Bold Strokes Newsletter

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Palm Springs

Bold Strokes hosts this cool event in the late winter/early spring (this year it was in February, but next year it's rumored to be in March). It's a four day event with readings and signings throughout. Pretty slick, if you ask me. I wasn't able to attend this year, but next year? Oh, hell yeah! I'll be there for sure.
Author Kim Baldwin posted these nifty pic online and has been kind enough to share them with all of us. There are some great shots of the scenery, and some nice candid pics of all the authors. Take a look and enjoy.
PALM SPRINGS PICTURES

Dare to be Naughty

My publisher, Bold Strokes Books, has a new line of books called Matinee. The idea is that they are shorter, tighter bursts of romance. Word count target is around 50k words. For those of you who are wondering what that adds up to, 60k words is what's required to technically be qualified as a novel. The average for lesbian fiction (this is based on my experience, not emperical evidence) is 75-80k.
At any rate, my next book, Split the Aces, is for this line. But that's not the point of today's ramble.
I actually wanted to talk about fellow BSB author Larkin Rose. First, I have to say, what a great name. Seriously, I love it. Rose is actually her partner's first name (I learned that little tidbit from her website.), but I have no idea where Larkin came from. In my mind it all morphs around into aRose in a Lark. Don't know if that's what she intended, but it creates that kind of image in my mind, so I'm going with it.
Now, let's talk about her writing. I didn't realize, when I saw the press release announcing that she joined BSB, that she also writes under the name Sheri Livingston. Stay with me folks, this is a long game of connect the dots, but I'll get there, I promise.
Sheri Livingston has a short story in Alyson's anthology Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2008 (as do I and fellow BSB writer and Portlander MJ Williamz). OH MY FUCKING GOD! Woman can write some sizzling sex scenes. Damn. Damn. Damn. So, if you haven't yet, pick up a copy. Her story alone is worth it. Or, email me and I'll mail you my copy (on loan).
More importantly, Larkin Rose, aka Sheri Livingston, has a Matinee book, I Dare You, scheduled for release from Bold Strokes in September, '08. Honestly don't know if I can wait until September. Maybe if I ask real nice, she'll let me beta read for her? Think her editor will mind?

It's all about style

There are a few writing teams publishing with Bold Strokes and I find that quite intriguing. The whole process is boggling to me. I struggle for control over my own thoughts when writing. I can't imagine inviting someone else into the creative process with me. Not in a fully commited, let's write this mother from start to finish, kind of way. Two of the writing teams are long term couples. Austin and Andrews and Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall. I can sort of see how that would work since I do something similar with my wife. When I'm first conceptualizing a project, I bounce ideas off her a lot. She's very good at getting the creative juices flowing, if you will. But she loses interest when it comes down to the actual writing of the story. And that's for the best. If we disagree on a story line, I give her the chance to change my mind, but ultimately I write what I want. What happens when a team disagrees on a beat. How do they decide which direction to go? Flip a coin? Debate until their exhausted and they collapse. Does one of them then sneak over to the keyboard and write the scene the way s/he wants? Or what? Maybe they don't disagree. Perhaps their relationship, their thoughts, are more in sync than mine with my wife. I don't know.
Thoughts anyone?

Edge of Darkness

Update from my little world of writing/publishing. Edge of darkness is scheduled for release in May. Check out the amazing cover. Art work was created by the talented Sheri Dragon. She has a great eye and I'm madly in love with the sword wielding sociopath on the cover.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book, if y'all are interested:

Diana Collins charges at life with an irreverent comment and a right hook, but even her hard-headed attitude may not be enough to protect her heart…or her life.
As a senior investigator for a high-end insurance company, Diana searches for the person responsible for the theft of several rare weapons. Diana struggles to protect her burgeoning relationship with kindergarten teacher, Cami Michaelson, as the investigation leads her into a bitter world of rage and revenge. Diana uncovers one damning piece of evidence after another that challenges everything she knows about right and wrong. She finds her hard-driving work ethic, which demands the thief be held accountable, at odds with the desire to protect her new friend, Ali Sandoval, who is caught in the center of the conflict. As Diana is drawn deeper into a dark subculture of sex, power, and death, Ali must choose between vengeance and peace as she struggles to escape with her sanity intact.