Adventures in Navy Wifing

NOW AVAILABLE From M Jules Aedin: Lovegames

2012-01-25T13:20:00.001+09:00

Pimping out a new release from my good friend M Jules Aedin, Lovegames, which is now available from Loose Id, LLC: (Also available on AllRomance)

Adam and Keith like playing bedroom games -- and hot tub games and elevator games and backstage-at-a-concert games -- and they really like inviting other people to play with them. But when they both get a little more attached to Sebastian than they intended to, the rules of the game change.

Sebastian is just a journalism major trying to take control of his life when his plans get blown out of the water by a surprise one-night-stand with his favorite actor and the actor’s rock star boyfriend. What should have just been a great party story turns into an emotional entanglement that shakes his world, and he’s not prepared for the spotlight or what’s hiding in the shadows it casts.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: dubious consent, male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/m).

COVER ART: Where There's Smoke

2012-01-24T11:42:00.002+09:00

I am so in love with this cover art it isn't even funny. April Martinez, I am prostrating myself before you:

Anthony Hunter wonders what the hell he’s gotten himself into when he agrees to manage an unproven candidate’s campaign for governor of California. As soon as he meets the gorgeous, charismatic — and married — politician, attraction gives Anthony’s rock-solid professionalism a run for its money, and Anthony knows he’s in way over his head.

Jesse Cameron doesn’t like the idea of putting himself out there as a happily married, wholesome candidate, but his retired senator uncle insists it’ll give him an edge over a challenging rival. The only problem is that Jesse’s marriage is over, existing only to maintain his heterosexual façade. Oh, and there’s that minor detail about his undeniable attraction to his smoking hot campaign manager. Or the fact that the attraction is very, very mutual.

Before long, temptation explodes into a sizzling, secret relationship, but under the microscope of the media and the relentless scrutiny of the voting public, Anthony and Jesse can only keep their secret for so long. And this is one scandal a campaign won’t survive…

Where There's Smoke will be out Feb 21 from Loose Id LLC.

What Three Years Have Taught Me

2012-01-24T00:02:00.005+09:00

On January 22, 2009, I received the first publishing contract of my career. I will never, ever forget that moment, sitting on the couch in my apartment in Okinawa, reading the e-mail containing the words "...would very much like to publish Playing With Fire..." It had only been a couple of months since I'd switched from epic fantasy to erotic romance, and suddenly, this. I stared slack-jawed at my computer. I blogged hysterically (I'm very eloquent when I'm excited, as you can see). I was more than a little tempted to run screaming around the neighborhood, and it was pretty damn cool that it happened to be a morning when Eddie didn't have to go to work early, so he got to be there for it too.

I wasn't just a wannabe writer anymore...I was about to. Be. Published. It didn't matter that it was a small press, that it was an ebook. All my life, I'd dreamed about having a book published, and this was validation on so many levels, I couldn't even articulate it. No matter how many rejections came my way now, I had one nugget of golden truth in my pocket that no one could take away: I could do this.

Now, those who've been following my blog for some time probably remember how things turned out. Those who weren't around in 2009 may have noticed there is no book called Playing With Fire on my backlist.

In June of 2009, the contract for Playing With Fire was terminated. Simply put, the publisher merged with another, and the new publisher decided they weren't interested in the book. Was I bummed out? Sure! Who wouldn't be?

But these things happen. I knew some contracts wouldn't make it through the merger, and I'd been quietly steeling myself in case mine was one of them. Sure I was disappointed, but I refused to let it get me down. By this point, I'd sold my second book --Between Brothers -- so even though it was a bit of an emotional kick in the nads, I knew two things: 1) this is business, not personal, and b) I could still do this.

Yesterday marked three years since that first contract landed in my inbox. Since then, I've accumulated over 300 rejections and sold over 30 novels and novellas. I've had good reviews, bad reviews. I've had good experiences, bad experiences. And let me just say, it's been an education. So, to mark this 3 years and 1 day anniversary of that first squee-inducing e-mail, here are some things I've learned:

Editing is a team effort, not a battlefield. There's a fine line between Golden Word Syndrome (tm) and a legitimate argument for rejecting an editor's change. I've worked with some amazing editors, and I've learned from every single one of them. I've learned how to watch for and fix problems in my writing, and I've also learned when and how to say "I see where you're coming from, but I disagree, and here's why." There's nothing to be gained by being right just for the sake of being right -- the book is what matters.
The shadows make the highlights brighter. You know how they always say if it weren't for the bad times, no one would appreciate the good times? I don't think I've ever understood that more than I have since I've been in the publishing business. A run of rejections makes that bright, shiny new contract infinitely sweeter. Some "meh" sales makes that bestseller spot an awesome little personal triumph. The funks, slumps, burnouts, and dry spells make those periods of major productivity feel like an actual accomplishment. The clouds and thorns make you appreciate the sunshine and roses.
Do your homework. There are ways to get burned. There are ways to avoid getting burned. Research the latter, avoid the former.
A rejection simply means "No thanks, it's not for me." It's easy to take rejections personally, or to hear things like "this book is horrible, you're an awful writer, what is wrong with you?" between the lines of "regretfully, your book is not for us." It's tempting to hold that rejection in your hands (or stare at it on the screen) and think, "My God, did I really waste all that time and effort, and ultimately create something horrible?" But the thing is, a rejection isn't the kiss of death. It isn't a proclamation from on high that this book should never see the light of day. I have had books rejected that sold elsewhere and became some of my top sellers. I've had books accepted immediately that sold "meh". Editors and agents are human, just like us, and their opinions and tastes vary as wildly as anyone else's. What one editor loathes, another may love.
You're never too experienced for beta readers. Yeah, you may know what you're doing, but you just never know what that second set of eyes might pick up.
Book #40 requires just as much work as Book #1. Okay, with time, you do hone techniques, write smoother prose, plot better from the start, etc. But the fact is, you still have to sit down at your computer, stare down that blinking cursor below the words "chapter 1", and type all 85,000 words of the book. Fortunately, I enjoy that -- I couldn't imagine any job I could possibly love more than I love writing -- but I'll admit, I still have moments where I wish a scene would just write its own damn self. I just finished my 40th book yesterday, and that troublesome chapter 22 still made me write it. Every last word.
Book releases don't get any less nerve-racking or exciting. I totally do not have an Excel spreadsheet that tells me how many days are left before each title releases. I absolutely do not look at those numbers and try to will them to count down faster. No matter what anyone tells you, I do not lose sleep or get queasy the night before, and I never squeal like a kid on Christmas when the book goes live. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
It pays to try new things. Whether it's a different subgenre or a different writing technique, a change of scenery or a different playlist on your iPod, it's good to experiment. You just never know when you might find something that works.
Discipline becomes a habit, but as with all good habits, it's easy to backslide. The more you get in the habit of writing X amount of words or hours a day, the more it becomes second nature. I get downright twitchy if I don't write for a day or two, because it's my routine. But if I start cutting myself too much slack, or being lazy, it's easy to get into that downward spiral of "oh, I can stop early today, just like I did yesterday...and the day before...and the day before that..." Make it a habit, but keep after yourself.
This is the most awesome job in the world.

But what about Playing With Fire? You would think I could have sold it again after three years, right? Maybe. But after a substantial rewrite, Playing With Fire has been indefinitely trunked. Will it ever see the light of day again? Probably not. Reason being, I agree with the publisher's decision to terminate the contract. The book was good, but not good enough, and now I can honestly look back and say I'm glad they did it. I have gone on to work with that publisher on other books, and have an excellent relationship with them.

So, three years later, I have to say...

Thank you, Linden Bay Romance for giving me that shining moment of "yes, you can do this", which I still treasure to this day no matter how things ultimately turned out.

And thank you, Samhain Publishing, for telling me I could do better.

Some Awards, Some News, and Some Updates

2012-01-09T06:49:00.001+09:00

First, the Cock & Bull Blog Tour is still going -- click here for a full list of the daily blog stops, and comment to win a chance at a $150 Amazon gift card!Second, I'd like to announce that my first lesbian short story, What This Woman Wants, is due out in early April from Carnal Passions. Just a short little F/F erotica story for those who enjoy some fun with the ladies.

And I'd like to thank the M/M Romance group on Goodreads (join if you haven't already!) for voting three of my books into the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards!

Out of Focus -- 1st, Hottest M/M/M

Static -- 2nd, Most Surprising/Unique Plot Device
A Chip In His Shoulder -- 3rd, Hottest Vampire

Huge thank you to the readers who voted, and congrats to the authors who also won, including Marie Sexton, Amy Lane, Heidi Cullinan, TJ Klune, Damon Suede, and Josh Lanyon. It blows my mind to be in the company of names like those!

It really is a wonder I get any work done.

2012-01-05T07:45:00.004+09:00

So as I settle into my new office, I'm finding it has its occasional minor disadvantage. A heater vent that randomly coughs cold air RIGHT up my pant leg. A bunch of stairs rudely standing in the way of me and my choice of refreshing beverages.

And...well, I have just a wee bit of ADD.

Now, this is the view from my desk:
You might notice on the left there is a rather skeletal looking tree. I'm sure it'll be infested with leaves in a few months, but for the time being, it's fallen victim to the cycle of the seasons and the evil cold of the midwest. It's not just an idle, barren tree, though.

For the most part, it just sits there quietly in the yard, but it also happens to be populated by--

SQUIRRELS!
Do you have ANY idea how hard it is for someone like me -- who is seriously ADD and adores anything of the cute and furry variety -- to focus when I have THIS looking at me from out there???
I think I may have to lower the blinds. Cause seriously? This is epic distracting cuteness of lethal proportions.

Anyway. Back to work. Gotta finish this chapter before-- SQUIRREL!

Cock and Bull Tour -- Come Join Me!

2012-01-04T00:09:00.000+09:00

Freddy MacKay will be here tomorrow, but today I'm over at Julia Knight's blog talking about how The Given & The Taken came to be. Stop by and check it out, plus you have a chance to win a $150 Amazon Gift Card!

For info on the entire tour, click here.

NOW AVAILABLE: The Given and The Taken

2012-01-03T14:24:00.001+09:00

The Given & The Taken is now available from Samhain Publishing! It's also on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and additional links will be added to my website as they're available.

Their bond could be the death of them all.

After pleading his case to his wolf clan’s Elders, Levi is granted the right to bond with Ian, his male human lover, on one condition: they must spend one year apart. Then Ian must use only their spiritual connection to find Levi, or the deal is off.

Tracking down his lover is easy for Ian, but Levi isn’t prepared for the changed man who finds him.

The agony of separation was too much for Ian. In a moment of weakness, he reached out—to a vampire. Now he’s a vampire himself, and Levi’s devastation—and rejection—is like a stake to his heart. But it’s nothing compared to the fury of the clan that wants Ian brought to justice for desecrating their most sacred ritual.

Afraid for Ian’s safety, Levi puts the pain aside and races to get to Ian first, but he faces unexpected competition: Darius, Ian’s maker. When they come together, all hell breaks loose, Ian is on the run…and the only way Levi and Darius can save the man they love is to work together.

If they don’t kill each other first.

Warning: Contains two vampires and a werewolf who really, really, really want to hate each other. Except when they want each other. And have violent, sweaty, angry sex with each other. But they still hate each other. Mostly.

NOW AVAILABLE: Noble Metals

2012-01-02T13:40:00.001+09:00

Surprise! Noble Metals is available a couple of days early! Currently available at Carnal Passions, and third party sites will be added later this week. Additional links will be posted on my website.

Ever since he gambled away his chance to make it to Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush, Robert Belton has been stranded in Seattle working as a prostitute. When an attractive customer carrying a mysterious wooden box comes into the brothel in search of a bed for the night, Robert’s more than willing to oblige. When he learns his customer is also looking for a crew to help him haul provisions to the gold fields in the frozen north, Robert jumps at the chance and volunteers.

Dr. John Fauth is only looking for one thing in Dawson City, and it isn’t gold. He needs platinum for his semiconductor research, and if he doesn’t find it in the Klondike, the university that employs him will be more than happy to redirect their funds to more profitable scientists. Just getting to the gold fields is a grueling, dangerous journey, especially when a competitor will stop at nothing to get his hands on an invaluable device in John’s possession.

As they fall for each other out on the bitterly cold trail, John and Robert may just find themselves with more to lose than they could ever gain in the gold fields of the Yukon Territory.

I haz an OFFICE!

2011-12-27T01:16:00.001+09:00

I know, it's terribly exciting for anyone who isn't me. But after over two months of moving, traveling, and working at my parents' dining room table, I am absurdly excited to be more or less settled into my new office. So, naturally, I have to share pictures.

It wasn't pretty when I started, let me tell you. I have, shall we say, a rather large library. Most of it has been in storage the last three years, and ALL of it needed to be sorted and shelved.

All of it.
After a few hours of toiling, I had made some progress...
I agree, Midget. That's enough for one day.
The next day, I had to add two more bookcases...
...which made a big enough dent that I could put my desk together!
You'll notice Midget looking very interested in something that isn't my office. That's because we have a bunch of fat gray squirrels in the backyard, and they fascinate her. (I'll get pictures of them eventually -- every time I break out the camera, they disappear)

Watching squirrels are srs bznz...
And here's some books that have a more or less permanent residence on my desk, though some may eventually move to a bookcase (when there's room):
After two years of being published, you'd think this would lose its novelty, but it doesn't:
I haven't done much decorating yet, but I do have a couple of signs on the door:
And finally, for all those who said Nebraska would be flat, boring, and tree-less, I give you...

The view from my window:
Why yes, I think I will do JUST fine here.

Road Trip - Days 2 & 3 Survived

2011-12-21T14:37:00.005+09:00

Two more days on the road, survived! The cats behaved and weren't terribly traumatized by the ordeal. Sleeping for hours on end will do that to you, I suppose. Even if they were angry with me, a couple of chicken strips pretty much atoned for any crime I've ever committed against them. At least, if the purring was anything to go by.

I spent last night in the Bay Area, where I spent a few hours gabbing over coffee with the one and only Aislinn Kerry before we traipsed off to the theatre for the juicy slashy goodness that is Holmes 2. OMFG. Love that movie. RDJ...*swoon*...
*snerk* I can't help it, I love that pic.

Anyway, this morning, I continued in a southerly-easterly-kind-of-meandering-towards-the-midwest direction. The first few hours of that was spent looking at this:
And I thought the San Joaquin Valley was boring when it was clear.

Eventually, the weather cleared up, and I drove a few bazillion miles through farmland and scrubby scrubland. I didn't take any pictures, though, because FUCK farmland and scrubby scrubland.

I did, however, stop to take these pics:
Why? Because it's pretty.

The obligatory sunset:
Shortly before crossing from California into Arizona, I stopped for gas. And I can I just say, those of you living in that area...you are seriously getting ripped off for gas.

SERIOUSLY.
The only real downside to the day is this lovely sinus infection that seems to have set up shop in my upstairs breathing parts. I totally should have stayed in the Bay Area for another day with Aislinn, which I nearly did because of blizzardy conditions on I-40, but then there was a lovely window of clearness and sunshine that I wanted to make it through...without realizing I'd end up feeling like someone hit me in the face with a baseball bat by the end of the day. *sigh* So, since driving through the mountains is not fun during a sinus (and possibly ear) infection, I'm staying an extra day in Flagstaff, AZ, where I will engage in sloth (and likely writing) all day tomorrow before continuing to...um...Amarillo, I think. My notebook is on the other bed, and I'm too lazy to get up and get it (shut up, I'm sick), so we'll just call it Amarillo.

Also, I saw snow up close and personal for the first time in three years...in Arizona. There's something almost poetic about that.

Anyway. I've made it safely to Flagstaff, my debit card's been eviscerated by California gas robbery, I'm sick as a dog, and I totally should have listened to Aislinn and stayed in California for one more day. Live and learn...

Stay tuned for the Flagstaff-to-Amarillo-or-wherever-it-is-I'm-going installment of the road trip adventures!

Day One: Survived.

2011-12-19T12:18:00.006+09:00

So today was the first day of the road trip to Nebraska, and so far, so good. No snow, no ice, no cops...knock on wood.

Those who have been following my blog for a while are likely familiar with the pair of sidekicks accompanying me on this trip. The infamous Annie (or Tubby):
(it should be noted she's sleeping on THREE pillows in that picture)

And of course Midget:
As per usual, they both went out to the truck in cages, and as soon as the doors were shut, I let Tubby loose. Midget can't be loose while I'm driving because she freaks out and gets into stuff (and tries to get down by my feet). Tubby, however, is a pretty chill passenger, and does considerably less bitching when she's loose.
Plus when Tubby is happy and quiet, so is Midget. On a lengthy car trip, anything that results in quiet cats is okay by me.

And just in case they try to tell anyone they're abused and mistreated, I'd like to point out that this was their lunch:
Abused and mistreated, my ass.

Also, for those who've never traveled with cats, hotels are sometimes prone to charging extra fees -- on top of their pet fees -- if you leave any "pet evidence" behind. Crumbs, food, litter...not to mention the other unsightly and gross things pets can leave behind. Mine are pretty good about not horking or peeing on anything, but crumbs...well...they happen.

PREVENTING MESSES LIKE A BOSS, YO:
So then of course I also put my comforter over the bed to prevent incriminating cat hair from materializing on the hotel's sheets. And what does Tubby do? Burrow under the comforter. *sigh*

Oh well. We're all safe and relaxing in this very nice little hotel in Medford, and my bacon-fed world-traveled cats seem to have forgotten about the day's trauma:
There is something to be said for pets with the memory of a goldfish, I'm telling you.

Tomorrow, on to California...

The New Journey Begins

2011-12-18T07:37:00.003+09:00

My time in Seattle has drawn to a close, and tomorrow, it's time to hit the road to Nebraska. You can probably expect some more frequent updates, since road trips (especially with pets) always result in some craziness and shenanigans. With any luck, none of those updates will involve snowbanks, ice, or my truck getting stuck in some combination thereof.

And of course, long hours of driving by myself mean one thing and one thing only: lots of time for plot bunnies to appear. I'm sure a few new ones will show up, but the game plan is to spend the next few days plotting out my next two WIPs -- a contemporary SFF and the sequel to my upcoming release, The Given & The Taken. We'll see how well that plan survives first contact with the enemy.

Now it's off to spend some time with the family before I leave, finish the Tetris-style packing of my truck, and let my cats enjoy one more blissful day of not riding in cages.

Tomorrow...it begins.

Holy Ned!

2011-12-09T02:41:00.001+09:00

The results of the Rainbow Awards came out yesterday (full results here), and I have to say I was completely floored. Three of my books came away with a total of four awards, and...yeah...color me stunned.

So, if you'll indulge me, I have to share...
Cover Me took 7th/Honorable Mention in the Thriller/Mystery category.
But then two titles came along and...
OMG. Seriously. O.O

With The Band took 3rd (1st-3rd is considered an award winner as opposed to honorable mention) in the Contemporary Gay Erotica category...
And to my complete and utter speechless disbelief, Static won the Bisexual/Transgender Paranormal/Science Fiction category and took 9th in the Best Bisexual/Transgender Novel category.
Thank you so much to Elisa for hosting the Rainbow Awards, and to all the judges!

Also, congrats to the other authors who came away with awards, including Aislinn Kerry, Marie Sexton, Sloan Parker, Heidi Cullinan, Aleksandr Voinov, and Amy Lane!

NOW AVAILABLE: Search Me

2011-12-08T01:41:00.000+09:00

Search Me is now available from Carnal Passions! Additional links to be added as they're available.

"I really enjoyed this story and even when fighting, these guys are as hot as ever. [...] If you are a fan of the series, this is one you don't want to miss." -- Joyfully Jay Reviews, 4.5 Stars

In Cover Me, Detective Andrew Carmichael and paramedic Nick Swain barely escaped Nick’s delusional stalker with their lives. Now, months later, the physical scars haven’t quite healed, and neither have the emotional ones. Lingering guilt and resentment threaten to tear their relationship apart, but Andrew isn’t ready to give up. He’s nearly lost Nick once, and he’s not giving him up this time without a fight.

In a last ditch effort to keep them together, Andrew suggests a weekend away, but is that enough time to find a reason to keep their relationship alive? Or is it time to let Nick walk away?

Reviews, Interviews, and Giveaways

2011-12-01T03:19:00.000+09:00

All this "moving to Nebraska" nonsense has put me a little behind on updating my blog, but hopefully that will all be over very soon. My husband left this morning for Omaha, which means I'll be following within the next 10-14 days. By January, I expect to be back to my usual writing all day/blogging all the time schedule. Soon!!

In the meantime...

I've been interviewed over at Fallen Angel Reviews as well as Joyfully Jay Reviews. Comment on the latter to win your choice of books off my backlist!

And speaking of Joyfully Jay, they've reviewed A Chip In His Shoulder and given it 4.75 stars:

"First off, let me say this book kept me on the edge of my seat. The action starts almost right away and keeps going throughout the book. Not just physical action, but also the tension between Daniel and Liam as they confront each other for the first time in five years. The story was quite exciting and kept me frantically flipping pages." (Review)

That's all for now, but there should be more updates soon, especially now that I'm getting close to the last leg of this move. Omaha, here I come!

NOMINATION: Static

2011-11-17T04:57:00.001+09:00

Static has been nominated for BEST GLBT PARANORMAL ROMANCE - MAGIC/FANTASY (2011) at The Romance Review!
If you enjoyed Static, please vote!

NOW AVAILABLE: The Closer You Get

2011-11-15T14:14:00.001+09:00

The seduction begins...now!

The Closer You Get is now available from Samhain Publishing. The links to Barnes & Noble and Amazon are active, but may still show as pre-order for a few hours. Additional links will be added as they're available.

Self-described manwhore Kieran Frost is loving the single life. Two years after moving to Seattle, he still has his friends with benefits, Rhett and Ethan, plus a never-ending supply of gorgeous, available men wandering through the bar where he works. A relationship? Spare him the drama and heartbreak. He’s got no complaints about his unattached lifestyle.
When Rhett’s daughter introduces him to newly-out-of-the-closet Alex Corbin, Kieran’s interest perks up. After all, the quiet ones are always the freaks in bed. But Alex isn’t just shy and reserved. He’s a virgin in every sense of the word, having never even kissed anyone else.

Kieran is no one’s teacher, and his first instinct is to run like hell in the other direction. But his conscience won’t let him throw the naïve kid to the wolves for someone else to take advantage of. The plan is to introduce Alex to his own sexuality, pull him out of his shell, then go their separate ways.

It’s the perfect, foolproof plan…assuming no one falls in love.
Warning: This sequel to The Distance Between Us contains a curious virgin, a shameless slut, a trip to a sex shop, and one stubborn heart. Oh, and a dildo.

REVIEW: The Closer You Get

2011-11-15T01:56:00.002+09:00

The Closer You Get, which will be out tomorrow (!!), received 5 Cherries from Coreopsis at Whipper Cream Erotic Romance Reviews:

A captivating read from beginning to end. I would completely recommend The Closer You Get to any readers who like their stories filled with doubt, hard-headed men, and the hope that love conquers all in the end. (Review)

It also received 4.5 out of 5 stars from Cameron at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews:

The slow tempo of the story is actually quite believable and the sex is both spicy and sweet all along the way. [...] This is the first book by L.A. Witt that I have had the privilege of reading but it certainly will not be the last. Ms. Witt is a masterful storyteller and her characters are well developed. (Review)

The Closer You Get will be available November 15th from Samhain Publishing, and can be pre-ordered now from Samhain, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

Cover Art: Noble Metals and Search Me

2011-11-11T08:58:00.001+09:00

Two pieces of lovely cover art today!

One is for Noble Metals, my first steampunk story:

Ever since he gambled away his chance to make it to Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush, Robert Belton has been stranded in Seattle working as a prostitute. When an attractive customer carrying a mysterious wooden box comes into the brothel in search of a bed for the night, Robert’s more than willing to oblige. When he learns his customer is also looking for a crew to help him haul provisions to the gold fields in the frozen north, Robert jumps at the chance and volunteers.

Dr. John Fauth is only looking for one thing in Dawson City, and it isn’t gold. He needs platinum for his semiconductor research, and if he doesn’t find it in the Klondike, the university that employs him will be more than happy to redirect their funds to more profitable scientists. Just getting to the gold fields is a grueling, dangerous journey, especially when a competitor will stop at nothing to get his hands on an invaluable device in John’s possession.
As they fall for each other out on the bitterly cold trail, John and Robert may just find themselves with more to lose than they could ever gain in the gold fields of the Yukon Territory.

The second is Search Me, which is the third book in the Cover Me series:

In Cover Me, Detective Andrew Carmichael and paramedic Nick Swain barely escaped Nick’s delusional stalker with their lives. Now, months later, the physical scars haven’t quite healed, and neither have the emotional ones. Lingering guilt and resentment threaten to tear their relationship apart, but Andrew isn’t ready to give up. He’s nearly lost Nick once, and he’s not giving him up this time without a fight.

In a last ditch effort to keep them together, Andrew suggests a weekend away, but is that enough time to find a reason to keep their relationship alive? Or is it time to let Nick walk away?

Search Me will be out December 7th, and Noble Metals will be out in January 2012, both from Carnal Passions.

NOW AVAILABLE: A Chip In His Shoulder

2011-11-05T13:08:00.002+09:00

A Chip In His Shoulder is now available from Riptide Publishing! Additional links to follow here and on my website as soon as they're available:

“Contract killer” is a fitting job for a vampire, and it suits Liam just fine. Cast down from the wealth and status of the Sky for taking a human lover, Liam lurks in the poor and pollution-choked Gutter, killing to survive. Between his natural strengths and his Cybernetix mods, no mark has ever escaped him.

Liam’s ex-lover Daniel is the heir to Cybernetix—and its greatest threat. Horrified by people less man than machine and the exploitation of Gutter factory workers, he’d rather destroy Cybernetix than inherit it . . . if his father doesn’t destroy him first.

Years of anger and a heap of mods have kept Daniel and Liam apart. When Liam is hired to slaughter a man in his glass Sky tower, he walks right into a Daniel-shaped trap. Daniel’s father has betrayed them both, and only by working together can Daniel and Liam survive the coming day. They have no reason to trust each other, but as the dawn looms, a bargain that began with the simple urge to live soon reminds them of the love they once shared. Can they find each other again, or will the Cybernetix assassins find them first?

REVIEW: The Closer You Get

2011-11-03T12:58:00.001+09:00

First things first, Light Switch and Cover Me are both up for Book of the Year over at Deep In The Hear of Romance -- click here to vote!
And today, Joyfully Jay Reviews gave 4.75 out of 5 stars to The Closer You Get:

I thought this was a great story - hot, sweet, romantic, sexy. Loved the combination of the shy virgin with the good-hearted manwhore. Definitely a recommended read. (Review)

The Closer You Get is now available for pre-order from Samhain Publishing, and will be released November 15th.

REVIEW: Disengaged -- and vote for book of the week!

2011-10-30T02:42:00.001+09:00

Disengaged received 5 out of 5 Books, and is up for Book of the Week at Long and Short Reviews! Click here to vote.

"This story earned its rating because of the author’s fluent writing style the fully rounded and likable characters, the conflicts and how the characters make logical assessments at critical stages in the tale and finally the ‘feel-good’ factor I came away with when I finished the book." (Review)

REVIEW: The Distance Between Us and some updates

2011-10-28T03:09:00.000+09:00

The move from Japan is coming along swimmingly, if a bit chaotically. Expect updates to be a little sparse and probably not incredibly long, but I'm trying to keep up on both my blogs as much as I can.

Some quick updates...

Nine-tenths of the Law is still available FREE from Amazon until October 28, so hurry and pick up a copy!

A Chip In His Shoulder and The Closer You Get are both available for pre-order from their respective publishers, plus the latter is on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I'm interviewed over on Leontine's Book Realm, and over at Tracy's Place, I interview Liam, the main character of A Chip In His Shoulder.

And finally, Joyfully Jay Reviews gave The Distance Between Us 4.75 stars:

I really enjoyed this book and found the way Kieran's presence affected the dynamic between them so interesting and deliciously complex. (Review)

More updates and such to come soon, plus a couple of reviews on the horizon!

My mom's cat is an alien.

2011-10-17T14:20:00.004+09:00

I made it safely to Seattle, and am now staying with my parents. My cats were less than thrilled about the flights, but they're adapting.

Tubby has discovered the faux suede comforter on the guest room bed:
And Midget has discovered catnip:
Tubby and Midget aren't the only cats here, though. Aside from my ex-cat Garfield and my parents' cat Motor, there is an Oriental Shorthair by the name of Spock.

Meet Spock:
Because of his various weirdities and oddnesses, I'm convinced, and have been for some time, that Spock is an alien. The other night, I looked at him and realized I may very well be right.

Look at this picture. You will see the alien. It might take you a minute, but once you see it, you won't be able to unsee it:
"MOM! LORI'S CALLING ME AN ALIEN AGAIN!"
Yes, Spock. I am. Because you are. I'm on to you, kitty...

Nine-tenths of the Law is FREE for a limited time!

2011-10-15T23:46:00.001+09:00

Title says it all! Between now and October 28th, Nine-tenths of the Law is available FREE from Amazon.

"Zach and Nathan were one of the more exciting couples that I had the pleasure to know recently. Great sex, wonderful heat and tender emotions made for an unusual romance. This was a really enjoyable story." - Jessewave Reviews, 4.5 out of 5 stars

"Witt's writing style is friendly and as captivating as the characters she creates. I highly recommend this novel, and l look forward to more from this amazing author." -- Happily Ever After Reviews, 5 out of 5 teacups

"Nine-tenths of the Law is an interesting and somewhat unconventional romance. […] All in all, I greatly enjoyed Nine-tenths of the Law. It’s sexy, heartbreaking, and an all-around entertaining story." - Joyfully Reviewed

Without trust, common ground can get pretty shaky…

“I believe you have something of mine, Zach.”

Zach Owens doesn’t even know who this angry stranger is, let alone what the man is talking about—until he learns what they have in common. Their boyfriend, Jake. Once Jake’s out of the picture, Zach’s apology to Nathan Forrester leads to a long conversation, a kiss, and a chemistry that goes far beyond revenge sex.

Nathan can’t help but fall for the sexy movie theater owner, but it’s a long way from sheet-tearing sex to mutual trust. And a series of “coincidences” that throws Zach into Jake’s company leaves him unconvinced Zach was the complete innocent in their previous love triangle.

Zach can’t seem to make Nathan believe that Jake is up to something. But protesting his innocence isn’t working, and Jake’s carefully orchestrated campaign to destroy their love could leave them both with nothing…

Warning: Contains explicit male/male revenge sex, sweet sex, angry sex, and make-up sex. Author is not responsible for clothing damage that may result from reading this book.

One Last Outing

2011-10-13T08:31:00.011+09:00

Today is going to be a day of packing, obsessively checking OCD-fueled lists, and trying not to think about the fact that my time on Okinawa is really over. Tomorrow, I fly out. Yesterday, though, I squeezed in one last outing with my friend Elisa, this time to the Yomitan Pottery Village, a small village of local artisans who make pottery (duh), glass, etc.

This will be a very photo-heavy blog post, but hey, it's my last Okinawa post, so...indulge me.

The glass shops at the start of the village. The building on the left with the orange crates is where they were blowing the glass, but I couldn't get a decent pic of the inside of the shop. The building on the right and the second from left are where they sell the glass, and the second from right is, I believe, the owner's house.
Shi Shi dog outside the glass shops:
The outside of one of the shops:
And if you're twelve like me, you totally see it:
Elisa sees it...
I have no doubt this place had a "you break it, you buy it" policy. I'm surprised Elisa let me go in:
Pretty vase:
Another glass and pottery shop:
Okinawan pottery:
Pottery shop with the obligatory Coke machine:
I saw this and immediately thought, "Franken-shishis?"
Huge sake flask with a dragon sculpted onto it:
So cool...
WANT:
Ark of the Covenant? Is that you???
OMG AWESOME WANT:
Okay, maybe I don't want them THAT bad...
(That translates to about USD$750-775)

Unfinished bowls:
For the record, but this point, my long-dormant itch to sculpt was coming back with a vengeance. Methinks I'll be digging my sculpting tools out of storage and buying some clay when I get home.

Random chickens are random:
Insert cock joke here.

The village kiln:
They be cookin' it old school, yo:
I just thought the kiln was pretty cool. Sue me.
The ass end of the kiln, photographed because it looks like a Samurai helmet to me:
Mining for clay:
Bananas!!
Some strange hangy-downy plant I've never seen before:
A lotus in a pot outside one of the shops:
Another lotus:
For all my Magic nerd friends, I'm afraid there wasn't a black lotus in sight.

And I thought my old MR2 was impractical:
"Sup."
Gratuitous cicada pic...
I've been here for three years and only occasionally seen the odd gecko. Now I'm suddenly seeing these everywhere:
Figures they'd wait til I'm leaving to come out. Bastards.

Happy dog is happy:
"Two girls/One cup" reaction:
More shi shi dogs:
Please tell me I'm not the only one who notices:
And there you have it...my last Okinawa outing. Tomorrow, I go from the Land of the Rising Sun to the Land of the Falling Rain, so expect at least one semi-coherent, incredibly jetlagged post in the next few days.

Goodbye, Okinawa!

Winding Down...and some pics.

2011-10-10T13:56:00.009+09:00

It's Monday, and I leave Okinawa on Friday. Naturally, this week will be busy as hell, but hopefully I'll be able to update more regularly once I'm in the States. There's still a lot of moving-related stuff to do, but one big step will be complete. Just bear with me, and this blog will see some more activity very soon.

I'm about halfway through my current work-in-progress, Where There's Smoke, and hopefully I'll have that wrapped up by the end of the month along with What This Woman Wants, a little side project I've been working on. Those of you who have expressed interest in some F/F stories from me might want to keep an eye out for updates about that one. ;) After that, I'm probably getting started on Naming His Price, which will be a sci-fi/romance.

Also, stay tuned for updates on my two upcoming releases, A Chip In His Shoulder from Riptide Publishing, and The Closer You Get from Samhain Publishing, both in mid-November. Finally, The Given & The Taken is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

With all of that out of the way, how's about some pictures?

My friend Elisa and I went up to the north end of the island in search of the elusive rail, an endangered flightless bird found only on Okinawa. We didn't find any, unfortunately, but we did see a lot of cool stuff.

We went to Cape Hedo, which is a place I've visited a bajillion times, but this time, we were on a mission. There's a statue visible from one of the cliffs, and try as we might, we've never been able to figure out how to get to said statue. This is what it looks like from Cape Hedo:
It's a giant rail. On a hilltop. This time, we were bound and determined to get to it. So, after making my final wander-through of the monuments and sights of Cape Hedo...
....we began our search for the rail statue.

Ooh, butterfly!
Ooh! Staring bird!
*cough* Where was I? Oh, right. Long story short, we found it.

But wait...that's not a bird statue, that's an observatory!
And it's freaking huge...
Of course, since it's an observatory, we had to...well...observe. So we went around to find the stairs...
I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Anyway, up into the observatory we went.

And for all the times I've viewed the statue/observatory from Cape Hedo, I finally got to view Cape Hedo from the statue/observatory:
My journey has come full circle.

But I still don't want to leave Okinawa. *cries*

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER: A Chip In His Shoulder

2011-10-01T15:48:00.000+09:00

A Chip In His Shoulder is now available for pre-order from Riptide Publishing, along with several other awesome titles from some kickass authors. The book will be released November 14th.

“Contract killer” is a fitting job for a vampire, and it suits Liam just fine. Cast down from the wealth and status of the Sky for taking a human lover, Liam lurks in the poor and pollution-choked Gutter, killing to survive. Between his natural strengths and his Cybernetix mods, no mark has ever escaped him.
Liam’s ex-lover Daniel is the heir to Cybernetix—and its greatest threat. Horrified by people less man than machine and the exploitation of Gutter factory workers, he’d rather destroy Cybernetix than inherit it . . . if his father doesn’t destroy him first.

Years of anger and a heap of mods have kept Daniel and Liam apart. When Liam is hired to slaughter a man in his glass Sky tower, he walks right into a Daniel-shaped trap. Daniel’s father has betrayed them both, and only by working together can Daniel and Liam survive the coming day. They have no reason to trust each other, but as the dawn looms, a bargain that began with the simple urge to live soon reminds them of the love they once shared. Can they find each other again, or will the Cybernetix assassins find them first?

Cover Art: The Given & The Taken

2011-09-30T21:21:00.001+09:00

Just received cover art for book #1 of the Tooth & Claw series, The Given & The Taken:

Their bond could be the death of them all.

After pleading his case to his wolf clan’s Elders, Levi is granted the right to bond with Ian, his male human lover, on one condition: they must spend one year apart. Then Ian must use only their spiritual connection to find Levi, or the deal is off.

Tracking down his lover is easy for Ian, but Levi isn’t prepared for the changed man who finds him.

The agony of separation was too much for Ian. In a moment of weakness, he reached out—to a vampire. Now he’s a vampire himself, and Levi’s devastation—and rejection—is like a stake to his heart. But it’s nothing compared to the fury of the clan that wants Ian brought to justice for desecrating their most sacred ritual.

Afraid for Ian’s safety, Levi puts the pain aside and races to get to Ian first, but he faces unexpected competition: Darius, Ian’s maker. When they come together, all hell breaks loose, Ian is on the run…and the only way Levi and Darius can save the man they love is to work together.

If they don’t kill each other first.

Warning: Contains two vampires and a werewolf who really, really, really want to hate each other. Except when they want each other. And have violent, sweaty, angry sex with each other. But they still hate each other. Mostly.

The Given & The Taken will be available from Samhain Publishing on January 3, 2012.

2012 EPIC Award Finalists!

2011-09-26T11:14:00.001+09:00

The 2012 EPIC Award Finalists have been announced, and I'm thrilled to report that two of my books are on the list!A.J.'s Angel is a finalist in Contemporary Romance.
Reconstructing Meredith is a finalist in Erotica.
Now I'll just bite my nails for the next six months until the winners are announced - LOL!

NOW AVAILABLE From Lavender Ironside: THE SEKHMET BED

2011-09-25T19:31:00.000+09:00

My good friend Lavender Ironside's Egyptian Historical, The Sekhmet Bed, is now available from Amazon. I've read this book, and it is le awesome. Highly, highly recommended. (Note this is not an erotic historical)

"In Lavender Ironside's ancient Egyptian historical, two sisters share a husband and a burning desire to be the mother of the next Pharaoh. With accessibly modern prose, vivid detail, and deadly sibling rivalry, The Sekhmet Bed is reminiscent of Michelle Moran's Nefertiti." ~Stephanie Dray, author of the critically acclaimed Lily of the Nile

Queen Ahmose knows her duty: to give the Pharaoh a son. But she is young, and has just watched her closest friend die in childbirth. If the Pharaoh plants his seed in her she will die the same way, in a pool of blood, surrounded by wailing women. She has her husband’s love, but a king must have an heir…and even the Pharaoh’s patience will run out. Meanwhile, a lesser queen – Ahmose’s own sister – has given him three sweet, bright children, all of them boys. Ahmose knows her grasp on the Pharaoh’s heart is loosening.

Desperate, she begs the gods for courage to become a mother. They give her more than courage: she is granted a vision of a shining prince, her son – a gift for Egypt who will bring glory to the land. He will be more than the son of a king. He will be the son of the god Amun.

But when the child arrives, it’s a girl.

Ahmose knows the vision was not wrong. Her daughter Hatshepsut has a male soul, and Amun intends the girl to rule. But the Pharaoh will not scandalize Egypt by proclaiming a female successor. If she cannot convince the Pharaoh to accept Hatshepsut as his heir, everything Ahmose loves will be destroyed.

GUEST BLOGGER: Douglass Karr on Military Suicide Awareness Month

2011-09-22T18:49:00.003+09:00

Though my blog mostly deals with writing and generally chronicles my adventures as a Navy wife, I am also deeply concerned about issues pertaining to military personnel and veterans. In light of that, I am handing my blog over to Mr. Douglas Karr as a guest blogger as he addresses some of those issues.

Military Suicide Awareness Month Brings Attention to Troubling Facts

In response to the high number of suicides in the military, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ladies Auxiliary issued a press release setting aside the month of September as Military Suicide Awareness Month. To honor those who died as a result of suicide, to increase awareness, and to encourage prevention, the Ladies Auxiliary also introduced a new teardrop sticker. The auxiliary hopes the sticker will help to spread the word that there are websites and call centers available for those who need to reach out for assistance.

The high suicide rate is being discussed in other venues, as well. Dr. Craig Bryan is a psychologist who worked in Iraq with troops suffering from PTSD and head injuries. He now advises the Air Force and Department of Defense on combat-related stress and resiliency. In a 2010 interview with Terry Gross on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air,” he discussed the alarming rate of suicides among American troops. Statistics released in 2006 showed that the number of soldiers who killed themselves at home and abroad during the first half of that year was almost equal to the number killed in Afghanistan during the same period of time.

According to Dr. Bryan, many service members fear asking for any kind of medical help because of the stigma attached. Seeking help for PTSD (Learn about the PTSD Coach mobile app), or depression is perceived as being even more detrimental to careers and reputations. As a result, soldiers frequently fail to get the care they need until they are seriously troubled or ill. For veterans, there is also the frustration of fighting long-term conditions, such as depression or rare aggressive diseases like mesothelioma cancer that is triggered from asbestos exposure, that stem from the battlefield.

Just as unsettling are statistics showing that three out of every four soldiers who commit suicide have not discussed their problems with professionals. Most of those who seek help want to complete their missions – leaving psychologists in the war zone with difficult decisions concerning the safety of individuals and troops as a whole.

In a step that could be a start in reducing the stigma of mental illness, President Obama announced in July that he will send condolence letters when soldiers abroad commit suicide. He also released a statement saying that "They didn't die because they are weak, and the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change."

While this is good news, it does not address the soldiers who died in the United States or the veterans who die years after their military service.

The sources below were taken from the Ladies Auxiliary website and are services they wish to share:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
Veteran Combat Call Center (Talk to another combat veteran): 877-927-8387

NOW AVAILABLE: Changing Plans

2011-09-21T15:57:00.003+09:00

The Changing Plans trilogy is now available in paperback! This is the combined edition of Getting off the Ground, Infinity Pools, and On the List.

After being stood up at the altar, compulsive over-planner Elliott Chandler decides to turn their honeymoon on Oahu into a vacation for one. Fate puts a hitch in his plans, however, when the airport is snowed in and his flight is delayed.

In the airport, the jilted groom catches the eye of another stranded traveler: the laidback and very sexy Derek Windsor. Derek breaks the ice and strikes up a conversation, and as the temperature drops outside, the heat between them rises. Pity they’re both going to different islands, but if their flight doesn’t leave soon, Mr. Calm-and-Cool may just tempt Mr. Play-It-Safe to do something reckless.

And that plane isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

REVIEWS: Ex Equals, With the Band, Damaged Goods

2011-09-21T10:01:00.002+09:00

Some more lovely reviews today...

Joan/Sarah F at Dear Author reviewed Ex Equals and gave it a B+ Grade:

I totally closed this book (on my phone) with a Happy Book Sigh (TM SB Sarah). And really, what more can you want than that?

Kalyko at BlackRaven's Reviews reviewed With the Band and gave it 4.5 out of 5 Ravens:

With the Band by L.A. Witt held me spellbound for its 200 plus pages. It’s sexy—is it ever!—and fun and a wonderful story that goes well beyond a romance.

And finally, Stefani and Just Erotic Romance Reviews reviewed Damaged Goods and gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars:

Needless to say, this was a highly erotic story and these two don’t have any problem warming it up. I wouldn’t say it was orgasmic but it was certainly hot. I did enjoy Damaged Goods, and would recommend it.

NOW AVAILABLE: Ex Equals

2011-09-18T16:18:00.001+09:00

Ex Equals is now available from Amber Allure. Additional links will be posted here and on my website as they are available.

On the first day of his new career as a community college math teacher, Chris Reuben gets an unexpected—and most unwelcome—blast from the past: one of his students is his former navy shipmate...and ex-boyfriend.
Justin Hayes isn’t after a second chance when he signs up for an algebra class taught by his ex. All he wants besides a passing grade is a chance to make amends with the man he loved and hurt while they were deployed together three years ago.
Pain, guilt, and bitterness aren’t the only lingering feelings, though, and even if three years is enough to melt the ice between them, they’ve already risked their careers for each other once. Can Justin convince Chris that what they once had is worth putting careers and hearts on the line again?

REVIEW: Static

2011-09-18T10:55:00.001+09:00

Kelley at Dark Divas Reviews has given Static 5 out of 5 Divas, plus a Recommended Read rating:

The emotional aspect of Static will have you reeling. It makes you think about how far you would go for the one you love.

Static is available from Amber Allure, Amazon, Mobipocket, and AllRomance.

Brief Update

2011-09-15T20:47:00.005+09:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, and things are finally thinking of possibly starting to wind down. Maybe. If I'm lucky. Give me another week, and I'll be posting more regularly again.

At the moment, I'm knee deep in edits, which is why my progress bar for Where There's Smoke hasn't moved in a few days and why I haven't been able to post much lately. I'm nearly finished with the biggest of those projects, and the other two sitting on my desk won't take as long.

I have two books coming out this month -- Ex Equals and Changing Plans, both from Amber Allure. Updates will be posted as soon as those two are available.

October will mark the end of my time here on Okinawa, and I'll be relocating my adventures to the States. Expect some gaps between posts while I pack, get my cats ready for their flight (don't tell them...), and try to eke out a few more crazy shenanigans around the island. Then I'll be in Seattle from mid-October until sometime in December, at which point the cats and I will join my husband in Nebraska.

So bear with me for a little while. Work is nuts and the overseas move is upon us, but there will be more craziness on this here blog soon. Stick around!

Cover Arse-- er, ART: A Chip In His Shoulder

2011-09-08T23:29:00.000+09:00

Some call it shoulder porn. Some call it cover arse.

I call it the smextacular cover of A Chip In His Shoulder, my first novella with brand spanking (so to speak) new publisher Riptide Publishing:
A Chip In His Shoulder is a vampire/cyberpunk story, and will be out in mid-November. More details to come!

NOW AVAILABLE: Disengaged

2011-09-05T14:35:00.002+09:00

Disengaged is now available from Champagne Books! Also available on AllRomance and Bookstrand. More links to be added as they're available.

Why are the good ones always taken?

The last thing Amber wants to think about is engagement rings or anything related to engagement rings, but they’re kind of hard to avoid when she makes her living in a jewelry store. Between her job and her last relationship, she’s getting more than a little bit jaded about love and commitment. In fact, she’s ready to change everything in her life, and right now, a man is the last thing she wants.

When gorgeous bartender Jeremy wanders into her store, she’s willing to reconsider what she wants right now, but he’s off the menu: he’s here for an engagement ring.

But as Jeremy comes back again and again to look at the ring, Amber suspects it’s not just the price that keeps him from taking it home. She’d never dream of sabotaging someone’s relationship, but is Jeremy about to make a huge mistake?

Some more Okinawa pics.

2011-08-30T10:35:00.005+09:00

We went out on Sunday to show an island newbie around, and revisited a few places we've been to on numerous occasions: Katsuren Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, and Cape Hedo. I won't bombard my loyal blog minions with photos, just some of the highlights, especially from my continuing quest to get the Perfect Shot of Katsuren (tm) and the Perfect Wave Photo (tm). That, and there was a certain Photoshop Abuse Opportunity (tm) that I think has been a long time coming.

First, it was Katsuren, and I think I'm finally satisfied I got a decent shot of the place:
I'm in ur castle, updatin mah Facebook status:
Then it was on to Nakagusuku, where I found a railing covered in weeds, and thought it looked cool enough to take a pic:
Oh, and a butterfly...
And from there, we drove alllllll the way to the north end of the island to check out Cape Hedo, and it was worth it, because the waves were insane:
Gotta love the weather...storming and sunny at the same time:
And I'm finally satisfied that I got the Perfect Wave Photo (tm), or at least one that makes me happy:
And with all the castles we visit, quite frankly, this was inevitable:
My work here is done.

NOW AVAILABLE: On The List

2011-08-21T09:04:00.000+09:00

Book #3 of the Changing Plans series, On The List, is now available from Amber Allure. Additional links to come. (Also available: books #1 and #2 -- Getting off the Ground and Infinity Pools)

(Contains SPOILERS for books #1 and #2!)

In spite of swearing up and down he’s a bachelor forever, Derek Windsor is ready to settle down with Elliott Chandler. After a long distance relationship and a few months of wedding planning, it all comes down to this weekend: a wedding on the Washington coast, then they can start their life together on Maui.
But with the ceremony just days away, Derek’s family drops the bomb: they aren’t coming. They refuse to support or be a part of his marriage to another man. All his life, he’s ached for his parents’ approval, and their last-minute wedding snub leaves him reeling. Though he doesn’t question his love for Elliott, can Derek still go through with a wedding that could irreparably sever his relationship with his family?

Just because...

2011-08-17T19:40:00.002+09:00

I just have to share this pic because it makes me LOL.

That is all.

Zakimi Castle and Zanpa Lighthouse

2011-08-13T17:16:00.007+09:00

Tomorrow, it's back to work on Meredith Reclaimed, but for today, I needed to spend some time out of the house with my face behind a camera. We visited Cape Zanpa and its lighthouse, which we'd seen before when we first arrived, and also Zakimi Castle, which we'd never visited. We also went to Cape Manzamo, but I've posted pictures of that place numerous times, so I won't bore you with more.

First stop, the castle. And like most castles on this island, it has archways.
Lots of archways.
Cool archways.
Check it out, TWO archways!
Archways and walls.
Walls...
This is the uppermost enclosure, and the bare, flat spot is where the palace or temple or whatever stood:
(And yes, that's an archway in the background)

Cemetery, viewed from on top of the wall:
The walls of the various castles are usually covered with various tiny plants and creatures. This one's no exception, and I finally managed to get a picture of of the speckled squid lizard:
This tiny, elusive creature rarely shows itself, never mind long enough for me to get a picture. It feeds on bugs and geckos, and usually hides in the crevices, but this one actually came out long enough for me to snap it.

(I'm kidding. It's a plant of some sort.)

A sign that is presumably to warn us that gravity still applies when we're wandering around on top of the walls:
Then it was off to Cape Zanpa. There, we found a little roach coach selling munchies.

And yes...I'm twelve:
*snickers*

Moving right along...behold! The lighthouse:
Rocks and plants:
The obligatory staring bird picture:
OMG A BUG:
Cliffs like the ones we were climbing all over:
The lighthouse, hiding behind some rocks:
Amusing myself with Photoshop...
Eddie, on top of the lighthouse:
Eddie again:
That's all for this trip. More pics to come as we try to cover as much ground as possible during our last couple of months on Okinawa. There probably won't be as many snorkeling pictures for a while, as we're both getting inked, which means spending less time in the water. Where will we go next? Stay tuned...

New Body Graffiti!

2011-08-11T22:52:00.005+09:00

I swore when I moved here that I'd get an Okinawa tattoo before I left, and I'm still going to get one, but I also wanted a couple of Kanji tattoos.

And...here they are!
Left: Think
Right: Dream

(And yes, I verified the translations before I had them inked. I also deliberately had them oriented that way so that they're right side up when I look at them.)

More ink to come soon, hopefully before I leave Okinawa!

REVIEW: Out of Focus

2011-08-05T10:40:00.000+09:00

Sarah at Dear Author has given Out of Focus a "B" grade:

I devoured this book. I had issues with it, sure, but I couldn’t put it down. It’s BDSM, done right! It’s hot m/m/m action. It’s TWO Dominants. It’s people with real lives! Yay! \o/

The entire review is here.

NOW AVAILABLE: Out of Focus

2011-08-02T13:03:00.001+09:00

Out of Focus is now available from Samhain Publishing! Click here for additional links.

He’ll bend for them. But they may break over him.

For twelve years, Dom lovers Ryan “Angel” Morgan and Dante James have run a successful photography business, and satisfied their need for a submissive with the occasional sizzling three-way. On a wedding job, they both zero in on the bride’s beautiful brother, but as professionals, they keep their attraction on the down-low—for now.

Jordan Steele has no trouble establishing mastery over his stallions. When he hires Angel and Dante to shoot promotional photos for his stable, though, there’s something about them that calls to his inner submissive. After a little flirtation and a photo session that gets almost too hot to handle, Angel and Dante are happy to show him the ropes. And the whip.

Once they break the ice, their sexual chemistry burns hotter than a macro flash. Everyone gets what they need…until emotions come into play. Their power could develop into something permanent, throw everything off balance—leaving one of them the odd man out.

Product Warnings - Contains lots of sarcasm, a double helping of steamy erotic photography, and two dominants having their way with one very enthusiastic submissive.

REVIEW: Out of Focus

2011-07-30T13:12:00.001+09:00

Out of Focus, which will be out on August 2 from Samhain Publishing, has been given 4.75 out of 5 stars by Jessewave Reviews:

L.A. Witt has fast become one of my favourite authors and I have reviewed most of her books. I like her writing style, the fact that she takes risks, and while some work better than others, her characters are always vibrant and three dimensional and her prose and dialogue are better than most.

The entire review is here.

Cover Art: Disengaged

2011-07-29T08:52:00.000+09:00

Just got some new cover art by the lovely Amanda Kelsey:

Why are the good ones always taken?

The last thing Amber wants to think about is engagement rings or anything related to engagement rings, but they’re kind of hard to avoid when she makes her living in a jewelry store. Between her job and her last relationship, she’s getting more than a little bit jaded about love and commitment. In fact, she’s ready to change everything in her life, and right now, a man is the last thing she wants.

When gorgeous bartender Jeremy wanders into her store, she’s willing to reconsider what she wants right now, but he’s off the menu: he’s here for an engagement ring.

But as Jeremy comes back again and again to look at the ring, Amber suspects it’s not just the price that keeps him from taking it home. She’d never dream of sabotaging someone’s relationship, but is Jeremy about to make a huge mistake?

Disengaged will be available from Champagne Books in September.

Guest Blogger - What Makes a Hero? by Misa Buckley

2011-07-28T09:00:00.000+09:00

The male character of IRONHAVEN is not a hero. He’s a spoilt brat, used to getting whatever he wants and an utter coward when it comes to standing up to his over-bearing parents. He let the one person to accept him for who he is slip through his fingers and he broke her heart. So why should you, the reader, care that he gets left behind to freeze on a dying Earth?

Lucian is human and he makes mistakes. He’s lived in a bubble, but when that bubble is burst, quickly comes to see the unfairness of the world he’s been abandoned to. And he decides to do something about it.

IRONHAVEN is a story about redemption. Lucian doesn’t just have to reconcile his actions to his fellow man – he also has to fight to regain the trust of his ex-fiancée. When he realises that words aren’t going to cut it, he uses actions. Through those actions, he becomes a hero, but that’s not why he does what he does.

He does those things because he loves Gen. He does them because he realises she is the best thing that ever happened to him. He has a second chance and he makes the most of it.

Does being a hero mean starting out trying to do the right thing? Or is it recognising your mistakes, holding your hands up and then doing everything you can to correct them?

About IRONHAVEN:

The Earth is dying, and Lucian Hoyt is going to die with it thanks to his parents cancelling his pass aboard the last shuttle off the planet. There is hope, though – a brilliant inventor has come up with a plan to build a ship to evacuate those who’ve been left behind.

That inventor turns out to be Genevieve Scott, Lucian’s bitter ex-fiancée. If they’re going to work together to get off this planet, they need to put their past aside, but even melting the ice between them can’t erase all the scars.

IRONHAVEN is available from Decadent Publishing {link when I get it!}

About Misa:

Misa Buckley is a sci fi geek who escapes the crazy of raising five children by creating imaginary worlds. She loves character-driven stories that have romance, adventure and really hot sex.

When she's not writing, you'll find her watching Stargate SG1 and lusting over Ba'al. She has a thing for bad boys in black leather.

Website: misabuckley.com

Twitter: MisaBuckley

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/misa.buckley

The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa Part 4: Getting Lost

2011-07-26T20:22:00.005+09:00

A lot of Americans stationed on Okinawa are afraid to explore off-base for numerous reasons. Language barrier. Strange food. Being attacked by winged Habu and teleporting cone snails. But by far the most common complaint is the fear of getting lost.

Folks. The island is less than 70 miles long. It's 18 miles across at its very widest point.

I cannot emphasize this enough:

It is impossible to get lost on Okinawa.

Now, can you wind up somewhere and have no clue where you are? Of course. But if you drive long enough, you'll either get to a highway or water. You might have to drive in circles a bit, you might not know where you are, but with a little patience, you'll find your way back to something familiar. Trust me: you can't get lost here.

That said, Okinawa is a great place to get Lost. That's Lost with the capital L. The good kind of Lost that I think more people should try, because the more Lost you get here, the more cool shit you find.

So.

Here's how to get Lost on Okinawa.

You'll need:

A car with a full tank of gas. Gas is significantly more expensive off-base. Fill up before you go out.
Yen. Because Visa is everywhere you want to be...unless you want to be on Okinawa. I recommend a minimum of Y5000 (About $50-70, depending on the ever-fluctuating exchange rate at the time). That's typically enough for admission fees, tolls, the odd souvenir, lunch, and munchies at Family Mart for two people. If you want to do some shopping and maybe get some dinner, then Y10000 to Y15000 is your best bet. Whatever you do...bring yen.
One coin. Can be U.S. or Japanese. Doesn't matter.
A camera. Never leave base without a camera. You will regret it when you see something cool.
A map. Preferably one that's in English and non-laminated.
A Japanese-English phrase book. Self-explanatory.

Got everything you need? Okay. Let's get Lost.

Step 1:

Got your coin handy? Excellent. Now flip it. FLIP IT GOOD.

Tails: North. Heads: South.

Now flip it again.

Tails: Hwy 58. Heads: Hwy 329.

This is your jumping off point. Based on the results of le toss du coin (I clearly don't speak French), you know which direction you're headed and on which highway.

Step 2:

Get out your map. This is your invaluable guide to making sure you can navigate Okinawa like a freaking pro. With this in your hot little hands, you will know exactly where you're going, how to get there, how to get back, and what else is around your destination or along the way.

Got your map in your hot little hands?

Good.

Now rip it to little tiny pieces. Tear that sucker up. We're making map confetti here, so don't hold back.

What? What? Why the hell am I having you rip up your map?

Because where we're going, we don't need no stinking map.

Step 3:

Grab your yen and your camera, get in your fully-fueled car, and get thee to the road that the Flipping Coin of Fate(tm) selected for you in step 1. Point thy car in the direction dictated by said coin. Accelerate mightily and begin your adventure.

Step 4:

Realize you left your Japanese-English phrase book on the kitchen table beside the pile of map confetti.

Step 5:

Keep driving anyway.

Step 6:

Find a side street and turn. Doesn't matter which direction. Can be out in the country or in the city or in one of the many villages. Paved, unpaved. One-lane, two-lane. Maybe even one of the alleys that is so narrow you have to fold in your side mirrors (there's a reason most Japanese cars have a button that folds/unfolds your mirrors). Word to the wise: Take it easy on these side roads. They are generally pretty narrow, and they're usually two-way. If another car comes around the bend (and there are many bends), it kinda helps if you're not going 60 km/h.

Congratulations...you are now LOST.

This is where the fun begins.

Drive. Just drive. If something looks interesting, stop and check it out.

Because you might find a place like this:
Or this...
Or a hiking trail through a place like this...
Maybe even a little establishment like this...
(FYI: That's a glass bottom boat)

Maybe a place to sink your toes into the sand...
Or the ruins of a castle...
Sometimes it's the little things...
Every single one of those pictures was taken in a place my husband and I stumbled across. Either we'd made a wrong turn while looking for something, or we'd just gone out driving all willy-nilly, but we didn't know those places even existed until we found them.

And when you do stumble across something? Take pictures, because while it's impossible to get truly lost on Okinawa, it can also be really, really hard to find things like this again. So take a photo before you leave, because it may be the last time you find it!

There you have it, folks. You can't really get lost, you have nothing to lose, so...

Go out and get Lost.

Sefa-utaki Sacred Site and the Shikinaen Gardens

2011-07-24T19:06:00.009+09:00

With our time on Okinawa winding down at an alarming rate, we're trying to get out and do some more exploring as often as possible. Today, we were all over the place on the southern half of the island, checking out some sacred sites and a garden.

First up was the Sefa-utaki Sacred Site. I...don't know a whole lot about it, since most of the signs were in Japanese, but I understand this was where a lot of the Ryukyu women came to pray, seek guidance, etc., during the 14th century (or thereabouts).

And I'm not even sure I want to know why they felt compelled to point out that we're not allowed to dig up the trees.
Anyway, we headed down the path...
That would be my husband on the right taking a picture. What was he taking a picture of?

A spider, naturally.
What can I say? It's that time of year on Okinawa.

And it's a jungle out there:
We arrived at the first sacred site, which I'm assuming is a shrine people would come to pray. I'm not being irreverent at all, I just don't completely know the history of this place.
A really cool-looking tree:
Annnnnnd another spider.
I think this may be one of the biggest I've seen. Its rear end is the size of my thumb. Like...my whole thumb. It's not the biggest, though...I'll get to that a little later.

Moving right along...if you aren't sure why I felt the need to take this picture, just look at it for a minute. It'll come to you:
Then we found a little swampy area, and behold! Salamanders!
Between the water and the lighting, getting a pic was challenging. These won't be gracing National Geographic any time soon, but at least they're proof that I did, indeed, see salamanders.
The second sacred site:
And the third sacred site.
Apparently the pots caught water dripping from stalactites, which was considered holy water.
Menacing spider is menacing.
With the sacred site thoroughly explored and the spiders photographed ad nauseum, it was time to move on. We piled into the car just in time to get out of the rain, and pootled up north to the Shikinaen Royal Gardens near Shuri Castle.

The roof of the visitor center:
I'm fascinated with that style, what can I say?

There are worse ways to spend an afternoon than strolling through a place like this.
Have I mentioned how much I don't want to leave Okinawa?
I mean...seriously.
This place is just too freaking awesome.
Omaha, I'm sure you're a kickass town, but I'm not terribly optimistic about finding anything like this:
Bridge in the garden:
The garden, viewed from inside the palace (which is the building in the picture above):
Lots and lots and LOTS of bugs.
A bright pink dragonfly:
Another crappy picture of a salamander, this time in the water below a shrine:
A snail, with Elisa's hand to show scale:
Note this is not a cone snail. They won't kill you.

THEY won't, but these will:
The uber poisonous centipede, which probably has some sort of spectacularly menacing name, but hell if I know what it is:
Speaking of menacing...
Remember how I mentioned earlier that the big black spider wasn't the largest spider I'd seen here? That's because I'm fairly certain THIS is the biggest spider I've ever seen on Okinawa:
For scale, she's eating the hell out of a very large cicada.

This one wasn't much smaller:
"Om nom nom nom nom nom..."

OMG GECKO!
(It's the first one I've seen this year. Yes, I got a little excited. Okay...a lot excited.)

Everyone stop and pet the kitty!
Up on top of the hill, looking out at the city. Honestly, sometimes I forget just how big this island really is until I see it like this.
And then I get photo-bombed by a dragonfly.
FIN.

Nakijin Castle

2011-07-17T16:49:00.010+09:00

Today, we ventured up to Nago to visit some castle ruins we hadn't yet seen. Turns out Nakijin Castle is crazy awesome, and I am now itching to go up there with a notebook and write. Because it's just that badass.

The archway leading into the ruins.
The original 14th century stairs.
The not-so-original 20th century stairs, built in the 1960s so people wouldn't fall on their asses quite so much.
So. Many. Stairs.
Ooh! Shiny! Shiny CREATURES!
Gotta love June bugs.

Anyone else see a smiley face in this picture? Because I totally do.
An authentic 14th century cinder block.
The one criticism I have of this particular set of ruins would be the amount of cool, interesting, and distracting things. For those of us with ADD, it doesn't take much to--kitty!!
Um. What was I talking about? Anyway.

Turns out it was a good day to visit Nakijin, because today was the day an army of palm trees decided to invade.
"The castle is ours!"
"Surrender, Nakijin!"
"WE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS!"
Oh, look, a flower...
More flowers.
Ooh, pretty...
Overlooking the East China Sea
This place rocks.
Foundation of a building that once sat on the uppermost enclosure.
The lower enclosure as viewed from the upper enclosure.
The upper enclosure as viewed from the lower enclosure.
I'm guessing this sign loosely translates to "lean as far over the edge as you can, and I will give you a high-five!"
Lead me not into temptation...
Eddie...no. No, that's not a good idea. Oh, God, this won't end well...
...it didn't end well.
*sigh* See, Eddie? This is why we can't have nice things.
Anyway, moving right along.
This is a sign explaining the stages of the excavation and also showing examples of artifacts that have been unearthed along the way.
And looking a little closer...OMG. THE HOLY GRAIL!
It's been in Nakijin Castle all along, not Katsuren! No wonder Eddie's previous attempt to obtain it failed.

The boys knew what had to be done, and they bravely stormed the castle.
But then they realized the hill was really steep.
And those palm trees that invaded earlier? They started throwing rocks at the boys, so Eddie and Jeremy did what anyone would do.

They ran like hell.
Someday, we'll get that grail. Someday...

My spidey senses told me this would be a good day.

2011-07-17T16:20:00.006+09:00

So we decided to take a friend to Nakagusuku Castle yesterday. I've been there probably half a dozen times, but I'd been meaning to go again anyway to refresh my memory, since there's a scene in Conduct Unbecoming that takes place at the castle. We packed up the cameras, braved the heat, and wandered into the castle.
That's about the point when the first bit of ADD struck. Eddie realized he'd picked up a little passenger on his camera lens.
Moving right along, we marveled at the view from the castle walls, checked out the archways, and-- OOH! DISTRACTION!

Now would be a good time for the extreme arachnophobes to click away.

Why?

Because this is what we saw next:
Admittedly, they really don't seem like much.
I mean, they're just spiders, right?
A creepy, spindly spider...
And not just one, either. They were freaking everywhere.
Wait. Did I say they were little?
Sorry. I misled you.
They weren't:
I know, right? They're freaking huge.
Now, when a girl happens along some gigantic freaking spiders...
...what ever is she to do?
Clearly, there's only one thing she can do.
Break out the macro lens and get all up in its face.
At which point she might inadvertently photograph a, shall we say, intimate moment between the female spider and her tiny, barely visible male partner.
Next up: Pics from Nakijin Castle.

Cover Art: The Closer You Get

2011-07-14T07:37:00.001+09:00

Just got some lovely cover art for The Closer You Get, which will be available from Samhain in November:
Blurb:

Self-described manwhore Kieran Frost is loving the single life. Two years after moving to Seattle, he still has his friends with benefits, Rhett and Ethan, plus a never-ending supply of gorgeous, available men wandering through the bar where he works. A relationship? Spare him the drama and heartbreak. He’s got no complaints about his unattached lifestyle.

When Rhett’s daughter introduces him to newly-out-of-the-closet Alex Corbin, Kieran’s interest perks up. After all, the quiet ones are always the freaks in bed. But Alex isn’t just shy and reserved. He’s a virgin in every sense of the word, having never even kissed anyone else.

Kieran is no one’s teacher, and his first instinct is to run like hell in the other direction. But his conscience won’t let him throw the naïve kid to the wolves for someone else to take advantage of. The plan is to introduce Alex to his own sexuality, pull him out of his shell, then go their separate ways.

It’s the perfect, foolproof plan…assuming no one falls in love.
Warning: This sequel to The Distance Between Us contains a curious virgin, a shameless slut, a trip to a sex shop, and one stubborn heart. Oh, and a dildo.

REVIEW: Damaged Goods

2011-07-12T08:51:00.001+09:00

Damaged Goods received 5 out of 5 hearts at The Romance Studio, and is now up for 5-heart Sweetheart of the Week! If you enjoyed Damaged Goods, please vote here!

From Clare's review:

"Once again, Gallagher has hit it out of the park. [...] [She] takes the reader on an emotional journey and also fills the pages with hot erotica that leaves you breathless and panting for more."

The entire review is here.

An open letter to software developers: Take your new experience and shove it.

2011-07-07T15:03:00.003+09:00

Dear software developers, web designers, and everyone else involved in designing the interfaces of websites, computer programs, and the like:

Is your desk organized a certain way? Do you keep your coffee cup on a coaster beside your blotter, safely away from your keyboard? Is there a fancy shmancy art deco thingy holding all of your pens? Are the icons on your computer organized on the desktop so you can go in and instantly find any program or document you wish to use?

Now imagine you've gone home from work for the day, and I come along and rearrange all your icons. In fact, I'm going to change a few, just for good measure. Then I'm going to put all your pens in a drawer and move your coffee cup so it's between your mousepad and keyboard. You know, so you can find it.

Twitching yet?

Yeah, I'll bet.

I realize you all want your programs and websites to be sleek, user-friendly, cutting edge, and all of that. And from time to time, that means realizing there is a design flaw that needs to be corrected. When things are counter-intuitive, confusing, and aesthetically migraine-inducing, changes need to be made. As a user, I understand and appreciate this.

However.

Every once in a while, y'all will get a bug up your butt and decide for no apparent reason to go with a FRESH NEW LOOK. Sometimes it'll just be a new color scheme, sometimes it'll be a complete overhaul of everything, right down to new ways of phrasing/labeling commands, buttons, and menu options.

Stop it. Just...stop it.

Fix what is broken, make things more functional, but knock off the FRESH NEW LOOK bullcrap unless there's a reason why the old look needs to go. Facebook, I'm looking at you. Twitter, same deal. Microsoft...just...God, you don't even know.

Gmail, you're on the list now with your "Preview Gmail's New Look" thing that keeps making me break out in an OCD-induced sweat because the layout to which I've grown accustomed is about to change. You were already on my shit-list because of those subtle little changes you keep making to the menu options and commands above my inbox.

Here's the thing: If I want a fresh, new experience, I'll leave my computer and go try that new restaurant that just opened downtown. When I log into my e-mail, or open a program to browse the internet or work on a book or crop a damned photo, I don't want change. I don't want fresh. I want the buttons to be in the same spot with the same words on them so I don't have to lose my concentration because I suddenly can't figure out how to do something that has long since become intuitive. If the button in question or the menu option were problematic somehow -- maybe they were difficult to find, or the button for "print" said "gobbleshmerzen" -- fine. Change it. I'll adapt.

But if it used to say "Print" and is now a printer icon...look, I know that seems like a simple thing, and it is, but it's aggravating to go looking for the familiar "Print" button and not realize the appearance of the button has actually changed. Little things like that are annoying. A bunch of little things like that introduced over a short period of time are like Chinese water torture. A massive overhaul where everything has changed its shape, color, location, verbiage, and font? That's just mean.

If it ain't broke, stop fixing it. Stop fixing it, re-fixing it, and re-fixing it once more for good measure, because all it does is make me say bad words. You think FRESH NEW EXPERIENCE. My FRESH NEW EXPERIENCE is "wait...what the fuck...where did...how the hell am I--oh, there it is. Why the fuck is it over there? OMFG. Okay, now where is the-- are you fucking kidding me???"

Bottom line: Unless there's a bona fide functional reason for it, stop moving shit around on my desk.

Thank you,
Lori W.
User of software, websites, and other such things

NOW AVAILABLE: Trust Me

2011-07-07T09:32:00.001+09:00

Trust Me, the long-promised sequel to Cover Me, is now available from Carnal Passions! (Links to third party sites will be added here as they're available)

On the scene of a multiple murder that’s grisly even for a veteran homicide detective, Brian Clifton is stunned when one of the victims bears an uncanny resemblance to his boyfriend, James. As the similarities keep piling up, so do the bodies…and the evidence pointing to James as the killer.

Since long before the shooting, James has been dishonest. He’s been evasive. Oh, and there’s that minor little detail he withheld from Brian about being a gambling-addicted drug dealer. He may not be the best boyfriend in the world, but he begs Brian to believe he’s no murderer. In fact, whoever did pull the trigger undoubtedly wants to finish what they started, and Brian is the only one James trusts to keep him safe.

But how much is Brian willing to risk to protect a man he may not even know?

Interviewed over at Jessewave

2011-07-06T16:39:00.001+09:00

I'm being interviewed over at Jessewave today. Stop by to find out who my favorite character is, what I miss most about living in Seattle, and when I'll finally write a book based in Okinawa.

PRE-ORDER: Out of Focus

2011-07-04T22:19:00.000+09:00

Out of Focus is now available for pre-order at Samhain, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

He’ll bend for them. But they may break over him.

For twelve years, Dom lovers Ryan “Angel” Morgan and Dante James have run a successful photography business, and satisfied their need for a submissive with the occasional sizzling three-way. On a wedding job, they both zero in on the bride’s beautiful brother, but as professionals, they keep their attraction on the down-low—for now.

Jordan Steele has no trouble establishing mastery over his stallions. When he hires Angel and Dante to shoot promotional photos for his stable, though, there’s something about them that calls to his inner submissive. After a little flirtation and a photo session that gets almost too hot to handle, Angel and Dante are happy to show him the ropes. And the whip.

Once they break the ice, their sexual chemistry burns hotter than a macro flash. Everyone gets what they need…until emotions come into play. Their power could develop into something permanent, throw everything off balance—leaving one of them the odd man out.

Product Warnings - Contains lots of sarcasm, a double helping of steamy erotic photography, and two dominants having their way with one very enthusiastic submissive.

Out of Focus will be released August 2, 2011.

Sunday Mancandy: X Marks The Spot.

2011-07-03T22:21:00.008+09:00

It's been entirely too long since I've done a mancandy blog, and since I've been spending an inordinate amount of time on tumblr drooling over pics from First Class, it didn't take much thought to come up with a theme:

EyeCandy From The X-Men.

We can argue all day long about all the atrocities these films committed against the original cannon. We can talk about all the character dynamics that were awesome in First Class, but completely fucked up when you consider how those dynamics play out in the other films (Dr X and Mystique, for example).

But I think we can all come to a reasonable consensus about one thing: there are some seriously good-looking people in those films. Oh Em Gee.

The one who had me thinking the most impure thoughts after the first film would be none other than Cyclops, aka James Marsden:

I wonder if he's ever tried undressing someone with his eyes...
I suppose that could be dangerous, though.

Moving right along, Dr. Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen. Because I mean...damn...
Speaking of the lovely ladies of the films, I'm not usually a Halle Berry fan, but...
Back to the gentlemen, I'll be the first to admit that if having a crush on Patrick Stewart is wrong, I don't want to be right.
All he needed to do was say "Make it so" during one of the films, and I think I'd have melted.

Now, while this guy may not necessarily be eyecandy, he is entirely too awesome on too many levels to be left out of this blog entry.

What can I say? Ian McKellan rocks.
And what X-Men blog entry would be complete without some drooling over Hugh Jackman?
What's that you say? He's entirely too dressed?

I agree.

Problem solved:
But I have to say that First Class takes the cake as far as mancandy goes. There is just something about Michael Fassbender that turns me into a stuttering, drooling idiot:
Something about him.

Something about James McAvoy, too...
Can't quite put my finger on it...
...but there's just something about those two.

Breaking Some of My Own Rules

2011-06-28T16:01:00.006+09:00

First things first, Stumbling Over Chaos is holding a drawing for Trust Me, the soon-to-be-released sequel to Cover Me. Comment to win!

Also, if you haven't been by my webcomic lately, I've updated it twice in the past week and hope to have another strip posted in the next week or so.

Finally, today's the day I'm taking over Beth Wylde's Chat Loop to give away some books and generally cause chaos and mayhem. The chat runs from 7a-7p on June 28th, which means I'll be up all night because that's 8p-8a my time. Sleep deprivation does weird things to my brain, so definitely stop by for a taste of the madness.

With all of that out of the way -- onward!

Some of my loyal blog minions may have noticed that I'm currently working on a book titled Meredith Reclaimed. And that title does bear a striking resemblance to Reconstructing Meredith, doesn't it? Is there something I'm not telling you?

Why, yes, there is: Meredith Reclaimed is the third book in the series.

Now, anyone who was hanging around this blog a year or so ago may recall me going absolutely insane writing Reconstructing Meredith. That story put me through the wringer almost as much as it did my characters.

This time, my loyal blog minions? O. M. G. Let's just say Meredith Reclaimed is darker than its prequel. It's not an easy road to travel down, but roads like that lead to the happiest endings.

That said, I can only handle this story in small doses. Because...yeah. It's pretty intense.

And that brings me to the second word counter currently appearing on my blog: I'm working on two books at once. Normally, I only work on one at a time. Otherwise, I end up flitting back and forth between two, three, fifteen books and wind up with eleventy billion partly-finished books, but nothing actually finished. This time, though, I need a second WIP to keep me (relatively) sane. My plan is to write a minimum of 2,500 words on each book every day, so they'll take longer to finish, but they'll both get finished.

So, now I'm working on Meredith Reclaimed, and as a diversion, Conduct Unbecoming. Hopefully that will result in me maintaining some sanity, rather than draining what little I have left to begin with.

Also, I would hereby like to blame Wave from Jessewave Reviews for the existence of Conduct Unbecoming. How is she responsible? The answer is coming July 6th. Stay tuned...

For now, I'd like to close this blog entry by introducing a new piece of mancandy, one who will undoubtedly be showing up in future Friday Mancandy blogs. My loyal blog minions, I give you...

...Michaell Fassbender.
Want.

NOW AVAILABLE: Static

2011-06-26T10:34:00.001+09:00

I can't even tell you how excited I am about this one...Static is now available from Amber Allure! I'll be adding third party sites to my website as they're available.

Damon Bryce is worried sick when he doesn’t hear from his girlfriend after she visits her estranged parents, but when he checks up on her, he’s in for the shock of his life: She’s a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population who can shift genders at will. Thanks to her parents, though, she’s been forcibly given an implant that leaves her static—unable to shift—and male.

Alex Nichols desperately wants the implant removed, but getting it out isn’t nearly as easy as putting it in. The surgery is expensive and dangerous. Left in, the implant carries its own set of risks, with the potential to cripple or even kill him. On top of that, he’s carefully kept his identity a secret from more people in his life than just Damon, and his parents aren’t the only ones appalled by shifters.

Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical effects and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn’t see how their relationship can get through this unscathed.
Especially if Alex is a static male permanently.

"I can’t think of a novel more relevant to the current struggles with acceptance in our society—ranging from gay people to transsexual folks to people of different races, cultures, creeds; it’s surprisingly uplifting [...] I recommend it to anyone who’s ever felt like they weren’t accepted for who they are. That’s all of us, isn’t it?"
-- Semi-Educational Reviews, score: 95/100

Update: Sayonara, Okinawa

2011-06-24T10:41:00.003+09:00

Well, my loyal blog minions, you can anticipate a lot of pictures from out and about on Okinawa over the next few months, because the countdown has officially begun: We have our orders to Nebraska. My husband reports for duty in mid-December, so we'll most likely be leaving the island sometime in November.

Now, what will happen to this blog? Not a damned thing. We're merely moving our base of adventure operations to another place -- probably the middle of a cornfield or something -- and, as soon as we're settled in, we'll commence causing chaos and mayhem in the American midwest.

But between now and then, we still have like five castles left to explore, a bunch of snorkel spots we haven't visited, and plenty of undersea creatures to pester. That, and I haven't seen a Habu yet. Must remedy this...

2011 Golden Rose Awards - Best Erotic

2011-06-15T12:35:00.000+09:00

Color me excited, because The Best Man won BEST EROTIC in the Golden Rose Awards!

The Best Man is available from Carnal Passions in both ebook and paperback formats. Links are here.

(Links to come for the site giving out the award)

NOW AVAILABLE: Damaged Goods

2011-06-14T12:56:00.000+09:00

Damaged Goods is now available from Loose Id!

Jocelyn Rhodes is a single mother with a demanding career and a long-neglected libido. Frustrated with the dating scene and way overdue for some satisfying sex, she takes a friend’s advice and hires Sabian, a deliciously sexy escort. He’s well worth the money, and the sheets haven’t even cooled off before she’s ready to call him again.

The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes she and Sabian have more in common than she thought. She’s a single mom, he’s a prostitute, and when it comes to dating, they’re both damaged goods. To most potential mates, Jocelyn and Sabian are in a category akin to dented soup cans, but if the two of them can look past each other’s respective dents, they just might find something they’ve both been missing.

But even if they do find that something, how on earth can she make a relationship work with a man who sleeps with other women for a living?

Damaged Goods can be purchased here. Additional links will be available in August.

Updates of the Writerly Kind

2011-06-13T12:54:00.004+09:00

So it's been a crazy couple of months on the writing front. Lots going on, and lots more coming down the pipe.

Though I'm about 18,000 words into it, I'm putting Starstruck on hold again. That book simply requires more headspace than I can give it right now, since I've got a few other books that have deadlines attached, which makes them uber-distracting. So it's going on the back burner, but it is not going away.

I'm dipping my toes into Steampunk with Noble Metals, my current WIP, as well as a not-yet-titled novella that I'll probably be tackling in August. Then there's Search Me, which will follow Cover Me and Trust Me, plus a third book in the Light Switch series. With a little luck and some nose to the grindstone, all of those and an additional untitled novella will be knocked out before I move in October.

And speaking of series, my vampire/werewolf series is officially titled Tooth & Claw, and the first book, The Given & The Taken, will be released in January from Samhain Publishing.

A lot on my plate? Oh, God, yes. But I like it like this. I never get bored! That, and this will get me ahead of the game so that when I'm in the process of moving back to the States -- and most likely not writing nearly as much as I'd like to -- I won't end up falling behind.

Now all I have to do is keep all those other plot bunnies sedated so they don't drop more bright shiny new ideas in my head between now and October. Because, OMG, the last thing I need right now is a new idea.

So anyway, expect some more Okinawa blogs soon, as well as writing updates and hopefully another comic on Marginally Unhinged in the next week or so. And I haven't done a Friday Mancandy blog in entirely too long, so expect some smexy picture goodness soon.

For now, I'll leave you with a little bit of Shannon Leto...
Bye!!

The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa Part 3: Everything Will Kill You

2011-06-12T22:21:00.001+09:00

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert by any means, so for actual concrete information about not getting yourself killed, refer to people who actually have letters behind their name and know what they're talking about. I'm speaking only from my experience, hearsay, and what I've read since I've lived here.

As you're exploring Okinawa, you will encounter a lot of things you've never encountered in America. Things like giant bats, large tombs, and politeness. You may not know how to react to things like that, and that's why I'm here to help you out. Basically, as you run into unfamiliar things on Okinawa, there's one rule to keep in mind:

It can probably kill you.

An expanded version of that rule:

If it's alive, it can probably kill you.
If it's man-made, it's either sacred or it can kill you.
Just assume it has the capability and
quite possibly the desire to
shove you off this mortal coil.

So, I'm going to show you a few things that may or may not kill you, and give you some tips on how to avoid them or -- if you're anything like me -- find them.

Onward...

THING: Unexploded Ordnance. I don't have any pictures, because thankfully I've never encountered any of these. In short, they are bombs that were dropped during World War II, but never went off. This doesn't mean they're duds, though, and people have been injured/killed over the years when UEO has gone off.

HOW TO AVOID: Don't go wandering off the beaten path into the bushes. If you see metallic objects that look like they might be shells, don't play with them, and do report them. Even I'm not dumb enough to screw around with UEO, and I'm the kind of person who'd poke a Habu with a stick.

THING: Shrines & Tombs
Above - Tomb
Below - Shrines
Obviously shrines and tombs won't kill you. Duh. However, they are everywhere. Any time you go hiking, or even wander through a park, I promise you will find tombs and shrines. The reason I'm pointing them out here is not that they are dangerous, but they are something to be aware of and avoided out of cultural courtesy. They can be photographed, but do not mess with them. Americans are forbidden from going into cemeteries without an invitation from a local national who has family buried there. If someone is praying at either a tomb or shrine, don't disturb them. If money has been left on a shrine, leave it alone. If you do mess with it, I hope someone comes along and kicks your ass.

HOW TO AVOID: Don't be a dumb American. Be respectful, keep your distance, and don't disturb shrines or tombs. Also, Habu sometimes hang out in tombs, so if being respectful isn't enough of a deterrent to keep you out of tombs, then just remember there might be poisonous snakes lying in wait.

THING: Wild boars
(Actual sign on the side of the expressway)

I really don't know if the wild boars are dangerous or not, as I've never actually seen one, but swine can be rather foul-tempered, so...

HOW TO AVOID: If you see a wild boar, leave it alone. And don't run them over. That's just mean.

THING: Hermit Crabs -- These are obviously not dangerous, but they are everywhere. And they're kinda fun to play with.
Really, the only reasons you need to be aware of hermit crabs are:

1. So you're careful to watch your step on the beach and not squish them.
2. So you're careful to check every shell you bring home, lest you wind up with a stowaway. Think I'm kidding? This little guy went home with us a few months ago (the lens cap is about 2" in diameter):
(He was taken back to a beach and released)

They're not dangerous, but they can sometimes have a bit of an attitude...
HOW TO AVOID: Just don't step on them and try not to bring them home.

THING: Staring birds -- Again, not dangerous. You'll see them everywhere, though. They might give you the evil eye, but they won't hurt you.
HOW TO AVOID: Look, if you're trying to stay away from a little blue bird, you're going to be a quivering mess of terror after a week here.

THING: Cone Snails -- Okay, these? Highly dangerous. These can kill you.
(picture from Wikipedia, since I can't seem to find any on my hard drive)

Wait, seriously? It's a snail. Why the hell do I need to avoid a snail?

Cone snails are extremely poisonous. They really can kill you.

HOW TO AVOID: When walking in water, always wear scuba booties. Always. If you're like me and can't resist picking up potentially dangerous animals while you're snorkeling, wear gloves. Even I'm not dumb enough to pick up one of these suckers with my bare hands. That's not to say I'm not dumb enough to pick them up in the first place, but I do wear gloves. I have standards, people.

THING - Sea Mangoes -- Yes, sea mangoes. Not necessarily going to kill you, but I'm told eating them will make you wish you were dead.
HOW TO AVOID: Don't pick fruit and eat it. Really. Just don't. You can buy mangoes at the commissary and farmer's markets.

THING: Box Jellyfish -- Also something that can kill you.
This is the closest I have to a picture of a box jellyfish. Hey, I'm stupid, but I don't have a death wish. I'm not getting in the water with a freaking box jellyfish.

HOW TO AVOID: Don't swim, snorkel, or dive where jellyfish warnings are posted. Check websites for warnings about jellyfish swarms. If you see one while you're swimming, get out of the water. Don't be stupid.

THING: Sugarcane Trucks -- They won't necessarily kill you, but notice how they don't quite fit on or share the road:
HOW TO AVOID: Don't drive like an idiot on narrow, winding roads. When driving on narrow, winding roads, be mindful of these:
When you see those mirrors on a curve or corner, USE THEM.

THING: Sea Snakes -- These will kill you.
They're pretty much impossible to miss: The black and white pattern is striking, and...well...a 3-foot striped snake is not difficult to see. We've seen them in as little as 3 feet of water, and the last one we saw was in amongst the tall sea grass. So pay attention. You should always be aware of your surroundings when in the water anyway, but if avoiding a sea snake isn't motivation to maintain situational awareness, I don't know what is.

HOW TO AVOID THEM: They're actually pretty easy to avoid most of the time: Just leave them alone. Sea snakes are generally not aggressive, but they are curious. It's not unusual for them to draft in your fins while you're swimming, but they'll usually swim away if you face them. Basically, don't fuck with them, and they won't bite you.

THING: Habu -- Okay, these will definitely kill you.
The Habu is a nocturnal snake living on Okinawa, and they are as plentiful as they are dangerous. They're quite aggressive and highly poisonous. There are actually four varieties of snakes living on Okinawa (not counting sea snakes), and three of those are Habu. If you see a snake on land, assume it's a Habu. Learn that face, my loyal blog minions:
HOW TO AVOID: Stay on the beaten path. If you see signs warning of snakes, they're not screwing around.
I understand Habu tend to hang out in tombs, caves, under rocks, etc., in order to stay cool during the day. (Funny, I always thought of snakes as trying to stay warm, but since it's usually hot here even at night, it does make sense) Also keep an eye on low tree branches when hiking through thick vegetation, as they like to hang out in the trees. Basically...don't be stupid.

While we're on the subject of wiggly serpenty things...

THING: Moray eels -- These are pretty shy and not outwardly aggressive unless you approach them.
To get this picture, I dove down about 8 feet, several times, with the camera in hand. The eel was less than impressed, and snapped at me several times. His head, which contains that gaping mouth full of sharp pointy teeth, was about as big around as my fist, if that gives you an idea of his size.

So, if you want to avoid being bitten by one, don't be like me.

HOW TO AVOID: Don't approach them. Don't poke at them. Don't harass them. Don't insult their mothers. Don't call them names. Don't taunt them to see if they'll bite your glove. Don't put your fingers in their mouths. Leave them alone.

THING: Cicadas -- They won't kill you, but if you've never heard a swarm of cicadas, well...you're lucky. When they swarm in the spring, the novelty wears off after about the third day of not being able to carry on a conversation outdoors.
Also, if a bunch of them suddenly take off, they tend to pee all over anyone standing below them. I speak from experience.

HOW TO AVOID: Good luck with that.

THING: BANANA SPIDERS -- These suckers are freaking huge...
...however, they will not kill you. I mean, with everything on this island that's foul-tempered, venomous, and carnivorous, it blows my mind that the spiders are not dangerous. Yet, they aren't.

HOW TO AVOID: Look, if you can't avoid a 3-inch spider in a web...

THING: Fruit Bats -- They will kill you with their cuteness.
Seriously. How cute is that? A little fox with wings! That's like lethal on the squee scale.

HOW TO AVOID: Don't walk in the middle of the road at high noon while wearing a beanie and eating an ice cream cone.

THING: Lionfish -- At best, they'll ruin your day. At worst, yep, they'll kill you.
(The lionfish is the big brown blob on the right, as opposed to the big brown blob on the left) These are so freaking cool to watch. They're absolutely beautiful, and they're not aggressive at all.
Just...you know...don't get stung.

HOW TO AVOID: They're usually found in deeper water (I've seen them in as shallow as 8-10 feet), and I've only seen them close to rocks, pylons, etc. They're pretty hard to miss, so just keep your damned eyes open and you won't get stung.

THING: Butterflies -- These will RIP YOUR FACE OFF AND KILL YOU.
Seriously. Look at that thing. Tell me it's not planning to kill someone.

HOW TO AVOID: Um...it's a butterfly.

THING: Sea Urchins -- They won't kill you, but they can definitely ruin your day. You'll basically see two varieties of sea urchins in the waters around Okinawa. These relatively benign little pincushions...
...and these malevolently spiny creatures of prickly doom:
To give you an idea, those spines are about 8-10 inches long. And I speak from experience, my loyal blog minions: getting stung sucks. They're not dangerous per se, but unless you want to itch like you've never itched before...

HOW TO AVOID THEM: Scuba booties. Gloves. Freaking pay attention to where you're swimming!

THING: Gravity + Cliffs -- The cliffs of Okinawa have a long and tragic history, and you don't want to be a part of that.
HOW TO AVOID: Duh. Stay away from the edge. When you see signs warning against getting close to the edge, heed them.
Um...

Moving right along...

THING: The sun -- You're in the tropics now, folks. The sun is not something to screw around with.
Still, in order to understand just what we're dealing with, every last one of us seems to require a proverbial baptism by fire:
HOW TO AVOID: Well, assuming you actually want to get outside and enjoy the island, which is why you're reading this, staying indoors out of the sun isn't an option. So...common sense. Don't stay out in it too long, cover your skin when you can, etc. Sunscreen is your friend (Tip: Buy sunscreen on base...it's horrendously expensive off base).

THING: Puffer Fish -- I'm told they can sting you and really ruin your day. However...
...if you manage to get stung by a puffer fish, I'd be willing to bet money you probably deserved it. They're extremely skittish, and will swim away from even the slightest movement. Getting them to puff even a little is quite difficult, never mind getting them to blow up all the way and get close enough to sting you.

HOW TO AVOID THEM: Just...you know...leave them alone.

THING: Sharks, Barracuda, Stonefish, & Blue-ringed Octopus -- All of these things can kill you. In fact, if you really have some bad karma coming your way, they could probably gang up on you and make sure you have an horrific bitey-stingy-eaty death at sea. And you don't want that.

HOW TO AVOID THEM: Shiny things attract barracuda. Blood attracts sharks. Stonefish hide on the bottom of the ocean and can sting if you're not wearing scuba booties. A Blue-ringed Octopus is extremely shy and probably wouldn't have stung you if you hadn't cornered it in a rocky crevice and kept molesting it even after it let you know it wasn't happy.

In other words...don't be an idiot, don't get killed.

In closing, Okinawa is teeming with things that either want you dead or will inadvertently cause you to be that way. So...just be careful. All you have to do is pay attention and don't do dumb things like poke animals with sticks like Eddie and I do...and even we've managed to stay alive.

The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa Part 2: Where to Eat

2011-06-10T06:21:00.003+09:00

Okinawa has some of the most awesome food. Seriously. There's a reason I've gained about 20 lbs since I moved here, and it's not entirely because I completely let my gym habits fall by the wayside. There are countless places to eat while you're here, and so many things you simply have to try. I'll probably post a blog at a later date with specific things you should try, but this one is devoted to places.

In no particular order, some of our favorite places to grab some grub:

PIZZA SKY (or Sky Pizza, or Pizza in the Sky...it's all the same place)
They even put up big shades when it's super bright out, which is really nice. I love this place. About half an hour out of Nago, it's a challenge to find, but the food is fantastic. Seriously, I love pizza, and the pizza here is like sex in my mouth. The menu is very simple: one kind of salad, one kind of pizza, a handful of drinks, and a chilled mango dessert (on a hot day, that chilled mango is DIVINE). Bring yen - they do not take Visa! It can be crowded, especially on Sundays/Mondays (Japanese weekend), and it's closed on Tuesdays/Wednesdays, but it's well worth the drive and the wait. I highly recommend combining it with a visit to the aquarium, butterfly farm, Nakijin Castle, and/or the Nago Pineapple Park.

Plus the atmosphere is great:
Yes, this is the kind of place where you take your shoes off and sit on the floor. If your knees and hips can't take that, there are picnic tables outside with benches.

It's a little bit of a challenge to find the first time, but it's not too bad: Take 58 north into Nago. Go left on 85 (at the Kentucky Fried Chicken). Follow to a T-intersection and go right, then continue to 115 (which is marked and has a stoplight; you'll be driving for a while before you get there). Turn right onto 115, follow it past several cemeteries, and as you're going up a hill, you'll see a turn-off on the right with a green, white, and red sign (kind of like an Italian flag). Turn right. Follow to a T-intersection (no light), and go left. Follow until you see a tomb sticking out in the road at the bottom of a hill (trust me, you'll know it when you see it). Pizza Sky is on the left.

SAM'S BY THE SEA -- I have to say, I'm super-biased about this place. I think Eddie and I have been there about 50 times. The rest of the Sam's chain is good, but I'm rather fond of this one. Their steak is spectacular. Eddie tells me their seafood is wonderful. Their curry soup? OMFG. Even if you aren't a fan of curry, TRY THE SOUP. (It comes with every meal) One of these days, I'm just going to ask them to give me a spoon and let me sit at the big cauldron where it cooks all day long.

Insanely easy to find: Leave Kadena through Gate 2. Follow the road, which will take you out toward Awase. Keep going until you see a giant gorilla on your left (you can't miss it). At the light immediately after the gorilla, turn left. At the stop sign, turn right. Follow until you see torches. Go left through the gate with the torches on it.

And speaking of that giant gorilla...

KING KONG YAKINIKU -- The gorilla stands at the entrance to their parking lot, so turn there if you want to check this place out. It's basically a buffet of raw meat, which you then cook at a gas grill at your table. They also have soba, seafood, rice, sushi, and various desserts, so it's a really good place to sample things and get your palate acquainted with some of cuisine you might not be used to. They accept Visa, and it's about Y1600 a head (lunch is cheaper and less crowded). Can get crowded on the weekends and in the evenings.

MCDONALD's -- Yes, you read that right.
McDonald's in Japan is just something you have to experience. Why? Because it'll put any American McDonald's to shame. From the polite service to food that's actually prepared like they give a shit whether or not their customers are satisfied, it's awesome. And I think it's a crime that they make better Big Macs here than in the States. (Yen only...no Visa here.)

How to find: Drive. You'll see one. Trust me.

SEASIDE RISTORANTE at KADENA MARINA -- This is an American-run, dollars-and-Visa-accepting restaurant, so it doesn't count as dining out in town, but it's worth experiencing for the view alone:
I recommend it more for lunch than dinner; the portions are a little smaller, and they don't come with the salad and bread that accompanies dinner (which are good, but just way, way too much food). Don't expect 5-star food (though the vodka chicken penne contains large amounts of awesomesauce), but it's a nice place for a leisurely lunch outside on a sunny day.

Leave Kadena via Gate 1 and go right. You'll see the sign for Kadena Marina and the Seaside Ristorante on your left. Turn left at the sign, follow down the hill, and the restaurant will be right in front of you. Tip: This is also a great place to snorkel...just, you know, not right after lunch.

FAMILY MART, COCO!, LAWSON STATION -- Basically, the convenience stores. You'll see Lawson and Family Mart (and to a lesser degree, Coco!) all over the place. There's almost as many of those places as there are vending machines. Like, if you give someone directions that include "turn left at the Family Mart", they'll invariably glare at you and say that's about as specific as saying "go to the aisle with a bunch of cheap crap" in a Wal-Mart.
Why the hell should you eat at a convenience store? Well, if you're exploring Okinawa, you will inevitably find yourself, at some point, getting hungry. And quite honestly, the sandwiches, munchies, and baked goods at these places are awesome. Family Mart has some of the best chocolate eclairs on the planet, and even their prepackaged sandwiches are worth driving out of your way to find. Not that you'll have to, since these places are everywhere.
However, Coco! is not to be confused with...

COCO'S CURRY -- I wasn't a fan of curry before I moved here. Always too spicy for my taste. Japanese curry is different, though. The flavor is stronger, but the spice is much milder (though you're more than welcome to ask for a stronger spice...Coco's has from 0 to 10, and you have to finish a 5 before they'll let you order 6 or above). They also have salads and a mango pudding that is to freaking die for. This is a fast food joint with a diner atmosphere, but don't let it fool you: the food's amazing.

KOKUSAI STREET -- Okay, I'm kind of cheating here. Where should you eat on Kokusai Street? The short answer is...everywhere. The only Vietnamese restaurant on the island (that I'm aware of) is here, so if you're craving Pho, this is the place to be. Several of the Sam's restaurants are here, and there's at least one Yakiniku place. Really, you can't go wrong anywhere here. Well, except Perestroika, which is the only Russian restaurant on the island. Good luck finding it, since it's tucked down some back alley, but the one experience I've had there resulted in unanimous thumbs-down from everyone in attendance. So, skip that one and eat everywhere else on Kokusai Street.

The marketplace--which extends off the main drag for a loooooong way--itself is a good place to find munchies, whether they're giving out samples of cookies/sweets or selling pineapple on a stick.
I'm serious, you can get the most insanely awesome fresh grown-like-ten-minutes-away pineapple here. For Y100, you get a chunk on a stick. We've actually started carrying wetnaps with us when we go to Kokusai Street, because invariably, we end up getting pineapple, and this stuff is so juicy, it's impossible not to get sticky.

It's not just pineapple, though. This is a good place to get great deals on locally grown garlic, onions, tangerines, sugarcane, and some of the more unique-to-Okinawa produce, such as goya, beni imo (a purple sweet potato that I believe only grows here), and dragonfruit:
When cut open, dragonfruit strongly resembles kiwi fruit, but is either white or a vivid purple. It also tastes like kiwi. Tip: The closer you are to Kokusai Street, the more expensive the dragonfruit. When you first walk into the marketplace, you'll usually see it for Y800 or more. Keep walking, and you'll find it for as little as Y400 depending on which vendors are there, the time of year, etc.

THE GARLIC HOUSE -- If I need to tell you why you should eat at a place called the GARLIC house, then there is no hope for you. Go there. Eat. You won't regret it.

How to find it - It's in Naha, just off 58, but ask someone besides me for directions, because I will get you lost.

THE AQUARIUM -- The aquarium? WTF? Why the hell do I need to eat at the aquarium? Is the food really that good?

Well, no. The food is nothing to write home about. It's not bad, but it's not spectacular. Don't go in expecting to have your palate's socks knocked off, though some of their desserts are pretty damned good.

It also tends to be crowded, and it's every man for himself to find a table, particularly those with a view. Be ready to move quickly and commandeer a table. It's not quite the Thunderdome, but competition for a prime table can be fierce. (Tip: Don't go to the aquarium on the weekends. At all. Ever.)

So, crowded..."meh" food...competition for a table...

Why on earth are you telling us we should eat there, Lori?

Quite simply? Because this restaurant has the most spectacular view EVER:
Basically, you're sitting right next to this:
That's a 21-foot whale shark on the left. There are three in the tank, plus loads of manta rays, sting rays, and other sharks and fish. If you know how tranquil it can be to sit and watch a fish tank, then you can probably gather why eating your lunch -- mediocre or not -- beside the second largest fish tank in the world is an experience not to be missed.

FOUR SEASONS TEPPANYAKI -- WTF is Teppanyaki? You know those Japanese steak houses like Benihana, where they cook right in front of you? Half-show, half-dinner? That's Teppanyaki. Naturally, you can't live in Japan or even visit without going to one of these places. If you're a fan of steak, the words "highly recommended" don't even come close to how I feel about the Kobe steak. If the pizza at Pizza Sky is sex in my mouth, the Kobe steak at Four Seasons is a threeway-with-the-mancandy-of-your-choice orgy in every bite. (Give me a break, I'm an erotica writer...) Anyway, go there. Try it.

They're not hard to find; there's a Four Seasons out by Awase (near Sam's by the Sea and King Kong Yakiniku), and there's another by American Village. Check local guides for directions to the specific locations.

Tip: Go during lunch. It's less crowded and significantly less expensive.

Another tip: They offer a couple of side dishes with every meal; I highly recommend declining at least one, or else it is way, way, WAY too much food. And that Kobe steak is just made of too much awesome for you to walk out feeling like you never even want to think about eating again.

NAGO PINEAPPLE PARK -- Okay, so this isn't really a place to sit down and grab dinner, but believe you me, you can beat a serious case of the munchies in this place.
If you have a sweet tooth like I do, and you like pineapple, this place is a veritable cornucopia of pineapple goodness. Jam, tarts, cookies, cakes, fresh chunks of pineapple, white chocolate flavored with pineapple, chips, little cookies made of pineapple filling squished between two pancakes, more chunks of fresh pineapple, juice, wine, sake, vinegar, more delicious pieces of OMG THIS CAN'T BE REAL pineapple...you get the idea. Trust me, you can eat pretty damn well in there. Be prepared to spend some money, though...once you sample stuff, it's really hard not to buy it.

Tip: You don't have to go through the tour to visit the shop unless you want to do the wine-tasting. There's no charge to go into the shop itself. The tour is pretty fun, though.

Another tip: The pineapple pickles are interesting, but...well, try them just to say you've tried them, but don't say I didn't warn you. They're pineapple pickles. Just combine those two concepts, and you can probably imagine.

One final tip: After you've spent a shameful amount of money on pineapply things, you'll turn right to leave the checkout line. Straight ahead of you, before you turn right again to continue to the parking lot, there's a little booth where they sell PINEAPPLE CREAM PUFFS. Imagine, my loyal blog minions: a fresh cream puff that has been stuffed with cream AND PINEAPPLE. And then dusted with powdered sugar. Take the dirty descriptions I gave of Pizza Sky's pizza, Four Seasons' Kobe, and crank that description to whatever could possibly bring you an unspeakable amount of ecstasy, and that is a pineapple cream puff.

(I really like pineapple, so I may be biased.)

How to get there: Take 58 into Nago. Turn left on 85 at the Kentucky Fried Chicken. Follow to a T-intersection and go right. If you don't see the pineapple park, please return to base immediately and have your eyes checked. Parking can be a bit of a bitch, so if it's full, drive a little farther up the road to the Lawson Station and park there (there's also an Okinawa Fruit Park or something in the same parking lot as the Lawson...totally worth checking out too).

***

There you have it: a selection of some of our favorite places to eat on Okinawa. Have you lived here or do you live here now? Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section.

Stay tuned for more installments of The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa.

The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa Part 1: How NOT to be Bored

2011-06-08T14:21:00.005+09:00

When I was but a wee child, my family had a dog named Goldie. (Stick with me, there's a point to this)

Goldie was a mix of about twelve billion different breeds of dog, but one thing was certain: she had some sort of sheltie or collie in her. A herding dog, anyway. Now, the backyard shared a fence with a horse pasture. That pasture ran parallel to two other pastures, each occupied by one horse. Goldie could spend hours every day running along the fence, trying to get the horses to run up and down the hill.

After years of running along the fence, Goldie carved a path in the lawn. It was ridiculous: the dirt was like 3 inches below the roots of the grass on either side of it. It ran the length of the fence, then at the bottom of the hill, made a loop (apparently Goldie didn't turn on a dime, so she made a loop at the bottom). From the air, it probably looked like a noose, so I can only imagine what any pilot might have thought if they happened over our yard.

Anyway. This path was Goldie's little thoroughfare. A somewhat less pronounced one extended from the top of her trail to the deck, since she didn't make that part of the journey as often or as violently. The rest of the grass? Pristine and untouched.

You're probably wondering what on earth my dog and her silly little path have to do with Okinawa, boredom, or anything remotely relevant to, well, anything.

You see, my loyal blog minions, I have heard many people complain about how boring Okinawa is. There's nothing to do. It's so small. It's sooooooo boooooooring.

Now, I can understand why some people have a difficult time adjusting, or just plain don't like it here. The food is different, the climate takes some getting used to, the language barrier is intimidating, the place is isolated, etc. But what floors me every time is the number of people who say they were bored.

On Okinawa.

BORED.

Upon further questioning, I've found that most of the bored Okinawa-haters have a few things in common, and I'm passing these things on to you so that, should you ever find yourself here for 2-3 years, you will not be bored.

Much like my crazy lawn-carving dog, the extent of these people's exploration of Okinawa is the roads connecting one base to another. Back and forth, from gate to gate, until they've worn a path between all the bases. Anyone who lives on Camp McTureous (myself included) knows the roads to Kadena, Courtney, and Foster like they know the hallways of their own cramped apartment. Those who live on bases that actually have stuff besides housing stay on their own bases unless they absolutely have to go anywhere else. If they leave the base at all, they go to American Village, which is a few kilometers from Kadena and right across from Foster. Not exactly branching out, you know?

Day in and day out, for their entire tour, people simply flit from one base to the next without exploring the rest of the island. Folks, there's more to Okinawa than what you see from the roads between bases! You want to enjoy living here? GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND EXPLORE THE REST OF THE YARD.

And when you do, here are a few pointers, rules, tips, and hard-earned pieces of wisdom:

American Village doesn't count as leaving the base. Okay, it's not on base, and it is run by local nationals, and you use yen, but it's almost 100% geared toward Americans. They even have a Tony Roma's, for heaven's sake. If American Village is the extent of your off-base exploration, you haven't done any exploring.
Neither does Gate 2 Street. I can't tell you how many people who've complained about "getting bored and seeing everything Okinawa has to offer in the first month" have eventually admitted to spending the majority of their time on Gate 2 Street. This is the street just outside Kadena's Gate 2 (hence the name) where everyone goes to drink and party (and, to a lesser degree, shop...for American-targeted merchandise). Folks, you're living on a tropical paradise surrounded by palm trees, 14th century castles, WWII memorials, and more culture than a lab full of bacteria. You can drink in the States. Get thee out to the rest of the island!
Always carry yen and dollars. Visa is everywhere you want to be unless you want to be on Okinawa. It's very rare to find establishments off base that accept Visa, especially places where it's worth actually spending money. This includes McDonald's, A&W, and other American fast food joints...you need yen. Some places will accept American dollars, but expect to get screwed on the exchange rate. Yen is your friend. Carry it. Always. If you find yourself always being able to use your Visa and never needing yen, you aren't exploring enough.
You'll get used to driving on the left. Really, it's no excuse for not leaving the base, since you have to drive on the left on-base too. This intimidated me and was part of what kept me from getting my Okinawa driver's license for an embarrassingly long time, but I promise you, you'll get used to it.
It's okay if you don't speak Japanese. I've lived here for almost three years, and my Japanese vocabulary consists of "arigato" (thank you) and "gomenasai" (I'm sorry). I understand three or four other phrases if they're spoken to me, but hell if I can remember them and say them myself. Honestly, the vast majority of people here speak enough English to help our dumb asses, and where language leaves off, gesturing and drawing pictures bridges the gap. Just be polite, be patient (remember, you're the one who doesn't speak their language), and you'll do just fine.
It's okay if you don't read Japanese. Most of the major streets are numbered. Restaurants generally have pictures on their menus. There are English subtitles on a lot of signs, and if not, they're not too difficult to figure out. I know precisely one bit of Kanji (the ones that spell "Okinawa"), and I've had very little trouble finding my way around. And really, even when a sign is a bit baffling, it's half the fun of exploring a foreign country. If you find yourself encountering nothing but signs that are in perfect English, you aren't exploring enough.
Go where the "Y" plates aren't. Okinawan cars have a little symbol on the left side of the license plate. Japanese-owned cars have Kanji, and are referred to as "K" plates. American-owned cars have a "Y", hence..."Y" plate. What this means is, you can tell at a glance if the driver in front of you is Japanese or American. Now, the further you get from a base, the fewer Y plates you'll see. I don't mean just a smaller concentration of them: I mean once you get more than 10 km from a base, you might see two or three. Get north of Nago or south of Naha, you'll be lucky if you see one. Why? Because most Americans don't explore Okinawa. If you are surrounded by "Y" plates, you're not exploring.
Get in the water. You haven't lived until you've seen what lives below the surface of the crystal clear waters around Okinawa. Dive, snorkel, whatever, just get in the water.
You're not allowed to say you're bored until you've been to at least 4 castles. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who have only been to Shuri or Katsuren Castles. Those are worth visiting, of course (you haven't lived until you've seen the view from the top of Katsuren), but there's like 9 castles on this island. If you haven't put in enough effort to cart yourself to at least four of them (especially when two are spitting distance from Kadena), then you haven't done enough exploring to complain about boredom.
People, a decisive battle of freaking WORLD WAR II was fought here. The Himeyuri Peace Memorial, the underground headquarters, the countless monuments and battlefields...even if you aren't a history buff like me, it's fascinating. And there is something incredibly surreal about not just reading about the war (which all my American blog minions can probably recall reading about in school from a geographical as well as chronological distance), but standing right there where it happened.
My parents were here for 10 days, and we still didn't see everything. I ran my poor parents ragged while they were here, trying to see as much as humanly possibly in 10 days. I took them everywhere from Cape Hedo to the south end of the island, the aquarium, Kouri Island, Ikei Island, beaches, WWII monuments, Kokusai Street, three separate castles, and most of our favorite restaurants...and we didn't come close to seeing everything. Not even all the highlights. If you've seen everything? You aren't exploring.

More tips to come, but there's a pretty basic rundown. This is only the beginning...more to come, I promise. The point is, Okinawa is bigger than it looks. This place is unbelievable. If you don't mesh with it, and it's just not your cup of tea, fine. Not every

But if you're complaining that there's nothing to do?

Well, Goldie, try getting off the beaten path and exploring the rest of the grass.

Cover Art: Out of Focus

2011-06-08T10:53:00.001+09:00

Yes, it's a week of covers!! This time for Out of Focus, my BDSM M/M/M due out in August from Samhain:

He’ll bend for them. But they may break over him.

For twelve years, Dom lovers Ryan “Angel” Morgan and Dante James have run a successful photography business, and satisfied their need for a submissive with the occasional sizzling three-way. On a wedding job, they both zero in on the bride’s beautiful brother, but as professionals, they keep their attraction on the down-low—for now.

Jordan Steele has no trouble establishing mastery over his stallions. When he hires Angel and Dante to shoot promotional photos for his stable, though, there’s something about them that calls to his inner submissive. After a little flirtation and a photo session that gets almost too hot to handle, Angel and Dante are happy to show him the ropes. And the whip.

Once they break the ice, their sexual chemistry burns hotter than a macro flash. Everyone gets what they need…until emotions come into play. Their power could develop into something permanent, throw everything off balance—leaving one of them the odd man out.

Product Warnings -- Contains lots of sarcasm, a double helping of steamy erotic photography, and two dominants having their way with one very enthusiastic submissive.

Cover Art: Damaged Goods

2011-06-07T09:37:00.000+09:00

Just got some LOVELY cover art from Anne Cain for Damaged Goods, which will be out June 14th:

Jocelyn Rhodes is a single mother with a demanding career and a long-neglected libido. Frustrated with the dating scene and way overdue for some satisfying sex, she takes a friend’s advice and hires Sabian, a deliciously sexy escort. He’s well worth the money, and the sheets haven’t even cooled off before she’s ready to call him again.

The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes she and Sabian have more in common than she thought. She’s a single mom, he’s a prostitute, and when it comes to dating, they’re both damaged goods. To most potential mates, Jocelyn and Sabian are in a category akin to dented soup cans, but if the two of them can look past each other’s respective dents, they just might find something they’ve both been missing.

But even if they do find that something, how on earth can she make a relationship work with a man who sleeps with other women for a living?

Cover Art: Trust Me

2011-06-06T07:34:00.000+09:00

Trust Me, the sequel to Cover Me, is due out in mid-July, and here is the cover art:

On the scene of a multiple murder that’s grisly even for a veteran homicide detective, Brian Clifton is stunned when one of the victims bears an uncanny resemblance to his boyfriend, James. As the similarities keep piling up, so do the bodies…and the evidence pointing to James as the killer.

Since long before the shooting, James has been dishonest. He’s been evasive. Oh, and there’s that minor little detail he withheld from Brian about being a gambling-addicted drug dealer. He may not be the best boyfriend in the world, but he begs Brian to believe he’s no murderer. In fact, whoever did pull the trigger undoubtedly wants to finish what they started, and Brian is the only one James trusts to keep him safe.

But how much is Brian willing to risk to protect a man he may not even know?

The Dumb American's Guide to Living on Okinawa

2011-06-01T12:28:00.006+09:00

So, as my time on this island winds down, and I inch closer to that day when I must return to the States, I've decided to do a series of posts in which I impart all my hard-earned wisdom to those who might also spend some time here. Since I'm of the wordy persuasion, and I like adding photos to my blog entries, I'm breaking it up into several posts. The posts will show up about a week apart, depending on my workload (which sometimes keeps me from blogging, as my loyal blog minions have likely noticed).

Currently planned, and in no particular order, posts will include, but are not limited to:

Places You Must Eat...and a Few Things You Might Want to Avoid
How Not to be Bored on Okinawa
Getting Lost on Okinawa
How Not to be a Dumb American
Why Leaving Base Isn't as Scary as You Think
Things That Will Probably Kill You

Even if you're not going to be living on or visiting Okinawa any time soon, hopefully you'll find the posts entertaining. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you're probably aware that I don't tend to take things very seriously. These posts will be no exception.

Stay tuned!

Also, I have one paperback and two ebook releases in the month of June, so expect no shortage of cover art, release info, and related posts in between the Okinawa survival posts. It's gonna be a busy summer!

NOW AVAILABLE: A. J.'s Angel

2011-05-31T13:03:00.001+09:00

A.J.'s Angel is now available!!

Samhain
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
AllRomance eBooks

More links to come as they're available.
Tattoos fade with time. Emotions never lose their edge.

Luke Emerson is the last person Sebastian Wakefield expects to see strolling into his tattoo shop. But Luke’s not back after four years to take up where they left off. Not even to apologize for the cheating that broke them up.

Luke wants a custom tattoo, a memorial for someone known only as “A.J.”. Much as Seb would love to tell Luke to take this ink and shove it, he’s a professional. Plus, he’s reluctant to admit, he wouldn’t mind getting his hands on Luke again. Even if it’s just business.

Once Luke’s in the tattoo chair, though, Seb finds himself struggling with all the anger and resentment he thought he’d left behind—and those aren’t the only feelings reignited. Their relationship may have been turbulent, but it was also passionate. Four years clearly hasn’t been long enough for the embers of that fire to go cold.

A few subtle hints from Luke is all it takes to make Seb consider indulging in some of that physical passion. It shouldn’t be that tough to keep his emotions from getting tangled up in sweaty sheets.

After all, it’s not like he’s in love with Luke anymore. Right?

Product Warnings -- Contains two exes who shouldn’t want each other like this, steamy ex-sex they shouldn’t be having, and a whole lot of ink.

McD's just isn't the same over here...

2011-05-28T14:00:00.001+09:00

Explanation: I can't seem to upload to Photobucket, and someone on Twitter mentioned the fact that McDonald's doesn't sell hot dogs.

Guess what? They do in Japan!

NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT: Reconstructing Meredith

2011-05-26T11:56:00.000+09:00

Reconstructing Meredith is now available in print!

“Scott, I need your help.”

Five words from a woman he hasn’t seen in five years, and Scott Moore’s world is thrown off its axis. Ex-girlfriend Meredith has resurfaced with a past full of horrific abuse at the hands of a man who called himself a Dom, and she has the scars to prove it. Now she needs Scott’s help to reclaim her sexuality and put the past behind her.

Scott is more than willing to help, but he has no idea the toll it will take on him, not to mention his other polyamourous relationships. What’s more, while Scott and Meredith face down her demons, their own past won’t be forgotten. Neither will Scott’s feelings for Meredith…

Author's Note: This book contains references to sexual and psychological abuse that some readers may find objectionable. Please use your discretion.