The Rhodes Less Traveled ~ Author M.L. Rhodes' blog

My blog has moved

2011-11-05T07:23:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!

I just finished a major website redesign and move, and along with my new digs I now have a blog that's part of my website. Because of that, I will no longer be updating my blog here on the Blogger platform, but I will keep this one up for a while...until people who might follow me here get a chance to bookmark the new location.

You can find my new blog here: www.mlrhodeswriting.com/blog

I've migrated my posts from this blog to my new one, so you can still find my old posts in the new location.

Thanks! I hope you'll come visit me at my website and let me know what you think of my new design!

ML :)

-

First snow of the season

2011-10-08T10:15:00.000-06:00

And so, after a beautiful warm September, a little taste of winter has arrived this weekend. :)

This is life at 7500 feet of altitude in the Rocky Mountains on October 8, 2011!

Romance Trading Cards...

2011-09-27T06:43:00.000-06:00

...I'd never heard of them before, but when I signed up for GayRomLit back in February, several of the authors attending mentioned them and wondered if anyone would be interested in doing them for GayRomLit. It sounded like fun and I said I'd participate. Fast forward seven months to a few days ago when I saw a post on one of the GayRomLit email lists about the trading cards and had an Oh Sh*t! moment when I realized I had done absolutely nothing about making any for my books or characters.

But, hey, I'm nothing if not a master of managing to cram at the last minute. Comes from years (like, um, a lifetime's worth ) of experience at being a world class procrastinator. Give me a time deadline and some pressure and I somehow manage to work miracles.

In this case, I did some down and dirty research on Romance Trading Cards, looked at about a jillion of them posted online to see what I liked, then spent a couple of intense days playing with graphics on Paint Shop Pro. And voila! I managed to come up with a series of 3 cards for Into the Woods, uploaded them to the printing company, got their okay on my design and specs, and should have the little suckers in my eager hands in a few days! I was pretty stoked! I showed the graphics to my teenage sons who are like the gurus of trading cards, having been collecting and playing everything from Pokemon to Magic the Gathering since they were old enough to talk. They gave their thumbs up to mine. That's pretty high praise, I think.

So, I'll be bringing them to New Orleans with me. Everyone will get one in their registration bag, and then I'll be giving more of them away in various places throughout the weekend. Therefore, if you want the full set and you feel like trading, haggling, or hunting them down, you should be able to get all three.

If you do manage to collect all three cards in the Into the Woods series at GayRomLit and you bring them to me to see in your hot little hands, I'll give you a prize! :) Feel free to pass this along to your friends who might be attending!

And so you know what you'll be looking for, here are the three cards in the series. The front of each card is the same (the cover for Into the Woods), but each back is different. One has info on Shaun, one has info on Rannon, and the other has the blurb for the book.

Front of each card

Shaun (card 1/3)

Rannon (card 2/3)

Blurb (card 3/3)

Okay...so have fun! :)

GayRomLit!!

2011-09-26T01:01:00.021-06:00

I know, I know...it's been a while since I posted. Have I mentioned that I sometimes really suck at keeping up my blog. LOL! I try. I really do!!! But I'm just sort of one of those sporadic bloggers, though I wish I were better at it.

Still...... Better sporadic than never, I always say. Hehehe!

So, for those of you attending GayRomLit in New Orleans in October...I will be there! Yay!!! I'm really looking forward to it and having a chance to meet readers! I will be bringing a boatload of promo items/swag with me to give away. I'll also have copies of some of my paperbacks there for purchase or, if you already have some of my paperbacks and want to bring them and have me sign them, I'd be thrilled to do so! I will also have bookplate stickers with me that I can sign if you don't want to slog your books with you. For those of you who only buy ebooks, I won't have any there to sell, but I'll still be happy to sign a bookplate or a postcard (or whatever else you might think of ). So be sure to say hi! I'll be hosting one of the vampire/ghost tours (which I'm pretty psyched about!) as well as having an author spotlight and participating in the riverboat booksigning event. My publisher, Amber Allure, will have a table at GayRomLit, so you can also find me there there when Amber Allure is hosting a spotlight.

I'm assuming everyone at GayRomLit will have on name tags, so feel free to chest gaze to find me or anyone else. :) But if you need more than that, I'm on the short side, long blond hair (although I sometimes wear it up), I'm a casual dresser (dresses, heels, and froufrou are sooo not me!), which means I'll probably have on capris, be wearing tennies or flipflops, and generally be casual girl. I have a nose piercing and several tattoos, which might or might not make me identifiable. I know a lot of authors have ink and probably some others have piercings, but we're probably not in the super majority, so that should narrow things down for you. Also, in the pic here I have on my glasses, but usually I wear contacts. So, yeah, I know, a lot of help, huh? :)

Please, please stop me and say hi!! Talk to me about anything. I'm not shy!

Hope to see you there!!!

ML

--

New release...The Truth About Al

2011-07-25T02:22:00.000-06:00

Yay!!! The Truth About Al is out!! Check it out at Amber Allure. Here's the full scoop!

The Truth About Al
by M.L. Rhodes

--Book 2 in the Campus Hearts series
--Companion story to Wanting (#1 Bestseller at Amber Allure, and over 18 months on Amazon Kindle's gay/lesbian top 100 list.)
--Genre: Contemporary gay (M/M) romance
--Release date: July 24, 2011
--Length: Extended Novella (35K words)
--Price: On sale this week only for $3.90 (35% off new release discount) at Amber Allure

To most, Al Baxter’s life seems charmed—he’s got looks, smarts, friends, and is headed to law school in the fall. But under the surface, things are far from perfect. Al’s mother is pursuing a career in national politics, and when her staff uncovers a potentially devastating secret Al’s been keeping from his family for the past four years, a painful rift forms in the once close-knit Baxter clan. Wanting to do the right thing to support his mother’s career, but conflicted over his growing desire to live his life in the open on his own terms, the last thing Al’s expecting, or needs, is to fall for stubborn and oh-so-serious Elliot Cullimore. Especially since Elliot has a protective fortress the size of Texas built around his heart.

Raised by a struggling single mother, Elliot Cullimore learned early that nothing in life was easy. That truth hit home when, at the age of twelve, a life-threatening illness left him partially deaf, making his teenage years difficult as he learned to cope with his new reality. Now, he works long hours to put himself through college. And he holds no illusions about ever finding love. He knows from painful experience that being a nerdy, hard of hearing guy doesn’t exactly make him a hot commodity. When he meets Al Baxter, however, he’s blindsided by his feelings for the man. The trouble is, Al is exactly the type of guy Elliot swore he’d never be with—rich, entitled, and always had everything he ever wanted fall at his feet. And worse, Al’s hiding who he really is and pretending to be something he’s not. How can Elliot trust his heart to a man who can’t live his own life with honesty?

But for the first time, Al finally knows what he wants, and he’s willing to fight for Elliot. Even if it means risking everything…

You can read an excerpt at the Amber Allure link above, or on my main website. :)

-

Blurb for Al...as promised! :)

2011-07-18T18:52:00.001-06:00

To most, Al Baxter’s life seems charmed—he’s got looks, smarts, friends, and is headed to law school in the fall. But under the surface, things are far from perfect. Al’s mother is pursuing a career in national politics, and when her staff uncovers a potentially devastating secret Al’s been keeping from his family for the past four years, a painful rift forms in the once close-knit Baxter clan. Wanting to do the right thing to support his mother’s career, but conflicted over his growing desire to live his life in the open on his own terms, the last thing Al’s expecting, or needs, is to fall for stubborn and oh-so-serious Elliot Cullimore. Especially since Elliot has a protective fortress the size of Texas built around his heart.

Raised by a struggling single mother, Elliot Cullimore learned early that nothing in life was easy. That truth hit home when, at the age of twelve, a life-threatening illness left him partially deaf, making his teenage years difficult as he learned to cope with his new reality. Now, he works long hours to put himself through college. And he holds no illusions about ever finding love. He knows from painful experience that being a nerdy, hard of hearing guy doesn’t exactly make him a hot commodity. When he meets Al Baxter, however, he’s blindsided by his feelings for the man. The trouble is, Al is exactly the type of guy Elliot swore he’d never be with—rich, entitled, and has always had everything he ever wanted fall at his feet. And worse, Al’s hiding who he really is and pretending to be something he’s not. How can Elliot trust his heart to a man who can’t live his own life with honesty?

But for the first time, Al finally knows what he wants, and he’s willing to fight for Elliot. Even if it means risking everything…

Coming later this month from Amber Allure!

-

Coming soon...The Truth About Al

2011-07-16T20:04:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to drop a quick note that my novella, THE TRUTH ABOUT AL, will be released very soon! It's a companion story to WANTING, which came out in December 2009. WANTING has actually been my best selling M/M story to date. I've received a ton of emails from readers about it and had a lot of people ask me to write about Ben and Jeremy's housemate Al, the smart, funny, good-hearted guy from Texas who's always there for his friends and has their backs.

In WANTING Al presents as straight, but many readers picked up on the vibe that maybe he really isn't... ;) Hehehe. Clever readers! So now, this is Al's story. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Check back soon because in the next few days I'll be posting a blurb and excerpt for you!

ML :)

-

Newest Release...Music of the Night

2011-06-30T03:18:00.016-06:00

Check out my newest M/M romance, Music of the Night! It came out June 12th and is available at Amber Allure, the Kindle store, ARE, and other online ebook sellers!

Jared Ross is at Carnevale to do a job. It’s the culmination of two years of blood, sweat, long hours, and agonizing patience waiting for his target to finally make an appearance. If he screws this up, he may never get another chance, and his mark, a man called Maestro, will once again disappear into the night. Jared can’t afford to let anything distract him from his elusive prize—not even the sexy stranger with the quick wit, the sinfully delicious mouth, and the bedroom eyes.

Sam Aubrey recently turned his back on his music career. After years of having others dictate his every move and direct him like an unwilling marionette, he’s determined to live his life on his terms, and what better place to start over than at Carnevale, where he can become anyone he chooses. He wants no complications, and definitely no romantic entanglements with a hot hunk who has a questionable agenda and whose Southern drawl makes Sam ache in all the right places.

Sometimes, however, the best-laid plans take unexpected twists, and surprising complications are exactly what a man needs even if they’re not what he thinks he wants. After all, everyone should have a little unexpected music in his night...

Genre: Contemporary gay (M/M) erotic romance
Release date: June 12, 2011
Length: Extended Novella (39K words)

New release....Into the Woods!

2011-02-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

At long last...Into the Woods is here! :)

Shaun McCarry left home as a young teenager, certain that whatever he had to do to survive on his own was better than being dragged around the country by his troubled, alcoholic father. Once he got away, he vowed never to look back. But years later, on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, he receives a bizarre letter from his dad indicating Shaun’s in grave danger. The letter sends him on a journey deep into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. There, he uncovers a disturbing family history that leaves Shaun questioning everything he thought he knew about his past and even his future.
His only ally comes in the form of a mysterious drifter named Rannon James who seems to know more about Shaun’s history than Shaun does. Shaun’s drawn to the sexy and vaguely familiar man. And when Rannon tells him a story of love and loss, of loyalty and betrayal, and of two childhood friends who share a destiny, Shaun realizes he’s inextricably and intimately linked to the other man.

But with danger stalking his every move, and fighting a terrifying change in himself that he never asked for, Shaun’s not sure who he can trust. Maybe not even himself.

Genre: Contemporary gay (M/M) dark fantasy/shapeshifter erotic romance
Release date: February 27, 2011
Length: extended novel

Available now at Amber Allure.

Valentine's Day hunks

2011-02-14T06:10:00.007-07:00

A little something to stir your passions on this day of love. Whether you celebrate V Day or not, there can never be too much hunky goodness, do you think? :)

Enjoy!

XOXO,
ML

Cold weather...hot hunks :)

2011-02-07T02:51:00.004-07:00

We were supposed to have 30% chance of "snow showers" on Saturday and Sunday. Instead, it snowed pretty much all afternoon Saturday, all night Saturday night, and all day Sunday. We ended up with a foot of the white stuff.

A new storm is supposed to roll through on Monday night and Tuesday and drop as much as another foot on us.

Have I mentioned how fun it is to live in Colorado where we have our heaviest snows in February, March, and April? LOL! Unlike the northeast and other parts of the US, we haven't had as much snow this year as we usually do. I live at 7500 feet in altitude, in the foothills of the Rockies, and we usually have several 12"+ snows each year, starting in October. But this is our first bigger one this season. It's been an odd year for us. I think the East coast has gotten their share and our share this year. I feel for them...I know they're tired of it. So maybe this is a trend that it's starting to move back our way and they'll soon get some relief. :)

Here's a little something to help everyone in the snow zone warm up....

Love this last one. It makes me think of Into the Woods. I have a couple of pretty hot shower/bath scenes in that book. Hehehe!

-

How stories are born...

2011-02-01T09:26:00.005-07:00

Did you know that I got the idea for Into the Woods while I was driving in my 4Runner and listening to "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles?

Yep, it's true. Listen to the words and see if you can figure it out. :)

I'll give you a hint:

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

I love the song, very poignant. And it made me think....what if I started a book at a funeral where nobody came? Well, except for one of the heroes. He'd be standing there alone with the priest wondering why no one else but him gave enough of a damn about the person in the grave to show up.

Then he looks up and sees a mysterious person standing on a hill overlooking the cemetery watching the funeral...

I loved the image in my mind of the shadows of a cold evening settling in, the lone hero at the funeral, the stranger, also alone and isolated up on the hill...

And so Into the Woods was born. :)

--

New release coming soon and other fun stuff :)

2011-01-30T02:03:00.009-07:00

Hi guys!

Just a quick post to let you know I have a firm release date for Into the Woods. February 27th. It's been a long time coming, I know, but I hope you'll think it's been worth the wait! :)

I just posted an excerpt for Into the Woods on my website. Check it out when you have a few minutes! I'm excited for you to meet Shaun and Rannon!

I'm working on a complete website overhaul, which I had mentioned last fall. I'm hoping to get the new look and all the pages uploaded over the next few weeks. I think you'll like the change...I really do! I'll be tweaking the look of my blog to coordinate with it. But no worries...I'll still have hunky eye candy to look at it. LOL!

I've been swamped with work for my day job this month (for those of you who don't know, my day job is also in the publishing industry), but have been squeezing in writing time as well. It's felt really, REALLY good to get back to writing. I hope to have several new stories for you in 2011! Into the Woods will be the first, and then I'll have a story out later in the year for Amber Allure's Masquerade theme, plus I will also be finishing the fourth Draegan Lords book, Circle of Ariend, over the next several months. So stayed tuned!

Also, I'll be attending the GayRomLit retreat in New Orleans in October. I hope to get to meet some of my readers at that event! I'm really looking forward to it!! If you're near there or just have a hankering to visit the beautiful and intriguing city of New Orleans, I hope you'll come by for a day or two or three.

Oh! And I've been trying to post somewhat regularly on Twitter again, so if you'd like a more immediate way to keep up with me and see what I'm up to, I've love to have you follow me.

Okay, that's my quickie update for the moment. More to come soon...

Thanks so much to all of you who've been so patient for the past year as I worked through my burn-out and managed to get back up on the proverbial horse and get back to writing the good stuff. You all mean more to me than you could know!!!

Happy reading!
ML :)

-

This is important...

2010-10-02T08:55:00.002-06:00

“This week, we sadly lost two young men who took their own lives for one unacceptable reason: they were being bullied and harassed because they were openly gay or believed to be gay. These unnecessary tragedies come on the heels of at least three other young people taking their own lives because the trauma of being bullied and harassed for their actual or perceived sexual orientation was too much to bear. “This is a moment where every one of us - parents, teachers, students, elected officials, and all people of conscience - needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms. Whether it’s students harassing other students because of ethnicity, disability or religion; or an adult, public official harassing the President of the University of Michigan student body because he is gay, it is time we as a country said enough. No more. This must stop.”
— U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

“When’s your next book being released? The wait’s killing me!”

2010-09-30T07:45:00.001-06:00

I get this question a lot, but have seen it even more than usual over the past few months. And I totally understand why...I don’t often go this long without a new release, so I know it’s been weird for readers. Please believe me when I say it hasn’t been my intention to drive anyone crazy with the long wait. :) I was woefully bad and didn't do much updating on my website and blog during the summer, and haven’t done much better at answering email either, due to a crazy schedule that's kept me away from my desk for several weeks. I apologize for that, and running with the philosophy of "better late than never," I wanted to give you an update now.

Part of the reason I’ve had fewer releases this year is that I made a conscious decision at the end of 2009 to focus on novels in 2010 rather than writing so many novellas. I frequently hear from readers that they prefer longer gay stories, which is cool because I actually love to write big juicy novels. The downside to that is that novels take longer to write. At least for me. I envy writers who can pound out a novel (or heck, even a short story or novella--or two!) every month. I seriously don’t know how they do it, but I wish I did. If they could bottle that magic potion I’d stock up and buy it by the caseload! *g* Unfortunately, I’ve never been a particularly prolific author compared to some of my colleagues--maybe I'm too anal, stressing over every word to find just the right one, or maybe it's because I tediously read and reread everything a jillion times. I don't know. *shrug* Whatever the case, for the past few years I’ve released approximately 5 new stories each year, which for me has been huge. But most of those of have been novellas, which are, obviously, shorter and write more quickly than big books. As much as I’d love to be able to whip out novels at the same speed, it just doesn’t work that way.

The other truth, and this one was hard for me to accept, is that over the past three years I pushed myself hard in order to have new releases every two or three months. The result of that, aside from a nice back catalog, was that I ended up suffering from burn-out. Big time. Looking back on it in retrospect, I realize now it was building even before I finished Fires of Ballian, which is no doubt part of the reason it took me so long to get that book done. Once Ballian was turned in, I tried to forge ahead to the next book. But finally, after several months of struggling, I had to face the fact that I was creatively wiped, and just plain exhausted from burning the candle at both ends for so long. I confess, I was in denial about it, tried to pretend that everything was five-by-five, but it really wasn’t. It took me most of the spring and summer to get rolling again and not have to scrape for every word. Don’t get me wrong, I was writing during that time, or trying to, but like an athlete who’s trying to finish a marathon and hasn’t been drinking enough fluids, you reach a point where there’s no fuel left and everything starts to shut down. That’s how I felt, though I didn’t realize it for a long time because it crept up on me slowly. I would say that, creatively, my fuel tank was empty except for fumes. I would love to have rushed out Circle of Ariend like I’d promised, or finished Into the Woods early this summer like I’d planned, but it just didn’t happen. I think every writer fears the creative well drying up at some point, so I know I’m not alone. And I think it happens to different writers for different reasons. But as with most ailments, you just have to give it time and nurse it back to health.

The lesson I took away from that experience is that from now on I have to do a better job of pacing myself so I don’t end up in that position again. I won’t be committing to projects that are too close together, and most likely won’t even be trying to guess at release dates, or even tentative release dates, like I did in the past. I've come to terms with the fact that I can't keep up such a frantic pace. I'd rather write a couple of books a year that will knock your socks off than pound out half a dozen that leave you going "meh." :) That's not to say I'm only going to write two books a year from here on out, 'cause I know myself well enough to know that sometimes story ideas come to me fast and furiously. *g* But, in general, I'd rather focus on quality and writing some more substantial stories than giving myself a quota for the sake of quantity.

The good news is that after taking several weeks off, I'm re-energized and back to writing this fall! Therefore, expect a new M.L. Rhodes novel very soon. Also, stay tuned because I’m going to be making some changes over the next month or two to liven things up--for one thing I’ve got a newly revamped website in the works that I’m pretty psyched about!

Thanks to all my readers for your patience! I hope you’ll decide the wait was worth it. :)

-

Into the Woods...upcoming release :)

2010-06-22T03:40:00.007-06:00

Here's the blurb for my upcoming release, Into the Woods...

Shaun McCarry left home as a young teenager, certain that whatever he had to do to survive on his own was better than being dragged around the country by his troubled, alcoholic father. Once he got away, he vowed never to look back. But years later, on the eve of Shaun’s thirtieth birthday, he receives a bizarre letter from his dad indicating Shaun’s in grave danger. The letter sends him on a journey deep into the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There, he uncovers a disturbing family history that leaves Shaun questioning everything he thought he knew about his past and even his future.

His only ally comes in the form of a mysterious drifter named Rannon James who seems to know more about Shaun’s history than Shaun does. Shaun’s drawn to the sexy and vaguely familiar man. And when Rannon tells him a story of love and loss, of loyalty and betrayal, and of two childhood friends who share a destiny, Shaun realizes he’s inextricably and intimately linked to the younger man.

But with danger stalking his every move, and fighting a terrifying change in himself that he never asked for, Shaun’s not sure who he can trust. Maybe not even himself.

-Gay Contemporary/Dark Fantasy/Shapeshifter
-Novel

-

Fires of Ballian at Kindle

2010-05-24T17:40:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Fires of Ballian is now (finally!!) available at the Kindle store. I've had a ton of email from readers asking when it would be there, so for those of you who've been waiting, it's buyable now! There was a bit of a technical glitch with it. It was uploaded to Mobipocket back in February, and Kindle usually grabs all the Amber Allure books from Mobipocket and puts them on sale at the Kindle store within a few days or weeks of them being available at Mobi. Fires of Ballian, however, seemed to be stuck in between. Finally the nice folks at Kindle looked into it and discovered the problem and it's now for sale. :)

Here's the link: Fires of Ballian at Kindle store

Happy reading!
ML :)

-

Boy Culture

2010-02-14T04:45:00.002-07:00

Movie Review

Title: Boy Culture
Starring: Derek Magyar, Patrick Bauchau, Darryl Stephens, Jonathan Trent
Director: Q. Allan Brocka
Unrated
Genre: Contemporary
ML’s Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Boy Culture is the story of a high-priced male hustler named X (played by the talented Derek Magyar). He's sexy as hell and downright charming when need be, and his clients--which he limits to an exclusive twelve regulars--adore him, judging by the exorbitant price they're willing to pay for his services. But he never lets any of his "business" relationships go beyond the professional, nor does he allow anyone in his personal life to lure him into anything emotional either. He likes to keep things simple and clean.

X earns so much money his accountant recommends he find some roommates to keep the IRS off his back. So the quiet, hunky Andrew (Darryl Stephens of Noah's Ark fame) and promiscuous eighteen-year-old Joey (Jonathan Trent) move in with him rent free, creating a new and complicated facet in X's life as the three of them dance around their attraction to one another. Things become even messier for X when one of his clients dies, leaving an opening in his roster. He takes on a new regular, an older, reclusive gentleman named Gregory (Patrick Bauchau). But before Gregory will be intimate with X, he insists they get to know one another. Over the course of several months, he tells an unsettling love story spanning fifty years, and challenges X to invest in something he hasn't allowed himself to experience in a very long time...emotion.

The first time I watched this movie I was expecting a sexy, humorous flick with lots of eye candy but little substance. I mean, the DVD cover alone is enough to make any boy lover drool. :) Within the first few minutes, however, I found myself inescapably lured into X's life, into his fears and secrets longings, even into his sarcastic humor which seems heartless at times, but hints at the true vulnerability X hides beneath his tough guy outer shell. X uses the film as a vehicle to "confess" about his life, narrating it with both biting humor and touching honesty, allowing the viewer to see a side of him he keeps hidden from his clients and friends. And thanks to Derek Magyar's terrific performance, I not only couldn't stop watching, I was enthralled. He paints a picture of a cocky but secretly damaged man who wants to be loved, desperately wants it, in fact, but who can't quite convince himself he's worthy of it. In spite of his profession, in his personal life he doesn't sleep around at all because he's saving himself for someone he's truly in love with and who loves him back. And that one special person, he believes, is his roommate Andrew. He doesn't know how to get past his own fears and insecurities to admit as much to Andrew, though. So each time they start to get close, X falls back on his arrogant hustler persona and wields his sexy confidence and dry humor like a shield, to push Andrew away.

Andrew wants to be with X as well, if only X would let him get to know the "real" him. He's not crazy about the fact X is a hustler, but he can deal with it. What he can't deal with is X's inability to open up or admit he cares--not just about Andrew, but about anyone or anything. Andrew tries numerous times to breach X's walls, and always gets rejected. He tells X that one of these days, if X keeps pushing him away, he's going to give up on him and stop trying. Which only makes X more defensive and causes him to build his walls higher, even though it secretly breaks his heart to think of losing Andrew. The scenes with X and Andrew are full of wonderful conflict because they both want each other so badly--you can feel it, see it, hear it--yet they can't find a way to overcome their issues. The emotional push-pull between them is both well written and well acted.

But the tricky relationship between X and Andrew isn't the only romantic entanglement in the story. X and Andrew's other roommate, Joey, who, in spite of the constant string of cute, horny young men who come and go from his room each night, is convinced he's in love with X. He tries at every opportunity to come on to X and get him in bed. It's almost a case of hero worship, and the character of Joey, while damaged in his own ways, is endearing and funny, even if a little tragic at times. He, like X and Andrew, is starving for love, but has no idea how to go about getting it. So he tries to make up for it by sleeping with everyone he meets, while his true goal is to be with X. X cares deeply for Joey (though he tries his damnedest not to let it show), but not in the way Joey would like. X treats him like he would a younger brother, urging him to go to college, and wanting to keep him safe in the crazy world of clubs and drugs and sex. His attitude crushes Joey, however, who wants so much more than to be X's little brother.

When X's new client, Gregory, enters the picture, we begin to see X slowly letting down his defenses. As Gregory tells him the story of his own life-long love affair and loss, X finds himself more and more able to talk to Gregory about things he's never talked to anyone else about. He tells Gregory of the first time he was with a boy and the crushing pain of rejection that came afterward, which gives a ton of insight into why X has become the person he has. He also shares with Gregory the ups and downs of his life with Andrew and Joey. X and Gregory's relationship, which is almost entirely spent talking, becomes an extended therapy session for both of them. At one point, after they'd been meeting for months, you even see X lying on the couch telling Gregory, who's seated in a chair nearby, of his latest impasse with Andrew and how he's afraid he might really have lost Andrew this time. The irony of the scene is that Gregory is paying X for their hour together, not the other way around.

In his relationship with Gregory, there's a sense that X is finally growing and allowing himself to trust in someone besides himself. Eventually, however, he discovers Gregory's tale of love isn't all it seemed to be, and he's misled X. Angry that he allowed himself to believe in the older man's sincerity, X goes home to find Andrew moving out of their loft. Devastated at the losses piling up, X is finally forced to examine himself and his life. He realizes the story Gregory has told him--or rather the true story Gregory didn't tell him--is a message about what his own lonely life might be like in fifty years if he can't find the strength to speak up for what he really wants. If he can't admit his love to the one man he wants to be with.

Boy Culture (based on the book of the same title by Matthew Rettenmund) was much more of a romance than I ever imagined it would be. It's in turns funny, sexy, and heart-tugging. While the characters are all flawed, they're also wholly sympathetic. I think the script, the acting, and the director did an excellent job making the characters real enough without going too over the top that most any viewer can relate to them in some way and can embrace them. I felt for X with all his fears and foibles, and wanted him to find love as much as he did. X and Andrew are totally delicious together. I won't spoil the end, but I'm a sap and I cried. *g* I highly recommend this one. It's become a surprising keeper on my video shelf.

Fires of Ballian now available!

2010-02-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Fires of Ballian
by M.L. Rhodes

*Book 3 in the Draegan Lords series

A hundred years ago, the high sorcerer of Velensperia launched a swift and deadly attack against the draegans—a race of dragon shapeshifters who’d always lived in harmony with the humans. The draegans were all but destroyed, with the few who remained, scattered and in hiding. But after a century of cruel repression, a group of them have united and begun to fight back. Their leader, Keiran Hareldson, is determined to free his people from the high sorcerer’s tyranny. For years he hid the secret of his heritage, knowing the truth would make him and those around him a target of the sorcerer’s wrath. But the time has come to fight the sorcerer in the open, and once the news spreads that Keiran is the sole surviving draegan lord, draegans and humans alike begin to flock to the draegan camp for protection.

Gaige Rizik used to be the captain of the sorcerer’s High Guard. His last assignment was to infiltrate the draegan rebel’s camp, identify the leader, and eliminate him. No one, least of all him, expected him to fall in love with the very man he’d sworn to kill. Gaige defects to the draegans’ side, and he and Keiran bind themselves to one another not only by love, but by blood when they go through the true mate ritual. With their blood merged, it allows Gaige to inherit the powerful magick of the draegan lords. But inheriting it and using it are two different things. Gaige has trouble tapping into the magick because he feels unworthy of the gift. Only half-draegan, he fears his human side and his past as the high sorcerer’s right hand will forever tarnish his future as Keiran’s mate and second in command.

When Keiran is stolen by an ancient demon from the shadow world, Gaige is left with the fate of the draegan people in his hands. They turn to him as their new lord, and he’s torn between his duty to them, and his desperate need to find his mate. Through shadow and torment, fire and darkness, Gaige and Keiran struggle to hold back the tide of the sorcerer’s ever-expanding war and stop the new and even deadlier evil that threatens their lands. In their darkest hour, only their fierce love for one another, and Gaige’s acceptance of his power, stand between them and the destruction of all they know.

Genre: Gay M/M Fantasy/Shapeshifter erotic romance
Release date: January 24, 2010
Length: Novel

Available in ebook formats at: Amber Allure
Available in paperback at: Coming at a later date under the title The Draegan Lords, Volume II

Shelter

2009-11-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Movie Review

Title: Shelter
Starring: Brad Rowe, Trevor Wright, Tina Holmes
Director: John Markowitz
Rated R
Genre: Contemporary
ML's Rating: 5 stars out of 5

After giving up his dreams of art school to take care of his family, Zach (Trevor Wright), finds himself caught in an endless cycle of having to look out for everyone but himself. He works dead-end jobs to help support his flaky and irresponsible sister Jeanne (Tina Holmes) and her young son Cody, and takes care of the boy while Jeanne routinely puts her needs before her child's. Zach and his friend/girlfriend Tori have an on-again/off-again relationship, mostly off, as Zach struggles with his feelings for her. And his best friend Gabe left Zach behind to go off to college, as did most of Zach's other friends, intensifying his feelings of isolation. In his free time he tries to find solace in surfing, drawing, and doing street art in the form of tagging.

When Gabe's older brother Shaun (Brad Rowe) returns home to recover from a broken love affair and try to get past a case of writer's block while he works on his next novel, he is captivated by Zach. The two have known each other for years--Shaun taught Zach and Gabe, who were much younger, to surf--but he's been away for a long time and is struck by how the kid he knew only as his brother's best friend has grown into such a selfless and talented young man.

Zach is equally intrigued by Shaun and finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect. As his friendship with Shaun turns into something much more intimate, for the first time in longer than he can remember, Zach finds himself happy and hopeful that there's more out there in the world for him than the existence he's been living. With Shaun's encouragement, he begins to think about art school again. And Cody, who spends more time with his Uncle Zach than his mother, adores Shaun, and vice-versa.

But real change means tough decisions. Zach's sister is supportive of neither his desire to move on with his life, nor his relationship with Shaun ("Zach...you're not a fag, are you?" and "...are you trying to fuck up our family?"). She plays the guilt card with him on a regular basis, because she needs him to "be there" for her and Cody. Struggling to come to terms with his own desires--both as a young gay man coming out of the closet and falling in love, and the need to seek his own path in life while honoring his deeply felt responsibility to his sister and especially his nephew--ultimately Zach realizes he can only find peace if he's true to himself. He discovers the power of love, both for his nephew and for Shaun, gives him the strength he's always needed to follow his heart and find a future filled with promise.

The thing that always strikes me about this movie when I watch it is that it's not so much a gay story as a story about real people struggling with heartfelt issues. It's a situation anyone can relate to, about finding balance between self and the needs of others, following one's heart and dreams amidst adversity, and creating family and finding love in unexpected ways. Shelter is a testament to how family isn't just limited to the people to whom one is born, but extends in a much wider arc to include any and all who love each other. Zach is a far better parent to Cody than Jeanne could ever hope to be, and once Shaun enters their lives, he, too, becomes a key player in offering security and a sense of family to the little boy. Shaun also gives Zach the love and support and encouragement he needs to seek his own dreams. In return, I think Zach does much the same for Shaun, shining a new light into his life, and giving him a new family anchor.

The romance between Shaun and Zach is sweet, but also seductively intense at times. And very intimate on an emotional level, which is a beautiful thing to watch. The scene where Zach finally gives in to his desire to be with Shaun, goes to his house, and the moment Shaun opens the door, kisses him and they can't keep their hands off each other as they go upstairs is one of the hottest things I've ever seen. And it's not just because they start to strip on screen so much as from the way they look at each other and the powerful chemistry between them. Brad Rowe and Trevor Wright, both straight actors, do an amazing job in their respective roles, and there's never a moment I don't believe they're completely into each other and perfect together.

Honestly, there's just nothing about this movie I don't like. The acting is excellent, it's beautifully edited, all the characters are well-developed--even the ones who are sometimes hard to like, like Jeanne, are still sympathetic and utterly believable. I like the soundtrack, which adds just the right amount of angst and feel-good without turning cheesy. Some might find the movie's pace a bit slow, especially early on, but even that worked for me because it so perfectly set the atmosphere for Zach's despondent state, making me really feel his isolation and lack of hope.

Set in southern California, it's a delicious piece to watch all the way around, from the surfing scenes, to the love-making, and everything in between. It's a movie with a ton of heart, and is a keeper for me.

The Draegan Lords III, Fires of Ballian

2009-11-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

This post was originally published on the Reviews by Jessewave blog on September 30, 2009. :)

When Wave asked me to be a guest blogger today she hinted, nudged, and generally made me promise to talk about Fires of Ballian, the third book in my Draegan Lords series. Since I don't want her to hurt me, I'm going to dutifully do as I'm told. *g*

The Draegan Lords series--which is about dragon shapeshifters and their struggle to win back their land and lives from the power-hungry sorcerer who nearly destroyed their race one-hundred years before--began in March 2007 as a longish novella entitled True of Heart (Click here to read a blurb and excerpt on my website). It was originally written to be part of an AmberPax collection at Amber Allure. All stories for AmberPax collections must be either short stories or novellas and are required not to exceed 40,000 words. Remember in my earlier post when I said it's very difficult to write a complex plot in a novella-length story? True of Heart was a classic example of that. I got the idea for the story and immediately fell in love with the heroes, Gaige and Keiran, and the juicy plot I had planned for them. Honestly, I don't even know what I was thinking when I assumed I could tell the tale in 40,000 words or less. I think my brain took a holiday that day. LOL! When I hit about 35,000 words, I knew I was in big trouble and there was no way in my wildest dreams I was going to be able to do justice to their story in 40K words. I knew I was going to have to write a sequel. So I tried to figure out a good stopping point that would give some resolution for the plot and characters and satisfy readers, but still leave it open to continue the story.

I decided it was going to have to be kind of like Star Wars. The original movie. Luke and Han blow up the Death Star and fly back to Leia, thereby ending that chapter, but leaving Darth Vader alive and the empire still in charge so they can do another two movies (or five *g*). That's what I knew I needed to do with True of Heart...blow up the Death Star and leave the guys in a good place so they could come back and fight the real, more complicated battle another day. I wrote and wrote and when I was finished, it was about 50,000 words. Gulp. That wasn't going to do. So I cut and wrote and cut and wrote and got it down to about 43,000 words, which Trace Zaber, AQP's editorial director let slide through. I didn't confess to him until later that I'd actually cut about 7000 words out of it before I turned it in. LOL! He knows me too well, though, so I don't think anything I write "long" ever surprises him.

Fast forward to March of 2008. The sequel. Lords of Kellesborne (Click here for blurb and excerpt). I had every intention of wrapping up my story in book 2. Really. I did! This time I didn't have to adhere to any Pax word count limits, so I figured, no problem. I knew it would be a novel, and all would be well. But once again, I got halfway into the book and realized there was no way I was going to be able to finish the story, even at novel length. Having been through the experience once before, however, this time I knew exactly where I was going to end part two. (And I still get grief over it from readers to this day. *g* I know, I know...it was a cruel cliffhanger, but you've got to admit, it had a certain impact to it.)

True of Heart and Lords of Kellesborne are available individually as ebooks. They were combined in one paperback in April 2008, which is simply called The Draegan Lords.

Which brings me to the present day. And book 3. Fires of Ballian. Will this be the last one in the series? All I can say is...maybe. LOL! I *think* I can actually finish the saga this time. I really do. But I've thought it before and it hasn't exactly played out the way I expected (I'm a terrible judge of just how much story = how much word count when it comes to my own work), so I'm leaving the door open. I do, tentatively, expect to be done writing Fires of Ballian (whether it ends the series or not) by late November. Keep an eye on my website, www.mlrhodeswriting.com, on my coming soon page, and I'll try to keep you updated on status and potential release dates there.

Something else I can do today is offer up an excerpt. This will be the very first peek at the story--I don't even have it posted on my website yet. I hope it'll help ease the pangs of waiting for all my readers who've emailed me asking, "When?!" :)

This excerpt comes from a scene near the beginning of the book (and please keep in mind this is the unedited version). Without giving too many spoilers for those who might not have read the first two books yet...to set it up, Gaige Rizik, who's half-human and half-draegan and is now mated with the draegan lord, Keiran Hareldson, began having visions over the course of book 2 brought on by his joining with Keiran. He's becoming a seer like his draegan grandmother before him. In this scene, he's having visions again...of the past and the future.

------
Gaige Rizik, lying on his back, stretched beneath the covers, savoring the pleasant pull of muscles in his body and the heat of the man lying on his side next to him, keeping him warm in the chilly air that seeped into their tent.

They’d been awake for a while, taking advantage of this rare morning where they hadn’t had to get up and rush off to pressing duties. Quiet, uninterrupted moments like these had become scarce as groups of draegans and humans alike had begun filling camp, seeking the protection of the draegan lord and his draeganjhere. Most days, Gaige and Keiran found themselves busy from well before sunrise until late into the night, often falling into bed too exhausted to do more than spoon together and catch a few quick hours of sleep before starting all over again. But for once, they had a couple of hours to themselves this morning, and they’d managed to find another, much more satisfying, way to start their day than stumbling into the cold dawn to prepare their people for war with the high sorcerer.

Now, in the aftermath of their joining, Gaige felt more relaxed and at peace than he had in days. Being with Keiran had that effect on him. After so many years living and working under Byram's brutal dictates, finally, for the first time in his life, Gaige felt like he belonged somewhere. Like he had purpose and worth. And something else he’d never hoped to find…love. And he owed it all to Keiran.

Keiran’s palm, callused and warm, stroked Gaige’s chest, skimming over his nipples, sending renewed desire, as well as contentment, through him.

“Do you remember what I’ve told you?” Keiran asked. “About draegan magick?”

“What about it?” Gaige turned his head to look at his lover, wondering what had caused him to bring up this subject.

“How it works.”

“You mean by focus and intention?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I remember. Why do you ask?”

“Remember how you put up a screen over the entrance to the caves when you helped the families with children escape Thrythgar, to protect them and keep Byram’s troops from finding them?”

Gaige rolled onto his side to face Keiran. One of Keiran’s knees slid between his legs, and his hand moved to Gaige’s back, tracing up his spine, then down again in a sensual motion that, for a moment, made it hard for Gaige to think about much of anything else. “I wasn’t even aware at that point that I was part draegan,” he murmured. “I didn’t know I could do anything like that. I wasn’t even aware I had done it until afterward.”

Keiran smiled, his eyes sparking like rich gemstones, as if Gaige had just made his point for him—whatever it was. “Exactly. Yet you focused on what you wanted, making it happen, even though you weren’t aware you were doing it. You were surprised when I told you about the screen.”

“I was surprised. I couldn’t fathom how I had been able to use magick without realizing it. But you told me the magick had always been in me because my mother was draegan.”

“That’s right. And now you have my blood—draegan lord blood—flowing through your veins as well, Gaige, so you’re capable of even more.” He leaned in closer and stole a kiss. It made Gaige’s skin tingle, and he felt a warm ripple in the air around them, which made him suddenly suspect Keiran was using a little magick of his own to seduce him.

He raised an eyebrow and shot Keiran a teasing smile. ::Are you trying to bewitch me, draegan lord? I’m already your hopelessly devoted servant. What more could you possibly want from me?::

This time Keiran’s grin shot straight to his groin…which was where Keiran’s hand had gone as well. He curled his fingers around Gaige’s thickening shaft and squeezed. ::Who’s bewitching whom? That shimmer you’re feeling? It’s not me creating it. It’s you.::

Gaige’s eyes widened and he experienced a jolt of shock that he’d once again been unknowingly stirring magick. ::Are you sure?::

Keiran chuckled. In a low, husky voice that sent flares of heat through Gaige, he said aloud, “I’m sure. You shouldn’t be so shocked. The magick is yours to use, any time, any place. You just have to believe in your abilities, m’aerlas. You have to believe nothing is impossible.”

The last was said in a whisper just before Keiran kissed him again and pulled Gaige into the warm press of his hard, welcoming body.

The words resonated deep inside Gaige. You just have to believe. Nothing is impossible.

Believe…

Before he could contemplate further, though, a sudden and gut-wrenching pain twisted through his body, ripping him away from Keiran.

Gaige was thrust into darkness. He reached out, desperate to find Keiran again, touch him, but his hands grasped only cold, empty air.

No! Not again! I can’t lose him again!

Just as swiftly as Keiran had been torn from him, a new scene took shape around him. The bitter chill of winter seared his lungs as he took a breath, and the damp scent of snow-soon-to-fall filled the air.

A man lay crumpled on the cold, rocky ground in the inky black of the night, his dark hair tangled around his shoulders, his body nude and battered, unmoving.

Raw fear surged through Gaige. Oh, gods…Keiran!

Gaige tried to run to him, but couldn’t move. He was paralyzed, his legs frozen in place. He tried to call out, but though the muscles of his throat moved, no sound escaped him.

Desperate, he tried again, this time using the draegan mind speak. ::Keiran! Please hear me. Answer me. Please!::

Slowly, too slowly, the dark head lifted and turned toward Gaige, holding his gaze for a brief second before falling back to the ground.

Pain, sharp and jagged, sliced through Gaige.

The dark eyes and haunted face that had stared at him…weren’t those of the man he loved.

Fires of Ballian excerpt, copyright 2009 by M.L. Rhodes

Fall

2009-09-21T13:10:00.011-06:00

Well, summer is officially over. Technically the first day of autumn is tomorrow, September 22, but in the Colorado foothills where I live, it's started early. Or maybe we've just skipped fall and gone straight to winter.

On Saturday, it was warm and summery and I sat out on my deck dressed in shorts and a tee and wrote all day. Sunday it was still sunny and warm.

This morning...I woke up to snow.

And a sore throat. Oh, goody. *g*

Even my little dog looked shocked (bottom left in the picture). Like...you expect me to go out there and do what?

Birthdays, gambling, and how fireworks fixed a plot hole...

2009-09-20T23:30:00.003-06:00

So, I just got back from vacation. My family and I went to Florida to experience The Mouse, the beach, Sea World, and other assorted activities. It was our last gasp of summer fun because in Florida it's still very much summer in September, but here in Colorado winter has a tendency to start early.

We had a great time! We walked about a zillion miles, which made up for all the food we ate on the free Disney Dining Plan *g*. I was reminded again by the dolphins we saw, as I always am, to make time for play and family and not work too much (a curse of mine!). While I was at the beach one afternoon, an entire scene, complete with dialogue, came to me for my current writing project, Fires of Ballian. And as I watched the fireworks one night over to the top of the castle at Magic Kingdom, one of the resounding booms brought to startling light for me that I had a plot hole in my story that I hadn't even *thought* about before. Yikes! I couldn't believe it had never occurred to me. So my creative mind went to work like a whirling dervish, and by the time the last fireworks sputtered over the sky, I'd already figured out how to fix it. Ah, the magic of Disney. LOL!

On another note, my mom celebrated her 86th birthday a few days ago. She's 86 going on 56. Seriously. She's more active than I am! She takes an exercise class twice a week, bowls on a regular league, has constant lunch dates and meetings with her various organizations, still drives, still travels, still does all her own mowing and house painting and you name it. For her birthday, she decided she wanted to go gamble (she loves playing the slots). We have legalized gambling here in Colorado in a couple of the old gold mining towns in the mountains. So today (Sunday) my family, my two older sisters, and my mom drove up to Cripple Creek, CO. I never, ever win anything, and don't usually get too excited about slots, but I came away with an $80 win (a certain machine called the Frog Princess was very kind to me ;)). Not bad for penny slots, huh? Hey, it paid for lunch and the gas to drive to the mountains, and gave me enough left over to pay my league bowling fees this week. :) One of my sisters won $40 on penny slots. The other lost about $10. My mom, who's usually very lucky and wins, lost about $2. Yeah, we're all really big spending gamblers. Can't you tell? *g* My hubby and boys took off on their own and did a tour of one of the old gold mines. They had a fabulous time. They tell me it was a rickety, tiny elevator that went down 1000 feet underground. I so would never have done that. Small, dark, enclosed spaces and I don't get along. It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it, although it probably would have been fodder for some new writing material. :)

New cover

2009-09-04T17:14:00.004-06:00

I just got the cover for another of my upcoming releases...Point of No Return. I think it's way hot!! What do you think? :)

This is a story that I'll probably write late this year or sometime in 2010. I'm pretty psyched to write it...I've made lots of notes about it and I'm already more than half in love with the heroes. LOL! It's a m/m romantic suspense.

Lords of Kellesborne now at the Kindle store!

2009-08-27T03:31:00.003-06:00

I meant to mention this earlier... I've had several readers contact me over the past couple of months asking when Lords of Kellesborne would be available for Kindle. True of Heart has been up at the Kindle store for a while, I know, and many people were waiting for part two. As of this week, Kellesborne is for sale now also. Yay! :)

Here's the direct link: Lords of Kellesborne at Kindle store

It looks like all but my two most recent stories are now for sale at the Kindle store. The only two missing are Satisfaction and Bring the Heat. I suspect they'll be going up sometime over the next month or so. In the meantime, you can always buy the PRC format of those stories (or any of my stories) at Amber Allure to read on your Kindle, if you have one. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download the Kindle app or an app called Stanza for reading ebooks. Stanza will read virtually any ebook format--it's pretty nifty.

My week so far...

2009-08-26T23:48:00.004-06:00

Monday, I spent the day out running errands and didn't get home until 9 p.m. I should have written when I got home, but instead I was tired and useless after minimal sleep the night before, so I watched movies. I'm not proud of my slacking off, but I guess we all have to do it every now and then. I watched 17 Again (is Zac Efron totally adorable, or what?!), I Love You, Man (which was okay...I didn't like it as much as I thought I would), and Across the Universe, which a friend had loaned me. Across the Universe was interesting, different, and I liked it a lot. If you're into Beatles music and musicals, give it a try. Jim Sturgess is too, too cute!

Tuesday, I bowled and my bowling sucked. I bowl on a league every Tuesday. Last week, I had pretty good scores for me (I mean I'm hardly a brilliant bowler, but I don't usually totally suck)...145 and 167. This week...104 and 107. What's up with that?! Must do better next time.

Wednesday, today, I was very productive doing things for my day job. Went to my pottery class this evening and trimmed some bowls, did some glazing, and admired my handiwork on the pieces I completed this session. I Raku fired a pretty cool bowl, and can't wait to see how some of my other bigger bowls I made this time turn out once they're glazed. Tonight I have editing to do, and hopefully some writing before bed! Oh, and I also have to tackle the dreaded treadmill. Or the exercise bike. And it's already midnight. Yeah, and now you know why I'm a night owl. Not enough time in the day to do everything! :)

A quick answer to a question/Another update

2009-08-24T02:46:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention this in my earlier post. I've had some readers ask me if I plan to write a story about Eric, Jesse's friend in Satisfaction who was treated so badly by his long-term lover. The answer is a big yes! When I wrote the end of Satisfaction Eric really tugged at my heart and I knew right then that I needed to write a story for Eric so he could have a happily ever after. The story is tentatively on my agenda for sometime in 2010. :)

Writing update

2009-08-22T06:14:00.005-06:00

I'm going to try to be better about writing on my blog in the upcoming months. I was overwhelmed there for a while, trying to keep a blog on Blogger, LiveJournal, and MySpace and when I realized I couldn't keep up, I just sort of...well...dropped the ball on all them. Urgh. :-/ So in the interest of keeping in better touch with readers, I'm going to focus my energies here on Blogger, since I find it the easiest to use. You'll notice there are no more multiple links on my website to the various places...just one, solitary blog link. It just makes my life ever so much simpler. And hopefully yours as well!

First and foremost, I want to thank all my readers who've written over the past few months. Your emails are always a joy to receive and read! I've been excruciatingly busy this summer and my online time has been pretty scarce--I apologize for that! I will be catching up on email over the next couple of weeks, however, and will do my very best to respond to everyone who's written me!!

For those of you who've been waiting ever so patiently for the next book in the Draegan Lords series (and you know who you are...I get more email each week about when Fires of Ballian will be out than anything else! *g*), I'm currently writing it. It's coming along nicely and although I don't have a firm release date for it, I suspect it'll be released in the October-November time frame depending on when I get it done. Stay tuned to my website and I'll post a specific date when the book is finished. I realize I left Gaige and Keiran in a bit of limbo, at the end of Lords of Kellesborne, so I know many of you are anxious to find out what happens next. :)

The second most common question I get in reader email is "When will In Too Deep be released?" For those of you who don't know, In Too Deep is the sequel to Out Of My Mind, which was released in November of 2007. I hadn't originally intended for there to be a sequel when I wrote Out Of My Mind, but by the time I finished it, I felt like there was yet more to tell about Nick and Rafferty, my two Maine cops. :) I've had many letters from readers saying the same thing. I actually have part of In Too Deep written, so the plan is that as soon as Fires of Ballian is done, I'll dive back into In Too Deep and finish it. I'm hoping to see it released by the end of this year. As always, though, I can't promise that...it will just depend on when the editorial director at Amber Allure can fit it into the schedule. But that's my tentative plan. So again, stay tuned.

Many readers have asked if I'll be writing more about Robert and Jesse from Passion and Satisfaction. The answer is yes! The third story in that series is called Undivided.

I've also had many people ask when I'm going to write the sequel to Falling. I know it's been listed as coming soon for a long, long time. I do still plan to write it--I already have part of it written, in fact--but I'm not sure yet when it'll be finished and released. I haven't forgotten about it, however!

Right now I don't have any plans to write a sequel to Bring the Heat. I totally love those guys, though, and I know myself well enough to realize I might very well come up with a story for them at some point in the future.

I have a couple of brand new stories with brand new characters in the works for 2010. One is called Point of No Return. It'll be a m/m romantic suspense (one of the heroes is a DEA agent, the other is, I think, going to be a small town sheriff). It'll be set in New Mexico. The other story I'm planning is called Living Without You, which is a m/m reunion/opposites attract story. The heroes had a summer romance when they were in their late teens, then don't see each other for ten years. I'm looking forward to writing both of these stories...I've had the characters in my head for a looong time.

So that's my agenda for the rest of 2009 and into 2010. I'll post more info as I know it, and try to keep you all up to date on my progress with Fires of Ballian and In Too Deep.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

ML :)

-

iPhone apps?

2009-03-09T02:59:00.000-06:00

I'm always on the prowl for new, fun apps for my iPhone, so drop me a comment and let me know what your fave apps are if you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch!

ML :)

New Gay M/M release...Passion!

2009-02-23T00:30:00.004-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm psyched to tell you that I have a new release! This one's called Passion. It came about kind of unexpectedly after I wrote The Elf and Shoemaker. There's a scene in Elf and Shoemaker where a man goes into Logan Shoemaker's store and talks to him. As I was writing that scene, I really liked this secondary character though he only had a small bit of page-time and decided I wanted to write his story...to tell what happened to him after he left Logan's store. So, voila, the story Passion was born. :)

I hope you'll enjoy it and fall in love with Robert and Jesse as much as I did! And, yes, there's going to be a sequel. It's called Satisfaction.

As the owner and CEO of his own company, Robert Bauer has spent the past fifteen years building his business into a multi-million dollar corporation. It’s taken all his time and energy, which hasn’t left much room for a personal life, especially a love life. That’s fine with Robert because he doesn’t believe in the L word anyway. Lately, however, every time he goes to his favorite bar, he can’t keep his eyes and thoughts off Jesse McIntyre, the gorgeous bartender with the soulful blue eyes. Even though Robert’s not looking for a relationship, and tries to shake the attraction, he can’t get the younger man out of his system. There’s just one problem…he believes Jesse’s straight.

Jesse’s been on the run from his old life for the past two and a half years. Even though he slings drinks at a gay bar, he has a hard and fast rule about never hooking up with customers. He’s been down that road before, and though his physical wounds have healed, the emotional ones aren’t so easy to forget. He lets his customers assume he’s straight because it makes it easier to keep his distance. That is until the businessman with the sexy smile starts coming into the bar. Jesse’s drawn to Robert, even though he knows there’s no way a wealthy, powerful man like that would ever be interested in a tattooed, college drop-out bad boy like him. But even if Robert weren’t his opposite, it wouldn’t matter anyway, because Jesse’s determined not to break his rules for anyone.

When fate throws them together, and they find themselves alone for a weekend, the passion that’s silently simmered for months ignites a firestorm that leaves them both shaken. Will it be enough, though, to convince Robert, who’s sworn to never fall in love, that he might be pushing away the best thing that’s ever happened to him? Or to force Jesse to face his fears once and for all and learn to trust his heart?

So there you have it! If you'd like to read an excerpt you can find one on my website here. And you can buy a copy of the story at Amber Allure.

Have a great week!

XOXO,
ML

New Gay M/M release...The Elf and Shoemaker

2009-01-26T17:59:00.001-07:00

I have a brand new release...it just came out yesterday! It's a contemporary fantasy called The Elf and Shoemaker. Here's the scoop on it...

Logan Shoemaker is honest, hardworking, and loves what he does. Though he never expects to get rich, up until recently he’s fared well enough to stay comfortable with his quirky metaphysical store, Shoemaker’s Magick Shoppe. But when the economy comes on hard times, his store pays the price. As each month passes, slow sales turn into no sales, and soon Logan’s living off ramen noodles and sleeping in a freezing house during the cold winter nights as he struggles to make ends meet. His personal life isn’t much better—the worse business at the store grows, the more isolated and lonely he becomes. After a string of mishaps that wipe out the last of his small savings, he finally hits rock bottom the day he discovers the disconnection notice from the electric company hanging on his door. That night, desperate and in despair, he makes a plea to the universe, asking for help.

Needless to say, he never anticipates receiving a response so quickly. Not only does he wake up the next morning to find on his kitchen table four little bottles of a special potion labeled “PASSION,” but he keeps remembering the erotically charged dream he’d had during the night. A dream where a tall, gorgeous man with pointed ears comes to his bed and shows him just what kind of magick they can make together.

But was it a dream? All Logan knows is that his customers can’t get enough of the PASSION potion--an aphrodisiac--and he can’t stop thinking about the sweet seduction of the nighttime visitor who made it. As he tries to sort out what’s real and what’s not, he discovers there’s a much bigger world out there than he’d ever believed, and his true heart’s desire might come in a most unexpected form.

If you'd like to read an excerpt, you can check one out on my website or read an excerpt and buy a copy at Amber Allure!

For those of you who've enjoyed my Draegan Lords series...you might be interested to know this book is loosely related. A careful reader will find a few familiar things in this story. ;) (And after you read it, if you want to email me and confirm or ask questions...go for it! *g*) But not to worry for those who haven't read The Draegan Lords series...this book is fully standalone and you'll be able to read it on its own merits.

I think it's quite a good story and one I really loved writing, so I hope readers will love it, too!

Have a great week, everyone!

XOXO,
ML

New M/M paperback release...The Vertigo Chronicles, Vol. I

2008-12-06T08:00:00.004-07:00

Check it out! It's available now at Amazon.com! This paperback includes the first two stories in the series....Vertigo and Shattered. :)

I hope everyone's having a great December so far!

XOXO,
ML

New M/M Release....Shattered!

2008-10-30T20:36:00.001-06:00

SHATTERED

With a mysterious past he can’t remember, and special powers he can’t explain, Simon Saint-Saëns hunts the creatures of darkness others fear—beings that come through dimensional rifts into this world from a world called Vertigo. It’s a dangerous, desolate existence, and with only one exception from long ago that left him broken-hearted and riddled with guilt, Simon’s chosen to isolate himself and fight alone. But when the man he’d once loved and thought dead makes a sudden and shocking appearance, Simon finds himself torn between his self-imposed duty and the deeply entrenched feelings he still has for Jaden Cole.

Enslaved in Vertigo since childhood, Jade was one of the innocent lives Simon saved when he first began hunting. Simon took him in and nursed him back to health, but when their friendship grew into something deeper, he sent Jade away and cut him out of his life. Nine years later, when a new evil stirs to life in Vertigo and targets Simon as its enemy, Jade returns. He’s not the same innocent he was when he and Simon first met, though. The years as a slave in Vertigo left him with a permanent and savage affliction, one he must battle constantly in order to keep a tentative grip on his humanity. His reunion with Simon is emotional and complicated. But even though he’s now a creature of darkness, he’s never stopped loving Simon and will risk everything to protect him.
After a battle in which Simon is almost killed, Jade knows there’s only one being powerful enough to help them. He and Simon journey into the dark caverns beneath the city to an ancient realm of magic and illusion. There, Jade makes a deal that will help ensure Simon’s protection from the wraith that wants him dead. However, in a world where human inhibitions are stolen at the door, and primal passions reign, Jade quickly finds himself losing control not only of the beast that lives within him, but a dark dangerous secret he’s yet to share with Simon…one that could shatter everything.

You can read an excerpt on my website and buy a copy now at Amber Allure!

I hope you enjoy it! :)

XOXO
ML

Newest release...Under My Skin II

2008-08-14T00:24:00.004-06:00

My newest release (well, kinda new...it came out July 6th) is Under My Skin II. Yep, the sequel to Sebastian and Dylan's story Under My Skin. So for those of you who've been wondering what happens next... :)

Sequel to the Amber Allure #1 bestseller...Under My Skin!

Sebastian Keller’s lived with the label “the smart guy” most of his life. He hasn’t always appreciated it, and it certainly hasn’t worked to his advantage in most romantic relationships—for years it seemed he was destined to attract the wrong type. So the last thing he’d wanted this past spring was to fall for the hunky tattoo artist who moved his shop in next door to Sebastian’s thriving bookstore. Dylan Radamacher, owner of Rad Tattoos, was everything Sebastian loathed. Let’s face it…bookish geeks and counterculture bad boys weren’t made to mix. Something Sebastian knew from painful personal experience.

But when Dylan, with his teasing smile, hot, inked body, and come hither voice, set his sights on Sebastian, determined to prove that some bad boys could be very, very good indeed, Sebastian found the man impossible to resist.

For two months now things between them have been sinfully spectacular, so Sebastian hates to rock the boat. But the truth is…in spite of his own commitment issues, he’s fallen in love with the sexy tattooist. Dylan, on the other hand, seems determined to avoid the “L” word at all costs. As their relationship makes a turn toward the serious side, can the guys overcome their fears and take the steps that will bring them the kind of love that lasts a lifetime? Or will their old baggage come back to haunt them and tear them apart for good?

You want a copy...you know you do! LOL! If so, you can get it at Amber Allure or at All Romance Ebooks.

And for those of you who prefer paperbacks to ebooks...it will be out later this month in paperback! The paperback version will contain both Under My Skin part 1 and part 2!

I hope everyone's having an awesome summer!

XOXO,
ML

Newest release...Vertigo!

2008-06-14T03:17:00.002-06:00

And this was my late May release, Vertigo! It's the first in a series called The Vertigo Chronicles. :)

#1 Bestseller at Amber Allure!

Book 1 in the Vertigo Chronicles!

Each night Simon Saint-Saëns hunts the creatures of darkness that others fear—beings that come through dimensional rifts into our world from a world called Vertigo. Simon has unexplained superpowers that help him fight, but his is a desolate existence, fraught with danger. He works by himself and never allows anyone to get too close to him because his powers come at a terrible cost—a secret he’s never revealed to anyone. Better to be alone than jeopardize the life of someone he cares about.

Enslaved in Vertigo for years, Jaden Cole was one of the innocent lives Simon saved when he first started hunting. Jade had almost forgotten what it meant to be human…until Simon found him and brought him back to this world. But when their friendship turned into something more, Simon sent Jade away and cut him out of his life to keep Jade safe.

Nine years later, when a new, powerful evil stirs to life in Vertigo and targets Simon as its enemy, Jade returns. He’s not the same innocent he was all those years ago, though. Now he has his own secret, one that could turn Simon against him, even force Simon to kill him. But Jade’s willing to risk everything, even his life, to save the man he’s always loved.

Click here for a steamy excerpt!
Click here to buy a copy!

Newish release...Under My Skin!

2008-06-14T03:16:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I'm behind in posting to my blog. As usual. But, hey...better late than never! :) This was my late April release...

#1 Bestseller at Amber Allure!

All Romance Ebooks Bestseller!

“The smart guy”—Sebastian Keller’s lived with that label most of his life. Though he hasn’t always appreciated it, and it hasn’t exactly made him a man magnet, he’s put his intelligence to work building his store, Great Escapes Travel Book Shop, to the point it’s now the favorite recommendation of travel agents in the St. Louis area. His customers—especially the jet-setting senior citizens—love him for his amiable personality.

He doesn’t feel very amiable, however, when Rad Tattoos moves in next door to Great Escapes. Its owner, Dylan Radamacher, rubs Sebastian the wrong way from the get-go. The man’s insufferable, stubborn, and, worse, a bad boy. Everything Sebastian loathes. To add insult to injury, Sebastian’s certain the loud music, the congested parking lot, and the constant colorful parade of the counterculture in and out of the tattoo studio are scaring away his loyal, conservative customers.

And yet, much to his annoyance, the teasing sparkle in Dylan’s eyes, his hot, inked body, and come-hither voice set Sebastian’s libido on fire. Sebastian’s been there, done that with the bad boy type before, though, and almost lost everything because of it. There’s no way he’s going down that road again.

But when Dylan sets his sights on Sebastian and is determined to take him for a walk on the wild side, Sebastian knows he’s in big trouble. It’s going to take all his smarts and a whole lot of will power to resist the sexy tattoo artist before the man finds a way to burrow deeper under his skin…

Click here for a steamy excerpt!
Buy a copy here!

-

Tattooed hunk/New cover!

2008-04-14T23:15:00.001-06:00

My next gay erotic romance, due out around April 20th, is about a bookstore owner who finds himself both annoyed as hell at and turned on by the new shopkeeper next door...a hot, bad boy tattoo artist. Totally not the bookstore owner's type...or so he thinks. Yet the man just lights his fire!

Here's the cover for the story--Under My Skin.

I think he's pretty hot, too! ;)

XOXO,
ML

-

Supernatural Hunk!

2008-01-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester on Supernatural.

See what I mean? Hot. As. Hell. :)

XOXO,
ML

-

Supernatural

2008-01-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'm waaay behind the times here and everyone but ME has probably already been watching this show, but holy moly!! I just discovered Supernatural and am completely addicted! I downloaded the first two full seasons and all the episodes of season three thus far from iTunes and spent a week gorging myself on them. Ever since Buffy and Angel, I've been struggling to find something to fill that niche. Doctor Who and Torchwood have helped immensely (love, love, love both those shows!!), but I've seen all the episodes of those and am patiently waiting for new ones, so I was once again floundering, empty, and craving something. Enter Supernatural. I LOVE it!! Great monsters and creepy things (I have to admit, a couple of the episodes have pretty thoroughly scared the bejeebers out of me), great writing, and Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have awesome rapoire. And can I just say I have the serious hots for Sam Winchester! Man...it's all I can do not to drool when I watch. :)

Anyway, for those who haven't seen it yet (like I said, probably everyone knew about it but moi!), check it out! Like...now!!

XOXO,
ML

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

My mom always told me when I was a kid and would wish the weekend would hurry and get here, or wish Christmas or summer or next year would hurry and come, that I shouldn't wish time away because the older you get, the faster time seems to fly. And boy was she right. 2007 was a blur in so many ways. But it was also a great year, so no complaints from me!

I had seven new releases in 2007 (including novellas, novels, and anthologies), and 2008 looks to be equally busy and productive for me. Here's my tentative release schedule for the coming year:

March -- Lords of Kellesborne (sequel to True of Heart)
April -- The Draegan Lords (paperback that will include True of Heart and Lords of Kellesborne)
April -- Under My Skin
May -- Vertigo (part of the gay superhero AmberPax at Amber Allure)
Summer/Fall/Winter -- Fires of Ballian (sequel to Lords of Kellesborne), Under My Skin II, Magic (sequel to Falling), Souls Moon (sequel to Souls Deep)

And coming eventually -- a sequel to Out of My Mind, a sequel to Hearts & Bones, The Silver Wood, a possible sequel to Vertigo and possibly more in the Under My Skin series.

I'm going to be busy...but I like it that way. I tend to thrive on having just a little too much to do. :)

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, successful and peaceful 2008!

XOXO,
ML

A new hunk from my gallery :)

2007-11-15T00:38:00.001-07:00

New release!

2007-11-12T02:46:00.001-07:00

I just logged into my account and I can't believe it's been THREE months since I posted!! Ack! I knew I was behind, but that's just sad. Sad, sad, sad. LOL!

Anyway...brand new m/m release this past weekend! It's called Out Of My Mind, and here's the blurb:

For four years Rafferty Jones and Nick Tucker have worked side-by-side as police detectives in their small Maine town. But lately, Rafferty’s imagination has been creating fantasies about Nick—more specifically, about Nick and him together—that have shocked Rafferty. Detailed erotic scenarios a thirty-something, set-in-his-ways straight man shouldn’t be imagining. He’s been struggling to keep them secret, afraid that if Nick discovers the truth it will end their friendship. But with each passing day it’s getting harder and harder to pretend Nick is “just” a friend. And harder and harder for Rafferty to come to terms with the possibility he might not be as straight as he’s always believed.

Nick’s always known he’s gay and he’s had deep feelings for Rafferty for years. But after a difficult experience at his former police precinct in Boston, he decided when he moved to Maine to keep his sexual orientation under wraps on the job. He wants to be acknowledged at work for what he can do, not who he’s doing. And with Rafferty being straight, there’s always been a clear-cut line that Nick’s known he can’t cross with his unsuspecting partner and best friend. And yet...for the past few months it’s become difficult to remember that line. He’s not sure why, he just knows that for the first time in four years his heart and his body are urging him to go for what he really wants...Rafferty.

When a stormy weekend trip on Rafferty’s boat gives birth to an unexpected night of passion, will it be the spark they need to forge a new and deeper relationship? Or will Nick’s past and Rafferty’s fear drive a wedge between them that will destroy not only their barely-begun love affair, but their partnership and friendship as well?

It's available now at Amber Allure

I also have a new paperback available that just came out in late October called Always. It contains my two stories about Will and Ethan...Never Let Go and Hearts & Bones. Here's the info about it!

Now in paperback, Always combines the first two highly acclaimed volumes in the emotional and explosively erotic man-love story of Will McLaren and Ethan Gallagher.

Never Let Go

For years Will McClaren and Ethan Gallagher hid their deepest desires from one another, each thinking the other was straight, both of them too afraid of shattering their friendship to admit their real feelings. Then, in a vulnerable moment, they discover the truth and give themselves over to an explosive passion that will forever alter their relationship. But after just one night together, Ethan’s secret life interferes and the two are torn apart for three long years. When at last Ethan returns, only a shell of the vibrant man Will once knew, and mysteriously evasive about where he’s been, can the two men overcome years of deceptions and tragic truths in order to heal their friendship and perhaps find the kind of love that lasts a lifetime?

And the story continues in...

Hearts & Bones

Finally a couple in every way, Will and Ethan are savoring the pleasures of being together at last. But only a few short weeks into domestic bliss, their hard-won peace and contentment is put to the test. Someone from Ethan’s dark and dangerous past has returned to settle a vindictive score, luring the lovers into a deadly game. When Will’s caught in the crossfire and his very life is at stake, will Ethan be strong enough to overcome his debilitating fears and face down his old enemy? Or will this shadow from his past destroy the one man he’s ever loved?

This one's available at Amazon.com

And now, at almost 4 a.m., I'm off to bed! :)

XOXO,
ML

--

New hunks of the week...er...weeks

2007-07-22T23:27:00.001-06:00

I'm SO behind!! I missed posting two weeks worth of hunks, so without further ado, here they are! :)

Hunk of the week July 19th
In honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being released this week...I thought a bit of Dan Radcliffe hunkage was in order. :)

And from the previous week...

Hunk of the week for July 9th.

Enjoy, everyone!!

XOXO,
ML

--

Transformers

2007-07-07T20:14:00.000-06:00

Saw this movie tonight, and OMG!! It was SO good!! I remember the first time I saw the preview for it in the theater a few months ago, it was this edgy, cool-looking sci-fi-ish flick and I was thinking, "This looks awesome! I want to see this, whatever it is!" And then at the end of the preview it said it was Transformers. I cracked up. I was like...Transformers?! The kids' toys?!?! You've got to be joking! So I kind of wrote it off.

But then a while later I saw another preview and it was even better than the first, so I decided kids' toys or not, I was going to see it. Everyone I'd talked to over the past few days who'd seen it said it was great...and it really was! So if you like sci-fi-ish destruction of the world kind of movies (if you liked Independence Day, for example) this is one you're going to want to see! It was surprisingly good...both the human cast and the robotic one.

It gets the ML two thumbs up! :)

XOXO,
ML

--

Never Let Go...a bestseller!

2007-07-02T11:02:00.001-06:00

My newest m/m erotic romance, Never Let Go, ended up as #1 on the Amber Allure bestseller list for June! Woo hoo! I'm pretty psyched. :)

ML

--

My newest M/M book video!

2007-06-29T00:09:00.001-06:00

Let me know what you think of my newest video... :)

Hugs,
ML

--

New Hunk of the Week

2007-06-28T14:00:00.001-06:00

I came across this one on my friend Kris Avalon's page. How fricking sexy is this?! And, yeah, it's Ricky Martin. Be sure to clean up the drool from your keyboard. LOL!

XOXO,
ML
--

New release...Never Let Go!

2007-06-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

It's out!! My newest M/M erotic romance, Never Let Go, is now available for sale! :) Here's the scoop...

Will McLaren and Ethan Gallagher first met in high school. Ethan—sophisticated, cocky, and full of wild daring—was everything bookish and quiet Will was not. Yet they’d instantly connected and forged an unlikely friendship that had carried them through their teens and well into adulthood. Even as teenagers, though, they’d always kept secrets from one another...hidden bits about their lives and desires they feared could destroy their friendship.

As adults, the secrets have become heavy burdens to bear, forcing them to keep their distance from one another and make up stories to hide the truth. Then, in an unguarded moment, Will lets his slip. His revelation explodes into a night of unexpected passion that stuns them both.

When Ethan disappears the next morning, Will blames himself, and as the months pass with no word, he’s convinced he’s driven away his best friend. He forces himself to move on with his life and try to forget.

But three years later Ethan shows up again, only a shell of the vibrant man Will once knew, and mysteriously evasive about where he’s been. When Ethan makes a confession of his own, can the two men recapture the friendship they’d once shared, and maybe even build something more powerful? Or will the hurts and deceptions of the past tear them apart for good?

Read an excerpt!
Buy a copy!

Happy reading!

XOXO,
ML

--

New Hunk of the Week

2007-06-21T01:49:00.001-06:00

In honor of the first day of summer...

It's okay, you can drool. :)

XOXO,
ML

New cover

2007-05-19T02:45:00.000-06:00

Check out the cover for my upcoming (late June) M/M release, Never Let Go! Isn't it sexy? I just love it!!

Here's a blurb of the story for you...

Will McLaren and Ethan Gallagher first met in high school. Ethan—sophisticated, cocky, and full of wild daring—was everything bookish and practical Will was not. Yet they’d instantly connected, and an unlikely friendship had been forged that carried them through their teens and well into adulthood.

But they both had secrets they’d each sworn to themselves they’d never share with the other. Secrets they thought would destroy their friendship forever. Then one fateful night Will let his slip, admitting he’d been in love with Ethan for years.

When Ethan disappears, Will’s certain its because of his accidental revelation. As the months pass with no word, he’s convinced he’s lost his best friend and forces himself to move on with his life. But three years later Ethan shows up again, only a shell of the vibrant man Will once knew, and mysteriously evasive about where he’s been. When Ethan makes a confession of his own, can the two men recapture the friendship they’d once shared, and maybe even build something more powerful? Or will the hurts and secrets of the past tear them apart for good?

Have a great weekend!!
ML

Catching up!

2007-04-07T06:14:00.001-06:00

I've been woefully neglectful of my blog for the past couple of months. Ack!! Well, in my defense, I've been crazy busy. Really, I have! This past week is the first week I've had in...well, probably about three months or more, where I've actually had spare time on my hands to goof off! Two back-to-back book deadlines, plus deadlines for my day job pretty much had me burning the midnight oil since early January. Whew! So now I have a bit of a break before the next round of deadlines hit. LOL!

My best bits of news are that my January gay erotic romance release, Falling, continues to be on the Amazon.com gay erotic fiction bestseller list! It's been there for about six weeks now and has held the #1 position several times! Thanks to all the wonderful readers who've been buying it. And extra thanks for those of you who've written me about the book! I'm still catching up on email, so if I haven't responded yet, please don't think it's because I don't care...because I do! I may be late responding, but I will respond! :)

I also had a new gay erotic romance release in March. True of Heart is now available in ebook formats. It's a dragon shapeshifter story with two strong and stubborn heroes...Keiran Hareldson, who's the leader of the shapeshifters, and Gaige Rizik, who's sent by the villain to find Keiran and kill him. :) Here's a quick blurb for you...

A hundred years ago, the high sorcerer of Velensperia attacked and virtually destroyed the shapeshifting draegan race. Now, a group of draegans are fighting back. One man is sent in to identify and kill the draegan commander, but instead finds the shapeshifters, and their captivating leader, are not what he was led to believe. In a world of lies, deceptions, and dark secrets, can two men born to be enemies overcome the deadly odds against them and follow their hearts to a love that lasts a lifetime?

Check out my website for an excerpt and more details!

Next up...in late June I'll have a new gay erotic romance release called Never Let Go. It's a contemporary novella about two men who've been friends since they were teenagers but don't realize until it's almost too late that they've always been in love with one another.

After that I'll be writing the sequel to Falling, which is called Magic. It'll pick up shortly after Falling ended, with further dangerous magic adventures with Christian and Alec. :)

And after that...whew, I'll be writing a sequel to True of Heart called Lords of Kellesborne.

See what I mean...more deadlines looming. LOL! But I love it!

Hope everyone's having a great April so far!

Hugs,
ML

Dogs talking

2007-04-06T17:20:00.000-06:00

This is just too, TOO funny! LOL!

ML

New book video

2007-02-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I tried my hand at my first book video (trailer) yesterday. Here's what I came up with. Let me know what you think! :)

ML

What kind sports car are you? :)

2007-02-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Got this quiz from my friend Adrianna Dane and had to share. I'm a Corvette...what are you? :)

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Sometimes it's really sad when a book is finished!! :)

2007-01-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so psyched! My newest M/M story has been released from Amber Heat! Falling is now on sale. This one's a full-length novel...and it was so much fun to write. It's one of my all time fave books I've ever written. It totally fell in love with Alec and Christian and I was in such a state of depression for several days after I finished writing it because it just wasn't ready to let them go yet!! I'm sure other authors must have that experience sometimes, too...that feeling of being kind of lost when you finish a story, especially one that you've really gotten into, with characters you love. I've had it happen a couple of times before, but this was one of the worst. I moped around for several days. I was trying to explain it to my hubby. It's kind of like having your best friend move away, except worse. And it's not exactly like grieving when someone you love dies. I finally likened it to that horrible, empty grief that happens after a romantic break-up. Weird, huh? But that's what it's like for me! After a couple of days I decided if I still love the characters that much, I should just write a sequel. So I'm going to! LOL! I feel like I still have plenty of rich material between these two hunks emotionally...and there's certainly plenty of territory I could still explore in the magic world I created! In fact, the sequel's going to be titled Magic! :)

When, you ask, is this sequel going to get written? A very good question. Hehehe! I'm finishing up a M/M story called True of Heart for the March m/m AmberPax, and then I have another book I'd like to finish first. But probably in March I'll start writing Magic!

In the meantime, here's a teaser for Falling...

As the leader of an elite British group that hunts criminals of the magic world, Christian Wetherly comes to the U. S. undercover, posing as a British cop, to investigate a series of murders he suspects have been committed by a dark mage. He never expects, however, to find himself intensely attracted to the American police detective in charge of the case. Christian has long struggled with his hidden desires and hasn’t admitted them to anyone. But Alec Anderson stirs something deep within him that’s difficult to ignore.

Still...even if he could master his fear of coming out, Christian’s dedicated himself to protecting the world from magic terrors. It’s a dangerous life an ordinary human could never understand or accept. And to complicate matters, Alec’s emotionally vulnerable, still grieving the death of his previous lover, a fellow cop killed in the line of duty. So Christian’s determined to keep his true occupation and powers hidden from Alec.

Neither man can deny the powerful chemistry that burns between them, and both realize they’re falling hard for one another, yet with so many secrets and complications, a relationship seems impossible.

When the two men becomes the target of the dark magic, however, and clues about an ancient legacy come to light that indicate Alec may not be exactly what he seems, can they find the strength to tear down all the barriers between them and risk their hearts in order to save each other’s lives?

For an excerpt and/or to buy a copy, click here!

Happy reading!

ML :)

M.L. Rhodes
Hot nights. Hot heroes. Hot reads.
www.mlrhodeswriting.com

EPPIE finalist and a new release coming soon!

2006-12-20T03:29:00.000-07:00

Hi readers!

I was thrilled to discover a few days ago that my erotic romantic suspense Take It On Faith is a 2007 EPPIE finalist! A huge congratulations to all the other Amber Quill/Amber Heat EPPIE finalists, and we had a slew of them this year!! It's awesome to see AQP and AQP authors shining so brightly!

I also want to let you know about my upcoming January m/m release, Falling. I'm psyched because while I've already had a couple of m/m novellas published, Falling will be my first full-length man-love novel! You can visit my website to read a blurb and excerpt for it. (www.mlrhodeswriting.com) Enjoy!

Also, while you're at my website, be sure to check out the newest eye candy in my Hot Hunks Gallery. Consider the holiday hunks a little gift from me to you!

Happy Yule, Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year to all! And happy reading, too! :)

Hugs,
ML

M.L. Rhodes
Hot night. Hot heroes. Hot reads.
www.mlrhodeswriting.com

Souls Deep on Fictionwise bestseller list!!

2006-11-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

My M/M vampire erotic romance Souls Deep...

...is on the Fictionwise erotica bestseller list!!

It's also currently listed as one of their highest rated erotica stories!
And is also an Amber Heat #1 Bestseller!

Yeah, I'm pretty psyched!! Here's the blurb and some review quotes I've recently received...

As a child, Griffin Hilliard's special abilities were attributed to an
overactive imagination. But by adulthood, his psychic talents were so
strong he'd become a threat to his politically powerful family. To protect
their dirty little secrets, they arranged an "accident" for him. He
survived, but now he lives on the run, only one step ahead of his family's
hired assassins. Until one night, when he's finally caught...

His life is saved by a mysterious man named Jarrah. Griffin senses a
dangerous, primal undercurrent in the stranger-as if he's not quite human.
Yet Griffin's inexplicably drawn to him. It could be the emotional pain he
suspects his rescuer hides. But Griffin fears the real reason is more
disturbing-Jarrah stirs a powerful longing in him that goes against
everything Griffin's ever believed about himself. As the assassins close in
once again, and his rescuer reveals himself for what he really is, Griffin's
torn between running, as he's done his whole life, or standing up to face
his past and his own soul-deep desires.

What the reviewers are saying...

4 1/2 Kisses!! "As always, M. L. Rhodes delivers sizzling sensuality
wrapped in realistic, terrifyingly possible speculative fiction. Griffin and
Jarrah are both characters whom the reader will find readily empathetic, and
the plot revolving around Griffin's psychic capabilities and his family's
need to destroy him is stimulating and fast-paced. In Souls Deep Ms. Rhodes
pens m/m sensuality in just as searing a manner as she does m/f intimacy,
and is a writer not to miss out on." ---Frost, Two Lips Reviews

4 Hearts!! "This is a passionate romance that goes beyond the physical as
the two heroes learn to trust and accept. The steamy sex is described in
explicitly graphic and creative details for the reader's enjoyment. Souls
Deep is a highly erotic, passionately sexy romance with a creative storyline
and exciting action." ---Anita, The Romance Studio

Get a copy today at http://www.amberheat.com or http://www.fictionwise.com
Read an excerpt at my website: http://www.mlrhodeswriting.com

Happy reading!
ML

And yet another new release!!

2006-10-09T04:31:00.000-06:00

Yes, I've been a busy, busy writer girl. A writer girl writing about sexy men. Hot, incredible, drool-worthy men who like to be with other men. :) Can you tell I'm totally in love with man love? LOL!

So, I hereby announce that my second M/M erotic romance is now officially for sale!! Souls Deep was released yesterday, October 8th. Pick up a copy! And while you're at it, pick a copy of The Professor's Secret Passion while you're at it (if you haven't already)! The Professor was the #1 bestseller at Amber Quill/Amber Heat in September! (Guess I'm not the only one who's in love with man love ;))

Here's what Souls Deep is all about...

As a child, Griffin Hilliard’s special abilities were attributed to an overactive imagination. But by adulthood, his psychic talents were so strong he’d become a threat to his politically powerful family. To protect their dirty little secrets, they arranged an “accident” for him. He survived, but now he lives on the run, only one step ahead of his family’s hired assassins. Until one night, when he’s finally caught...

His life is saved by a mysterious man named Jarrah. Griffin senses a dangerous, primal undercurrent in the stranger—as if he’s not quite human. Yet Griffin’s inexplicably drawn to him. It could be the emotional pain he suspects his rescuer hides. But Griffin fears the real reason is more disturbing—Jarrah stirs a powerful longing in him that goes against everything Griffin’s ever believed about himself. As the assassins close in once again, and his rescuer reveals himself for what he really is, Griffin’s torn between running, as he’s done his whole life, or standing up to face his past and his own soul-deep desires.

Release date: October 8, 2006
Heat Level: 3 (Amber Quill's hottest level of sensuality)
Length: Extended Novella (39K words)

For an excerpt, click here. To buy a copy, click here!

Have a great week! I know I will!

ML :)

New Release!!

2006-09-03T22:52:00.000-06:00

I'm so psyched! My first gay (M/M) erotic romance came out this weekend from Amber Heat. Yay!! The Professor's Secret Passion is ready for purchase in ebook formats and, and even better deal, it's on sale! All erotic romance novels and novellas are on sale at Amber Heat through the month of September!

Here's the info...

Professor Aidan Sheridan has secretly fantasized about his grad student, Nathan Turner, for two long years. And now Nathan is hinting he’d like to move beyond their professional association to something on a deeper, more intimate level. Although Aidan longs to claim the sexy, younger man as a lover, he doesn’t dare admit that he, too, burns for more. Not if he intends to protect Nate from a bitter event in his own past that still haunts him.

When Nate suspects Aidan is hiding his real feelings, he takes matters into his own hands. The long-pent-up passion between them explodes into a night of erotic and emotional intensity neither man can forget. But in the light of day, will Nate’s love be enough to heal Aidan, or will the professor’s fears tear them apart?

Read an excerpt
Buy a copy!

I hope my readers will enjoy this sexy man love story! I'm always happy to hear from readers, so drop me a note and let me know what you think! ml@mlrhodeswriting.com

Happy reading and happy September!

ML

Johnny Depp look alike

2006-08-21T00:22:00.000-06:00

Current music: U2
Current mood: punchy from being too tired

At my local Whole Foods market there's a supremely hunky young guy (when I say young I mean probably in his early to mid-twenties) who works one of the cash registers. And I swear he looks like he could be Johnny Depp's younger brother. Truly! This guy is a major hottie. And personality plus. He's got a gorgeous smile with kind of a devish glint in his eyes.

Does this blog post have anything to do with anything? No. Not really. LOL! I just wanted to share. Wish I could post a picture of him. Do you think he'd let me snap his photo next time he's ringing up my organic milk and veggies? He's the type he probably would! Hehehe! Not sure my hubby would love that, though. He rolls his eyes every time we're there and we get this hunk at the register, as if to say, "Oh, no, here we go again with the Johnny Depp dude." And I just waggle my eyebrows at him (hubby).

I told the guy he looks like Johnny Deep except even better looking. (Nah, I'm not shy...and he probably thought I was a forward "older" woman, which, you could tell, he totally loved.) He said, "I've heard that a few times." Did he blush? Nope. Just grinned that cocky grin that said, "Yeah, I'm hot and I really can't help it."

I might have to model a hero in one of my books after him. Yeah... I can already picture a steaming fantasy with this guy as the star. Yes, indeedy! It's times like this I'm downright gleeful I'm a writer!

Souls Deep blurb...

2006-08-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

Finally, at last, I have a blurb done for my October man love erotic romance release, Souls Deep! Here ya go:

As a child, Griffin Hilliard’s special abilities were attributed to an overactive imagination. But by adulthood, his psychic talents were so strong he’d become a threat to his politically powerful family. To protect their dirty little secrets, they arranged an “accident” for him. He survived, but now he lives on the run, only one step ahead of his family’s hired assassins. Until one night, when he’s finally caught...

His life is saved by a mysterious man named Jarrah. Griffin senses a dangerous, primal undercurrent in the stranger—as if he’s not quite human. Yet Griffin’s inexplicably drawn to him. It could be the emotional pain he suspects his rescuer hides. But Griffin fears the real reason is more disturbing—Jarrah stirs a powerful longing in him that goes against everything Griffin’s ever believed about himself. As the assassins close in once again, and his rescuer reveals himself for what he really is, Griffin’s torn between running, as he’s done his whole life, or standing up to face his past and his own soul-deep desires.

Coming in October from Amber Heat as part of the Hidden Desires M/M AmberPax!

Story Progress Update

2006-08-02T02:47:00.000-06:00

Here's where I stand with my upcoming stories...

The Professor's Secret Passion: 21,000 out of 21,000 words (100% complete!)

Souls Deep: 5000 out of 25,000 (20% complete)

One Enchanted Evening: 42,000 out of 60,000 (70% complete)

Jonesing (Book 2 in the Night Shadows Series): 3000 out of 38,000 (7% complete)

Hunkalicious Inspiration!

2006-07-21T16:42:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed as you’re browsing romance authors’ websites, specifically erotic romance authors’ websites, how many of them have a page dedicated to gorgeous, hunky, half-nude men?

As it happens, I don’t have a page of hunks on my site. But I admit, I’m considering adding one. I mean, erotic romance is all about pleasure, right? And if you’re reading it, then why not get a visual along with it? I’ve been extremely lucky to have some truly mouthwatering covers on my erotic stories, so I always feel blessed—and more than a little excited—when I see an email from the Amber Heat art director, Trace Zaber, with the words “Your cover for ____” in the title. Because I know chances are very high I’m about to get a little (okay, or maybe a big) thrill. It’s hard to pick faves because I love them all, but to date, the ones I most enjoy looking at are the covers from The Bodyguard, Night Shadows, Take It On Faith, and my upcoming September release, The Professor’s Secret Passion. The epitome of hot hunks, all of them.

So the cover does, in my humble opinion, definitely add to the pleasure quotient for readers. At least it does for me as a reader.

But back to those pages on author sites devoted to the half-nude men. Okay, drool-worthy cover art is a must. So what’s with these other guys?

Here’s the way I see it. Most writers, as we write, get a picture in our head of our characters. We describe them on the page for readers, give them heights, hair and eye color, sensuous muscles, and big co...er...manly appendages. :) But many of us also tend to visualize our characters, the heroes in particular, as specific people--maybe famous actors or cover models we’ve seen. Or, if there’s no perfect actor or celebrity, we might go out on the net and do some browsing around until we find a picture and go, “OMG, that’s my hero!!” Then we save the pic and put it in a file somewhere so as we write we can ogle the beautiful creature.

I’m guilty of this. I admit it. I don’t do it for every story, but many of them. For example, as I was writing Masks, my Phantom of the Opera book, I had Gerard Butler in mind the entire time as my hero. What was *really* weird is that I wrote the story before I ever even knew they were making a phantom movie and Gerard Butler was starring in it. How’s that for a woo-woo moment? Okay, so that’s my example of celebrity inspiration. But for my September release, The Professor’s Secret Passion, I actually came across pics on the internet that gave me OMG! moments. I have two heroes in this story (double the pleasure!), Aidan (dark hair) and Nate (blond hair). Here are the pics I looked at as I was writing:

So tell me, authors, who are your fave hunky hero inspirations as you write? And readers, do you ever visualize specific people as you read a story. Or do you picture the hunky hero on the cover art (if there is a hunk on the cover) as you read? And...be honest here, folks...how many of you have pics of hot hunks on your website? On your blog? Hanging on the corkboard in your office or cubicle?

By the way...the last pic here? Purely eye candy. Enjoy!

M.L. Rhodes
Hot Night. Hot Heroes. Hot Reads.
www.mlrhodeswriting.com

Sizzling new cover and blurb

2006-07-13T00:36:00.000-06:00

Check out the cover for my upcoming contemporary gay erotica! Is that hot or what?! Once again Trace Zaber has created a cover that's not only sexy, but classy as well. Don't those guys look supremely intimate? I LOVE it!!!

And while I'm posting new stuff, I also now have a blurb for this story. Here ya go:

The Professor's Secret Passion

Professor Aidan Sheridan has secretly fantasized about his grad student, Nathan Turner, for two long years. And now Nathan is hinting he’d like to move beyond their professional association to something on a deeper, more intimate level. Although Aidan longs to claim the sexy, younger man as a lover, he doesn’t dare admit that he, too, burns for more. Not if he intends to protect Nate from a bitter event in his own past that still haunts him.

When Nate suspects Aidan is hiding his real feelings, he takes matters into his own hands. The long-pent-up passion between them explodes into a night of erotic and emotional intensity neither man can forget. But in the light of day, will Nate’s love be enough to heal Aidan, or will the professor’s fears tear them apart?

The Professor's Secret Passion is tentatively scheduled for release from Amber Heat (the erotica imprint of Amber Quill Press) in September 2006. Check my website late in the summer for a specific date.

ML :)

M.L. Rhodes
Hot Night. Hot Heroes. Hot Reads.
Bestselling erotic fiction
www.mlrhodeswriting.com

Why are m/m stories so delicious?

2006-07-11T23:32:00.000-06:00

In the world of heterosexual erotic romance, the hero, who in many cases is a strong alpha male type, finds lust and love with an equally strong heroine, while the reader keeps a glass of ice water on hand (or perhaps a willing partner) to cool down her own fire, which the author hopes has been ignited due to petting, foreplay, and sex between the hero and heroine.

Sound familiar?

I read tons of erotica--and I'm not using that word lightly, I mean tons. Not only do I write it, I truly enjoy reading it. I'd venture to say I gobble up an average of four or five erotica shorts/novellas/novels every week. Sometimes more. And I read widely, across all the sub-genres. The scenario I described above is the norm for probably 80% of the erotic romance on the market. (That's a guesstimate on my part, which I'm freely admitting, so don't yell at me if you know specific facts and figures.) Now, the heat and sensuality level varies widely. On one end of the spectrum we have erotica that's very similar to steamy "regular" romance. On the other end, we have erotica that pushes the envelope and contains extremely explicit language and situations that would probably make dear old Mom pass out in a dead faint. And then there's every heat level in between. But I think it's good that the sensuality levels cover a wide range of material. They should. Not every reader is the same, and it's important to have diverse material that appeals to a diverse audience.

So what's up with the other guesstimated 20% of the erotica? What I see making up that other 20% are stories that most publishers label as menage and same sex. It's this 20% that I've been thinking about lately.

My Amber Heat colleague, Adrianna Dane, posed a question on the Amber Heat Readers list last week, asking if readers like menage and m/m stories. The response was an overwhelming YES!! It seems these two sub-genres of erotica (menage and same sex) are building a huge following and are the newest "hot" trend for readers. These sub-genres have been around forever, and have always had devotees, but in the past year or so, they seem to have taken off like crazy, no longer appealing just to the niche readers, but to average erotic romance readers as well. The average erotic romance readers, mind you, are heterosexual women.

Okay, so hetero women like to read about strong, hunky men having fabulous sweaty sex with the woman they're going to fall in love with. This makes complete sense since finding the perfect sexual and life partner is many hetero women's fantasy. And...it then follows that hetero women might also be turned on by reading about a m/f/m menage. I mean, two hunks to pleasure her? Yeah, baby! Again, another fabulous fantasy. Women like to imagine themselves in these positions--either with the studly one man or with several studly men.

So then, what about m/m stories and m/m/f menages? And yes, there is a difference between m/f/m and m/m/f groups. In m/f/m menage, two men do the bumpy with the woman, but don't necessarily engage in intimate touching with each other. It's hetero sex all the way. In m/m/f, not only do the two men have an intimate relationship with the woman, but they also are intimate with one another. (The same follows for f/m/f and f/f/m menages, but since that's not quite as common in the erotic romance market, I'm not addressing them in this post). Okay, for a woman reader, it's easy to project herself into the menage story and become the heroine. But for the m/m action, the female reader becomes the observer rather than the participant. When two men are engaging in intimate play with one another, all the woman can do is look on. She's not involved.

So my question is...what's the appeal? Reading about m/m intimacy is a passive act for the female reader. She can "watch" the action, but can't insert herself into the play like she can in a m/f story or a menage. Why then is reading (or watching) m/m so arousing? Why did women across the US (the world?) flock to see Brokeback Mountain? Yeah, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are hotties, no doubt, but why did they seem even hotter when they were portraying gay lovers? Why did the love scenes, which certainly weren't explicit, make women squirm in their panties?

A male writer friend of my mine mentioned recently, in relation to this erotica trend where hetero women are enjoying reading about two men getting in on, that with all the buzz about how "hot" these m/m couplings are, women darn well better not give men any more shit about liking to watch women. And it's the truth. One of the most common hetero male fantasies has always been watching women get it on together. There's no big secret about it, it's a fact. And if you ask a man why they like the idea of watching women touch each other, you'll usually get a simple response such as, "It's hot!" Yes, but why's it hot? "It just is!"

So have women always been secretly turned on at the thought of seeing or reading about men touching each other? Or is this is a fairly new thing? In either case, clearly today's modern woman is realizing what men have known for years: watching members of the opposite sex pleasure each other is a turn-on.

Is there a specific reason? Is this new trend perhaps based on the fact that with m/f erotic stories becoming more mainstream and more easily accessible--with a few clicks of the mouse online, a reader can buy enough erotica to keep her busy for a year--women are starting to get a little bored with the usual pairings and situations and they're looking outward, searching for something different to titillate them? Something...more? This could also explain why certain other trends have been hot in the past--vampires, for example, a sub-genre that added a dark and dangerous twist to the erotic stories.

Or is it as simple as what men have been saying for years? "It's just hot."

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so post a comment here or drop me an email if you'd rather at ml@mlrhodeswriting.com

ML :)

M.L. Rhodes
Hot Night. Hot Heroes. Hot Reads.
www.mlrhodeswriting.com

A hot new m/m story!

2006-07-09T04:48:00.000-06:00

Current music: the new Bon Jovi CD
Current mood: energized!

ML's been a busy, busy girl this past week. I'm still percolating on my vamp erotica, Souls Deep, so no new action there. But this past Tuesday night I had a dream about a teacher and a student and...er...some erotic stuff that happened. When I woke up on Wednesday, I couldn't remember details about the dream, but I was left with a burning need (hehehe) to write an erotic teacher story. Something fast and hot. But I wanted to do something a bit different from other AQP teacher stories that have already been published. So I decided to write a male/male story. I mean, how could I resist the pull of two hot hunks together, I ask you? Rwwoar! I started it Wednesday night, and now I'm almost done with it. LOL! I'm tentatively calling it The Professor's Secret Passion, but that might change. I don't have a blurb done for it yet, but as soon as I do I'll post it to my main site. Along with an excerpt. So stay tuned! I hope to get this one turned in to my editor at AQP some time over the next couple of weeks.

New Faith Review!

2006-07-08T17:15:00.000-06:00

Current music: Keith Urban
Current mood: Psyched!

Got another review in for Take It On Faith this past week! Cassidy at Joyfully Reviewed had this to say:

"Take It On Faith is hot, Hot, HOT! Strong characters, steamy and erotic sex, and a fascinating, suspenseful storyline kept me glued to the story and turning pages as fast as I could! The sex scenes are so hot (did I say they were hot yet?), be prepared for many, many cold showers, or a willing partner close at hand. I would definitely recommend this book if you like your books (and your romance) hot, hard, and achingly erotic! Miguel can drag me off any time."

Thanks so much, Cassidy!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

ML

To Hell with Hail! And other ramblings...

2006-06-25T21:21:00.000-06:00

mood: sleepy after a long day
current music: Michelle Branch

I wish the !$%&* hail would quit falling at my house!

I spent the afternoon with my family at our fave pastime...a baseball game. It was a gorgeous afternoon weatherwise where we were...partly cloudy, not too hot, nice breeze. Perfect baseball weather (Our team thought so to, 'cause they won! Woo hoo!). When we got home, however, we discovered that a thunderstorm had moved through and not only dumped a good rain on us, which we desperately need, it had hailed yet again. This is our third major hailstorm this month! The first one, about three weeks ago, completely thrashed my garden. My squash, corn, and lettuce all looked like it had been through a paper shredder. Then, just as everything was starting to perk back up and look better, another storm hit earlier this week. Luckily it didn't hail long that time. Then today. It didn't look like it was big hailstones today--mostly pea-sized. But holy moly there was a lot of it. Big piles of it, like snowdrifts.

You know, I'm all on board with the whole cycles of nature thing. Everything serves its purpose. But I could do with the moisture coming in liquid form instead of ice cubes that beat the crap out of my flowers and veggies I so painstakingly spend hours caring for. Grumble, grumble.

On the writing front...oh, wait, there is no writing front at the moment. But it's not because I'm procrastinating. Really! I'm kinda stuck on a certain issue in my current story, so I'm percolating about it. And once a brilliant solution comes to me, I'll race forward once again. For now...not so much. Instead I've been doing some promo work, some editing, reading my critique partner's latest story she's writing, which is oooooh so excellent! (Marin Thomas, who writes for Harlequin American, is my cp. Be sure to check out her McKade Brothers series, which starts in August! Lucky me, I'm reading the third book in the series right now...my very own sneak peek.)

And, of course, I've been going to baseball games. With one of my kids playing summer ball we have one practice and two games a week for him, then we try to squeeze in as many AAA and major league games as we can. Did I mention that this past week we went to an afternoon matinee game and my boys got to be the "junior announcers?" It was so cool! They got to announce over the loudspeaker who was coming up to bat. Talk about hamming it up. I think they have careers in show biz in their futures.

On another tangent...speaking of show biz, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were married today. I'm not usually the type to follow celebrity couples--usually because they come and go so quickly, who can keep up? But for some reason I have been following the Nicole/Keith wedding thing. I think they make a great couple, and do they look good together or what? She's beautiful, and he's a damned fine-looking man. Hmm...I might have to write a hero who's blond and bearded. What do you think?

And on a final, sad note... One of my darling clown loaches died today after an extended illness. When you're heavy into the fish-keeping hobby, you accept the fact that you're going to lose fish on occasion. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts to get healthy ones at the store, they just don't make it. Other times they get mystery ailments and die overnight. I own a lot of fish, but of all my fish, my loaches have become the dearest to me. They have such funny personalities, and each individual loach has its own quirks. So I took the loss of my poor loachy, whose name was Francis, hard because I'd worked so hard to save him. He will be missed by his three loachy brothers and tankmates, Ronald, River, and Sebastian, by Angie the angel fish, and by me.

Signing off for today...

Kids play? I have to wonder!

2006-06-20T16:46:00.000-06:00

Current mood: productive
Current music: Aerosmith

My boys have this game they like to play with my husband and me...they're always challenging us to name 10 Pokemon. For those of you who don't know, Pokemon are critters that were created by Nintendo ten years ago or so for video gaming, but now you can find everything from Pokemon trading cards, to stuffed animals, to board games, to clothing. So off we go, hubby and I, rattling off such names as Pikachu, Charizard, Mew, Jiggly Puff, and Squirtle...and then, much to our kids' dismay, we stall out because that's about the end of our repertoire.

"We ask you this question all the time. There are dozens of Pokemon. Why can't you remember what we tell you?" the boys want to know. Well...um...because you might as well be speaking Klingon?

Then they get really annoyed because my husband will start making up names: Peekadoodoo, Ickybock, Stinkybreath. But what really makes them insane is the fact that he never calls their favorite critters Pokemon, he calls them Pokeman. (Yes, yes, I'll leave your smutty minds to work on that one )

What, you might ask, aside from the obvious Pokeman reference above, does this have to do with erotic romance? Well...think about it. Squirtle? Jiggly Puff? Mew (as in a pussy...er...cat)? And these aren't my hub's made up names, these are the actual characters. For real. Holy moly! I decided I wanted to know if there were more like this. So, naturally, I did what every self-respecting knowledge- seeker does these days...I Googled Pokemon to see what I could find. Here are some more Pokemon names, and I swear these are for real! I'm not making them up. My comments, of course, are in parenthesis.

--Slowking ("Ooooh, baby, he's a real slowking...takes his time and fulfills all his woman's needs." )
--Chickorita (Oooeee, did you see that hot chickorita I picked up last night?)
--Bulbasaur (Good gods, that's the biggest bulbasaur I've ever seen!)
-- Celebi (She wouldn't do it with me, man. She's celebi.)
-- Cubone (Short for cute bone? As in, he has a sweet, wee cubone...)
--Lickitung (Does this really need further explanation? )
--Piloswine (He's hot in the sack, but I refuse to sleep with him afterward...he's a real pillow swine... Or, He's not as hot in the sack as he thinks...I always feel like I'm suffocating beneath a pile-o-swine.)
-- Rapidash (He made a rapidash for the finish line before I could even climax)

Okay, clearly I write erotica for a living because I can't help but shovel my mind out of the gutter when I hear this stuff. LOL! But if you want a real thrill, check out the pics of some of these Pokedudes sometime. Lickitung looks like...well, let's just say I've seen similar items in adult catalogs.

Here's something fun to do. I discovered a place where you can find "your Pokemon name." Woo hoo! Here's mine:

Your Pokemon name is: Eelock
Profile: You live in the grasslands of Prince Edward Island, and your diet consists mostly of TV dinners, donuts and lattes. (Hmm...not far off )
Characteristics (Combat and Non-combat): You have propellers. You have a fear of jet fuel. You can breathe fire. You have a fear of bricks. You can spit nunchucks. You can swim in air.
Natural Enemies: Your natural enemy is Nidoyu.

So here's the link. http://pizza.sandwich.net/poke/pokemon.html Tell me...what's your Pokemon name? :)

M.L. Rhodes
Hot nights. Hot Heroes. Hot reads.
ML's website :: ML's Blog

Fictionwise woo-hoos!

2006-06-18T04:21:00.000-06:00

I was just looking at the erotica at Fictionwise and discovered I currently have 3 books in the top 25 bestsellers there! Take It On Faith is at #6, After Hours is at #19, and Night Shadows is at #21. How cool is that?! Especially about After Hours because that's been out at Fictionwise for almost two years! It's always fun to see an older title still selling well.

Night Shadows is also the #2 highest rated erotica at Fictionwise!

Thanks to all the readers who're shopping for M.L. Rhodes at Fictionwise. :)

Like your sci-fi hot?

2006-06-17T03:17:00.000-06:00

Current mood: tired (Hey, it's three in the morning, whaddya expect?)
Current music: The Sounds of Silence. As in my house is quiet and I'm loving it.

I just finished reading yet another excellent sci-fi erotica by my fellow AQP cohort Adrianna Dane. When I read Eluria's Enforcer last year I was blown away at what a fabulous job Adri did on worldbuilding. I mean, she doesn't just toss sort of contemporary Earth characters into another world and supply a bit of techy wording here and there. She really builds a world, complete with customs, laws, characters who aren't necessarily Earth-type humans. And the sex! Holy moly, she writes hot, creative sci-fi sex.

Well, the sequel to Eluria is about to be released from Amber Quill next weekend and I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at it. It's called Kierra's Thread and picks up the world and characters where we left them at the end of Eluria's Enforcer. Kierra's Thread focuses on Devon's (the hero from Eluria) sister, Kierra. The hero, Jarek, and the heroine, Kierra, have already known each other for years when the story opens, but the gut-wrenching emotional baggage they each bring into their relationship is so well-drawn I was immediately sucked into their lives. I admit, I cried at the end--because I was so happy they were able to overcome all the obstacles that had been thrown in their path and consummate their love. I recommend this story to anyone who loves sci-fi erotica! Watch for it next weekend, June 25th! Be sure you get a copy of Eluria's Enforcer as well so you can really gorge yourself in Adrianna's sci-fi world.

And dare I hope a book about Alekos (Devon and Kierra's brother) might be coming in the future?

And the winner is...

2006-06-13T04:43:00.000-06:00

A huge congrats to Cheryl (she knows who she is because I've already emailed her!), who was the winner of my blog drawing! The Once More With Feeling CD will be winging its way to her this very week, and she's also received a copy of my vampire erotic romance, Night Shadows. Way to go, Cheryl!!

And now, for the poll results. Which Buffy vamp hottie is the hottest of all? Wow, the guys were neck and neck for a good long while...first one would pull ahead, then the other. But toward the end there was a bit of a rush for one in particular. So without further ado....

Angel received 60% of the votes
Spike received 40% of the votes

And no, I didn't round up or down in order to get these numbers. That's really how the votes came out!

Thanks to everyone who voted and who wrote me such fabulous emails about their fave Buffy vamps, their fave episodes, to one gal who did a write-in vote for Giles as her fave overall Buffy hottie :) and to one reader in particular for her most excellent tips on where I can get a Spike calendar AND a Spike pillowcase! LOL! Yes, I confess (some of you probably knew this already if you've ever read my 100 Quirky Tidbits About ML page on my website) but Spike is definitely my choice. Don't get me wrong...in the first three seasons of Buffy I was totally in love with Angel. But in seasons 5 and 6, Spike completely won me over and it's been bleach blond hair and blue eyes for me ever since.

Happy reading...and happy Buffy watching to you all!
ML

Dark Passions

2006-06-05T17:41:00.000-06:00

Many of you know I'm a total Buffy the Vampire Slayer addict. I mean, who could resist? Aside from the fact it was just an exceptional show on all levels--characterization, dialogue, plot lines--there's also the juicy benefit of getting to ogle two sexy hunks...both of whom dance on the dark side. But, of course, the ever-lasting question amongst Buffy fans is...who's the fave hottie? Is it David Boreanaz playing the dark, brooding, long-suffering Angel, or James Marsters playing the sensitive poet-turned-bad-boy Spike?

I'll let you decide! Vote in my poll and we'll see what comes of it! Even if you've never watched Buffy, I've posted pics of the two hunks below, so feel free to drool and see which one strikes your fancy!

Once you've made your choice, send me an email at ml@mlrhodeswriting.com and let me know which vamp is THE ONE for you! At midnight on Sunday June 11, I'll randomly draw a winner from all who've emailed me, and I'll give away a CD of the soundtrack from the "Once More With Feeling" Buffy episode! That was the musical episode in season 6 when all the characters sang. It's a great CD! I have it and listen to it all the time. I'll also throw in an ebook copy of my most recent erotic vampire story, Night Shadows.

So send me an email with the word "Blog drawing" in the subject line and the name of your fave Buffy vamp hottie! I'll contact the winner by email on the 12th, and will post the poll results here on my blog! Have fun!

Angel

Spike

Books in Progress

2006-05-03T01:58:00.000-06:00

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Chris Daughtry

Here's where I stand on my books currently in progress...

Jonesing (Nights Shadows Book 2): 3000 words out of 38,000 (7%)

One Enchanted Evening: 42,000 words out of 60,000 (70%)

The Still Point: 110,000 words out of 115,000 (95%)

Souls Deep: Um...haven't started it yet. So 0 words out of 20,000 (0%)

Bestsellers!!

2006-04-07T03:26:00.000-06:00

Current mood: Woo hoo!
Current music: Evanescence

Yay!! I'm so psyched! Both Night Shadows and Take It On Faith were on the Amber Quill bestseller list for the first quarter of 2006! The coolest part is that Take It On Faith was only out for the last six days of the quarter, and it still made the list! Thanks to all my readers for those quick sales!

Zoom, zoom, zoom...

2006-03-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Current Mood: giddy
Current Music: Lynyrd Skynyrd

I'm SO pathetic. I can't believe I haven't written yet in my blog in March. Ack!! I can give excuses. I'm really good at excuses... Okay, well, not so much, but I can pretend I am. On second thought, I'll just confess I was busy and didn't think about my blog. I did, however, blog on the AQP Authors' Blog a couple of times this month, so that lets me off the hook, doesn't it? ;)

Really, though, it's been a busy month. I turned the big four-one this month. I have a new erotica release, Take It On Faith. I've had out-of-town company for a week. The weather where I live has been a combination of cold and miserable, and warm and springlike. I added a new aquarium to my...er...aquarium obsession (a 46 gallon bowfront in my office). Ooooh ooooh, and I almost forgot! I got an awesome early birthday present...a new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited! Wanna see a pic?

This isn't my Jeep, but it is. LOL! I snagged this pic from Rockcrawler.com, but my Jeep looks exactly like this--black with khaki hardtop. I've wanted a Wrangler for years. I LOVE it!

Think of me as I'm joyriding this coming summer. ;)

What is it about Miguel? :)

2006-02-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who are subscribed to my newsletter and have sent me emails in my latest contest about which of my covers is your fave. Guess which one is in the lead as far as votes right now? Umm...I'll give you a hint---hot, hot, sultry hot? Not enough of a hint? Hmmm....how about this... His name's Miguel? Got it figured out? LOL! Okay, I'll just tell you...yep, Take It On Faith! Gee, I can't imagine why anyone would lust...er...love that guy! :)

By the way, I'm still typing away on Faith. I'm at 26,000 words. Just finished writing another scorching sex scene. Whew!!

Speaking of sex scenes, my hubby reads everything I write, usually a chapter at a time as I write it. But for some reason he hadn't read any of Take It On Faith yet. So this weekend I printed out for him what I had finished. He took it off upstairs (I was in shock...he actually turned off the Olympics so he could read it!). When he finished the first words out of his mouth were, "Damn, that's some of your best sex yet, hon!" (Have I mentioned how much I ADORE this man?!)

All right...back to the typing!

ML

Another Studly Cover!!

2006-02-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

Could you just die?! I swear when I got this cover art I had hot, sweaty lust flashes. I kept it open on my browser all day and would peek at it every now and then, and each time this man got sexier and sexier! Whew!!!

Um...remember that hero I was telling you about in the previous post? Well, this is what he looks like. Can you see now what I meant when I said I loved him? Don't you want to have sex with him, like, right now?! :)

New look/New book

2006-02-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

What do you guys think of my new website look? :) I was starting to get tired of the black...I liked it, but it was time for a change. I had fun playing around with colors and graphics, and this is what I finally ended up with. There are times I wish I had someone do my site for me--it takes a TON of time to revamp it completely. But in all honesty, I'm sort of a control freak, as in I like to be responsible for my own stuff like this because then I can change it whenever the mood strikes. I'd probably drive a web designer insane if they had me as a client. LOL!

Anyway, the new look coincides with my new book release. Yep, NIGHT SHADOWS is now available! So get thee over to my publisher, Amber Quill Press, and get yourself a copy! I'll be giving a pop quiz and I expect you to have all the answers! ;) Okay, no quiz. Hmm...it would kinda have to be like a sex education quiz and I know you all already know ALL about that!

I've been writing on my March release, TAKE IT ON FAITH. I'm cruising along on it. After I was about three chapters into it, I decided to cut the entire first chapter and start the story at chapter 2. That meant I lost almost 10,000 words. (gulp) But not to worry, I've been madly typing and I've made up for it! I swear the hero in this one is hot, hot, hot. I know, I know...I say that about every hero. And I do. You're not wrong. That's a good thing, though! Think about how sad it would be if I didn't like a hero!!

All right, enough babbling. I'm back to my writing...I'm in the middle of a sex scene and I'm kinda anxious to get back to it. :)

A typical writer's day...

2006-01-24T02:14:00.000-07:00

Okay...typical for me. Probably not for anyone else. I never quite seem to do anything in sync with the rest of the world. I tend to march to the beat of my own...well, you know the cliche. :)

--Wake up. Roll over in bed. Grumble and groan that my bed is warm and I'm not going anywhere. Roll back over and go back to sleep.
-- Wake up. Look at watch (never my bedside clock...always my watch). Go back to sleep.
--Third time's usually the charm and even though I really want to roll back over and go back to sleep, I drag myself from the bed.
--Puppy (in kennel next to bed) whines. Needs to do her morning puppy business.
--Free little dog. Stagger downstairs with eyes still mostly shut and clutching squirmy, whiny, licky puppy against chest.
--Jab feet into whatever shoes happen to be sitting in front hall. Clip on puppy leash. Lurch outside with little dog dragging me and try not to fall down front porch steps.
--Yawn and shiver as puppy pees, comes to me for treat, pees again, comes to me for treat, pees, comes to me for treat (third time's a charm for the pupster, too), then finally goes poopy.
--Stagger back instead. Unleash pupster, who runs through house like a bat out of hell, making sure all other house residents (human and furry) know she's up and awake.
--Turn on fish tank lights (55 gallon tank in foyer, 20 gallon tank in living room) and feed fish.
--Enter kitchen. Fix Frosted Mini Wheats and pour glass of orange juice. Kids fend for themselves at breakfast. We homeschool so they can do it at their leisure.
--Take breakfast downstairs to my office. Turn on 10 gallon fish tank light and feed fish in office. --Eat breakfast and check email. Answer urgent emails, ignore the rest until later in the day. Catch up on any open edits or "day job" business I didn't finish the night before. Check Desktop Weather.
--More awake now. Shower and get dressed. Take little dog out for another pee-pee and let the big dog out, too.
--Back to desk. Check Desktop Weather. Open first Mt. Dew of the day. More email.
--Get children started on school work. Continue to do my own work as they do theirs.
--Take little dog out to pee-pee. No poopies, even though she's due again.
--Lunch.
--Back to desk. Check email and weather. Read with children, or answer questions and help with schoolwork.
--Pick up little dog poopies in living room. Remind her poopies go "outside!" Take little dog outside. Contemplate next story scene I want to write while pupster plays in snow or chases leaves.
--Back to desk. Check email and weather. Open Mt. Dew #2. More day job work. Kids go off to play. Hubby arrives home.
--Fix and eat dinner. Watch TV for a few minutes. Feed dogs and cats. Family time.
--Take kids to ice skating lessons. Take along Alphasmart so I can sneak in some writing while they skate.
--Home again. Writing time at last! Turn on iTunes player. Blast music. Check email. Respond to email. Stall. Dawdle. Play a game of Zuma. Check email again. Surf the web. Do my daily Mugglenet.com check-in. See if there's anything else at Amazon I absolutely must buy. Play another game of Zuma.
--Bedtime for children.
--Feed all fish again.
--Spend some quality time with hubby.
--Hubby goes to bed. I go back to my writing. This time I actually open Word and find my book file. Reread all the old writing from beginning of story and edit/polish it for the thirtieth time. Go upstairs. Make pot of tea. Back to desk. Reread/polish some more. Check email. Dawdle a bit.
--Bathroom break. Take puppy outside. Freeze butt off in the dark and cold. Pour another cup of tea.
--Finally settle in to do some real writing.
--Time check. Not bad. Only 2 A.M. Back to writing.
--Can't keep eyes open anymore. Save writing. Email check. One more Mugglenet.com check. Desktop Weather check. Take little dog outside.
--Put puppy in her bed. Crawl into my bed.
--Think of a whole section of dialogue I want to add to my book. Know I won't remember it in the morning if I don't write it down now.
--Get out of bed, cursing, go downstairs to office, pull up book file, write dialogue.
--Back to bed.
--Think of more dialogue. Curse even more heartily about why this stuff can't come to me during regular writing time, and get pissy because it always happens to me *after* I've gone to bed. Stagger back downstairs to office, open book file, and write dialogue.
--Back to bed. Try to shut off brain. More words come to me...but I'm so tired...but must write them down or I'll....forget...them...zzzzzz.

Vampire hunk-o-rama gorgeous!

2005-12-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

I finished my vampire story, Night Shadows! Yay!!!!!! And, yes, it's really a novella. Told you! Man, that story was the most fun I've had writing in ages. Not that I don't always love writing, but this was one one of my all time faves to write.

Have you guys seen my cover art?!?! O.M.G. I about died when I saw it. As usual AQP's cover artist, Trace Zaber, outdid himself. Isn't my vampire River gorgeous? Holy crap.

Yes, I'm in love. Good thing this is the first in a series. That means I get to spend more time with River in book two, Jonesing. :) Night Shadows will be released from Amber Quill Press in February 2006. I can't wait! I hope my readers will be pleased with this one.

It's growing! Plus a piercing story...

2005-11-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

Remember that disease I told you about? ML's "can't write anything short to save her life" disease? :) Well, my vamp story, Night Shadows, is, er, still growing. In one of my last posts I said I thought it would probably be around 20-25,000 words. Yeah. Well, see, it didn't quite happen that way. The truth is, I'm currently at about 25,000 words in my writing of it and I still have to finish the scene I'm on and write the final scene. But I swear--really, I SWEAR!!--it's going to end at novella length and not be a full-blown novel. (I can hear AQP's editorial director, Trace Zaber, laughing from here...he's thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, ML, heard it before, will believe it when I see it, not betting my life on it.)

Hey, in my own defense, this story is juicy! There's good sex, there's good emotional muck, the hero's already become one of my all time faves I've written, and there's a nasty bad guy. So how could I possibly water any of that down just to make the overall product shorter? Well, obviously, I can't!! :) But I seriously do think it will end up still nicely within novella length limits. I actually want it to be a novella because I, myself, love reading novellas. They have enough word count that the story and characters can be more fully explored than in a short, but they're quicker reading than a novel. I like that I can sit down and read a novella in a few hours. So...mark my words, this sucker will be done in the next couple of days and it WILL be a novella. Really! (Quit laughing, Trace!! )

On a non-writing related note, yesterday, on a wild hair, I got another piercing in my ear. This was my first one in my upper ear, in the "cartilage." I totally cracked up at the amount of paperwork I had to read and sign to get it done--I had to initial about ten different things, then sign in like four places once I'd read paragraph after paragraph about how getting piercings could lead to scarring, infections, diseases (Honest! They even gave some fancy scientific names for some of them.), and how said piercings required mondo proper aftercare or my ear might fall off and I might die. Okay, I made that very last part up, but you get the picture.

It was amazing how things have changed since I got my first ear piercing done when I was twelve. I went in with my mom to J.C. Penney--they were one of the few places who did them back then, unless you wanted to do them at home with a needle and a potato (no kidding...my mom and at least one of my sisters had it done that way). I don't remember my mom having to sign anything, I sat in the chair, snap, snap, it was done, I had throbbing ears and two lovely big gold posts.

I got my second round done when I was in high school. A friend and I were at the mall one Saturday, we went into one of the stores and, on a spur of the moment decision, got our ears pierced for the second time. Don't remember signing anything that time, either. Snap, snap, this time I had lovely sparkling birthstone earrings. There was just one problem. I played varsity basketball and the season was still in progress, so that night when I went to the game, I put tape over my new earrings (no jewelry allowed, but many refs would let you cover earrings or barrettes with tape if you chose), but the refs that night were picky and they made me take them out. Yow!! You should have seen me after the game trying to put those suckers back into my very sore holes. For the next three weeks, the final ones in the b-ball season, every dang ref made me take them out. It took about two years before those second holes finally healed completely and didn't hurt.

Round three...I was in college, was with my teenaged niece, again at the mall, and...you guess it, on a wild hair, went in to get a third piercing done, this time just on one side. No signing of paperwork, snap, snap, I had a lovely gold stud.

My how things have changed. Some seventeen years later, I have to sign my life away. At first I thought it was because it was a "cartilage" piercing instead of the regular earlobe stuff. But, no! They make everyone who comes in now read these forms and sign. Man, do we live in a litigious society or what, that even these poor folks who do ear piercing have to be sure to cover their butts so they don't get sued. I signed everything; no biggie. If I were doing the piercing I wouldn't anybody suing me, so I understood where they were coming from. But, still...it makes one wonder.

I really like my new piercing, by the way. I had heard from a couple of people that the higher up on your ear you go, the more painful the piercing, but I didn't experience that at all. In fact, I felt no pain. It was the easiest yet. I've been told I have to keep this earring (a tiny white gold stud this time) in a minimum of 12 weeks, and then always make sure I have a stud earring of some type in for at least a year.

By the way, don't expect to ever see me post saying I got my tongue or my belly button pierced. Just the paperwork alone that they no doubt make people sign for those is enough to scare me away! :)

Tattoos, on the other hand... I have one. Uh oh, I think I might be feeling a wild hair coming on to get another...

Title Shifting...

2005-11-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Talked to AQP's editorial director today about my new vamp story and we agreed I should change the name from Night Shift to Night Shadows. Strangely enough, I like Night Shadows better, so I'm totally happy with that!

The story's still coming along well. I sent the first half off to my critique partner, Harlequin author Marin Thomas, the beginning of this week to get her feedback. And last night my hubby read what I had so far. His review? It's his fave erotica story I've written. He loved both the futuristic and the paranormal aspects to the story, and he didn't complain about the sex either. LOL!

I'll be posting a blurb for Night Shadows on my website within the next day or two, and I'll also post it in my newsletter, which will go out within the week. I may even give a little excerpt in my newsletter, so if you're not already signed up for ML Rhodes' Hot Reads via Yahoogroups, maybe you'd like to join! It's free and I promise I don't clog your mailbox with tons of posts.

Thiefs and the 80s

2005-11-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched a great movie. It's older...made in the 80s, which--okay, I'm about to date myself--was my decade (high school, college, etc.). My friend, fellow AQP author Denyse Bridger, sent the movie to me since it's one of her faves. It's called Thief of Hearts. I'm a huge movie fanatic, so I couldn't believe I'd never seen this one before. It was quite yummy!! The actor, Stephen Bauer, was a hunk. How come I've never seen him in anything else? And the sex was very hot. I've read that when the movie was originally out and on VHS, the bedroom scene was considerably longer than it is in the DVD version. Now why the hell would they have cut a bunch for the DVD?! Maybe they thought they'd screwed up by giving it an R rating the first time, that it was too steamy, so they thought they'd better tone it down for the DVD before someone had a fit. I, on the other hand, wanted more! I may have to eBay a copy of the VHS so I can see the rest.

And speaking of the 80s, have you heard that song called 1985 by Bowling For Soup? They've been playing it on the pop stations for a few months now. Well...I love that song because I can so relate! I can't say I ever wanted to shake my ass on the hood of Whitesnake's car (LOL!), and I don't have teenagers...yet. But otherwise, that song--the recap of the music and everything from the eighties--reminds me so much of my high school and college years. I crank up the volume every time it comes on the radio, and I downloaded a copy of it from iTunes. And, by the way, my SUV isn't yellow...it's gold. :)

Psycho-Writer

2005-11-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

The vamp story is coming along nicely! I've been in total psycho-writer mode for the past week. This means I'm at my computer writing feverishly until three or four in the morning (or later ) most days. And that I've been eating a lot of meals at my desk because I don't want to pull myself away from the story. Thank God for an understanding hubby, who cracks up when I say for the thirtieth time, "Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to go have sex with my characters now." :)

I'm about 11,000 words into the story at this point. I had thought this was going to be a short story (10-15,000 words), but as most of my writing friends and my publisher will tell you, I have this disease...I just can't seem to write short. How I ever finished my really short story Well Hung (which came in at about 6000 words) I will NEVER know. It still boggles my mind that I ever did that! For the vamp story, it feels like I'm about halfway through it, so it'll probably be in the 20-25,000 word ballpark. That's about the length of The Bounty Hunter.

As I've been writing it, this one has felt to me like it might be one of my sexiest to date, although...I'm not sure. It's hard for me, as the writer, to see the forest for the trees sometimes. I'm so close to the characters and...er...sexual situations in the book, that I can't always track exactly how hot a story is as I'm writing it--as compared to my other stories, that is. I hadn't reread some of my older stories in a long time, but a few days ago I reread parts of After Hours, and I'd totally forgotten I'd written some of that stuff. Hehehe! But with Night Shift, it's just that the setting (slightly futuristic and dark) and the heroine (cop) and hero (vamp) seem to naturally lend themselves to harder language and situations. I got fairly steamy as I was writing it...so I suppose that's a good sign. ;)

I'll keep you updated on my progress! And stay tuned to my website, because I'll be posting a blurb and excerpt very soon.

M.L.'s Vamps

2005-11-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that correctly. :) Vamps as in vampires. As in my vampires...soon to come!

About a year ago I held a newsletter contest where I asked my newsletter subscribers to answer a few questions about what they liked, what they wanted to see, and what they hoped I'd write. One of the top suggestions that came up was for me to write some vampire stories. At that time I kind of gulped. I love to read vamp stories, but hadn't ever thought about writing one. Still...the thought stayed with me and every now and again the germ of an idea would come to me and I'd jot it down in one of my many computer "idea" files. But nothing ever truly came together for me.

Then, something happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I'd been sick and feeling horribly crappy, but I also had a slew of work to do for my "day" accounting job, some stuff I had to finish no matter how I felt. However, as I plugged along crunching numbers, a vamp story began to blossom in my mind. The more I thought about it, the more pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and I realized this was The One. The One I was going to write. Except I couldn't. I had to work on the accounting project because it was on a deadline. It figured. I'd finally come up with an idea I loved, I wanted desperately to start writing it...and I couldn't. Argh!!!! Talk about frustration!

Once I got the accounting project done, first I slept because I'd gotten very little for a couple of weeks, then, the next day, I shut my office door, and started the story. I'm VERY excited about it!! It's going to be called NIGHT SHIFT, and will be an erotic romance short story. There were a couple of rather big surprises that happened within the first few pages, things I hadn't planned but that just sort of showed up. Of course, that's the way writing often works for me. It serves me almost no purpose to plan stories out in detail because once I get down and dirty in the writing, the characters, the setting, and the events happen as they will and I simply become the channeler for them all, writing everything as fast and furiously as I can.

Stay tuned to my website. I'll be posting a blurb and an excerpt very soon! Remember...NIGHT SHIFT. If readers like this one, I may write a series with these characters!

Dorchester's American Title II Contest

2005-10-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yay!!

I'm cheering for my friend Jeanmarie Hamilton, one of my fellow Wild Writers, who is a finalist in this year's Dorchester contest! Her historical romance, Seduction, was one of eleven manuscripts chosen. Along with the other finalists, she'll be featured in Romantic Times BookClub Magazine starting with the January 2006 issue.

The contest is like the TV program, American Idol. There will be five rounds of competition. Online voting begins November 14, 2005. Each month a couple of finalists will be bumped after the voting. The competition includes the first line, story summary, description of hero and heroine, dialogue scene, and romance scene. In each round you, the reader, can vote for the entry you most want to keep in the contest.

The winner's prize is a publishing contract with Dorchester Publishing!

I'm so excited for Jeanmarie. I'll definitely be voting for her story Seduction! I hope you'll all check out the RT website in mid-November.

If you'd like to learn more about Jeanmarie and her writing, visit her website at www.jeanmariehamilton.com

Katrina...

2005-09-06T20:35:00.000-06:00

I know I'm not alone when I say that the past week has been a strange blur for me. I seem to be unable to pull myself away from the TV and all the horrible images and heart-wrenching stories that are coming out of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Whole towns along the Gulf coast gone. New Orleans underwater. Thousands upon thousands homeless, hungry, sick, lost, and finding themselves in shelters with nothing but the clothes on their backs. God knows how many more are still missing or gone forever. It makes me ill inside and breaks my heart.

For those of you who hate feeling helpless and want to help, like I did, there are numerous ways to donate money, time, and material items to those in need:

Please be aware the Red Cross (www.redcross.org) is collecting donations online, by phone, by mail, and from local chapters. Visit CNN (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina/help.center/) or one of the other news websites to find lists of dozens of other organizations that are helping Katrina victims.

For those of you who are animal lovers, PetsMart (www.petsmartcharities.kintera.org/hurricanekatrina) is accepting donations to help the homeless, injured, and needy pets left in Katrina's wake.

If you'd prefer to donate material items, Kathryn Falk, Lady of Barrow, who owns Romantic Times BookClub Magazine, is organizing a drive in Texas. You can send personal care items, clothing, baby items, children's medications, etc. to:KATHRYN FALK10218 COUNTY ROAD941BRR 1 BOX 134ALVIN TX 77511-6839She will make sure everything is distributed appropriately to those who need help.

Jaymi, of Fallen Angels Reviews, is currently running a book drive for Katrina refugees. If you have used books (adult and children's) and/or coloring books and crayons (coloring books would need to be in new or like new condition), you can send them to Jaymi in Texas, who lives in the Houston area, and she'll get them to the shelters. To find out where to send books please contact Jaymi or JoAnn at jaymi@houston.rr.com or joann@fallenangelreviews.com.

In the weeks and months to come it's going to be extremely difficult for all these displaced folks to begin to recover and rebuild their lives. The best thing we, as human beings can do, is rally around them and offer our help, our blessings, and our support.

A great romance read!

2005-08-28T03:21:00.000-06:00

I have to put a plug in for my dear friend and critique partner, Marin Thomas. I just finished reading her August Harlequin American release, HOMEWARD BOUND, and it's delicious!!

I just love Marin's writing. She has a wonderful talent for writing about small towns and small town folk. Her characters are always vivid and real, and her stories always leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. You can visit Marin's website at www.marinthomas.com for more info on her books!

What I'm Watching...

2005-08-26T21:43:00.000-06:00

As I said, sometimes when I get tired of reading on my exercise bike every night I watch movies instead. Most recently in my DVD player while I ride: Karate Kid, Karate Kid 2, Gattaca, Moulin Rouge, Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Day After Tomorrow, The Matrix, Sin City, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6 episodes.

All of the above are re-watches for me with the exception of Sin City, which I didn't like, btw. Liked the film noir feel to it, liked many of the actors, but it was just too creepy-gory for me. Which is odd because gore normally doesn't bother me. But the combo of the noir, the black and white, and the weird gore turned me off.

In my To Be Watched pile sitting next to my bike-riding DVD player: Karate Kids 3 & 4 (even though they were my least fave of the series...but if I start a series I have to watch them all!), Alexander (haven't seen it before), the newer Triple X movie (haven't seen this one yet either, although without Vin Diesel it's going to be hard for it to measure up), The Saint (LOVE Val Kilmer in this flick!), and Ocean's 12 (another one I haven't seen yet).

What I'm reading...

2005-08-22T05:05:00.000-06:00

I usually spend between 60 and 90 minutes, five or six times a week, on my exercise bike. At times it's a bitch. So I read and it makes my exercise time a thousand times more bearable. If I get tired of reading I sometimes watch movies while I ride. But mostly I read.

Most recent fare: Catherine Asaro's Skolian series. If you like Sci-Fi, you have to try Asaro. Richly detailed sci-fi world, excellent characterization, and if you happen to be a science geek like my hubby, Asaro's a physicist in real life, so there's plenty of science for those who want it without being too much for those of us whose brains tend to shut down when things get too technical. I've read the books in this order: Primary Inversion, The Last Hawk, Catch the Lightning, The Radiant Seas, Ascendant Sun, and I'm currently partway through Spherical Harmonic. The Last Hawk is my fave of the series so far. Kelric is an amazing character. I have a real fondness for tortured heroes and he is the ultimate tortured hero. Plus, I found the game/philosophy of Quis completely fascinating. Anyway, I set aside Spherical Harmonic in mid-July, even though I hadn't quite finished it, so I could reread...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Had to do a reread so I'd be ready for HBP when it came out. When Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince arrived in my hot little hands, I read it in one sitting the first day. Took me about nine hours. Awesome book. Sad but awesome. I was a wreck for several days afterward. Until I had an epiphany. But since I don't want to spoil it for those of you who might not have read HBP, I'll keep my mouth shut. :) Then, under duress (because I wanted to read it again immediately), I passed it on to my older son who read it in a couple of days, then to hubby who read it in a few days. While I waited impatiently for them to finish and give it back, I reread Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to fulfill my "I must have more Harry RIGHT NOW!!" craving. When I got HBP back a week later, I read it again. Not gobbling on round two...savoring.

When that was done, I reread Eragon by Christopher Paolini because the sequel's out this month and I wanted to refresh my memory on book one before I start book two. Then I decided to reread Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone because it had been eons since I read it. Yes, you read that correctly, HP and the Philosopher's Stone not the Sorcerer's Stone. I decided I wanted to get Harry in his more natural state as Jo Rowling really writes, so I went to Amazon UK and ordered the Bloomsbury version of all six books. That way I can savor the UK language and spellings. So I read Philosopher's Stone.

Currently I'm reading an Arthurian-based story called Firebrand by an Amber Quill author, Debra Kemp. I love Arthurian tales and Kemp's done a fab job of coming up with something fresh. It's excellent reading so far! As soon as I'm finished with that I'll start Eldest, which is the Paolini sequel to Eragon. Then I'll probably get back to the rest of my Bloomsbury Harry Potters. :) Yes, yes, it's a sickness. I think I've made it very clear that I am a hopeless Harry fan. Hey, I have to have something Harry related to focus on while I wait for the Goblet of Fire movie to come out in November! Argh!! Too long from now. Much too long!! But, alas, the folks at Warner Brothers will make me wait. So until then, I'll read...

Funny or feeble? When blogs get a little too personal...

2005-08-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

Seems like everyone's blogging now--it's the thing to do. That's cool. I started my blog, even though it's hardly a raging river of frequentness, because it seemed the thing to do. And it's fun to cruise around the web and read the blogs of people I know, and some I don't know. You never can tell what interesting tidbits you might pick up, what gossip or rantings and ragings you might read, or where you might find a good laugh. But I have to admit that I've read a few blogs lately that have been a total turn off. I mean, reading about someone's bodily functions in great detail, or explicit descriptions of their intimate hygiene habits just doesn't do it for me. I get enough of my kids laughing hysterically over scatological jokes. I really don't need the adult versions of that in my life.

I didn't find these blogs on sex sites or teenagers-with-an-attitude sites. Nope. These appeared to be average adults with families, jobs, lives. So what's with the gross-out posts? Do they think their "I'm going to use every crude word I can think of for shock value, and fuck anyone who doesn't like it" attitude is cool? Or do they post it because they honestly believe people reading their blogs will somehow find this stuff fascinating or otherwise entertaining?

Hey, I'm no prude. I write erotic romance for crying out loud. I've been around a block or two, so there's very little that shocks me. And I sure as hell don't believe in censorship. So if someone wants to flaunt their icky personal details, well it's certainly their right and prerogative to do it. And to be completely honest, I've read some damned funny things about bodily functions. The blogs I'm referring to, however, didn't come across as being even remotely funny. They read more like badly written medical diaries. Or, in one case, a crass whine-a-thon. I don't know, maybe the posters thought they were funny, but...uh...sorry, folks.

It takes a certain talent to pull off funny when it comes to issues like these. Some people can do it, others can't. Those who can't should quit trying to pretend they can before they completely humiliate themselves. Oops, that's right, too late. Some of them already have. Well, hey, as I said, to each his own. If you want a gazillion people on the internet to visualize you in vivid, gory detail taking care of your business, that's certainly your right. Just as it's my right to say, I hope you realize the vivid picture you've given your readers of yourself doing things WE DID NOT EVER, EVER NEED TO KNOW ABOUT will forever skew our opinions of you. In a word...BLEAAAGH!!!

Buffy & Angel...oh, my!

2005-08-10T05:35:00.000-06:00

When I read back I realized I had some catching up to do on my status in the Buffy/Angel universe. I finished watching all seven seasons of Buffy, finally got the fifth season of Angel and watched it, then about two months ago, I rewatched all seven seasons of Buffy again. Do you have any idea how many hours of TV that is?! Yikes!!! And I was just as obsessed the second time around as I was the first. I also firmly fell in love with Spike the second time around. Not that I didn't like him the first time I watched the series because I did. But during round two I officially went off the deep end for him. Frankly, I think Buffy was a fool not to fall in love with him, but I guess she had that whole Angel history to deal with. :)

My final decision on which series I like best? Hands down, Buffy. I was surprised by that because Angel re-runs were what hooked me on the universe first, but watching Buffy, Willow, and Xander cope with high school then the painful adjustment to adulthood was wonderfully compelling. I thought they (and the supporting characters) were all amazing and I found myself so caught up in their lives that they became real people to me.

Fave episodes: Once More With Feeling was awesome and fresh! The Body was gut-wrenching and brilliant; I sobbed my eyes out during the entire thing. Hush was also very good. The Buffy-Bot episodes were a hoot! And the evil Willow episodes were excellent. Scary, but excellent. The Riley/Adam season overall was probably my least favorite, but unlike some fans who really just didn't like Riley as a character, I thought he served his purpose and it was a nice break for Buffy to have a genuinely sweet guy for a while. I felt really sorry for him by the time he left town, though.My fave villain was the Preacher. Totally creepy and evil. Ugh! I rather enjoyed the three geeks as villains, until Warren went nasty psycho. Can't say I blame bad Willow for what she did to him. I found Glory to be somewhat obnoxious, even though the end of that season was definitely a tear jerker.

Gee, now aren't you glad I shared all that with you? LOL!

Long time no write

2005-08-09T14:48:00.000-06:00

And I mean that in two ways...long time since I've written in my blog (told you all I was bad at journaling!) and a long time since I've written new stories. But I'm happy to say that after taking a few months off to get some R&R, fill the creative well, and spend some time with my family, I'm happy to be back to work! I just updated my website, which was fun. Some new graphics and a slightly revamped and, I think, fresher look. Hope you all like it! I also added some new reviews I recently received on my contemporary romance MASKS. I was interviewed by Simone Grant at The Romance Studio in May, so the link to that interview is now posted, and I added some new useless tidbits about myself to the "Inside Scoop" page. I get quite a bit of reader mail about those useless tidbits, so I figured it was time to list a few more. Not sure if you'd call them riveting reading, but as I said, some readers seem to really like them. LOL!

Enjoy!

DVD update :)

2005-01-14T02:51:00.000-07:00

Got a new recommendation....TROY! What a great movie! I've never been a huge Brad Pitt fan--in the sense of thinking he's hot, that is. I've always thought he was a good actor. Anyway, Troy changed my tune about him. LOL! A very good flick all the way around. Excellent acting (by everyone), excellent story, and some very, very lovely nudes of Brad. ;)

And in the continuing saga of ML's obsession with Angel... I finished the first four seasons of Angel (alas, I have to wait until Feb to see the fifth and final season, ARGH!!!!). In order to pass the time, hub and I have started working our way through the Buffy seasons. As I mentioned earlier, I never was super into Buffy. I had seen it a handful of times, but hadn't watched it enough to really dig it in a big way. However, I have to admit that by starting with season one and seeing them in order, I'm getting totally hooked! It seems a little lighter than the Angel series (at least so far--we're only halfway through season 2), but I'm really falling for all the characters, really getting involved. It's quite superb. Enough so that I started by renting the discs from Netflix, and after we finished the first disc from season two, I said to hell with this...I have to own these suckers! I went to Amazon and bought the first four seasons. I figure that'll keep me going for a few weeks, then I'll get the rest of the sets. 7 seasons all together! (And so much for my New Year's resolution not to spend so much money on DVDs...ahem.)

I am SO addicted, you guys. It's bad. But good. If you know what I mean. :)

Until next time...

The Bald Frog -- A Fairy Tale by M.L.

2005-01-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

Blogger has these random questions you can answer in your profile. I tried to do this one, but it told me it was too long for my profile. So I decided to put it here. I mean, after all, I went to all that creative work. :)

Tell the story of the bald frog who had a wig....

Once upon a time there was a handsome prince named Vin. An evil queen, who felt threatened by powerful, buff, sexy, bald men, put a curse on him and turned him into a frog. As part of the curse, he was required to wear a wig at all times, because even as a frog, the evil queen couldn't stand the idea of his sexy baldness.

Vin may have been cursed to become a frog, but that didn't change his tough guy mentality, so he refused to wear the wig and told the evil queen that when he was once again a man, he was going to take that wig and stick it up her... Well, you get the picture.

One day a beautiful, sweet, innocent (okay, well maybe not too innocent) princess named ML was walking through the forest. She was most displeased because her father had ordered her to marry some rich, ugly dude with horns. Apparently her father had made some kind of deal with the beast. ML, not being the type to take orders, had just told her father and the rich, ugly dude to go to hell, and had split. When she paused by a pond in the clearing, she saw an incredibly sexy, buff, bald guy lounging on the bank. Okay, he was really a frog, but ML possessed The Sight and could tell that under that green, 4-legged facade, a true hunk dwelled.
Not being a dummy, and being well versed in fairy tales, she immediately ran to the frog, kissed him, and made him into a man again. The man told her in a gritty, sensuous voice that he was Prince Vin. Not as impressed by his title as by his gorgeous, nude body, she fell upon him and they had a fabulous, sweaty, hot lovemaking session right there by the pond.

When they'd finally managed to overcome their lustful urges with one another, Princess ML told Prince Vin about her father and the rich, ugly, horned dude and their plans for her. Prince Vin, in turn, told Princess ML about the evil queen who had cursed him, and he showed her the wig that he planned to...well, you know.

Prince Vin and Princess ML made a sacred pact to help one another and rid the kingdom of evil. They journeyed to the castle, where they stopped in the armory and collected an assortment of vicious-looking weapons, then entered the great hall where ML's father sat upon his gilded throne. The ugly rich dude perched on a throne of his own nearby, getting his horns polished by the castle serving wenches.

Vin and ML made short work of the king and the rich, ugly dude. After all, this is a fairy tale and good always triumphs over evil, right? Speaking of evil, the evil queen appeared just as they were cleaning up, and tried to curse Vin again. ML kicked her ass (did I forget to mention that sweet as she might be, ML had a black belt in all the major martial arts?). Vin got out his handy dandy knife and shaved the evil queen bald, thereby divesting her of her power--who knew her power was in her hair?--then instead of shoving the wig up her...well, you know...he SuperGlued it to her scalp. Then Vin and ML banished the evil queen, ML's father the king, and the rich, ugly, horned dude from the kingdom, and sent them through a cosmic portal to a barren, desert wasteland planet on the outer fringes of the universe.

And Prince Vin and Princess ML? Well, they got married, of course, and became King Vin and Queen ML. They ruled their kingdom with love and mostly kindness (unless someone pissed them off and they had to kick some ass) for a hundred years.

The End

(By the way, cornball or not, this piece is copyrighted by me, ML. So while I seriously doubt anyone would want to copy it or email it to friends or whatever, there are some people in the world who get off on that, and therefore I feel compelled to put the copyright notice here to be sure all readers are clear on this issue. If you want someone to read this, simply send them here to my blog and they can read to their heart's content. :))

Great movies and TV!

2005-01-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

See, I told you all I was terrible at keeping an up-to-date journal. Thus the time between my blog entries. But, hey, better to post sometimes than not at all!!

So, have to talk about the great movies I've seen recently. Definitely go see Phantom of the Opera with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. It's fabulous. I'm a Phantom fan from way back and after hearing the great Michael Crawford sing the Phantom I admit, I was leery about how the movie might be. I was pleasantly surprised! Everything from the cinematography, to the sets, to the costumes, to the music, to the acting was excellent. It was a beautiful piece brought to life on film. It's definitely one to see on the big screen, so don't wait until it comes out on DVD (although I can assure you it's one you'll want to buy!). And don't think this is a chick flick, even though I've seen some reviewers mention that. My husband loved it. He said, "It's one of the all time best movies I've ever seen." So take that, all you macho guys! LOL!

On DVD, my number one recommendation is Spiderman 2. Hubby and I never made it to the theater to see this one. Everyone we knew raved about it, and while we liked the first Spiderman, we couldn't figure out what could possibly be so wonderful about #2. I mean, an action superhero flick is an action superhero flick, right? Wrongo!! Spiderman 2 is, hands down, THE best superhero flick ever made. Because some of you may not have seen it I won't give details, but suffice it to say that it covers everything you could possibly want--action, real conflict for the hero, love, betrayal, and several surprises. I absolutely loved this movie. ML gives it two enthusiastic thumbs up. :)

Now, on to TV. Okay, I admit, I'm not really much of a TV watcher. Well, if you don't count The Weather Channel, that is. But I'm not big on series. When I do watch series, they're usually the fantasy/sci-fi type, like X-Files, Andromeda, Star Trek, WitchBlade, etc. I was never really a Buffy fan, though. I'd seen a handful of shows, and while they were fun, I never felt compelled to catch it every week. Enter TNT reruns at 6:00 a.m. weekday mornings. One word. Angel. Yes, Angel, as in Buffy's old flame who got his own show. I watched a few Angel reruns and was totally hooked. Hubby gave me the first two seasons on DVD for Xmas, and three days after Xmas I went out and bought seasons three and four also. Can you say "addicted?" I have spent hours and hours and hours watching all these episodes. I'm talking like 8-10 straight hours sometimes, until I'm red-eyed and almost delirious. Until I was dreaming about vampires and kick butt action scenes. Oh--my--God. I admit it. I'm a complete Angelholic (is that a word?). So...come February 15, when season 5 (the final season) is released on DVD, I'll be the one at the head of the line with the wild hair and wilder eyes, kicking, punching, and cross-bowing my way to get my DVDs!

Yeah, baby!

2004-08-26T05:15:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law sent me a truly hubba-hubba pic via email that I had to share. The story goes (I'm paraphrasing here )...aren't you sick of all those cutsie angel emails people send all the time? The ones with the chubby darlings with wings who are sprinkling fairy dust, and you're supposed to send them on to everyone you know or else you'll be cursed with bad luck forever and ever. Well, one woman had had enough, so this is her version of what an angel should look like. Hehehehe!

See anything up under that loin cloth? Keep looking. Keep looking...

See anything yet? ;)

Now that's an angel!!

ML

Fact or Fiction...how far is too far?

2004-08-21T00:10:00.000-06:00

Here's a question for you.... How do you feel about historical figures being fictionalized? And I'm not talking about historical figures used in fiction in the correct context of the time the author is writing about. I'm talking about authors who take historical figures and give them fictional lives, lives that might be completely foreign to who these people were in reality.

I ask, because recently a particular book was published that used historical figures as main characters, and these characters were apparently put into hardcore sexual situations. The historical figures themselves, in real life, were conservative, upstanding folk. Yet this author took extensive liberties with these people in the story, putting them in scenarios that are not only unflattering, but could be perceived as downright offensive to some. (I won't say which book, author, and publisher because this really isn't intended to be a bashing session and I mean them no disrespect. What follows is my personal opinion about situations like this in GENERAL. I have not read the book in question. I base my comments above on the book's blurb and the general promotion buzz I heard prior to the book's release.)

I felt uncomfortable when I heard about this story. To me it seems in very poor taste, and it also seems rather lazy (and perhaps even a bit dangerous in our litigious society) on the part of an author to use real people, no matter if they lived a hundred and fifty years ago. Those of us who write fiction for a living have absolutely no limitations on where our imaginations might take us. To be rather blunt, we get to play God on a daily basis with our stories and characters. We can create hundreds...thousands...of fictional characters in our lifetimes. Characters of any possible race, creed, physical description, lifestyle, and personality. Do we really need to "borrow" real people to write about? Real people who probably still have family alive somewhere who wouldn't at all be pleased to find out their great, great, great grandfather or grandmother is being fictionalized in adult material.

I've certainly read historical fiction that took some liberties with real life people--Queen Elizabeth I having conversations with fictional heroes and heroines, historical nobility participating as secondary characters in intrigues that never really happened, maybe even key historical figures having secret fictional love affairs--and the vast majority of the time it hasn't bothered me if done with taste. But where does one draw the line? I guess what I'm wondering is how far is too far?

I'm curious what readers think about situations like this. If you have any thoughts on the matter you'd like to share with me, drop me an email.

A Story is Born!

2004-06-21T01:02:00.000-06:00

People always ask me how I come up with ideas for the stories I write. I tell them ideas are everywhere--life, newspaper, TV, movies, music, people, events, you name it. I'm never at a loss for story fodder. Sometimes I roll ideas around in my head for a while until all the pieces fall into place and other times they come to me in one fell swoop.

A couple of weeks ago I signed up to write a novella for a special Amber Quill project that will be released in December. The story's theme has to deal with the movies or theater. I'd been struggling with possibilities ever since. Then, this weekend, I was listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Ewan McGregor can sing to me any day, baby! That led me off to thinking how sexy a man's voice can be. (Those of you who've read my stories know this tends to be something that pops up in my work often, LOL!) I started thinking about all the powerful, sensual men's singing voices that really do it for me, and along with Ewan's, another one that's always cranked my engine is Michael Crawford's voice in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Hmm...Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Opera...did I detect a trend? :)

And just like that...voila! A plot and characters for my story appeared in full bloom in my mind. Even the characters' names and appearances came to me in Technicolor. I LOVE it when that happens!

So in December, look for my novella, MASKS, coming from Amber Quill Press as part of their Lights, Camera...Action!!! AmberPax series! I'm pretty psyched!

Now...time to go dig out my Phantom of the Opera CD. (It's research, I swear!)