Owner: Slash & Burn URL:http://slash-and-burn.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:32:47 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: What\'s better than one hot man? Two, playing together. Come and chat with the women of homoerotic romance. You never know what kind of goodies we may have in store for you.
Back to my roots 2008-09-02 15:17:00 Since the gym provided zero inspiration for blogging today, I'm instead delving into my writing roots for something to blog about. I came up with the first time I wrote anything m/m. I'm not certain, but the best I can guess it was when I was in high school—the 1980s, before I'd ever even heard of fanfiction, never mind m/m slashfic. It was a play (I preferred that format to stories from second grade through high school and into college. Hello, actor!) about a modern-day late-teen guy who gets transported to a fantasy-based world where he meets this guy who starts out as his mentor, then becomes his friend and later his lover. I have no idea what the plot was beyond that or even what the title or the characters names were. There was probably a magical element. (Well, duh. Natch, right? Mysterious transport to another world would imply something magical in nature.) And probably something about saving the world by overcoming some evil someone. (Come on. You've been 15.
boy hips 2008-08-31 09:08:00 The last day of August always signifies the end of summer for me, even though summer in North America doesn't technically end until late September. But school has started in a lot of places, the Labor Day sales are in full swing, and the days are getting noticeably shorter. Boo. I know that many people love autumn, but I'm a summer girl, so switching over to the fall schedule is a bit depressing.One thing that always keeps my spirits up when the seasons change, however, is that there is no lack of eye candy available to me through advertising. Namely the Abercrombie & Fitch emails that land in my inbox with delightful regularity. The latest one was a real jaw-dropper. Follow the link below to see why, and be sure to mouse-over the pictures. That's the real treat.I do love the new season of men's jeans.
Dragon My Ass to Atlanta this weekend... 2008-08-30 08:10:00 By the time you get this, I'll be at my first Dragon*Con. I won't be a special guest, nor will I be attached to any vendors, this time I am in pure observation mode. Can't wait to see the spectable of Borg costumes and Hobbits and whatever is in season for the well-traveled sci-fi/fantasy fan. I've wanted to go to this for some time - when I lived in Atlanta I never got over there, and now I'm driving ten hours out of my way for it, and bringing a three year old!This trip is purely for recon. I'm hoping to set up a vendor booth next year to showcase Phaze and Mundania SFF titles - as you know we have some very talented authors in the genre, particularly in the M/M side. I would love to showcase Mychael and Shayne's Dark Needs, Kitten and The Duke's Husband, L.E. Bryce's Dead to the World, Twice Born, My Sun and Stars, and The Water Lovers of Sirilon, and James Buchanan's Lord Carabas.What else? Oh, Jade Falconer's Morningstar and Bridget Midway's bi-M Original Sin. And the Read more:ass
Series 2008-08-28 13:50:00 I don't know about y'all, but I'm a sucker for series books -- reading and writing. After talking with Shayne the other day, we decided that we need a site dedicated to our dual-series, Legends of the Romanorum and Inferi Brotherhood.Eventually, Shayne is going to redo the entire TPA website for that purpose, but until then, I've made a temporary home via Wordpress. There's not much of anything right now save for links and a couple pages. But keep checking as I add content such as character lists, a list of vampiric powers, prince-ruled cities, a bit of a brief history of both the Romanorum and the Brotherhood, and only the gods know what else.The site is: http://legendsoftheromanorum.wordpress.com/
"Beautiful Liar" by JM Snyder 2008-08-27 06:14:00 BEAUTIFUL LIAR by J.M. Snyder Now available from Amber Allure Press!Buy your copy today! BLURB:At fifteen, JT Pierce was the star of a hit TV show and had the world in his hands. Every teeny-bopper magazine had his face on it; every teenage girl had his poster on her wall. But then the show went on hiatus, and JT wouldn’t lower himself to bit parts or commercials. Slowly, his star faded from view. Seven years later, JT is Johnny Thomas, who hopes to jumpstart his career by hiring his former manager, Lou Merrin. He wants to do serious movies, a huge blockbuster or two, and claim one of those coveted Oscars for himself. But Lou cautions Johnny about the paparazzi, who can make or break a star these days, and he’s heard rumors of Johnny’s sexuality that might prevent him from landing those coveted leading roles. Still, Johnny’s nothing if not persistent, and he swears he’ll play it straight. Until he meets Brett, a photographer who turns his life ~ and his heart ~ upside down. S
XO XO 2008-08-26 16:41:00 I marathoned S1 of Gossip Girl over the weekend, and it was delightfully trashy fun. Sex, drugs, lies and even some rock 'n' roll. Very, very pretty cast, including Chace Crawford, who makes me want to write all kinds of debauchery:And here he is with his male costars:Chase lives with Ed Westwick, pictured on the left, and rumour has it that they're more than just roommates. Gee, if only there was a real-life Gossip Girl to get to the (ahem) bottom of it.
Win a free copy of PRECIOUS ACHE on September 1st! 2008-08-25 13:01:00 Every month I run a drawing through my yahoo announcement list. This month's prize is a free download of Precious Ache, due out on September 1st at Amber Quill. I'll draw a winner at random from the members of my group and announce the winner's yahoo id through my group on the morning of the first.If you're already a member, you don't have to do anything further to be entered to win. If you aren't, what are you waiting for? I promise not to overload your inbox with spam. ;)You can find my yahoo group here:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmandaYoung--Amanda YoungRomance Without Inhibitionhttp://www.amandayoung.org/
Coming out 2008-08-24 18:12:00 Or, well, kind of. Little by little, more of the people in my life are finding out 1) that I am an author, and 2) exactly what I write. In the last few weeks, two of my oldest and dearest straight male friends found out that I write gay romance. I'll be honest, I was worried about what they'd say. Not because I write GAY romance, but because I write romance at all. You have to understand these two to understand why I was worried about that. One has a doctorate in philosophy, the other actually speaks Klingon. They are the type of people who actually have long, heated discussions about deep philosophical issues. I was scared to death they'd both think I was a shallow airhead for writing romance, even though they know better about me. I was afraid they'd look down on my chosen genre as being beneath their notice. Instead, both these guys have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging.Lesson learned: do not assume you know what someone is going to think based on stereotyped ideas a
Porn v. Erotica 2008-08-21 20:04:00 One of the lists I'm on is in the midst of that debate. I don't know exactly where I fall in all that. I like to read books with sex in them...but with a book, I do want characters I care about and an actual plot that doesn't consist of just transitions between sex scenes. Yet, visually I'm on Xtube surfing wank videos (not me wanking, I'm on watching guys masturbate kick right now). For that I want longer than a minute but if we're going on 6 you need to do some judicious cutting. I read sex stories on Nifty and Literotica (a lot) and a good short locker-room scene can be great. I guess it's an expectation of what I'm buying. If I surf a free porn site, I expect wham-bam-thank-you-sir, if I pick up a 200 word erotic novel I want to be entertained and wound up. Even in my mainstream fic reading, if you shut the bedroom door on me I get annoyed. I don't expect hard core ...you can fluffy it up for me, but don't take away my experience of the characters. I guess that's Read more:Porn, Erotica
I've Been Through the Brainstorming on a Character with No Name 2008-08-20 14:11:00 Hey, character in my head? Could we settle on a name already?I already know a lot about you. I know your personality, profession, attitude about relationships—even your dick size. I know you’re tall with red hair and green eyes, and that you freckle and burn before you tan. I know better than you what you like in bed. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised, trust me. But I don’t know your name. We’ve been through countless websites, all my baby name books, and harassed anyone unfortunate enough to start a conversation with me. The thing is, sweetie, I know what name you want and you can’t have it. In the book world, unlike the real word, characters can’t have similar names. In real life, I’ve known same gender couples who are Beth and Beth, Kathy and Cathy, Dave and Dave and Tyler and Ty. But in the book world it’s hard on readers when characters’ names even start with the same letter. And honey, there are established characters in this series with names too close
Plot Lines and Wayward Musi 2008-07-17 13:49:00 Those two seem to go hand-in-hand, don't they?My Muse is bad about wandering, though I imagine that's no surprise to those who know me. *smirks*Take now, for instance.I have a BDSM novella I need to finish, starring Ian and Kale from our Phaze Fetish HeatSheet, Onyx. Well...does my Muse want to work on that? Oh, no! He wants to play with Triarius and Lance and numerous other characters. *head.desk**sighs* See? We writers are plagued with Wayward Musi the likes of which... Well, they're just plain annoying, is what.
How about a free ebook to start your week off right? 2008-07-14 05:19:00 Monday, and my turn to blog, is here. Unfortunately, I have a project kicking my ass and deadlines that need to take top priority this morning. Since I don't have anything interesting to share, I thought I would have a little delurk contest just for the fun of it.To be entered to win a free ebook from my available titles, all you have you to do is leave a comment on this post. You don't have to say anything wise or fabulous. Just say hi and leave it at that if you'd like.A winner will be chosen at random (most likely through the use of Iny Miny Miney Moe) and announced here on the blog tonight at Midnight, EST.
WIPs and the Wipped... 2008-07-11 13:52:00 I've got a few works-in-progress that are officially kicking me in bum. For the sake of my sanity, I'm venting here and maybe I can help another author or artist going through the same thing.When a WIP is driving you crazy, remember:1) Deadlines are your friend. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like knowing that something is due...TODAY?!? AHHH!!!!2) Don't press the delete button. Just don't. As bad as the scene or chapter might seem, a revision later will take care of it. But if the words are gone, they're gone. And the only way to bring them back is to find one of those Harry Potter hourglass-thingies or a nuclear powered Delorean that can take you back in time.3) Outlines are awesome. Write one. Then, ignore it. Sometimes a fresher, better idea will come time if you're not shackled to the scene-by-scene rundown.4) This is for artists in particular: Every once in a while, a drawing just wants to come out ugly, period. Don't fight it. In fact, make the drawing as horrib
Not quite vanilla 2008-07-10 15:00:00 Yeah, kink.I've got mine. SG and I talked last night about what is vanilla and what's not in our relationship. Specifically, how we consider handcuffs a normal part of our sex life, getting the sling out and hooking it into the ceiling...pretty normal. If his butt don't get whacked, we're obviously not having sex, and that there's certain types of play we enjoy that I can't even write about (okay I can write them...just can't get them published.This was of course prompted by something another Dom freind of mine sent. I will say the fact that the guy in the dalmation suit yipps and barks when the guy in the Fox suit does him...just adds sooooooo much. And it's not just the Furries aspect...but it's bondage Furries, and cartoon sextoys.This rates out at serious James ((O.O)) WARNING - DANGER WILL ROBINSON. Seriously I couldn't watch the whole thing.1. Don't clicky if you're under 18.2. Don't clicky if you don't like m/m sex and3. FURRIES - NUFF SAID It is so not work safe.
The Black Hole 2008-07-09 00:10:00 Aaron and Joey and I worked out an arrangement (we all figured out how the story was going to end—sort of) so I can come out of the basement and occasionally write something else in my own point of view, provided they get their daily say and I stay on a pace to finish their story by the end of July. As a pantser—someone who doesn’t plan my plots ahead of time (plotting by the seat of my pants)—it’s always with relief and dread that I see the end coming. Because the closer I get to the end, the closer I am to the black hole. The black hole is the void between books. As a rule, I can go right into the next one, provided the characters in my head are as vocal (if not as pushy) as Joey and Aaron. Usually when I’m a month or so away from an ending I have other characters who’ve been locked in a cage screaming to get out. (My mind is clearly a very scary place: cages, black holes, bodies.)There are a bunch of characters I’ve stored away to play with next, but none of them hav Read more:Black
What's in a name? 2008-07-08 21:21:00 Sometimes titles come with the story. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth without anesthetic trying to find a title. In my experience, there is no in between. Right now, I'm faced with the latter. I have a completed manuscript just aching for a name. I wrote tagline, blurb, warning--all in an attempt to find a title. So far, no joy. So I'm opening up the floor here at Slash & Burn. I want to hear your suggestions based on the aforementioned tagline, blurb, and warning. No suggestion is too silly, too bawdy, too schlocky, too snarky, too purple. Hell, my first novel was named by one of my beta readers with the accompanying statement that "it's better than nothing". Which it was, since it made it to publication. I'll even sweeten the pot, shall I? When I sell the thing (I'm practising my positive thinking.), if it goes to print with the title you suggested, you'll get a free download. Sound fair? All right. Here's what I've got.Title: (You tell me...)Author:
Now Available - Why, Why, Zed? 2008-07-05 00:00:00 I'm pleased to announce my first original work in nearly a year is now for sale through Phaze Books! Why, Why, Zed? is part of the Urban Phaze lines, stories set in big cities with big passions, and mine is Toronto. Books usually go up for sale late Saturday, but I finagled an early buy link just for Slash and Burn readers. Click here to order this sizzling M/M short for only $2.And while you're here, how about an excerpt? A cryptic phone call to Cameron "Zed" Zedmore's cell reveals a plot to steal away Zed's live-in love, Nick. Devestating the thought of infidelity is, Zed realizes he can't blame Nick for being tempted to stray, as Zed's work has kept him in the lab, and out of their bed, for long hours.Nick loves Zed, but isn't crazy about being a "house husband" anymore. He has needs Zed won't meet, and when another friend offers help in that department, Nick is tempted to accept. But then Zed comes home early...* * * *Just in time.Across the living room, through the feather
Happy 4th of July! Celebrate with a chat and prizes 2008-07-04 10:28:00 If anyone wants to take a break from all the barbecue and fireworks,head on over to Literary Nymphs for an m/m author and reader bash!http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiteraryNymphsChat/Tons of authors will be there, including...me! I'll be talking upcoming art and writing projects, and I'll be giving away some goodies like free copies of my books, gift certificates, and a signed print or two. :)
A sneak peek at ALL SHOOK UP 2008-07-02 08:17:00 My next novella from Amber Allure will be published July 13th. Here's a sneak peek at All Shook Up.BLURB:The year is 1883. Eduard van De Lier is a Dutchman overseeing a spice plantation on the island of Java, in the South Pacific. His obsessive attraction to dark-skinned men is just one of his many secrets. His wife Marien knows of his indiscretions, but as she's content with their Colonial lifestyle, she stays silent.Until a former lover of Eduard's shows up in their parlor with thoughts of blackmail.Reza was a crewman on the ship that brought the van De Liers to Java. During the passage, Eduard spent many a night in the younger man's arms. Two years have passed, and the last person Eduard expects to find in his drawing room is Reza, a letter in hand that could destroy the life he and Marien lead.Seeing him again ignites Eduard's lust for his first dark lover. He hopes to retrieve the letter, either through seduction or subterfuge, and the longer Reza eludes him, the more his de Read more:Peek
Happy Canada Day 2008-07-01 09:33:00 It's my nation's birthday today, and I thought I'd post some pictures from this past weekend's Pride events to illustrate how proud my country makes me.For the first time, active soldiers marched in uniform. Do ask, do tell.They joined the police and fire service members who march every year.The Democrats abroad.And John Barrowman, for good measure. (In Toronto judging the How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? reality show for the new Sound of Music production.)
Almost forgot: Contest! 2008-06-30 10:51:00 Secrets and Lies is book of the day at Author Island. This means I'll be giving away a copy of the book to one lucky winner. Just pop by Author Island for the details. http://authorisland.com/ Read more:Contest
New contract news... 2008-06-29 23:15:00 I recently signed a contract with Amber Quill for a new M/M novella, Precious Ache. I'm excited to announce it's been given a release date of September 1st! Talk about quick. I can't wait for this one to come out. I think it may just be the sweetest thing I've written to date, but I promise you won't get a toothache. There's plenty of spicy to go along with the sugar. :)Here's the very unedited blurb for you all:Abandoned as a child, Dave Blanchard learned to be self-reliant at an early age. Puberty brought a distressing attraction to other boys, and an abnormal growth spurt that drove Dave further into his shell. Adulthood granted him the freedom to stand on his own two feet, but cloistered him in a plastic bubble of his own making. At seven and a half feet tall, Dave has no problem finding men for anonymous sex through sleazy backroom romps, but the experiences leave him feeling cold and unsatisfied. Although he dreams of love and commitment, finding someone interested in a re
Beach bunnies? 2008-06-29 18:23:00 The family and I are currently at the beach for a week of hardcore R&R, and as usual, plot bunnies are rampant. Not a whole lot of actual eye candy (depending on your definition of "eye candy", of course) but I keep seeing gay lurve all over the place. Two guys walking down the beach? They MUST be wishing they had the nerve to hold hands like they really want to. Two guys riding bikes down the beach and nearly breaking their necks trying to stare at two pretty girls? Why, they weren't ogling the girls, they were clearly lusting over the frat boys a few feet away. One older man and two young men walking down the beach? Master and two sex slaves. Duh.And then there was the story my MIL's friend told about her 34 year old nephew who just doesn't want to date, keeps saying "not interested" about any woman he meets. Has NEVER dated (as far as his family knows) but two women in his life. MIL's friend guesses he just is picky or doesn't particularly want to be tied down. Which could very Read more:Beach
June 30th 2008-06-27 09:28:00 Mark your calendars people! On June 30th Anne and I have an interview going up at Jessewave's blog and there will be prizes involved:Prizes will be awarded drawn from those who log on and comment on the interview or book review. A free e-book download from Anne's and Barbara's library of files1 T-shirt1 signed poster or print$5 LooseId gift certificateLast but not least-- a GRAND PRIZE -- An original Anne Cain drawing or portrait -- to be commissioned by the winner. To be eligible for the grand prize just leave a comment on the blog!Go HERE to check out the sneak peek preview of a very cool new painting Anne did.
It's a hot and sweaty day... 2008-06-26 16:12:00 here in So.Cal. And when it's hot and sweaty, you do get to see a good bit of eye candy. Unfortunatly I'm here in the SGV not down on Venice, so it's eye candy walking down broiling asphalt. Now since I and most likely you, can't be soking up the rays with a bottle of ice cold Corona and nice cabana boy to bring it, I give you these: http://www.menwallpaper.de/Beach/Beach_3/beach_3.htmlIt's my favorite walpaper site for obvious reasons. Enjoy. Read more:Hot
Aaron's Equal Time 2008-06-25 00:19:00 An answer to Filling InI heard Joey co-opted this space a couple weeks ago. Not that I’m surprised. The guy loves to talk and talk and talk… But hey, equal time, right? Especially since it’s such a big election year or something. Like I give a shit. No matter which of 'em is president it wouldn’t have stopped the state of Florida from dumping Sheree and the twins in the foster care system if they’d figured out I was queer. So Joey says I’m always yanking away point of view. Hey, if Do-gooder’s got something to say he can open up that sexy mouth of his and say it. Though if that mouth’s going to be open, I’ve got some other ideas that’d suit me better. See, Joey is hot. Seriously fucking hot. Best thing I’ve had in my bed since—well, ever. And despite his stupid I-can-save-the-world mentality I like the guy, even when we’re not fucking. He’s funny, smart, sneaky and fucking fearless, though he is a bit of a klutz. I suppose sooner or later it’ll all get ol
Reviews and Rewrites 2008-06-24 14:20:00 Since my first book released last week, I've gotten two reviews—one from Elisa Rolle and one from Mrs. Giggles. I'm glad I have a thick skin. I'm an actor; I'm very good at handling rejection and criticism. Neither review was glowing, but neither panned it completely. Of course, Mrs. Giggles was less positive but that's to be expected. She is known for snark and she does it well. Both reviews had one criticism in common and I agree with it: the book starts slowly. ::shrug:: I'm okay with that. It was a lot of detail and description at the top. Visual world-building before leaping into the action. Some people like that and some don't. Usually I'm in the don't. Funny how that happened, eh? Irony. It's good for the blood. ;) Right now I'm working on expanding a novella that my editor liked but wanted more of. Higher stakes, more back-story. I'm glad she didn't take it as is (or at this point as was). I initially wrote it for an anthology submission w
A Great Review 2008-06-23 20:59:00 My latest M/M work of fiction, Fallen Angels, was released earlier this month. I enjoyed writing this book, but was weary on how well it would be taken.Yesterday started out with a review sitting in my email. As usual, it took me several moments to open it and I'm glad I did.Fallen Angels was given 5 stars by Rainbow Reviews (which I'm grateful for as they specialize in gay fiction). :)"From the moment I started reading Fallen Angels I could not put it down. - This is an amazing read that I cannot recommend more highly!" ~ EmilyFor the full review - http://rainbow-reviews.com/?p=375Thought I'd start the week here with an excerpt :) Enjoy and see you in two weeks!Genre: Contemporary/GLBThttp://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=726Blurb:Adam Hardy’s assignment was clear: Infiltrate the pseudo-biker gang Fallen Angels and bring back the dirt on their big boss, Lucifer.Nowhere in the mission statement did it tell him to fall for their leader, Mammon, named after the fallen angel of gree
sweat and muscles 2008-06-22 13:58:00 At the gym this morning, there were several men in my step aerobics class. This is not unusual; over the past few years I've noticed more and more guys doing aerobics for their cardio workout. The difference between the men doing aerobics and the men running on the treadmill, however, is that the ones doing aerobics seem to have no need to impress each other. The ones on the treadmill or in the weight room are always showing off for each other, puffing out their chests or sucking in their stomachs. It's cute, really. The ones doing aerobics are usually surrounded by a lot of women who are more coordinated than they are, so they seem to feel no need to show off.Personally, I like watching the boys show off for each other. :D Although I bet they wouldn't call it showing off. Hmm.
Promotion: What Works, What Sucks 2008-06-21 10:52:00 So a fellow M/M author Helen Madden (who, BTW, is featured in the marvelous Coming Together With Pride anthology) posed the question to a list I'm on. What have you done promotion-wise for your work, and what has been the most effective? The question stemmed from a discussion on an EPIC list, and Helen was inspired somewhat by recent challenges to get members of our merry band of Mid-Atlantic authors into area book events. Specifically, there is a book fair in Virginia I plan to attend, yet I cannot bring any of my erotic works. Luckily, other venues are more accommodating of the spicier stuff, but I find as an author being prolific has its advantages.Anyway, back to the topic. What works in promotion? For romance and M/M specifically, I would say cover art plays an important role. Good cover art gets you noticed, as does bad art. Both can work for you if you have a good enough sense of humor to weather any snarking that comes your way. Great cover art...well, it can be a boost to sa Read more:sucks
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