Autism Fact: There is no medical detection for autism.  

BLOG HOP MASTER POST: http://rjscott.co.uk/autism19

Childhood Toys:

AS SEEN ON EBAY

My favorite childhood toy was definitely this Fischer Price toy house. I have so many memories of sitting on our red shag carpet on Saturday mornings, watching cartoons, and playing with this house. As a writer, I’ve always most enjoy imaginative play where I could have dolls interact with each other and play out little stories. I loved this house so much and just looking at it brings back bittersweet yearnings.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon Giftcard, please participate in a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Should you be so inclined as to want to give to help raise Autism awareness, please consider Lindengate in the UK. This is a mental health charity that works with autistic children like author RJ Scott’s son. https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/lindengate

My latest release with Indra Vaughn doesn’t feature childhood toys, but it does feature the following:

• Hot, grumpy cowboy
• Young, sweet hipster
• Surprise nipple rings
• Intense noodling
• Intense feels

“I didn’t expect this light-hearted story to absolutely consume me like it did. Whoa. Cowboy meets hipster. Who knew? It was freaking GOLD.”

“From laughing out loud to sobbing uncontrollably, this is one of most wonderful books I’ve ever read. I just couldn’t put down!”

“It’s everything you expect, and then some. And beautifully written. Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.”

“I sat down to read this, and I’m not sure I did much more today besides sit here and read, or devour, this book.”

“It’s been a long time since I started a book before bed and read until dawn. I smiled, snickered, wept, and melted. If you’re looking for the full monty of feels, this little lion and his cowboy are exactly what you need.” 

“Indra Vaughn and Leta Blake collab so well together that they’re an autobuy.” 

A sexy cowboy gets roped into a reality show and falls for a hot hipster. But is it all for show?  

Walker Reed’s Louisiana cattle ranch is in debt after costly repairs from hurricane damage. To get the money, his family schemes to make Walker the star of a new bachelor reality series: Queer Seeks Spouse. How hard can it be to fake interest in a dozen handsome men for a few weeks in exchange for enough money to solve all of their problems?

Roan Carmichael never got his Masters degree after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. With medical bills piling up, and a costly experimental treatment available, Roan signs on to be a suitor on Queer Seeks Spouse. While he hates having to leave his sick mother long enough to win the cash for her treatment, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.

Can two men who are just in it for the money fake their way into real and lasting love? Cowboy Seeks Husband, the latest book by Vespertine authors Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn, features a cowboy, a hipster, opposites attract, steamy scenes, and heart tugging moments that will leave you wanting more.

In December, I always like to blog about my favorite books of the year. Because I do a lot of editing and beta reading, I recognize that can cause bias, so my only rules for this annual accounting are: 1) I read the book in the prior 12 months, and 2) I had nothing to do with the production of the book. With that in mind, let’s get on to the part where I talk about books! I have nine favorites this year! (Click on any of the covers to learn more about the book.)

This book brought all the giddy feelings that old skool fan fiction used to bring for me. This makes sense because the book is, in a way, fanfiction itself. It’s a book about the characters that the main character of Rowell’s famous Fangirl was obsessed with. Um, that’s a complicated sentence? Anyway, I never read Fangirl, so you can definitely read this without reading the other book first. And I gotta say, I’m dying for a sequel to this one. So here’s hoping. A vampire. A special teenage magician. A magical school. The parallels to Harry Potter are on purpose. I was impressed by the way she was able to twist everything just enough that everything is original while the inspiration can’t be escaped. Many will not enjoy because they’ll think it’s a Harry Potter ripoff, but they’re missing the point. This is sheer creativity. Loved it.

Crooked Kingdom is the sequel to Six of Crows, one of my favorite reads from last year. I adored this amazing, painful, gutting, awesome final installment. I wish this series was longer. I started Bardugo’s related series in the same universe hoping for another fix of this magic, and I do plan to finish it, but it didn’t get into my skin like Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. Young adult fantasy is always my jam, as you’ll notice if you follow these posts at all, but the particular world of these books really spoke to me. I might even re-read them, which is something I rarely do in my 40s. (So many books so little time!) Absolutely recommend for fans of Young Adult fantasy.

This lovely graphic novel is all about gender fluidity. I absolutely loved the way it deftly addressed the gender presentation of a prince who wants to wear fabulous dresses sometimes and wear prince clothes at other times. I also enjoyed the sweet background romance, the final chapters brought a big grin to my face. Impressed with the drawings as well. I found them incredibly enjoyable and liked looking for details in them. Recommended for ages 11 and up, I’d say.

Everyone’s already read and loved these, but I didn’t start them until this past summer. I read them all and loved each one. The series is a classic in gay historical fantasy for a reason. There really isn’t much to say about it that can’t be summed up with the words magic and KJ Charles. Highly recommended!

I’m not sure what genre this falls under and I’m not even sure how it came to be in my TBR or how long it had lingered there before I read it. I’ll quote my Goodreads review of it:

“This book was my jam. Dark retelling of a childhood story, focusing on the horror of Pan. In the original story, Pan was not the Disney boy we saw in the movie–he was brutal and rather terrifying–and that’s the direction this book took things. It was dark enough that the whole time I was reading, I wondered, “Is this too dark for my 12yo? Because otherwise I think she’d love this and I should buy it in paperback for her.” In the end, I think she could handle it and plan to see if she’s interested before purchasing it in paperback. Or maybe I want to own this for my own shelves? I enjoyed it that much.

There were a few potentially racist things in it that I was like, “Wait, is that racist? Is that just me?” and I guess I don’t feel qualified to say whether they were or not, being super white and all, but I wish the editor had stripped them out, because it was literally one or two lines that were, all in all, unnecessary.

Probably going on my favorites list for the year.”

And, lo, it did end up on the list!

This book is a sci-fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it manages it beautifully. I’ll admit that I would have happily read twice as much about these characters, but Deckard kept it brief at novella length. As someone who invariably writes long, I was impressed with her ability to capture all the elements of Beauty and the Beast, create a sci-fi world to hold them, and still get the whole tale told in less than 35,000 words! Truly enjoyable. Recommended.

I’ve had the first book of this 9 book series in my TBR for years, but I finally opened it in November and it was perfect for me. I haven’t finished the series yet, but can’t wait to get back to it. It did two things for me:

1. showed me that I can love cop stories if they involve psychics
2. provided me with the much-needed bedtime books, i.e. I enjoy them greatly, look forward to reading them at night, but don’t get so obsessed that I can’t think about anything else until I finish them.

Dragons! Gay love! A reality-show-esque competition for the prince’s hand! All the things I love in a book! I was only unhappy when it was over and there wasn’t a sequel. So I read it again.

My Cousin Rachel was no Rebecca, I’ll say that. However, like Rebecca, it quietly and relentlessly tore apart cultural assumptions about women, men, culture, trust, and love. At no point are questions about these issues directly posed in the book itself, but within its story the questions reside anyway. Is Rachel evil or simply nonconformist? Does she simply behave in ways that men find threatening in women? And what of the men’s behavior? Do they bring on their own demise?

I wanted to capture this vibe of Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel in my book Heat for Sale, but, in the end, gave in to allowing the questions to be subtly introduced on the page, even if proper answers are never delivered. If you enjoy Du Marurier’s style, I do recommend this book.

Previous years’ Favorite Reads lists:

2017

2016

2015

Autism Fact: About 1% of the world population has autism.

(Due to the preference of the majority of people on the #ActuallyAutistic tag on Twitter, in this post I will use the term autistic as a descriptor at times and not use entirely on ‘person first’ language. This is an informed choice based on the majority of feedback I’ve seen from #ActuallyAutistic people.)

There are all kinds of assumptions about what a person with autism or on the autism spectrum is like. The reality is that there are many ways for an autistic person to “be”. Some are excellent with numbers, math, and logic problems. Some, like RJ Scott’s awesome son, Matt, are very, very, very into ceiling fans. Some are artists. Some are musicians. Some are quiet. Some are talkative.

I live every day with a man on the autism spectrum. My husband has never been formally diagnosed, being of an age slightly before the “Asperger Syndrome” diagnosis became a thing, but I have no doubt that had he grown up only five or seven years later than he did, he’d have been diagnosed as a child. Most people who interact with him would never put him on the spectrum, though to those who do diagnose such things, he is immediately and obviously so. Still, if I had a dime for the number of times I’ve been told, “No, he can’t be on the spectrum. He has a job.” Or, “He can’t be on the spectrum because he obviously loves you very much.” As though people on the spectrum aren’t able to feel love?

My husband is an artist and a musician. He’s an audiophile who is obsessed (and I mean spectrum-level obsessed, y’all) with vintage audio equipment. He’s brilliant with one liners that will stun the person who thinks that just because he’s quiet or can’t talk about football, then he has nothing to bring to the conversation. He is the king of deadpan humor, but he has a very hard time making facial expressions that are socially appropriate, or responding earnestly and with interest to common communication themes. However, if you ask him a simple question about his audio equipment, well, be prepared for a very long (probably quite boring) info dump about the difference in recording quality between cassette tape and CDs.

He hates change.
He loves to travel–so long as he’s with me and can trust that I have it all under control.
He hates sports.
He loves music passionately. But specifically. 🙂

There are so many ways to be an autistic person, or to land anywhere on the autism spectrum. And each of these people have something unique to offer the world, a passion or a love that we can’t always appreciate to the same level, but reminds us that human beings are fascinating creatures with interests of all kinds. And that only human beings truly share these kinds of interests and passions. As far as we know, giraffes and elephants aren’t spending hours of their day analyzing the sound quality offered by cassette tape versus vinyl. Or studying ceiling fans. Or memorizing musical quotes to pull out at just the perfect moment to express a feeling or to sum up a situation. So beautifully, diversely human!

In my serial, Will & Patrick Wake Up Married, I was inspired by my husband to write a highly-functional, deeply loving person on the autism spectrum. The kind of man, like my husband, that most people don’t peg immediately as being on the spectrum, but who behaves in ways that don’t always line up with what society expects. Sometimes that’s funny. And sometimes it’s heartbreaking. But it’s always beautifully human.

CONTEST FOR THE AUTISM BLOG HOP!!!!

A $5 Amazon gift certificate and a copy of the first three episodes of Will & Patrick Wake Up Married. CLICK THROUGH and leave a comment on this Facebook post in order to be considered for the contest. I will choose a winner on May 1, 2018.

In December, I always like to blog about my favorite books of the year. Because I do a lot of editing and beta reading, I recognize that can cause bias, so my only rules for this annual post are: 1) I read the book in 2017 and 2) I had nothing to do with the production of the book. With that in mind, let’s get on to the part where I talk about books! I have nine favorites this year! (Click on any of the covers to go to Goodreads to learn more about the book.)

The Art of Mutual Pleasure by K.A. Meridian – This book has the distinction of being my absolute favorite stroke book of possibly all time. Make of that what you will, but, believe me, a truly filthy and yet wonderful stroke book is hard to find. I, uh, have spent a lot of money and time in the endeavor, let me assure you. Ahem. So, yes, this one is delicious and dirty and I will probably read it again and again. Don’t expect a perfectly told love story. That’s not the point of this book, nor should it be, and therefore if you want that, you’ll be disappointed. If you want something that will be a wonderful one-handed read? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Aqua Follies by Liv Rancourt – A mid-century historical that stuck with me for a long time. I’m not gonna lie to you and say there aren’t a few editing issues in this one, but the book as a whole is worth ignoring every last one of them. I admit I’m a sucker for the forbidden love aspect in historicals of any kind, and reading about a less explored time in terms of gay romance novels (the 1950s) was very enjoyable.

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker – Not a romance (though it contains romantic elements), but one of my absolute favorite reads of recent years. I absolutely loved this book that, to quote the book jacket, “imagines the story of Ragnvald of Maer, the right hand man of King Harald Fairhair, first king of all Norway, and his sister, Svanhild, as she tries to find freedom in a society where the higher her brother rises, the greater her worth as a political pawn.” I give it all the thumbs up and recommend it highly.

The Julia Grey Mysteries by Deanna Raybourn – If I had to sum up 2017 in terms of my reading, it mainly consisted of these books. What I say next will sound like I’m damning them with faint praise, but let me assure you that if I hadn’t read all the books in the series already, I’d absolutely be picking up the next one immediately, because, well, I need books like this in my life. Now, let me explain: these books are perfect bedtime reading for me. They are engaging enough that I care, the characters are interesting enough that I like spending time with them and look forward to it, but the books aren’t so engaging or so interesting that I can’t easily fall asleep after a chapter or two. Not up all night feverishly turning pages. Not stressing about it through the day or dying to get back to it instead of writing my own books. But a lovely, pleasant, perfect interlude at night that I enjoyed and looked forward to. I read all the books in the series this year and I guess I’ll have to re-read them if I want to return to that pleasant little reading bubble. Or maybe I’ll try out Deanna Raybourn’s new lady detective series and hope I find the same level of magic.

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig – this Young Adult time-travel story ended up really getting under my skin in a good way. I think the fact that we ended up going to Oahu, one of the main locations in the book, later this year definitely added to my enjoyment of the book. Regardless, I loved the concept and the execution, too. The one loophole I thought I’d found, I googled and realized that, nope, she’d plugged it, too. Time travel books are usually full of loopholes. It’s hard, y’all, being a writer! I get it! Anyway, the burgeoning romance in this book made me feel all gooey inside and I can’t wait to read the sequel (which is now out!) to find out what happens next!

Just Playing by Ingela Bohm – I love the way Ingela Bohm writes. I can clearly see every single one of her scenes like they are playing out on a screen in front of my eyes. And the way she twists and evokes feelings–gah, my heart. The cover is sexy, yes, but what’s inside is truly divine. This book, set in the UK in 1975, feels so real that it almost physical hurts. I haven’t read the second book in the series yet, mainly because I know it’s going to hurt so good, too. If you haven’t read Ingela before, I recommend her whole-heartedly. Last year her book Rival Poet was in my top reads of the year.

Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr – There’s just something about the way Megan Derr writes her fantasy novels that feels like pulling on a soft sweater and sipping tea in a comfy chair. I always know I’m going to enjoy them in a deep, comforting, wonderful way. So I tend to save them as rewards for myself. I held this book for well over a year before I deemed myself sufficiently productive enough to be allowed to read it. And it was every bit as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. It hit all the tropes of arranged marriages and a tournament to win the hand of a prince, etc. It was just lovely. Recommended!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – An excellent Young Adult fantasy book with magic and pain and angst and oh my goodness that cliff hanger ending! The second book is out, though, so you can read it right away if you’d like. As for me, I finished this one and bought the second one, but put it aside for a time when I could handle the darkness again. This isn’t a pretty book, but it sure is a good one. Recommended.

His Royal Secret by Lilah Pace – Oh, yes, delicious sex scenes and some more forbidden love to round out the list. I enjoyed this one and the sequel very much and recommend it as a comfort read to anyone who enjoys some fun gay romance.

And that finishes up my Favorite Books of 2017 list! I hope you had a good reading year, too!

Cross-posted to: https://steemit.com/reading/@leta-blake/leta-blake-s-top-reads-of-2017

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“The audio is fantastic, and had me engaged throughout. I almost didn’t mind my commutes, knowing I’d spend more time with that textured voice relating Christopher and Jesse’s mutual heartbreaks and mutual passion. I cried, y’all!”

via Heard Great Things! SMOKY MOUNTAIN DREAMS Audiobook review and Giveaway!

Public Offerings

1) Announcing Random Shorts

http://bit.ly/2tAFQ7o

2) What to expect in the next 60 Days (posted July 1)

http://bit.ly/2tBiT3U

$1+ Offerings

1) Chapters 1 – 7 of of Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon:

http://bit.ly/2vNfhIU

2) 52 Weeks of Song posts featuring songs that inspired Smoky Mountain Dreams:

http://bit.ly/2upeLkL

http://bit.ly/2uoMz1v

3) Announcement about Will & Patrick Wake Up Married audiobook (it’s back on again!):

http://bit.ly/2upi5MA

4) Yay Beach! A FewPhotos from Our Beach Trip

http://bit.ly/2uNymgL

5) 52 Weeks of Song posts featuring songs that inspired Training Complex:

http://bit.ly/2vyrq5c

http://bit.ly/2tAEUA9

$5+ Offerings

Everything above PLUS:

1) Training for Fireworks (a 4th of July story, Matty/Rob, Training Season):

Part 1: http://bit.ly/2tRXLSo

Part 2: http://bit.ly/2tRXS0g

2) Tracking what I’ve accomplished since sending Slow Heat to the editor in March:

http://bit.ly/2tBt6NN

3) Vacation post plus a ton of pics in the comments:

http://bit.ly/2uVkr96

4) Sample Scene from the Christmas Book I’m drafting:

http://bit.ly/2uVkrGf

5) A few other short announcement posts about the timing of things and what to expect from Training for Fireworks.

$10+ Offerings

Everything above PLUS:

1) Why I Write Flawed Characters: a post about what drives me to write characters like Matty and Nicky and Zach, etc.

http://bit.ly/2tAUnjy

2) Discussion of Training for Fireworks and how I’d have done it differently if preparing the story for publication outside of Patreon:

http://bit.ly/2unlmhh

3) But That’s Not How It Works… a post about how my characters’ choices don’t feel like authorial choices to me, amongst other ramblings:

http://bit.ly/2uNSO0U

4) Extra Beach Pic:

http://bit.ly/2trFDiB

5) Feeling Thrown: in which I talk about some upsetting news about a friend and how that changes my plans for the year:

http://bit.ly/2tRMiSZ

6) Update on Feeling Thrown

http://bit.ly/2uMQUy7

And that basically recaps July! I’ve got more coming fore all in August! We’d love to have you join us! Come aboard! 😀

So happy with this wonderful review from Top2Bottom Reviews! Thank you!

NOW AVAILABLE AT KOBO, iTUNES, NOOK, and AMAZON.

The Difference Between, written under a new pen name reserved for darker or challenging themes, should be read with caution. Read the blurb carefully and the trigger warning at the start of the book as well. While this book isn’t an easy read, I do consider it one of my most romantic books and I’m proud to have it out there. The emails I’ve received from people who have been prompted to seek out help for their traumas after reading the book in order that they may live a more full life going forward have touched me and made me come to realize that while this was a scary thing to release, it was worth it in every way. Thank you to everyone who chooses to go on this journey and thank you to all who don’t as well. Only you know if this is a journey you want to take.

— Leta Blake

WHAT’S NEW, LETA?

1) Slow Heat! myBook.to/SlowHeat
2) Training Season audiobook! http://adbl.co/2qGrInD
3) Will &Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon on Patreon! http://bit.ly/2k45lcm
4) Will & Patrick in Kindle Unlimited! http://amzn.to/2qK9vtj

***

Let’s talk about Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon. It will be available to $1+ patrons at my Patreon account as a thank you for their generosity and support. Without them, the Training Season audiobook wouldn’t have happened, and the Will & Patrick audiobooks wouldn’t be on their way.

In order to get access to this continuation of Will & Patrick’s story on June 9, 2017, you can join my Patreon with a $1 monthly pledge (or more). The story will be posted as a chapter a week and it will be unedited. Eventually, when I have the funds and time, I’ll pay for edits on the story and put it out on Amazon, but, for now, it will be available only to patrons for the foreseeable future.

***

Let’s talk about the Training Season audiobook! Narrated brilliantly by Michael Ferraiuolo, it is now available on iTunes, Audible, and Amazon. Over twelve hours of Matty goodness available for your ears! 😀

https://letablake.com/2017/06/07/9976/

Thrilled with this first review for my upcoming release, Slow Heat!

RJ Jones has me as a guest! Check it out for a chance to win both The River Leith and the first three episodes of Will & Patrick Wake Up Married!

SURPRISE! A late Valentine’s Day Story!

Training for Surprises (4,000 words, Matty/Rob). For $1+ levels at Patreon: http://bit.ly/2l6fCCp 

“I can’t remember the last time I was this emotionally connected to a book. I read this through in one sitting, and I kept wanting to reach in and shake Peter, or warn him, or give him a hug, or something!! And I’m now so invested I can’t wait for the last installment!”

Read more at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words!

“*5 stars*

Each one is better than the last. And for a series that describes itself as a “romantic comedy” there have been some very complicated and meaningful issues immersed within the romance and the comedy. They actually made me cry, dammit.

Oh and if you haven’t figured it out yet … I totally recommend.”

I’m grateful for this wonderful review of Pictures of You. It’s beautiful.