Sometimes writing takes incredibly long time - or, in this case, editing. I'm working on the sequel to A Russian Bear, and Tom is getting better at his karate. Better than I am, in fact.

That means that I've just spent a long time researching that incredibly difficult kata I once learned at a seminar (or, rather, attempted to learn, but let's not dwelve on that). That in itself takes quite a lot of time (I didn't know that you may use it for your second dan grading examination, for example). But then there are all the other interesting things you find when you Google something: Original videos featuring Kanazawa, syllabus, and oh, I know that guy, I just have to see what he's been doing lately...

In other words, research is interesting, but time-consuming. And then we're not even talking about the stalling. But hey, I found a yummy-looking bread recipe, so at least I won't be starving. 

In order to make sure that I'm not giving either Mischa or Tom a split personality, I'm actually reading A Russian Bear today before I begin editing the sequel. And it's really weird.

First of all, there's the familiarity; I've spent so much time on this story that I almost know it by heart. And then again; it's also weirdly unfamiliar because I haven't seen it for so long. That makes for a strange combination.

Then there's the remorse. All of the "why didn't I change that" and "why's he using that word so soon" and "God, I need to clean that up in the next edition". I am grateful that I've learned a lot since writing ARB, but it's still kind of frustrating to witness your own flaws like that.

But still, I like those guys, and I need to make them as good as possible, so I'll keep reading. Even though it makes me grind me teeth now and then...

However much I like to write, finally arriving at those two words is very sweet - and I just wrote them! Yep, the first draft of A Russian Bear II is finished. I still need to write a couple of things into the story and edit and proofread and have some betas read it before submitting it and repeating the whole process all over again - but apart from that tiny detail, I just finished another book. That's not a small accomplishment, since I've had a busy year and a particularly nasty bout of the winter blues.

So, what can you expect from our heroes this time? Well, more of the same, luckily: Mischa is still growly and Tom is still acerbic - and they're both still insanely hot together. But the attack on Tom has made a bigger impact on both of them than they realized, and this book describes their struggle to get back to the way they were before the assault. It's an eye-opening experience for both of them, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it.

I just had Tom and Mischa get into a giant fight. I'm writing the last chapter of the sequel to A Russian Bear at the moment, and our heroes have a lot of fights. Some of them are quite serious, but this one was just delightful to write. Fighting really comes naturally to those guys...

Funnily enough, it also comes naturally to me. Not in real life; I'll do whatever I can to avoid serious confrontation in real life. But when I'm writing, some situations are easier than others. Sex scenes are easy, and so is dialogue - those are apparently the situations in which my characters really show their true nature. A good argument seems to combine the intensity of the sex scene with the back-and-forth of the dialogue, and I really like that. I simply feel like I get to know my characters better when they fight!

That doesn't mean that I'm going to deprive our heroes of their well-deserved happily ever after. Quite on the contrary - I've just written the most wonderful scene. Can't wait to share it! And it seems that the end of the novel is in sight now...

Oh, dear God. The mess of it *chuckles*.
As you might know, my current project is the sequel to A Russian Bear. Both our heroes are having some trouble adjusting, and I must admit to enjoying torturing them a bit. It's not going to be really angsty (I'm far too fond of them to really mess up their lives), but they're definitely having some issues.
The reason why I'm chuckling is that I just had Tom pat Mischa's cheek indulgently after Mischa's latest freak-out. Let's just say that Mischa did not take kindly to that:). I think our other hero might have a spanking coming up!

Well. The good kind of Hell, if such a thing exists. I worked my ass off this week on my Real Life job, and it was so much fun - but dear God, it was exhausting. I actually felt hung over yesterday from sheer fatigue.
I can't really write when I'm this worn out, which is a shame, because writing gives me a lot of energy - and it's been months since I've really been able to do it. I had a day off last weekend, and I read through my sequel to A Russian Bear. It was so long time since I'd last had my hands on it that I actually caught myself thinking "oh, wonder what's Mischa's going to do now?" I'm really looking forward to having more writing time!
But, in the meantime, I used my semi-comatose time to read some really good stories. I've read a couple of books by Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse and Out of the Darkness - that I really, really loved. A warning: They will make you cry, but God, they're good. Alas, yesterday I found out that the wonderful author actually has three free stories out about the same characters! I've read two of them so far, and they're excellent.
You can read more about Kate Sherwood here.
Oh, and I almost forgot to tell that the lovely Kate plans to give us more free stories! Read more on her website.

That's right. You, my dear readers, have made Of Russian Myth and Lore one of Torquere's best sellers in September.
Apart from the fact that the news has made me dance a (highly undignified, but there you go) little dance out of sheer pride and happiness, this is awesome news because this story is a charity sip. That means that the It Gets Better project is getting all of the proceeds from the sale - and Torquere matches the amount.
So if you want to read more about Tom and Mischa AND support a really good cause, go here to get your copy of the story - or you can go here and pick up some of the other stories; there's more than thirty to choose from.

Of Russian Myth and Lore is being published today! It's your once in a lifetime chance to see a Russian bear in its natural environment - in other words, Mischa's going home. And he's bringing Tom with him.
You can read more here.

To buy the story, go straight to Torquere or Rainbow Ebooks. By the way, the good people at Rainbow Ebooks are sponsoring the Charity Sip project by donating their usual share to the It Gets Better project.

Remember to check out the rest of the stories of the Charity Sip blitz. All proceeds of the sales of all those stories goes to this year's charitable organization: The It Gets Better project. Torquere Press Inc. will match the authors' donations completely.

In 2008, Torquere Press' authors decided to support a charity with an annual short story collection called the Charity Sip blitz. In the past three years, Torquere's donated more than $13,000.00 to charitable organizations that support GLBT causes.

For 2011, Torquere's authors have chosen the theme "Getting Better" in honor of the It Gets Better project, which helps LGBT youth understand that life as an openly queer adult is not only possible, but happening for millions of people, worldwide. More than thirty authors have written short fiction pieces and have agreed to donate all proceeds of the sales of these stories to this year's charitable organization. Torquere Press Inc. will match the authors' donations completely.

This year, Torquere Press is also pleased to announce that the publisher's distribution partner, Rainbow eBooks, has agreed to be the title sponsor of our Sip collection, and will be Torquere's sole distributor outside of the Torquere Books website. Please support the sponsor by visiting them at www.rainbowebooks.com.

Torquere Press and my fellow authors truly believe we can make a difference by donating to organizations that promote awareness and equality. If you'd like to help, please support the Charity Sip Blitz and enjoy some great romance!

My part of the sip, Of Russian Myth and Lore, will be available along with the rest of the sips September 17, 2011 at www.torquerebooks.com and www.rainbowebooks.com.

Some of my characters are so interesting that I have a hard time letting them go. That's why I wrote "Of Russian Myth and Lore", which will be published later this month. While writing it, I started thinking about first times. This is what came of it - have a look at "Who You Are."