Upcoming release and the rest of my schedule

Hello, everyone. It's now early March, and I'm looking at the release schedule I have and the personal deadlines that are looming and I thought I'd give you an update.

My next release will be out on March 28th. It's called Something New, and I really do love this story. I hope you'll like it too. In some ways, Something New manages to catch many things about my personal writing style and my "secret agenda" in my writing. That's why I'm so happy with it, really. Oh and the cover by Catt Ford is really lovely too.

After Something New, the next one in my preliminary list of things to come is a little story called Thank My Lucky Scars. It's also a novella and revolves around a London bike-messenger and an American porn star. It's a fun little story, so I'm looking forward to it as well. Tentative release is April-May.

Now, the book after the two aforementioned is called Chuffed. It's a shifter-book, the first book in a several books-series I've titled Finnshifters. The story arc revolves around a sort of "shifter sanctuary" in Eastern Finland near the Russian border, and the shifters who live on the little farm. There's always at least one main couple, and while the books are M/M romance, the stories are as much about the whole "farm family" as they are any given main couple.

Chuffed should be out in May-June, and I have a submission deadline in about a week for book 2 which doesn't have a title yet. While the book is already almost done, I'm still feeling slight pressure from the deadline I've set myself (so that you guys would have the next part to read in a few months time from the release of the first book, see, I'm thinking about you here!)

My next novel-length story is a vampire-story I've felt like writing for a long time. It's called Technically Dead and it's going to be released in July-August. I'll tell you more about it later.

Once I have Finnshifters 2 written and sent, I need to figure out what to write next. I feel like writing a few separate stories but I also know I need to concentrate on one. So I'll figure that out soon, since after all I should be done with the current story in a week. Ugh. Well, here's to making my deadline and for a nice springtime for everyone!

About respect and writing

I vented about this on Twitter last night, but it didn't leave me alone like I thought it would.

When we write, and by we, I mean us females who write M/M-romance, we get so much prejudice, so much "You can't do that" thrown our way it feels that much worse, when we get it from another writer.

Now, I'm thinking the issue is mostly "girls can't write guy/guy"-stuff. Bullshit. Anyone who is creative, has the words and the emotions, can write what ever they want. It's just about being a good writer.

We also have people who write to aspire being The Great M/M-romance Writer, and then we have people like yours truly, who wants to write for people who like to read for the entertainment value. I don't CARE if I'm the next big thing out there, but I do respect those who actually are. I'm not ambitious like that, I write because I have no choice.

Now, then there are people who look down on us poor beings who write entertainment. And I'm looking at one certain male author at the moment, singling him out because he singled us out first. I read his "how to write M/M-romance"-guide, and it came across terribly prejudiced and condescending. There was no respect what so ever for us who like to write things he doesn't write.

In fact, this gentleman takes it as far as making this prejudice and disrespect part of his own books. There is a series of his that I liked a lot, that didn't contain this as much as the NEXT series did. The next series... Let's just say, the main character is a writer who dislikes and mocks everything he doesn't like. This, incidentally, is exactly what the author of the series does not write.

So when did he turn his writing, which by the way is pretty good all the time, award-winning even, into a tool for disrespecting the people who don't write the kind of books he does? I don't know, and I frankly don't care. He's talented, he is, but when he works something like this into his books, I just throw my hands up and wonder what the hell did he and/or his editor see in this next quote.

She was a big girl. A very, very big girl. One of those very big girls who you fear won’t live to see forty if they don’t take action now.

Is this how he sees all women that are "big"? Is this just how he sees "big" women that are writers (as the character referred to in the quote just happens to be)?

Whatever the reason of this sort of politically very incorrect sh—stuff being published by someone who is supposed to be an author for us to look up to, I only have one thing to say; I quit.

I quit reading his books, and I'll hold my chubby head up high and keep writing stuff that I and my readers find entertaining. They might never be the next big thing that wins awards, but hey, at least I did my best?

It's summertime alright...

I'm melting. Like...almost literally. And not because I saw something cute. It's WAY TOO HOT in here! I'm one of those people who are most content around 23-24C (roughly low seventies in Fahrenheit). Today, and for the last few days, it's been around 27-33C (eighties in F). I can't...just...no. At least I have a fan to keep me cool during the night. (Instead of a fan who would make the nights hotter... now that's a thought...)

I really have been a bad author with this blogging-thing. There are a few positive things though, that I'd like to mention.

I have my July novella's release date. Auld Lang Syne will be out July 20th, so that's SOON. Yay! It's also on Goodreads already and on Dreamspinner's Coming Soon-page.

My nerdy self is absolutely delighted over my new Bazinga!- t shirt (you get cookie points for knowing this reference).

I've been reading more than I've been writing, though a plot bunny swept me away yesterday and made me write about 1k words down before I forgot them. I still have two other stories as WIPs and much more started. Trying to work on those two first.

Oh! There's the Hot July Days-event in the Goodreads M/M Romance-group and it's already in progress! My story, Hawk's Sparrow, will be up eventually, so go join the group and take a look of the wonderful stories already posted! :)

That's about it! Until next time,

- Tia

It's been a while...

but I'm still here! Promise!

We're getting closer to release dates, I'm also working on stories (like a sequel to the novella coming out in July) and such... Busy. Well, most of the being busy is actually spring and the ton of work around the yard one has to do while living on a tiny little farm. There's loads to do, and time for writing is a luxury.

Anyway, I have someone working on a proper website for me, and I'm hoping it will be done sometime soon. Once it is, there will be teasers and freebies and whatnot posted there.

I mentioned Piece of Tales-blog last time I actually updated mine... I'm a guest-blogger-person there every other Wednesday these days, I try to review or something. I wouldn't call what I do review, but like...something? Anyway, there's another post tomorrow in case you're interested.

While waiting for my thingums to be released, I'm having to look into promoting and all that. Somehow it seems weird, having to do that. I mean writing is work in itself now, adding to that seems...almost too much. I know it sounds silly, but it takes a while to get used to living what you've dreamed of for a long time.

Other than trying to find time for writing, I've actually played PC-games a bit. Some WoW, which is an all time favorite, but also my beloved, pre-ordered The Witcher 2, which was out today. So that's what I've been doing today while it rained and my muses were being annoying bitches. Good game, that one. Very difficult, but still, very good as well.

I've read some, right now I'm reading J.L. Langley's My Fair Captain which has been recommended ti me by a few separate people and it's so good so far I'm happy I finally got into reading it. I almost wish I could pull off writing something like that... Maybe one day, eh?

Anyway, this was a rambling thing, just to tell you I'm still breathing. Oh and next weekend, there's a promo-thing at Literary Nymphs I'm online-attending with a bunch of other Dreamspinner Press-authors, so I shall give you links then. Hoping to have my website up by then but if not, I'll try to be more patient. ;)

In case someone was wondering, haven't sold the stallion yet, no good enough homes have come forward asking about him. Meh. We shall see.

<3 - Tia

Inspiration: Porn

I remember being curious about porn when I was maybe… nine years old. Someone had given my dad a hard core straight porn tape as a gag gift and I honestly don’t want to think if that was all it was… That tape, watched at a time when I was left alone for about half an hour kind of made me think ‘gross’, but it also made me more curious.

Now, that wasn’t the first time when I saw people ‘doing it’. I suppose I was about five years old when I found a stack of magazines with nude people on them from my uncle’s room at my grandparents house… 

See, corrupted at an early age and all by myself, mostly. 

I think the first time I saw anything outside the straight porn stereotypes was about my late teens. By then I knew I was a lesbian (I’ll get to this definition later…), so naturally it was lesbian porn I was looking for. Sadly I could immediately tell there wasn’t much at all I could get my hands on. There were no super fast internet connections or good computers yet, at least not in my house. 

The lesbian porn I could find in the next five years or so just made me annoyed, I mean if you don’t have money or means to go right to the source, it isn’t good. We all know the ‘lesbian porn’ one can find, right? The not very real looking fake women with false nails and… Mhmm… No, I don’t find those girls hot at all.

So eventually, because I do love anything ‘pretty’ and always have, I got curious about gay porn. After all the men are usually very good looking. Maybe I didn’t want them more than I wanted the ugly guys in straight porn, but I’m a woman, we generally want more than just the mechanical image of fucking and that was what I was after.

At that point, maybe six years or so ago, I didn’t really look at it like that. I hadn’t really bothered to look into what made me tick more than on the surface level. I just knew that gay porn turned me on, as soon as I saw the first clip ever. 

It took me a while to realize it was more about the dynamics and yes, the whole deal about it being forbidden that turned me on than the actual hard core fucking I saw. I also became more interested at the performers than what they were doing on film.

Now, I know some people are confused about someone who just called herself a lesbian being turned on by guys in the first place. In general, I don’t get turned on by men. I don’t want to fuck men (no, wait…pegging, hmm…), I don’t want to go anywhere near a cock in real life and I certainly can’t picture myself ever falling in love with a man. Not head over heels, not immediately, not like I’ve fallen in love with a few women, at least. Then again I’m a big believer on never say never so…

Anyway, I like to label myself queer, when labels are needed and they can be put in a bit more complex way, lesbian, if I need the simple explanation to who I might be.

Now, I’m trying to wind down with this, bear with me.

This whole rant came from a need to write down something about what porn means to me, so here goes: 

I want the escape. I want to watch something hot and “pretty”. I want inspiration for the stories I write. 

But once I get to know a little bit more about the performers, I begin to care too. It’s not just once I’ve received (or sent) an email from a friend about something that has happened in an adult entertainer’s life. Not because we like to gossip, but because these guys are people to us.

And it shocks me sometimes, to see how much the male fans treat these guys like robots. Men might be differently hardwired, but these guys put a lot on the line to do a job almost nobody respects, even in the glorious, liberal 21^st century.

Me? Today I’m bummed because I had technical difficulties and I didn’t get to see how much Samuel Colt and Chris Porter’s puppies Eggs and Bacon have grown in their live cam show early this morning (my time). Or how much more muscle mass Chris has now than the couple of months ago since the last show, because I know how hard he’s worked for that. No, I’m not saying the live sex doesn’t interest me, but it’s not the main point for me, not at all. 

I’m also hoping that one day I get to meet Kennedy Carter, who is one of the most genuinely nice guys I’ve ever “met”. Maybe we’ll be in the UK at the same time, eventually. 

There are a handful of other performers out there that I try to follow too, but lately, and because of Twitter, these are the guys that seem to mean the most. The more that I get to see glimpses into their lives, the more I want to support them (in more ways than buying the occasional website subscription I can afford). 

There’s nothing wrong with being interested in porn, for whatever reason you watch it, and there’s certainly nothing wrong of being the performer, or working in the industry in some other way. 

Humans are, luckily curious, sensual beings and that’s how it should be.

It's mid March already??

This just hit me today. March 15th. That's like...wow. Two and a half months of 2011 gone already? How did that happen??

In some weird way, despite the depression and other struggles I've had this year, everything seems to be quite okay. For one, I'm writing. I'm writing quite a bit.

What's up with that, you ask?

• A novella, working title Auld Lang Syne, will be coming out in June. It is going to be published by Dreamspinner Press.
• I have other submissions in on other publishers as well, there's M/M, M/M/F and soon a whole novel of M/M/M that has some interest from a publisher already. 
• Currently I'm writing a shifter-story, because it just wants to get out of my head... Should be interesting enough, I hope. At least the general idea is a bit different and hey, my shifters will have actual packs with pups and all, not just packs that consist of a handful of gay males... Where do the new wolves come from in those stories?? Not everyone is gay, people.

I'm getting back to the routine of writing every day, making myself write despite producing a ton of utter crap that way. At least I'm writing, the editing comes later...

I'm also reading a lot, right now I'm greatly enjoying the novel Red Skies by Joanne Kells. You can find the book in the Dreamspinner Press website/store. Very good, detailed (but not too detailed), complex story with interesting characters that are actual guys and cowboys, not "girls in guy's clothes", like quite a few male characters seem to be in M/M-fiction.

Other than reading and writing, I've been trying to will my new piece of ink to heal fast. I love my tattoos and always want more, but the healing can be annoying at times.

I'm also gathering strength to start making a website for myself but can't see that happening, just not into that so much anymore.

That's about it this time, folks.

Stress, stress and oh, look, more stress!

It's the time of the year when my darling horse gets all sorts of stupid and wild and realizes he's a stallion. Yes, he basically forgets he had gonads for most of the year and come February, it all comes back to him...and the stupidity begins. He refuses, adamantly, to stay inside his paddock and because of that, he's completely impossible. Not only is there a surprise factor every morning about where we find him, but the real problem is him possibly causing harm to himself or say, the family cars. If he's feeling very adventurous, he might trek in the snow and go into the neigbor's yard and... You get the idea.

So, when you take into notice that I normally suffer from depression and anxiety, these past couple of weeks have not been very easy for me, because despite being an insufferable ass, the horse is my baby. Because of that added stress, I'm going to escape next week for almost a week to go on a little vacation. Nowhere sunny or warm, sadly I can't afford that, but I'm going to go visit some extended family and get far enough away to not be bothered no matter what the stallion gets up to. Yay!

Now, if we're lucky, this might mean that I'll get some more writing done while I'm away... I certainly hope so, because stress doesn't equal good writing.

Speaking of writing... I now have one contracted novella (will be out around July via Dreamspinner Press) and I have a few other submissions sent around, including one M/M/F-short story, one M/M short story and my first novel, which is M/M/M. 

I'm sure I'll be updating the blog as soon as there are more news. Keep your fingers crossed!

Welcome!

So, here I am, trying to write my first blog post...

In the last year and a half I've gone from not having written a word in a few years into reading fan fiction, writing it to get a hang of writing once again and then quitting the fan fiction in favor of writing my own, original fiction.

I learned to write very early, before I went to school and while others were learning to read and write, I came up with stories of my own or read, read and then read some more.

Reading...I never really stopped. Writing, I did stop temporarily but now that I got the hang of it again I realized this is what I want to do. This is who I am. A writer.

Feels so strange, yet good, to say it out loud or to type it here, as it might be.

Right now I'm waiting to hear from a publisher I sent something for an Anthology call. There are countless stories in my head, some of them have been written, most not and a few are being worked on as we speak. I'm hoping there will be good news sometime soon. We'll see.