Editor Friend & Prof Guy

Check out the new book I just got: The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby

No, I’m not having a baby. I just get wickedly excited when I find a writing resource that’s a gem (at least for me).

Lately when it comes time to give my secondary characters their names, I’ve been drawing a blank, selecting the same ones over and over or not finding something that fits the character. For my current works in progress I had two secondary characters whom I affectionately called “Editor Friend” and “Prof Guy” for far too long. For a while I was afraid I’d get so dang used to “Editor Friend” and “Prof Guy” that I’d send it off to my editor like that. It was nice to finally pull out my baby name resources and search for actual names for these guys.

Lists that are organized or searchable in specific ways (by first letter, sounds like, meaning, popularity per year, etc.) are the most helpful. So far The Baby Name Wizard is the best naming book I’ve used, along with these websites:

BabyNames.com

Baby Names Finder

Baby Names World

Popular Baby Names

And for last names I almost always end up using a printed phone book.

For any writers who are interested, these links have also been added to my website on the Resources for Writers page.

I’m off to work on revisions for my next installment of More Than Just a Good Book. Hope you all have a great week!

Preview of a New Short Story

Finished revising and editing my latest short story (based on the picture above), and it’s off to my critique partner. There will probably be a few corrections/changes, but for the most part it’s done!

I have to say, I’m really happy with how quickly I wrote this one, as well as how the story turned out. I won’t share the title yet as the group at Goodreads is doing some fun stuff with guessing titles and character names.

In celebration of finishing it, I thought I’d give you guys a little preview.

Here’s a snippet:

I expected him to bend me over a piece of the matching wicker deck furniture, the table or maybe one of the oversize lounge chairs, but he didn’t. He smiled again. I hadn’t seen him smile this much in months. He looked like a dope with the silly grin and his dick rock hard. I didn’t care. It was a stunning combination.

“Race you,” he said, then jumped off the deck and ran onto the beach stark naked, heading for the water’s edge.

“Asshole,” I called out as I kicked off my shorts and shoes. I chased after him, laughing all the way to the water. He’d already made it in waist-high by the time I got there. He splashed me as I ran in. I lunged at him, and he let out a huge-ass giggle as I wrapped my arms around his chest from behind. A fucking giggle.

Wait. That hadn’t come from him. It was from me. His laugh still sounded like a guy his size normally would. It sounded great. I sounded like a kid running to get to the dodgeball first at recess. Maybe it was the sound of pure joy.

– From a new short story coming soon to the M/M Romance group at Goodreads and my website

Edited post on 7/1/11: revised the above except to incorporate final revisions.

Inspiration For a New Story

Today I worked on a new short story for the upcoming “Hot July Days…M/M Style” event at the M/M Romance group on Goodreads.

For this event, members of the group wrote letters requesting a story centered around one of their favorite photos. Authors or writers in the group then volunteered to write a free short story based on the letter and picture of their choice.

Here’s the picture I selected (not sure of the original source). I fell in love with it right off.

I got a good start on the story today and have outlined the rest of it. It has a lovely romantic ending, and you all know how much I love when a couple of guys take a moment to get a little sweet with each other. Especially a couple of bears on the beach.

After the story is posted at the Goodreads group, I can add it to my website. I’ll let you all know when it’s available.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Best. Description. Ever.

When I first started working on Take Me Home, I described the overall idea to my partner. She gave me her opinion and asked a few questions that helped me come up with additional ideas for the resolution of the plot.

It’s been a while since I first told her the idea, so when we were talking the other day about my progress, I was curious how much she recalled. Here’s how the conversation went…

Me: Do you remember how the story ends?

Her: “Yes, they stay together.”

Me: “Well, yeah, it’s a romance. But do you know what happens in the last scene?”

Her: “Uh…” Then she gave her best guest: “They have the butt sex.”

I cracked up laughing. Always nice to know your significant other is paying attention in such great detail. *grin*

For the Love of: the M/M Romance Group at Goodreads

If you haven’t checked out Goodreads or the M/M Romance group you should take a look.

What is Goodreads?
“Goodreads is the largest social network for readers in the world. We have more than 4,600,000 members who have added more than 130,000,000 books to their shelves. A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they’ve read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more.” (source: Goodreads)

What is the M/M Romance Group?
“The #1 resource on the internet for M/M Romance fans, this group has something for everyone.

  • Book and Series Discussions
  • Daily Updates on New Releases and Author News
  • Book of the Month Group Reads
  • Reading Challenges
  • Author Info & Writing Discussions
  • Erotic Photos
  • Games, Contests & Quizes”

(source: M/M Romance group)

The group currently has 2700 members, and they estimate they’ll have 3000 by mid June. They are also the top 20th most popular group on Goodreads which totally kicks ass when you think about the fact that this group is based on such a small niche market. Definitely a sign that readership and love of the genre is growing.

As a reader of m/m romances, I only wish I had more time to hang out there. If you’re a reader of the genre, you should definitely think about checking out the M/M Romance group.