Coming now!

Yup, no longer "coming soon," but rather "coming NOW."  Pun totally 100% intended. :)


"Man-to-Man Coverage" was released today on the Goodreads M/M Romance group and is downloadable as an ebook via the "download ebook" link here.

Hold me - I'm scared!

On a semi-related note, I had the pleasure (pun also probably intended...) of explaining to a group of my friends what "frottage" means while we were picnicking in the middle of Bryant Park and surrounded by hundreds of people. Hand gestures were used as an educational tool. Awesome. :)

Dodging those public lewdness complaints,
NJ

T-Minus One Week!

Soooo...my story is coming out next week. I'm kind of excited, but mostly scared shitless. I hope people like it or, at the very least, don't hate it.

This lowballing of expectations is a weird mental state for someone who has always been a pretty notorious overachiever in everything else.

Oddly, this feeling hasn't discouraged me from writing my little diver story. It's almost done, then off to my friend for some feedback.

On a separate note, Feline Nico has started to smell like Chloe perfume. What has he been getting himself into...??? :)

Basking in her newly-discovered underachieverness,
NJ

Into the Deep End

I've decided to try my hand at writing an m/m romance story centered around the Olympics. There was a call for submissions related to the Olympics, and I have an idea. And, yes, it's an idea that's burning in my brain and waiting to hit the screen.

On a related note, I'm learning way more about competitive diving than I ever expected to need to know. I find this rather ironic, considering the fact that I can barely swim myself. :)

On another related note, yes, diving...mmmmm...

With lascivious thoughts of tight, wet Speedos,
NJ

Shit just got real, folks.

So...this story thing is really happening.

• Strangely scary/exciting: I actually have a placeholder listing on Goodreads for my story (found here).
• Strangely scarier/more exciting: People actually have marked it as "to-read." Like whoa.

When the story comes out in July 2012, it'll be posted exclusively at this link on the M/M Romance Group's discussion boards. Note that you need to be a member of the group in order to access it.  After it's posted, I'll also upload it at some point to Goodreads for download as an ebook.

Taking deep breaths,
NJ

Playing with Pictures!

So...I was playing around with pictures and fonts, and I now present to you...the cover! Ta da! :)

More info coming soon ... VERY soon ... on the release date.

So excited...and only a tiny bit scared,
NJ

The Sexytimes Factor

What is too much? What is not enough?

I recently finished the book The Desire for Dearborne by V.B. Kildaire, and my review mentioned that the sexytimes, while multiple, were not too explicit and kept to about a page or two each. Someone commented on my review that she had recently read a book with a 28-page sexytimes scene, which, while causing my jaw to drop, also led me to wonder where I would "draw the line" (so to speak) on sexytimes.

Now, I'm the first one to admit that I like a little sexytimes action in my stories. What can I say? I'm pervy like that. However, I did cut my teeth on squeaky clean romances back in high school when I was reading traditional Regencies (e.g., of the Signet and Zebra variety) and category Harlequin Romance novels.  These styles are both romance niches that consider kisses to be the ultimate in titillation and which I fondly refer to as more "ankle barers" than "bodice rippers." Obviously, I've - ahem - graduated to acquire a much more broadened taste for romance along the entire spectrum of heat level.

That said, what I think all of this boils down to is expectations and execution.

The Maiden Voyage

I recently volunteered to participate in the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's writing event, Love is Always Write, in which members wrote "Dear Author" letters to provide authors with story prompts.  Well, I chose a letter prompt, and for the last month or so, I've been writing, writing...oh, and writing.

Earlier today, I submitted my story, and let me just tell you - it feels fantastic and terrifying at the same time. This story will be the first that I've ever "released into the wild" for public consumption, so I'm crossing my fingers, toes, and eyes that it'll be well-received.

To be completely honest, this is also the first piece of fiction I've ever sat down and written to completion. Yup. So, yeah, a lot of new territory for me. I'm really happy I participated because I felt like that little nudge to get this done was what I needed.  I knew that there was a deadline and a member who was counting on me to give it my best shot, so I just dove off that cliff and wrote it. There was no more room for doubts or second guessing of my writing skills or ability to tell a story. I just had to go in there and take the plunge, and I'm so glad that I did.

My story is a gay romance novelette featuring professional football players. It'll be released some time in the summer. More info and general thoughts on the writing process that I experienced will follow in the ensuing weeks.

Shaking in her boots (but also super relieved),
NJ