Looking Back and Going Forward, Writing Goals for 2016

January of 2015 I set up an "agenda" for the year, and it was the first time I put a plan of action in writing. I was so sure  I could accomplish everything on my list and went forward into the great beyond... 

Yeah, not so much. 

I did accomplish part of my list, but at the end of the year when I looked back for some reason I felt I hadn't accomplish much. So, before looking forward, I'm going to recount what I accomplished. (This is more for me than anyone else, a trail of positive thinking to help me set up 2016.)

By May 2015, I had somethings marked off. Dragon's Eye was accepted by Less Than Three Press in February, as was the Interlude, A Child's Wish. Also accepted around the same time was the second book in the ION series, Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword.

I was feeling pretty gung-ho and volunteered to write two free stories for the GoodReads M/M Romance group.

After reading a slew of Motorcycle Club books, I approached Kenzie Cade to co-author with me an urban fantasy version, and in June we brainstormed a six book series

with a possible spin-off. On Sept. 1st, we began writing the series, Devil's Dawn.

Around that same time I approached an editor for my poor Fate and Destinies manuscript that had been languishing on my hard drive for over a year. She gave me some great feedback which I'm only part way through establishing because of... stuff. And that stuff kept happening so that I pushed back working on it.

Round midyear I got a bit overwhelmed because I took on too much at once. It was great learning experience, one I will try not to go through again. Less Than Three was awesome and worked with me. Ruby Red Booty Shorts and a Louisville Slugger which was supposed to release in September was pushed back.

In July, I went to Rainbow Con in Tampa, Florida and met some really great people and was reacquainted with old friends. July was also the month I played catch up, trying to get back on track so I could accomplish the second half of my agenda. That didn't go as I expected. 

Releasing Chaos was/is giving me fits, and it was the first time I rued writing a book in first person. I guess you could say that is the issue of being a 

pantser instead of a plotter--not being able to foresee all the many details of the final books in a series. But on the flip side, I don't think the ending would have been as good if I set everything in stone from the beginning. On the upside, in November I woke up in the middle of the night with a resolution to a part of Releasing Chaos's problem.

In the meantime, prints were made of the illustrations of the Valespian Pact around the time Alpha Trine and Striker came out

on audio book. I was interviewed for the first issue of the MCB Quarterly. In May, the anthology Keep The Stars Running released. My short story, The Aurora Conspiracy, was included with other fantastic shorts. The anthology went on to receive and honorable mention in the 2015 Rainbow Awards and later tied for first place in the LGTB Anthology / Collection category. 

In June, Salvaging Toby's Heart was released for the GoodRead's M/M Romance group Don't Read In the Closet event. In December, the book was nominated for Best Sci-fi/Futuristic/Post-Apocalyptic/Steampunk and Best Love is an Open Road Story.

In August, the second DRitC story, Darksoul: Part One was released, and it too received a nomination for the Best Action/Suspense/Adventure story. 

I went on and completed Darksoul, moving the story from 44k to 112k. Currently, the manuscript is with an editor. It'll need to also go through proofing and binding before I can self-publish the story in 2016.

Keeping Faith was a finalist for the Best Gay Book in a Series and Playing for Keeps and Keeping Faith released together in the paperback title, Unshakable.

Several of Sumeria's Sons made The Romance Reviews Top Picks and Dragon's Eye made several favorite reading lists for 2015.

If I wanted to look at the bare bones of 2015 releases, the list would look like this:

January - Songs of the Earth

March - A Leap of Faith

March - Audiobook for Alpha Trine

April - Dreams of the Forgotten

April - Unshakable released on paperback

May - Audiobook for Striker

May - Keep the Stars Running

June - Starting Fires

June - Salvaging Toby's Heart

July - Surrounded by Crimson

September - A Child's Wish

September - Darksoul: Part One

October - Dragon's Eye

Okay. Wow. I have no idea why I was thinking I hadn't accomplished much. What a busy year!

Now the question is, what will happen in 2016?

In this first quarter, Darksoul: The Complete Novel will be self-published. The Novel will have both part one and two published together in one volume. There were changes made to the first part of the book, additional information, changes made to race names, and such, as well as the last couple of chapters moved further back in the story.

This is where I'm laughing at myself because I thought that self-pubbing would be quicker, but honestly, not so much. It's been a learning process and I don't see myself doing this very much in the future. I like spending my time writing. :)

Ruby Red is back on the release schedule! Whoot! It is now up on the LT3 Press website for pre-order, releasing on March 2, 2016.

Talking about adding to a story. Ruby Red Booty Shorts and a Louisville Slugger started out around 22k. I'd originally wrote it for a holiday sub call, and it wasn't accepted because it was part of a series but was published separately. Shortly after it was originally released, the publisher went out of business. LT3 accepted the little guy, but while going through edits, there were several suggestions made that I agreed with. The story grew from 22k to 49k. In order for me to spend time on it, things were pushed around last year. Even though I was a little harried at the time, I'm glad I took the time because the story is so much better than it was.

As I'm typing this up, book two in the ION series, Werewolf's Tale and a Druid Sword is waiting for me to get back to editing it.

What else is on the 2016 "agenda"?

Everything above the green line is what I would like to definitely accomplish this year. 

Death Mask is due in for the sub call at the end of the month. Fingers crossed. I'm not quite finished. I've been trying to work on it while editing Werewolf's Tale but honestly, the editing has been taking up my time. ION 2 needed some serious TLC. I'm praying that everything about Death Mask will fall into place later this month. Seriously, it's bad form to not submit a story to the sub call you asked your publisher to do. :)

Once Death Mask is off my plate, I'm going back to Releasing Chaos. I'm 30k into the story and I think I know what needs to be done (deleted) to get the story past this part. The good news is the last interlude is complete. I need to edit it and such, but short story is close to being ready to submit.

The first book in the series, Devil's Dawn, that I'm writing with Kenzie Cade is almost finished. If we pushed, it could be finished before the end of February. 

Fate and Destinies will be brought off the back burner. The changes from 1st to 3rd person completed and I'll be able to hand it over to the editor. (Someone please say, "About time, woman!")

Then comes the third book in the Valespian Pact. Is it crazy that writing this book scares me the most? I have a bare bones outline of what needs to happen in Bespoken, but I couldn't hear Prometheus's voice. Without that voice, the story would've been flat. The last week or so, he's been talking, which is excellent.

The rest of what is above the green line will come after the projects above are completed. I won't be participating in the DRitC event this year. If I get a wild hair then I can put that energy into anything below the green line. I'm pretty sure Wolfe's story will get told. Honestly, Salvaging Toby's Heart practically wrote itself. Oh! I'll give you a bit of information on my sci-fi stories, Salvaging Toby's Heart and Darksoul and The Aurora Conspiracy takes place in the same universe. So you might see some character crossover.

That's it! That is what I would like to accomplish in 2016. The little whiteboard will be marked up by midyear but did you know that there is a bigger board? Would you like to see what the next few years could bring? Haha! :)

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Voting in the Member's Choice Awards: Salvaging Toby's Heart, Darksoul: Part One

The nominations for the GoodRead's M/M Romance 5th Annual Member's Choice Awards has closed. To qualify the books must have been published between November 1st 2014 and October 31st 2015. 

"On January 1, will be opened for all categories. Members may vote for their favorites in those categories until polls close on January 15th at 6:00 p.m.

Results will be announced during a live chat to be held on Sunday, January 17th at approximately 6 p.m. eastern time."

I was pleasantly surprised that I had a couple of nominations. :)

Salvaging Toby's Heart was nominate for:

And 

Darksoul: Part One was nominated for:

If you've read and enjoyed either of these stories, consider voting for them. The poles close on January 15th so make sure you vote for all of your favorites!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

My Favorite Reads For 2015 #bookshelf #favorites

According to the GoodReads meter, this may not be the year that I've read the least, but it sure felt like it. Some weeks I went days without cracking open a book. I also reread my favorites from prior years for weeks in a row as well.

But that didn't mean I didn't come across gems to put in my treasure box. The last couple of years I tried to set a limit and the following year I would up it because just picking a few of my favorites was agonizing. This is supposed to be fun, and like every other reader, I love sharing my favorites so I've put them all down. 

If you haven't tuned in for the yearly favorites before, my picks are from this year's reading that I loved and would reread. They are my four and five stars, if I had to rate them. 

These aren't in any particular order but I did split them up between ebooks and audiobooks.

Up First, Audiobooks!

I was looking for a novella and as a Fielding fan I picked this up. I've already read this twice, once on ebook and then listened to it on audio. This story mixes contemporary with paranormal in such a way that I didn't feel removed from the present time or thought this should've been considered an alternate world. The mixture of  Aiden settling into his life and learning/coping with how to be an ex-con was--I was sucked in. His struggle with himself, trying to be more than what he was had me hooked in the first few of pages. Couple that with how to define his relationship with Luca knowing Luca had secrets, I couldn't put it down. Obviously, it's a re-read. :)

I don't read very many holiday stories because most of them are contemporary and if you follow me you know that I predominately read everything but contemporary. But I found this on audible and even though I knew I had the ebook, I bought it. There is a different narrator for each story and I thought all the narrators did very well. And what do you know, I Loved it. They all had something different to offer, either firmly set in the holiday season or set with a plot and the season was in the background. Loved them all. I saw these stories sold individually this year so you can pick and choose but I would recommend all four.

I've read a lot of Motorcycle Club books this year. I have to say that it was totally selfish on my part because one, I wanted to know what the hoopla was all about, and two, there was a lack of Urban Fantasy MC books and I was trying to devise how to take this culture and make it UF. Joanna Wylde was recommended and although I couldn't quite connect with the some of the women throughout the series (to understand why they would choose to yolk their life with someone who they suspected broke the law) they were still good stories. She was also able to make me sympathetic to some of the men. I have to admit that reading about bad boys can be addicting... and hot. Devil's Game (to my surprise) was my favorite to date. Em was raised in the MC so I could understand her choices better and I really liked her. Plus this had a bit of forbidden love vibe since Devil's Jacks were an enemy to the Reapers. Unfortunately, I won't recommend reading the series out of order because even though each book is about a different couple, there is a build up to these two primary characters in the previous books. So this can't be cherry-picked from the bunch. But, if you do read M/F romance, I think you would like the twisted journey. :D

About this time last year I began reading Rhys Ford and practically gorged myself on her work. It didn't matter if it was UF or horror or contemporary, I gobbled it all and I'm always left with a book hangover because it all is just that good. Black Dog Blues is not a romance, although there are some romantic elements. I would say Kai is a pansexual but since there are only elements of romantic attraction, I'm hoping that future books will expound upon that part. For the plot, I loved all of it. The world building, the characters, the plot and subplots, all of it stole my attention. I couldn't put it down so I went without sleep since I started it in the evening and this is about nine hours long. So worth it. I need more of Kai.

You would think that as much as I love fantasy I would adore mermen, but I've struggled to find stories in this sub genre that held my attention. I bought this on audio for a cross country driving trip and completely fell in love. Raef and his naive heart captured mine. Add in Jon and I was a goner. This had great character growth for Raef and I enjoyed every step of the journey.

Confession. I attempted to read this years ago and couldn't make it though because this hit one of my hard limits. I don't mind books that talk about past drug/alcohol abuse, but this one Vic constantly abused his medication and I really, really struggled with that even though I could see the reason why. When I came across this on audio, I thought I'd give another try after I listened to Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary. (points to next one). I think now that I've had time to adjust to this having that hard limit, the second time around I was able to concentrate on the plot and ignore the drug abuse. I loved Vic and Jacob. I went ahead and bought the other audiobooks in this series and look forward to catching up with my friends so we can dish. :D

I've had the short stories on my ereader forever and ever, you know? So many people I knew love Wild Bill and his human, Michael but I drug my feet on reading it until I came across the first five in the series as an audiobook. I totally love how Bill views Michael's mission as Michael being a serial killer. I would say this an erotic romance. This covers the first five books of the Channeling Morpheus series, and each of the five short stories has a sexual encounter but each is different so there doesn't feel as if there is any repetition. I have the other five books in the series but I really want it on audio so I can listen while I make my next blanket. :D

Pure Urban Fantasy, no romance at all. This is the first book in a trilogy that I've been eyeing for a while and took a chance on the audiobook. I loved the unique twist on templar knights and holy relics. Loved Matt and his tragic past and in the beginning I almost got mad he decided to help the knights. I was giving them rude gestures for a while, but if there was immediate trust between him and them, then part of the plot would've been ruined. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. :D

I've already listened to this several times this year. This is the perfect short story that didn't leaving me hanging on any part at the end. Plus, while on a trip I got to watch my husband become engrossed with Boone's backstory. Usually he's really loud in his commentary when we listened to anything heavy with romance. The more sugary it is, the more he talks. (this from the man who's read all the books in Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. Just sayin'.) The last half of this he was silent. I even hit fastforward through the sex for him. Hehe! 

Fairy tale retold. I met Anastasia at Rainbow Con 2014. She has this way of writing that builds this beautiful picture with an economy of words. Its easy to fall into her characters. BDSM is a soft limit for me but when written correctly it is enjoyable. Everyone who knows Ana knows about the spoons and the spankings, so I had an idea what to expect. But the story was so much more. Here, Talia had to outgrow her preconceptions of what her life would be like as well as resenting that she'd been given a better one if she could only accept the gift offered to her. And Queen Vina had to break away from the box Talia put her in. The narrator just added an extra element that had me sighing. <3

I'd heard a lot of good things about this book and as you can see, I gave it a chance. The plot is character driven, purely about the romance between these two and their growth. There's a little angst but more humor and was enjoyable to listen to. I look forward to checking out the next book. :)

Jin. Jin. Jin. I know this series is about the bumps in the road of his life, of him evolving and becoming who and what he's meant to be. But for me, it is also about Crane. After Freddy MacKay's Berg, Crane is my second favorite character of all time. If you've followed the series, you know the Crane has had his own trials. In Honored Vow, I wanted to murder everybody who hurt Crane (I'm all teary eyed now just thinking about it.) Even though we got to see just a little bit of his new confidence in Crucible of Fate, I needed more of Crane and to see him happy.  So here in Forging the Future, for me half of this story was about Crane. And Just Damn. Mary-girl, if you ever wrote this story--any story--from Crane's POV, I would be all over it. Just sayin'. As for Jin and his story, loved it and finally seeing him owning who he was. The narration--awesome.

Now for the ebooks!

I've had this forever and came across it when I was browsing what I had on my ereader. Lordy, it was so much more than I expected. A great urban fantasy with two characters that I loved seeing coming together. I would definitely read more by these two authors in a UF world.

Love the cover and it was the reason I bought the book without reading the blurb. Loved the world, and the politics, the differences between the people. Even with all the plot and sub plots, this was also a character driven story. Ivy moved from this naive young man into someone who had more confidence and able to stand up for what he needed. Kris made mistakes but did his best to make up for them. There is so much more to come and I just need to find the time to sit for hours and read the next book. 

Evernight set up the sci-fi, menage world  of Plant Alpha that their authors played in. They feature three races--humans, Alphans, and the dreaded Xyrans--with variations of menage romance. (MMM, MMF, MFM) I read them all and liked them all but I found the ones with a Xyran as one of the romantic MCs my favorites because seriously, who doesn't like to read about a reformed bad guy now and again. Of the series, Nicola Cameron's  Assassin was my favorite in the gay menage grouping and for the MMF Erin M. Leaf's Broken.

I loved this world and imagery. It's one of those short stories that has all these layers that makes you think your reading a novel instead. It's also a world I where would love to revisit the Huntresses. Adored Adamina and would love another adventure with her. 

A high fantasy world with a beauty and the beast twist. Sebastian's family... at first I hated them just from how Sebastian acted and thought. Then when they were more of a part of the story, little hints and reveals broadened my perception of them until the madness of his relatives didn't seem so crazy. Great story where I rooted for the love that Sebastian swore he didn't want and enjoyed all the twists and turns from beginning to end.

I love science fiction and poly romances but haven't found many poly lesbian romances that sparked an interest. I'm a fan of Hepburn and completely tickled when Playing By The Rules came out. Loved it from beginning to end. The reveal and romance unfolded together and I was hooked from the first chapter. I don't want to say too much to give away spoilers. I highly recommend the story.

Discovered Erin M. Leaf this year and I've loved all her stories regardless of the pairings. Rock Star Baby is a parnormal mpreg story that I really enjoyed and immediately started recommending it when I finished. Well, written. Great characters. A little bit of angst, and of course, the unexpected mpreg with it's own unique backstory. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for the rest of the band members.

This was a fun read. I came across Ruby Dixon through her Motorcycle Club books. I liked her writing style and when I saw this series I gave it a go. I always worry about het books were the female needs to be rescued, but here Dixon mixed the accident and their self-reliance pretty well. There is a bit of insta-lust/love which I don't mind. The girls are feisty and not push overs. I have to admit that I loved the "barbarians". They are much more anthropomorphic than what the cover shows, plus their internal thoughts were freakin' hilarious. I bought the next couple of books in the series without even reading the blurb. (On a side note: the disparity of male to female ratio on the ice planet had me aching for an M/M romance between the barbarians. Hint, hint, if Ruby ever reads this blog. :D )

A half-elf half-fey counselor and pack alpha. The first book in the Leader Murders series, I liked it a lot but this one I loved. Everything that was hinted at in the first book is built upon and broadened here. I love the plot, the mystery behind the murders, and the council gives me the creeps. Timothy was great and good lord, Herman's pup. I didn't know if I wanted to strangle him or cuddle him. I can't wait for the next book in the series. 

I sort of gorged myself on R. Cooper's Beings series this year. They are all so different and the heart of each book had a different tone, as if a different personality wrote the story. Am I even making sense? It was like the character wrote the story and was a totally separate entity than the author. Okay now I know I'm not making sense. Anyway, I found the different voices of the books fascinating. Little Wolf was my favorite of series. My second favorite was the short story in The Firebird and Other Stories anthology, The Warrior's Sacrifice.

I want more. Admittedly when I picked this up I was worried about all the characters being centaurs. Not shifters. Would I be able to empathize? Consider any of the characters in a romantic light? Oh God, hell yes. I fell in love Tarsus and eventually with Varan too. The culture and plot was well done and I was addicted to the world so much so that I really hope Owens will write more in this world. Loved it.

*Disclaimer: I beta read this* I adored this book. Mates who meet, didn't like each other, and so they went their separate ways. Spoiled Avery had a ton of growing to do and Dylan had fears to overcome. There's a mystery to the plot that is wrapped up in the second book, so this ends with unfinished business but not a cliffhanger. Also thinking about getting the audiobook after listening to the sample. Loved the narrator.

Dark urban fantasy from a policeman's point of view. This stuck around with me for days afterwards. Ace carries around this pall of not quite depression but his burdens definitely give him a darkness you just can't help but want to help him with. Definitely a re-read.

This is one of those short stories that doesn't read like one. There some great storytelling within the pages with a unique world and culture that is told with an economy of words that painted this brilliant picture. Loved it from beginning to end and it was free. :)

If you're looking for something different in shifter stories, try Wolf, WY. I kept holding my breath because I wasn't sure how different it would be. The characters were so different from each other and yet complimented each other. Great read with an intensity that I didn't expect. Can't wait to see what is next in this series. 

Megan Derr is one of my go-to authors. I don't read the blurbs anymore. I just buy and read. I've never been disappointed and everyday I wish she had a back list that I haven't read. The High King's Golden Tongue is an expanded short story. I think the original was like 12k and this version is over 100k. I adore the expanded version with all of it's depth and a deeper look into secondary characters. Prince Allen just rocks because he doesn't quit and Sarrica is all bluster. And there will be more in the this world. Just fucking, yay! *fist pump*

Love this sci-fi world, alien vampires, and hybrid humans. Loved the first book last year and when it was released on audio I snatched it up. If this one goes to audio (fingers crossed) I'll get it too even though I've already read it. I'm trying to be patient, waiting for the next book in the series. I don't want to be a stalker, but I might have to resort to some recon if I don't hear any news through the grapevine. 

Dude. I don't know what to say that won't give away spoilers. Gar/Will's journey to finding hope, to understanding what he'd become, adjusting to what he could be... such a really good story with heartbreak. When I finished the book all I could think was, "That can't be the end of the story." I tweeted Andrew, ready to beg for more. No begging necessary, he has a sequel planned. :)

Such a great anthology, a really dense read on some of the stories. I didn't read a couple because they are attached to series that I haven't read yet and didn't want to be spoiled. But everything I read was really, really good.

New to me author and for my first look at their work, I'm excited to read more. This is a high fantasy, paranormal, poly romance. I didn't guess all the twists and turns but it did make me question my guesses a couple of times.

It has been such a long time since I read Mercy. There are so many feels going on with these characters. Everything is doled out in increments and when you think you  know all there is to know, yep, just don't hold your breath because more is coming. Such a great emotional read with family drama and even some humor as the tears are twisted out of you. Highly recommended.

I had such a difficult time with How to Howl at the Moon. Lance just tweeked my nose and I kept thinking that if his behavior mimicked a Border Collie then the breed and I would never get along. LOL! I finished the story and enjoyed, but I was really looking forward to Roman's story. God, did I ever love Roman. Equal parts heartbreaking and so freakin' funny. Roman's excitement and reactions to discovering new things about being human were completely endearing and adorable. Loved it.

Thank you for stopping by and reading. I enjoyed sharing this year's favorites. Do you have any recommendations?