Nose In A Book

Found

2012-01-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Just wanted an update to let you know that my friend Susan posted this on her facebook wall:

Lars father has been in touch with the police and told them that Lars is with him. Thank you everyone for your gracious love and, hard work and prayers. The value of your support is immeasurable.

I can't begin to understand what Susan went through for over 11 days--with the dad claiming no knowledge of where their child was and refusing to tell anyone his own location-- and lying to the police--but at the very least, we know Susan's son is physically okay. The whereabouts of father and son are still unknown.

Finding Lars

2012-01-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

My friend's son is missing. I'm sure it's a runaway/went to find his difficult father, teenager situation--we all want to believe that-- but the fact is, we don't know.

This child is missing. It's been two days with no contact. He's 16 years old and he was visiting family in Fredericksburg, Va.

I keep waiting to hear that Lars is fine, but the hours are slipping by and he's just not anywhere.

If you could pass this info along, I would appreciate it.

http://www.missinglars.com/

Carolyn's New Book!

2011-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

CJ and I are cool.

A loud and proud shout out to my good pal CJ (aka world famous author Carolyn Crane) on the release of Book 3 in the Disillusionist Series! Say hello to Head Rush! It's available RIGHT NOW from Samhain.

I'm so excited.

JUSTINE JONES FACES HER ULTIIMATE ENEMY: HERSELF

In an attempt to put her unhappy past behind her, Justine Jones throws herself into nursing school and planning her wedding to the man of her dreams. But something is off. Random details aren’t adding up…and is it her imagination, or are her friends and fiancé keeping secrets from her? And what’s with this strange sense of unease, and her odd new headaches?

Justine tries to stay upbeat as Midcity cowers under martial law, sleepwalking cannibals, and a mysterious rash of paranormal copycat violence, but her search for answers leads her into the most dangerous mind game yet.

With the help of unlikely allies, including her paranoid dad and best frenemy Simon, Justine fights her ultimate foe…and unravels the most startling mystery of all.

Read an excerpt

Happy Release Day!

DIK

2011-11-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sharing photos of my trip to Asia on the DIK blog. Check it out!

Also enter to win a copy of my new release Simple Gifts at Stumbling Over Chaos!

Winner Winner

2011-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Turkey Dinner!

Congrats to :

Beatrice & Karen!

Pop me an email and I'll send your copies of Simple Gifts right away!

Thanks to everyone who put their names into the running and remember, Simple Gifts is live at midnight. Only $2.99!

Simple Gifts

2011-11-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

After a year long hiatus, LB Gregg returns with a teensie tiny (truly adorable) holiday novella!

It's brand spankin' new! And Simple Gifts arrives this Friday 11/25 from Musa Publishing (and is available at the usual third party vendors as well!)

A former ward of the state, Jason Ferris is protective of his carefully guarded private life. When he's felled by a rogue lawn ornament at a Christmas party, Jason finds himself in the care of his first and most devastating love-- dark, dangerous, and equally damaged Lt. Robb Sharpe.

Newly returned from years away in the military, Robb's homecoming isn't exactly the stuff of fairy tales. Now thrust together after a ten year hiatus, Jason and Robb discover that perhaps some things are worth waiting for.

Excerpt:

We arrived at the library door where an enormous tree filled the room. Cocooned in finely spun angel hair, and crisscrossed with strands of bold lights and flimsy strings of popcorn, the fragrant pine floated above a sea of tastefully wrapped gifts. It looked exactly as a real Christmas tree ought to — only more so. Wooden toys, ceramic birds, and shimmering bells weighed every branch. Round glass ornaments hung from the boughs. The tree-topping star could have guided the Magi east.

“Wow.”

“I know. Christmas is what I do best, however I lose all sense of proportion during the holidays. Maybe Sunny warned you?” Mrs. Sharpe winked before turning to dig through the pile of loot on the rug. “Now, let’s see...I have a little something here for you.”

“For me?” I almost asked her why, but I sealed my lips and settled my feet.

Mrs. Sharpe straightened and dumped a bulging Christmas stocking, com- plete with a striped candy cane poking from the top, into my empty hands. I hadn’t had one of these since...well, ever. I squeezed the velvet until the sound of crumbling paper stopped me from strangling the thing. She’d written my name in glittery cursive on the cuff. Handcrafted, like I was family or something.

But I wasn’t family. No family of mine had ever given me a scrap, unless you counted the one-way ticket to foster care.

Yes, Sunny and I always exchanged gifts. We were friends. This year, I had a new book on astronomy and I’d given her a tiny hedgehog charm for her bracelet, but a gift from Mrs. Sharpe? I was practically a stranger to Sunny’s parents. Probably the gesture meant nothing — maybe she gave presents willy- nilly to every constituent who entered her palatial lake house.

But, damn it, her gift meant something to me.

My throat closed and I swallowed against a rising tide of emotion.

“Merry Christmas, Jason.” Mrs. Sharpe said gently and, alcohol afflicted or no, she seemed so fucking sincere I had to look away. Robb’s quiet stare met mine from across the room. He saw right through me. He always had. Heat reached my hairline. I broke free of his gaze and squinted down at my overfilled hands.

You knew better. You knew not to come.

My eyes blurred.

I had nothing in return for this woman. Not a bottle of wine, or a grocery store poinsettia, or even a lame greeting card. A plate of cookies, for Christ’s sake, I could have made a paper chain for her tree. Something. Anything. I hadn’t even come properly attired.

There should be a handbook for orphans. Honestly.

Mrs. Sharpe waited, her eyes soft.

Damn Sunny all over again. She could have given me a heads up about this, too. She knew I’d arrived here like that pitiful Drummer Boy from the song. I had nothing to give. And I hadn’t offered a single word of welcome to Robb.

The shame that had stolen my tongue as a child returned, but I managed to keep things real enough by eking out a simple, “Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome, hon. We’re glad you came — and if you’d like to stay, please do. We’ve plenty of room and we’d love to have you.” She gave me another squeeze, rumpling the present between us, and when she let go, the second after I wrinkled her dress with my sweaty orphan palms, I fled.

I nabbed my coat, located the nearest exit through a jungle of elephantine pink poinsettias, and hit the Sharpe’s narrow sun porch at a goddamn trot. A zillion festive white lights lit my way until I passed through that dazzling portal to a silent, frigid night.

I sucked sweet air into my lungs once my feet were safely on the porch and clutched the collar of my coat, then tucked the stocking under my arm. Pinpricks of sleet bit my cheeks, but at least there weren’t any Sharpes here — only a howling gloom that whistled over the frozen waters of the lake and shaped the fallen snow into long, spiny hills. Lights flickered on the north shore. Or maybe that was Old Saint Nick himself headed this way.

Maybe he could give me a lift back to town.

Freebies!

To celebrate Thanksgiving, my new release, and your continued support, I have a couple copies I'd like to give away.

So, what are you thankful for this holiday season?

Leave a comment right here by midnight, Wednesday November 23rd and I'll chose two winners to receive downloads of my new novella, Simple Gifts!

Contest open internationally. Good luck!

LB

TUMPERKIN FTW!

2011-11-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Joanna Chambers (aka T or as many know her~Tumperkin) on Carina's release of The Lady's Secret! This is Joanna's very first eBook, so let's buy the heck out of it and make her an instant sensation. Well, not instant. We all know exactly how sensational she really is.

Here's the excerpt!

London, 1810

Former actress Georgiana Knight always believed she and her brother were illegitimate—until they learn their parents were married, making them heirs to a great estate. To prove their claim, Georgy needs to find evidence of their union by infiltrating a ton house party as valet to Lord Nathaniel Harland. Though masquerading as a boy is a challenge, it pales in comparison to sharing such intimate quarters with the handsome, beguiling nobleman.

Nathan is also unsettled by Georgy's presence. First intrigued by his unusual valet, he's even more captivated when he discovers Georgy's charade. The desire the marriage-shy earl feels for his enigmatic employee has him hoping for much more than a master-servant relationship...

But will Nathan still want Georgy when he learns who she truly is? Or will their future be destroyed by someone who would do anything to prevent Georgy from uncovering the truth?

Sounds so good, right??! You should buy it!

Dancing as fast as I can...

2011-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm headed to Shanghai--literally blogging to you live from the AirItalia lounge (I'm not flying with them, but the food here is terrific!) with 20 minutes to spare. I have news. And I've had no internet for a week so I'm sliding this in right now.

I KNOW YOU WANT IT!

Trust Me If You Dare Available In Print on November 1 (MY BIRTHDAY). Preorder on Amazon!

What a deal!

I've re-edited, re-covered, and will re-release Dudleytown with my friends at Musa Publishing. Treat yourself this Halloween! ONLY 2.99!

I'll be in China, Singapore, Korea and Thailand over the next few weeks, traveling with my own personal superman--G. I'll have some tricks and some treats for you, so keep an eye on my facebook page or pop in here!

Time to board. Hugs and kisses,

LB

October News

2011-10-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Let's get right down to it.

First and foremost--my 'new' website is on hold while I grapple with the troubling reality of Aspen Mountain Press. As my beloved Men of Smithfield books are under contract with AMP and my MOS series has been removed from at least one third party vendor, I have no choice but to take action.

Secondly--After nine months of hoop hopping, tomorrow I sign my construction loan. **insert flailing Kermit arms and popping champagne corks** We move on the fifteenth of this month into a temporary housing situation (MY MIL'S) and I'll be homeless. Naturally, I'm not packed. Why? Read on...

Third--Simple Gifts goes to my editor at Musa today **more Kermit, more champagne**. Simple Gifts is a very short Christmas story and, er, it features a wee bit of origami. You'll love it. Buy my book on November 25th from Musa Publishing. You'll be glad you did.

Next--I'm headed to Asia on the 25th for two weeks with G. The 25th thing is screwing up the 15th thing, the 7 thing, and the book thing. A little side note on this--I had to change my occupation from 'writer' to 'housewife' on my visa application. I'm not ashamed of being a housewife, thank goodness, but I am a little miffed that I can't go into main land China and distribute my revolutionary gay romantic comedies. Sad face.

Finally--Despite the stresses and the woes of the Men of Smithfield, I feel extraordinarily blessed to have my friends and family, my life with G, and all of you. I'm ending this update on an upnote-- with a few random photos from my September travels. Life is good.

Best Cappuccino: Italy

Creepiest Public Square: Florence
Are those flying monkeys?!

Best Collection of Naked Men: My Computer

Escargot 50ct Each. I Love Paris.

Best Lunch: Paris

Best Steam Punk Moment: Eiffel Tower

RIP

2011-10-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Taken from the apple homepage tonight. Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Thanks, Steve. For everything.

On the Road Again

2011-09-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

My suitcase is packed--officially. I crammed two weeks worth of clothing into my medium bag because G hasn't replaced his giant suitcase with the broken wheel and took my big bag instead. I'd call him a dick for that, but the man is a saint. A saint who steals suitcases. Anyway--I had to make some tough cuts with my shoes. I have two pair of flats, two pair of heels, one pair of flip flops, work out sneakers, and my bitch boots. I think I'm set. But, because I am taking the boots (have to take the boots to Paris!), I am only bringing one purse.

Pretend you understand why that matters.

I realize I could bring two suitcases, but I hate traveling with too much stuff. <--lol

So littlegirl moved into her dorm on Saturday and I am struggling with my empty nest. I swore I wouldn't. I lied. I miss her so much and it's only been two days. Thank God I'm going with G. He's working & I'm writing--but with better scenery. Otherwise I'd be lurking behind the bushes at her new school and I'm told that isn't cool. When BigGirl went away to school at 15, I used to drive to her field hockey practices and watch her from the car. I cried a lot. It's very difficult to send your child away to school, despite what anyone thinks, but I know this is good for littlegirl and she's so damn excited. She deserves this opportunity without me creeping on her from the car. (Also there's plenty of time for that in October).

I'll see her as soon as I get home. I can't wait. Until that time, we have skype.

September's to-do list: Finish Simple Gifts for Musa.

Please have a safe week--enjoy your kids, your spouses, your friends and family. I'll be back.

I'll probably have a new purse.

LB

Monday News

2011-08-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

First: Happy 18th birthday to my boy!

This morning, after driving to another town to find hot coffee (and a working traffic light), I parked the car in my driveway and left it running. Yup. I was trying to charge my cell phone. I was also tracking down a bakery in Asheville NC that could deliver vegan cupcakes. TODAY

God bless 'em and thank you ValetGourmet for making that happen. My son picked up his dozen cupcakes after work and he had no idea that his dear sweet mother waited until the last minute. I only wish I could have sent him this cake.

In other local news, Irene has come and gone and she kicked the shit out of New England. There are a lot of people saying Irene underwhelmed, but not here. I can't believe some of the home videos I've seen. Bridges wiped out. Houses floating. Roads underwater. In Vermont!! The flooding has been catastrophic for that state and my heart goes out to all the folks who lost everything. We're used to blizzards and ice storms and the occasional tornado here, not tropical storms in the Green Mountains.

In the Eastern portion of our state, nearly a half million people (480,000) are still without power as of this writing. We lost power yesterday evening, after 9.5 inches of rain fell, but electricity has been restored to my little town, and much earlier than predicted. A big thanks to Connecticut Light and Power and to our local and state government for taking care of business. We're small, but we're mighty.

I hope this finds you all dry, happy, and healthy. I trust this week will be much less exciting than last.

LB

WIP Song Du Jour

2011-08-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day here in the hills. Sunny and warm, with low humidity. The corn is high, the birds are singing, and my pool pump is chugging along. It's the perfect summer day to spend outside, squinting at my computer screen.

So there's a big storm brewing off the Carolina Coast. Along with my friends in Long Island and NYC, Western CT is centered right smack in the bullseye. Irene doesn't scare me too much, not yet anyway, but at forty miles from the Sound, let's just say that I have a few things to pick up at the store. (Wine may be on that list).

I'm writing about snow and loneliness and the bleak midwinter. And today, I'm thinking about Mr. Lyle Lovett, of all people. It's an old song, but it stands the test of time for this listener. Another WIP song for the list.

Enjoy and to all my East Coast friends--seek higher ground.

::paperbag::

2011-08-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

We're packed and ready and tomorrow, at oh-dark-thirty, G and I take our boy to college in fucking North Carolina. North. Carolina. That's, like, a long way away from Smithfield, fyi. 800 miles, give or take a detour around DC. That's thirteen hours in a car (plus traffic) or two flights home for Thanksgiving.

What in the name of hell was I thinking?

I know I'm going to horrify and humiliate him when I cling like a monkey mommy as we leave. G will have to peel me off the poor kid. I'm going to need to breathe into a paper bag as we wave bye-bye from the rental car. And I fully intend to drink, er, eat my feelings on the flight(s) home.

I'm too young to have two kids in college.

Have a great week, everyone! Wish us luck.

xo

LB

PS-Keep your slut hands off my son.

WIP Song

2011-08-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

I know I posted this on facebook, but I just can't get enough of it.

And TPig--this cake isn't a lie.

Such A Deal They Have For You!

2011-07-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Aspen Mountain Press Bundles are here!

SO FLASHY!

That's right, friends! You can download all four Men Of Smithfield stories for 18 smackaroos! What? You already have all my books! YAY! You can still check out all the other great bundles at AMP!

And Aspen Mountain Press is giving away a Kindle to celebrate their 5th Anniversary Blog Tour--Aug 1-7. That looks like fun.

**P.S. I'm not actually part of the blog tour and now I feel like a dope for not signing up in time because it DOES look like fun. **pity party** But the fact that I am lazy should not stop you from participating in the celebration, even if you already have a Kindle. Because YOUR MOM WANTS MY BOOKS TOO--and she'd just love a free Kindle for Labor Day.

It's about time.

2011-07-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Another month come and gone and my blog rests quietly. Why? Am I working on a book? Yes I am. It's a little Christmas story and, obviously, it should release this December. I promise I'll have more to report on this book as information comes.

So what HAS LB been up to? In all honesty, after three summers of deadlines and whining and super sub-par mommying, I decided to enjoy this summer with my family. The boy leaves for college in two weeks, littlegirl goes to boarding school in early September, and I needed to spend as much time with them (and BigGirl, who spent four weeks at home) before my nest empties.

It's been the best summer ever.

Tuscany

G and I vacation each June with our kids, and this year we bowed to G's wishes and agreed on a lovely bike tour through Tuscany. It seemed simple enough--and ultimately, it was! 160 miles in 6 days, (not too shabby for this old bird), and much of it was uphill both ways. We sweat and sunburned and pedaled away--absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. No kidding.

Best of all, our teens/young adults had to be present in the moment with us--no iPods, no Kindles, no cell phones. They could ~~run~~ pedal, but they couldn't hide. It was the five of us, some bicycles, the open road, a guide, breathtaking vistas and a lot of fun. Butterflies fluttered around us; the wind blew through the wheat; and the smell of lavender and jasmine were the best parts of each day. That and any breeze or downhill descent.

And the wine, of course. Oh, such lovely wines.

A few photos to slow down your browser.

RWA

I arrived home from Italy on Sunday night, tackled the laundry, and then packed a bag and headed straight for NY to ~~see Rosie~~ attend RWA on Tuesday. This should give you an idea of my state of mind through most of the week.

Time Square with Ro, KA, and Kathy.

This year, I participated in the literacy signing for the first time (with Catch Me If You Can!). Highlights of the signing were meeting fellow m/m authors KC Burn (chick can dance) and Kari Gregg (no relation) and, of course, signing books.

Rosie and I spent much of our time gossiping with blogger pals Kristie J, Nath (aka camera thief), Super Librarian Wendy (recipient of the Librarian of the Year award), and my good friend KA Mitchell. We met Limecello and, very briefly, we saw Meljean Brook. (That's always a thrill.) We finally clapped eyes on gal pal blogger Christine. She's as sweet and wonderful in person as she is online. Whateverfor took me on a fantastic journey in way-too-high-heels to find the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. It had parked a few blocks from where the Romano and Albright series takes place, so I foisted a book on the gentlemen when I purchased their kick-ass ice cream.

Was that wrong?

Random picture of KA, LB, and KC at The Harlequin party.

We danced to Katy Perry. No lie.

On Thursday (or Friday?) Ro and I found ourselves accidentally at the front of the Lisa Kleypas line at the St.Martin's signing--we'd run in to find some empty cardboard boxes--and once we realized we were at the very front of the Lisa Kleypas line, well, it felt like we'd won the lottery. All these conferences and all these events over the past four years and I'd never once met her! I think I said, I love your books, about ten times.

Nath took this awesome photo, by the way.

This is the stunning photo I took of Nath and Lisa Kleypas. Pretend Lisa is wearing a hat.

There were so many workshops and panels to choose from, but my favorites were the Carina Press spotlight (excellent job Angela James!) and an indepth discussion on contemporary romance with sassy Ms. Julie James and the equally lovely Beth Kery.

Phew!! So that's it, folks. June and RWA wrapped up, and LB Gregg crashed.

In other news, be on the lookout for a specially priced Men of Smithfield bundle from Aspen Mountain Press! AND Trust Me If You Dare releases in print from Samhain on my birthday, November 1st. (Which is Samhain, coincidentally).

I hope you are all having a lovely summer--and let me know what you're reading. Because of KristieJ, I'm working my way through the George RR Martin books. They're deliciously thick and terribly exciting.

xo

~LB

Hello-Goodbye!

2011-06-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

My new business card is finally done--and not a second too soon. I leave today!

What do you think? Obviously, I think it's hilarious.

So we're off to It-Lee. The bags are mostly packed. We have Icy-Hot and a big jar of Motrin. We've trained. We're outfitted in matching shirts (oh.my.god.) and at 2 o'clock, we're headed to JFK. I'll post photos as I'm able.

I've never been to Tuscany, but our tour company recommended some reading and viewing prior to our trip--homework, such as it was. I watched an old favorite the other night: A Room With A View. So beautiful. Gorgeous costuming. Top notch actors. Romantic, right?

Not so much.

As a mother of a twenty something and two teens, I found myself itching to smack some sense into Lucy's flightly head. So petulant! So proud! Such a ding-dong! Why in the world was she engaged to Cecil/Daniel Day Lewis? No one could ever be THAT young. And George as the alternative? He was a moody Mr. Grabby-Hands. Honestly? I was drawn to Lucy's brother--Mr. Rupert Graves-Honeychurch. At least he had spark. If only he'd been adopted...

I was about an hour into the movie (after those spectacular pastoral scenes in Tuscany) when it occurred to me that I've held A Room With A View in such high esteem for the stupidest of reasons: I covet Helena B. Carter's hair. I've lived most of my life with painfully stick-straight hair (except for a brief foray into the world of 80's perms), and as I watched Lucy and her silliness the other night, I was actually watching her hair. I couldn't wait to see what it would do next. Up. Down. Pony tail. Under a hat. It captivated me.

Le sigh.

My own flat hair will be tucked lifelessly under a sweaty bike helmet for the next ten days, but this will not perturb me. Dudes, I'm cycling Tuscany! I'm ready and I'm able. I'm hungry for pasta and I've got a good base tan. And I have my hubby to carry me up the stairs at the end of the day.

Wish me luck.

Have a great couple of weeks. See you at RWA in NY!

~LB, aka Queen of Flat Hair.

Happy Birthday Carina

2011-06-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

In celebration of last year's launch--Carina is giving away some wonderful prizes at the Carina Press Blog!

"Here on the Carina blog, we’re offering a grand prize of a Kobo ereader (the original model) and 12 Carina Press digital titles. All you need to do to be entered to win is comment below. We will ship internationally. Legal rules and details are here, if you want some dry reading. The grand prize is valued at approximately $160. If you’re reading this and not employed by Harlequin or living with someone who is, you’re eligible!"

Go check it out, wish them well, and maybe you'll win!

Bloggin'

2011-05-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm spending three days at the Desert Island Keeper blog again. Check it out!

Faultless

2011-05-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Remember kids, a sunshiny Friday trumps my keys are locked in the car and I seem to have misplaced my cell phone every single time.

I'll be outside in the glorious spring morning sunshine--where the birds are chirping and the bees are buzzing-- glaring at my purse, which is locked inside my car.

I'm about 99.9% sure that this is totally G's fault.

Totally.

Gal Pal News

2011-04-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Congrats to my friend Samantha Kane on her first Loose-Id release!

John Ford packed up his life a year ago and moved from LA to small Mercury, North Carolina after the death of his long-term partner. He’s been living in a kind of suspended animation, fixing up the old house he bought there, reclusive and alone. Until the day Connor Meecham appears.
Conn Meecham has returned home, only to find it isn’t his anymore. Someone else owns his mother’s house now. But Conn needs that house to find the man he left behind more than eight years ago--before the drugs, before prison, before his life derailed. Lonely, desperate, lost, Conn finds in John a kindred soul.

Mercury is a dying town. But John sets out to change that when he learns what it means to Conn. Through home improvements, sex, old friends, sex, misunderstandings, sex, and homemade cherry pie, John and Conn may finally discover that where they are now can be heaven on earth if they want it to be.

Happy Day, Samantha. :)

Contest

2011-04-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm so late! A combination of spending today in Mystic with some friends, and blogger not letting me in to my own blog, delayed this post a wee bit. **shakes fist at blogger**

Congratulations to

Orannia and Mammarella!

Check your email!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my quick contest--and, as always, thank you Random.Org!

It's Spring. Sort of.

2011-04-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's actually pretty damn cold here, and with the gale force wind blowing sand and lawn furniture around my yard, I'm enjoying the happy new daffodils from inside my heated office.

I realized In and Out turns one next month, so in celebration of Men of Smithfield:In & Out's birthday--I'd like to give away two downloads.

Adam and Holden's story--the blurby bit.

Former television sensation and renowned world explorer, Holden Worthington, is held prisoner by crippling agoraphobia. When a sexy young laborer arrives to set his property to rights, a ray of light glimmers in Holden's dark and narrow world. A grisly discovery throws the two men together, and Holden finds his world turned inside out by his inappropriate longing for his awkward, young employee, Adam Morgan, and by a threat growing around them both. All of Smithfield believes Holden has something to hide, and Adam is determined to bring everything--including Holden Worthington--into the open.

Weee! Happy Spring!

Answer the following question and I'll select two random commenters. It's so easy, a child could do it. But, uh, you have to be +18 to play.

What are you most looking forward to this spring?

Sample answer: I'm looking forward to sunlight.

This contest closes at midnight on 4/24/11. Offer open internationally. Don't forget to leave an email address in your comment!

~LB

April

2011-04-18T07:35:00.001-07:00

I'm down to one post a month. Yikes.

So. Where is LB? Working on a pesky new short story. I know that I should be writing Ce & Dan (Sasha please don't read my blog), and believe me, I'm plotting and planning and cackling away--but the book that wants to be written now? It's a bit...salty. And sunny. Jack Walker and Dylan Hayes should make an appearance sometime toward the end of this year, God willing. If I can't whine hard enough (or write faster) they'll find a spot at the beginning of next year.

Also--currently revamping my website. We'll see how that works out. ;)

With the new house on hold (a topic I refuse to discuss--but HALF of my belongings are packed and I am living in boxes) G and I are ignoring our real life situation and instead, we're training for a bike ride through Tuscany. This new (next?) madness is a combination 22year anniversary, graduation, another graduation, and a I-hate-living-in-boxes trip. 30-40 miles per day through the Italian country side and I've barely ridden five miles in the last two years. So the yoga? The spinning? The fifteen pound weight loss? All part of G's plan to kill me. I mean, G's plan to take us to Italy and force us to walk around in public while wearing maxi pad lined shorts. I'm totally stoked.

And my RT update, weeks over due, is that RT was a great success. I count reconnecting with friends, making new friends, and eating a lot of garlic fries as successful. Some highlights of my first few days include my first look at the high desert hills covered in actual GREEN vegetation, cocktails and dinner with Jen from Samhain, and drinking a few cosmos with Kristin Daniels and Mari Freeman.

Low light? Why was the eBook Expo was held between 4-6pm in downtown LA on a Friday?

After the expo, Rosie searched Amber Eats LA for a cool place to catch a quick bite away from the hustle/bustle and the mediocre restaurants inside the hotel. We went to a LA landmark--The Pantry. THANK YOU AMBER, ROSIE AND THE SO CAL BLOGGERS. It was both an adventure and a pleasure and I always love spending time with Lori, Nikki, Rosie, Tracy, Renee, and Holly. Much laughter ensued. We had pulled pork, mountains of creamy coleslaw, and plates of fries. NOM NOM NOM.

Plus the waiter groped me.

On Saturday, James Buchanan and I lunched at a fantastic Mexican restaurant on Olvera Street. Sangria, live music, and shopping for Teddypig were part of our afternoon activities--and I bought an attractive and functional serape.

Colleen Gleason, Lorelei James, Beth Williamson, and LB Gregg.

Note my fabulous serape.

Photo gacked from Tracy

I loved my serape so much that I wore it fancy to the bar (see above) and then I slept in it on the red-eye back home. Win/Win. Thank you James. :)

And as always, the best part of the week was spending time with my gal pal, Rosie. We ordered oatmeal via room service, talked about books and blogging and writing--we drank cosmos and gin and blabbed with our favorite friends. We made a brand new friend, Beth Kery, we coveted the shoes of Julie James, and we got to see Angela James climb across a couch yelling Rosie! Rosie!

Now RT is over and done, and RWA is on the horizon. I have a trip to plan, two graduations, and an entire book to write. Happy Spring everyone!

Get on your bikes and ride!

RT

2011-03-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

RT is fun. You should come.

If you're in the LA area April 6-10 and you're attending the RT Booklovers Convention, please stop by ~~the bar~~ and say hello to me!

Here are my scheduled RT appearances ~

Thursday 4/7: Club RT at 11:15 am.
Friday 4/8: eBook Expo 4-6pm. Come chat, pick up a few chocolates, grab some signed swag, and if you want to buy an eBook, you can!
Saturday 4/9: Book Fair and see LB autograph her fabulous book Catch Me If You Can --live, in person, and to YOU!

Now, pop on over to Stumbling Over Chaos and enter the drawing to win a print copy of that Men of Smithfield classic: Gobsmacked.

See you soon!

Kind of a Big Deal

2011-03-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Recently I participated in Suzanne Brockmann's virtual signing for her latest Troubleshooters installment Breaking the Rules. My book arrived yesterday and the most exciting thing--other than the neat To LB Gregg -- was the bonus story Brockmann included with every pre-order.

When Tony Met Adam.

Cool beans.

One of the things I love about Brockmann is her ability to make some of her most unlikeable characters worthy of a happy ending you not only believe in, but you root for as well. It's reader gold. She's so deft at turning the tables. WTMA is Adam's book. He's that cheating dick-headed ex of the incomparable, the perfect, the original BFF-- Jules Cassidy. I can't wait to dive into this book and really get to know Adam.

And not to be juvenile, but there's explicit man sex in this wee book. That's astonishingly brave of Brockmann--or maybe, the time has finally arrived. It's still a very big deal, even if it's a very small book. And only in e. *g*

When Tony Met Adam releases (Ballentine e-Books) this June.

And Tony is from Connecticut. I'm super excited!

~~~***~~~

In other news-after posting a very interesting photo of himself smoking a hookah in Singapore, as well as a rollicking video of a very flexible belly dancer, G has gone to Tibet--which I totally did not know. I'm still not clear where exactly he is, but there is no internet there! He calls me for five minutes and we try to catch up. He says he's in Shangri-La, but surely that's the thin air talking. Earlier, he hiked with his group (read: stumbled and gasped) at 12,000 feet above sea level. The scenery was divine. They dined on something called crispy (crunchy?) 'intestinal' for breakfast. Maybe he misunderstood. I hope he misunderstood. It sounds like chitlins to me, but what do I know? Last night there was no heat in the hotel and he was given a can of oxygen to suck on as he walked. Or slept. Or ate intestines.

I can't wait to travel more with G. Good times.

Tomorrow night he heads back to Hong Kong where there is internet, heat, and air. Also food with or without 'intestinal'. Which of these items is the most important? I'm going with internet.

Happy Saturday!

~LB

Congrats

2011-03-22T18:42:00.001-07:00

To gal pal JL Langley~ Happy Release Day! Woot!

Samantha Kane Asks...

2011-02-24T06:25:00.001-08:00

"Is this Caesar Romano?"

Thoughts?

Bits

2011-02-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

*Today is the last day to enter the drawing for Catch Me If You Can in print. Oh, you know you want me it.

*I'm writing again. It's a tiny-whiny start, but a start nonetheless. This is not a drill! My new muse is working his muse magic.

*Question: Should I revamp my website? A do-over? Seriously--I think it's time to have something more interactive. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what works and what doesn't work.

*BOOK RELEASE. My pal, award winning author Kate Davies, has a book coming out tomorrow!

Shameless promotion with blurb stuff:

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME

Accept no substitute…for love.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Jessica Martin is determined to earn a permanent teaching position at Summit High School. That means hard work, dedication, and even volunteering extra time to direct the school’s Shakespeare play. Which leaves no room for romance—especially with a co-worker. She didn’t factor in the school’s sexy security officer and the delicious fantasies he inspires.

Too Much Of A Good Thing
Former cop Tom Cameron likes his job. Or he did, until the new substitute busted his orderly life right open. Now, he can’t seem to avoid her—deserted hallways, empty theaters, classrooms after dark—but he’s got too many skeletons in his closet to risk his heart again. Asking her out to distract her from the play’s, well, drama is a friendly gesture. Nothing more.

The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth
Their chemistry could melt down the science lab, and before long they’re burning up the sheets off-campus. And uncovering raw emotions—a stark reminder that love isn’t in their curricula. When a troubled student goes over the edge, though, the need to stop a tragedy brings them right back where they started—face to face with fate.

Product Warnings
This book contains sexy encounters in classrooms, inappropriate use of school facilities, backstage shenanigans, and illicit activities on a ferryboat.

*Fifteen. Do you remember 15? It's littlegirl's birthday. Saturday we took her to see that dreadful True Grit. I know it's the Cohen Bros. and everyone is throwing their panties at the movie, but stilted dialog, slow pacing, intense violence --not to mention that the movie is a total downer--proved to make littlegirl's birthday pretty memorable. And she had nightmares because of the damn horse. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

~LB

New Muse

2011-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

And let me assure you--this is a very good thing.

Winners

2011-02-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

(as selected by random.org)

Stevie Carroll & Camille B

Congrats! You both receive signed copies of Catch Me If You Can.

In other news--it's not snowing or sleeting or freezing rain so I'm heading out to do my errands. Taxes and shopping and dry cleaning, oh my! Have a great Thursday everyone.

Catch a Print Copy of Catch Me If You Can

2011-02-01T10:25:00.001-08:00

Happy Print Release Day
Caesar Romano & Dan Albright!!

"Irresistible fun and toe-curling heat. I can't wait for more of Caesar and Dan." ~K.A. Mitchell**

"The creative LB Gregg has an engaging flair for comedy; I enjoyed this outstanding saga immensely." ~Literary Nymphs Reviews

"A must for all fans of this author and for those interested in some unapologetic, mystery-type fun." ~ Kris'n'Good Books

"Catch Me If You Can is a fun book that will keep you in stitches and some of the characterizations are inspired. Definitely recommended!" ~ Jessewave

"... a riot from start to finish." ~Jenre at Well Read

"...her quick wit and sexy scenes kept me smiling..." ~ Smokinhotbooks

Obviously I'm having a great time copying and pasting from my website. *g*
To celebrate CMIYC's print release day, I have two signed copies of this slick and pretty book to give away! All you have to do is email me:

lbgregg at lbgregg dot com

and tell me that you'd like to win. I'll select two lucky readers by Wednesday 2/2/11 at midnight EST. Better still, this contest is open internationally--because Caesar says so.

Ciao!

~LB

** Fangirl squee!**

Gifties.

2011-01-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm on the Island--giving away a $10 gift certificate to Samhain.

Blogging

2011-01-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

I'm at Larissa's Bookish Life offering a signed copy of Catch Me If You Can!

Next, I'm heading over to the Desert Island Keeper oasis for the next couple of days (late now) so once I get my blog post posted, come see what I'm giving away!

**searches through goodie-bag**

Bye!

LRC

2011-01-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

Nominated for Best Series 2010--Men of Smithfield

Nominated for Best Anthology/Multi-Author Book 2010--His for the Holidays

Nominated for Best GBLTQ Book 2010--Trust Me If You Dare

Nominated for Best GBLTQ Author 2010--LB Gregg

I'm delighted that each one of my publishers is represented on this list: Aspen Mountain Press & MLR Press for my Men of Smithfield series (Print and eBook), Carina Press (eBook and audio) for His for the Holidays, and Samhain for my beloved Romano & Albright.

LRC is a high volume Yahoo group with about 3,000 members. There's always something happening in the cafe (like an LB Gregg chat next Wednesday!). Free books, news, excerpts, author chats, and general merriment are the order for any given day. I've been visiting the LRC since my reviewing days and I'm thrilled and just a little flabbergasted to be nominated in four categories.

Check it out and go vote at Dawn's Reading Nook. Voting is open 1/22 - 1/30.

21

2011-01-19T10:28:00.001-08:00

Big day here in LB-land. There's snow and ice and slush and such, but that won't deter me from celebrating-- BigGirl is 21!

Okay, yes she's in windy freezing Chicago and I'm in wet slidey Connecticut, and yes, G is in the far far east, but I'm going to eat cake and pat myself on the back and text her until she turns off her phone. I LUFF YOU BIGGIRL.

Cake for everyone!

~LB

(PS I need to send my daughter another email about MAKING GOOD CHOICES).

(PSS And remind her not to read my blog.)

***Artwork by the incomparable Allie Brosh / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

">Allie Brosh.

Update

2011-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just want to update my friends and followers here--before people wonder if I fell off the face of the earth. I haven't facebooked, tweeted, blogged or emailed in a days.

My only brother was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Saturday night. The facts are sketchy but what I know is that at 9:30 he was on his way home from work during a snow squall. Driving on a steep hill, half mile from his driveway, his car hit a patch of ice on a mostly unplowed Connecticut tertiary road. The car slid into a tree and my brother's heavy old Saab folded into his lap. I have no other way to describe it except as it was described to me--the front of the vehicle folded from bumper to driver's seat onto my brother's legs.

Alert and alone, he was pinned in the storm until another driver eventually found him. I can only imagine his pain and fear as the extent of his injuries became apparent, and his sense of helplessness as the volunteer firemen worked for an hour and half in the falling snow to saw the roof off his car and extract him.

On Sunday morning doctors made some tough decisions in order to save my brother's life. If he survives the next week or so, and by all rights he should, he has a difficult journey ahead. His fever is high, he's broken to bits, but he's a tough old bird.

___________

G is back and forth, here and there, and in and out of the country over the next few weeks. I have my hands full ferrying my mother to and from Rhode Island, talking to long lost relatives on the phone, keeping up with the kids, and trying to get the house plans moving forward. I'm not ignoring you--I'm juggling.

I'm also doing a lot of praying.

Two things: I came home from the hospital on Monday and a box of books was on my doorstep. Catch Me If You Can is hitting the shelves in a couple weeks. The books are beautiful and I was thrilled despite everything going on here to hold those books in my hands. I'm not sure if that's appropriate, but there it is. Catch Me in print--with a cover blurb by KA Mitchell. Thank you everyone out there, and thank you to Samhain for believing in Caesar and Dan.

Secondly--I have a new email addy, although the old one works too. lbgregg at lbgregg dot com.

Think positive thoughts for my brother and his family, and remember to wear your seatbelt.

~LB

Heave Ho

2011-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well I finally got an author foe-toe. I look like a hot pink mess, but I paid, so pink it is until I become famous and can hire a stylist--preferably Clinton Kelly.

I would ask for feedback, but you'll be nice to me cuz you're like that. (read: please be nice to me).

In other news, I mailed 8 ginormous boxes of books to some very happy folks. I'm sorry to the person in the Ukraine who emailed me! Maybe next time?

I spent the day weeding my shelves--and I kept a bunch of the books I was supposed to send away. I unearthed some older books I adored and some I'd forgotten about. Early Teresa Mederios books--like Whisper of Roses. My Judith Ivory collection. And Susan Carroll. I read the blurbs of books written in the eighties and realized I'd lost or given away my old Johanna Lindsey collection (those may have been ruined in one of the basement floods).

I wound up with eight of these boxes:

I'm crazy.

Each box contains an assortment of older romances from the likes of Elizabeth Lowell and Stella Cameron and Brenda Joyce (!), to recent releases from wonderful writers such as Victoria Alexander and Eloisa James, Kresley Cole and Gina Showalter, and SCADS of wickedly erotic books you'll have to hide from prying eyes. Thea Devine. Robin Schone. (I had two of each of hers. I kept one.) Lora Leigh. Oh such tasty-goodness.

Also there were a lot of vampire books.

WTF vampires?

Some authors I couldn't part with: Suze Brockmann (my hero and just holding Letters to Kelly made me happy); Meljean Brook (Goddess); JR Ward; Charlaine Harris; Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plumb); Pamela Morsi; Judith Ivory; Jennifer Crusie; Linda Howard; Julia Quinn--and of course, the always exceptional Lisa Kleypas.

It was a good day.

In Toy Story 3 Woody and Buzz search for a new home; a place where they and their friends will be loved and appreciated. More than death, they feared being unwanted. I thought about that today while I packed. I just could not send my books to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or the landfill. And I couldn't bring them to the snooty local library. These stories deserve a second (or third or fourth) chance to be enjoyed. Some author put her heart and soul into writing them...I appreciate that and it's my hope that these books find a spot on new shelves. Is that sentimental? Yes of course it is. I read and write romances. I'm permitted.

Happy Thursday--I'm taking some Motrin and passing out.

~LB

Bag Lady

2011-01-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

We're building a house. Did I mention this? My plans should be nearly finalized and in my email box today (refresh, refresh, refresh) and so...I'm going through all our worldly possessions--

and weeding.

I have bags of books to donate or give away. Anyone want some romances? I'm offering mixed bags of paperbacks ranging from Thea Devine to Katie McAllister to old school Linda Howard categories (**loves**) to fresh new books yet unread from RWA & RT (big names, people). I simply have too many books for G to handle and since the man is building me a house for heaven's sake, the least I can do is slim my shelves (again).

I love books--but at this point, they're taking over my life. Heave. Ho.

So if you live in the Continental US and you'd like a free bag of mixed-romances, just email me at noseinabook at live dot com and the first ten or fifteen people can HAVE THEM. Free! (see photo)

Weee. My email box is waiting for you (and the freaking house plans).

DIK Give Away

2010-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Tracy's giving away one copy of Catch Me If You Can & one copy of Trust Me If You Dare!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-21T13:47:00.001-08:00

It's official. Happy last release day of the year LB Gregg! Holy wow, no wonder I need a vacation.

Hard help can be good to find.

Romano and Albright, Book 2

Feisty New Yorker Caesar Romano has a knack for getting into a jam, and this week is no exception. When his pregnancy-hormone-buzzed business partner sweet talks him into working a solo gig for his famous ex, Caesar attracts the worst kind of attention.

It’s only the beginning. Hit on by a lusty German, stalked by the paparazzi, victim of an unexpected airbag attack—and desperate for some part-time help—Ce’s running out of time, staff and patience. But what’s really got him poised to run? A looming brunch with his sexy lover’s esteemed family.

PI Dan Albright is a man of many gifts: investigation, security, sex talk and driving Caesar nuts in and out of the bedroom. Hired to protect an outrageous soap star from a deranged personal assistant, Dan’s got his hands full refereeing rival actors, locating one four-foot-eleven woman…and convincing Ce that he’s playing for keeps.

Hey, nobody ever said taking a relationship to the next level was a waltz in the park.
Product Warnings

This book includes bad driving, a naughty German, dirty words, heated glances, mutual masturbation, oral sex, an evil scout, a memorable ride, and a fabulously affordable tuxedo. May cause unexpected bursts of laughter.

This is also my last promo of the year--and instead of really promoing, I want to say thank you to all of my noseinabook friends, to my Smithfield fans, to the ladies and gentlemen of GOOL, to my secret gay boyfriend, to my pals and the gals of So. Cal--and to my editors-- and to my RT friends, my RWA friends, to my beta readers and my crit partners and to my special roomies--

Merry Christmas!

I hope you feel the love this holiday season, and remember to curl up with a hot book.

I know we will.

One Day More!

2010-12-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

I'm at Jessewave's today--Caesar and I are playing a silly game and we'd be happy if you stopped by to keep us company. Tomorrow is Caesar and Dan day! At last, at last. I'll post the buy link tomorrow, for now you can read an excerpt here.

I have one more post before the holiday--and there are a slew of books being given away (mine, too!) all over the internet. Mandy, DIK, Wave...books everywhere. I hope you win one or two.

I'll be back. I'm dashing off to tick a few items off my ginormous list!

Winner!

2010-12-17T11:09:00.001-08:00

Congrats to Kaye for winning the $10 ARe Gift Certificate--check your email box!

I hope you all are making the most of your week before Christmas! Remember that next week, Romano & Albright II: Trust Me If You Dare releases from Samhain. BUY IT.

Heh.

And now, because this just makes me so damn happy, a little Glee.

And yes. I'm spastic today.

~LB

Advent Tour Day 13

2010-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy December 13th!

While cruising the internet searching for a topic for today's post, I stumbled over an interesting fact about this day in history:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold.

That simple fact got me thinking about the stories we share and the traditions we pass on to our kids. Most importantly--it got me thinking about books.

I read to my kids on Christmas eve, when church is over and we've returned fat and happy from grandma's. Every year the entire family piles on the couch and I read. These days, my kids are teens and my eldest is nearly 21--but they still love the annual Christmas story hour. I read as the lights twinkle on the tree, and my youngest frees baby Jesus from his hiding place inside the hollow camel's back. She places baby J in the manger, and--off to bed my kids go. These days they go upstairs to facebook their friends and watch movies, but the tradition stands. Books, free Jesus, bed.

To my children, it's not really Christmas until I've read to them.

I'd like to share our Christmas reads with you--and maybe you can share yours with me.

The Gift of the Magi

Lisbeth Zwerger's illustrations add an air of fragility to O'Henry's classic tale. I'm more captivated by Zwerger's work than the story at times and I'm guilty of breaking off in the mid sentence to enjoy the pictures.

The Polar Express

Before the brilliantly animated movie with Tom Hanks--there was the book, which we received in a box along with a silver bell and a single audio cassette. To this day when I read aloud, I can't help but hear William Hurt's voice breaking as he reads, and I choke up. I think the entire family chokes up. *g* I know you probably have heard the later versions, but if you have the chance, this version from 1989 is our favorite.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Cindy Lou Who we love you. This is G's favorite.

The Night Before Christmas

And this one is my favorite--so well loved that tape holds the cover together. Harness' illustrations are fun for kids (where is that mouse?) and, like a good Victorian home, filled with so many knick-knacks and decorations, it's plain fun. Another treasure from BigGirl's first Christmas.

The Christmas Story

If you're going to read the story of Christ's birth to your kids, read the King James version. Russian born artist Gennady Spirin's luminous paintings shine throughout this book.

And there you have it. I'd love to hear what stories were read to you as a child, or stories you read to your family. I'll select one commenter, by noon on Friday December 17th, for a $10 gift certificate to All Romance Ebooks. One entry per person, but feel free to comment as often as you like. *g*

Happy Advent! Remember to check out all the blogs on the Advent Tour!

Little Wanderer

2010-12-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

My eldest child is in Europe right now. She saved her nickels and weaseled a mother load of frequent flier points from her dad. She worked for her good grades, she received a stamp of approval, and ta ta she left. On winter break from college in Chicago, she's trotted off to visit the friends she made while volunteering in Central America.

Anyway, here's what she said to me earlier today --she was in Hamburg the last time we spoke:

i haven't been by a computer! i've been TRAVELING. i'm now in london. brixton. with my friend isaac. i didn't have time to buy you a trinket i'm sorry. i only have a couple of minutes on this library computer so i gotta go send dad a message. love you.

And here's what she said to Isaac moments later on FB:

come find me! i'm reading/sleeping like a homeless person in the tate library!

Ah. To be young again. She'll be home next weekend.

I'm sure I'll comport myself with my usual grace.

Today

2010-12-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today the His for the Holidays gang takes over the Carina Press blog. Slowly. We'll post independently and our discussion topic? Holiday traditions. Up first is Harper Fox, then Z, then moi--and we wrap up with the big J.

We have gifties! Stop by. Check out our posts. Leave a comment. I look forward to seeing you all there!

I'm still looking for the winner of the cookie tin! If anyone out there in blogland knows

JENNYSMUM2000

please let her know that she's a winner here at Noseinabook!

Tuesday

2010-12-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

My darling friend KA Mitchell's latest book is now available from Samhain!

When your lover becomes a stranger, trust is the weakest link of all.

Bartender Tony Gemetti has it all: a rich, hot boyfriend, a McMansion in the ’burbs and unlimited sex in an expectation-free zone. He thought that was all he ever wanted out of any relationship—until Jack begins making excuses for frequent disappearances. Realizing he has more than his libido and enough drawers for his T-shirt collection riding on this relationship, Tony figures it’s time to find out what’s going on.

Jack Noble has spent his life hiding his real self behind a carefully created image. With Tony, he finally knows real freedom, real happiness. Now a past of buried secrets and lies is closing in, and no matter how hard he tries to stop it, the truth is tearing through. Once Tony learns what kind of man Jack really is, he won’t stay. Jack’s sure of it.

Suddenly the past shows up in a completely unexpected way, testing the boundaries of their old, coasting-along-on-fun relationship. Tony indeed finds that Jack isn’t the man he went looking for, but it’s too late. There’s too much at stake to just walk away. First, though, he has to make sure there are no lies left for Jack to hide behind.

Warning: Readers should be free of any heart condition that may be affected by a hero with an overactive imagination, painful back stories, and hot sex in a variety of athletic positions. Neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any sudden or frequent urges to have children with Tony Gemetti.

You can purchase Not Knowing Jack right here.

More News:

Take a look at my fancy new bookmarks for both MaM and His. Nicely done, web guy!
And download our cookbook, because you just know that I'm encouraging you to carb load for the holidays. That should be the title! Carbs for the Holidays!
I received an email from pal Kris telling me that Jenre is blogging again. I feel like I'm always the last to know these things. But maybe YOU are the last to know? If so, I'm here to tell you that Jenre and Tam have a shiny new review site called Brief Encounters. Nicely done and a big congratulations to the ladies!

Happy Release Day

2010-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

And a prize! (thanks to random.org)

The winner of my tin of German Christmas cookies--carried all the way from its homeland--is

Jennysmum2000

email me noseinabook at live dot com to collect your cookies!

Thanks everyone for stopping by yesterday! Now. Go check out our book(s)! Early reviews are in, and they're looking very good.

I'm thrilled to be included in this anthology and thank you to everyone at Carina Press, particularly my editor, Alissa Davis. You rock.

His for the Holidays anthology here. Kindle here.

Mistletoe at Midnight stand alone here. Kindle here.

I'll be back shortly with a post on my trip--I'm off to the dry cleaners, the bank, the post office...the wine shop...

Just kidding! Cheers everyone.

Places, Places.

2010-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to day four of the His for the Holidays miniblog tour where you leave a comment and I give one lucky person ~~something utterly unexpected because my planned thing isn't ready yet~~ a gorgeously decorated tin of German Christmas cookies. Yum. (Yes, they're fresh from my trip.) Tomorrow I should have downloadable His for the Holidays bookmarks. Free! Just to celebrate the release of our anthology--and our stand alone novellas.

My assignment for our promotional tour was vague. I opted to talk about the use of setting in Mistletoe At Midnight. Two weeks ago I fired off an email to Josh, Zam and Harper asking for a single photo that was representative of their stories. They needed to also include a little excerpt to back that photo up, and I'd include it all in a swell post. Seemed simple enough.

Mistletoe at Midnight takes place in a small New England town--the fictional St. James, Vermont. So picture me energetically checking the internet, confident that this photo 'bit' would be a cake walk for LB Gregg, because isn't setting just the back drop?

No. Setting is more. It's not a series of places your character passes through. How he responds in that place, and how he's treated there by others, tells us who he is.

So anyway, time passed. I looked around. It was a 'no' to all the Currier and Ives prints, snap shots of Woodstock VT and Stockbridge Mass, and winter scenes of the covered bridge in Cornwall. A farm house in winter? Stockings hung by the chimney with care? I clicked and moved on. No. Not right. Sort of. I can do better. Click. Click. Click!

The post ceased to be about "the use of setting in my work" and instead became about disconnection, because, man, just like Owen McKenzie, I was totally lost.

That's when I realize that what I needed to capture was Owen's (and possibly my own) detachment. I couldn't find a scene for Owen because he places himself outside every single one of them.

“I take it he’s not welcome?” the woman—May— asked.
“I invited him in August, for pity’s sake. I miscalculated.”
“I’ll ask him to leave,” I said.
“Owen. It’s Christmas.”
“I’m aware.” I grabbed my coat and snapped the front door wide, desperate for an escape route. Caleb Black’s stare followed me—I felt it as the sleigh bells jingled and I fled to the porch in my sheepskin slippers. Snowflakes swirled in the lamp light and the wind kicked violently from the north and howled over the fields. A frosty tidal wave of white whipped across the lawn as I descended into the night to let Jake piss on the unspoiled snow.

Bingo.

(There's also this cool haiku)

It seems none of my friends had the sort of over-thinking-it trouble that I had with this post. **glares**

ZA Maxfield sent this photo of a diner I want to dive face first into. You know better than to eat there, but you will anyway. :) She deftly describes a familiar setting, bringing the reader exactly where we need to be, in a single line of dialog. We know this place. We've been there. We've eaten the fries. I love how she handles this!

From I Heard Him Exclaim: “Hopa.” Steve got a dimple for that. “What do you like? They have every Greek delicacy you can imagine, including carne asada burritos and bacon cheeseburgers.”

And from Scotland, Harper Fox shares a remarkably stark photo that I think reveals just as much about Nine Lights Over Edinburgh, as it does Harper's very unique voice in our genre. Dark. Deep. Shadowy. And always, there's a glimmer of hope.

From Nine Lights Over Edinburgh: "Six days before Christmas, the cold had come down from the hollow sky at dusk, ringing, reverberant, making McBride’s blood sing."

She doesn't say if this photo was found after the fact or if this is a place close to her heart that inspired her story (is it? DO TELL).

And finally Josh Lanyon: I have a confession to make. I found this photo long after I'd written my story, Icecapade. **ed.note THE VERY CHEEK!** I needed an inspirational photo for this blog post of LB's, and I started searching under "old farm in upstate new york" and a New York Times article popped up about two guys who'd bought this old farm in upstate New York. As I'm looking at the house and thinking Hey! That's the house! I scroll down the page reading, and reading, and I see a picture of llamas. So then I know it's fate. And to me, this exemplifies the creative process. Even though I didn't know about the house or the llamas ahead of time, the fact that they exist seems to validate the whole crazy premise of Icecapade. Okay, maybe not the part about the ex-jewel thief and the bitter FBI agent. But the rest of it.

From Icecapade: As the white farm house came into view something relaxed inside him. Home. The house was over a hundred years old. Six thousand square feet of big rooms with pine floors and double-hung windows. It sat on two hundred acres of wooded and open meadows.

Photo credit Stewart Cairns for the New York Times

And there you have it--a peek at some backdrops from His for the Holidays! YAY TEAM! If you haven't yet stopped by the tour, please make sure you do!

Josh Lanyon's post on dialog for the holidays. Our iTunes playlist is revealed!
ZA Maxfield's post on food for the holidays. Check out our tasty cookbook!
Harper Fox's post about sex for the holidays. She's not giving THAT away, but she's offering a wonderful prize indeed.

Some lucky person who commented on all four posts will win an exciting gift from us! We'll make that announcement on Thursday, Dec 9th when the His for the Holidays gang takes over the Carina Press blog.

I'm Back!

2010-12-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Very quickly let me direct you to Stumbling Over Chaos where TWO copies of His for the Holidays is up for grabs--comment quick! This deal ends ~~at midnight~~7 pm CST/8 pm EST tomorrow! (Dec 5)

And since I'm just an absolute ball dropper, which is better than being a ball breaker IMHO, I'm late to our miniblog tour. Yikes. But there are nifty gifties happening and if you've missed day one and day two (like I have) you can still check out:

Josh Lanyon's post on dialog for the holidays. Our iTunes playlist is revealed!

ZA Maxfield's post on food for the holidays. Check out our tasty cookbook!

Harper Fox's post about sex for the holidays. She's not giving THAT away, but she's offering a wonderful prize indeed.

Last up? My yet unwritten post and **roots through unpacked suitcase** a mystery item! That's tomorrow.

Remember release day is Monday, December 6th!

Okay enough promo. I'm jet lagged, but I'm home and I'm happy. My dog is snoring at my feet--and I came home with a few pounds of chocolate.

(And seven empty glühwein mugs. Eep.)

So should I post photos of Germany? Or the mugs? Or just blog about my week? Or should I sleep? Decisions. Decisions.

Where in the world is LB Gregg?

2010-12-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I mentioned that I'm in Frankfurt? Perhaps not.

Well, I'm in Frankfurt--and I survived life without a phone for 48 hrs! I have no internet on my world phone, but they sell hot mulled wine on the street here-- so eff the net and pass the glühwein!

LB roughing it with hot wine and tasty sausage.

It's been snowing off and on since we arrived and with the frigid temperature, the street music, the Christmas markets, the language barrier, the amazing coffee and the endless sugary treats, I'm having a ball. I'm spending time with G (when he's not working). We're tooling around on trains and having dinner out with friends and business associates. It's a good week. I've had a lot of Reisling.

And look what I found in the market...ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS COOKIE!**

Eat me!

Tomorrow I travel to Nürnberg to visit a Gays of Our Lives pal--and then I'm off to Cologne to visit another pal for gossip and coffee--then home in time for my day of the His for the Holidays promotional tour.

Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox, ZA Maxfield and I kick off our blog party for the anthology at Josh's Live Journal beginning Dec 2. We'll tweet and facebook the links. PRIZES!

Today is G's birthday and it's only 4:30 in the afternoon and the man is fast asleep. Snoring. Loudly. My poor weary traveler. He needs more LB sized coffee! (I am having one now from the McCafe which is surprisingly popular in Frankfurt.)

Hope you are all well--I'll take more pictures tomorrow.

**Probably called something else but I think Zombie Cookie is a much better name.

News!

2010-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dudleytown is available for Kindle! If you have a second to tag it, maybe it'll move out of the Action Adventure category and folks will be able to find it!

Can you even believe that? Some Action Adventure reader is in for a very manloving surprise when they download Dudleytown onto their Kindle.

Actually. That makes me sort of happy.

Post your reviews as well!

And hey! You can pre-order Mistletoe at Midnight--or find it in the holiday antho His For The Holidays--from Carina Press. The very first review is up on Goodreads (from Chris @ Stumbling Over Chaos) for the antho--and it's five stars, baby.

Excellent collection of four m/m holiday romances. From LB Gregg's trademark madcap romp to Harper Fox's angst-filled tale of a detective inspector possibly beyond redemption, each story shines. Highly recommended and very satisfying read.

Sweet.

Courage.

2010-11-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Kurt is so sweet and hopeful during this scene, it almost hurts to look at him.

.

I believe in you Glee.

Monday.

2010-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

I almost ordered a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes earlier today--before I lost my phone. And the tree fell across the road. And the power went out. And I missed that 'very important' conference call that G will ask me about later. And a friend acted like a giant douche. And then I realized it was MONDAY WITH A VENGEANCE so I went into town in my pj's to find internet and hot coffee and sugar. Life is good when there is hot coffee and internet (and sugar), even if you are in public with bed head and you're wearing your son's sweats and you're in tears because you're a cry baby.

Mmmmm....coffee.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!

1) Saturday I had lunch with KA Mitchell and it was spectacular. Also, I may or may not have had a sneak peek at the book she's working on. Heh. Let's just say that I am in awe.

2) Book sales are picking up! Thanks everyone! A million kisses!

3) Readers like Dudleytown! Here's a nice-nice from Goodreads (I don't look at reviews. Never. **cough**)

LB Gregg should get at least 2 awards for this story.
1) Most inappropriate, but perfectly placed sex scene. No lie, hands down. Fearing for the lives and dirty from all kinds of crud should not be a turn on. But somehow it works.
2) The Hail Mary of getaway plans. I don’t know if this was supposed to be funny or not, maybe its just my weird sense of humor. From the initial discussion to actual execution of the plan, I could see it in my head. The only thing that kept them on track was how desperate they were for it to work. I bet they are all glad Alex played Squash in high school.

So how could I be anything but cheerful when I find that my book worked for readers? Thanks Jaele. :)

***confetti***

4) MOST EXCITING NEWS TO DATE!!!

I'll be in Germany from November 28-Dec 4th. No. I'm not going there to stalk my new secret gay boy friend Dennis Grabosch**. G has things to do--and because he'll be away on his birthday (again) I'm going with him on this business trip.

Germany! Squee! G donated his Rosetta Stone German to me. The man believes in miracles. I believe in the power of German Television to teach me everything I need to know.

Photo proof that I am not stalking Dennis G.

5)And let's not forget that Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke made PW's list for Best books of 2010. YAY MJB!!!!

Hope you all have a Monday filled with bright things! Like electric lights. For example.

~LB

**call me!

Today's Picture

2010-11-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

I ~~swiped~~ borrowed this from Allie at Hyperbole and a half because that's pretty much me today (and yesterday).

And it's been a happy day at the LB homestead--food (and cake), flowers, cards, and many happy returns of the day. *g* Thank you everyone! Still. I can't believe I'm 45 years old. Wow!

NOT A PROBLEM FOR ME AT ALL.

Special shout out to KRIS--My Tim Tams arrived today from Australia. How cool is that? **burp**

BOOK NEWS:

A smattering of reviews (all good, naturally) for my spooky erotic m/m Halloween comedy Dudleytown.

4.5 Stars from Jenre at Reviews by Jessewave

Jenre: I felt the balance between scares, tension, romance, lust and humour was just right, making this a perfect read for Halloween lovers.

4.5 Stars Smexybooks!

Smexy: Dudleytown is a short, funny, dirty story and just adds to the pile of wonderful books L.B Gregg writes. She always makes me laugh out loud and her romance is always steamy....Seriously, you can’t go wrong.

4.5 Smokin' Smooches from Smokinhotbooks

Smokin': Dudleytown is another great short story by LB Gregg and you don’t want to miss this one as its the perfect Halloween treat for this year.

Katiebabs gives Dudleytown a B+

Katiebabs: LB brings some dirty, hot fun...

BLOGGING AROUND THE TOWN

I'll be at Jessewave's Tuesday November 2nd. Pop by and say hello. You could win something.

That's about it for now. I'm recovering from my debauched few weeks of slacker-tude and am ready to work. It's November--we're all writing. I just need to find a new wip song...and maybe a plot.

~LB

2010-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Yes. He's Available.

2010-10-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Now on sale at Aspen Mountain Press.

Ho! Ho! Ho! It's Mistletoe! (at midnight)

2010-10-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

This might be my favorite LB Gregg cover ever. Don't you LOVE it? Yes. You do!

December 6th from Carina Press!

$2.99!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

The Anthology

Also available Dec 6th (although for slightly more than $2.99) $9.99!

Spicing Up the Season

Hope brightens a bleak Edinburgh December. A man gets a second chance with his high school crush. A decade-long game of cat and mouse comes to a passionate conclusion. And Santa Claus drives a red muscle car. Heat up your holidays with this collection of four festive tales from some of the top talent in the male/male genre.

Anthology includes:
Mistletoe at Midnight by LB Gregg (THAT'S ME!)
Nine Lights Over Edinburgh by Harper Fox
I Heard Him Exclaim by Z.A. Maxfield
Icecapade by Josh Lanyon

Stories also available for purchase separately.

Psyched? I am! And isn't that cover the second cutest thing? YES IT IS.

Yes. I'm a blogger.

2010-10-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Why do you ask? Could it be that I haven't blogged in two weeks?

It's going to be a busy blogging few days, so try to keep up! Today, Kris'n'goodbooks has an LB Gregg inspired Who's Who game to play. Pop by and see if you can make sense of it.

I'm blogging tomorrow, Friday, Saturday AND Tuesday in and around blogland. Crazy? Nope. Book release time! Check back daily to see where the heck I'm hiding myself.

Win an ARC of Dudleytown

2010-10-16T07:55:00.001-07:00

YOU COULD WIN an ARC of my upcoming release, Dudleytown. Awesome, right?

All you have to do is pop by my Facebook page and direct message me! One winner will be chosen by midnight tomorrow-- Sunday, Oct 17th.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Celebrate

2010-10-11T07:31:00.001-07:00

Gay Writes at Dear Author

In celebration of National Coming Out Day Dear Author will giveaway over 125 free books. Stop by and leave a comment between Monday Oct 11 and Friday Oct 15 . Among the truly fabulous prizes? A copy of Romano and Albright Catch Me If You Can AND an ARC of Trust Me If You Dare.

Check it out and Happy National Coming Out Day!

P.S. Thanks Sarah F for all your fabulous work.

Sneak Peek Dudleytown

2010-10-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

Coming Oct 29th from Aspen Mountain Press

Exciting Excerpt from Dudleytown!

Shannon raked his fingers through his hair again. “Where the hell did he go? How could he get this far ahead of us?

“Maybe he’s behind us.” I cupped my mouth and hollered, “Ricky!” and just as quickly, regretted screaming into the bleak emptiness of the mountains. Something just felt wrong here. Something that kept the two of us quiet. My big voice carried on the wind and it only made us more desperately alone.

A twig snapped and I smacked Shannon in the shoulder. “Quit freaking me out.”

“Quit being so jumpy.” Shannon checked the ground like an Indian scout and pointed. “He went this way.”

Naturally, Ricky had chosen the grassy trail that disappeared into a tunnel of trees and rocks. I expected to see a line of breadcrumbs, but all I got was a few chunks of deer shit and some footprints. “Great. Of course, how do you know that’s from Ricky’s sneakers and not someone else’s?”

“I don’t. Maybe it’s one of those escaped convicts.”

The flashlight blinked out and I choked. “Knock it off, Shannon. You’re not funny.”

“Are you kidding me?” Shannon banged the flashlight against his hand. The light sputtered and then failed altogether. My hands went from adrenaline-numb to ice cold as Shannon fumed beside me. “Can you believe this shit?”

“Yes. I can believe anything right now. I can believe in the tooth fairy at this point. I even believe that you packed extra batteries.” My voice cracked as night swallowed the air.

“These are my extra batteries.”

My shoulder ached as if the temperature dropped another five degrees. I slid my backpack off, found my nuts and glared at the spot where Shannon should be. I willed the flashlight to work. Work. Work. When that failed, I let my eyes adjust to the gloom. “You’re always so prepared—"

His heavy hand landed on my sore shoulder.

“Ow.”

“Shhh. Be still. Do you hear that?” Shannon yanked me against his chest. I was too surprised to do anything but dangle there until he led me into the thicket by the hand. He pulled me behind him close enough that my groin snuggled his ass with every step.

Except for the backpacks knocking me in the face, and the blood on my hands…in any other circumstance, this would have been a dream come true.

Oh, fuck it. This was a dream come true. We were reenacting a moment straight from one of my favorite porno flick Boys & Bears.

Yes. This was absolutely the worst time to think about sex, but his calloused fingers gripped my wrist and he dragged me into the underbrush and holy shit, his firm ass wiggled against my firming crotch. I got hard—I wasn’t proud of it. My dick stiffened like a good not-so-little soldier as his hips kissed my groin and, once we stopped, his lips brushed my ear. “Shhh.”

Torture. Absolute fucking torture.

I closed my eyes and stifled a moan. In that movie, the big guy, Duke, had fucked his little camping buddy against a sturdy tree trunk while owls hooted and coyotes howled in the distance. Naturally, they’d remembered to bring lube and condoms, and through good lighting and amazing balance they’d shucked their clothes (except somehow they’d left their boots on) and screwed as furiously as animals against the rough bark of a towering oak. Or maple. And no one had gotten a splinter in the ass.

Even so, I had tweezers...

But that wasn’t on the program for this evening—so I got a grip.

We had a minor skirmish over who was shielding who. We could have alerted the mayor two towns north of here with the ruckus we made getting ourselves hidden behind our own sturdy tree trunk, until Shannon finally wriggled behind me—his crotch ground into my ass. He clapped onto my biceps with his strong hands. “Stay put, Allie.”

How could he be oblivious to the sexual nature of our position? I mean, really? He was on top of me, holding me and speaking in that rumbly voice. The way he said my name…Allie…it was like sex talk. It was all I could do not to slide my hands around his hips and drag him against me.

Our bags lay in the dirt, and I focused on staying alert and useful instead of being mind-blowingly turned on. The minutes slogged by, but the night sounds were a great distraction. Chirps, ticks, snaps and crackles. Wild animals. Wings. The wind blew endlessly through the treetops and pine cones landed in the dirt like shrapnel. Shannon’s breath waxed and waned, fluttering into my hair. My heart beat…heartily…and his chest pressed the full length of my back.

Frankly, he was a little closer than he needed to be.

Hope Will Never Be Silent*

2010-10-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

Today my blog is three years old--and instead of partying here, I want you to go to see Katiebabs.

Leave a comment on her digs--she's giving 500 bucks to charity.

For every comment left --and please forward this info--she'll donate a buck to be divided between The Trevor Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

It gets better. It does.

~LB

*Harvey Milk

News!

2010-09-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

Strike all the info that came before, because the much anticipated Dudleytown will release as a stand alone novella from AMP on October 29th. That's the dealie-o.

My beta readers love it. My editor loves it. It's short. It's sweet. It's nasty. It'll be cheap AND it's a fricken' thrill ride.

I wrote it just for you.

Excerpt to come! Stay tuned!

Also, Chris correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you may know this young man.

Heh.

Two Things Worth Sharing

2010-09-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Given the overwhelmingly tragic news this week--I am compelled to repost this information.

If you know someone at risk, or you are at risk yourself, please remember that you are not alone.

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

The Trevor Project operates the only accredited, nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth. If you or a friend are feeling lost or alone, call The Trevor Helpline. There is hope, there is help.

Today, in addition to operating the crisis and suicide prevention helpline, The Trevor Project provides online support to young people through the organization’s Web site, and also provides lifesaving guidance and vital resources to educators and parents.

~from The Trevor Project Website

The Trevor Project on Facebook
Follow The Trevor Project on Twitter

It Gets Better Project

Kris 'n' Good Books shared this awesome grassroots project the other day and I've been sifting through the videos ever since. Hope--it's what people need!

From Dan Savage's column at Savage Love in response to the recent suicide of Billy Lucas, age 15.

I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.

But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.

Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.

So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.

I've launched a channel on YouTube—www .youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don't dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we've gone and things we've experienced—that we would've missed out on if we'd killed ourselves then.

"You gotta give 'em hope," Harvey Milk said.

Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

~Give 'Em Hope, Dan Savage

I totally love these guys.

~LB

Winner

2010-09-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Sandy Jay

You've won a copy of Carolyn Crane's Double Cross!

Congrats!

Win A Carolyn Crane Book Day!

2010-09-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Congrats to my gal pal Carolyn Crane! Book II in her Disillusionists Trilogy, Double Cross, comes out today. Look at that golden cover--and I don't know about you, but that shiny knife is a little glinty and sharp looking. Actually, it's much like my friend Carolyn--her writing is just glinty and sharp!

RT Book Reviews Mag says~

"This installment is packed with tension, laughter and the perfect touch of romance; readers will be waiting in line for Crane’s next one!"

~RT Rating: 4.5 stars out of 4.5

Here's the blurb for Carolyn Crane's exciting new book Double Cross~

SOME SECRETS COME BACK TO HAUNT.
OTHERS COME TO KILL...

Justine Jones has lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she's lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard. He gifts her with extraordinary mental powers-dooming her to fight Midcity's shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.

But now, serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity, including mastermind Packard - and his oldest friend and worst enemy, Midcity's new mayor, who has the ability to bend matter itself to his will.

As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men . . . one on a journey of redemption, and the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.

And you can read the first chapter here--let me warn you: It's EXCELLENT.

Pop by CJ's blog aka The Thrillionth Page and wish her well--and then you can pick up a copy of Double Cross. It's HERE.

**WIN A COPY OF DOUBLE CROSS**

Leave a comment on my blog to be entered to win a copy of Double Cross! A winner will be chosen at random by midnight tomorrow.

Good Luck!

Scavenger Hunt

2010-09-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

You can click on this link to find out more information. Heaps of prizes! Tons of goodies!

Double Feature

2010-09-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Dudleytown by LB Gregg

This upcoming short story came to me on one of my many evening passes through beautiful Cornwall Bridge. Dudleytown is a few mountains over from my humble home in the northwest corner of Connecticut. The forests are often shrouded in mist; coyotes and bear wander and wreak havoc on the most sturdy of trash cans; the darkness is impenetrable; there's not a spot of cell service for ten miles; and the history surrounding the haunted mountain is as twisted as the road that hugs the Housatonic River.

Naturally, Dudleytown cried out for some m/m loving--LB style.

Here's the blurb.

College sophomore Alexander Strauss has one rule: no messing around with straight guys. Especially not his mouthwatering roommate, Shannon. When their ride share drives off the side of a mountain, the two young men find themselves deep in an uninhabited forest searching for their missing friend. Wandering the famously cursed grounds of Dudleytown, Alex figures something truly unholy must be at play, because only insanity could tempt him to break his cardinal rule.

And the blurb for Mummy Dearest by Josh Lanyon

Every Halloween the mummified Egyptian princess Merneith supposedly rises from her resting place at the Lasse Dime Museum in Wyoming to walk the earth once more -- or at least shuffle around a little. Professor of Archeology Drew Lawson doesn’t believe in curses. But he does believe he has only twenty-four hours to get information on the princess for an article he needs to write, then fly back to LA in time for his boyfriend’s mother’s garden party. Or else.

Drew wasn’t counting on brash TV show host Fraser Fortune. Fraser has plans of his own for the princess -- and for Drew.

Double Feature should hit the AMP shelves on Oct 29th. Just in time for Halloween! **Throws Pumpkins**

Away

2010-09-21T07:26:00.001-07:00

I've asked this nice young man to keep an eye on things while I'm away.

As soon as I have covers for Dudleytown (Double Feature) and Mistletoe at Midnight (NOTE NEW NAME!) I'll post them. Should be soon. There's an excerpt of Trust Me If You Dare on my website. Pop by and take a peek.

My mom's foot surgery is today. It's been a long time coming, and while I look forward to her comfort and agility two months from now, the next few weeks are going to be a bitch--poor Mom. I'm very thankful for Nook, Netflix, and our local library (the librarians offered to deliver books to her--they luff her).

I'm also holding down the fort until G's return from Asia on Saturday. I am ready for my husband to come home! I even cleaned the house. I miss him something fierce.

Have a great week.

Top o' The TBR

2010-09-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

A new Tiffany Aching book!

What a brilliant surprise to find that Sir Terry has written a fourth book--okay it's actually the 38th Discword book, but TECHNICALLY I Shall Wear Midnight is the fourth in the Tiffany Aching Adventures.

I sort of dig a series inside a series, particularly because the Tiffany Aching stories are magically clever. They combine the wacky satirical world view of Pratchett with the longings and adventures of a mostly sensible young girl turned witch. With her not so merry crew of helpers, the dirty Nac Mac Feegles, and guidance from Granny Weatherwax, Tiffany adventures through the magical realm of Disc World and ultimately into adulthood.

I can't wait to read this.

Thanks Kris for the heads up.

Tidbit

2010-09-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Love is good all of the time. All of the time love is good.

Wednesday

2010-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

I blogged over at the Samhain Weblog. Nothing startlingly new to report, but I did learn how to blog in a new format. :) Stop by and say hello. You can say hi in German if you like!

Speaking of which, I want to thank all my German friends who pop by--and I want to say thanks to Google Translator, as well. Yeesh. Mein Deutsch stinkt.

Other than that? Writing has turned into a full time job. WHO KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN? I thought it was a part-time gig. So edits, edits, galleys, blogs, promo, and an entire book due all by next Wednesday.

*\o/*

QUESTION: I'm toying with a new name for the WIP Dudleytown. Dudleytown is a real place--if you live in New England, you may have heard of it. I'm still debating whether to change the name. What do you guys think of the title Flirting With Disaster? I sort of love it.

Finally--I locked my keys in the car again. So I'm officially home working. No side trips to Panera today.

Have a good one!

Attention.

2010-09-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

So after three years of shit brindle brown--an update.

Dig my new look.

Gacked from TPig

2010-09-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Chris Colfer is a scene stealer in those shoes.

I feel so wrong for loving this--but truly this begs for fanfic.

**from Rolling Stone via Naughty Bits

In Which LB Rambles about DeRo

2010-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Caution. Blathering, spoilers, and bitching ahead.

The Return of ~~the King~~ DeRo

I haven't dedicated any blog-time to my new favorite secret gay boyfriend lately and I know he feels slighted. (iz okay) It is a shame that I've been too busy to slobber, because truly, he continues to thrill me in the most base way.

Oh get over it. I'm a fan.

Anyway. Yesterday (or possibly Monday, well actually it's soap land so it was Friday when yesterday started, which makes the day rather prolonged in my personal opinion), everyone in DeRo-burg went to a wedding. Bow-ties were spotted.

But there wasn't much drama. Which is problematic because there was intended drama and it just failed to be dramatic to yours truly. It was, as we say in Lisaland, a total snooze fest.

I was convinced that at some point shit was going to go down so I stayed tuned.

For Dennis G. In a bow tie!

Time slogs by. It felt like days (days and bloody days).

I hoped the bride or groom would choke on a fishbone or something just to liven things up/end my torture, but alas, NO. Or maybe Ben (who for the record I would like if he only grew some nuts) would pull a Ross Geller at the altar and call Isabelle Katja!! Or even more thrilling--he'd call Isabelle Roman--and then the wedding would take a most excellent turn.

But again. No.

Eventually, the guests danced. Wheeee.

While everyone was swaying around sexlessly--something did finally occur. Yup. It took only a few meaningful glances and our long suffering DeRo was BANG back together.

I. Ask. You.

How can they (AWZ) put us (THE ESKIMO PEOPLE) through four months of delicious hand-wringing (or so, I haven't actually kept track of how many months since Roman was a cheater-pants) and angst and fist shaking at YouTube and then, wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am put them back together with an eye blink? BANG--they're porking.

Okay, the porking bit was totally awesome. And, anyone who reads my books knows that I'm a sucker for the cloak room make-out sesh. It was delivered scrumptiously by the boys.

(nom nom)

I am also partial to the two-handed face hold kinda kiss.

HOLD STILL WHILE I KISS YOU.

DAMN IT.

Good times ensued. Namely, Roman hauling his Deniz aka the injured party over his shoulder caveman style and carrying him into the bedroom.

::fans self::

But, much like this post, AWZ could work on pacing for that particular storyline. Just sayin'.

Some folks didn't like the sight of Roman carrying Deniz because they have it in their minds that Roman is a cookie-cutter TV gayman (ie swishy bottom in delicious printed drawers that looked a little like Underoos. SO CUTE) and I'd like to propose to those viewers that perhaps these characters have a little more depth than that.

Speaking of characters with little depth, the pants around the knees underroo/underwear shot of my nfsgbf? DEVINE. Now that was worth four months of agony.

So I'm a pig. So what? At least that moment was good television.

December seems so far away!

2010-08-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a week.

2010-08-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

I was going to post something fun--but we're all sort of traumatized here because our Liddy is missing. I haven't seen her since Friday. We've done the usual things--made calls, knocked on doors, announced on the radio, hiked the woods and fields, searched the ditches--but still no sign of our skinny, fierce, funny little huntress.

She's a very committed pet. Her attachment to littlegirl is unwavering--she patiently endured hours of American Girl clothing on her 7 pound frame. My personal favorite has always been the bonnet and the tutu combination. Yes. Little girl is going into high school, but these two really enjoy each other.

Anyway. Feeling a little blue and hoping, hoping, hoping she'll find her way back home.

With Abs.

2010-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Or With Abandon. Take your pick.

I can't wait!!!

This is NOT Caesar Romano

2010-08-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

(...but he's pretty damn close...)

So the publication date for Trust Me If You Dare is far far away--December 21, 2010. But friends, LISTEN TO ME: I know that's holiday time and you won't be reading much ( other than my holiday book Mistletoe from Carina Press on Dec 6--cross promo FTW!); I know you'll be shopped out and with your family fulfilling DUTY and OBLIGATION and stuffing stockings and making pie, but friends, do not let that stop you from rushing right over to the good folks at Samhain and spending 5 bucks on Romano and Albright: Book II!

It's funny. I promise. And...hot.

Ahem. Here's the blurb.

Hard help can be good to find.

Feisty New Yorker Caesar Romano has a knack for getting into a jam, and this week is no exception. When his pregnancy-hormone-buzzed business partner sweet talks him into working a solo gig for his famous ex, Caesar attracts the worst kind of attention.

It’s only the beginning. Hit on by a lusty German, stalked by the paparazzi, victim of an unexpected airbag attack—and desperate for some part-time help—Ce’s running out of time, staff and patience. But what’s really got him poised to run? A looming brunch with his sexy lover’s esteemed family.

PI Dan Albright is a man of many gifts: investigation, security, sex talk and driving Caesar nuts in and out of the bedroom. Hired to protect an outrageous soap star from a deranged personal assistant, Dan’s got his hands full refereeing rival actors, locating one four-foot-eleven woman…and convincing Ce that he’s playing for keeps.

Hey, nobody ever said taking a relationship to the next level was a waltz in the park.

Warning: This book includes bad driving, a naughty German, dirty words, heated glances, mutual masturbation, oral sex, an evil scout, a memorable ride, and a fabulously affordable tuxedo. May cause unexpected bursts of laughter.

Cover coming soon! I can't wait to see it.

In other news--BigGirl received a nice service award and letter from the President himself (ok yes she's one of a million--but I like to think she's one IN a million). Good job, BigGirl. She's sporting a very nice pin today.

Happy Wednesday!

News

2010-08-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Now that the contract is signed, sealed and Fedexed, I think it's finally time to announce my inclusion in the m/m Holiday anthology at Carina Press. Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox, ZA Maxfield, and moi, LB Gregg.

(INORITE!?)

I'm very excited that my novella will hit the Carina shelves on Dec 6th. Mistletoe (working title) is a short, sweet, contemporary gay romance of unrequited first love and the miracle of second chances. Plus sex.

I'm finishing it now, so shhhhhhh, writer at work.

~LB

Mac

2010-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

My MacBook died at 1 am Tuesday morning. It's 8 months old. I was literally on the last page of a major chunk of a book due (very) soon--and moments before I prepared to send the file to my beta reading friend, waiting in the wings, my computer screen went black.

Experience tells me that a black screen is not a good thing.

Numbly, I spent two and a half hours staring at the gray screen, then the blue screen, then the gray screen, then the black screen--and then I put my head in my hands and I totally flipped out.

After dying inside, and sleeping restlessly, I stumbled out of bed, drove unbathed, decaffeinated, and scantily clad, to the mall (45 min away). I was a total agitated ass to the good genius at the Apple Store. My apologies, sir. (Also has anyone ever told you that you look exactly like Chris O'Donnell?)

I can't say enough good things about the Apple Store. It's so damn busy, with customers poking and prodding and playing with things. Pressing buttons they probably shouldn't and setting off alarms. In the herding area where those of us with ailing computers waited, there was a sort of optimism I've never encountered with PC at Best Buy or...where ever else I've purchased computers.

Apple was going to fix this.

I waited and texted friends for moral support and I did not tell G (away this week on business).

Today I'd like to thank Anton at the Westfarms Mall Apple Store for:

A) squeezing me in without an appointment within twenty minutes, even after I was a douche to the Chris O'Donnell man. (I apologized.)
B) not shitting a brick when I admitted I hadn't backed up my files recently.
C) not lecturing me about not backing up my files recently.
D) letting me swear in public while sitting next to that nice family --and also for not noticing that my shirt was in truth a pajama shirt.
E) getting my WIP and my work files off the computer and onto a flash drive (that you found for me and charged right there in about two shakes of a lamb's tail) moments before my Mac crashed for good as we both looked on. Thank you. Thank you.
F) installing the new harddrive within two hours. TWO HOURS. Not the three weeks that other store took when this happened to me last time.
and G) being nice to me when I was having a really bad day.

Thank you, Westfarms Apple Store. I love my Mac.

~LB

Emilie at Gays of Our Lives

2010-08-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, long before she broke her bones in a billion places, there was a red-headed, rose growing, fairy princess from Pennsylvania who traveled by train to the Big Orange to meet her favorite soap stars from Alles Was Zhalt and Verbotene Liebe.

Let's call her Emilie. See Emilie? I see Emilie. (And my new secret gay boyfriend, Hi dollface! Long time no see! )

From Emilie's LJ: I’d made the sign Kris had requested, and an “Ich liebe Lisabea” sign (ed. note because who doesn't love Lisabea or Kris?), in addition to doing some special shopping. I volunteer with a GLBT organization at a local university, and have introduced some of the students to the German soap operas. For the event, I stayed with my aunt and uncle, who live in northern New Jersey.

Narrator: Emilie also spread the AWZ bug to her friends Lisabea and Kris. Don't let her fool you. Anyway, Princess Em arrived in the Big Orange, all a twitter.

From Emilie's LJ:
My impression of the night was "Wow."

It just seems so surreal. Eighty or so soap opera fans packed into the upstairs room of a bar, with tasseled lamps with red light bulbs providing most of the illumination. I found some of the Eskimo people I'd hung out with Thursday night, and we sat near the little stage-type area with the screen for a projector. I called Lisabea around seven, and she said she was right by the door next to a tall blond man. As soon as I headed that way, there was a call to clear a path, and I retreated back to my seat. It was Thore Schölermann and Jo Weil coming in. They're just that hot in person.

B. got Igor's attention, and got a photo of me with him. (ed. note. Em looks fabo here with Igor.) It was all pretty otherworldly at that point. Meanwhile, it seems that Lisabea had ~~been determinedly stalking~~ spoken with Dennis. She saw my nametag, and pulled me up to her at the bar to show me the picture of her and Dennis. (*squee on Lisabea's behalf*) She'd told him that he was her gay boy friend, and she said he didn't contradict her. (ed. note. THIS IS TRUE) Dennis' husband was there. I was so glad on their behalf that they'd gotten the chance to travel together.

Later, Lisabea ~~cornered~~ charmed Dennis again to show him off. I said, "You're such a stalker," but Dennis didn't seem to really mind. He said he'd been stalking Lil. I'm guessing that was for less obsessive reasons. (!?!) I got a cheek kiss and a little conversation myself. He was so gracious and friendly. The Verbotene Liebe people had swept Jo and Thore off into a semi-partitioned section for pictures -- and I'm assuming some drooling over them as well. I tried to get Lisabea to come along so I could point out Thore and give her mini-updates about those stars. She was sticking around where the Alles was zählt folks had been, and said that once she had a boyfriend, she stayed loyal. (Ed. Note: Oh. My. God.) The German actors did the presentation of the award-winning fan videos. The Alles was zählt winner was "The Best We Ever Had."

Emilie with a German

~Actor Thore Schölermann~

Narrator: On the next day, Princess Em went to the Stonewall Inn. She was one of many princesses there, I mean hello, but she was our favorite.

From Emilie's LJ:

There were wonderful discussions about gay visibility on television, what kinds of things the actors enjoyed playing in their roles, coming out stories and love triangles with gay characters. The actors were so articulate and thoughtful, and said some really important things about such topics as how knowing someone gay can change someone's mind if they have only had stereotypes before, and getting to a stage of normalization of gay characters in popular entertainment. It was lovely to see that Scott Evans and Jo Weil really seemed to be hitting it off. Dennis had some awesome things to say on the panels he was on, and the one he moderated. Really, all the actors, and the writer Tom Chroust had such great observations and thoughts about what the characters' presence on television meant now, and their hopes for the future. I thought it was great that Igor and Dennis, and Jo and Thore, said that in playing gay couples, they'd become close friends themselves. In between the sessions, I got an autograph from Igor and an autograph for S. (a college student I call my “secret love child”) from Dennis. I texted S. about getting an autograph for him, and he was really happy.

Narrator: Later that evening, Emilie gathered the most amazing collection of glow sticks imaginable and partied til dawn. Lisabea carefully lost the handmade signs Em so lovingly crafted with glitter and colorful markers and eye of newt by leaving them in the dressing room of the Stonewall and yes, liquor may have been involved, and she's sort of a wicked step-sister at this point, but hey, that's not really part of this story.

From Emilie's LJ:

Sunday at Mustang Harry's: A little crowd of us had gathered, and went upstairs when the restaurant folks were ready for us. The guys came in shortly after. I didn't actually see them come in, but I saw Jo and Thore get on the line to get brunch. I saw Dennis and Brent and Igor, Dennis holding a court of chatting until someone said, "Let him get something to eat."

Lisabea said that when she tried to get the big sparkly signs I'd made that they were locked up in the Stonewall Inn dressing room. (ed. note. Distressingly true.) I got out all the 8 1/2" by 11" paper I had so I could improvise. I kept getting distracted by the conversation, so I was having an awful time spelling "Lisabea." At one point, Igor walked by and looked down at the "Ich liebe" part of the sign. I forgot my own name, never mind Lisabea's. (ed. note: I was like--Emilie! Step away from the markers.) After I finally got the signs done, I saw Lisabea talking to Dennis while he hugged her. I brought them the "Ich liebe Lisabea" sign. "Not that one, the Kris one," Lisabea said.

I expected that Lisabea and Dennis would hold the sign while G. (a fan with a digital camera ) and I took pictures. Somehow I ended up in the picture. (ed.note. Because, damn it, some fairy tales should have a Happy Ending, and Em needed some hot German snuggle love and Dennis G is just the prince to offer that. Yes. I shared the boy friend. The end. No just kidding.)

Dennis said, "Let's make this look good," and put his face against my cheek.

(le sigh)

I found the AWZ folks outside. Dennis got emotional when the Sparkle Sisters presented him with the memory books. I saw someone's book, and my name was in there. They were taking pictures before and after. I brazenly asked if I could be in another picture. "Who do you want the picture with?" someone asked.

"Um..." I said, and promptly ended up in a DeRo sandwich (ed.note: NOM NOM NOM). Afterwards, I floated back upstairs. Somewhere along the line, Lisabea got her picture signed, as she proudly has displayed here. Dennis came back upstairs a bit later. He went around hugging people, including me. Lil started saying that he had to get to a photoshoot, that they were doing a Male Function photoshoot in Times Square, but he was still very busy hugging and talking.

Jo and Thore didn't seem to have quite such a tight deadline, and stayed for a few more minutes, hugging people. Jo gave me a hug. "Thank you," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. I couldn't believe he was saying it to me. The character he plays on Verbotene Liebe, Olli, is incredibly nice. So is Jo. The actors I met were all so gracious. It was an awesome weekend all around.

Narrator: It was, Emilie. Agreed.
THE END

Dear Emilie,

I hope you mend your tattered bones, that you remember that you have friends in the igloo, and that you should keep on keeping on. Thanks for letting me butcher your live journal entries and post photos of you all over my blog while still making your experience at GoOL all about me.

xx's

Lisabea

(and Kris, who is in cahoots.)

Hiatus

2010-07-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

My daughter comes home from Costa Rica tomorrow and then I'm off to RWA until the first of August. When I return, my life becomes a major push to catch up on the writing I'm embarrassingly far behind on--while taking my beloved son for college visits (North Carolina, Maine, Vermont), moving BigGirl back to Chicago (DePaul)--and being a good mom, wife, writer, and apparently, organizer of a major home remodel/rebuild.

My dance card is a little full. Ish.

This will come as no surprise but I'm taking the rest of the summer off from the internet. I'll check my email (daily) and my Facebook (occasionally), but until Labor Day, Nose In A Book will be quieter than normal. I'm on hiatus.

Have a good summer! And for those of you heading for Orlando--I'll see you in the bar (somethings never change).

Aspen Mountain Press Anniversary

2010-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Aspen Mountain Press is celebrating its fourth triumphant year as a respected and growing e-publisher but their readers are getting the gifts. From July 23rd to August 1st, AMP will be hosting numerous web events including chats, blog tours, and contests on Facebook and its Yahoo community loop. Not only will AMP be giving away masses of free book downloads, but loads of promotional items from its authors, gift baskets and even a Nook e-reader. As Aspen Mountain prepares to launch its new historical imprint, Aurora Regency, readers will be offered a sneak peek into the line with the sneak peek release of three new historical novels. Information about Aspen Mountain Press, Aurora Regency and the anniversary celebration can be found here and here

**July 26th: meet our M/M Authors and their fabulous books at Raine Delight's Reader Loop from noon-8 PM ET.

Yes that's the day before I leave for RWA. Yes I will be packing and feverishly finishing my book(s). Yes it's the day BigGirl comes home at last! Yes I will attend the loop. Well, I'll be in and out. Buh-dump-dump CHING!

PRIZE

My Men of Smithfield books made their home with Aspen and so, as most of you know, I'm very fond of AMP. To celebrate the 4 year Anniversary, they're giving away some of books (some are my books) for free (somewhere in the madness--my boss is in charge of that so click the above links)--but if you pass the AMP party messages on with the links and link back here by July 25th 11-pm EST, I'll put you in a drawing for a three (3) book give away of your choice from Aspen Mountain Press. *not to exceed twenty dollars, peeps.**

I'll post the winner on the 26th by midnight. Thanks for spreading the good word--and if you have a second, let me know which Aspen title is your favorite. Mine is the book that started this slippery slope in the first place: Snowball In Hell by Josh Lanyon.

Sort of Funky

2010-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to a lot of Cake--and writing. I finished 8K only to realize I was in the wrong POV. D'oh. Today is the day I change all that, so I'm writing--and repairing--and listening to Cake (who will be here Thursday and I want so badly to go see them).

I sent littlegirl to camp for two weeks. I cried on the way home. I felt bad--like I'd sent her away just so I could write these two short stories, when in truth, I sent her away so that she had something to do for two weeks and wasn't alone with Mrs. Crabby-Pants. The Boy is working full time, and BigGirl doesn't return until the 26th. So littlegirl is living la vida loca at a local all girls camp.

I miss her. Day one and I'm maudlin. What a loser.

G is travelling this week as well--so it's time for LB Gregg to sink like a stone into these new stories and get 'er done. Up first is a tiny novella for Christmas, we'll see if that one finds a home **crosses fingers**, but it's the story I need to tell today. And then I'm on to Dudleytown (tentative title) and that's obviously the Halloween story (all you folks who love best-friends-to-lovers stories take note** ).

That's the word on Lisabea Street. I'm writing straight through 'til RWA.

Kate Nash - Nicest Thing Live on Abbey Road

2010-07-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

New WIP Song

2010-06-26T18:42:00.001-07:00

...for the little novella I'm working on.

Winner Smart Ass 2

2010-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Congrats to:

~Kaetrin~

You won a signed copy of Smart Ass 2: Pressure Point by Amber Green and LB Gregg! All you have to do now is drop me an email--noseinabook at live dot com

Thanks to everyone who stopped in to say hello to Amber--and I'll see you soon. I'm writing like the wind.

~LB

MLM--Or Q&A With Smart Ass Amber Green

2010-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

Today on Noseinabook, I'm celebrating the release of Smart Ass 2: Pressure Point with fellow contributor, Amber Green. Just ten quick questions off the top of my head. I haven't done this before, but I thought it would be fun for everyone to get to know Amber.

Amber Green has been around the virtual eBook block. Her books include the Huntsmen series from Loose-id (Bareback, Backtrack, and Lights Out), the prohibition era menage story Steal Away, and a vampire m/m short story More Than Memories--AND her first Turner and Turner story, One Good Turn, was paired with my very first novella, Gobsmacked in Smart Ass 1: Close Quarters.

Phewie. That's a lot of promo.

A quick FYI--If you're looking for an eBook version of Amber's Smart Ass 2 story, Golden Boys, it's available for purchase at Aspen Mountain Press.

*Ten Questions with Amber Green*

1) What's the last sporting event you watched?

Street football: five shirtless young construction workers, one eager puppy, one "observer" with a super-soaker. It was great. If I'd been thinking, I would have grabbed a camera.

2) Money or love?

How expensive is the love?

3) Favorite day of the week and why.

Monday. Things fall into place on Monday. I get so much done. And the whole family can often assemble that one night of the week.

**Ed Note: I'm partial to Monday, too.

4) Where is your dream vacation?

Someplace cool and green and quiet.

5) Do you miss anyone right now?

Yes. My older son has been off being a Marine for the past three and a half years. I've seen him twice in that time.

6) How many pets do you have? What are they?

Seven cats, two dogs, one lizard, a dozen hens (layers plus retirees).

My four-month-old Big Brown Puppy o' Happiness looks ever more like a mastiff as he grows. And he is growing! But he doesn't drool. How can you beat a mastiff who doesn't drool?

Our other dog was irresponsible and disobedient--but amusing and extremely playful--before her constant playmate (my big sweet doggie) died a year ago May. Nowadays the puppy's attempts to engage her wear on her nerves something awful.

The puppy now has his own kitten. Two weeks ago some friends took a pewter-gray feral kitten from a rottweiler. We are not sure of the gender yet. Well, I'm pretty sure she's female and my husband is pretty sure she's male. Developmentally speaking, she had some characteristics of a three-week-old and some of a four-week-old. Could run, but not in a straight line or without falling over soon. Couldn't grab or pounce competently. One eye not fully open. Dehydrated, of course. We now have her tame enough to feed without bloodshed. One day while I was cleaning her, she was squalling away. The puppy crawled up onto the bed beside me, pushed in under my elbow, and took over the cleaning. The squalling stopped instantly. I held her up for him and he cleaned away. Struggles stopped. Then the purring commenced. He does all the cleaning now, though we still flea-comb her daily.

The two 16-year-old cats are unhappy that Niddles (the little needle-wielder) has taken over my bedroom.

The once-feral black cat has to be watched closely because she's violently jealous. The puppy actually summoned the nerve to growl at her yesterday; we think he was protecting the kitten.

The calico twins are shunning us. They magnanimously forgave us after three weeks for bringing in the puppy, but the kitten is a fresh abomination.

One of the two outside cats was killed in the road the day after the puppy arrived. The other outside cat is still sad and stunned.

The hens don't have names. Technically, critters without names aren't pets, but some of them act like pets

My younger son has a fat-tailed, pink, naked-looking lizard named Chibzilla, AKA Chibbles. She does a sphinx-pose on his head when he's at the computer. I was about to say he makes a weird picture, but then I'm typing this with a gray kitten perched atop my head and with my elbow trying to stay in the chest of the puppy who's trying to reach her. At least my son isn't risking broken glasses (or worse).

7) Last movie you paid to see?

Star Trek reboot. Okay, I must be part mastiff.

8) Is there a chore you avoid?

Is there a chore I don't?

9) Would you sky dive?

You know, my mother had this odd habit of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. She was a pilot too. Made me wonder what she learned while flying them that made her want to be an expert at escaping one.

I hate small planes, particularly the noise and the air pressure fluctuations. But I think I would like to free-fall.

10) What toppings do you choose for your pizza?

Black olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta, onions.

LB-This was terrific. I have to admit the skydiving thing was a surprise, but hearing about her care and commitment to animals was not. I love that about Amber.

Thanks so much to Amber Green. I'd share a pizza with you any day.

~Contest Alert~

A random commenter on this post will receive and autographed copy of Smart Ass: Pressure Point (Happy Ending by LB Gregg and Golden Boys by Amber Green in PRINT).

Rules: Offer ends Wednesday, June 23rd 11PM EST. One entry per person. Winner will be announced Thursday, June 24th.

FYI: I'm also holding contests for Smart Ass2 at DIK and at Goodreads.

Happy Monday!

~LB

Contest

2010-06-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm having a give away--yes I already gave two of these books away, but for those of you who didn't win that copy of Lanyon's A Vintage Affair or Fox's Life After Joe---and if you're interested in possibly winning a signed copy of Smart Ass 2: Pressure Point (Happy Ending in PRINT)--pop by for my third day on DIK.

Another Day

2010-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Another post on DIK. Today Josh Lanyon, Harper Fox and I are NOT doing another top ten list.

LB as Little Surfer. Tamarindo. Last Saturday.

Yes, I wear pigtails on the beach.

She's back...

2010-06-17T10:36:00.001-07:00

on DIK. Pop by and say hello. I have friends with me.

My family in Tamarindo last Saturday.

Winners and Sinners

2010-06-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Random dot org selected the winner of Josh Lanyon's upcoming book--A Vintage Affair--

~Smokinhotbooks~

and the winner of Harper Fox's Life After Joe

~Joanna~

Thanks to everyone who popped by last week--I see Angie and Bonnie Dee were here--special hello to you both. It was great to finally meet Bonnie at RT. Congrats on the Carina launch (which I missed--but rafting the Pacuare IS rafting the Pacuare).

Now. LB Gregg business.

First bit of news:

While I was away, it seems that Smart Ass 2: Pressure Point released...surprise!

You can pick it up at Amazon.com. This is the print version of Men of Smithfield-Happy Ending paired with Amber Green's Golden Boys. You can read more about Happy Ending, including reviews and an excerpt, by clicking on my link.

And finally, I keep reading that In and Out is THE VERY LAST MEN OF SMITHFIELD novel--which is sort of funny because I intend to write short stories for each of my Smithfield couples. First? A wee little Christmas story featuring a certain Resident Trooper and a high strung Physician Assistant named Mark Meehan. Not sure when the hell I'll get it written, but it's going to happen.

Just an FYI.

I'll be back soon with photos from the trip. For now, here's a view of Pacuare River last Wednesday afternoon.

Yes. It looks exactly like that. The water was a little muddy due to rain the night before, but the river was practically perfect otherwise. This is where we jumped ship (raft) and floated a bit.

~LB

ManLoveMonday: Guest bloggers Josh Lanyon & Harper Fox

2010-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Josh: About a year ago I forced my way into the writing life of the very talented Harper Fox and strong-armed her into…well, giving this publishing thing a serious try. And the result was three books in about three? Four months? Which Harper then sold to three of my fave rave publishers. Driftwood will be released from Samhain August 17th and Life After Joe is part of the big Carina Press launch. So I thought I’d take a moment, with the help of my dear pal Lisabea, to formally introduce Harper to m/m readers.

(This is a very serious interview, by the way, so no pictures please -- and keep the whispers to a minimum.)

JOSH - Harper, what do you like most about the writing process? What do you like least?

HARPER - Ooh, interesting one! I love the moment when the struggle for a plot, a concept, suddenly comes to an end, usually somewhere completely inappropriate where you can't write it down, and you stumble around the supermarket in a daze with this insight, this idea, which is worth more than diamonds or – to you – that baby getting cradled in its mother's arms, and you hold on to it with a mother's passion. It changes the look of the whole world. I've got the idea for my next story. And what I like least is pretty closely related – the moment when you realise that, no matter how well you did with the draft and the opening chapter, your end result will never, ever come close to that first blinding vision of how it could be. Because words aren't made to bear that kind of thing into reality. For that, you need a film studio, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and a really quite seriously major budget. So what I like best is inspiration – and what I like least is the Shadow. Cue TS Eliot, who often gets pressed into service to convey what I can't express, lairy old bigot that he was - “Between the conception / And the creation / Between the emotion / And the response / Falls the Shadow”... Oh, and getting up at five o'clock on a dark winter morning to write sex. That sucks absolutely.

JOSH - I just want to say here that I love that Harper used the word “lairy.” Is it any wonder I love this woman’s writing? Okay, next question. Rob and John are hiking in the wilderness. They decide to leave their tent and walk around a lake. They start going in the opposite directions. Jim hikes at the rate of 3 miles per hour. Who the hell is Jim? How the hell did he get in our algebra equation? The perimeter of the lake is 10 miles. What happens when they all meet up? Why do you think ménage stories remain so popular even though I have stated many times that I don’t like them?

HARPER - Oh, honestly, Josh. This is simple and we've been through it before. Jim has stolen Rob and John's speedboat because he can only hike at the rate of 3 miles per hour, and he feels this is a reflection on his manhood. He parks up in the reeds at the far edge of the lake and waits for Rob and John, which is easy enough for him because the pair of dolts have started walking in opposite directions. As soon as they appear, sheepish and ready for make-up sex after their pre-breakfast quarrel, Jim leaps out of the reeds and reveals himself for the gratification-delaying plot device he is, introducing just enough doubt in the reader's mind regarding Rob and John's devotion to one another that, by the time they have sorted out their differences, texted back their algebra answers to Quantico, safely disarmed the small thermonuclear device Jim has attached to the speedboat and taken their turns to be simultaneously repelled and attracted by his wrong-side charms, their happy ending back in the tent comes as all the more of a wonderful finale. And not a moment too soon.

JOSH - Exactly. And this is why I always cheat off your answers. Question three: Favorite alcoholic beverage? Favorite place to drink it?

HARPER - An easy one! Cosmopolitan cocktail, and it must have a little bit of burnt orange peel poised on the rim of the glass. I'd like to drink it in Pride And Prejudice, please, on the edge of the haha, while Mr Darcy hauls himself out of the pool, clothes clinging to his manly form, hotly pursued – who knew?! - by Mr Bingley.

JOSH - I love the physicality of your work. All the little touches that add such veracity. How much research do you do?

HARPER - Thank you, and, honest, very little. If it's a helicopter thing or a mountaineering thing, I'll go off and read Wikipedia until I know my crampons from my collectives, but when it comes to physical detail – well, I've got all the equipment I need in this faulty but functional skin vest I seem to have been provided with, and I just use that. I think of how it would feel to me – to be waking up with a hangover, to be getting enfolded in a lover's arms, to be smelling him for the first time after a long hard day on the oil rigs. As for the details of the enfolding – I'm not sure you could call the acquisition of a lot of talkative male gay friends “research” as such, but it definitely helps.

JOSH - Question five is missing. Did you notice that? What do you think question five should be?

HARPER - No, I didn't! Where on earth can it have gone? Question five should always be, where is the Grail? Once Parsifal asks that, the birds start to sing, the land becomes green again and the world is saved. You don't even have to know the answer. Asking is enough.

JOSH - It is indeed. I need to ask it more often. Instead, we’ll go for this. What’s the last song you sang along with? Did you go off-key? Tell the truth.

HARPER - “Don't Stop Believing” by the cast of Glee. And that's the God's honest truth. Five minutes before that I'd been singing along to Marina and the Diamonds, which would have been so much cooler, but did I try to pull my cool wool over your eyes? I did not. No, I did not go off-key. I am a fine, if unappreciated, mezzo-soprano.

JOSH - Me too. Ahem. You’ve tried your hand at contemporary romance, thriller, and action-adventure. What genre would you like to try next, Harper? Why?

HARPER - You know I'm desperate to write that monks-and-Vikings historical. But you won't let me because I need to build up my rep on contemporaries first, and damn right you are, too. I want to do it because (a) I've got the location – lonely mist-wrapped monastery on a cliff's edge, (b) I've got the title – Brothers of the Wild North Sea (how good is that?!), (c) I've got that beautiful, baby-hugging idea for a plot (see answer 1), and (d) – c'mon! Hot monks and Vikings! What's not to love?

JOSH - I know. I know! And I so want to read that book, but angel, listen to your Svengali. Have I ever steered you wrong? WAIT. Don’t answer that in a public forum. Answer this loosely related question: your first book, Life After Joe, is being released June28th as part of the big Carina launch. How does that feel?

HARPER - Just at this exact moment, like a kind of numb fizzy patch on the far edge of my imagination because, for the love of God, I mixed up my launch day with my featured-author day, and the latter – as I discovered last night around nine o'clock – was today, not 28th June. Mercifully Carina let me push it back to Saturday.

However, as soon as I'm released from this specialist cardiac-care unit, I know I'll go back to thinking of the Life After Joe launch as the eighth bloody wonder of the world. Seriously. I've worked all my life for this. Rightly or wrongly, I feel as if my existence has been validated. I'm proud, honoured, stunned. I like the story about Isaac Bashevis Singer when he got the Nobel Prize for Literature. Journalists kept asking him, are you surprised? Are you happy? Around about the fiftieth time, he said, yes, of course I'm happy. But, seriously, how long do you think I can keep on being surprised? I, unlike Singer, can maintain the surprise indefinitely. (Otherwise the parallel is exact :-)

JOSH - Heh. What do you think is your greatest strength as a writer?

HARPER - The skin vest, I think. I'm not a gay man and nor have I had sex with one. I haven't been shot, drowned, dropped from a helicopter or made homeless (though the night is still young). I don't know the source of the near-hallucinatory power of the experience when I project myself into these events – or when I allow them to project themselves into me – but obviously I'm not going to look it in the mouth. It's not always convenient. A weasel just ate a rabbit on my lawn, and I feel eaten. I also feel like I just had a really nice rabbit. The sensations are contradictory, simultaneous and absolute – also non-perishable and can be stored away indefinitely, until I need to write that story, which BTW is gonna be a fairly odd one.

JOSH - For the at home viewers: NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS FILM -- ER, INTERVIEW. Okey dokey, last question. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? Do you think he’ll buy your book?

HARPER - Er... You will, won't you? ;-D

(Josh nervously looks behind himself)

HARPER - Seriously, one friend? I had a whole family, and if you met my family, you'd know why. I had a troop. They were protective amalgamations of every strong and loving male figure I'd ever come across on TV or in a book, and they marched visibly ahead of, beside and behind me right out of childhood and into the present day. Every story I write creates more of them. Okay, so I'm delusional, but my sales are gonna skyrocket. Reminds me of that Groucho Marx line about how his uncle thought he was a chicken, and his aunt didn't mind because she needed the eggs.

Very fine questions, Mr Lanyon, and about as surreal as I'd expect of you. Thank you very much!

JOSH - I think your sales are going to skyrocket too, frankly. But I’m biased. I admit it. Thanks for playing along, Harper. And best of luck with the new release. And a big danka darlink to my dear pal, Sweetbea (who has also graciously put up with one heck of a lot of bullying and badgering from me) who is even now swilling exotic drinks as she paddles up the white rafters of the Congo. Or something like that

**Please remember to leave a welcoming comment for Harper--and be entered to win either a copy of Harper's upcoming Carina Press release Life After Joe or Josh Lanyon's upcoming Loose-id release A Vintage Affair.

While I'm Away & Book Give Away

2010-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

You may not remember this, but back when I actually blogged about books that weren't my own, Josh Lanyon was my very first interview. In honor of...something... my being in another country and without email, no doubt... Josh is popping by to introduce a brand new friend to Nose In A Book. Her name is Harper Fox and she's a fresh new addition to the m/m writing scene.

**Contest Information-While I'm Away

Leave a comment welcoming Harper (starting 6/7) and on June 15th, 2010, 10 pm EST, Random Number Generator will choose one winner each for :

A Vintage Affair by Josh Lanyon --Loose-id

Life After Joe by Harper Fox --Carina Press.

See you soon,

Me likey.

2010-06-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Bloomin'

2010-06-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

So much work to do before I leave town--and yet I keep staring at the clematis blooming riotously by the pool. It's cheerful and hearty and reminds me that all the hard work we do eventually pays off--because that son-of-bitch gave us real trouble for about three years. Sickly, spindly--look at it now.

(ignore the weeds--we just yanked those)

Go team!

Have a great day.

News!

2010-06-01T06:23:00.001-07:00

Congrats KT Grant on her first book release!

Yayyayayayay!

Love Struck

Here's the wee blurb:

CEO hotel mogul Barbara Jennings has three months to decide whether to close her Manhattan hotel or cut costs by firing some of her employees. She meets her much-younger employee, Jennifer Caffey and is instantly smitten. Now Barbara has another mission, and that is to seduce the innocent Jenny.

Jenny is also attracted to the powerful and beautiful Barbara, but has never really had a steamy love affair with another woman. Unwittingly, she allows herself to be swept away by her passion for this older woman who may ruin her life.

Check it out! F/F

KT also has a story in this antho! Busy busy girl...