Congrats to Amie, who won Enslaved by Blood (Drone Vampires, Book 10) by Stephani Hecht! Enslaved by Blood will be released by eXtasy Books on August 15.
Congrats to Paula, who won A Game of Skills (The Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club, Book 2) by TC Blue! A Game of Skills will be released by Total-E-Bound on August 16. (And go read this interview with TC Blue!)
If you read m/m romance, you should definitely join the M/M Romance Group on GoodReads. It’s a great source for reading recommendations, discussions, eye candy, author news, giveaways, and more.
Contests
- Leontine’s giving away a copy of Gena Showalter’s The Darkest Lie and a copy of Kresley Cole’s Pleasure of a Dark Prince. Leave a comment before August 14 for your chance to win.
- KMont’s giving away an ebook copy of KT Grant’s new f/f pirate romance, The Princess’s Bride. Comment by August 15 for your chance to win.
- Cecile’s giving away an ARC of the forthcoming romance by Jennifer Crusie, Maybe This Time. Leave a comment by August 17 for your chance to win.
- Patti’s giving away prize pack that includes Brenda Novak’s White Heat (Department 6 Hired Guns, Book 1). Leave a comment by August 21 for your chance to win.
- Patti’s also giving away a copy of Jenny Nelson’s new novel, Georgia’s Kitchen. Leave a comment (and be a follower) by August 26 for your chance to win.
- Knittymama’s giving away “something yummy and something crafty”. To enter, guess how many t-shirts her husband the Skeptic has. Contest closes August 30.
Bookity
- New releases: Lily (m/m romance), All About Romance (September romance releases), and Literary Escapism (UF/PNR: news, new releases, interviews, etc).
- Thought (and discussion) provoking article about sexuality and same-sex romance by Jill Sorenson.
- Clare London found a great post about whether sex is the only thing that sells books these days.
- Speaking of which… Jessica at ReadReactReview wrote a humorous post called “Penis vs. Clitoris: Romance Superior Court, County of Erotica.”
- Tracey D left such a great comment here yesterday I had to share it with all of you: “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again. — Review for The Wizard of Oz”
Ebookity
- Ten tips to help you Kindlefolk get the most out of your devices.
- A look at 32 slate and tablet computers.
- An intellectual property lawyer wonders how many times the media industry can claim that it’s being destroyed by new technologies.
- Dear Author on the transformational time for publishing in which we find ourselves.
- Wendy the Super Librarian weighs in on Dorchester’s announcement that it will stop printing paperbacks and move to an ebook and POD (print-on-demand) model instead.
- The Vancouver Public Library is seeing increased new memberships since it started offering ebooks.
- TeleRead found a new, free online converter that does non-DRM ebooks.
- If you aren’t using Calibre (free!) to manage your ebook library, maybe this tutorial will help you get started.
- Some ereader humor.
Learn, Make, Do, Think
- Matrix offers flight pricing without all the extraneous crap.
- Nice guide from Lifehacker on avoiding environmental health risks.
- Yikes! In the past month, a very sophisticated Trojan has siphoned about $1 million from British bank accounts.
- Ack! There’s a million pounds of beef in California, Texas, Oregon, and Arizona that’s contaminated by E. coli!
- Have you seen the social network planet?
- Hmm. Maybe sleeping in on the weekend won’t make up for not getting enough sleep during the week.
- Make a custom t-shirt with a photo of your pet (or kidlet) on it.
- I’m pretty sure FOX News wasn’t expecting Ted Olson to defend the Prop 8 trial decision so eloquently (or at all?).
Linkity Peeps
- Kristi has photography, craft, and foodie links.
- Jessica has bookish news and more in the Monday Morning Stepback.
- Katiebabs has her weekly NSFW WTFery post.
Cool
- 1950s hand-carved statue of a cat with a ball of yarn.
- I love marble track things likes this, although the best one I ever say was at the Boston Museum of Science – it was huge and used bowling balls instead of marbles! (And yes, it was enclosed in plexiglass.)
- You’ll have to wait until October to buy the LEGO London Tower Bridge.
- Sharpie’s new liquid pencil can be erased for the first 24 hours, but then it’s permanent.
Huh
- If you have a handy baby this Halloween, you can put together this uber-creepy ventriloquist and ventriloquist’s dummy costume.
- Don’t you think your kids would have nightmares from this two-story inflatable black cat Halloween decoration?! (Make sure you watch the short video.) (Thanks, Brenda!)
- Would you use fake melted food to save your seat?
- Alas, I simply don’t have space for this giant cat couch.
- Erm. I certainly know what I think this pen looks like! (NSFW, depending on how you perceive the pen.)
- Not sure that these skull spoons could actually be used as spoons, with those eye holes…
- SoC is not responsible for any injuries incurred if you actually make these DIY office roller skates.
- The Batman of my imagination does not look like this.
LOL
- Twelve things that CursingMama can’t believe she’s actually said but has because she’s a pet owner.
- xkcd on sleep deprivation. (Make sure you hover your mouse over the comic.)
- What would happen if the internet broke forever?
- Hyperbole and a Half on expectations vs. reality and cat safety propaganda.
- I guess this means that neither of my cats is 100% evil, no matter what I might think.
Teh Cute
- Absolutely the cutest geek toys you’ll ever see. I thought Cthulhu was particularly adorable.
- Apparently even big cats like catnip! (Thanks, Brenda!)
- I really think this pallas cat looks like the Lorax.
- Kitten! Kitten! Kitten in a shoe! Kittens! Melly! Kitten! Kitten! Pallas cat! Puppy! Kitten! Melly! Pallas cats! Kitten! Puppy! Escape artist panda! Kitten!
Reading Update
This week’s short reading list is due to my small part in the M/M Romance Group’s celebration, plus I’m in the midst of reading a very long book. I’m sure I’ll finish it by next Friday. 🙂
Duck! by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance/fairy tale about an avian shifter who was raised in the human foster system and only recently discovered that he wasn’t human. Since it’s believed he’ll be a low-status duck shifter, he’s being treated very, very poorly until a high-ranking hawk shifter decides to take him home as a servant/submissive. Um, I might’ve gotten sniffly while reading this one…
Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton. ebook. Very good m/m romance about an accountant who works all the time, always chasing his next promotion, and a guy who doesn’t need to work but travels incessantly, unable to stay too long in one place. I got sniffly while reading this one, too!
A Game of Skills (The Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club, Book 2) by T.C. Blue. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a guy who’s been on the run for a long time, protecting his dead best friend’s child, who has special abilities. Along the way, they rescue a member of the Farmingdale Gentleman’s Club… but will coming to the Club’s attention help them, or further endanger them?
Boys of Pleasure by Heidi Cullinan. illustrated short ebook. Very good short m/m romance about a librarian who’s out at a bar to clear his head after a fight with his boyfriend and becomes fascinated by the guitarist onstage.
Valley of Shadows by Phoenix Emrys. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a famous historical romance author who has a big secret: he can see and speak with ghosts. Ghosts who want him to pass on messages to their loved ones so that they can rest in peace. He does so anonymously… until one fateful day. This story took a somewhat odd and unexpected turn about 2/3 through… and I still haven’t decided what I think about it.
Changing Perspective (Lusting Wild) by Marilu Mann. free ebook short. So-so free short paranormal m/m romance about a bar owner who is unexpectedly attracted to the guy applying to be a bouncer. (The cover’s a bit amusing for an m/m romance, isn’t it?)
Heart Song by Jambrea Jo Jones. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a guy whose older, emotionally distant lover has just died. (And talk about a cover bonanza! Candy Cane Guy and Torso Guy!)
“Tough luck, Mom. I’m staying right here, so you can just forget about mailing all this stuff out to those M/M Romance Group people.” -Mayhem
Awwww cutest toys in the world 😀
A recent post from blodeuedd..Review- Turning the tide – Christine Stovell
Oh, I don’t know where to start with all the lovely links! Thank you!
And as soon as Duck appears on Fictionwise or AllRomance it is mine!!! *grin*
May – you put your foot…um…your body down!
A recent post from orannia..Vacillation
Okay, I think need one of those pens! And that batman – a video on how to order from Subway?!?
Love your linkity Fridays – have a great day!
Chris- Oh, is it Friday already?
Some kitty removal might be in order.
A recent post from Lorraine..Its here
Thanks for the links to the Dear Author site about Samhain and to Wendy’s post about Dorchester – both were really informative Chris!
Love the tee-shirt with the pet imprint.. I would love one of those.. *g*
Have a great weekend. 🙂
LOL, that mini-Batman is pretty darn cute too!
Hee hee, I can relate to CursingMama…
A recent post from Brigitte..Could It Be!!
I love radiolab. That little visual poetry is oddly moving. But moving across the office in those skates? I can hardly walk on the carpeting in our office if I am wearing rubbery/crepe soled shoes. Thanks for my weekly dose of linkity.
A recent post from marylou..No- no- I have a better idea!
I think I will spend today at unsuck it. that is too perfect.
A recent post from Jennifer..Planning and preparation
OMG, I want that inflatable black cat! Now!
Here is an adorable video on my friends blog. I found these two have a channel on YouTube with all kinds of videos and bloggy type stuff.
That kitty couch is kind of creepy.
From CursingMamma, I believe I read these two at least twice a week in m/m ;-):
5. Get your tongue out of his ass.
9. Sniffing my crotch is not an acceptable way to say good morning.
I really must start reading Hyberbole and a Half regualarly because it kills me everytime I do.
Cat on a pole! BWAHAHAHAHA
Okay, I haven’t read any of those. Wow. I do have the strawberries one and I’ve been eyeing the Kim Dare although I’m supposed to be on a break. Good sniffly or my heart hurts for him sniffly? I sometimes hate “heart hurts” sniffly if I’m not in the mood. I better stock up on tissues.
A recent post from Tam..My Musical Find for a Wednesday
Thanks for the link up!! 🙂
One can spend way to much time reading links from your Friday posts. Chaos, why is it kitties will stay in an uncomfortable place just so they can piss off mommies, eh? TGIF Chris!
Thanks for the links! I’ve asked to join the good reads group… and the pallas kittens are so cute!
Have a great weekend!
A recent post from Miranda..Fantasy Contest Bar a la Menage
Thanks for the Kindle blogger link.
A recent post from trek..Seiben steppdecken
I don’t need to worry about melting my neighbor’s house. It’s already been done. And more melting would only be an improvement.
I don’t think that kitty couch wouldn’t even fit in my living room.
Love the mini Batman.
Ah, hyperbole and a half, how I love you.
Also, I have to admit that I am bothered by the cthulu for sale on the etsy store. I own the book that the pattern is from, so it makes my brain explode in copyright fury (I’ve started a cthulu and finished one or two other items).
A recent post from Seanna Lea..two more shows
Oh my gosh… this was too funny!! Thanks for the giggles today, Chris!!!!
And thanks for the mention honey!! Hugs to you!!!
A recent post from Cecile..Review & Giveaway- ARC Maybe This Time by Jennifer Cruise
OMGosh! This is the best post! Scary penile toys, phallic pens, a butt cushion and kitties. I am well set for my day.
Thank you, Chris!
I should maybe not have “butt cushion” and “kitties” so close together without a dividing comma….
ohhhhh teh visualz
Um that pen looks like dried out poo. Or a slug. O.o
A recent post from katiebabs..KBs Pimpin Cookie Book Covers Future Releases
Great links! The post regarding intellectual property and the sky is falling syndrome was quite succinct.
I have to send you some great links – will do it via email and you can use them!
A recent post from Julia Rachel Barrett..Housekeeping
I want that Dr. Who doll – adorable!
And I’m going to be forced to learn to crochet for I must make that can of Guinness for my sister for Christmas.
The Ted Olsen interview was phenomenal!!!
Awesome linkity goodness, today, Chris!!!
Damn you got me spending money on that very very cute Big Daddy BioShock doll from ThinkGeek
A recent post from Teddypig..Project Runway Blogging As Gay Political Commentary
Pallas kitteh IS the Lorax.
A recent post from kmkat..Time for silliness
I must have a Sharpie pencil. I mean many Sharpie pencils. Perhaps hundreds.
You thought you were stacking packages to mail so you wouldn’t forget anything, but clearly you were constructing a kitty tower instead.
A recent post from Brenda..At long last a FO! Corvid Frost Diamonds
I so want to read the Kim Dare book. I love a good underduck story.
Thank you for my weekly roundup of cute kitties!
Ah weapons grade windows for the neighbors you hate. 😉
I love the topographic carpet!
I wonder if they have a giant ferret couch.
LOL at the pole dancing cat.
A recent post from Sydney..Why yes- I do knit
Congrats to the winners!!
Wow, another great collection of links. I had a fun time clicking away this morning.
The only one of those that I’ve read is Duck! which I really enjoyed. Strawberries is on my TBR since lucky me I won it!! Looking forward to reading it. 🙂
A recent post from Lily..Natures Own by Nica Berry
Excellent set of articles this week – I have subscribed to a few of those …
Quite a few budget range ones are being released over here – but you can see the writing on the wall already….
Love the tablet thingy’s….
I am hoping Sony does something larger than a 6inch with this new announcement… I think I can hold off for the next few weeks until they give us the the official speel…
@Mayhem… Good for you girl, stick it to the Mom….
🙂
Snort. Land of Defunct Social Networks. Very funny…
A recent post from Lorette..What Are Your Reading Habits
Thanks for stopping by to visit me (and my bacon!)…facebook has really put a dent in my blogging by completely exacerbating my inate laziness. Hugs to you, Chaos, and May!
A recent post from obsidian kitten..The Bacon Party
Loving the linkies!
A recent post from mrspao..Good night- Merlin
Excellent Linkity!
I do love your linkity posts. Ever so much.