Well, it was phabulous, as always. Folks are usually in good spirits, and even with the whole power-out-you-can’t-get-in-to-set-up kerfluffle on Thursday, Kiernan Kelly and Kayelle Allen and I managed to have fun. Oh, and sell some books.

This year, there seemed to be more interest in the novels than the short story anthos and collection. And several guys came in to do a sweep, grabbing 5, 6, 8 or more titles all at once. Which really makes we writer types very happy. With a bunch of different titles, genres, and heat levels to sell, I think all three of us were very pleased with the results. And, of course, meeting Actual, Live Fans is always a hoot. A lot of the guys remembered us from previous years and stopped by to chat and give us feedback on the stories they’d bought previously. Really, really nice of them.

My next book sales trip is slated for September, doing the Roanoke and Durham Prides again with Amanda Young. It’ll be a nice combo vacation/business trip, and the weather that time of year should be extremely pleasant. It’ll still be really freaking hot in Florida then so I’ll be ready to get out of Dodge for a bit and take a break.

For inexplicable reasons, “Bruised” and “Back in the Saddle”, my two-story download at Amazon Shorts (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KHX8RA/?tag=vincentdiamon-20) is back at #1. Since this two-fer was released almost three years ago, I’m more than a little surprised that it still has some life in it.

It’s too bad Amazon seems to have let this program drift away, a lonely ice cube in the vast sea of e-publishing. Amazon Short was a *really cheap* way for people to try new authors. I mean, geez, for 49 cents, you’d try almost anything, right? Of course, it’s not an income-producing venue for authors, more of a marketing/promo strategy than anything else. I think I’ve earned thirty bucks or so from Amazon so not a way to get rich:).

But then, writing fiction in general is not a way to get rich. Ahem.

And in other Really Cool News, Richard Labonte emailed the authors who contributed to Best Gay Erotica 2009 to let us know that the antho won in the Best Gay Erotica category last night at the Lambdas! Woo hoo! Quite the compliment, and I’m please to see Richard and Cleis doing well.

Got a lovely “yes” email today from Vincent, the editor of the Gay City Health Project charity anthology. They picked “Not to Forget” as one of the stories for the book, and it’s always a thrill to get an acceptance! Woo hoo!

The Gay City Health Project “is a multicultural gay men’s health organization and the premiere provider of HIV and STD testing in King County. Our mission is to promote gay and bisexual men’s health and prevent HIV transmission by building community, fostering communication and nurturing self-esteem.” The book is being sold to raise funds for this non-profit. They’re here: http://www.gaycity.org/

I’m looking forward to seeing the book and hope that it does well for the organization. From my limited experience, most folks are really kind about supporting books like this. The Coming Together series, spearheaded by Alessia Brio and Phaze, is a stellar example of the ways writers, editors, and artists donate their talents and resources to help all kinds of folks. Torquere Press has donated over $3,000 to the Lambda Legal Fund to help fight for gay marriage from their marriage Sips collections.

In other news, alas, I’m not going to be able to make it to Saints & Sinners. Trite to blame the economy I know, but it’s the truth; I just can’t justify the expense this year. In the face of publisher payment slowdowns and working around a part-time job, it’s not feasible. It’s a terrific conference though, and if you get the chance to attend, if only for one day of classes and panels, it’s worth it.

I am, however, definitely going to Gay Days at Disney next month with Kiernan Kelly and Kayelle Allen. That I’m also looking forward to. In fact, that reminds me, I need to put together some more chapbooks to give away…

One of my favorite things to do is write checks to the charities I’ve picked for various book projects. And I got to do that this past week after getting a check from Torquere for Animal Attraction 2. I sent Gentle Giants and Florida Draft Horse Rescue some money, and you can reach them here should you be so inclined.
http://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.com/

http://www.drafthorserescue.org/

In fact, I just heard from Laura DiFranco, their Director of Marketing, and Gentle Giants recently got in six new rescues, very thin and diseased horses who need even more than the regular medical attention. They have severe rain rot, are underweight, and need corrective hoof care. I know the economy is tough on everyone, and every penny counts. If you have even a dollar or two to spare, it could certainly help these animals out.

Once I get a royalty check from Lethe, I’ll also be sending the Audubon Birds of Prey Center in Maitland, Florida part of my proceeds. They do rescue and rehab of raptors, the birds of prey. Visit them here:

http://www.audubonofflorida.org/who_centers_CBOP.html

The always-fabulous Elisa Rolle had nice things to say about the book here:
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/615637.html?mode=reply

She mentions that the book works as a whole even with the markedly different voices of the individual authors, and the variety of beasties that they wrote about. I’m very tickled to see their hard work acknowledged. The stories really are top-notch, with the whole subtext of action/adventure going on in each of them. That wasn’t intentional but it’s definitely they way the book turned out.

Woo hoo!

Cowboy Junkie, who also hangs out at The Phade forums (http://z3.invisionfree.com/The_Phade/index.php?s=e7497dd982e0d735b3f5983a44737697&act=idx), a M/M dessert place oozing with juicy recs, discussion, and author threads, posted a very thorough and complimentary review of Rough Cut here:

http://cboy-junkie.livejournal.com/6807.html

It always surprises and pleases me when folks do a granular reading of my stories. Readers who take the time to notice the details, the ones who appreciate the little turns of phrase that I worked so hard to get *just right*, the readers who come to care about the characters.

It’s a challenge when writing romance and erotica. As a writer, you could just assume that people are skipping around, rushing through to get to the “good parts”, but there are some readers who read for nuance, for romance, and for that emotional connection between characters and *with* the characters that’s incredibly gratifying.

It makes all the hard work and worry and revising and tweaking worth it.

Really, really worth it.

Well, maybe not all that good, but I do give good interview. Here, on the Rainbow Reviews site with the fabulous Emily:

http://rainbow-reviews.com/?p=1104

And instead of privately kvetching about how authors screw up physical beats I decided to just write an article about it. Erastes, who runs the Erotica Authors Association, accepted it. And it’s here:

http://www.eroticauthorsassociation.com/articles/beats.htm

Of course, the opinions are wholly mine, your mileage may vary, blah blah blah, disclaimers.

It’s here!

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1867

It looks beautiful, the stories are hot and intriguing and hot and well-written, and did I mention, um, hot?

Alessia Brio, the Brilliant, did another stellar cover. How does that girl keep up with herself?

Torquere has also put AA1 on sale. Woo hoo!

Enjoy!

Well, it’s getting closer to the Wednesday release date, and I just the print galley (print! it’s going to print!), and the PDF, and I’m realizing that this is it. It’s real. After months of work and edits and proofing and all that back-and-forth, the real deal is almost here.

I’ll be on the Torquere Social LJ tomorrow posting excerpts and talking about the *fabulous* authors who contributed to this book. Thank you Jane Davitt, Aaron Michaels, Sean Michael, (no, they’re not related), CB Potts, Julia Talbot, and Kiernan Kelly. Some of them may even get to stop by and say “hi!” as well.

Check in tomorrow!

So here is the fabulous cover for Animal Attraction 2, slated for publication on March 25 from Torquere. Pweddy, isn’t it? Like AA1, Alessia Brio, the talented multi-tasker par excellence did this cover as well.

Authors include: Jane Davitt, Kiernan Kelly, Aaron Michaels, Sean Michael (how’s that for confusing?), CB Potts, and Julia Talbot. Stories focus on animals again, and we’ve got a panther, a tiger, snails (no, really!), boa constrictors, and a snow leopard.

Like AA1, I’m dedicating part of my editor’s proceeds to animal charities. This year it’s for draft horse rescues, Gentle Giants and Florida Draft Horse Rescue. You can reach them here:

http://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.com/

http://www.drafthorserescue.org/

Because of their size (and therefore value to the meat dealers), draft horses often end up in feedlots around the country. If you can find it in your heart to help them out–even a couple dollars will help–I’d be thrilled for you to do so.