Category Archives: Reading

Contests, Reading

Ebook giveaway: Jack in the Green (2nd ed) by JL Merrow [CONTEST CLOSED]

39 Comments

Many thanks to JL Merrow for donating an ebook copy of her forthcoming paranormal historical m/m romance, Jack in the Green (2nd ed), for a lucky commenter to win! Jack in the Green will be released by JMS Books on May 3.

Stranded in a remote country village in 1920s England by his car breaking down, shy young Arthur finds himself drawn to the rough mechanic who comes to his aid, Bob Goodman. Forced to stay until the May Day holiday is over, Arthur makes the best of it, enjoying the village procession and fete.

But the villagers seem to know more about him than they should, and there’s a second, darker, May celebration that starts when the sun’s gone down. In the drunken revelry that follows, Arthur is whisked off in a wild dance by Goodman, who plays the part of Jack in the Green, the spirit of the greenwood.

Dancing turns to loving, but is everything what it seems? And is one night all Arthur can have?

Note: This short story (approx. 7,500 words) was previously published as The Green Man. It has been fully revised and re-edited, but is substantially the same story as that previously available.

Excerpt (scroll down)

Other Books

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, May 1.
  • 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!
  • 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!

“Ha! I wonder how long it will take May to notice that I am in her favorite kitty bed?!” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the 236th (Torso Guy #2)

10 Comments

Welcome to another edition of the Misadventures in Stock Photography! Today we’ll be meeting Torso Guy #2 – check out the original Torso Guy to see how they differ.

heard the

in the distance and realized he’d taken a

when he left

after having

– now he stood little chance of

in time for some

or two with the

and blissfully escaping his

s while

in sexy comfort at home.

Is it my imagination, or did that make sense? *squints*

“I despair of you, Mom, and I despair of all the naughty boys.” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the 235th (Not Kissing, Just Resting Our Lips on Each Other Guys [NKJROLoEOG])

8 Comments

Congrats to Ali G, who won I’m the Guy You Hate by Isa K!

Congrats to Mary B, who won LIMBO by Clare London!

Welcome to another edition of the Misadventures in Stock Photography! Today we’ll be meeting the Not Kissing, Just Resting Our Lips on Each Other Guys (NKJROLoEOG). Thanks to Becky Black, who found a number of these covers for me. 🙂

When

are

s, they use

(particularly the

) to make themselves less likely to be discovered and

as punishment as soon as they realize they’re

anymore.

And it started so promisingly! 😉

“Naughty boys

?! And now they’re infringing on my space! I’m just so exhausted by such naughtiness…” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

The pitter patter of little linkity drops

8 Comments

Congrats to Ali G, who won I’m the Guy You Hate by Isa K!

Congrats to Mary B, who won LIMBO by Clare London!

Randonymity

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Drinkity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color by Felix Scheinberger. Good overview of a wide range of watercolor techniques, emphasizing a more on-the-go and dynamic style of watercolor painting than most other introductory books.

And of course – hockey fics! 🙂

*still judging, still prettily* -Mayhem

*grumping about dinner being late, two hours before dinner time* -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity celebrates the installation of new windows

6 Comments

Bookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L Bird. Very good tale, written in a series of letters to her sister in England, of Isabella Lucy Bird’s extensive (and mostly solitary) travels in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the late summer and fall of 1873. I am in complete awe of her – I’m pretty sure I would’ve curled up into a little ball and refused to continue once the temperature plummeted! And I enjoyed her compulsively readable style enough that I will definitely read more of her travels, some of which you can find at Project Gutenberg.
A Year in the Life: Journaling for Self-Discovery by Sheila Bender. Meh. Disappointing book about the benefits of journaling, complete with a year of rather contrived journaling prompts. As I first read, then skimmed, I kept muttering to the author, “Do your own work. Do your own work.” I’m not sure there was a single page on which the author didn’t quote from or refer to another writer and it quickly became very, very annoying.
Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo. DNF. I made it about 35% (into Part Two) before I put it down and decided I didn’t want to bother reading more. I found Part One weirdly off-putting as the author repeated over and over, in slightly different and not-so-different ways, what the Exact Specific Only Type Of Writing That Is Therapeutic was.
Creative Journal Writing: The Art and Heart of Reflection by Stephanie Dowrick. The title sums it up well. 🙂 This is a book that I’ll have close by when I’m feeling stuck and need some inspiration – there are thoughtful, thought-provoking exercises throughout and a list of 125 helpful prompts at the end.
Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea. Only made it to page 32 before I gave up. It just felt obnoxiously self-absorbed to me, in a way I couldn’t relate to at all. It has been donated to the nearest Little Free Library.
Learn Watercolour Quickly by Hazel Soan. Perhaps a bit too quickly…

“I’m blaming you for how scary and disruptive getting the new windows installed was!!” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading

Ebook giveaway: Limbo by Clare London [CONTEST CLOSED]

24 Comments

Congrats to Jane H, who won A Way Home (Gay Amish Romance #3) by Keira Andrews! A Way Home will be released by KA Books on April 8.

Many thanks to Clare London for donating an ebook copy of her freshly re-released and expanded paranormal m/m romance, Limbo, for a lucky commenter to win!

One wet, freezing night, a beautiful angel and a monstrous demon seek each other’’ secret company. Yoshiel and Labal would never be allowed to meet on normal terms, but they’re desperate: they’re both trapped in the human world, and have had a horrific penalty extracted from them by their masters. Only they know what they’ve done to deserve punishment, and only they can appreciate just how ironic and cruel that punishment is. Will they be left to suffer forever in this strange limbo state, or is it a test to see how they may learn from each other? Their forbidden meeting will either prove their undoing – or their release.

A shorter version of this story was originally included in the Torquere Press 2008 anthology Horns and Halos.

Excerpt (scroll down)

Other Books by Clare

About Clare

Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home.
All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello! You can also visit Clare at her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Friday, April 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 luck and counterintuitive espionage 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.)
  • Winner 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!
  • 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!

“Shhh… Mayhem is almost close enough for me to pounce on her!” -Chaos

Contests, Reading

Ebook giveaway: I’m the Guy You Hate by Isa K [CONTEST CLOSED]

23 Comments

Many thanks to Isa K for donating an ebook copy of her freshly released m/m romance, I’m the Guy You Hate, for a lucky commenter to win!

Thirty-eight year old Jonny Ordell is hopelessly in love with his friend Mark Dorsett. There’s just one small problem: Mark Dorsett is insane.

Not a charming, cute, surprisingly insightful kind of insane. The kind of mental illness that rips apart Jonny’s insides and turns otherwise good people into villains. It isn’t Mark’s fault. It’s not like he asked to be sick. At the same time Mark’s erratic behavior and his refusal to get help is destroying everything in his path, including Jonny.

Now Jonny must decide: does he stand by his man and hope loyalty and love are enough to make Mark realize the error of his ways? Or does he abandon Mark to his illness and save himself? Neither choice offers much hope of happiness. As their affair continues Jonny must confront the possibility that his love is not healing Mark, it may actually be making him worse.

A potentially spoilerish post from Isa called “What is Wrong with Mark Dorsett?”

Other Books

About Isa

Isa K is a writer and techie currently residing in New York. You can find out more about Isa and her books at Goodreads and on Twitter.

Contest Rules

  • To enter, leave a comment below stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Friday, April 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 luck and counterintuitive espionage 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.)
  • Winner 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!
  • 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!

“Why do you always want us to look at the camera, Mom?! You are so mean!!” -Mayhem

“Hmph.” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the 233rd (Staring Off into the Distance Guy)

10 Comments

Congrats to Angeles G, who won As Spring Rain (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart!

Welcome to another edition of the Misadventures in Stock Photography! Today we’ll be meeting Staring Off into the Distance Guy (SOitDG), albeit briefly.

After

from being held for questioning about a

something or other cruise ship, his lover,

felt unsure about all of Kyle’s sweet

, wondering if he was being

by a con man and a murderer.

Oh dear! :O

“At least there weren’t very many naughty boys this time…” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity limbers up

8 Comments

Congrats to Angeles G, who won As Spring Rain (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart!

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal: The Art of Transforming a Life into Stories by Alexandra Johnson. Very good book about keeping a journal or diary, with writing exercises (some of which I tried and was pleasantly surprised by) and excerpts of what writers noted for journaling and memoir writing had to say about how the process enhanced their lives. Notes the author, “Successful journals break the deadlock of introspective obsession.” Yes, that. That’s what I aspire to.
A Trail Through Leaves: The Journal as a Path to Place by Hannah Hinchman. Another lovely, lyrical look at journal keeping from Hinchman, who avoids “the deadlock of introspective obsession” (Alexandra Johnson) by observing and drawing her surroundings and keeping her writing style concrete, nearly brusque.
Making & Keeping Creative Journals by Suzanne JE Tourtillott. I enjoyed looking at the drawings and pictures of bookbinding and the artistic journal projects created for the book. I remain unconvinced about using two leather work gloves to bind a journal (or book of any sort).
Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard by John Branch. Very good, very absorbing, very sad story about an NHL enforcer and how CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) most likely paid a role in his demise. To me, the really tragic thing was how ineffectual and toothless all the checks and balances that should’ve helped him turned out to be… and how none of that has changed.

“You better not be talking trash about my tail, Mom!!” -Chaos

Erm. Pay no attention to that short, kinky tail up there then! 😉