Congrats to Juliana, who won Vessel (Cutting Cords #2) by Mickie B. Ashling!รย Vessel is being released by Dreamspinner Press today.
Congrats to Paula, who won Marked Yours and Together Bound (Sentries 1-2) by Elizabeth Noble! Together Bound will be released October 10 by Dreamspinner Press.
Congrats to SusieQ, who won RSVP (Pushing the Envelope #2) by Kim Dare! RSVP will be released by Amber Allure on October 9.
Brace yourselves. This is the last linkity post until October 28, as I’m heading out on vacation in a couple days.
Several contests each week will appear automagically. I’ll announce contest winners. I may or may not post some pictures from vacation. You’ll just have to stay tuned to see what happens. Or doesn’t. ๐
Contests
- Cecilia’s giving away a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasy if you leave a comment letting her know what caught your attention on the Eden Fantasy website. Contest closes noon EDT, October 8. NSFW!!!!
- Books Lovers Inc is giving away an ebook copy of Enchanted Destiny by Rayka Mennen. Comment through October 8 for your chance to win.
- Joder’s giving away an ebook copy of An Unexpected Bride by Shadonna Richards. Contest closes 11:59 pm, October 15.
- Fiction Vixen’s giving away four different sets of three current paperbacks (UF/PNR/romance) each. Comment by October 22 for your chance to win. US only.
- Book Lovers Inc is giving away an ebook copy of After Midnight by Sarah Grimm. Comment through October 22 for your chance to win.
- If you’re curious about Lendle, you could sign up for it and help trek out, plus be entered in a drawing for a Kindle Fire or a Kindle Touch 3G. Contest closes December 31.
Bookity
- New releases and more: Tor.com (SFF/horror), Literary Escapism (UF/PNR), AAR (romance audiobooks), and Book Lovers Inc (a little of everything).
- Publishing news from Dear Author.
- On a regular basis, we hear about authors melting down over bad or “mean” reviews. Maybe this list will help authors redefine what’s really mean… (Thanks, Jase!)
- Carolyn Crane suggests some safe ways for authors to respond to reviews (interpretive dance is involved).
Ebookity
Do, Think, Make, Learn
- I’m sure by now everyone’s heard that Steve Jobs died on Wednesday. Gizmodo’s got a list of notable reflections on the man. And photographer Jim Brandenburg has a very simple, lovely tribute. (Thanks for the Brandenburg link, Jeanne!)
Cookity
- Butterbeer latte. (via The Mary Sue)
- Homemade Butterfingers. (via The Kitchn)
- Pumpkin blondies. (via The Kitchn)
- Butternut squash hummus. (via CRAFT)
- Cider donut cupcakes. (via The Kitchn)
- So, The Kitchn pretty much went nuts with recipe lists this week. Brace yourselves.
5 non-cabbage slaw recipes (plus runner bean coleslaw)
8 recipes for beet and radish greens
40 recipes for fall vegetables
Crafty
Halloweenity
- Make creepy Halloween silhouettes for your windows to keep those trick-or-treaters far, far away. ๐
- Dia de los Muertos portrait of Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer. (Thanks, Jeanne!)
Cool
- Zombie slaying family photo shoot (I really hope those are the pictures for their Christmas cards!).
- Um. How about, if you like Star Wars, check out this photo? (via The Mary Sue)
- Massive LEGO version of Hogwarts. Another very cool (and massive) LEGO castle. (via The Brothers Brick)
- Governor Jerry Brown wins for passive aggressive notes! (And also seriously rocks for saying it like it is.)
Cool or Wha…?
Wha…?
- Wisconsin’s got an anti-margarine law… fortunately, a legislator is working to get this one repealed.
- Dumb inventions. (via Gizmodo)
- So, the new iPhone 4S has a voice thingie called Siri. Siri apparently sounds like “ass” in Japanese and means “cock” in Georgian. Whoops…
LOL
- Both Chaos and May love to play fetch. Sadly, May’s special gift is always dropping the fetch toy just out of reach…
Teh Cute
- Kitten! Swan and cygnet! Kittens! Lion cub! Cat and kitten! Paca! Kitten! Beluga and babies! Mama cat and kitten! Baby ferrets! Kitten and bunny! Tiger cub! Kitten! Baby wallaby! Cats and kitten! Ferrets! Mama cat and kitten! Penguin and baby! Kittens! Baby fennecs! Kitten! Baby tigers! Fennecs! Tiger and baby!
Reading Update
Song of Oestend by Marie Sexton. ebook. Excellent kinky scifi m/m romance with cowboys. Weirdly, I’m not a big fan of scifi and even less of a fan of cowboy books, but this just completely worked for me. It’s about an artist who takes a job as a bookkeeper for a ranch on the other side of the world so he can get away from his past at the university. He finds himself unprepared for his new life, but he slowly finds his way and makes his place at the ranch as he befriends the reclusive foreman.
Once a Marine by Cat Grant. ebook ARC. Very good m/m romance about a waiter who’s always been really attracted to Marines, although it’s never turned out well for him. But when an extremely handsome guy (obviously a Marine) sits in his section, he’s drawn to the guy despite himself. There’s more to both of them than what meets the eye – will either of them be able to overcome their previous bad experiences to find love this time?
Mummy Dearest (The XOXO Files #1) by Josh Lanyon. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a professor of archeology who visits a dime museum in Wyoming to study its mummy, only to find that there’s a reality/documentary show there filming the same mummy. I was a bit disappointed that the main characters felt awfully familiar from other Lanyon books I’ve read.
Whitetail Rock by Anne Tenino. free ebook short. Very good short kinky m/m romance about a defensively snarky grad student who meets a hunky motorcycle cop when he’s home from school for the summer. It features this laugh-out-loud funny quote:
“Sam. I’ve got news for you. Not every childhood trauma can be healed by finding the right penis.”
Sam looked devastated. He opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide, then suddenly slumped back against the railing, unable to support himself anymore. “You mean,” his voice was barely a whisper. “All those romance novels lied?”
On This Day… (Stand Alone Short Stories #2) by Kim Dare. ebook short. Sweet and steamy short m/m romance about a dom who arrives home from work to discover his sub has things set up for an anniversary celebration… but he’s not sure what anniversary it is they’re to be celebrating.
Coming Out Wolf by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about a werewolf who’s decided that he wants his roommate (also a werewolf) as his mate… but his roommate doesn’t seem to be aware of him sexually.
Sucks & Blows by Storm Grant. ebook short, ARC. Punny short m/m paranormal story about a perpetually horny dentist who, in order to convey his sense of humor, mentions on his business cards that he does vampires, too. He doesn’t expect an actual vampire to show up in his office…
The Little Death by Andrea Speed. ebook. Good noir-styled m/m romantic suspense about a hard-boiled PI who’s hired by a “homme fatale” to find his missing twin brother… but nothing’s really adding up in the case, except the bodies. I suspect the references to classic noir detective stories will be obvious to those more familiar with the genre – I thought I was doing well to catch a Maltese Falcon reference!
Fixed by Tristram La Roche. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who’d been living in the south of France with his boyfriend until the economy went bad and he lost everything – home, business, money, and boyfriend. He moves back to Yorkshire in reduced circumstances and isn’t particularly pleased to run into a guy he recognizes from his school days…
“Must. Not. Fall. Asleep…” -Mayhem