Well now, I guess I’ve been a bit lax in taking care of this website. I haven’t done much story writing either. I wrote a whopping 100 words of a new story last week,  and it’s the only 100 words of fiction I’ve been able to get from my brain to my fingertips for the past several months.

The slump started with my attempt and failure at participating in NaNo (I’m never doing that again). Then, the holidays took over, and after that, I adopted this little guy right here:

This is Buzzy, my cockatiel. He’s a rescue who’d previously been kept in an overcrowded cage, and the other birds plucked the hell out of him. He also has a host of health issues – recurrent respiratory infections, yeast infections, an enlarged liver, and vitamin deficiencies. His vet and I have concluded that the root of the problems is the poor diet he’d been on for most of his life. I’ve been working to get him to eat better, but trying to get a bird to eat healthy is as bad as trying to get a little kid to do so. We’re making progress, but slowly. Anyway, I’ve been so focused on taking care of him that everything else has taken a backseat.

On top of taking care of Buzzy, my cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. At least giving him insulin shots is fairly easy and only takes a few minutes.

I’ve also been volunteering at a wildlife rehab once a week, so yeah… critters have taken over my life (not that that’s a bad thing).

On the writing side, I’ve had a couple short stories come out since my last update: A Place to Belong in the Wishing on a Blue Star anthology, and Fallen Guardian in the Wicked Good anthology. Excerpts and such will be coming ASAP!

(Edit: Fallen Guardian excerpt is available here).

I hope everybody’s having a great holiday season!  I’ve been busy getting ready for a new addition to my family.  One with feathers.   It’s been a long time since I’ve had a bird, so I’m pretty excited.  Since I can’t have a turkey vulture (yes, I still love turkey vultures), my new friend will most likely be a cockatiel. Or maybe a parrotlet.  In any case, I’ve been working my tail feathers off getting the spare bedroom ready (it’s where I can keep the bird relatively safe from the cats when I’m not around), and I’ve been having fun researching how to care for cockatiels and parrotlets, shopping online for toys, etc.  It almost feels like I’m getting ready for a baby, lol.  I even have a list of potential names!

On the writing front, my Christmas novella for this year just came out yesterday. It’s about Max and Connor from my stories in Taste Test: Pushy Little Bottoms and Toy Box: Silence, but you don’t have to be familiar with either of those stories to understand this one.  Here’s a blurb and an excerpt:

Blurb: Max and Connor from “Whatever You Want” in Taste Test: Pushy Little Bottoms are back! Connor has been giving Max what he wants in the bedroom, and now Max wants to give Connor a Christmas gift that’s more meaningful than a DVD box set or a stack of new shirts — a trip to Ireland to visit Connor’s terminally ill grandfather. Unfortunately, Max has been laid off, and extra money is hard to come by.

When November rolls around and Max still hasn’t found a new job, he accepts temporary work at a sex expo. Will working long hours, dealing with unwanted sexual advances, and wearing a sleazy outfit help Max earn enough money to give Connor the gift of a lifetime?

Excerpt:

At the end of the job interview, the store manager stood up, shook my hand, and gave me the old “thanks for your time, we’ll be in touch” line. The look on his face was enough to tell me I wouldn’t be hearing back from him anytime soon.

“Okay. Thanks.” I stood up, gathered my things, and left his office. I weaved my way through the shoppers taking advantage of the pre-Thanksgiving sale, then shoved open the glass door at the store’s main entrance. I hauled off and kicked the giant inflatable snowman with the store’s logo on its belly, and it went on smiling its idiotic smile, barely even wavering from the impact. Before I could abuse it any further, a trio of kids ran up and hugged the thing.

I’d only been out of work a few months, but it was long enough to know that unemployment didn’t suit me. Never mind the fact that it was already too late to earn enough money to take Connor to Ireland; if I didn’t find work soon, I wouldn’t be able to send him there, either.

I took the long route home to let the rest of my frustrations subside before seeing Connor, but the garland and giant candy canes hanging from the streetlights only made things worse. When I pulled into our driveway and turned off the car’s engine, my fingers ached from the death grip I’d had on the steering wheel.

I finally relaxed, at least a little, when I stepped inside our house and the scent of baking biscuits tickled my nose. “Something smells good.” I took off my jacket, wiped my shoes on the rug, and dropped my car keys on the shelf near the door.

“Thanks. I tried something new and added cheese to the dough.” Connor pulled a tray from the oven and set it on the counter, and then turned to me and grinned. “Sharp cheddar. Your favorite. Enough about that, though. How was the interview?”

“Meh.”

Connor paused in the middle of taking off his oven mitts. “That doesn’t sound very good.”

“It’s not.” I slumped in the kitchen chair and loosened my tie. “They seemed to think I’m not qualified to schlep books around because I haven’t read War and Peace.”

Connor shook his head and hung his mitts on the magnetic hook on the fridge. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. The job market’s tough right now.” He came up behind me and rested his hand between my shoulder blades.

“No kidding. Nobody hires this time of year except stores that are desperate for the help, and they don’t seem desperate enough to want to hire me.”

“Shh. Don’t talk like that.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to my cheek. “Maybe something’ll turn up soon.” He broke off a piece of biscuit and held it up to my lips. “Want to be my guinea pig? I’m afraid it’s only a non-paying volunteer position.”

——-

Head on over to Torquere Press if you’d like to purchase the novella.

Copper Country Gold, my first story about shapeshifters, is now available at Torquere Press.

Blurb: The night before a job interview in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, geology professor Steven McCormick has a one-night stand with Zach, a young man he meets at a bar. When he gets the job and returns to the U.P. a few months later, he meets Zach again, and the two become friends. They both want more, but Steven can tell Zach is hiding something, so he’s reluctant to open his heart.

Zach wants to reveal his true self to Steven; however, his clan leader, Wyatt, has forbidden it. When Steven winds up in a dangerous position during a mineral-collecting retreat, Zach realizes he can help, but only if he shifts. Will Zach risk being kicked out of his clan to save the man he loves?

Excerpt:
“I’m from Detroit.”

Those words usually intimidated people when Steven spoke them outside the metro area. The normal response was a nervous laugh and an “I’m sorry.” Occasionally people would ask how many times he’d had his car stolen while eyeing him with uncomfortable looks on their faces.

Not Zach. He just smirked and said, “Is that supposed to scare me?”

Steven liked him for that. “Not really. Seems to make some people jumpy, though.”

Zach laughed and leaned against the bar. “Please. All big cities are largely the same, if you ask me. That’s why you find me up here.” He picked up his drink — some green concoction Steven didn’t recognize — and looked over the rim with such intensity that, had it not been for the smile on his lips, Steven might have run off. “Tell me, Steven, what brings you to Houghton?”

“I’m interviewing for a faculty position at Michigan Tech. Geology.”

“Good luck to you.”

“Thanks.” Steven picked up his bottle of Heineken and took a long swallow. “I have a good feeling about it.”

Zach was silent for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. “Since when does a man of science believe in things like good feelings?”

Steven looked away, took another sip of beer, and hoped the dim lighting in the pub hid the color he knew was on his cheeks. “Just because I’m a scientist doesn’t mean I don’t get hunches now and then.”

“Fair enough. Are you sure you want to move to the Upper Peninsula? The winters are pretty brutal. A hell of a lot worse than what you’re used to.”

“I can handle it.”

“I don’t know.” Zach downed the rest of his drink and set the glass on the bar with a noisy clunk. “I think someone like you might need help keeping warm.” He gave Steven a once-over. “I mean, it’s almost summer, and you look a little cold right now.”

“Why do you say that?”

Zach nodded at Steven’s hand. “You’re shivering.”

Steven rubbed his hands together as if to warm them, even though his trembling had nothing to do with the temperature. As a man of thirty-eight who had spent most of his adult life in a monogamous relationship, he didn’t have much experience with the bar scene. Besides, he’d gone out for a drink — not to check out the local men. “I’m fine.”
—-
Head on over to Torquere Press if you’d like to purchase the story (or read another excerpt)!

I actually have some writing news!

I have a new story out today! It’s called Take it Slow, and it’s part of this year’s Torquere Charity Sip Blitz. The proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders, which is a great organization. If you aren’t familiar with them, go here to check them out!

My story is about a runner and his orthopedist. Here’s the blurb and an excerpt:

Blurb: Graham is determined to run a marathon in honor of his partner, who died two years ago. Unfortunately, a knee injury has sidelined him, and his orthopedist, Dr. Dmitri Markov, tells him not to rush his recovery. Even though he’s not ready, Graham runs a 15K race at the Traverse City Cherry Festival, and aggravates his injury again. Dr. Markov is at the festival, and catches Graham in the act. After the doctor gives Graham a hard time for ignoring his orders, the two men spend the day together.

As they get to know each other and the mutual attraction becomes evident, Graham realizes that he isn’t the only one in need of healing. Will Graham be able to slow things down enough to give Dmitri’s wounds time to heal?

Excerpt:
Graham gasped when the doctor’s fingers pressed on his knee.

“Does that hurt?” The Russian accent in the doctor’s voice was lighter than normal. Or maybe Graham’s attention was too drawn by the warm breath on his cheek to pay it any mind.

Graham swallowed and waited for his heartbeat to return to its regular rate. “No, it’s fine.”

The doctor squeezed and poked a few more times. “Are you sure? Your face flushed. It’s important for me to know these things.”

Graham shook his head, grateful for his slightly too-long T-shirt. He’d been celibate for over two years, and now the slightest touch sent his body into overdrive. It didn’t help that the one touching him was a hot foreign doctor with amazing gray eyes and full, kissable lips. God, I really need to get laid. “It’s fine, Dr. Markov. Well, much better than it was, anyway.”

“We’ll take better.” Dr. Markov dropped his hand and turned away to write something on Graham’s paperwork, but not before a smile flashed across his face. “You’re still doing your PT exercises at home, yes?”

“Every day. Usually at work, when I need a break from sitting on my ass in front of the computer.”

“Work, home, doesn’t matter, as long as you do them. You’ll need to keep doing them for some time yet.”

“I figured.” Graham flexed his leg and let it drop in an attempt to stop the tingles in his skin. “How long before I can race again?”

Dr. Markov flipped the chart closed and set it down on the table. “You have to take it slow. Your physical therapist should have told you this.”

“She did. I want a second opinion.”

“Ah. Then here is my opinion. Get back to your training, but don’t rush things. See how you feel after a few short runs. No marathons unless you want to be, as they say, laid up again.”

Head on over to Torquere if you’d like to buy the story! The story can be purchased alone here, or you can buy all 28 charity stories here.

In other news, my shifter novella, Copper Country Gold, will be out next month (check my “Coming Soon” page for more info), and the Ravenous Romance anthology, Wicked Good, with my story Fallen Guardian will probably be out in late October or early November. My query for my Christmas novella about Max and Connor (from Whatever You Want in the Pushy Little Bottoms Taste Test) was approved, so that story has been my main focus as of late. I’m about 85% done with the first draft, and I’m going to try to get the draft finished by Monday at the latest (I already have a few tweaks I’d like to make before the story’s due at the end of the month).

It’s good to be back in the writing game.

(I’ve been wanting to turn this site into something more than just a “my latest release is out” announcements page, so here’s a post that has nothing at all to do with my writing. I’m going to try to write something random at least once a month. For those who may actually be looking for a writing update post, one of those will be coming soon).

I’ve recently fallen in love, and it’s a love that most people don’t understand. The object of my affection is the little lady in the picture.

For those who may not know what she is, she’s a turkey vulture. I met her last weekend when I visited a park that had a “raptor rehab”, and she immediately captured my interest and my heart. I got the impression that she wasn’t used to such attention, because she cocked her head and blinked at me as if confused when several minutes had passed, and I was still at her enclosure. Yes, I know I’m anthropomorphizing, but anyone who has pets knows that animals are perfectly capable of making that “huh?” face. Anyway, she’s housed next to a bald eagle, so of course most people lavish attention on the eagle, and then just take a cursory glance at the vulture (and sometimes utter an “ew”) before moving on to look at the owls across the way. I went back to visit her today, and again, the vast majority of people I saw ignored her. One woman came up to me and said, “You really like the vulture, huh?” When I answered in the affirmative, she said, “Vultures are weird.”

Well, I’ve always had an affinity for weird, so maybe that’s why I like them.

Another visitor approached me thinking I worked at the rescue, and once we got that straightened out, we struck up a conversation. By the time we were finished talking, she agreed that the turkey vulture is an amazing creature.

Which brings me to the question — why are most people disgusted by these birds? Is it because they have ugly faces? Personally, I think they have an ugly-cute thing going, but maybe that’s just me. However, one can’t deny that they look kinda awesome with their wings spread out (if the pic isn’t showing up for you, click on the post title to get to the entry page):

Besides, the baldness that makes them “ugly” is an important adaptation. They eat dead things, and bald heads are easier to keep clean of bacteria than feathered ones!

Speaking of eating dead things… is that why people don’t like vultures? Well, guess what? Eagles eat carrion, too, as do pretty much all birds of prey. The main difference is that the vultures almost always eat what’s already dead, while other birds of prey often kill for food. On very rare occasions, if a turkey vulture is starving, he might kill a mouse or something like that, but usually, they don’t kill (on the other hand, black vultures do feed on live prey at times, and turkey vultures often get the blame). Anyway, think about how nasty the world would be if we didn’t have vultures to clean up the dead things! In fact, the scientific name for the turkey vulture is Cathartes aura, which means “golden purifier” or “cleansing breeze” (depending on whether you prefer the Latin or Greek meaning).

Do people dislike vultures because they poop on their own legs to cool off? Storks do that, too. Believe it or not, turkey vulture poop is clean! They have something in their digestive system that kills the bacteria in the food they eat, and their poop/ pee has a high concentration of uric acid, which gives it antiseptic properties.

Other random turkey vulture facts:
- The turkey vulture is one of the few birds with a keen sense of smell. They can smell things from miles away.
- They prefer meat that’s fairly fresh. They’ll avoid things that are too rotten if there’s an alternative.
- They can live into their 30s if conditions are right.
- They eat plant matter, like pumpkin, in addition to meat.
- They have a 6ft. wingspan, and can soar for hours without flapping their wings.
- Their spread-winged stance is called the “horaltic pose”, and scientists believe it’s to dry their feathers, warm up, and to use the sun’s rays to kill off any bacteria that might be lingering.
- The male and female look identical, but the female is slightly larger.
- Their main form of defense is puking at attackers (gross, I admit, yet strangely kinda awesome at the same time).
- The turkey vultures has no voice box. The only sounds they can make are hisses and grunts.
- Turkey vultures communicate with each other, and even with other roosts, when they find a large carcass. There have even been reports of turkey vultures leading the severely-endangered California condors to food.
- Many wildlife rehabilitators say that turkey vultures are among the most intelligent birds they work with.

The next time you see a turkey vulture, don’t just say “ew.” Take a minute to remember the service they provide for the world.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I suddenly have the urge to work a turkey vulture into one of my stories.

I’m participating in the Torquere Press Lucky 7 Celebration! Here’s the press release with more info:

Torquere Press Celebrates 7th Anniversary!

Seven years?! No, we can hardly believe it either. Seven years of bringing readers the best, the sexiest, the most romantic GLBT fiction. And to celebrate, we’re giving away prizes — great themed gift baskets, gift certificates for free books every day, and a scavenger hunt that will give readers a chance to collect a deck of cards that will win big – -a Nook from Barnes & Noble!

Readers will get the chance to “collect cards” by visiting each participating author’s website, blog, or Facebook page. By collecting all the cards and filling in the form, players have the chance to win free books daily, a gift basket once each week, (including BDSM, werewolf and ménage themed baskets), and be entered in the grand prize drawing for the Nook.

We’ll also be having random sales via our blog, GLBT Romance, Facebook, and Twitter:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1182167880&ref=ts
http://twitter.com/Torquere
http://glbtromance.blogspot.com/

With bestselling GLBT romance authors like Chris Owen, Tory Temple, Kiernan Kelly, P.D.Singer, Sean Michael, and B.A. Tortuga, you’ll have a blast playing along. Just log onto Torquere Press website http://www.torquerepress.com/contest/index.html
Check out the contest page, and start hunting!

So, ya feel lucky, dude? Let’s play!

I’m poking my head back into the writing world.

I’d been working on a short story about Kirhal and Jason (my demon and demon hunter couple), on and off for the past two months.  I dug it out last week and “finished” it, sent it off for a beta-reading, and now I’m making revisions based on the feedback.  Nothing unusual about that routine. However, I have to say, it feels pretty damn good.  The revisions are going smoothly, and it feels like I never went through the struggles or took that break.  :D

I also found a few sub calls I want to write for within the next couple of months, so yeah… it looks like I’m back!  I’m crossing my fingers that I manage to stay for awhile.

Sigh.

I’m afraid I’m going to take a break from writing for awhile.  I don’t know for how long, I just know that it’s time.  Writing has been a struggle for me lately. When I manage to write a few hundred words in a day, that’s a “good” day for me.  Most days, I don’t even get close to that.  Still, I’d been trying to force it, until this past Saturday, when I read a negative review of my latest story.  It was rated 2.5, which was actually the lowest rating for a story I’ve ever had, as far as I know.  I’ll be honest — it stung.  A lot.   Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not throwing a tantrum and saying “Waaah… people are saying bad things about my stories… so I quit!”  I also know that particular review is just one person’s opinion (and she was very respectful in stating that opinion, by the way).   However, overall, my last few stories haven’t been nearly as well received as my previous stuff.  I should be getting better.  Not worse.  I think I’ve improved technically — I’m doing a lot less “tell” and a lot more “show”, for example — but the quality of the content seems to have fallen off, and I don’t know why.   That, and the writing struggles, tell me it’s time to back away and do something else for awhile, and come back to writing another time.  I’m getting busy with some charity volunteer work right now anyway, so at least the timing is good. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to write again in a month or two, with a fresh perspective.

Fingers crossed!

-Taylor

By the way, I don’t get “pissed” if my name is misspelled.  I just get twitchy.  :)  (If you don’t know why I threw that out there, don’t ask.  lol)

My latest story, Rain Delay, is part of the “Rainy Days and Mondays” Torquere Taste Test.   It’s about Aaron and Nathan, who had a story in the “Cherry” anthology last summer (however, you don’t need to know that story to understand this one).

Book info:

edited by Lorna Hinson, with stories by Taylor Lochland, Mercy Loomis, GR Richards

Don’t let rainy days or Mondays get you down. Let the boys of the Rainy Days Taste Test brighten you up instead! In I Don’t Like Mondays, by GR Richards, Brent and Mitch are having a rotten commute in to work. Going home to change clothes makes the rain go away pretty quickly.

In Encore, by Mercy Loomis, bandmates Derrick and Nate have great chemistry onstage, but it takes a certain kind of rainy night to really get them making music together. And in Rain Delay, Aaron loves spending time with his young lover, Nathan. What he doesn’t love is all of the interruptions that a thriving farm and a busy veterinarian practice give them. Can they take advantage of a rainy day and snatch a few glorious hours of pleasure?

Read an excerpt from Rain Delay here.

Purchase the book at Torquere Press:  http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2618

The anthology, A Brush of Wings, (with my story Morning Glow) is now available!

Book blurb:  Guardian spirits walk among us. They are heavenly beings who grant courage, unknown benefactors who offer help, best friends who lend their strength, and celestial beings who embody inspiration. You might not recognize these everyday angels or messengers of mercy, but the men in this anthology are touched by their purity and light and sometimes blessed by love.

Available for purchase at Dreamspinner Press.

eBook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1738

Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1757

Click here to read an excerpt from Morning Glow.

You can find excerpts from several other stories at the release party on the Dreamspinner blog.