Five Years on Kiva!

I got an email notification this week telling me that I've been on Kiva for five years!

Kiva is a nonprofit organization that aims to help people around the world get small, low-interest loans that help them start businesses, attend school, make needed renovations, etc. You can see explanations on Kiva's website.

I first joined Kiva in conjunction with the publication of my novella, The Six Swans, through Coming Together. All books that Coming Together publishes go toward some sort of charity project. In this case, proceeds from novellas that come out through the Coming Together: Neat line go into Kiva accounts.

You can see my Kiva lender profile here. Over the years I've used royalties from The Six Swans, along with other money I've added to it at times to make 61 loans!

If you'd like to get involved, it's easy to make your own account on Kiva. Or you can pick up The Six Swans, Giselle Renarde's Tangled Roots, or any other book in the Coming Together: Neat line.

Neat Collection

I've just found out that Coming Together has collected the first five titles in the Coming Together: Neat series into an omnibus edition. This includes my novella, The Six Swans, as well as work by Jenna Byrnes, Wendy Stone, Giselle Renarde, and Rachel Green.

The omnibus is available in paperback or as an e-book. The five titles together come out to a hefty 324 pages, so it's a solid read for the money.

As with all Coming Together: Neat titles, all proceeds go to support entrepreneurs around the world on Kiva. If you'd like to see where mine have gone, check out my Kiva lending page here.

Giving Back With The Six Swans

The Six Swans, my book with Coming Together: Neat, pays royalties into the micro-lending service Kiva. I promised to post updates about where the royalties were going.

I've just made a loan to Kristine, a woman in the Philippines looking to stock her store with electric fans, rice cookers, and the like.

Kristine caught my eye because she's used Kiva to steadily improve her business. This looks like her third loan with Kiva, and if you click to go back to previous efforts, you can see that she started with a direct sales service, no store. I think it's cool to see her using the system so well.

If you'd like to see more about the Kiva loans I've made, you can check out my lender page here.

If you'd like to read more about why I decided to publish with Coming Together: Neat, you can do so here.

The line has also been pretty active this year. You can see all the books in the Coming Together: Neat line here.

Win a Copy of The Six Swans

The Romance Reviews is having a Sizzling Summer Reads party this month, and The Six Swans is part of it.

If you'd like to win a copy of my retelling of the famous fairy tale, here's what you have to do: I've got a multiple choice question up at the event page -- there'll be a link to a blog post that will help you find the answer. One person who visits today and answers correctly will win a copy of the book.

You have to log in to The Romance Reviews to participate.

While you're there, be sure to check out the other books -- there are more than 400 authors participating, and lots of prizes.

Thanks!

Freedom for a Small Part

Tentacle stories get me excited, so I'm totally stoked to have signed a contract to appear in Coming Together: Arm in Arm in Arm, edited by Nobilis Reed.

Reed is, amazingly enough, an experienced editor of tentacle porn -- he edited a previous book, Tentacle Dreams. And I'm expecting Arm in Arm in Arm to be pretty awesome. Here's a clip from how he described what he wanted:

Tentacle sex celebrates helplessness in the face of ravenous, remorseless, undeniable lust. I want to see stories with characters, settings, and plots. People change. The world is revealed. Things happen. They don't have to be deep, but they have to be there.

I want to see stories that stretch the boundaries of what defines tentacle porn. "Demon appears out of nowhere and rapes unsuspecting victim" is boring. Even hentai anime isn't doing that anymore. Give me more than that.

That line about ravenous, remorseless, undeniable lust stuck with me. In my story, "Freedom for a Small Part," I wanted to play with that idea. My tentacle creature starts out representing that stuff, lurking, threatening. But the main character eventually starts to wonder what it really wants. Might it be playing a role that helps it to stay alive?

Like all Coming Together books, this one's for charity. Proceeds benefit Oceana, an organization that works to protect the world's oceans. (I always wish I could see the look on someone's face at an organization like this when they figure out where the latest donation check came from).

I think you're going to want to pick this book up when it comes out, but if you want to indulge in a little erotic charity now, may I remind you of my two other titles with Coming Together? The Six Swans is a sexy retelling of the fairy tale, and it benefits Kiva, an organization that provides microloans to entrepreneurs all over the world. Coming Together: As ONE is a collection of menage erotica that benefits ONE, the campaign to end global poverty. My story is about the follower of Artemis who serves as a bridge between the goddess and a favorite male hunter.

The Six Swans Reviewed

Book review site Mrs. Condit and Friends Read Books posted today about The Six Swans, and gave the book four sweet peas:

King Evan’s lust and longing for the beautiful but mute Leonora is so poignant, especially when he is faced with a forced marriage to cement his mother’s financial machinations.

Here are three reasons you should visit the site to check out the full version:

1) One commenter will receive a copy of the book.

2) You'll see an exclusive character interview with Leonora

3) Mrs. Condit reviews books every day, and you will see similarly lovely posts on other titles worth your time.

Doing Good While Being Bad

When I decided to publish The Six Swans with Coming Together: Neat, I agreed to a pretty unusual payment plan. All proceeds for books from that particular line go to Kiva, a website that distributes microloans to entrepreneurs around the world. Think Kickstarter, except that the recipients have to pay the money back and you don't get stickers and tchotchkes for contributing.

Royalties from The Six Swans show up as Kiva gift cards, and I can lend them as I choose, along with other members of the Coming Together: Neat lending team.

The book came out in early April, so I'm just getting the chance to get in on this. I've written before that my participation in Coming Together has often surprised me -- I tend to show up for the erotica and the chance to work with the awesome people, and then later I realize I'm really happy about the "altruism" in the "erotic altruism" that Coming Together espouses.

This was definitely the case here. Only when I went to actually make my Kiva account did I realize how exciting this is.

Here's the deal: Writing is a dream come true for me. How cool is it that I get to help other people achieve their dreams as a byproduct of pursuing my own?

Kiva also allows a really cool sort of transparency. If you want to see where royalties for The Six Swans are going, you can check out my lender page and see who I'm supporting. I probably spent two hours picking out my first loan recipient, Leala. I picked her because I wanted to help a fellow Pacific Islander female.

I plan to periodically update this blog with information about what's going on with Kiva. And, as always, a big thank you to the folks at Coming Together, for helping me learn to do good while being bad.

If you'd like to contribute to this (and read hot stories in the process), you can pick up The Six Swans, or any of the other books in the Coming Together: Neat line.

The Difficulties of Writing About Penises

Erotica For All put up a guest post from me today, in which I talked about the challenges of writing sex scenes from a male point of view as a female author:

Take the case of a male point of view. I like penises. I’ve played with my fair share. And I’m a human who doesn’t believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus — we’re both from Earth, and we have a lot in common. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to write a non-erotic story from a man’s point of view. Erotica, on the other hand, intimidated me, since such an undertaking would necessitate describing how it feels to have a cock.

This came up a lot when I was working on my e-book The Six Swans, which was entirely from a male point of view. But since I conquered the fear with that piece, I've found myself writing from the "other side" more frequently. Less Than a Day, for example, came very naturally that way. And I recently contracted for my first m/m story.

If you'd like to see my mini writing lab on how I leveraged my own sexual experience to pry my way into the head of the opposite gender, you can read the full post at Erotica For All.

Swans

To celebrate the publication of my novella, "The Six Swans," my best friend gave me this lovely little swan. She saw me struggle through edits for this thing and so forth, and the gift means a lot.

Often, when I accomplish something, I feel a little numb. For me, most of the interest lies in the verb of a thing -- the writing, the editing, and so forth. The fact of it leaves me a bit bewildered. A published thing? A thing you can see on Amazon? I've never been one to spend much time checking my byline. I always want to know what I'm writing next.

I like this instinct. It's served me well. But sometimes, it's nice to spend a moment basking in an accomplishment.

I put the lovely little swan on display on my bookshelf (right next to my collection of zombie pets). It's a good reminder of the power of faith, and hope, and friendship.

The book is here, if you'd like to take a look.

My Question About the Six Swans

I recently blogged at Forbidden Fiction about how my fairy tale retellings usually start with a question--a point of dissatisfaction in the original story. This is true of The Six Swans, too.

In the classic version of the story, the main character must spend seven years silent, sewing shirts for her brothers, in order to break the curse that has turned them into swans. A king's servant discovers her in a tree one day. For some reason, she throws her clothing down to him one article at a time (in the story, this is presented as an attempt at discouragement, but that really doesn't make sense to me). He is stunned by her beauty and takes her to the king, who promptly marries her. The king's mother is evil, for some reason, and takes away the babies the new queen bears, telling the king that his silent wife is responsible for murdering them. The king refuses to believe this for quite some time. Eventually, his mother convinces him that his wife is killing the children, and he agrees to have her burned at the stake. Luckily, this happens to coincide with the end of the seven years, and the girl is able to restore her brothers and explain herself just before she dies by fire.

Now, that is a weird, weird story. What particularly interested me was the king's trust in the main character. She can't speak to him. Her behavior must appear insane. What could he have known or felt about her that would give him the sort of confidence in her that he displays, in the face of damning evidence that she's a murderer.

Trying to answer that question drove my entire writing of the novella. In my version of The Six Swans, the sexual connection between the king and his bride is so strong that his body trusts her even when his mind does not. Trust is visceral and physical.

As is common for me, that hypothesis then spread through the story, affecting how I portrayed both of the main characters.

If you'd like to see how this worked out, you can pick up the book here.

A Wedding Without a Bride

My e-book, The Six Swans, was released this weekend by Coming Together. Here's an excerpt from early in the book:

Just that morning, he'd collided with an attendant in a castle hallway outside his mother's chambers. Cream-colored paper scattered on the stone floor. Never too proud, Evan had dropped to his knees to assist, only to discover his own seal on the unfamiliar documents.

Attendants in the castle respected him so little that the servant dared to protest when Evan broke the seal. And what could the young king do? Until he married or attained his 21st birthday, the law afforded the queen dowager as much power as it did him. He could throw the churl in the dungeon, but the gesture would be futile. His mother would laughingly order another disloyal attendant to release him, and the result would be a servant with a grudge and a public example of his political impotence. Face burning, Evan held his mother's creature away with an outstretched arm so that he could read the words attributed to him.

"A wedding?" Evan roared, so loudly that the Lady Anthes herself appeared in the hall. The king advanced on her. "Mother, when would I have found out about my own wedding? Who, pray tell, is the bride?"

His mother didn't have the grace to look frightened. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "I've asked you repeatedly to select a bride from among the many suitable ladies I have suggested."

"There can't be a wedding without a bride!"

"My point exactly. As you can see, you have two months' time to choose one."

"Cancel the blasted event! I've not agreed to marry anyone!"

"State weddings can't simply be halted in such a scandalous fashion. Royalty from the world over are already making preparations to attend. They may even be en route to this kingdom. You will have to set aside personal preference and do what is best for the state."

Evan tore the paper in half, then in half again, and threw it at her feet.

"Childish," Lady Anthes murmured, gesturing for a servant to take the torn paper away.

Evan glared at her. "How could my sudden marriage be best for the state? Surely, the woman would need time herself to prepare?"

"Any woman you choose will jump at the chance to be your queen. I've explained to everyone that, for security reasons, you can't allow the woman to be known until she's come to live in the castle."

Evan stepped in close, pitching his voice so only his mother could hear him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Lady Anthes' face softened. She reached up and stroked a lock of Evan's hair. "You will turn 21 in a few months, my son, and the law will no longer allow me to rule by your side. I worry for you."

Evan gaped. He'd been a fool to hope for the freedom his birthday promised. His mother's machinations would force him to live with a viper in his bed—one groomed, no doubt, to report to Lady Anthes and no other. The law forbade a common bride, who might be grateful enough at the elevation of marrying a king to refrain from betraying him. Among noble ladies, his mother's influence extended even to the farthest kingdoms. Speechless with rage, Evan tore away from her.

He turned the old king's signet ring around and around on his finger. His mother had been distant until his father's death. In five short years, her presence had grown to crush Evan utterly. He called for his hunting party.

The Six Swans is available from Smashwords, 1PlaceForRomance, and Amazon. All proceeds go to Kiva, which offers microloans to entrepreneurs worldwide.

Announcing The Six Swans

My novella, The Six Swans, came out this weekend from Coming Together. Here's a description of the book:

The young King Evan struggles to become a man and ruler amid the choking influence of his mother’s spies and machinations. When he meets a silent, beautiful woman in the woods, he can’t resist the pure, honest sensuality of her touch. Bringing her to the castle as his wife and queen is Evan’s declaration of independence. The king’s hard-won happiness falls apart, however, when his mother accuses his new wife of murdering their first-born child. Evan believes that the private, physical language he shares with his queen tells him everything he needs to know, but as tragedy strikes again and again, his love and faith are tested to the breaking point.

"The Six Swans" retells an old fairy tale of a princess who must take a vow of silence to save her brothers from a curse, the king who falls in love with her despite the seeming insanity of the curse conditions, and the sexual connection that’s strong enough to overcome the isolating power of the princess’ vow.

I've written a lot about this publisher. The tagline is "Doing Good While Being Bad." All proceeds from sales of The Six Swans go to Kiva, an organization that gives microloans. The book is on sale for $1.99 from online retailers including 1PlaceForRomance, Smashwords, and Amazon.

Music Mondays: "I Quit Girls" by Japandroids

"If you're lucky, on the seventh day, she'll wear nothing." -- Japandroids

I fell under the spell of the Japandroids' I Quit Girls in the winter of 2009. I love wistful songs, and this is one of the best--the stripped-down sound of the lonely guitar, the noise, and the weak voice.

The lyrics are mysterious, but what's clear is that this girl has marked the narrator. He's never been able to move on. This song is the theme for my character Leonora, in my book The Six Swans.

Announcing The Six Swans

I've previously blogged about the Coming Together series, an excellent charity series of erotica with the delicious tagline "Doing Good While Being Bad."

They're being kind enough to publish my story "The Six Swans" in their new erotic novella series, Coming Together: Neat. I'm not sure exactly when the book will be out, but you can see the cover if you follow the link.

The Six Swans is an erotic retelling of the fairy tale by the same name.

The young King Evan struggles to become a man and ruler amid the choking influence of his mother’s spies and machinations. When he meets a silent, beautiful woman in the woods, he can’t resist the pure, honest sensuality of her touch. Bringing her to the castle as his wife and queen is Evan’s declaration of independence. The king’s hard-won happiness falls apart, however, when his mother accuses his new wife of murdering their first-born child. Evan believes that the private, physical language he shares with his queen tells him everything he needs to know, but as tragedy strikes again and again, his love and faith are tested to the breaking point.

The original story is told from the perspective of a princess who must take a vow of silence to save her brothers from a curse. I’ve always been interested in the king who falls in love with her despite her seeming insanity, and so I wrote The Six Swans from his perspective. I wanted to tell the story of his passion and loyalty, and of the sexual connection that’s strong enough to overcome the isolating power of the princess’s vow.

The result is a story that's dark, sexy, and deeply romantic.

Now that I've told you about the story, let me talk a little about the cause. Sales from Coming Together: Neat go into Coming Together's account on Kiva, a website that allows users to give small loans to entrepreneurs around the world. For years, I've loved the idea of microloans. I like how empowering they are for both the giver and the recipient, and I love the statistics on how often they're paid back and how effective they seem to be in changing people's lives.

Please consider checking out "The Six Swans" and supporting the other titles in the Coming Together: Neat line. I'll post more information here as it becomes available.