In the holiday spirit

It's actually beginning to feel festive around my house these days. Last year, we visited family overseas so there was no decorating done at home. This year, we're here, so I put away the autumnal decorations and pulled out some of the ol' red-and-green. We even got a tree yesterday, which we haven't done in about four years. I LOVE IT! Pretty multi-coloured lights and a moose puppet as a topper. (Hey, you have your traditions, and I have mine.) I plan to get more accoutrements out later today to continue festive-ing up the place. :-D

And since it is almost Solstice, I think you should go check out my old holiday freebie short story with Jimothy and Ricky (stars of my first novel The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing). It's called Wand'ring Home and if you click that title, it'll take you straight to the pdf. (Ignore the cover art. It's fine, but it's generic, and the only thing it has to do with the story is that boys kiss each other. I've been so busy I've not gotten around to updating it.)

Happy Holidays!

Victories

NaNoWriMo is a series of victories. Committing to do it is the first one. Sticking with it for 30 days is another. Reaching 50K is yet another. Actually finishing a manuscript is another still. In six years of NaNoing (and six years of winning, ;-D ), I have only finished a full manuscript first draft on one occasion within the 30 days, and that was the first year I participated (2006). That book's been published: The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. My second NaNovel (drafted in 2007) has at last found a home and a publisher and will be coming out around the New Year: Rose & Thorn. Those are two more victories.

Last year, the greatest victory for me was making 50K. It was like pulling teeth! It was a misery! Not that I don't love the book and its characters. Don't get me wrong on that. It was just that I think I had a combination of burn-out (It was the third book in that particular universe, three NaNoWriMos in a row.), and some sort of fifth-year slump. A friend experienced the latter this year, so there may be something to that theory.

This year, the challenge was that, while I love the idea behind this year's story, I don't feel like I'm telling it very well. It's tough to stay motivated when you feel like your book is clunky and awkward. I had to remind myself that the goal was to get it out there, not make it The Next Great Novel (TM) right off the bat. So that's what I've done. I've gotten it out there. It's not done yet, and it won't be done by midnight on Wednesday. But it is getting there. And I think, once I am finished, and I've literally cut and pasted it into a better order of events, and then edited the hell out of it, that it's going to be a pretty damn fine book. Whether the final products is still over 50K words... Well, that remains to be seen.

Has anyone else been NaNoing this year (or in past years) and want to share your experiences? I'd love to hear it in the comments!

Gone international!

And I don't mean Canada and the UK. Apparently, my lastest book, Client Privileges, is available in France (scroll down) and my first book, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing, is available in India.

How much do I love Google Alerts? Seriously. HOW MUCH? :-D

Winners!

We have are blog party and scavenger hunt winners! (All selected using my highly techincal pieces of paper in a latte mug method.)

The rainbow glass bead bracelet goes to

Gail!

The rainbow stones necklace goes to

Jane!

The winner of an electronic copy of Client Privileges is

Karin!

And the winner of the Scavenger Hunt is

Deidre!

Congratualtions to all the winners! Here's the next step to claiming your prizes.
Gail, email me with your wrist measurement (so I can finish the bracelet to fit you) and your mailing address.
Jane, email me with your mailing address.
Karin, email me so I can send you your copy of my new book.
Deidre, email me and let me know if you would like a) an ebook of Client Privileges, b) an ebook of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing, or c) an autographed print copy of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. (If you pick c), I'll need your mailing address.)

Where do you send all these emails? Why, to maia (at) maiastrong (dot) com, of course. :-)

Thank you to everyone who came out to party with me and celebrate my latest release! I hope I'll see you around again sometime. And let me know if you try those martini recipes. I love 'em, and hopefully you will, too!

TOP 10!

Woo-hoo! The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing cracked Amazon's Top 10!!

#10 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Romance > Gay
#21 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Gay

Contest Winners!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to party with me over the long weekend. It would have been very dull around here without you guys. And thanks to everyone who's already bought their copy. I nearly cracked Amazon's Top 10 with your help and that's pretty darned fantastic!

I have utilized our highly scientific name drawing device (i.e. slips of paper with your names on them tossed around in a basket) to select the winners for the Three-Day Blog Party Weekend celebrating the print release of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing! And here are the exciting results!

The canvass bag goes to...

jaunthie!

The coffee mug and tea go to...

Caffey!

And the winner of the autographed copy is... [drumroll]

gypsywitch36!

Please email me off blog at maia [at] maiastrong [dot] com (You guys all know how to convert that to a proper email address, right? I thought so.) so I can send you your prizes. Gypsyswitch36, I'll personalize the signature for you if you want to give me a name to put in it.

Thanks again everyone! And happy reading!

Amazon Top 50!

After sinking all day, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing has suddenly surged forward again.

Popular in these categories:

#11 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Romance > Gay
#35 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Gay

Whee! It's like a really slow roller coaster! ;-D

In Amazon's Top 100!

As of 9:35 this morning, the print version of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing stands at:

#39 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Romance > Gay
#92 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Gay

Woot! :D

Release Day!

The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing is IN PRINT TODAY! Woo-hoo!

New lover. New city. New dangers.

Wand’ring Minstrel Jimothy Redwing is used to life on the road, living by the words and music that are his stock in trade. While he’s comfortable finding his way alone, he’s always amenable to a friendly stranger who knows the lay of the land. Ricky Lennox is smart, funny, handsome, and very amenable.

With a place to stay, a sexy new lover, and some local contacts, Jimothy looks forward to delivering the letters in his care—including a message for the local ruler—and earning a little money with his music before moving on.

Ricky’s declaration he’s interested in more than just a one-night tryst starts Jimothy thinking about settling into a life of perfect harmony. But things hit a sour note when he learns his lover’s true identity—and exactly what’s in the epistle to Kanbec’s ruler.

Jimothy’s journey turns out to be far more complicated than he could have dreamed, and as dangerous as any epic ballad. For himself—and for Ricky.

Warning: This book contains a sexy musician, hot nekkid manlove, violence, and nuns dressed in blue.

Don't forget: The contest is still on! You have until midnight Pacific Time tonight to post a comment here to be entered to win either: an autographed copy; a fabu coffee mug with a selection of tasty teas; or a stylin' canvass bookbag!

More excerpty goodness

I thought you guys might enjoy another snippet from The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing -- coming out in print TOMORROW!! (What? If that doesn't call for multiple exclamation marks, I don't know what does.) Here's a snippet that on a spice scale of 0-5 comes in very mild indeed, but one hopes that's not all you're looking for in your chosen reading material. ;)

~~~

Eventually, with everything piled neatly around him on the floor, Jimothy shook his head. "It's all here—not that there's much." He looked around at his meager belongings. "It would be easy to tell if something were gone." Even his folded bit of parchment containing his abortive attempt at a new love song was there. He began putting it all back, starting with the pages. He didn't want Ricky to see them yet.

With everything put away, he closed the chest and leaned heavily on it to rise. Ricky reached out his free hand to help him up. "Thanks. I feel like an old man."

"You know," Ricky said, placing the lantern on the table, "I still owe you that back rub. You could collect now if you like."

Jimothy was strongly tempted, but shook his head. "My ribs are so sore I don't think I can hold myself upright much longer tonight, and lying on my stomach just sounds like a bad idea right now."

"I suppose you're right." Ricky sat on the edge of the bed and looked around, frowning. "Why would someone break in and not take anything?"

"Why would someone mug me without stealing my money?" Jimothy sat next to him. "Who could have gotten up here this evening?" he wondered aloud.

"Anyone going to the privy would have had the opportunity."

"But would that give someone enough time to come all the way up here, pick a lock, search a room, relock the door, and come back down without anyone wondering?" Jimothy shook his head.

"It is unlikely," agreed Ricky.

"Besides, there are people coming and going from the kitchen constantly. Surely someone would have spoken up if anyone headed upstairs without permission."

"They could have slipped in between the staff. Or it could have been another guest," mused Ricky as the idea struck him.

"Could be. Seems more likely, too, doesn't it? And there's only one other guest." Jimothy fought back a yawn. His mind was spinning, but his body was about worn out. "At least, as far as I know," he added wearily.

"We'll ask Maeve or Japheth in the morning. You should get some sleep," advised Ricky, concern in his voice. He wrapped a warm arm around his lover who happily leaned into the embrace.

"When there's the chance someone could break in while I'm asleep?" he argued half-heartedly. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"You can't stay awake all night, and there's no real evidence that anyone was in here."

"What about that healthy paranoia you invoked earlier?"

Ricky shrugged, admitting stalemate. "All right," he admitted. "Still, I'd rather you not be alone tonight. I'll stay. I'll have Nita bring some strong tea to keep me awake."

"No." Jimothy shook his head and sat up. "I'm not the only one who needs some rest. I see those dark circles under your eyes," he said, his tone almost scolding. "You should go home. Get some sleep. If the woman in the next room really did break in here, she didn't find anything. There's no reason for her to try again."

"Except maybe to finish what those thugs started," said Ricky darkly.

Jimothy shook his head again. "They did their job, and she won't hurt me. But you—" He hated it, but it had to be said. "There's no guarantee you'll be safe if you stay here tonight." He stood up slowly and, as they talked, he carefully put away his guitar and transferred his night's earnings from his mug to his purse.

"What makes you think you're safe from her?"

"Something she said earlier tonight. She said that a talented musician was valuable to her."

"And you believed her?" Ricky challenged.

Jimothy met his lover's doubtful, worried gaze. "I couldn't tell you why, but I do believe her, yes."

They stared at one another for several moments. Ricky was the first to relent. "All right. But I'm not leaving you here alone." Before Jimothy could argue, he went on. "I have an idea." He rose and took the chair from the table, lodging it carefully under the door handle. Next, he took the bucket of water from beside the brazier and placed it about a foot to one side of the chair, in the path of anyone who might be hoping to sneak into the room. "Satisfied?"

Jimothy nodded, yawning. It was a stop-gap solution at best, but he was too tired to argue any more. "I suppose it'll have to do."

~~~

Thanks for reading! And don't forget that every comment is an entry to win a prize! What's that saying? Vote early. Vote often. Or in this case, post often. ;D

A late-late night party post for you to wake up to.

Welcome back to the party! By now you all know we're celebrating my first print release (The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing for those of you with memories even shorter than mine ;-) ) with a Three-day Weekend Blog Party. Well, I don't know if you recall, but believe I mentioned a sneak peek at my second novel, Client Privileges. Wanna know the scoop? Then read on!

Once I sent the manuscript for Jimothy into Samhain Publishing, all I had to do was wait. And twiddle my thumbs. And wish I could control time so it would go faster. And, oh yeah, pass the time quicker by writing another book. So, without the structure of NaNoWriMo to spur me on, I began working on a new story. This one was to be about what was going on across the country while Jimothy and Ricky were getting into all sorts of trouble in the capitol city. Client Privileges is the result (although it didn't have a title until very recently, and I don't know that this one will stick. We'll have to see what my editor at Torquere has to say about it.). I began with the idea of what would happen if I delved into the life of someone connected to the conspirators in the first book. A classic "average Joe" who just happened to be living and working in a place where political strong-arming was going on and causing trouble for normal folks. What would his life be like? That average Joe turned out to be a Jonas. And I wouldn't call him "average" any more, either. But he is a regular guy. I like my heros to be a bit more ordinary than in traditional romances, you know? I like putting normal people into extraordinary circumstances and seeing how they cope. And Jonas has a lot to cope with, not the least of which is an attraction to one very handsome fellow by the name of Micah.

Well, here. How about I give you the book blurb, eh? Then you'll have a little more idea what I'm talking about.

~~~

On the surface, Jonas Vaneau's life is ordinary. He works at the law courts during the day, spends Sabbath night with his parents and every other night with his cat, and tolerates the unending string of single women his mother invites to Sabbath dinner. But his routine life cannot provide what he most desires—at least not as long as he must continue to pretend to be the person his overbearing parents want him to be.

An unusual encounter with a seemingly ordinary brothel client causes Micah Hartshorn considerable consternation. When Jonas inexplicably breezes past his emotional defenses, Micah finds himself involved in a drama that is far beyond anything for which his professional skills have prepared him. Solving this new puzzle isn't in his plans—especially not when he has his own issues to deal with both at home and at work.

All personal problems are swept up in political unrest when new laws threaten both men's livelihoods. When even greater troubles send Jonas's world spinning beyond his control, it's up to Micah to save him from his downward spiral—if he can.

What future can Jonas and Micah hope to find together in a city turned against them?

~~~

I'll post an unedited excerpt later in the day and maybe give you some more background if you'd like. Of if you have specific questions you'd like me to answer, I'd be happy to do so about either book. Let's do that, shall we? Got a question about either book? The writing process? Fantasy world history? Whatever you want to know, post it here. I'll answer it for you to the best of my ability. Sound like a deal? I think so! :-D

All right. I'm well knackered at the moment. It's seriously late here and I promised myself I'd shut the computer off after one hour--a time that is fast approaching. See you on the morrow. You know, after the sun rises or something. ;-) And remember, every comment you make is another entry into the contest for spiffy prizes!

Excerpt time!

So early this morning I promised you an excerpt from The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. You know, my novel that's coming out in PRINT on Tuesday. :D (I never get tired of saying that. LOL!)

This is a slightly steamy snippet, so considered yourselves warned. ;)

*-*-*-*

"You said I could have two songs."

"Yes I did."

"Can I save the other one for later?"

"I don't see why not." Jimothy set his guitar down in its soft case. He stretched and yawned.

"You look like you're ready to collect your side of the transaction," Ricky said, rising from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I am, indeed," agreed Jimothy emphatically.

Ricky chuckled. "I thought so." He rose and went to his pack.

That bag must be bigger inside than it is outside, thought Jimothy. I bet if I asked he could magically pull a saddle out of one of those multitudinous pockets.

Turning around to face Jimothy again, Ricky held up a glazed pot about the size of a man's fist, its lid secured with a soft wax seal. "You're in luck. I was out, but I made myself stay an extra few minutes in Torvik just so I could restock."

"I appreciate your sacrifice," joked Jimothy.

"You should. You know how I feel about that city. I should warn you," he went on as he peeled off the seal, "it's sort of…pungent."

The moment the lid was off, Jimothy could smell the stuff. He concluded that his companion was a master of understatement. It wasn't that it smelled bad at all. In fact he quite liked the scent, detecting clove, cinnamon and peppermint oils. There was a hint of something softer underneath them, but he couldn't identify what it was. "You're not kidding. That smells like powerful stuff."

"Do you like it? I love it." Ricky stuck his nose in the pot and inhaled deeply. "Mm! Clears the sinuses a bit, too."

"I imagine it does. But all I care about is how well it works on sore muscles. I'd forgotten how hard horse riding is on my back."

"It's all that time keeping your balance. Don't be surprised if you wake up tomorrow feeling it in your gut and your thighs, too."

"I'm already feeling it in my thighs, thanks," Jimothy cracked dryly.

"I can rub those for you, too." This time Jimothy knew he wasn't mistaking Ricky's meaning or his expression, but before he could say anything, the younger man's eyes went wide. He quickly turned his back to Jimothy. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate."

"No. Don't apologize."

"I shouldn't have said that. My mother warns me all the time that my mouth is going to get me into trouble. I'm really sorry."

Jimothy rose and came to stand a little behind and to one side of him. He cautiously reached out a hand and laid it gently on Ricky's shoulder. Ricky turned with the gentle pressure and the two men stood face to face. Jimothy looked down the short distance into Ricky's pale eyes and saw a mix of emotions he couldn't quite sort out. On impulse, he leaned in and kissed him on the mouth—a little cautiously, a little eagerly—and was thrilled when Ricky readily kissed him back.

They parted, but neither of them moved away so much as a step. There was a moment of silence until…

"Damn," breathed Ricky, his eyes alight once again. "Now that's the kind of trouble I like getting into." Jimothy laughed and they kissed again, deeper and hungrier and longer. Ricky pressed him back towards the bed until Jimothy bumped into it and sat down, abruptly breaking the kiss. He looked up at the other man and smiled salaciously.

"Nice bed."

"Blankets are soft, too. The linen sheets are nice on bare skin."

Jimothy ran a hand over them. "Mm-hmm."

Ricky stood close, legs spread just enough to squeeze Jimothy's knees between them. "I like to be on the bottom," he said, his voice daring a challenge.

"Then what are you doing up there?" Jimothy's words were met by a wide smile.

Ricky stepped back. Jimothy leaned forward to pull off his boots and moaned inadvertently as his back protested. Ricky laughed and knelt in front of him. "Let me do that," he offered. Jimothy was happy to let him. He held out each foot in turn and Ricky quickly removed Jimothy's boots and chucked them aside. They were soon joined by Ricky's boots and clothing. He pulled Jimothy to his feet and helped the aching man undress.

Standing naked together, each took time to look the other over appraisingly—flat bellies, sharply defined calves and thighs, strong arms. Jimothy smiled at the dark hair that curled over the other man's chest and the thin line of fine hairs that led down to his groin and his engorged penis. It was bigger than he'd expected and his own cock jumped eagerly in response. Ricky saw and grasped it, winning him a wordless grunt of excited surprise. He massaged the silken skin with strong fingers and Jimothy moaned and thrust his hips forward into his touch. Leaning in, Ricky tilted his head to nip at Jimothy's ear and murmured, "That liniment is good for more than treating sore muscles." He looked into Jimothy's dark eyes, his own as blue as the center of a candle flame.

Jimothy met his gaze steadily. "Then let's put it to good use."

*-*-*-*

Remember, comment to enter the contest and I'll see you all again tomorrow for a sneak peek at my second novel, Client Privileges.

Jimothy's Coming Soon Page!

Just had to pop back for a mo to say that The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing PRINT is now up on Samhain's Coming Soon pages. Whee! I've been looking for it and I'm so pleased to have that link to give you now. :D

Three-Day Weekend Blog Party 2009!

It's time to party, guys! Normally I wouldn't be up this early on a Saturday, but when it's a 3-day weekend, the rules can change. Right? Right! Sometimes that long weekend is a reason to crash out for three days; sometimes you don't want to miss a minute of it so you sieze the holiday. After all, there aren't half enough 3-day weekends in the year. I was doing a mental count the other day and came up with only five: Jan. - Martin Luther King Day; Feb. - Presidents' Day; May - Memorial Day; Sept. - Labor Day; Nov. - Veterans' Day. And I thought, 'That can't be all!' So I went googling. Seems I missed out Columbus Day in October, but since he didn't really discover America, I'm dubious on that one. Does anyone who isn't a federal employee actually observe Columbus Day? Of course there are the holidays that move around through the week: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Christmas Day. But none of those guarantees a three-day weekend.

All right. Enough of that stuff. Let's chat about why we're partying on this newly declared 3-day weekend. My first novel, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing, comes out in PRINT on Tuesday! Whee! I'm excited. Can you tell? ;) The fact that I'm awake at 7:30 on a Saturday is evidence enough of that. Later today there will be an excerpt, so make sure you check back for that. Tomorrow I'll be giving you a sneak peek at my second novel, Client Privileges, which I recently contracted with Torquere Press. And on Monday I'm traveling over to Lucy Monroe's place to guest blog. I hope you'll visit me there. (Don't worry. I'll post a reminder here on Monday so you won't miss out.) And of course there's a CONTEST! It couldn't be easier. Just post to play. That's right. All you have to do to enter is post a comment between now and midnight PDT on Tuesday 28 April. I'll even include any comments made to my guest blog post over at Lucy's. What a deal! What's that? You want to know the prizes? Fair enough.

Grand Prize: An autographed copy of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. I'll even personalize it if you want me to. :D
2 First Prizes: 1) A Ballad of Jimothy Redwing coffee mug with a selection of tasty teas;
and 2) a Ballad of Jimothy Redwing tote bag so you can carry your books/groceries/anything you like in style. (I think these are both cool, so I declare them both to be First Prize. ;) )

Now I want to know how you like to spend your three-day weekends. Do you travel? Take the family camping or to Disneyland? Do you invite friends over for a barbecue? Do you stay home and do all those things you've been meaning to do if you could just get a little time off to do them? How do you mark that elusive weekend+plus+one+more+day?

Three-Day Weekend Blog Party!

I think the world needs more three-day weekends, don't you? One per month would be a good start. To encourage this behaviour, I'm throwing a Three-day Weekend Blog Party to celebrate my upcoming print release of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. (Okay, okay. It comes out on Tuesday, which would make it a four-day weekend, but work with me here.)

Activities will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

• a super-easy contest with spiffy prizes--including a Grand Prize of an autographed copy of the book in question
• a sneak peek at my second book, Client Privileges
• and a guest blog event over at Lucy Monroe's place (Who doesn't like to go out of town, so to speak, for a three-day weekend, right?)

So come by this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to see what's going on! We'll party extra hard on Tuesday since that's Release Day (woo-hoo!), and on Wednesday, while we all recover from our long weekend, I'll announce contest winners.

Hope to see you around!

Best seller!

Apparently last night The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing was #44 on Amazon's bestseller list--under the appropriate category headings of course. I missed seeing that myself, but thanks to my fabulous friend Kate, I know it happened. This morning I'm at #83, but hell!, I'm still pleased. I broke the top 100. And for a little while at least, I broke the top 50. Woo-hoo! :D

New Contract!

I'm a little bit superstitious. Just a little. Okay, more than a little. I'm an actor and a baseball fan. Short of adding sailor, which I'm not, you can't really get more supersitious than me. Which is why, when I sold a novel to Torquere Press a fortnight ago, I did not post about it. I wanted to have the contract in my hot little hands first. Well, let's just say my hands are smokin'!

The title (at least for now) is Client Privileges and it's set in the same world, same country even, as The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. More details in a bit. Just had to get this post up a.s.a.p. to share the good news at last! :D

The only good news

This weekend sucked. Just so you know. But one good thing happened...

My author copies for The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing arrived! They're awfully pretty, I must say. Now if only I had a list of all the friends who said they'd buy it when it comes out in print. LOL. Either way, I'm gonna start leaning on them all when 28 April--my official release day--arrives. :D

BTW, I do plan on doing a pre-release blog party. Not sure yet what I'll do or what I'll give away. But hopefully I'll come up with something fun. Check back later to find out!

New Review

I discovered a new-to-me review of Ballad of Jimothy Redwing today. (Thanks, Kate, for the tip! :D ) Judging by the url, it went up last month, but December being what it is, I'm not surprised I missed it. It's been a while since I got reviewed and this was such a good one from Joyfully Reviewed that it made me all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Check it out here.

Pretty awesome, yes? And after the, let us say, mixed way my year has begun, this was a treat of major proportions.

What's she reading this week?

I finally finished Kushiel's Dart, which was brilliant. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys: fantasy; action/adventure; political drama; erotic romance.

So, what am I reading this week? I'm reading the print galley for The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. It comes out in print on 28 April and of course that means a chance to fix typos before that happens. I'm nearly done--just one chapter to go--which is good since it's due next Monday.

Also, I won NaNoWriMo again this year. Yay! I'm a three-peat winner! (We'll ignore for now the fact that the novel isn't acutally done.)

Finally, I have a free read holiday story that will be available soon through the Samhain Cafe yahoo group and I think on the Samhellion Blog. When it's up, I'll let you know!