ManLoveRomance Press Photography Contest!

ManLoveRomance Press Photography Contest!

My small press is holding an on going contest, involving readers with our books.

Is your talent with a camera good enough to be part of the cover of one of our books? Want a chance at a photo credit in the book? Want a chance to win autographed print copies of your favorite author? FOR MORE INFORMATION check out the website at
http://www.mlrpress.com.

MEXICAN HEAT-- revised and way better!

I have a new project in the works. Well, an old project that's been updated. And changed and expanded and re-plotted. And all that happened because I tapped a writer friend on the shoulder and said, "I can't get this story to flow. I've hit a wall. Can you give it a look and make a few suggestions?" Well, the friend was author Josh Lanyon and the story was MEXICAN HEAT and what happened after a few days of give and take is that Josh and I are now collaborating on writing the novel! A first for both of us. We'll let you know if it works! I'm excited about it, seriously.

You can read about it in more details on Josh's LJ here:
http://jgraeme2007.livejournal.com/15780.html

It's also expanded to three novels in a series at this point. The first chapter is done as a rough draft. I think it's awesome, me but not me and him but not him exactly. It's very different. I'm writing the second chapter this weekend. I write a chapter and then send it to Josh who works it over and what we end up with is a third unique voice, a blend of his and mine. He does the mystery/crime parts best and I do the romance/sex best and we put them together had shake! LOL! Hopefully what we get in the end will be a new brand of Romantic Crimes series.

Anyway, look for the first one in a few months. We plan on doing one every 6 month working it in between other projects we already had planned. The second in the series is titled TEQUILA SUNRISE. Wish us luck!

Oh, and you know I like to cast actors in my character parts. Think Antonio Banderas(Antonio) and Johnny Depp (Gabriel), please.

Laura

The Lost Temple of Karttikeya wins an EPPIE!

Okay, you’re probably tired of hearing about it but I haven’t had a chance to prattle on about the awards.

I had already convinced myself I wasn’t even really in the running before I left to attend. The finalist list was announced on a site and my name wasn’t even on it. It turned out to be just a mis-posting, but after being added as what looked like an after thought (but wasn’t), I told my frail and fragile ego that I should just suck it up and realize I didn’t have a chance of winning.

I decided to go to the event because I think it’s important to be present when a committee of your peers nominates you for an honor, win or lose. Okay, yes, there was a spark of hope I couldn’t completely drown that thought maybe my practical side was wrong and I could still MAYBE win. Then I looked at the long list of nominees with me during the awards dinner and the spark flickered lower. Then Jet Mykles, who was sitting with me, won her awards for erotic romance (so well deserved!) and I figured that was it, she won. Reasonably, you can only expect one winner per table, right? So Jet won, the brat! I’m out in the cold for sure!

I practice my gracious loser face. I used it last year when I finaled at EPICon 2007 and lost, so I just dusted it off and tried it on to see if it has gotten too tight like my clothes from last year. Unfortunately, it fit just fine. Damn.

So while I’m practicing my ‘I’m really glad you won’ smile, and listening to Lucy Monroe’s wonderful comments about GLBT romance, Lucy announces my name. I freeze, do a WTF! and jump up. I’m so surprised I can’t think of a damn thing to say. I mean really surprised. If I can’t talk, you know I must be near brain death. I didn’t write a speech, didn’t consider naming appropriate names, or even have a comment ready to champion the genre.

Now granted I was concentrating on not falling on the stairs to the stage up or down (I hurt my back before the event and plane travel and strange beds did NOTHING for it) but you’d think I could come up with at least a sentence besides “what she said”!

So since I didn’t do it then, let me thank a few people now. I want to share the awards (from the display shelve in my house) with Lynne Anderson my editor on The Lost Temple of Karttikeya (the winning novel), and with my publisher, LooseId. Since both of my EPPIE nominations have been for LI stories, I hope they are happy with me!

And I want to thank all the author who collaborated in the COLLECTOR SERIES at LI. My story is #9 in the 9 books series. Without the idea, support and imagination of this group of authors, I wouldn’t have written Lost Temple to begin with. Check them all out here: http://www.collector-series.com/

Laura

EPICon

Once again this year I've been fortunate enough to have another novel declared a finalist in the electronic publishing's EPPIE awards for a second year running in the GLBT category. This year my action adventure paranormal erotic romance THE LOST TEMPLE OF KARTTIKEYA has been nominated. It's published with LooseId in ebook as #9 in the 9 book THE COLLECTOR series. So I'm off to the conference for a day or so. Wish me luck!
I'll also be participating in a publishers panel and checking out all the M/M authors attending.

Love Romance Cafe's Best of 2007 award nominations!

I just got the email from Love Romance Cafe. They are notifying authors and publishers of nominations in their Best of 2007 awards.

Scared Stiff has been nominated as Best Anthology 2007! Sarah, Josh, William and my wicked ghost stories! How amazing is that? LOL!

I've also been nominated in the Cafe's Best of 2007 awards in the following three categories:

Best Overall Book 2007: Roughhousing
Best Alternative Lifestyle book 2007: Roughhousing
Best Contemporary 2007: Roughhousing

The Polls open in the cafe on January 1st. and run till the 20th. They will announce the winners on the 21st.
To vote, please go to the cafe yahoo loop and click on polls after January 1st and vote!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveromancescafe/

I'm an EPPIE finalist!

THE LOST TEMPLE OF KARTTIKEYA has been named a finalist in the 2008 EPICon awards in the GLBT category. I'll be going to Portland in March to see if I won this year. Last year I was a finalist with DETAILS OF THE HUNT. It would be fabulous to win, but right now I'm thrilled with being the only author in this category to make the short list two years in a row! It really is exciting. I'm grateful for the opportunity to support EPIC and the recognition for my writing!

Change of plans

There's been a change of authors for the coming vampire anthology BLOOD CLAIM. J.J. Massa had an unexpected project arise that needs her attention so her story isn't going to be available for press time. But, never fear, the fabulous Jet Mykles has agreed to step in and contribute a short vampire story to the volume! How cool is that? Jet, Angela and me. Now there is an eclectic trio for you! Should have a little something for everyone's taste in M/M vampire erotic romance in this one! Thank you, Jet, it's much appreciated and anticipated!