I joined tumblr the other day. Not that I needed another distraction from my writing, but this social networking site is not only a fun way to take a writing break, it also feeds the creative side of my brain with interesting visuals.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with tumblr, it’s a microblogging site where you can quickly share text, images, videos, links, quotes, and audio, as well as view the same from the people you follow. I became familiar with it from the lovely images shared by various people I follow on Twitter. I decided to join so I could share some of what inspires me and my writing. Please note: some of the images may be NSFW (not safe for work).
Spent much of today revising two chapters for my current work-in-progress. I’m not quite as far as I’d hoped this week (not for lack of time spent on it), and it’s easy to get impatient with my progress. Then I realized how much I’m loving the dialogue and descriptions I’m adding, how much I’m loving these men and their story. It’s worth it. So today’s quote is for all the writers out there (or athletes or anyone who puts their time and heart into a passion where you must face the day-to-day challenges alone). No one sees all the work, the joys, the struggles. It’s just you, the empty page, and the words you find to tell your story.
Thanks to my pal Shay for sharing this quote with me.
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses-
Behind the lines,
In the gym and out there on the road
Long before I ever dance under those lights.”
A while back I posted about my research ride-along with a SWAT team. Well I just learned that one of the guys (the tall, quiet blond) was wounded in the leg during an exchange of gunfire with a suspect. Another had a bullet go through his clothing, wallet, and credit cards. Thankfully (and surprisingly) he was not injured.
I’m sure none of the SWAT guys are following my author blog, but I wanted to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery and again offer my thanks to all men and women in law enforcement for their continued service in the protection of the rest of us.
Now back to my fictional world where no one gets shot unless I say so.
A couple’s first kiss is always a special moment in any romance. So far I have not tired of writing that scene, no matter the characters.
“I always say that there is no greater act of courage than to be the one who kisses first.”
-from Mad About You
.
“The most eloquent silence; that of two mouths meeting in a kiss.”
-Unknown
.
“Passion is to kiss or to hug and to prove that action speaks louder than words.”
-Unknown
.
“Kissing is like drinking salted water: you drink and your thirst increases.”
-Chinese Proverb
.
“There is the kiss of welcome and of parting, the long, lingering, loving, present one; the stolen, or the mutual one; the kiss of love, of joy, and of sorrow; the seal of promise and receipt of fulfillment.”
Finding yourself moved by your own writing can be a surreal experience, but I believe all writers should write with incredible passion for the story they are telling and pour as much of that as they can into every scene. If you can’t create a love story and characters that move you, then it’s less likely to have meaning for anyone else.
I was driving home from the grocery store the other day when an old song from the 80s that I hadn’t heard in a long time came on. Well, twenty seconds into it, and I had tears streaming down my face. All I could think about was Jay and Linc from Breathe.
I was reminded once again how much I love this story. Which was a nice feeling. After a book is released you tend to get some distance from it. You’re busy working on something else, and you take a step back from the previous story. You are no longer holding it as close to you as when you were writing it, and that may be a good thing. It’s out in the world and people are having their own experiences with it, their own reactions, which is both exciting and disconcerting at times.
This song reminded me how much I love this story, how much I wanted to take these two men and give them the possibility of a new life, a happy ending together despite all the odds against them. It also reminded me that forgiveness and love can be such positive influences in our lives.
So I sat there listening and crying, thinking about Jay and Lincoln. They felt like these real people who had been through something, and I had merely the pleasure of helping them find their way. Yeah, call me a nut. I love this job!
So here’s a live performance for the song that had me crying while sitting in my driveway the other day: “Against All Odds.”
Hello everyone! Hope you are all having a fab week. I have some fun news to share. Authors S.J. Frost, Johnny Miles, and I have launched a Yahoo group called The Sweet Spot for readers and writers of m/m romances. The group is open to join now and our official launch party will be April 16th when we will host a chat and give away books from the three of us.
We hope the group’s discussions will be casual and fun. I’d love for you to join us. Here’s the text from the group’s homepage with more details:
What is The Sweet Spot?
A Romance club for fans of the M/M genre. Brought to you by authors S.J. Frost, Johnny Miles and Sloan Parker. We’d love for The Sweet Spot to be a place where readers can hang out, chat with other readers of the genre, share recommendations, discuss their favorite books, or ask us any questions. We look forward to chatting with each of you.
Readers: We’d love for you to join us. Sign up and introduce yourself to the group. Let us know what it is you enjoy about M/M romance stories.
Authors: Feel free to share your new releases, special contests, or other news. We just ask that you not overdo it with too many promotional type messages. About once a month or so we’ll have special days set aside exclusively for that purpose so please save your excerpts for those days. More information to come on that in May.
Our “official” launch date for The Sweet Spot is April 16, 2011 when we will host a live chat, book giveaways from SJ, Johnny and Sloan, answer reader questions, and more. The live chat will be held from 6-9 pm EST on April 16, but you are welcome to come by any time during the day (starting at 8 am EST) to chat with other readers and to enter the giveaway to win free books. A giveaway thread will be re-posted throughout the day. Just respond at any time and you’ll be entered. Winners will be announced ASAP after the live chat. We hope you can join us!
Your friends at the Sweet Spot,
SJ, Johnny and Sloan
Hey guys, hope you are all doing well. I’m back to blogging this week and am excited to share some news:
I have a new short story available on my website: The Break In. Billy’s been breaking into his ex-lover’s apartment every Friday night for a little solo sex in the bed they used to share. One night he almost gets caught before he has a chance to finish his usual routine and climb back out the window. Now he has only seconds to decide if he should hide and end up watching his ex have sex or run from the most erotic encounter of his life–and maybe a chance at love again.
I mentioned the short, as well as a few other updates, in my newly reformatted newsletter. If you aren’t on the mailing list you can view the newsletter online. If you’re interested in signing up to receive my latest news in your inbox, you can do so via this form. The newsletter will be published every other month or so and will include writing updates, release information, free fiction, and more.
Also coming soon is a serial story that I will share via my newsletter and on the blog. The first story will continue with my short More Than Just a Good Book. A new scene will be added with each newsletter publication, and after the last scene is shared, I’ll make the entire thing available as an ebook. I will be writing the story one scene at a time, although I do already have an outline for the rest of Mark and Scott’s story.
If you check out The Break In, I hope you enjoy it. It was a fun one to write.
Sloan
