friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Today’s guest is Macky from Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews. Thanks, Macky!

To know more about Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews, check out their blog or see what they are up to on Twitter (@Sinfully_MMBlog). Their ongoing triumph is running Sinfully Gay Romance, a review site dedicated to bringing you the best in reviews, news, new releases & more in all things LGBTQ Romance. Sinfully Gay Romance can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

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1) Is there any one thing you simply can’t travel without?

Well, the first thought that comes to mind is clothes (haha) but if we’re talking gadgets then as an avid reader, it’s got to be my preciousssssssss Kindle: “Sophie”, named in memory of my favourite fur baby who is now sadly in pussy cat heaven.  Holidays, car journeys, shopping, doctors, dentist…the loo…where I go, she goes.

2) White water rafting or lake pontoon float?

I’ll go for the less turbulent lake pontoon float… White water rafting sounds exciting but I don’t think they do life jackets for Kindles do they?  *Grins*

3) Around the house: fresh cut flowers in vases or tons of potted plants?

Oh definitely fresh cut, although I much prefer to see flowers thriving in their natural habitat. Unfortunately when it comes to anything growing in soil,  my thumbs are more ‘black death’ (*gulp*) than the proverbial green so I tend to admire potted plants from afar…and I mean afar! Too close and I can wilt a plant just by breathing on it!

4) What is your favorite word?

Actually I have two—Harrumph and Pshaw! Lol, granted you don’t see them used much, and I’ve yet to hear anybody actually utter those exact words, but somehow when you see them written down in the right context, they do seem to perfectly express what they’re meant to portray. Personally I don’t think we Harrumph or Pshaw enough nowadays! 😉

5) If you had unlimited access to any ancient monument, where would you explore?

Definitely somewhere mystical and spiritual like Stonehenge. I can only imagine how amazing it must feel, visiting and exploring somewhere so ancient. Steeped in mythology and lore, the atmosphere must be palpable in a place as mysterious as that. Although knowing my luck I’d probably anger the spirits of the Druids and end up unleashing the pagan god of a thousand pustulating pimples! So perhaps not! Disneyland’s been around a long time hasn’t it? Perhaps I’d be safer exploring there! Lol.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Today’s guest is Debra from Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews. Thanks, Debra!

To know more about Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews, check out their blog or see what they are up to on Twitter (@Sinfully_MMBlog). Their ongoing triumph is running Sinfully Gay Romance, a review site dedicated to bringing you the best in reviews, news, new releases & more in all things LGBTQ Romance. Sinfully Gay Romance can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

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1) If you could safely have any animal as a pet what critter companion would you choose?

I’m a cat person so if I could I would have a big cat like a tiger or maybe a jaguar.

2) Rocking dance club or cozy little pub?

I love to dance and have done my share of clubbing, but these days it’s definitely a cozy pub, preferably with some live music and a good beer selection.

3) Sunrises: Get up early or stay up late to see them?

Before I was a mom it would probably have been stay up late, but with my daughter’s school schedule it’s get up early whether I want to or not!  If I had a choice though most days I’d be sleeping through it.

4) What is your favorite word?

What does it say about me that my favorite word is a curse word?  Since this is a classy blog and I’m a classy lady I’ll default to enigma.

5) This is a Leap Year–how will you commemorate/celebrate Leap Day?

Leap Day will probably be spent trying to catch up on all the things I didn’t do the day before!  Maybe I’ll get to sneak in another book – do you have any recommendations? 🙂


Debra started reading gay romance in 2012 and hasn’t stopped since!  tardisShe has a TBR that can’t possibly be conquered in her lifetime, but that doesn’t stop her from adding new books daily.  She couldn’t be happier to be sharing her love of the genre as a member of the Sinfully blog team along with Monique, Mark and Macky.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Today’s guest is Avon Gale. Thanks, Avon!

To know more about Avon Gale, check out avongalewrites.com or see what she’s up to on Facebook and Twitter (@avongalewrites). Her latest literary triumph is the novella Conversation Hearts, available here.

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1) If you were a Dream Date Coordinator, what all would you plan for a couple whose first date had been a disaster?

I would send them to an amusement park, because who can’t have fun on roller coasters?

2) Terribleawesome TV Movies: Lifetime, Hallmark, or SyFy?

SyFy all the way! Though I will not say no to the others. I just happen to like things with robots and giant animal monsters. Especially in the same movie.

3) Conversation hearts or chocolate roses?

Conversation Hearts! Okay, not really, unless they’re the kind that taste like good ol’ sugar instead of chalk. I like dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate unless something else is involved, like peanut butter 😀

4) What is your favorite word?

If you look through my manuscripts before I edit them, probably “almost.” I’m on a mission to stop using that word so much! But I do really love the word Sacrosanct. It just looks pleasing and I like how it sounds 😀

5) Which Valentines that you gave out as a kid were just the coolest ever?

Oh man, I know I had some pretty sweet Transformer Valentines back in the 80’s. And I also vaguely remember having some that came with these suckers where it was next to impossible to get the plastic wrap off of them. I’m not sure these were cool as much as really annoying, though!


Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, avon-gale-author-pic-300x300about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites. Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy. At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! Today’s guest is Monique from Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews. Thanks, Monique!

To know more about Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews, check out their blog or see what they are up to on Twitter (@Sinfully_MMBlog). Their ongoing triumph is running Sinfully Gay Romance, a review site dedicated to bringing you the best in reviews, news, new releases & more in all things LGBTQ Romance. Sinfully Gay Romance can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

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1) Are you going to tackle learning/doing anything new during this new year?

Strangely enough, my New Year resolution this year is to read more. Odd I know, coming from someone who runs a book review site, started because of my love and passion for reading. But 2015 was such a busy year both at home and on the blog and it was my reading that suffered, so I have vowed, this year I will take time out to just sit and read.

2) Always black or always blue ink pens?

Oooh… I love stationary! I have a thing about it, in fact I’m sure it borders on an obsession. Note books, pens, pencils, you name it, and I have very specific stationary requirements. So black or blue?

I only ever use black ink pens for writing 😉

3) Would you rather have a tail or wings?

Mmm… tails on animals are a great indication of mood, but unless you’re a monkey a tail isn’t going to be of much benefit that I can see. So I would have to say wings, yes definitely wings. Imagine, no traffic congestion and unnecessary waiting around. The peace and isolation of the sky… and the views, wow! Yes, I want wings.

4) What is your favorite word?

Discombobulated. I love that word! It sounds like exactly what it is.

5) If you could take a week’s vacation during any year past, what era would you visit?

I’m not really much of a history buff, I’m more of an onwards and upwards, look forward to the future kinda gal. But if I had to choose, I think I would like to go back to the 20’s and spend a week’s holiday with my Grandparents. My Grandfather died before I was born and my grandmother who lived to the grand old age of 97, never remarried, her heart only ever belonging to one man. So spending a week with them, yes, I think I’d like that a lot.


Monique started reviewing back in 2011 after discovering and falling in love withmonique the gay romance genre. She started Sinfully in 2012 and during that time it has morphed into a blog dedicated to bringing you the best in reviews, news, new releases & more in all things LGBTQ Romance, along with her friends and co-bloggers, Mark, Macky and Debra.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Kade Boheme. Thanks, Kade.

To know more about Kade Boheme, check out his blog, or find him on Twitter  (@kaderadenurface) and Facebook. His latest literary triumph is Good Enough, available here.

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1) If you could create a minor holiday, what would it celebrate?

Haha, it’s funny because we were just joking on my facebook the other day about how January would be Kademas because it’s my birthday, the anniversary of my first published book (Wide Awake 1st Ed, 2013), and the anniversary of my first #1 book on Amazon’s Gay Romance & LGBT Erotica Category (also for Wide Awake). But celebrating me for a whole month seems a little egotistical haha.

I’d much rather add Britney Spears’s birthday (December 2) as a national holiday. J/s.

2) Find-a-Word or Dot-to-Dot?

Find-a-word. I LOVE find-a-words. Dot-to-dots make my eyes hurt haha. But I still buy books of word searches from 5Below haha. When I was in 5th grade, I had a teacher who did different things to help us with our spelling words and every once in a while she used a Find-a-word generator to make them for our week’s vocabulary lesson and I was that nerdy (and proud) kid who asked her what website I could use to make my own haha.

3) A little bit of cake and a lot of frosting or a little bit of frosting and a lot of cake?

Little bit of frosting, lot of cake. I’m not a huge sweets person. The only frosting I really like is cream cheese frosting. Buttercream is too much for me. But that cake. *swoon* Strawberry or Red Velvet and you win my heart haha.

4) What is your favorite word?

I’d say discombobulate. Mostly, cuz I’m usually discombobulated, but also because it’s fun to say haha.

5) Where are you going to draw inspiration from for new things the new year?

Probably the same as always: people and places. I’m such a details person and I’ve always prided myself in being crazy observant (yeah, my friends love it haha). I’m fascinated by those little things that make humans tick, and in my stories I like knowing how a person might actually respond to something or those actions that make a conversation or interaction seem more real. I love meeting people and seeing how different their world is from mine. Humans are the most interesting thing ever to me—even if I find them equally frustrating.


Kade Boehme is a southern boy without the charm, but all the sass. kadeCurrently residing in New York City, he lives off of ramen noodles and too much booze. He is the epitome of dorkdom, only watching TV when Rachel Maddow or one of his sports teams is on. Most of his free time is spent dancing, arguing politics or with his nose in a book. He is also a hardcore Britney Spears fangirl and has an addiction to glitter. It was after writing a short story about boys who loved each other for a less than reputable adult website that he found his true calling, and hopefully a bit more class. He hopes to write about all the romance that he personally finds himself allergic to but that others can fall in love with. He maintains that life is real and the stories should be, as well.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday–and Happy New Year! This week’s guest is Elizabeth North. Thanks, Elizabeth.

To know more about Elizabeth North, check out her blog, or find her on Twitter  (@Elizabeth_DsP) and Facebook. Her ongoing triumph is being Executive Director of Dreamspinner Press, DSP Publications, and Harmony Ink Press.

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1) Will pretty packaging sway you to buy something you absolutely don’t need?

It won’t sway me to buy it if I don’t need it, but it will definitely influence me to choose one item over another. The small details of a well packaged item pre or post purchase make a huge difference to me. A heavy box, a ribbon for lifting out a tight fitting item, accessories neatly arranged and tucked out of sight make opening a new item a joy.

When I was in Korea last year, I bought a dozen little gifts to bring home to my family. Every store had a unique heavy paper or cloth bag with handles. They removed tags and wrapped items individually. Frequently tying them with ribbon or twine and slipping paper cutouts of leaves, birds or flowers under the tie. The paper was usually plain, and they had red ink stamp for the store that they would mark the package with before slipping it in the bag. I’ve seen items packaged after they’ve been purchased in a high-end boutique, but these were trinkets. In most cases the packaging and bag cost more than the item, but it increased their worth tenfold.

2) Dream book: Brand new and unknown or a comfort-read old favorite?

Definitely brand new. I don’t typically reread books–even old favorites. My version of revisiting a beloved book is by sharing it with someone else.

Brand new books fall into two categories for me: known and unknown. I love seeing a new book from a favorite author, but I’m delighted when I find an outstanding book from an author previously unknown to me. It is the gift of a wonderful book, plus a backlist of titles to explore.

3) Good luck food to eat for New Year: 12 grapes or sausage & lentils?

Neither? I like both, but my family never followed a good luck food tradition. After living in the south for many decades, I’ve eaten many a bowl of black-eyed peas on New Years, but I don’t plan on it ahead of time. I will share my favorite recipe.

Texas Caviar
Ingredients

1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
hot sauce to taste
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Mix first 11 ingredients together and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours – overnight is better. Add cilantro. Serve with pita or tortilla chips.

I also attached a picture from the front of my local grocery store.

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4) What is your favorite word?

Absolutely impossible to say. I love all words. I’m a complete word geek. I will tell you a story, however.

Early in my life, my grandmother cared for me while my mother worked. To this day, I’ve never met anyone with a vocabulary greater than my grandmother’s. Most importantly, she used it. A day didn’t go by without us pulling her heavy dictionary off the shelf. She taught me that language is beautiful, that the choice of the correct word outweighed the use of a string of less precise words, and that the history of a word is as fascinating as the meaning. Her love of words was so genuine that she never came across as pretentious.

When I was thirteen, I slipped up and cursed in front of her. There was no punishment or even disapproval, but she sat me down and told me that cursing was a lazy habit because I couldn’t be bothered to come up with the appropriate adjective. That “d*#n” door is really that “stuck” door. That “as@%&le” cashier is really that “lackadaisical” cashier. In her opinion, the only proper use for a curse was an exclamation, usually of pain. She had no problem with a heart-felt expletive when you stubbed your toe on a chair in the middle of the night.

I never looked at swearing the same way again.

Bonus: http://www.wordthink.com/

5) Instead of making a resolution for yourself, is there one you would wish for others to have in their New Year?

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A few days ago on Facebook, I posted a cover to a book. Don’t Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle: How to Break Free of Negativity & Drama. That would be my New Year’s resolution. Collectively, we would be so much happier if we could stop our attraction to negativity and drama and focus on the good and joy in the world with gratitude.


A longtime lover of books and romantic fiction in 2006, elizabethnorthElizabeth North commented that someone should start a publishing company that specialized in gay romance. This sparked the creation of Dreamspinner Press, focusing on treating authors well, producing quality books that feel good to hold, and providing a happily ever after for all. Elizabeth’s gift is one of vision: she saw that the publishing industry was ready for gay romantic fiction to join the mainstream rather than being pigeonholed as a specialty genre. With extensive management experience and a master’s degree from Florida State University, she has guided the company toward a bright future, making authors’ and characters’ dreams come true and providing a great reader experience. Elizabeth is a strong believer in family, both by blood and by choice. She has a husband, four children, three dogs, two cats, and a circle of adopted sisters, but there is always room for more. With a maternal surname of Love, she knows that the emotion knows no limits.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Mark of Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews. Thanks, Mark.

To know more about Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews, check out their blog or see what they are up to on Twitter (@Sinfully_MMBlog). Their ongoing triumph is running Sinfully Gay Romance, a review site dedicated to bringing you the best in news, reviews, releases, giveaways, cover reveals & more in all things LGBTQ Romance. Sinfully Gay Romance can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

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1) Are there any holiday treats you look forward to every year but never eat any other time?

Oh for sure, for me being in Germany it has to be Lebkuchen, a very traditional cookie made with all the traditional Christmas spices of cinnamon, almonds, ginger, etc. Goes great with a cup of tea. Also very British, but I love a bit of Yule Log.

2) Snowy days: Go outside for playtime or stay inside where it’s warm?

Both actually, I love playing and going for walks in the snow but then coming back into a warm home with a cup of tea and Lebkuchen makes the treat even more special.

3) Bake and eat gingersnaps or bake and make a gingerbread house?

To be honest I don’t do either, sorry. For me it would be ginger schnapps rather than snaps though – lol! Can we talk about that instead?

4) What is your favorite word?

Now this is a difficult one but seeing it’s Christmas then for me it has to be “Yuletide.” I just love the sound of it and its history or etymology with its roots in the ancient Germanic, it’s fascinating.

5) Is there a candid photo of you from the holidays you just love for whatever reason?

Ahem, of course but thankfully I have successfully managed to keep them off the internet until now, phew! But yes, I have some rather embarrassing ones at the work’s Christmas Party, I think everyone has, and of course the one with the traditional fugly Christmas sweater. I think the one I love the most though is one of my father, brother and myself with our fugly Christmas sweaters on and Santa hats. This photo makes me smile as you can certainly see the love of a family and the resemblance my brother and I have to our father. Of course mum was the one behind the camera 🙂 Always good for a snap shot mum was – lol!


Sinfully Gay Romance loves books! Hot ones, happy ones, Merry Christmas2funny ones, fuzzy ones, erotic ones, old ones, dark ones, soppy ones, tear-jerking ones, heart-warming ones, but most of all, the need to be ALL MALE ROMANCE ones! The blog began in September 2012 when Becs and Monique kicked things off. Since then it has grown from strength to strength, complemented by Mark joining the blog team in June 2013 and further enhanced by the arrival of Macky. Since the departure of Becs in November of last year, the site has been re-named and we are now a fully functioning All Male Romance review blog.When we have decided to read and review a book–which is sometimes like choosing from a box of chocolates–we go to work. Well, it isn’t really work when you’re doing something that you really enjoy!

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Eli Easton. Thanks, Eli.

To know more about Eli Easton, check out her website, elieaston.com, or find her on Twitter  (@EliEaston). Her latest literary triumphs are How To Walk Like A Man and Midwinter Night’s Dream.

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1) Do you have any cherished holiday traditions from growing up you continue with your family today?

Having lots of family around, cooking a big Christmas meal, and hopefully taking a walk in the snow.

2) Cookies: bake up a storm or hoping to get them as gifts from others?

I would normally get them from others, but I’m on a new vegan diet this year so I’ll have to make my own recipe!

3) Are you dreaming of a White Christmas or tropical getaways?

White Christmas, definitely.

4) What is your favorite word?

Hmmm. Infinite?

5) Dream gift from any store, at any price: what one item would you get for your household?

God, I don’t know. Maybe a really hip small RV to take camping.


 

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s EliEaston_Road_bw.jpgdaughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, an organic farmer and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author. As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story.  She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time.  She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens.  All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing. You can email her at eli@elieaston.com.

 

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Shae Connor. Thanks, Shae.

To know more about Shae Connor, check out her website, shaeconnorwrites.com, or see what she’s up to on Twitter (@shaeconnor). Her latest literary triumph, Nobody’s Son is available here.

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 1) Are you good with needles (knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery that is).

My first thought was hypodermic needles, and the answer there would be a big no, LOL! I used to do a lot of cross-stitch, but I haven’t picked up a needle in years. I sewed some when I was younger, too, but I’ve never picked up a knitting needle.

2) Christmas Music: before Thanksgiving, only after Thanksgiving, or never at all?

My family has a tradition of listening to Christmas music on November 1, so we can hear it at home before we hear it in stores. Other than that, though, I don’t start listening to it on purpose until after Santa appears at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That’s my “official” start of the holiday season!

3) Eggnog or mulled wine?

Eggnog, especially in a latte and/or spiked with Buttershots.

4) What is your favorite word?

Recalcitrant. I just love the way it rolls off the tongue. Eclectic is another favorite. 🙂

5) With a limitless budget to spend the winter holidays in any other country, where will you go and what will you do?

Ireland. I’ve always wanted to go, and being there during the holidays would be extra special. I’d hit the usual tourist spots: Dublin, Waterford, Galway, the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle—as many as I can fit in. My family traces back to the southwestern part of the country, so I’d want to spend as much time there as possible.


Shae Connor lives in Atlanta, where she’s a lackadaisicalShaeConnor_Pic2 government worker for a living and writes sweet-hot romance under the cover of night. She’s been making things up for as long as she can remember, but it took her a long time to figure out that maybe she should try writing them down. Shae is part Jersey, part Irish, and all Southern, which explains why she never shuts up. When she’s not chained to her laptop, she enjoys cooking, traveling, watching baseball, and reading voraciously, and she’s an annual volunteer for the Dragon Con on-site publication, the Daily Dragon. You can email her at shaeconnorwrites@gmail.com.

friday fun five

Friday Fun Five

Happy Friday! This week’s guest is Andrew Grey. Thanks, Andrew — and happy birthday!

To know more about Andrew, check andrewgreybooks.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter. His latest literary triumph is Eyes Only For Me, available here.

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1) If you could have any five guests (historical, famous, etc) at your Thanksgiving table who would it be?

Sir Isaac Newton, Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison.

2) Cranberry: Relish or jellied?

Definitely relish.

3) A nice brisk walk or a nice long nap to follow a big meal?  Actually both.

I’d go for a walk and then take a nap.

4) What is your favorite word?

Butthead. The one time my mother was speechless was when she was getting on my last nerve and I told her she was being a butthead.

5) What do you hope to be thankful for in 2016?

The continued health of myself and my family.


Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Andrew GreySince then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)  He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.