So, I’ve done a few guest blogs recently!
I’m a regular Outside the Margins blogger over at the Prism Book Alliance, and my first post there was about my tattoos:
Next, I did a retro-Thursday interview at Prism about Close Quarter, which just had its two year book birthday:
Lastly, today I’m over at the Rainbow Romance Writer’s blog talking about world building:
Check ’em out!
I’ve been on the road so much recently, my poor little blog has been very neglected. So here’s the scoop about what’s been going on!
I was in Germany for a week, thanks to my DayJobbe! Here’s a shot of Heidelberg:
Four days after I returned home, I hopped on another plane and was off to GayRomLit in Chicago. GRL was a blast, as always. And here I am, being utterly professional to Madison Parker during the Supporting Author signing:
Those balloons behind me are from Riptide Publishing. Next year, my short story, CTRL Me, will be included in the anthology Rules to Live By. More about that when I can share.
After GRL, I had a bit of time at home, then I headed down to DC for one of my very favorite conventions, World Fantasy! (Yes, I write that too.) I met up with my agent, with a bevy of fellow alumni and students from the Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction program, and with the Helsinki in 2017 folks:
It’s possible we are taking silly photos at #WFC in the bar… š
ā Helsinki in 2017 (@helsinkiin2017) November 9, 2014
Now I am back in Pittsburgh and finishing up Just Business. While I loved traveling, I am glad to be at home for a while and back working on my writing. There’s a few other things in the works, as well. Again, as soon as I can share… I will!
GayRomLit is happening soon! It’s on October 16th through 19th just outside Chicago. You can find out more details at the GayRomLit Retreat Website.
I’m attending as a Supporting Author! So the places you can find me for sure are:
Thursday, October 16th 10am – noon: The Supporting Author Book Signing
I’ll have print copies of Close Quarter for sale, as well. Takeover is an ebook only, so I’ll only have swag postcards to sign. There’s also an excerpt in the From Chicago with Love book that’s offered free to attendees.
Friday, October 17th 12:30pm to 1:10pm: The Author’s Lounge Event
Stop by and chat! First five people who do will get a little something special. No, I don’t actually know what that is yet, but I’ll have just been in Germany the week before, so probably something interesting! And chocolate. I’ll have chocolate.
Friday, October 17th 2:30 to 4:20: Scapbooking with the Rainbow Romance Writers
I’ll have pages and stuff with which to decorate!
And if you don’t see me at any of those times, you’ll likely find me at the bar hanging out with folks. I am told that someone is bringing Cards Against Humanity…
Wow, I haven’t updated in a while, have I?
So, I’ve been on the road a lot. Since my last post, I’ve been to Detroit to see Thirty Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park. Then I went toĀ Los Angeles and met up with LA Witt, her hubby, and Cat Grant for the screening of Artifact, tooled around Hollywood, then… saw Thirty Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park. Yes, again. Yes, lots of Mars this summer.
But it was the Hollywood Bowl! I couldn’t pass that up. And OMG, the seats I had. Well, see for yourself:
Yup. That’s Jared Leto walking past. And no zoom. I was in the front row of the section right before the pit, where this wall runs across that the performers jump out onto and walk along. And so he did. It was pretty freaking spectacular. Linkin Park was amazing, too.
Then I went up to Seattle with LA Witt for a few days of relaxation and writing, then went to the Gay Romance Northwest Meetup at the Seattle Public Library. That was a blast! I went as a reader, but I hope I can go next year as an author.
Also, during this time, Takeover got a Starred Review in Library Journal! I am still blown away by that! Here’s the review:
Zabo, Anna. Takeover. InterMix: Penguin. 2014. 198p. ebk. ISBN 9780698182134. $4.99. EROTICA
Embittered, overworked Michael Sebastian tries to escape the grip of his sinking engineering company for just a week, fleeing to the gay-friendly town of Curacao. He finds himself still living in his head, overthinking and woefully unattached until he meets Sam, a mysterious well-dressed stranger who ends up needing just the punishment Michael has been desperate to give (and then some). They part after their night together, convinced, and disappointed, that they will never meet again. But fate works in mysterious ways, and Michael returns to work to find Sam as the brand-new, closeted āsuitā hired to save his company from disrepair. Sam and Michael struggle through a blossoming partnership as colleagues and friends, each wanting something more but unable to pursue it for personal and professional reasons. Zabo offers an engaging narrative that ropes readers in from the beginning, addressing issues of trust, love, sex, and homophobia while also crafting potent sex scenes. The BDSM elements of Sam and Michaelās interactions are depicted in a healthy manner, with communication, safe words, and explicit consent from both parties. Verdict This hot, heady title excels in both porn and plot. Recommended for those seeking a solid BDSM-tinged M/M romance with plenty of backstory.
Now, I’m about to head out on the road again, first to Germany for training for my DayJob, then to Chicago for GayRomLit! More about GRL and my schedule there…next post. Which will likely be tomorrow. And not, you know, a month from now.
For Throwback Thursday, I give you snippet from a WIP that I haven’t touched in two years, tentatively titled Season of Kings.
Summer ached in my bones at nine in the morning and the scent of sun-warmed earth mixed with sharp smell of coffee as I walked down Murray Avenue. The 61c Cafe had its doors open. Not surprising. It was seventy and sunny. The temperature would rise into the low eighties.
It was only the vernal equinox. Summer had come too early.
A shudder ran through me. In the six and a half years since I’d settled in Pittsburgh, the seasons had been…seasonable. Winter gave way to spring, which released the city to summer in late May. Summer held strong until late September. The leaves changed at the correct time and flowers bloomed. Snow blanked the ground in the height of winter.
Not this year.
I fished my keys out and unlocked the door to Evergreen Books. Much like the neighborhood I’d chosen to call home, my shop was an eclectic mix of cultures and religions. The old and the new.
A bell mounted to the door frame rang as I pushed my way though the door. Inside, the air held the pleasant chill of winter and the smell of pine and yew. My retreat from the encroachment of summer. I stretched, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders, and let the tension seep out of me. Sometimes the weather was just the weather. There were always odd years and broken temperature records.
What else I had scented on the wind, I pushed to the back of my mind. He could not be here.Ā Iād run far and long and Pittsburgh held its secrets well.
Besides, it was far too soon.
I set about starting a pot of Welsh Brew tea, then straightened the books on the shelves near the counter. The tea has been for me, originally. Now I offered it to customers, despite the myriad of coffee shops nearby. No on else brewed it and everyone liked the taste, even in summer.
My refuge of winter melted like ice left in the sun at the clanging of my bell. Only I remained frozen, my heart lodged in my throat. I didn’t need to turn to know who had entered.
Warmth and light. Blue skies. Angry thunderstorms. Rain on leaves. I turned anyway and the mug in my hands shook until he took it from me.
“Celyn, my King. Are you not happy to see me?”
Six and a half years had passed. I was terrified. “Derwen.” I licked my lips. “You’re early.”
Same green eyes, same brown hair I knew was soft as fledgling’s feathers, though he had cut it short and grown a neatly trimmed beard. He snorted and set my mug down on the counter. “I’m making up for lost time.”
(I really should get back to this one someday)
Today, I’m over at Joyfully Jay with another snippet of Just Business. This bit follows right on from the Teaser in Takeover.
Enjoy!
Just a quick post to not where I’ve been since Takeover came out!
There are a few more places I’ll be, too. I’ll update as they come out.
And a huge huge Thank You to everyone who has read and reviewed Takeover! I really appreciate it! I know how precious time is, and taking a chance on a newer author can be a risk. It means a lot.
Today is the release day for Takeover, my M/M office romance! *throws confetti*
Here are the details!
Michael Sebastian thought Curacao would be the perfect place to have a little fun in the sunāand between the sheets. So far, no one has struck his interest, until Sam Anderson walks into the bar. With one look at his tense body and expensive suit, Michael knows that this is a man in need of release. And Michael is more than willing to lend a hand.
Shattered by the most intense sex heās ever had, Sam has to face the factsāone night with a handsome, dominating stranger is all he gets before returning to the closet heās been suffocating in for years. But when Sam starts his new job as the CEO of a failing technology company, he discovers that Michael is one of his new employees.
While Michael is desperate for another night with Sam, he knows he shouldnāt get involved with his boss, let alone another man who canāt accept who he is. But as theyāre forced to work together to save the company, the desire sparking between them becomes impossible to ignoreā¦
Available at:
And when this posts, I’ll likely be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on my way back from the UK where I hung out with the most excellent Aleksandr Voinov for a couple of days, wherein he introduced me to fabulous bookstores and the plot bunnies multiplied like… well. You know.
After that, I went to LonCon3, the World Science Fiction Convention, where I was pretty much a happy writer/fangirl as I met many of my wonderful author friends, and also because I met Bryan Talbot who created my most favorite comic character, Luther Arkwright. I also got to watch many wonderful people win the Hugo Award and got to hold Mary Robinette Kowal’s Hugo.
Which doesn’t really have anything to do with Takeover, but hey! It is why I’m flying back across the ocean on release day!
First! I never drew a winner for the Taste the Rainbow blog hop post… mostly because I was off at RWA and that screwed up my schedule.
So! Random.org says the winner is poster 11, which is sherry1969! I’ve emailed you. Congrats!
Second…I’ve been asked quite a bit if I plan to ever write a sequel to Close Quarter?
Short form: YES. yes. At least one. Probably two, because Silas and Rhys aren’t done and won’t shut up. And then there a book for Vasil, lovely Vasil.
Longer form:
So here’s the current way things are playing out:
On August 19th, my contemporary m/m office romance,Takeover, releases. YAY! I am so nervous and excited. PLEASE tell me how you like Michael and Sam’s story! Or leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or your blog or whatever. š
When I signed with InterMix for Takeover, I also signed for a second novel. This will be Just Business, another contemporary m/m office romance set after Takeover. Sam and Michael aren’t the main focus, but they do appear in the novel. There’s a sneak peek of Just Business in the back of Takeover where you can meet Justin and Eli… Just Business will be out in June 2015. And… it’s almost written. Yeah, there’s a certain amount of OMG that happens when you see the pre-order button for a book you haven’t finished… I’m still ahead of when I need to turn it in, but the goal is to get this bad boy (and yes, it’s very bad…filthy, even) finished.
I recently signed with Riptide Publishing for a bondage short story that’s currently called Date Night. I’m told that will release sometime early next year. The good news? It’s written. Just has to go through edits.
After I get Just Business turned in, I need need need to finish revising the fantasy manuscript that first caught the attention of my agent. I think readers of Close Quarter and Takeover will enjoy Duty to the Crown too. There’s quite a bit less sex, but some lovely sexual tension mixed in with politics and swords and Journeyman carpenter who finds himself attracting the attention of his king. Poor Jen has been waiting for it for ages, so I really do need to get that to her so we can get it out on submission and find it a home.
After that? No Quarter Given.
Yup. Rhys and Silas. It’ll be the book that tells what happens when they get to New York and suddenly all the New World fae realize there’s a quarter-fae to be had. Or rather they think he’s to be had. Rhys has opinions about that. There will be some new folks introduced along the line, and Silas must finally decide just how aloof he wants to be from the fae courts.
In and around those, I’m working on two co-writing projects with two fabulous authors. The first one is a swashbuckling space opera with Jessica Freely and the second is a contemporary romance with LA Witt (AKA, Suitporn with horses. Yes. Really. You’ll see.).
So stuff! And things!
For other bog hop posts: http://new.inlinkz.com//luwpview.php?id=414214
There have been so many things that have inspired me to write LGBTQ fiction, but I think the one that sticks in my mind the most was my first term at grad school for my MFA. As part of the program, those graduating gave thesis readings. Now, the thesis was a fully ready for submission genre novel, so the thesis readings were 50 minute long sessions where the author talked a bit about why this novel and then read for about a half hour. As students, we were encouraged to go to as many of the readings as we could. So I did.
One of the first ones I went to was Traci Castleberry’s. Her novel was a fantasy romance with genderqueer and gay characters. And I thought, “Oh! So I can do that, then? Really? In an academic program?” (Tracy writes as herself and as Evey Brett and as Nica Berry.) To read a LGBTQ book, out loud, for a half an hour, to a rapped audience, and then receive applause (and a degree)? Now THAT was inspiring.
And it gave me the courage to break out of my fear and write rainbow characters without subterfuge. I don’t think Traci even knows how she inspired me that day. (hi!)
So my question for you, dear readers, is what has inspired you to push beyond your boundaries?
If you comment, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card to the vendor of your choice (Amazon, B&N, ARe…even publishers, like Riptide or Loose Id or Dreamspinner).
Anna Zabo 