ASL Lesson Videos

I know it’s been a while. One of my resolutions this year is to try to post more on this blog. I always have great ideas, but never seem to have the time to actually post them here – one good reason to follow me on twitter!

Anyway, you may or may not know that I write a kind of “soap opera” called In/Exhale that features a lot of ASL (American Sign Language).

To go along with this new season, I’ve been creating some ASL lesson videos to give readers an idea of what ASL looks like and maybe teach a few things along the way.

You can find all my videos on my YouTube Channel or follow my ASL lessons in this playlist.

Enjoy :D!

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NaNoWriMo – Beauty in the Remnants – Excerpt

So, I was going to start off this post by saying I don’t know if I’ll “win” NaNo this year, but then my friend asked me for my current word count and I realized I’m actually a little ahead of schedule. Huh. Wonders never cease.

Anyway, as promised, here’s an excerpt from the first chapter of the book, tentatively titled Beauty in the Remnants.

Remember, this is a rough draft and may not represent the final product, but hopefully it’ll give you a good peek into what these two men are like.

I’m experimenting with dual first-person POVs, btw. We’ll see if it works out or not!

Enjoy, and feel free to comment!


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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. 🙂

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UnConventional Excerpt: Chapter One

So I have a  habit of holding onto my writing, terrified it’s not “good” enough or finished enough. UnConventional has been “done” for months, yet I kept procrastinating and making excuses as to why I hadn’t sent it out to publishers.

I still have a ways to go, but I sent it out to the first publisher today, and will be sending to more soon, so it’s one step closer to publication, meaning I can focus on my other projects, especially Az Monster and Beauty in the Remnants.

I realized I’ve never posted an excerpt from UnConventional here, so now I have.

Enjoy the first chapter of UnConventional.

Note: The final, published version may differ slightly from the text below.

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Love Is Blind In Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho

Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho (I Don’t Want To Go Back Alone) is a cute Brazilian short film about a teenage boy who falls in love with one of his friends. It’s short and sweet, although I’ve heard rumors it may be made into a feature-length film. It portrays the boy (Leo) in a pretty positive light, and seems to be a fairly accurate attempt at showing what his life is like (complete with braille typewriter). It’s definitely worth a watch if you have a few minutes’ time to spare.

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It’s Been A While…

I haven’t disappeared. I swear. I’ve been here. Reading. Writing.

…Just not here here.

I’m sorry.

Recently, I found out one of my on-going stories was lightly plagiarized. It was kind of a fan-fictiony type of thing, so I was more bemused than angry, but I’m not sure if I want to keep posting that story there or not.

So maybe I’ll post it here. It might give everyone a chance to read some of my writing, see a bit of how I think when I’m just “playing.”

I don’t know.

Oh, and some friends of mine started a new site you should check out, To The Pain.

I’ve also started a new project. It’s an M/M romance, so a bit of a departure, but I think you guys will really like it. I hope I can have an excerpt to share soon.

I also hope to get some new reviews up  some time this millennium.

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NaNoWriMo – New Project: Az Monster – Excerpt!

So I hadn’t planned on doing National Novel Writing Month this year (aka NaNo or NaNoWriMo), since I am still putting the final touches on UnConventional before I send it out for publication, not to mention a handful of other projects. However, writing for me is kind of like being possessed by my characters – sometimes they just need to come out.

That’s how I ended up starting what I’m calling Az Monster. I “needed” to write a story that focused on a widower raising his daughter alone. I’ve also been wanting to write something set in a small town in Southeast New Mexico for a long time now. Additionally, asthma is one of those diseases that is incredibly common and yet rarely written about, so, in my typical fashion of preferring to handle diseases and disabilities you see rarely (even less than disease/disability in general beyond cancer), I decided to make the male protagonist an asthmatic. Again, in typical fashion for me, his disease is integrally woven into the story itself.

And this is how I ended up starting Az Monster. Initially, it was simply on a whim, for myself. But after discussing it with some of my writing buddies, they encouraged me to pursue it. I’m glad they did, because I’m halfway through my NaNoWriMo goal and already feel this is shaping up into an incredible, rich story that I think many readers will enjoy once I’ve completed it.

Az Monster is a story about love, about guilt, and about finding the strength to move beyond the shackles of your past.

For now, enjoy this excerpt from the beginning of the novel.

Continued –>

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A Helping of Love Review

Title: A Helping of Love (Love #3)

Author: Andrew Grey

Available in eBook?: Yes

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Final Verdict: Skip

My Take: A Helping of Love is a hard book for me to review. On one hand, I appreciate Mr. Grey’s attempts to create a sympathetic paraplegic main character who’s comfortable with his disability, and for portraying him as a sexual being. I also appreciate the fact that said disability isn’t glossed over. However, it seemed blatantly obvious to me that very little–if any–research was done for this book, both in SCI and related aspects. Add to the fact that the writing felt a bit stilted and I never did feel like I connected with the characters, and it’s hard for me to recommend.

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Crash Course: Formatting Dialog

Because I’ve worked as an editor and proofreader for a while in addition to being an avid writer and reader, I enjoy helping other writers with their work. Whether it’s brainstorming, simple feedback, or tips on how to write.

Recently, a friend of mine approached me curious about dialog tags (as in, “he said”). He wanted to know how to write dialog effectively without inundating the reader with “he said” and “she said” over and over, while still making sure who was speaking was clear.

Dialog can be a tricky beast, one that can hang up a lot of budding (and even established) writers, so I threw together this “crash course” in dialog formatting for him. Then I decided to share it with all of you in case you find yourself in his situation.

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(W)hole (2nd Edition) Review

Title: (W)hole (2nd Edition)

Author: Ruth Madison

Available in eBook?: Yes

Genre: Contemporary YA Romance

Final Verdict: Buy

My Take: Ruth Madison has returned to her debut novel, making some tweaks and filling out the story so that we now get alternate chapters between the two main characters. Although the pacing is off at times, it makes for a stronger, more cohesive piece than the original. The subject matter: a young woman dealing with her attraction to disability, gives a different perspective, and the characters are intriguing and sympathetic. This unique coming-of-age story is a worthwhile read, especially for anyone curious about the “devotee” label.

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