Paranormal Paradigms

Firstly, Happy Holidays to you all and hear's to a fabulous New Year.

There's a new post over at Alec for those of you following and my first post has gone up over at Paranormal Paradigms.

I guess I should really work on the paranormal WIP's I have brewing.

In the meantime - thank you for all your support and encouragement over the year. You're stars, every single one of you. :D

MMR 2011 Member Choice Awards

It's the time of year for awards and I'm completely stoked that Be My Boy and Alec have both received nominations in the category for Best Free Read 2011. Your support is ever appreciated as will be your vote in the upcoming polls :D

Thanks guys, it makes it all worthwhile.
x Casey x

Check out the new blog...

It's a funny time of year to be keeping up with posts and writing but there is one new thing happening. Yesterday saw the launch of a new blog - Paranormal Paradigms - to which I'll be a contributor along with a small group of fab writers.

I won't go into all the details here, if you're a fan of anything outside the normal then step on over and check it out for yourself -

Paranormal Paradigms

See you there!

Happy Transatlantic Thanksgiving :)

Summer Michaels, an author pal, has a great post on her blog today of things people are thankful for. I've added my contribution below and hope you'll head on over to Summer's blog and read the rest.

Even if you live in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, every day is a day to remember the good things in life even if they are scarce.

For some reason I seem to spend much of my time lately grumpy and bitching about the world and everything in it. People, products, prose never live up to my expectiations and I am constantly disappointed. Despite this, there are some fundamentals that I am ever thankful for and the first is kind of ironic but I am eternally thankful that I am grown up enough (spiritually) to realise that everything I said about my frame of mind is exactly that - MY frame of mind. I create those disappointments for myself, it's all my stuff and nothing will change about my grumbles and gripes unless I change. Why be thankful for this? Because it means that whilst I whinge and moan, I don't place blame or project my fears and insecurities on others, I own them for myself. An odd thing to be thankful of maybe, but I am.

Looking back over the last year the list of things to be thankful for grows exponentially. My son's renewed health - he's been in and out of hospital. My daughter's strength - she puts up with a lot living with me. Finding the GR community - you have no idea what a relief it is to discover I'm not the only person obsessed with Special Forces. Alongside that, and as a direct result of finding the Special Forces Group, I wrote my first solely MM fiction and people liked it. I'm thankful for every thoughtful review (even if they didn't love it), for every person that takes time out of their real life to read something I've crafted and especially for those that take the extra time to say 'thanks for writing'.

For some reason that I don't understand, but am truly thankful for, a group of writers took me under their wing and extended a hand of friendship and writing companionship. My work is fuller and more rounded because of them, for the time they take away from their own writing to critique and encourage mine, and for that I am thankful.

I am thankful, despite my grumpiness, for every breath and every second in this amazing world that I don't understand and for the opportunity to learn and grow and experience life. I am thankful for my faith that there is more to life than suffering, politics, money, birth and death. But most of all I am thankful for you, the hundreds, thousands and millions of unknown faces that participate in the world with me. And I am hopeful, that together, we will continue to make it a better place.

Let's dance in the rain, sing through the sorrow, be mindful of one another and find the joy in every moment.

x Casey K x

Summer Point

Embrace the Rainbow

"Rainbows are constantly changing. Rainbows are not fixed. Even when an artist tries to portray them in a photograph or piece of work it is only one moment in time they are capturing, not the full journey of a rainbow." Aleksandr Voinov

Do you accept the challenge to help us increase awareness, acceptance and support for the trans*, intersex, intergender and questioning people in the m/m romance community and broader community?

Excerpt from an interview in September 2011 between genderfluid Andrej Pejic and ABC's Nightline Juju Chang:

Chang: When you see yourself in the mirror, do you think of yourself more as a man or as a woman?
Pejic: I like to keep my options open.
Chang: What does that mean?
Pejic: I see myself.

'I see myself.'

Look in the mirror and see yourself without labels - the pure essence of being and smile.

And it begins again...

Volume Three of Alec's naughty tales has just launched over on his blog... buckle in for a bumpy ride with this one :)

Step on over...

For those of you that have Goodread profiles it's that time of year when we get to vote for our favourites. So... head on over and vote for your favourite romance - here

My vote goes to Damon Suede's great M/M romance Hot Heads. Who will you vote for?

In Defense of the Fuckfest ~ A Smut-Lover's Manifesto

I have the urge to run screaming through the streets declaring to the world that I do indeed support the literary fuckfest - hell, any fuckfest if I'm totally honest. But it is the literature that is described by Kari Gregg on the following link that taunts me and pushes me to write, write and rewrite, edging ever closer to that perfect expression of emotion and action that takes your breath and parts the lips in a soft gasp...


In Defense of the Fuckfest ~ A Smut-Lover's Manifesto

Thus Endeth Volume Two

I've finally edited and posted up to the end of Volume Two of Alec's adventures.

Kind of unexpected, but a natural break presented itself so i took advantage of it. The next section of Alec's story takes an interesting turn and it's kind of nice to know that's going to have a whole volums of its own to play out in.

Hope you all enjoy it. The full PDF version will be online at GR for Oct 1st to download. After that I'll start posting Volume Three on the blog.

I'd also like to say a special thanks to those of you following on the blog for putting up with the embarrassing typos (!). Editing for the PDF is a humbling experience. I really can't believe so many of them made it through - but I promise, from now on I know how to spell Sebastian and Harrison AND I do know the difference between peel and peal. The shame of it *blushes.

'King' rewrites are next on the agenda. Wish me luck...

Under the WIP

Don't worry, Alec hasn't been sidelined. There is a pause at the moment as I ponder the atmospheric rendering of the next few sections. (I have no idea what that means either).

My time has also been captured by a couple of new WIP's. After finally making the PDF of Unexpected Item available on GR, Kerry and Jay decided to make a come back. I'm not sure if the next section will be a short or a novella but these guys are determined to splash their lives all over my current work space. Stay tuned for that...

The other is an old piece I've rediscovered. I think it was shelved when I moved back to short/novella length. This is a novel. Part of it has disappeared and I'm wondering whether it only moved forward in my head and not on paper, but I'm liking what I have down already and more has been coming. I realise in reading over the initial thoughts for this one that Alec had his birth somewhere in the early scenes. Although the stories are nothing alike, the opening chapter of the novel sees a young guy stuck in a job where he has to use sexual favours to get by. It's one to get lost in...

So that's me and where I'm at.

Deleted Scenes

Okay, so here's the thing...

As you know I have a serial read (also published in ebook volumes). I'm editing and editing and posting and editing but yesterday I feel the need to tweak so one of the scenes changes a little... This left an inconsistency which I righted, however it also sent me off on a tangent. A new scene appeared. A hot scene. After careful consideration I'm not going to include it, or the direction it takes Alec in but what do I do with it?

What do you do with deleted scenes? Rework them for different characters to tell a different story or offer them as 'Alternate Realities' or 'Interim Extras'... I feel like I want to share the scene but I don't want it to be part of Alec's overall story arc.

Such a dilema...

More Alec...

I've added a few new chapters of Alec's story this week and the editing continues. For those of you waiting for Vol 2 to be complete and the PDF available - it shouldn't be too much longer :D

Typo Hell

Is there such a thing as a pristine manuscript? I've come to the conclusion the answer is no.

Different font, different spacing, print it out to edit on hard copy, leave for a few days to have fresh eyes - it doesn't matter if I do one, or all of them, typos and grammatical errors breed as soon as I hit 'save'.

At least I don't have the urge to throw my laptop out of the window anymore. I just sigh and correct, sigh and correct, sigh and correct again.

Whoops

Gosh, my heart was all a flutter for a moment there. I posted the latest chapter of Alec's story and didn't realise the writing prompts for the next few chapters was still at the bottom of the document.

Mild panic that I'd given everything away in bullet points. *Wipes brow. Hope I caught it before I spoiled it for any of you. That'll teach me not to work with a beta on the story.

Okay - back to editing.

Sizzling Summer

The weeks just fly by, don't they?

It's August already and my summer to-do list remains undone. Undone or not done - not done. Actually, try not started *sigh.

I have an unhealthy obsession with serial killers and the criminally insane at the moment that is taking over everything else. It's research, don't ya know, for a new WIP. The reading is heavy and disturbing in places but educational. I'm still deciding whether the story arc is something I can carry off. 

Other than that, I'm working on ideas for a sequel to Be My Boy. Mitchell may well have the voice this time around, I'd like to delve more into his character and find out exactly why he wants someone of his very own to care for.  Watch this space for news.

Coming Soon

I've had some great reviews for the HJD short Be My Boy and will upload it shortly here and for PDF download.

Thanks everyone for your support :D
It's awesome.

Be My Boy

My Hot July Story has gone live on Goodreads, whoop whoop :D

You can read it here

Hot July Reads

Just waiting for the day Be My Boy hits the Hot July stands on Goodreads. It's scary and exciting at the same time. It will be the first outing for MM for me to a large audience. I'm hoping it will bring more readers Alec's way. Ever the optimist :)

Brain Malfunction

I've just posted the latest Alec episode but other than that my muse has gone on holiday and my pages are empty. See...even now words escape me and I'm left with a big...blank...space.
It's pooh.

Home Again

I've been away for a week so things have been quiet, but now I'm back and finishing off a few projects. Firstly, Be My Boy for Goodreads MMRomance group's Hot July Reads and then...well, that's a secret for now :)

Coming along nicely

Alec's story is coming along nicely. What I've found interesting in reworking some of the early parts, is that new characters have appeared - little asides that weren't in the original plan.

It's also giving me a better insight into the direction for my Goodreads Hot July story. The request was for a dom/s or slavefic based on a photo of two guys, one much older than the other. For me, the interest is in the request for the older guy to be the sub and how the relationship dynamic works. I'll post the link to Goodreads once the story is published in July.

Alec Update

The first six sections of Alec's story are now online.

I'm also working on a piece for a Goodreads Author Challenge which I'll talk a little more about later in the week. Lots going on. I hope you'll stick around to see it.

Alec is up and running

I've posted the first two sections of Alec's story. Would love to hear feedback :)

New page

Alec has his own blog - here

Soon, soon

I've decided the best way to showcase Alec's story is to give him his own blog.
I'm in the process of making it pretty and then I'll post the link and get his story so far online.
It's exciting. I just might Squeeee

New Fanfic Page

I've added a couple of fanfic pieces I wrote. I hope, if you're fans of Special Forces and The Administration, you enjoy them.

Finding my way

I'm still searching for a way to be able to post on indiviual pages. If I can't find the way, I'll post the chapters of Alec's story to the main page and archive every now and then.

Feel free to email me with the 'how to' if you know the process :)

New stuff added

I've made some updates to the site. Added pages and a Free Short for you to have a look at.

I'll be back with more when I figure out how to use the darn template designer properly and put things where I want them.

Day One

My intention is to share various interludes and free reads from my hobby of writing homo-erotic fiction.

 I really hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them