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Congrats to Mary F, who won her choice of Ervin’s Dilemma (Wayne County Wolves #1) by Stephani Hecht or The Helpful Swan (The Cob Brothers #3) by Amber Kell and Stephani Hecht!

Congrats to Michelle, CursingMama, and Tracey D, who won King Perry by Edmond Manning!

Congrats to Peggy C, who won Still Waters (Sanctuary #4) by RJ Scott! Still Waters will be released by Silver Publishing on May 19.

Congrats to Paula S, who won her choice of More Than Pride (Supernatural Mates #6) or Switching Payne by Amber Kell! Switching Payne will be released by Silver Publishing on May 19 and More Than Pride will be released by Total-E-Bound on May 28.

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Contests

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook from Cat Grant’s backlist. Contest closes 11:59 pm EDT, May 18.

• Joder’s also giving away an ebook from Cat Grant’s backlist. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, May 18.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of Staring into the Eyes of Chance by Kay Dee Royal. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, May 23.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Literary Escapism (PNR/UF) and Book Lovers Inc (romance of various sorts).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• Dear Author on why copyright terms should be shorter.

• A new study suggests that Amazon reviews are as accurate as those by “professional” reviewers. Think about that the next time you see an author melting down about a negative review on GRs or Amazon and decrying the review because it’s not from a “professional”. 🙂

• Household tips and recipes of famous authors from Brain Pickings. (via Largehearted Boy)

• If you’re trying to spark your creativity and write more, check out 750words.com. (via Chrissy Munder)

• Writing, publishing, and marketing – life as a self-published author.

• Jordan Castillo Price shows how a book cover is put together from stock photography.

• Becky Black with some reasons for authors to be on Twitter.

• 15 favorite GLBT romances from LoveRomancePassion.

• Stephen King is writing a sequel to The Shining.

• Very cool book sculptures in a small Swiss village. (Thanks, Juni!)

• Birth of a book infographic.

• Better book title for The Mill on the Floss.

• Behind every great novelist is…

Ebookity

• Infographic that provides an overview of ebook antitrust lawsuits worldwide.

• Dear Author has an update on the DoJ lawsuit.

• Do writers feel as if they need to write more/faster because of ebooks?

Do, Think, Make, Learn

• All about introverts. This quote sums us up perfectly: “…introverts are people who find other people tiring.” (Thanks, Edmond!)

• 10 cat facts you may not know. (Thanks, Stephani!)

• The statues on Easter Island have bodies. (via The Mary Sue)

• Gem corn and genetics. (Thanks, Bron!)

• If you’re prone to heart problems, you might want to avoid Zithromax.

• New research suggests that coffee drinkers (serious ones) live longer.

• What lies does everyone tell on dating sites?

• Huh. Well, this might explain why women date jerks – but why do guys date jerks? (Baddest Santa Guy is in the featured photo!)

• The history of the vibrator…

• There’s not really a lot of water on our planet.

Cookity

• 15 slow cooker recipes.

• 14 recipes with six ingredients (plus salt).

• 10 spring slow cooker recipes.

• 10 light spring soups.

• 10 vegan dinners.

• 10 recipes that will leave you with plenty of leftovers.

• 10 recipes for take-out foods at home.

• 10 beet recipes.

• 10 tasty ways to cook chicken.

• 7 light meals.

• 5 more ways to use up leftovers.

• Five-ingredient chili.

• Cambodian-style spring rolls.

• Vegetarian pho.

• Grilled fish tacos. (via The Kitchn)

• Kahlua bundt cake. (via CRAFT)

• Slow cooker Nutella crunch cheesecakes. (via The Kitchn)

• Chocohotopots. (via The Kitchn)

• One-minute microwave chocolate cupcakes. (via The Kitchn)

• Now I’m really hungry.

Gluten-Free

• Gluten-free zucchini quinoa breakfast cake.

• 10 recipes to get you started on the gluten-free diet.

• Domino’s Pizza now has a gluten-free crust… that they don’t recommend for celiacs.

• Chuck E. Cheese is testing gluten-free pizza and cupcakes in Minnesota.

• There’s a link between undiagnosed celiac disease and obesity.

• Amusing tumblr called “When I Went Gluten Free”. (via The Kitchn)

Crafty

• Use old maps to make a woven map notebook. (via CRAFT)

• Hone your origami skills by turning a dollar bill into a tiny camera.

Cool

• Crocheted Star Wars mini amigurumi. (Thanks, orannia!)

• Another TARDIS cat house. (via The Mary Sue)

• Have tea with Alan Rickman.

• Sweet short film about a crayon dragon.

Cool or Wha…?

• 18,000 pound chocolate Mayan temple.

Wha…?

• Free gingers?!

• Chocolate cat tongues?!

• Eat a chocolate replica of your own brain.

• Wisdom tooth ring.

• Don’t rob an internet cafe when you’re logged in to Facebook there.

• “A custom-made, data-driven butt plug for each GOP presidential candidate.“

• 9 weird coffins.

• Crocheted pizza rug.

LOL

• Shit my kids ruined. (Thanks, Bron!)

• How to pose like a hot guy with a cute dog. (Thanks, Bron!)

• If IKEA made the Large Hadron Collider…

• Avengers compared to Star Wars. (Thanks, Bron!)

• Computer icons that don’t make much sense now.

• 13 funniest autocorrected texts with a mother.

• A scene from my neighborhood.

• Find out Australia’s dark secret!

• Excellent kitty hiding.

• Make sure you recognize your cat’s importance.

• I’m a sucker for this, too.

• Poor Basement Cat!

Teh Cute

• Baby lions! Baby snow leopards! Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Kitten! Swan and cygnets! Lion and baby! Lioness and baby! Ducklings! Otter and baby! Penguin and baby!

Reading Update
Last Stop by Lou Harper. ebook. arc. Very good kinky m/m romantic suspense about a guy who’s hitchhiking to Seattle, paying his way with sex or a friendly ear. When his latest ride dumps him at a truck stop in Montana, he sees a help wanted sign and decides to stick around for a bit after he meets the sexy, mysterious, older owner of the cafe. And then things start to get more and more complicated…
Where You Hurt the Most by Anne Brooke. ebook short. arc. Very good short m/m romance about an escort who’s asked to spend some time with a young man and perhaps help draw him out of the shell he’s been in since an accident left him terribly scarred. Written in a lovely, literary style, this story was a pleasure to read. My only complaint was that, while the story of the escort and the young man was evocatively told, I wanted to know at least a few more details about the merely implied back story in order to better understand a scene near the end.
Pricks and Pragmatism by JL Merrow. ebook short. Very good m/m romance about a guy who’s almost done with his university degree. He has no money, so he’s been staying with various guys, basically exchanging sex for food and lodging. But what’s up with the nerdy engineer he’s just moved in with, who doesn’t seem interested in him in that way?
Into the Bermuda Triangle (Turbulence #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. Very good short m/m paranormal setting the stage for future episodes of this serial about pilots who fly into the Bermuda Triangle. You are definitely left wanting more! 🙂
The Amethyst Cat Caper by Charlie Cochet. ebook. Very good mystery and romance set in Manhattan in the 1930s, in which the owner of a teahouse purchases a cat statue that he assumes is a forgery until a Pinkerton’s man comes knocking on his door…
Still Waters (Sanctuary #4) by RJ Scott. ebook. arc. Good m/m romantic suspense in which a Sanctuary operative, former FBI, is thrown together with his ex (still in the FBI) who believes he was on the take.
She’s Come Undone by Eric Arvin. ebook short. Sad short story about being trapped, be it by your body or by your fears or by the actions of others.
Home Sweet Home by Kim Dare. ebook short. Sweet short kinky m/m romance about a submissive who returns home to discover that his master’s contribution to their home’s decor is not at all what he suspected. (I took the picture that inspired said contribution. Hee hee.)
Glitter (Beach Duo #0.5) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a college student who slowly realizes, over four years, that he’s not actually homophobic but rather the opposite.
The Charlie Factor (Beach Duo #1) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about a former firefighter slowly recovering after nearly dying in a murderous fire. He’s befriended by a straight guy who finds himself developing very confusing feelings for his new friend.
Popping the Question (Beach Duo #1.5) by Diana DeRicci. free ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a couple celebrating the second anniversary of their meeting. Really, this should be #2.5, as it contains spoilers for the second book.
Doing Love Right (Beach Duo #2) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. reread. Pretty good m/m romance about a wedding planner, recently dumped, who wakes up after a party to discover a strange man in bed with him… a strange man who knows an awful lot about him. This would’ve been better without the near-purple prose during the sex scenes.
Sparks Fly by Clare London. ebook. reread. Pretty good m/m romance about a successful entrepreneur who gets around, but finds himself thinking about the prickly programmer who helped launch his first venture, an online dating service. This suffers from an excess of exclamation points and… I know Clare’s a much more polished writer now than she was when this was written. 🙂
Mark’s Opening Gambit by Lee Brazil. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a high school dropout who’s helping his mom support his younger brothers by working nights. When he meets the snooty owner of a chess shop where one of his brothers is in a tournament, he’s unprepared for the attraction between them.
My First But Not My Last by Leigh Jarrett. ebook short. Ok, but very short, m/m encounter between a guy who’s just been dumped by his girlfriend and a guy he meets at the beach.
The Stars on My Arm by Leigh Jarrett. ebook. Meh m/m romance about a high school senior who’s at first repulsed and then fascinated by the heavily pierced and tattooed guy who moves in next door, much to his girlfriend’s dismay. This book was hampered by a number of things: too much telling and not enough showing, being several times longer than it should have been for the amount of actual story, and a lack of editing (giving someone the finger is rather different than fingering said person).

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“…zzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos