a goal. And really, it never was. A goal implies an end–when you get there, you’ve completed your task. However, this is actually another beginning. To say it was a ‘goal’ is to imply that I now need to stop writing, because I accomplished what I wanted to do. I couldn’t give up writing any easier now than I could in the past.

So, publication has become a ‘signpost.’ It’s a point where something new began, where a new direction was taken and doors opened, allowing me to explore a new level of this purpose. New signposts are planted ahead of me–as I reach each one, I’ll get to explore a new layer, learn new things, and see what this purpose can really evolve into. There is still so much to do, to create, to learn. I hope these things are never-ending, a well that never dries up, because it’s so exciting to discover them.

Getting here, fittingly, is like writing a story–you have a big idea in mind for the climatic moment, something you work toward, but when you get there you find out it’s not exactly like you envisioned because you’ve learned so much about the world and the characters in the meantime. That moment ends up being a lot richer and more complex than it was when you imagined it without any knowledge to shape it.

It’s complicated.  That’s the way I like it.

Today is release day for my newest publication, Merger!

Paul Malkovich and Damon Trussel have just sealed a major deal: the merger of their respective companies, textile manufacturers on either side of the Big Pond. After the obligatory high-society celebration, Damon expresses to Paul he’d like to cement their business union with a more personal one. They take a steamy limo ride around London, during which Paul teaches Damon something even better than business politics.

Read an excerpt

Click on image to purchase!

- In other news, I received a lovely review for Fire In the Desert. Read it here! I am also planning to expand this story into a full novel for NaNoWriMo this year–wish me luck!

- You can now by my work at the Amazon.com Kindle store, at All Romance Ebooks, and BookStrand!

- I just had a new story, Le Ankou, accepted for publication by Torquere Press. It will be released October 30th as part of their Halloween Sips!

- My short story Impasto will also be released on October 27th as part of the ‘Mine’ anthology from Torquere Press!

- If you want to get to know me a little better, check out my interview at Erotica For All–read my thoughts on writing, publishing, and find out what I’m currently working on!

- Dear Author is running a Gay Writes National Coming Out Day contest! You could win work by me and tons of other amazing authors! Check it out!

Also, be sure to check out and support WhiteKnot.org–marriage equality for all sexual orientations!