Category: Uncategorized

Yesterday was Nice!

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Being nice really does matter.

When I sat down yesterday and vented my thoughts on being nice, I never expected the amount of love and support I received. It’s so easy to feel alone in my thoughts and feelings, but I know without a doubt today that I’m not alone in feeling this way.

I am humbled and so very grateful.

Yesterday began in darkness. Now I’m back in the light. I can’t thank you all enough. You made a difference. Every kind thought sent my way, every nice word and gesture, made my day brighter.

Yesterday I wondered why I try so hard. Today, I’m ready to brighten the world again and I have you all to thank for it.

Most of all, I hope you’ll all join me in practicing 80% positive because I know it makes a difference. I can’t wait to see the change we can make together!

Happiness can only exist in acceptance.

Dear Saturday: New Series with snippets from my week

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Dear Saturday- I’m stealing the idea for you from my friend Kim. Well, not stealing exactly, as Kim said okay. But at least this way, I’ll be able to let folks know about the stuff going on in Poppyland in a fun and interesting way. Right? Also, Kim loves Supernatural. So here’s a picture of the boys, just for her.

 

Supernatural-supernatural-30545991-1680-1050

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Dear Blogging- You do not come naturally to me. But I’m going to try. Especially since my new website is so pretty. I keep saying that I will blog more, but I don’t. I do have things to say, however, just don’t make the time to say them. It is an interesting conundrum. I would like to say I will promise to blog more, but I’ve made that promise before and haven’t kept it. I’m working on it though, so here’s hoping that counts for something.

 

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Dear Snowmaggedon/Snowpacalypse- Thank you for not making me lose power and internet. Those things make me cranky. And nobody likes a cranky Poppy. Except JP Barnaby, who thinks my outside voice is hot. It’s not hot. It’s scary, I tell ya! SCARY!


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Dear Jeffree Star– You don’t know me, but my name is Poppy. And I love makeup. I also love red lipstick, but haven’t found one that makes me happy. Until I found your Velour Liquid Lipstick in RedRum which makes me very happy and makes me feel very pretty. I can’t wait until Androgeny returns on February 12, because I will be buying it!

 

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DBook Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launchear Tim Grahl– I’m really enjoying Your First 1000 Copies and am looking forward to reading Book Launch Blueprint: The Step-by-Step Guide to a Bestselling Launch. I plan on telling all my author friends about you. You have some really great ideas and an interesting way of looking at book marketing that I find really helpful.

Also, I really loved this quote from one of your blog posts. I couldn’t agree more.

A big part of my success has been the ability to surround myself with people who are way smarter than I am. Input from other authors and business people—clients, colleagues and mentors—has dramatically aided me in getting where I am today.

We all need each other. 

We need people who have walked similar roads to help show the way, to help us step over the pits and potholes that so many of us fall into.

~Tim Grahl, Author of Your First 1000 copies

 

 

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Dear Coastal Magic Convention- Only 12 more sleeps until I am in Daytona having a blast! I can’t wait!

Coastal Magic Convention Daytona Beach Florida

 

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Dear Marketing- I really love you, most days. I have a question for you though: Is there any chance you could become a little less complicated? And if, perhaps, you could see fit to create a magic formula that would make my life easier, I would appreciate it greatly.

 

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Dear Upstairs Neighbors- Please stop dribbling your basketball throughout your apartment every single night. Because it’s loud. And annoying.

In other news, your mattress is very squeaky. You know, in case you didn’t realize.

 

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That’s all that’s new and exciting this week!

Poppy Dennison Dear Saturday

Poppy’s Birthday Bash: Jase Gets Quirky

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Today’s Birthday Post comes from the super cool Jase. Most of you know him as slaveboy, one of the moderators of the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. Jase and I have had some of the strangest, most random conversations. He’s always teaching me something new or making me look at things in a different way. I knew he’d come up with some amazing 12 things list…and so he did! 
So Poppy asked me to write a list of 12 things for her. After she frowned on a few of my suggested topics, I decided to offer you all a look inside my odd tastes. (Poppy: Hey, now! In my defense, most of those topics were x-rated!) Now I love looking at model quality men but when it comes to picking a favorite in a movie or a TV show, I usually don’t agree with the average viewer. So here is my list of 12 uexpected people and characters that I find sexy. 
1. Chewbacca. While most are sighing over the rakish good looks of Han Solo, I was checking out his faithful companion. Tall, furry, and fierce! Plus, just think how big his…  In Revenge of the Sith, I found an even hotter Wookiee character!

Poppy: You know, I can totally see you getting off on the giant hairy manimal! 
2. Deadpool. Okay, yeah the guy has a melty face but he has a great sense of humor! I would so hit that!  

Poppy: I have absolutely no idea who this is. But I’m a little frightened by the idea of a melty face. 
3. On True Blood, everyone loves Bill and Eric. I have to admit that Eric and Alcide get me going too. But who would I go for? That Daddy man with the power! Hell yeah! Roman rocks my world!  

Poppy: *whimpers* OMG, Yes. Yes, so many many times! 
4. In most of the Predator movies, viewers are oggling the military men who fight the crazy aliens. But in Aliens vs Predators, I found myself getting all squirmy for the predator that dies at the end. He’s strong, he’s in control, and he’s a hidden softy. Oh yeah baby!

Poppy: Yep, this is one of those weird and random conversations of ours! LOL. I still don’t get this one, Jase. But I love you! 
5. The next two are my picks from Sons of Anarchy. Most are all hot for Jax, and he is sexy but not my type. For this show I picked two that I would want together. One is Bobby. He would make the perfect Daddy man. He would want to spoil a boy and would be the greatest at snuggling.
Poppy: Another show I don’t watch, but taking a look at Bobby, I’m not surprised at all that you’d pick him. He’s defininitely in the Jase-Daddy-Man category! 
6. Tig. Tig is the kinkiest motherfucker ever and he is so unashamed of it. He doesn’t care if his lovers are male, female, somewhere in between… he isn’t even worried if they’re alive! Matched with Bobby, they would make for one wild ride!

Poppy: I love how you have them paired up for some kinky good times! 
7. Snoop Dogg. Something about this man makes me want to lick him. Maybe it’s that cigarello.

Poppy: Yes, Jase. It’s the cigarello. That’s what it is. *g* 
8. Rob Zombie. Jesus Christ that man is HOT!

Poppy: Pretty much the epitome of grumpy man, huh? Look at that intense stare! I’m sure you’d be melted into a puddle of Jase-goo if he looked at  you like that! 
9. Raphael from the Ninja Turtles. Grumpy and tough. I used to imagine having a relationship with him…shh..

Poppy: I’m pretty sure your secret is out now….Turtle Power! 
10. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast? He as sexier as the Beast! 🙁  

Poppy: What big teeth you have! The better to bite Jase with! 🙂 

11. Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward? Favorites are Wrath. Powerful and Grumpy. And XCor. Powerful and Grumpy. See a pattern here?

Poppy: Oh yeah, there’s a definite pattern here! I like it! 
12. On Game of Thrones. Now I think Khal Drogo is hot but who might surprise you that I like? Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Powerful and Grumpy. 🙂  

Poppy: This one doesn’t surprise me at all. I really need to watch that show….
So now tell me someone that you think is hot that everyone else can’t believe!

Poppy: Well, I happen to develop crushes on sidekicks. Sure, the main character hunks are sexy, but there’s something about the funny man and the smart guy that just flips my switch. Here are two that I can’t get enough of:

 Xander Harris: Best known as the human sidekick of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was always most fascinated by this guy. Sure, Angel and Spike were sexy, but I imagined them paired with this guy more than Buffy. Spander for the win!

Jack Hodgins: Yes, I like shows with David Boreanaz, but I tend to fawn over the guys in the background more than him. On Bones, whenever the sexy geek Dr. Jack Hodgins is onscreen, I can’t take my eyes off of him. Let’s just say that he melts my butter and leave it at that. *g*

Poppy’s Birthday Bash: Mary Does A Switcheroo

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For day 5 of the Poppy’s Birthday Bash, I sweet-talked one of my favorite authors into coming up with a list for me. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Mary Calmes this year, and she’s an awesome lady! I can’t wait to see what’s she’s come up with…

First of all, I want to thank Poppy for including me in her celebration. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.
As to my post, I wanted to talk about movies we all know and love that would have been better if they were m/m. There are so many, way more then I can mention here, but these are the ones that have jumped out lately. Normally, as I leave a theater or after watching a movie at home, I will turn to my husband and say, “That was good, but you know what would have been better…”

12. Armageddon: Be serious, if Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) had actually been in love with AJ Frost (Ben Affleck) that movie would have been way more interesting. And think how much more painful it would have been when Harry sends AJ off the asteroid to save his life. Forget it; we’d have all been crying for days.

11. The Last Samurai: Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) being in love with Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) would have made that one even more of a tearjerker. If, after Katsumoto saves him at the beginning, he had moved Nathan into his house and slowly shown him the beauty of the culture and people…there would have been a long, slow seduction….that would have been better. And hotter.

10. The Avengers: Enough said. And may I say how much great free fic there is out there right now. Just amazingly, over-the-top good.

9. Wedding Crashers: If John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) had realized he was in love with his buddy Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn), instead of whatshername, and in the end, discovered that Jeremy loved him too….that would have been so good! Am I right?

8. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: This is another no brainer and again, I’m not the only one who thinks so as evidenced by the staggering amount of slash fiction out there. Aragorn and Legolas? It just makes sense.

7. Footloose: Not the original with Kevin Bacon because really, him and Chris Penn? That was never appealing. But the remake? Uhm, yeah. And if you’re asking, why did she even go see the remake? Well, the answer to that is simple: I had to SEE. I loved the original so…I just had to. What saved it for me was imagining Ren (Kenny Wormald) and Willard (Miles Teller) together. They danced a lot. They were adorable.

6. Backdraft: The whole, I go, you go, we all go thing in Backdraft would have been that much better if Bull McCaffrey (Kurt Russell) and Axe Adcox (Scott Glenn) had been the two in love. Would have added a whole new dimension of tension and intrigue and maybe the ending would have gone another way. That would have been nice.

5. Point Break: So we have Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) and Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and…let’s talk about those names a minute. Have you heard a better porn name then Johnny Utah? Okay so Johnny’s undercover and Bodhi is a hot surfer and they meet and one is the bad guy and one is the good guy and…it writes itself.

4. Tequila Sunrise: I have never seen such an unnecessary character as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Jo Ann Vallenari in this movie. You have Mac McKussic (Mel Gibson) and Det. Nick Frescia (Kurt Russell) who have been friends since they were kids. But then one day Mac and Nick are about to get busted by the cops and Mac tells Nick to run and he takes the whole blame, does time, becomes a criminal the whole nine yards. Nick becomes a detective. Years later in LA County, the only criminal you can’t mess with is Mac since Nick is way up the food chain now. It was good right there; a movie with them working it out would have been fantastic.

3. The Lost Boys: Don’t even get me started on all the symbolism in the movie and the names, Michael, David…that’s another post. But if Michael (Jason Patric) and David (Kiefer Sutherland) had been the ones to fall in love, then David wanting to make Michael a vampire would have taken on much more meaning. And David would have changed back to a regular guy once they killed Max and they could have lived happily ever after. That one really needs a rewrite.

2. Sherlock Holmes: The final no brainer on the list with the same amount of slash fic to back-up the fact that Sherlock and John should be together. Whether it’s the TV show or the movie, the detective and his faithful sidekick are a perfect couple.

1. The Magnificent Seven: At the end of the movie, Chris (Yul Brynner) and Vin (Steve McQueen) ride off into the sunset. Through the whole movie, Chris is the only one who really “gets” Vin and vice-versa. They’re both gunslingers, they both know that the end of their time is coming and that the number of guys like them is dwindling to nothing. They have fought together, side-by-side, laughed at each other’s jokes, grounded one another, and instead of splitting up, after everyone else is dead, they remain together. That one just needed a little editing and a quick kiss at the end. I would have been happy.

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Okay so that’s it, so what movie do you all think we should take another look at? And as to questions for Poppy…
#1: What movie would you most like to see rewritten as m/m?

Oh man, that’s a tough one, Mare! Hmm. I mean, on the one hand, I could go with Star Wars. Luke and Han? Come on! Outside of that, any romance movie, cause I’m just that romantic. Ohhh…or what about X-Men First Class!

#2: What actor turns you into Poppy-goo? Mine is Keanu Reeves. Always and forever.

OMG, Mare! Imagine the Dracula movie with Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman made into m/m…um…wow. But anyhoo, to answer your question, these days I’m totally addicted to Joe Manganiello. I mean, seriously, that man melts my butter!

#3: And finally, what is your all-time favorite movie?

It really depends on my mood. I love White Christmas this time of year, and I’ve watched the Pride & Prejudice (BBC version) about a million times. Oh, and the John Hughes movies of the 80’s. Yeah. Love those. Man, I really stink at just picking one. This is why I’m giving lists of 12! LOL

Poppy’s Birthday Bash: Xara Gets Geeky

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Today’s guest for Poppy’s Birthday Bash is none other than the amazing Xara X. Xanakas. When I first dipped my toes in the murky waters of M/M writing, Xara was one of the first friends I made. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent the last few years making her crazy (or is that crazier?)! Why, you ask? Well, because Xara is a super geek and I’m widely known for my technologically challengedness!! (Yes, that is a word. No, I can’t prove it.) So for Xara’s 12 things, I couldn’t think of a better post than 12 geeky things every writer should know!  Here is her list:
1. First and foremost: BACKUPS! Back up your manuscript. Back up your notes. Dropbox. Carbonite. External hard drive. Jump drive. Sign up. Buy them. USE THEM! Attach the USB drive and click-and-drag your files over to it. It’s that simple, and it can save you a world of heartache should your computer decide it’s time to take a permanent nap.
Poppy: Oh yes, I do this. I mean, I didn’t used to do this, but then Xara found out. Boy howdy, did she go all Texas on me! Never fear, I now have Dropbox, an external hard drive, AND a jump drive. And I use them. Oh yes, I do! I promise, Xara!
2. While we’re talking about backups, take a minute to check out your bookmarks. Look at all those links. How much would it suck to have to try to rebuild that list? Back those bad boys up. Usually it’s as simple as going to the bookmarks menu and exporting the list as HTML. I’m sure you know what I’m going to say next…copy that file to your jump drive/external drive/Dropbox… wherever you are saving your data. If disaster strikes, you can import the HTML file back into your browser of choice and find your perfect leading men again.
Poppy: Oh…I haven’t done this in a while. Probably ought to do that since I’m bragging about my backing-up skills.
3. Ever get midway through your masterpiece and have your character suddenly decide his name is really Mark instead of Tim?  I had one character decide his name wasn’t “Dom” any more. No worries. Global replace can beyour best friend when that happens. Unfortunately, it can be your worst enemy too. One of my guy’s brother became “Sammy”, but they also started using ‘conSammys’ and had sculpted ‘abSammyens’. Yeah. Ooops. Take an extra minute and make sure you’re selecting “Match Case” and “Match Whole Word” to help minimize those little gotchas, or take the time to replace one at a time rather than replacing all in one fell swoop.
Poppy: “conSammys”…Snickersnorts. Did he rip open the conSammy package with his teeth before rolling it on?
4. Keyboard shortcuts. Learn them. Use them. Love them. Whether you’re on a Mac or a Windows box, they do the same thing and make your life so much easier. There are the standard ones: Control/Command+X/C/V for cut/copy/paste. Control/Command+S to SAVE (early and often as you’re working). Control/Command+W to close. And Control/Command+Z to UNDO that delete. Did you know you can use the Shift+Arrow keys to highlight text? And if you hold down the Alt/Option key at the same time, you can highlight the whole word? And Shift+Alt/Option+Delete will delete a whole word at a time? That can certainly cut down time when you want to move whole chunks of text.
Poppy: Hey! You never told me that last one. I’d practice, but I don’t want to delete anything in this post by accident. You have met me…it would happen.
5. You may be sitting at Starbucks, drinking your latte and using their free Wi-Fi to read this. But if you don’t like the smell of coffee roasting in the afternoon, you can find free Wi-Fi almost anywhere. How about people watching at a hotel lobby? Even some parks have free Wi-Fi these days. Get out of the dark hipster hovel and look around.
Poppy: Mmm. Latte. Wait….what were you saying?
6. BUT don’t check your bank account while you’re doing it. Or pay your bills, or add money to your PayPal account out there. Hackers come in all shapes and sizes, and the more information you put out there on an unprotected network, the more vulnerable you make yourself. It is easy for someone to sit in the corner and collect your network traffic to find your unencrypted Gmail passwords. I appreciate that you’ve found the perfect penis enlargement medication, but I really don’t need that. Thanks anyway. And I’m sure someone is saying something bad about me somewhere. You don’t need to tweet me the links.
Poppy: Yes, Xara. My home network is now secured. I won’t let my neighbors use my internet out of the kindness of my heart anymore! But are you *sure* you don’t need to look into that penis enlargement medication? Jeff and Brad might be amused. J
7. What can you do to help cut down on someone snarfing your passwords? Enable your firewall. It’s built in to your OS. Use it. And check it periodically to make sure it’s still enabled. Some nefarious software downloads will disable it, and some OS updates will turn off the firewall by default. Protect yourself by making sure your firewall is enabled, especially when you venture out into the big, bad world.
Poppy: Um, Xara? How do I check my firewall? Oh, and I know that OS means Operating System. Just in case there are any others out there like me who don’t know some of the abbreviations. Xara has taught me well…for the most part. I like to think I’m a geek-in-progress.
8. While you’re at it, you might want to enable Private Browsing. This stops your browser from storing your history and cache locally. If you hop on your parent’s computer while you’re visiting, you might not want your mom to find those pictures the next time she launches her browser and manages to bring up her history window. You can also change your settings in your browser to keep it from storing any cache or history. This can save you some embarrassment when you ask your computer guru neighbor to help you out. You never know what they’re going to find when they start digging on your system.
Poppy: I don’t have to worry about this one. Xara is my computer guru…and she usually likes what she finds in my history. J Heck, who am I fooling, she’s given me most of the links!
9. If you want to know more about any of these suggestions, Google them. The answers are out there. You can find out almost everything about anything out there in the webverse. It’s a powerful tool to help make your writing stronger. Avoid glaring errors (like driving through Portland on your Seattle to Vancouver trip) with a simple search. The truth is out there somewhere…
Poppy: Google-fu is strong with Xara. It doesn’t matter what random question pops into my wildly random mind, Xara finds the answer for me before I’ve even opened a google window. She’s just that good. One of these days, I should make a list of the weird stuff she’s found for me. I think I’ll start doing that…I’ll make a bookmark! Which I will back up!
10. Which reminds me: Wikipediais a great starting point for information. Just beware – it is community driven content. That means that anyone can add anything to a wiki page, regardless of accuracy. Simply put, trust but verify anything you find on Wikipedia. Do a quick crosscheck of the information you find out there. News reports don’t rely on a single source when the report breaking news. You shouldn’t either.
Poppy: Yep, yep. This is great advice. I’ve found some fantastic information through Wiki, usually by checking the links at the bottom of the post. Other books to read, articles, and the like. Hey, did you know you can make a “book” of Wiki articles? It’s a great trick for researching huge topics! I like to gather all of them into one “book” and download it as a pdf. That way, I don’t have to worry about losing track of something that interested me. (Over in the left column of Wiki, under the print/export tab, you’ll see “create a book”. Give it a try!)
11. So now you’ve outlined your story and now you’re all set to write, but it’s time to take the kids to practice. You don’t want to have to pack up your system and lug it out in the bleachers. What can you do? Go portable. Dropbox is available on all smartphones and tablets. So are any number of writing tools. I use QuickOffice on my phone, Kindle Fire, and iPad, and Dropbox to sync the files. I can start writing on my tablet, pick up where I left off on my laptop, and review it on my phone in line at the store. Your App Store will have a writing program that will suit your needs and budget. GoogleDrive is available online across all your gadgets.
Poppy: Oh…Xara! We need to discuss! My Kindle Fire just arrived and I haven’t had a chance to explore it yet. You mean I can *write* on my Kindle Fire? What? What what? I’m soooo going to talk to you about this just as soon as I get this posted.
12. Or, if you want something even simpler, there’s always paper and pencil. Low-tech and old school, sometimes unplugging is the best option. There’s something to be said for the feeling of words appearing on paper as they tumble out of your head. Your writers’ block may be caused by information overload. Remove all powered implements of mass distraction and go back to your wooden #2 pencil and connect with the paper in a tactile way.
Poppy: My absolute favourite of all your geek-tastic tips! Bust it out old school. I love it. J
I hope these tips helped you. Now, go get your geek on and spin me a story! I’m waiting… 
After you do your backups.
Need inspiration? Here’s a few questions Spouse had for you:
Poppy: Hey now! I never said Spouse could ask questions! Doggonit! You know he’s got an evol streak, right? Oh wait, of course you do. You’ve been married to him for a decade or two…oh well, here goes…
1. What is the meaning of life?
42? No really, Spouse, that’s a question for a better geek than me. I do know that having friends like you and Xara are one of the most important things. Oh, by the way…Thank you! Ha! I got you again!
2. Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
Jimmy Hoffa. Wiki told me so it must be true.
3. Speaking of buried, where the heck is Jimmy Hoffa?
Is this a trick question?
~xxx~
Xara X. Xanakas decided years ago to embrace her weirdness. A friend first described her that way to the man who’s been her husband for over twenty years. That formula fits her, and she figures if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Being Texan, her crush on cowboys comes natural, but the techie in her loves to show nerds a good time. She relishes all things different, and brings saucy style to her writing. Whether wrangling a wayward ranch hand or adding another critter to here were-menagerie, Xara strives to make the outlandish appealing. She’ll make you quirk a brow and snort with laughter, and that’s all right by her. Xara believes that unique is best and happily ever after is the icing on the cookies.

What’s Up Wednesday

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Greetings from the Land O’ Poppy. 🙂

Ever had one of those weeks where you run around like a chicken with your head cut off? Yeah? You too? That’s been my week!

I shall not complain, because what amazing busyness!

First up, we have a tentative release date for Body Magic (sequel to Mind Magic). Mark your calendars for September 10, 2012 to find out what’s next for Simon, Gray, and the gang of the High Moon Pack.

I’m also really excited to announce that it’s my week over at Boxer Falls-A Gaytime Drama! My episode will be posted on Friday over at the M/M Group on Goodreads. Not familiar with Boxer Falls? Check out this blurb:

What goes up always comes down.

Peek behind the fly of Boxer Falls, and see what mischief lurks in the quiet streets and secluded spots of a small New England town with a queer reputation. Around here, the family closets hold more than skeletons and the fights are strictly gloves-off. With folks this gorgeous, the feuds are bound to get ugly.
When the wealthy Cotten family decides to turn their country estate into a luxurious resort, the residents of Boxer Falls face an influx of affluent tourists who rub their sleepy little town in the worst ways. Lust, greed, betrayal, and ambition might just yank the town to its knees.
Tune in each week to get the latest on scorching affairs, family dysfunction, and secret desire.
Boxer Falls: the bigger they are…
Now, what else to report? 

I’ll be visiting with Tana Rae over at Tana Rae Reads and M/M Romance Reviews to discuss the evolution of Boxer Falls. We had a great chat about how Boxer Falls came to be! 

Next week, I’ll be over at Chicks & Dicks to talk about world building for a paranormal series. 

I’m also super excited about my upcoming trip to Seattle. I’ll be visiting with some of my favorite authors, including: Jeremy Pack, MJ O’Shea, L.C. Chase, Anne Tenino, and Rick Reed. How’s that for an exciting trip? 


Let the countdown begin!





What’s Up Wednesday (Magic Mike, of course!)

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Is anyone else chomping at the bit to go see Magic Mike? No? Just me?

I’d like to say I’ll be first in line, waiting at some midnight release of the movie…but I won’t! That’s past my bedtime! LOL

Instead, I’ll have to stay home and dream about my boyfriend Joe. (Lord, I wish! I’d so do bad things to that man!)

I’ll also be living with the little voices in my head. You know, as us writers tend to do. *winks* This week’s voice is that of Andrew.

Now he’s no Joe Manganiello, but I’m rather fond of him. The lovely Andrew is in over his head with a pack of wolves, but his story is coming along nicely. The working title is “Silver Lining”. You can find out more about Andrew’s story as well as what else I’m working on over at my Works In Progress page.

In other news, I’m super excited about Boxer Falls, A Gaytime Drama. Lots of great stuff going on over there! If you aren’t following it, you should be!

You can find previous episodes over at Boxer Falls. This month’s author lineup includes:
Ellis Carrington
Mary Calmes
Taylor Donovan
Anne Tenino
and me!

Well, that’s it from Poppy-land! Stay tuned for more info and feel free to drop me a line over at my website or in comments.

Catching up!

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Long time, no post! In my defense, life has been a big old dose of crazy town!

Some of you know this, but back in April, I woke up with an owie. And that owie turned into me having to have spinal surgery. The procedure was called ACDF (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion). It turned out that I had two collapsed discs in my neck that had to be removed and then fused. Yes, I have metal plates in my neck now. Yes, I asked if I was going to set off the metal detectors at the airport. Sadly, the answer was no. Although why that made me sad, I dunno. Guess I wanted the attention? (Not.)

Anyway, I’m now five weeks post-op and feel fantastic. This week, I got the all-clear from my surgeon to take the neck brace off. Can’t tell you how exciting that is. I’d been in that collar for seven weeks, and let me tell you, I was ready for it to be off!

Poppy’s bro and new sis-in-law

In the meantime, my incredible brother married the most fantastic lady. To say that I’m thrilled for him is an understatement. You know those couples that just “fit”? That’s these two. They remind me why I believe in love, and romance, and all that other mushy stuff.

Their wedding was really beautiful. I’ll have to ask my new sister what she called it. I think it was rustic chic? Very simple and natural. Lovely.

As for me, I’m writing my little heart out! Working on a little novella now, and then I’ll be starting the third book in the Triad series, “Soul Magic”. Can’t wait to get started on it. “Body Magic”, the second book in the series is set for release from Dreamspinner Press in September.

Well, I think that’s about it from the frontlines of Poppy-land! Let me know what’s going on in your world!

Suit Up Sunday: Levi Poulter Revisited

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Everyone seemed so enamored of my first Levi post that I thought I’d do another one! In honor of my trip to the beach this week, I present…Levi in a bathing suit! *g* What? It counts as a suit! 

Now if you aren’t too distracted by the lovely that is Mr. Poulter, head on over to Chicks & Dicks to check out my post on the “Smell-A-Mate” Syndrome! 

Still with me? I thought so. Yesterday, I had a fantastic time over at Dreamspinner’s Facebook page talking about Mind Magic, my new release from Dreamspinner Press. The talk turned quickly to bacon, and there *might* have been a marriage proposal involved.

Coming up this week, I’m at Paranormal Paradigms talking about shifter tropes…and what happens to those pesky clothes when they shift!

Then I’m heading over to Fade Into Fantasy, where Simon and Gray are being interviewed…and Simon’s T-shirt collection becomes the object of discussion.

And if that’s not enough, I’m hanging out with M.J. O’Shea and Piper Vaughn over at Babes in Boyland with an exclusive excerpt from Mind Magic.

Whew! It’s a busy week, even for me! And now, I must go pack for the beach. Who knows, maybe I’ll run into Levi while I’m there and I can get some exclusive photos, just for us!

Suit Up Sunday

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I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s not much sexier than a man in a suit. Make it a silver fox in a suit? Welcome to Hot and Bothered, Population: Poppy.