Congrats to Shanna, who won Code Blue by Stephani Hecht! Code Blue is being released by eXtasy Books today.
Congrats to Susmita, who won Gayish (G-A-Y, Book 12) by Kim Dare! Gayish will be released by Total-E-Bound on October 4.
Contests
- TC Blue’s giving away an ebook copy of one of her backlist m/m romance books – simply caption the photo before 11:59 pm EDT, October 1, for your chance to win. Although I think Jase and I have it nailed, so… 🙂
- For a chance to win TC Blue’s latest m/m romance, Lime Green: Margarita Mondays, comment on her prompt fic post by 11:59 pm EDT, October 1.
- Lea’s giving away an ebook copy of Savannah Stuart’s paranormal erotic romance, Unleashed Temptation (Miama Scorchers, Book 1). Comment by midnight EDT, October 1, for your chance to win.
- LesleyW’s curious about the banned books you’ve read. Comment before October 2 and you could win a copy of the Love at First Bite anthology.
- A number of bloggers are honoring urban fantasy author Jennifer Rardin, who died unexpectedly this week, by giving away a book from her Jaz Parks series: Renee’s Book Addiction (closes 11:59 pm PDT, October 1), Lurv a la Mode (one US winner & one international winner; closes noon EDT, October 4), and Sidhe Vicious Reviews (closes 11:59 pm, October 5).
- Mandi’s giving away three copies of Ilona Andrews’s newest paranormal romance, Bayou Moon. Comment through October 2 for your chance to win. (US/Canada only)
- Anastasia has two copies of The Mental Floss History of the United States to give away. Comment by October 3 for your chance to win. (US only)
- Kim Dare’s giving away ebooks from her G-A-Y series – comment on her post at the Total-E-Bound blog (by October 3) for your chance to win. Also, comment on Kim’s newsletter for your chance to win one of her ebooks!
- Cat Grant’s giving away a copy of her new m/m novella, Sonata Apassionata. Winners announced October 4.
- The Bite Club’s giving away a copy of Werewolf Haiku to someone who sends in a werewolf haiku by October 6. Winner will be announced October 10.
- Blodeudd’s giving away two ebook copies of Edie Ramer’s new paranormal romance, Cattitude. Comment by October 7 for your chance to win.
- Tracy’s giving away a copy of Hard to Hold by Julie Leto. Leave a comment on the contest post between 6 am PDT, October 1, and 11:59 pm PDT, October 8, for your chance to win.
Bookity
- New releases and more: Lily (m/m romance), Elisa (LGBT releases), Tor.com (epic fantasy, urban fantasy, YA paranormal, science fiction), Katiebabs (books with covers that caught her eye), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR news), Fantasy Dreamer’s Ramblings (UF/PNR/fantasy), and All About Romance (October romance audiobooks).
- This week is Banned Books Week. How many banned books have you read?
- Bookity linkity from Dear Author and ReadReactReview.
- Publishers are now complaining that the agency pricing model (which they pushed through) is leading to lower revenues…
- Has the Suck Fairy visited you when you reread a beloved book?
- If you’ve ever thought that dating a writer would be wonderful, you might want to reconsider that…
Ebookity
- Kindle peeps: Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander is available for free right now.
- TeleRead wonders if publishers are unable to deal with digital change.
Learn, Make, Think, Do
- Dan Savage has started a YouTube channel, It Gets Better, to show GLBT teens that there is life after high school and give them hope. Lisabea reminds everyone about the Trevor Project, which provides crisis and suicide prevention for GLBT youth. Ellen Degeneres makes a moving statement to GLBT kids, telling them that things will change and she hopes they’ll be around to see it.
- Considering an Android smartphone, but have no clue where to start? Check out the Gizmodo guide.
- Check out the results of Consumerist’s Worst Ad in America voting.
- Curious how airlines compare on fees?
- Think the lottery’s your chance to improve your life? Play the lottery simulator to see how likely that is.
- The interactive map of bank failures is pretty scary.
- If you’re facing pumpkin shortages, knowing how to make pumpkin puree could be very handy.
- Surely you need to make yourself and your loved ones fabric Day of the Dead skulls.
Gluten-Free
- A recent US study found that the incidence of celiac disease increases as people get older.
Linkity Peeps
- Kristi’s got links to her fall-themed recipes. Wonder if I can make those pumpkin scones gluten-free?
- ikisti’s got links to some cool things that caught her interest this week.
Cool
- Completely amazing tiny stop-motion film, with knitting!
- Adorable ninja salt and pepper shakers.
- Is it wrong that I think the middle-finger statue is cool?
- Lego wedding ring! Why don’t they both have Lego rings? Then they could interlock. 🙂
- You know you want to buy a full-scale replica of the 1966 Batmobile…
- Love the knitted rainbow, although the unicorns look more like unicorn mice!
- Very cool knitted scarf for a Thomas Edison statue.
- Very cute geeky graphics you can print and use on labels, etc.
- Having a bad day? Maybe pushing the button will help.
Huh
- The top ten new foods at state fairs this year – the Minnesota State Fair had three of them. (Thanks, Cursing Mama!)
- Surely there’s a festive event to which you can bring a meat head?
- An alarm clock that throws things at you seems like a bad idea.
- Beware the death ray at this Las Vegas hotel!
- You can now buy a bra that doubles as a gas mask.
- Handy… Google Street View in Antarctica.
- Simply show someone this video of a robotic vagina giving birth, and they’ll never had kids. (Beware the totally skeery sound effects…)
- If a panda approaches you in the cheese aisle of your grocery store, flee!
LOL
- I wouldn’t try this with one of your own SD cards…
- xkcd on the the frequency with which adjectives are associated with expletives. (Make sure you hover your cursor over the comic!)
- Pretty sure Chaos would’ve excelled at Basement Cat Academy as a kitten…
- Chaos and Mayhem have the same problem.
- Chaos would totally do this, given the chance.
- Hmm. Do you think that tiger is hungry?! (Thanks, Jase!)
Teh Cute
- Bathing kitteh! Kitten! Melly! Chinchilla! Kitties! Lion cubs! Kitten! Kitties! A kitten/cat and his beloved toy! Baby raccoons! Hedgehog! Kitten! Melly! Confused frog! Bunny! Non-scary panda! Tiger and cub! Sand cat! Arctic fox kit! Kitten! Baby armadillo! Pandas! Kitten! Baby zebra!
Reading Update
72 Hours by Clare London. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about an agent for a shadowy government organization (think 24 here) who’s been suspended and is hiding out, sulking, when the last man/agent he wants to see (his former lover) is deposited with him for safekeeping. You know how you read some books and get annoyed because the conflict could’ve been solved with some conversation? In 72 Hours, you might be tempted to think that at first, but you slowly come to understand that the critical conversations aren’t always easy. Kinda like in real life. 🙂
Handcuffs and Headlocks (Rawlings Men, Book 3) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about an undercover police officer who’s played so many different parts that he’s always playing a part, even when he meets an extremely centered martial arts instructor to whom he’d like to submit.
The Subtle Build of Perfection by L.M. Turner. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a video store clerk and the video store customer who keeps coming in and renting movies to see him. This story definitely managed to capture the awkwardness of meeting someone, trying to figure out if that person is attracted to you, and so forth.
Devlin and Garrick (Seeking Redemption, Book 2) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Good m/m romance about Devlin, visiting San Francisco for a few days, who picks up a rough, tattooed guy for some quick fun that turns into a weekend in bed, followed by six months of emails and phone calls before the guy brutally dumps Devlin in email. Five years later, Devlin’s still struggling to deal with that when he bumps into a mysteriously familiar (but tattoo-free) guy new in town…
Hunter’s Light (Kindred Spirits, Book 2) by Jude Mason & Jenna Byrnes. Ok paranormal m/m romance about an overly enthusiastic guy who comes to the inn to see and write about its ghostly inhabitants. When he finds out there’s a ghost at the nearby lighthouse, he’s soon butting heads with the solitary lighthouse keeper.
Alex’s Appeal (Kindred Spirits, Book 3) by Jude Mason & Jenna Byrnes. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a lawyer who comes to the inn to think about whether he wants to accept a judgeship and move away from the home that he and his partner, who died eight months ago, shared. While at the inn, he becomes intrigued by the handsome young cook…
Juicy, Melty, Fun to Share (Book 1) by Augusta Li. ebook short. Good short holiday m/m story about a caterer who discovers that the event he’s catering is a holiday kink party, hosted by a gorgeous Dom. (Also, that cover has nothing whatsoever to do with the book.)
Twelfth Night (Juicy, Melty, Fun to Share, Book 2) by Augusta Li. ebook short. Ok short kinky m/m story in which the caterer runs into the gorgeous Dom for the first time since the holiday party.
Hearts Afire: September by Philippa Grey-Garou & Michael Barnette. ebook collection. Very mixed two-story m/m romance collection. Grey-Garou’s contemporary tale about a chef and a firefighter who meet as the chef’s restaurant goes up in flames was good. Barnette’s scifi story about a firefighter who saves a telepathic executive from a mine fire was so-so: a good plot marred by sappy language.
On Call: Afternoon and On Call: Dancing by P.D. Singer. ebook shorts. Enjoyable short m/m romances about a doctor and a veterinarian who meet on the job and then again on the job. I’m looking forward to reading the third installment, which is buried in the Torquere Press Charity Sips Blitz.
Borders by Kathryn Scannell. ebook short. Good short m/m story about a doctor with Doctors Without Borders stationed in Gaza City, where he has to hide his sexual orientation because it could mean his life, who’s on a weekend leave in Tel Aviv at a gay bar.
Another Border by K.I.L. Kenny. ebook short. Sweet m/m romance short about a guy tending his lover after he gets home from a long shift in the Alzheimer’s ward.
Breathe into Me by Jenna Jones. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a salesman whose doctor’s given him ten years to live if he doesn’t get his blood pressure and stress under control. At his sister’s urging, he takes a yoga class and runs into his first love from high school, who teaches the class.
“I am not amused, Mom. Not. Amused. At. All.” -Chaos