Congrats to KC (SmokinHotBooks), who won Making Promises (sequel to Keeping Promise Rock) by Amy Lane! Making Promises will be released on Monday, July 26, by Dreamspinner Press.

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Contests

• Lea’s giving away a copy of the Nauti and Wild anthology by Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton – rush over and enter, because she’s selecting a winner sometime today (July 23)!

• LesleyW’s curious about your comfort reads. Leave a comment listing some of them (by July 26) for your chance to win a copy of Dark Protector by Alexis Morgan.

• Janna’s giving away one of Keta Diablo’s m/m romances – leave a comment for your chance to win and stop back at Janna’s on July 28 to see if you won.

• Oh oh – Red Tango’s now selling device skins. For your chance to win an iPhone, Nano, or Blackberry skin, comment at moderncat by July 28. (Red Tango does have laptop skins – they just aren’t included in the contest.)

Bookity

• New releases and more: Lily (m/m romance), Katiebabs (assorted types of romance with catchy covers), Smokin’ Hot Books (forthcoming books that KC wants), Renee (books she’s anticipating), and Literary Escapism (dates for upcoming PNR/UF releases, interviews, etc).

• Dear Author’s linkity posts provide a nice summary of book-related goings-on.

• Jessica at ReadReactReview is back with the Monday Morning Stepback.

• Will libraries be the next pop-culture wave? (Thanks, MaryLou!)

• If you’re a writer, you should definitely check out Val’s post “How to finish your rough draft no matter what!”

• Lifehacker recommends Dropbox as a “must-have writer’s tool.”

• Read an excerpt and blurb for The Last Days of a Rake (m/f historical) by Donna Lea Simpson at EH’s place, then head to Carina Press to download it for free.

• Katiebabs found some examples of cover art reuse.

Ebookity

• The eBook Reader has updated its ebook reader comparison matrices. And don’t forget about the comparison matrices at the MobileRead Wiki.

• How can brick & mortar bookstores be repurposed in the digital age?

• TeleRead has an interesting ebook linkity post.

• The big excitement of the week was Amazon’s reported sales figures, which have been confirmed by Publisher’s Weekly. An American Editor asks some questions about those figures.

• What we know and don’t know about Google Editions.

• If your library has started lending ebooks (like mine did this week), check out this Dear Author post on how to borrow library ebooks.

• Make an iPad case from an inflatable pillow.

• Ten Kindle cases you can make.

Learn, Make, Do, Think

• Scientists finally prove that women are better at multitasking than are men.

• Some tips from Lifehacker on how to avoid online distractions and get things done.

• O noes! Spending too much time sitting, even if you’re otherwise physically active, increases your risk of death!

• Ok, the five-second rule might apply… outdoors.

• Make a really cool rainbow-colored drink.

• Make your own gift bags out of newspaper.

• If you’re looking for the cheapest places to buy generic drugs, this Consumerist list is a good place to start.

• Sometimes Indexed is more wise than funny.

• If you like everything to be organized in your computer bag, Grid-It will be perfect for you.

• What a cool project to do with your kids – make your own sidewalk chalk!

• Wow, this is some of the coolest knitted graffiti I’ve seen! (Thanks, Bronwyn!)

Linkity Peeps

• Lily shares some NSFW linkity.

• Katiebabs has a Weekly WTFery post that’s NSFW.

• Kristi has craft, food, and photography linkity.

Huh

• Giant cardboard robot arms! (And now might be a good time to try to figure out if your partner is a robot.)

• Do these little guys actually help keep cords organized?

• Brisket flip flop sandwich (made from foam, fabric, etc) – why??

• There’s a town in Illinois that wants to outlaw eye rolling. *rolls eyes and makes mental note to stay away*

• If you’re fond of weird food festivals, check out this list at Consumerist.

• Darth Vader robbed a bank!

• You know you want a shark sleeping bag…

• Projector wedding ring?!

• Interested in living inside a glass museum habitat for a month? No overnight visitors allowed…

• How can you resist this glass that holds an entire bottle of wine?!

LOL

• Epic FAIL in grade school homework… (Thanks, CursingMama!)

• Passive aggressive notes…

• As you’ve always suspected, your anti-virus software hates you.

• Think you might’ve traveled back in time, but aren’t completely sure? LoveRomancePassion has a handy checklist!

• It would be really bad if cats had five-foot long arms.

• This picture messes with my eyes – so I guess it’s true!

• No sharing.

• Bring me a shrubbery!

• Oh oh, Basement Cat keeps his minions on speed dial!

• Zing!

Teh Cute

• Need more daily cuteness? Let the Daily Otter help. (Thanks, Naomi!)

• Kitten! Kittens and the Bean! Kittens! Kittens! Floofy kitten! Kittens living dangerously! Duckling! Kittens! Kittens! Melly! Melly and a crab! Kittens and what they look like as adults! Upside down kitten! Kitten with a crush! Painfully cute kitten!

Reading Update
Sweet Son by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Very good bdsm m/m faery tale about a young man who, after having numerous dreams of his true love, sets off to find him. The journey is not at all what he expects… truly a case of “you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.”
Phoenix Rising by Kimberly Gardner. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a deeply closeted guy who falls for a stripper who doesn’t want to be anybody’s dirty little secret ever again.
Bound to Please (Phoenix Rising, Book 2) by Kimberly Gardner. ebook. Excellent kinky m/m romance about a young man who’s secretly in love with his boss, a photographer and dominant who owns a bdsm club. When the dominant starts working with a hot new model and former porn star, everything changes. (Usually I don’t read menages, because most authors can’t make the emotional/romantic connections between three people convincing. Kimberly Gardner can.)
Sexy Summer Fling by Kimberly Gardner. free ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy working as a (female) fortune teller when a very hot guy comes in to get his palm read.
A Wicked Caress (Lost Shifters, Book 5) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Noah, the most recently rescued of the Lost Shifters. He’s back in Flint with his family for the first time ever, but he doesn’t feel as if he belongs there.
Blood Slave by Kim Dare. ebook. Good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a vampire who doesn’t realize that humans can offer submission without being broken to do so.
Mitch by Dakota Rebel. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a bounty hunter who’s given a contract on the very sexy vampire lead singer of a popular band.
The Letter Z (Coda, Colorado, Book 3) by Marie Sexton. ebook. Very good m/m romance about Angelo & Zach and Jared & Matt and how relationships are complicated and easily misunderstood by those outside the relationships… including, in this case, the reader. You definitely need to read both Promises and A to Z before reading this book.
Sticky Fingers (Go Fish, Book 2) by H.T. Murray. ebook short. Steamy short m/m romance that follows up on Cal and Ian. Particularly recommended if you love watermelon.
What Not To Wear by Clare London. ebook short. Fun short m/m romance about the dangers of working at the same company as your boyfriend when you both have a penchant for public sex.
Nevermore by Addison Albright. ebook short. Sweet’n’steamy short m/m romance about a divorced teacher who’s stayed in the closet because he’s been afraid of taking risks with his job or his kids.
Wicked Hearts by Claire Thompson. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s basically been under his cruel and nasty best friend’s thumb for years. Things do not go smoothly as he tries to put more distance between himself and his friend.
Masks of Emotion (aka Julian’s Second Chance) by Claire Thompson. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who traveled in Sri Lanka together for a few days when they were college students, then lost touch due to a big misunderstanding.
Runaway Man by Jambrea Jo Jones. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who runs into his boyfriend on the train, after vanishing from his boyfriend’s life without a word some months before.

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“What?” -Mayhem