September is the 9th Anniversary of Torquere Press! I'll be participating in the festivities - with a short story as well as with a couple of secret gifts which you can win. But more about that Saturday!

The 9th anniversary traditional gift is leather - something I like very, very much. So do the people at Torquere Press. Enough, as a matter of fact, to have a anniversary kick-off sale.

Just put 'annivkick' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books before Monday at midnight to get 20% off your order.

Sale good now through Monday, September 3rd at Midnight (est).

Discount codes are provided as a courtesy to Torquere's customers. Torquere Press Inc. cannot be responsible for discounting purchases made before coupons/sales are announced, and cannot issue discounts to customers who fail to use the coupon or discount code during the purchase process.

Well, that's basically what I wanted to say;). I know; remarkably brief for a writer, isn't it? You can read the blurb and the excerpt here - and the story will be out on September 12, 2012.

 Well said. Damn, well said.

I've had my charity sip accepted! It's going to be published by Torquere Press on the 15th of September 2012. This year we'll be supporting NOH8, and it's a really good cause - but more about that later.

For now, I want to talk a bit about the story. See, the previous years, I've been doing very serious stuff, sweating over cramming several life-changing events onto fifteen pages - or getting all of Mischa's commitment-phobia told reasonably well on those same fifteen pages. It has been hard work (I prefer writing longer things), but I really wanted to participate.

This year, however, I've written a piece of very naughtly fluff. One of my readers suggested a theme for me, and I immediately felt so inspired that I sat down and wrote the entire story in less than a day. And I had so much fun.

First, there was the dog. Have you ever seen a brown Newfoundland puppy? They're the most adorable little creatures - and such a pain in your ass you wouldn't believe it:)! They once used to be water rescue dogs, and that means that they're crazy about water. If they don't have access to an ocean, then they'll make do with a puddle. Or a hole filled with mud. Or their water bowl. I've wiped up a lot of water after our Newfoundland had found yet another way to get wet.

Then I got a suggestion to write something about a very neat guy who meets a very messy dog owner - and I immediately got to think of how catastrophic - and fun! - it would be to put a Newfoundland puppy into that equation.

I'm afraid that things got a little out of hand at this point. First, I had to force myself to stop writing about the damn dog. It was just so cute; however, most people prefer to read romance about actual people. Then I started fooling around with my characters' names, and that led to the inclusion of a guy who's got a pet lobster on a leash. Sadly, the last part is not a figment of my imagination - it's the true story of the poet Gérard de Nerval.

The really naughty part is that I've sort of included my own book in the story. And a name from that very same book. Yep, the adorable Newfoundland puppy is named Mischa.

I'm still blushing a little over that; I mean, it's a little naughty, isn't it? Even though my comparative lit professors would probably have called it "intertextuality", I just think it's slightly self-centered;). But hey, it's a charity sip, it's all in good fun - and I did include a pretty hot sex scene for my guys as well. It isn't all lobsters and Newfoundland dogs!

Anniversary month at Torquere is going to be a lot of fun with good stories and competitions - and you can win your very own little Mischa plushie! And with that cliffhanger, I'll get back to editing:).

During the last week or so, I've been riding the best horses in the world. I've taken them across cross country courses, over huge fences, and through the most difficult dressage exercises imaginable - and it has been a blast.

Well, before you start thinking that I'm some kind of equestrian hot shot, I have to disappoint you: I've just been watching the Olympics - from my couch, far away from the ten million dollars horses. But it felt like being there, riding each horse - because of the commentators.

The first comment from the dressage commentator went like this: "Now we'll just sit here and watch the program in silence" [about three seconds of silence followed] "Do you see how the horse is not really carrying its weight with its hind legs... [funny clucking sounds] Yes, that's more like it. That's good. Now it's accepting the rider's help. Oh, see how that change almost went wrong..."

And so on, and on, and on, until I'd been taken through each and every dressage exercise in the Olympic program. The commentator even encouraged the horse when he felt it necessary. "Well, they probably can't hear me," he admitted every time - but he still did it, because he felt passionate about what he was watching. And by being so passionate and knowledgeable, he gave me an amazing experience.

I really admire passion. It's amazing when it's something I'm interested in beforehand - for example, I now know that the hind leg action is more important than almost anything else for a dressage horse, and that it's crucial that it "sucks" the bit. But even when I meet people who tell me about things I've never, ever thought about before, they always catch my interest when I feel their passion. For example, after this summer's trip to Scotland, I've developed a sudden and very unexpected interest in owls!

I mean, how cute is this baby snowy owl? And did you know that... Okay, I'll spare you the many interesting facts about owls:). Even though they're really soft and really light and really interesting...

I guess this only goes to show that passionate people can be a bit nerdy, too. But I don't care, because I know a lot about owls now. And about the hind legs of dressage horses.

The good people at Torquere Press will be in New Orleans next week - and you can get 20% off your purchases at Torquere Press because of it!

Authors After Dark is in New Orleans next week and Torquere is celebrating with a sale! Just put 'nola2012' in the coupon code box any time you check out at Torquere Books (www.torquerebooks.com) before Tuesday at midnight to get 20% off your order.

Sale good now through Tuesday August 7 at Midnight (est).

Celebrate going (or not going) to New Orleans with books from Torquere Press today.