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Category Archives: Blog
In/Exhale: Season One Book Cover
I just have a few formatting issues to resolve in the kindle version of the first ebook so it should be released soon. Though I do have the cover finalized for Season One of In/Exhale. I should have the book available to download (for free!) soon, in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB files.
Hit the break to see the cover in all its glory, and let me know what you think!
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I’m still here…
I know I haven’t been good about keeping my “one post a week” pledge, but I’ll admit I’ve been feeling really stressed and a bit stuck lately.
Hoping that’ll remedy itself soon. I’ve been trying to read over some of the draft of Remnants to see if I can pick that back up again.
Here’s a quote from Marshall from this very early draft. I feel like it encompasses him really well. Marshall isn’t interested in anything serious, because things are safer that way. Any guy he sees as potentially too “clingy,” he’ll avoid seeing a second time, no matter how good the sex was. He calls these guys “adhesions,” as he explains:
An adhesion is a type of scarring that occurs internally, especially after abdominal surgery. It causes organs and tissues to stick together, and can lead to intense pain and serious, sometimes long-term complications. Studying adhesions–why they form and how to better prevent them–is one of the research areas for the lab back in College Station. But the best way to ensure you never develop them? Don’t have yourself cut open in the first place.
Anyway, I’m hoping I can get out of this funk soon and complete the drafts of this book and Az Monster within the next few months, as well as go back to UnDeniable. And hopefully post a bit more here and on twitter.
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Switched At Birth – New Para Character
Switched at Birth is one of my favorite shows, partially because it not only features Deaf and hard of hearing actors playing Deaf and HOH characters, but also because it attempts to realistically portray elements of Deaf culture and community, along with challenges that Deaf individuals face every day (including occasional clashes with hearing culture).
The new winter season kicked in last night, introducing some new characters, including Campbell, played by RJ Mitte (of Breaking Bad fame). Campbell is a second-year pre-med student who volunteers in the health clinic where Daphne is doing her community service. He’s also a paraplegic.
Of course, I had read about RJ Mitte’s character during the season break this fall, but it was fun to see how the show actually handled the character. For one, he hasn’t been shoved into some bulky, unrealistic folding wheelchair but appears to have a sturdy-frame one that fits him. It’s also bright yellow (and decorated, which fits his crazy character), which I love. It’s good to see that Switched at Birth may educate the public about SCI in the same way it has deafness and Deaf culture.
For example, in one scene (watch it here), Campbell offers Daphne a ride. Confused, Daphne responds, “In your lap?” Campbell laughs it off and indicates his car. “No. In my Camaro.” She asks how he drives, and he explains hand controls as he transfers and dissembles his chair, all the while talking about the various injuries he received over the years from his wild lifestyle.
It’s a short scene, but it does so much in such a short amount of time. Though Mitte, of course, is not a paraplegic (it’s a bit of a shame they couldn’t cast a real para actor, but I understand he has a certain amount of star power), the scene still manages to portray a tiny slice of life for a para in a fairly seamless way. I know we’ll see more of him as the season progresses, and I hope the show continues to impress.
It’s about time we started seeing more actors with disabilities being cast, but also seeing their stories.
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NaNoWriMo 2013
Wow, hard to believe it’s November already! I am doing National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or just “NaNo” for short) again this year. I’ll be working on getting a (hopefully complete!) draft of Beauty in the Remnants (or possibly just Remnants, it’s a working title), this year.
For those of you who don’t know, NaNo is a yearly event that challenges people to complete a 50,000 word novel in thirty days during the month of November. It’s not an easy feat, but this year will be my third time doing it, and it’s always a good excuse to be productive, as you need to write at least 1667 words every day in order to reach the goal in time.
Remnants is my first novel-length M/M project. I’ve written gay characters before, and even gay sexy scenes, but never have taken on an entire novel with two male romantic leads. I’m also experimenting with dual first-person point of views, which is something I’ve also never tried before. I may end up changing that when all is said and done, but for now, it seems to be working.
The story initially came about because Mike (one of the leads) has a cameo in UnConventional, and the more I worked on finalizing that book, the more I realized I wanted to tell his story. I also knew he was gay, and as big a fan as I am of M/M novels, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to attempt one of my own. His love interest, Marshall, really began to take shape, and I knew I needed to tackle the project as soon as I had the chance.
It’s Marshall that really drove the first-person POV. He has such a distinct personality and voice that originally, I had planned to write another novel, like UnConventional, strictly from his POV, in first-person. However, the more I worked out Mike’s story, the more I realized he needed a voice as well. Hence the “dueling banjos” POVs.
I’m going to do my best to keep my site updated with my progress as I go, and post little excerpts, too. I will likely post the first chapter soon for you to read, along with quotes from what I’ve written that day, if I have time. 
I also have a bunch of reviews I need to do, since I’ve seen several interesting movies and TV shows lately, so I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to review those, including Blind Justice, Caïn, Imagine, and Sunlight, Jr.
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter if you don’t already.
UnConventional Is “Finished”
Whew! It’s been a crazy but productive summer! I polished up what I call the “3.5” draft of UnConventional last week and sent it off to my beta readers, so it’s this much closer to publication. I’m excited to be able to finish this project so I can focus on the sequel and Outsider full time.
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