I have been a busy, busy girl lately. Well, most of December and the first part of January. The last week or so? I’ve been taking a little writing vacay.

Frankly, it’s making me nuts.

Thank God I have some news to share, and maybe once I share it I can get back into the swing of things. I don’t know exactly what things, just, you know, things. Whatevs.

News Item Numero Uno:

Photo credit: farconville

It looks like Frat Boy & Toppy will be out at the end of March or so. That’s not a firm date, so it may change. I feel relatively confident in announcing it, though. Sorta. Need a Frat Boy & Toppy refresher? Check it out… Or, go here for some FB&T snark.

News Item Numero Dos

Turning Tricks, the sequel to 18% Gray, will be released by Dreamspinner at the end of May! I’m very excited about this. 🙂 Note: Turning Tricks is not Laslo and Logan’s story, that will be next. I found it necessary to re-plot a lot of the series, for various reasons, and wrote Turning Tricks to wrap up James and Matt’s story. I haven’t said a lot about Turning Tricks, but a little info can be found on my WIP‘s page.

As a special treat, I am posting a short, somewhat snarky excerpt here. Yay! Aren’t you excited? I am.

This excerpt takes a little bit of set up. It’s near the beginning of the book, during a meeting where Anais, Lance, Matt, James & Laslo are meeting with Major General Miles Selkirk and his aide, Captain Torres. Everyone has just been informed the military will be using fewer acronyms, due to a perceived PR problem. They’ve all been given com units that correct them whenever they use an unsanctioned acronym.

The older folk are not taking it well.

But finally Lance was back and General Selkirk was stating the least everyone needed to know. “SpecForce Research and Development developed a biocybe brain implant for use in troops. The troops were intended to be able to read emotions once they had a functioning implant. McNeel Blau, a researcher on the R&D tea—“

“Research and Development,” his com unit piped.

General Selkirk’s nostrils flared. He cleared his throat, adjusted his collar and continued. “Blau misrepresented the implant program to the Pentagon, circumvented a system that Tech—” the general glared at this com unit “—told us was uncircumventable, and even had a forged approval from the International Bio-compatible Circuitry Commission. The Pentagon okayed the program, resulting in six Psi-force troopers receiving the implant. As you all know, his deception was ultimately discovered when James was captured in the Fall of Boulder by the Red Idaho Authority and taken to a POW—“ General Selkirk abruptly stopped speaking, his jaw tensing.

General Selkirk’s com unit stayed silent. Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. “POW must be okay.” Selkirk smiled slightly. “James was taken to POW camp, found to be carrying the gay gene, transfered to an RIA re-ed—“

“Red Idaho,” piped the unit.

“How in the hell do I turn this goddamned thing off?” roared Selkirk.

“Sorry, sir. You can’t. I checked yesterday after you destroyed your second com unit, sir.”
Selkirk cracked a small smile. “Took that little fucker out with a nine-iron didn’t I?” he muttered.

“Yes, sir. Very good shot, sir.” Clearly, the care and feeding of irate generals was thoroughly covered in aide-de-camp school.

“Thank you, Captain Torres.” Matt could see the self-control settle back on Selkirk’s shoulders. Oh, Torres was good. “As I was saying, James was moved to a Red Idaho re-education camp, where something happened and his implant became enhanced. Is that right, Lieutenant?”

“Hole in one, sir.” James said with a completely straight face.