A very happy anniversary to Less Than Three Press! Much love to Sam, Meg and Sasha – you gals rock something fierce (more on that at the end ^_^). You can find the Master Post of this blog hop here.

So what should I tell you about? Hmm. Let’s talk about procrastination. Not. Aha. I really don’t like it, I just can’t help it. I couldn’t love it, because that would mean I love feeling like crap afterwards when I realize all that I haven’t done of what I’d meant to do.

No. Instead, I’d like to tell you a bit about translating. Only a bit, because let’s face it, I’m really just using this blog post as yet another means of procrastinating.

Anyways. As most (all?) writers will agree, there is no satisfaction (and soul-wrenching fear) equal to that of sharing your world, your mind in words on a (e-)printed page.

Well, translating—to me, at least—brings a similar yet very different feeling. It is a bit like sharing your favorite book, or TV show, or movie with your best friends, especially when you happen to love the material you’re translating. It’s not my world, nor is it written in my words, but of course there is some rephrasing, some “making it my own”, similar perhaps to fanfiction save that the story of the final product truly remains the same as the original.

This is how I proceed—if you’re interested in that. First I read the story with a little notebook on the side in which I write all the made-up words (in case of fantasy, e.g.), the puns, the “obscure” references, etc. Noting, too, when things come back later on, such as prophecy lines, or purposefully repetitive dialogue lines. Then while the story soaks up my brain, I research all those notes I’ve made and think of the best way to convey the meaning while staying as true to the original phrasing as possible. Finally, I start the real work, sentence by sentence.

I can never thank the LT3 girls enough for being kind, generous and utterly funny, for being the first to let me do the job(s) I’ve wanted since fresh out of college. I am indebted to them and my heart and soul are theirs for the taking—as should yours, dear reader!

Now, because LT3 is celebrating their fourth year, this giveaway will offer four prizes: 2 e-copies of Laying in Wait and 2 e-copies of Midnight Strokes. Just spread the word about this Anniversary Blog Hop somewhere on the Internet (Tumblr, FB, GR, anywhere) and post the link in a comment here. I’ll choose the winners on the 16^th. Go celebrate! *lifts his flute of champagne*

Edit: You'll find a second giveaway here. ^_^

My very first interview is now live over at Chaos in the Moonlight, the lovely K-Lee Klein's blog.

You can also enter to win either one of my books: the released Laying in Wait and to-be-released Midnight Strokes. ^_^

Last month, several authors, myself included, participated in a Sandy Relief Auction held at  Babes in Boyland, whence the highest bidders for each author "won" a story of his or her choice.

Here's the result to some Tumblr shenanigans, a drabble (my very first!) that serves as an excerpt from my Sandy Relief Auction story (won, incidentally, by the awesome Sasha L. Miller):

A cry pierced the peaceful quiet, a haunting, marvelous sound. Four times, the call was answered, each one in its own wondrous voice.

Then they appeared, the beautiful birds—all feathers of flaming red and beak and talons of pure gold. Their tails that swayed behind them, the combs on top of their heads, and their gracefully beating wings were all lit at the tips by the fire that burned within them.

The air they stirred as they flew down towards him buffeted his face, warmed from their sole presence. As they descended, their forms started to change, turned human.

Another giveway at Babes in Boyland! :D

Guest Post, Excerpt, & Giveaway - "Simon, Sex, and the Solstice Stone" by Kay Berrisford

Hey, all! Please welcome the lovely Kay Berrisford to our blog today. She's sharing a bit about her new release, Sex, Simon, and the Solstice Stone, including an excerpt! Plus, she's offering a copy of the ebook to one lucky commenter, and as a bonus, she's letting the winner choose from one of the two books in her "Greenwood" series as an additional prize! That's two potential books to win, friends. Let's show her some love! :D

See the rules before for information about how to enter the contest!

Well, scratch that last post. Halloween Rentboys, which comprises ten stories--including my own debut short story Laying in Wait--is now live.

Reblogging automatically enters you to win a free copy of the ebook format of your choice! The winner will be chosen randomly on Thursday night.

Find it here (and the rest here) and "read more" for an excerpt:

Ryan’s heart was beating so fast his chest hurt. He was positive it would simply stop from overuse in a matter of minutes. The many monsters that crossed his path, though not counting as nothing for fuelling his unease, weren’t enough to put him in such a state. Despite his conviction, he reached the coven’s hideout without passing away.

He climbed the front steps, waving his hand. The latch unlocked at his will and locked again once he had entered. The hallway beyond was dark; why wouldn’t it be? The coven had declared Halloween too risky a night to practice magic.

But the guilt he felt was not the only thing that had put him he such a state, either. As he leaned against the door to catch his breath and wits, he pondered again the choice he’d made.

Sure, he was too shy to tell Jason his true feelings, or even worse, act on them. Just thinking about Jason sent his heart into another frenzy. But was his crush reason enough to defy the rest of the coven? If something went wrong—

His thoughts stopped when another man walked into the hallway from a door at the other end.

Jason had put on the ceremonial robe but left the hood down. There was something about the deep blue material hugging his torso and complimenting his eyes that made Ryan fall for him all over again. The candlelight from the room behind made his spiky auburn hair glow red at the edge, almost like a halo.

“Everything all right?” Jason’s voice alone, deep and velvety, was a wonder.

Ryan shook his head. What was he? A moonstruck schoolgirl? “Yep,” he replied. He pushed himself off the door and crossed the hallway decidedly. The book tucked under his arm seemed to grow heavier the closer he got to Jason, but that probably had more to do with the fact he was betraying the coven for unrequited love.

Though was it really that bad? They didn’t plan to bring down the world or anything grand. They only wanted to tap into the power of All Hollow’s Eve, taking advantage of the thinning veil to see if they could contact someone on the other side. Kids did that kind of things every day with Ouija boards and the world had not stopped. Jason and he were witches; they understood such things and were armed to face any unwanted consequence. Surely the others would see that.

And if not, they didn’t really need to know.

As he reached the door, Jason stepped back to give him space. Ryan’s eyes met his as he walked in. Oh Jason, he thought, what I wouldn’t do for you. And you don’t even know it. He smiled contritely as he stepped in front of Jason and towards the candle-covered round table in the middle of the room.

It's here. Well, almost. Laying in Wait releases tonight/tomorrow, depending on where you live. Now's your chance to preorder it with 15% off! But there'll be a giveaway, of course. The wonderful Piper from Babes in Boyland will host it as soon as she's got more time on her hands. I can't begin to describe what these last couple of days have been like, so I won't even try. Only that it feels like this adventure is only just beginning, even though it's started months ago, and whether it ends well ... well, that we shall see.

Hello, m'dears! So I'd mentioned that this was coming before, and now it's finally here! To celebrate the blog reaching 100,000 hits and Halloween (my favorite holiday), we're hosting a huge giveaway! I'm about to list the prizes up for grabs, but before I do that, I wanted to thank all of the authors and publishers who donated so generously to our giveaway. Y'all are awesome. Rock on!

Less Than Three Press (side banner) is also going to publish Laying in Wait as part of their Halloween Rentboys Anthology! This will be my first published story, actually, though the second in terms of contracts! More info in the "Works" category.

Less Than Three Press (side banner) is going to publish my debut novelette as part of their Kiss Me at Midnight collection! Stay tuned as I'll give more info as soon as I'm given the go-ahead! *\o/* [Cheerleader Dance]