Old Habits – Tabitha Kiss

Settling down ain’t easy, but it sure makes a good story

Old Habits – Tabitha Kiss

What happens when bad boys and girls grow up? Tabatha Kiss explores the complexities of dealing with past lives in a small town, where nobody ever forgets, and everybody’s business is everybody’s business.

This is a tightly-written romance that grabs you from the get-go. The story was so good that I pretty much skimmed right through the sex scenes to find out what was going to happen next. Which is a pity, because they seemed pretty steamy!

I guess I’ll have to go back and read this book again, now that I know how it ends.

5/5

Get Old Habits on Amazon

Literary Punk Rock

I came of age in the Punk Explosion in the late 1970s, and played my own small part – as a freelance music journalist, public radio presenter, and ‘zine publisher – in the 1980s Indie revolution. That era has a lot of parallels with, and lot to teach the modern indie publishing scene.

The Sex Pistols: Punk was a bomb detonated under a bloated music industry.

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Here’s to 2018.

Well. 2017 ended as a bit of a roller-coaster.

The latter part of the year started well: in August, there was a five-week overseas trip. So, that was good.

But then, a week after coming back, our eldest son was in a car-crash, at his work. At first, it seemed he’d got off ok, but it soon turned out that he’d injured his leg badly. He’s only just come out of the leg brace, and was only cleared to drive again this week. He still isn’t back at work full-time, yet.

So, the end of 2017 was a bit stressful, you might say.

For all that, though, I have been writing. The second installment of Wonderlust will be published in just a few days. The third installment of The Book of Ecstasies is near completion, as is a new story, Taken in the Labyrinth, the first Gods and Monsters story.

So, kept tuned in: regular blog posting has resumed!

How has your new year shaped up, so far?

Moved by Hem

I’ve been reading Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. While I’m partly enjoying it for its reminiscences of the joi de vivre of Paris at the time (as depicted so well in Midnight in Paris), I’m mostly enjoying Hemingway’s descriptions of the struggles of an aspiring writer.

I mean, okay, so I’m only a mere peddler of smut, but in the end it’s all words on a page. The struggle, to find the time, wrestling with words, paying the bills, it’s all the same in the end. It’s gratifying to see a famous writer going through many of the same issues as a lowly erotica writer.

Plus the cafes, food and wine, are just enchanting. For a more modern update on this genre, I’d highly recommend checking out cartoonist Lucy Knisely’s French Milk.

On the writing front, I’ve been plugging away at A Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar. My self-imposed deadline of August 10 is looking unlikely, but it shouldn’t be too far past that. I also have a newsletter that’s a few days late, so I’ll get that out in a day or so (I’d do it tonight, but the fambly are taking me out for a birthday dinner, so – pffft).

I’m getting my nerd on and putting together a customised Excel calendar thingy, to keep track of all my deadlines. That way, I probably still won’t keep to them, but at least I’ll feel guilty for missing them.

Just a short update

Like it says on the box, just a short update, this week.

The free promotion weekend for Wonderlust Book 1: A Game of Cat and Rabbit went well. The book made it to the top 20 of its category on Amazon. I would have been rapt to crack top 10, but – almost, if not quite.

Still, I was more than happy with the result. I hope everyone who downloaded a copy was satisfied.

I’m chipping away at Book 2 – it’s all plotted out, I’m just slogging through the actual writing. Unfortunately, my day job is taking up a heap of my time, at the moment (Homer Simpson voice: stupid day job).

I’ll post a sample soon – probably next week.

New Story Out Now: Wonderlust Pt 1

I’m pleased to announce that the long publishing drought of the past year is at last over, and the first of four installments of my new book, Wonderlust, A Game of Cat and Rabbit, is available on Amazon now. The second part, A Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, will follow soon. I’ll post a schedule of my anticipated releases in the next blog post.

Wonderlust is an erotic twist on the Alice in Wonderland legend, and more, encompassing not only the fantasy world of Alice, but also elements of many other classics of 19th century (and earlier) fantastic literature, and literary figures, all given a dark and adult twist.

Here’s a short excerpt from A Game of Cat and Rabbit:

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A Recipe!

The Taste of Tasmania

Tasmania has gained a reputation as a food-lover’s destination, so I figured I’d periodically post some recipes starring the best of local produce. Don’t worry, though, if you can’t get hold of the actual Tasmanian stuff – every one will easily be able to be replaced with a local substitute.

In particular don’t think there are any US or UK distributors for King Island Dairy, which is a shame. King Island is famous, even by Tasmanian standards, for the quality of its dairy produce.

I’ll start off with something that’s as incredibly easy as it is just plain incredible:

Baked King Island Double Brie with Cajun Honey

This is just amazing comfort food on a Tasmanian winter night; while as an entree, it encourages immediate intimacy among your guests, as everyone dips in. Or curl up with someone by an open fire and enjoy its warm gooeyness.

Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to a moderate 180ºC (350ºF)

Place the brie in a small baking dish, or any oven-proof container, really, that’s the right size. Don’t try and remove the rind off the cheese or anything – just unwrap it, and pop it straight in the dish.

Drizzle the honey over the brie. If you don’t have the Cajun honey (more than likely), drizzle the honey, then sprinkle the pinch of smoked paprika.

Pop it in the oven, for about fifteen minutes, or until the cheese is soft and gooey and bubbly.

Cut the pears or apples into slices (don’t bother peeling them).

Use the slices to scoop up the cooked brie – the contrast of the crisp sweetness of the fruit, and gooey nuttiness of the cheese is sensational. Add a good white wine, and your taste buds will be in heaven.