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Today is a two-contest day! Go enter the contest for winner’s choice of A Guitarist in the Fae Queen’s Court by Amber Kell or the Unconventional At Best anthology!

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Many thanks to JL Merrow for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming m/m romance, Dead Shot, for a lucky commenter to win! Dead Shot will be released August 26 by JMS Books.

Sometimes Cupid has his own agenda.

Carpenter Peter takes his hyperactive ten-year-old nephew to play in the park with his home-made bow and arrows – but makes the mistake of closing his eyes for a minute. Alerted by a yell of pain, he’s mortified to find that Kevin has shot a tall, handsome stranger in the rear end. Especially when Kevin suggests Peter should kiss it better!

Cultured lawyer Edward doesn’t seem to mind. An embarrassing encounter leads to a hot date – but Peter’s guilty secret about Kevin’s father could undo all Cupid’s good work, and Edward’s flair for the dramatic isn’t exactly helping!

Previously published in the Shot Through the Heart Taste Test.

Excerpt (scroll down)

Other Books

• Camwolf
• Muscling Through
• Wight Mischief
• Midnight in Berlin
• Hard Tail
• Complete list
• Free reads

About JL

JL Merrow is that rare beast: an English person who refuses to drink tea.  Having grown up by the seaside, she also loathes fish and chips.  She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again.  Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporaries and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. You can find out more about JL at her website, blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Contest Rules

• To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Friday, August 24.
• By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
• If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
• Winners will be selected by random number.
• You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
• Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
• I am not able to reliably contact people with aol.com and netscape.com email addresses – please use a different email address if at all possible!
• If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
• If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
• This contest is open worldwide!

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“Ceiling Cat, if you can rescue me before the vet comes into the room, I’m all yours!” -Chaos

Alas for poor Chaos’ faith… nothing happened except the vet coming into the room…

Many thanks to Josephine Myles for donating an ebook copy of the freshly released anthology, Lashings of Sauce, for a lucky commenter to win! Contributors include Tam Ames, Becky Black, Anne Brooke, Charlie Cochrane, Rebecca Cohen, Lillian Francis, Elin Gregory, Clare London, Sandra Lindsey, JL Merrow, Emily Moreton, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jordan Castillo Price, Elyan Smith and Robbie Whyte.

We Brits love our sauce, whether it’s what we lash on our food, read on our seaside postcards, or write in our stories. Come and enjoy a buffet of tasty LGBTQ treats!

From marriages to reunions, via practical jokes and football matches, to weresloths and possibly the oddest Tarts and Vicars party in the world, join us as we celebrate the UK Meet in the best way we know: telling the story.

As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed British Flash (free) and Tea and Crumpet anthologies, our talented writers bring you sixteen stories about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and genderqueer characters enjoying what Britain and mainland Europe have to offer, with their wonderfully diverse range of cultures and landscapes and some incredibly colourful and quirky people.

This anthology is a souvenir of the 2012 UK Meet, an occasion for GLBTQ supporters to get together in a relaxed setting to celebrate and chat about the fiction community they love. Funds from the sale of this anthology will go towards future UK Meets, to which all are welcome. Please visit the website for details, or contact UK MAT through the publisher.

Other UK MAT Anthologies

• British Flash (free)
• Tea and Crumpet

Contest Rules

• To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Friday, August 10.
• By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…
• If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)
• Winners will be selected by random number.
• You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.
• Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from stumblingoverchaos.com!
• I am not able to reliably contact people with aol.com and netscape.com email addresses – please use a different email address if at all possible!
• If a winner doesn’t respond to my congratulations email within 48 hours, I will select another winner.
• If you win, please respect the author’s intellectual property and don’t make copies of the ebook for anyone else.
• This contest is open worldwide!

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“I am on this bag, which means it’s mine!” -Chaos, being very possessive of Jeanne’s knitting bag

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Congrats to Amanda, who won Cherrypicker (Blue Line Hockey #7) by Stephani Hecht!

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Contests

• At Embrace the Rainbow, LA Witt’s giving away two paperback copies of Static. Not sure when this one ends.

• Tracy’s giving away a copy of The Player and the Prude (Holsum College #4) by Daisy Harris. Not sure when this one ends, either.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of Racing to Love by Amy Gregory. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, July 6.

• At Rarely Dusty Books, Abigail Roux is giving away several different different prizes related to the Cut & Run series. Contest closes July 7.

• Jessica Freely’s giving away a paperback copy of More by Sloan Parker. Contest closes 11:59 pm EDT, July 9.

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of The Auspicious Troubles of Chance by Charlie Cochet. Contest closes 11:59 pm EDT, July 10.

• Go see what books are part of Operation TBR Reduction at Fetch Me My Fainting Couch this month. Closes July 31.

Bookity

• New releases and more: Rarely Dusty Books (m/m romance), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), Tor.com (PNR), and Book Lovers Inc (romance etc).

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• “10 challenges to innovation in publishing”. (via TeleRead)

• Jenre on promotional blog hops and tours from an author’s perspective.

• Becky Black shares writing linkity with an m/m focus.

• KZ Snow ponders how authors were different before the advent of epublishing.

• Parajunkee on the pros and cons of reviewing a DNF (did not finish) book. (via Fang Fur Fae)

• An abandoned Walmart became the largest single-story library in the US. (Thanks, Bron!)

Ebookity

• This could have implications for ebooks (definitely read the comments) – a European court ruled that it was legal to sell used software, even if it was a downloaded title.

• A hotel in the UK is trying Kindles instead of bibles.

• OneHundredFreeBooks updates hourly with new free Kindle ebooks.

• Your ebook reader might be collecting information on your reading habits.

• Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine is offering free downloads of its Hugo and Nebula nominees. (via Books on the Knob)

Do, Think, Learn, Make

• A short history of condoms.

• How do fireworks work?

• Make sure you won’t get cut off from the internets on Monday.

• The Mary Sue has a nice post about the Higgs boson discovery.

• “Scientists invent mind-reading system that lets you type with your brain”.

• As the gluten-free diet becomes trendy, are we heading into a special diet backlash?

• Why conventional tomatoes are so often tasteless.

• “A guide to refrigerator safety when you don’t have electricity”.

• Learn the signs of dehydration to prevent heat illnesses.

• Summary of the new US healthcare law.

• “How to get rid of runners stitch”.

• The highest ranked weightlifter in the US is female, impoverished, and heading to the Olympics.

Cookity

• Breakfast nachos. (via The Kitchn)

• Perfect guacamole – make sure you check out the comments for more recipes!

• Cheap and easy chicken curry.

• Rootbeer boiled bacon and beans. (via The Kitchn)

• Sweet potato corn cakes with garlic dipping sauce. (via The Kitchn)

• Sweet corn risotto. (via The Kitchn)

• Tomato and mozzarella potato salad with lemon-buttermilk dressing.

• Broiled tomatoes.

• Dandelion pumpkin seed pesto.

• 20 recipes that won’t heat up the kitchen.

• 15 recipes for summer cookouts.

• 10 summer picnic sandwiches.

• 10 summer cakes.

• 10 crostini.

• No-bake icebox “cake” and 25 other no-bake desserts.

• Nutella rolls. (via The Kitchn)

Drinkity

• Spicy roasted shishito pepper margarita.

• 10 different takes on iced tea.

• 7 different tea cocktails.

Gluten-Free

• Multigrain gluten-free lemon poppy seed muffins.

• Gluten-free corn dogs.

• Grilled vegetable quinoa salad.

• Remember to read labels, because gluten lurks in unlikely places.

Cool

• Black cat optical illusion. (Thanks, Jeanne!)

• 16 things Calvin and Hobbes said best.

• Madeleine/Harry Potter crossover.

• Have you seen what LEGO’s up to in Australia?

• “LEGO” bridge.

• The original 1958 patent drawings for LEGOs.

• Episodes of Sherlock and Dr. Who as tapestries. (via Tor.com)

• Gay sites you might not be familiar with.

• Rooms as seen from above.

• Tentacle wine bottle stopper. (via The Mary Sue)

Cool or Wha…?

• Batmobile lawnmower. (via The Mary Sue)

• “Iconic images redone with Star Wars action figures”.

• Tetris cushions.

• Superhero t-shirts with capes for adults. (via The Mary Sue)

Wha…?

• Gold-plated vacuum cleaners.

• Knitted butcher shop meats.

• People actually post public Instagram pictures of their credit and debit cards?!

• Hoodie pillow.

• Talking urinal-deodorizer cakes.

• “The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a definitive statement on mermaids.“

LOL

• Whoops! (Thanks, Jeanne!)

• Find out how the Bloggess surprised her husband on their 16th anniversary…

• Best patriotic autocorrects for the Fourth of July.

• Cake decorators have a lot of trouble with fireworks…

• School sign FAILs.

• Amazon packaging FAIL.

• Spiderman advertising FAIL.

• Home organization…

• The meaning of “meow”.

• SO very Mayhem. Also very Mayhem.

• SO very Chaos.

Teh Cute

• Tiger and baby! Baby tigers! Baby leopard! Lioness and baby! Tiger! Fennecs! Baby fennec! Kitten! Baby snow leopards! Baby raccoons! Baby snow leopard! Baby skunks!

Reading Update
The Isle of… Where? by Sue Brown. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a technical writer from Michigan who’s on the Isle of Wight to scatter his best friend’s ashes, but he’s having a hard time doing so. A very sweet, cute, and somewhat overwhelming guy steps in to offer support… I was surprised at how much I liked this, and at how much it pulled me in.
One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about a guy, working as a bartender while he goes to cosmetology school to be a stylist, who finds out that his singular “girl-speriment” has left him a father. If only his shut-in writer neighbor would take care of his infant daughter while he’s at school, he just might make things work…
A Fresh Set of Eyes (David Lloyd Investigations #2) by Liz Strange. ebook. Very good m/m mystery in which David agrees to look into a case that’s been closed for a decade, as the evidence that sent three young men to jail for killing two boys was flimsy and circumstantial. In a shocking development, I figured out who the real killer was the first time said killer appeared in the story!
Good Company by JL Merrow. ebook short. Very good short m/m story about a young man hitchhiking to Glasgow who’s picked up by a guy driving a Mercedes. HFN.
Stronger Where It Counts by JL Merrow. ebook short. Very good short m/m story about an IT guy working in a small Southern town for a week who gets dragged to a (straight) strip joint by his clueless client. The evening doesn’t seem so bad after he sees the hunky (and vaguely familiar) bartender… This has an HFN ending – I’d actually like to read a followup story about these two!
Graceland by Ally Blue. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a nursing assistant and a slightly overweight Elvis impersonator who isn’t managing his diabetes very well. Definite bonus points for breaking out of the perfect white male mold of so many m/m romances – not only is the Elvis impersonator a bit overweight, he’s Cherokee and the nursing assistant is black.
Equilibrium (Superpowered Love #1) by Katey Hawthorne. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about two friends and roommates, one straight, who have some extraordinary abilities that they need to keep hidden from regular people… whoops.
Jealousy: A Love Story (Superpowered Love #1.1) by Katey Hawthorne. free ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance in which Sam gets jealous because another guy is blatantly pursuing the oblivious Hansen.
Best Gift Ever (Superpowered Love #1.2) by Katey Hawthorne. free ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance in which Sam and Hansen celebrate Christmas together while working through some rough spots in their relationship.
Riot Boy (Superpowered Love #2) by Katey Hawthorne. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a bookstore clerk who becomes fascinated by a mysterious and flighty punk rock bass player. This one just never really pulled me in.
Nobody’s Hero (Superpowered Love #3) by Katey Hawthorne. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a charming salesman who’s very attracted to the quirky new computer programmer at work. He never expects to be at all tempted to share the secret of his extraordinary power…
At Least in the City, Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life by Wade Rouse. Wade and his boyfriend Gary bought a cabin in rural Michigan and left behind their lives in the city. This is a humorous look at their attempts to reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other. While I did enjoy this overall, I also found Wade to be pretty annoying at times.
Running Wild (Northern Shifters #4) by Joely Skye. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a college student who’s rescued from some bad guys by a strange black horse, then left at an old man’s farm, with his rescue seeming more like a dream… Besides a major plot hole (what, wolf shifters can’t read, only sniff?), this seemed to drag a bit.
Incongruent Angel (Liquid Sin #1) by Cherie Noel. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about two members of a popular band who have a messed up personal history. A photo shoot and a car accident combine to bring things to critical mass.  This just felt like it was all over the place and then it ended abruptly.

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*streeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch* -Mayhem

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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

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Congrats to wusswoo, who won Cleave (Cutting Cords #3) by Mickie B. Ashling! Cleave is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Logan, who won the signed paperback copy of The Talker Collection by Amy Lane! The Talker Collection is being released by Dreamspinner Press today.

Congrats to Jane O, who won Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas (plus swag)!

Congrats to Wendy, who won Absolutely Eric (Boston Boys #2) by Erica Pike! Absolutely Eric is being released today by MLR Press.

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Contests

• Piper, MJ, and Xara are giving away several prize packages related to One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea and Bennie’s Wish by Xara X. Xanakas. Hurry over – you have to comment by 9 pm CDT today, May 11, for your chance to win!

• Joyfully Jay’s giving away an ebook copy of Out in the Field by Kate McMurray. Contest closes 11:59 pm EDT, May 11 (aka today).

• Bronwyn Green’s giving away a $25 gift certificate to the Mindful Mushroom etsy store (essential oil perfumes). Contest closes 7 pm EDT, May 15.

• Tracy’s Place is one of the stops on Anne Brooke’s book tour – stop by and find out how you can be entered to win three ebooks from Anne’s backlist. Tour ends May 18.

• Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne. Contest closes 11:59 pm CDT, May 18.

• To celebrate the release of Yours To Take, Joely Sue Burkhart is giving away a $100 gift certificate to the online bookseller of the winner’s choice. Contest closes midnight CDT, May 21.

Bookity

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

• Book and publishing news from Dear Author.

• The evolution of paper books in the ebook age. (via TeleRead)

• Neil Gaiman on the late Maurice Sendak.

• Kassa considers the difference between realism and believability in fiction.

• Josephine Myles shares her editing process.

• Ava March shows us a glimpse of her desk.

• Becky Black with her monthly bookity, writing, and more linkity.

• PD Singer offers up the Rejection Generator to help writers improve their rejection tolerance.

• Jill Shalvis with a bizarre moment of small-town life.

• Melanie Marshall on vocabulary fail in erotic romance.

• Which Charles Dickens novel is the most Dickensian? (Thanks, Bron!)

• Ten famous authors and their favorite cocktails.

• Jane Eyre book bracelet.

• Clamp book shelf.

• Better book titles for The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett and Animal Farm by George Orwell.

• Kitten and books. Another kitten and a book.

Ebookity

• Tips for designing a good ebook cover.

• Some thoughts from Dear Author on how publishers could experiment with ebooks.

• The Harry Potter ebooks will be available through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

• Looking for more pulp fiction in your life? You can download free pulp fiction ebooks (in many formats) from Munseys. (via TeleRead)

• Zero Dollar Books shows you the most popular free Kindle books. (via Lifehacker)

• One ebook reader explains why she’s reading more on her tablet than her Kindle.

• Ebook nation infographic.

• Results of a survey that one of the Book Smugglers conducted for her thesis research.

• Consider the implications of sunscreen for your electronics…

• How to obtain a free ebook copy Crepuscule Monstrum by Carole Cummings & PD Singer.

Do, Think, Learn, Make

• Turns out the Mayans didn’t predict the world would end in December 2012. Bygones!

• A lovely reminder about teaching and learning. Make sure you hover your cursor over the comic for additional text.

• Why tv meteorologists don’t wear green.

• Did dinosaurs trigger the climate change that wiped them out by… farting?

• Fake a clean house.

• Turn your beloved old mix tapes into mp3s.

• If you’ve ever been frustrated by US-only YouTube videos…

• How to get more details on a shortened link before clicking on it.

• Vacuous Minx on North Carolina and the Bradley effect.

• Apparently the Church used to perform same-sex marriages, back in the 10th and 11th century! (Thanks, Bron!)

• “People in 49 states saw significant decline in health care access during the last decade“.

• Nine dangerous things you were taught in school.

• I’d be wary of Domino’s gluten-free pizza crusts, personally.

• Dwarf mammoths?!

• A 13-year old has invented a lollipop that cures hiccups.

Cookity

• Gluten-free orange polenta cake.

• Gin and tonic cake.

• Nutella-filled baked donut muffins. (via The Kitchn)

• Breakfast coffee pudding.

• Homemade Cracker Jacks.

• 5 desserts made with roasted strawberries.

• Make better guacamole.

Drinkity

• Rhubarb collins.

• Rangpur lime margarita.

• 6 frozen cocktail party pops.

• 15 fresh and simple spring cocktails.

• 15 non-alcoholic drinks.

Crafty

• Make a lamp from vintage cameras. (via CRAFT)

• A round-up of Star Wars crafts.

Cool

• New York’s hidden subway station. (Thanks, Bron!)

• Extremely geeky wedding.

• Geeky pancake art. (via The Kitchn)

• Comic book dress.

• Batman musical parody.

• Portal and My Little Pony mashup.

Cool or Wha…?

• Edible survival manual.

• Girl Scout cookie-flavored Nestle Crunch bars.

• Nevada has issued drivers’ licenses to driverless cars…

• Action figures in space.

Wha…?

• Unbelievable anti-sexual harassment stock photos. (via The Mary Sue)

• Double-ended shark coffee table.

• Princess Leia hoodie.

• I can’t blame him for looking so crabby.

• Giant fist can koozie.

• LEGO wig.

• Buffalo wing soda.

• Portable bidet attachment for a water bottle…

• Too icky to even give it a description. You have been warned.

• “The word ‘used’ should never describe sanitary products for sale“.

• Lightning struck a man in the scrotum.

• 7 more things that should never be on cake.

LOL

• If Planet of the Apes had been made in Minnesota…

• The legacy of English teachers.

• What if Pinterest was in real life?

• If the noble houses from Game of Thrones were beers…

• A cat’s guide to feline superiority.

• Using your cat to tell temperature.

• How cats see home.

• Bacon cat toy – it looks like Chaos in that picture, but it’s not!

• Also not Chaos, but it could be… if I had that shower curtain or a screen door.

• Can you find the cat who destroyed that chair?

• Kittehs of the corn! (with apologies to Stephen King)

Teh Cute

• A Yorkie with her adopted litter of kittens. (Thanks, Bron!)

• Kitten! Baby black jaguars! Tiger and baby! Baby clouded leopard! Baby tigers! Black kitten! Tiger and baby! Baby ocelot! Tigers! Baby lion! Penguin! Baby jaguars! Kittens! Baby reindeer! Baby animals with their mommies! Black cat!

Reading Update
The Persistence of Memory (Mnevermind #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. Excellent alternate reality m/m romance about a mneomographer who’s lost his confidence after accidentally changing his dad’s reality… permanently. And then he runs into something inexplicable during an mneming session… Totally sucked into this, and impatiently waiting for the next segment. *taps fingers*
Hard Tail by JL Merrow. ebook. Very good m/m romance about an accountant, freshly laid off and from his job and newly left by his wife, who ends up running his brother’s bike shop while his brother is in the hospital. Since he’s not gay, why does he spend so much time staring at the bike mechanic’s arse?
My True Love Gave to Me (Brook Street #0.5) by Ava March. ebook. reread. Very good historical holiday m/m romance about young love, fear, and trying for a second chance, even if you’re not sure you deserve one.
Thief (Brook Street #1) by Ava March. ebook. Very good historical m/m romance about a peer who heads to a gambling hall of a certain repute to find out whether, as he suspects, he’d be wasting his time looking for a bride. The man he meets that night proves that, but is ever so mysterious…
Fortune Hunter (Brook Street #2) by Ava March. ebook. Very good historical m/m romance about a man who returns to England planning to marry an heiress so he won’t have to work; he’s not going to let anything, even friendship, stand in his way. This one really got to me. *blots eyes*
Rogues (Brook Street #3) by Ava March. ebook. Very good historical m/m romance about two men who’ve been friends since childhood and occasional lovers since their teens. Both are notorious rakehells, although one prefers men and the other women. But the whole balance of their friendship is about to change… I got sniffly reading this one, too.
Acrobat by Mary Calmes. ebook. Very good m/m romance about an English professor who spends a lot of time taking care of the teen living next door and who’s become comfortable with the teen’s uncle over the years, but never really noticed just how attractive said uncle was… until recently.
Frog by Mary Calmes. ebook. Sweet m/m romance about a cowboy who’s always traveling between rodeos and short-term jobs, only visiting his not-quite-a-boyfriend in San Francisco a few times a year. Because… how could he be a cowboy if he stayed?
Smoking Is Bad for You by Sasha L. Miller. ebook short. Very good short m/m story about two guys meeting under interesting circumstances and proceeding from there. This would get a PG-13 rating, so be aware.
Tumble Turn by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Good m/m romance about a Paralympic swimmer who’s always planned to avoid romantic entanglements until after the 2012 Paralympics, but life has other plans… As others have noted, the British voice in this is very, very strong.
Dirty Little Secret (Dear Lake, Michigan #2) by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox. ebook short. Ok short m/m story about a guy who reaches a gay-friendly resort town in Michigan just as his married boyfriend sort of dumps him over the phone. This was way too short to be satisfying for the amount of story. Be aware this has an HFN ending.

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Finally finished my sister-in-law’s Christmas (2011) socks!

“I love me some stripey socks!!” -Mayhem