Leta Blake

author. human. working hard to become stellar at life.

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AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH & A GIVEAWAY!

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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.

Taking Stock of My Year: 2017 Accomplishments & 2018 Goals

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Once again it’s time to take stock of what I’ve accomplished in the last year and what I’d like to do in the next one. As I said last year, I live in a perpetual state of feeling like I’ve never accomplished enough. So sometimes it’s healthy for me to take a minute to say, “Look, you did these things. There’s actual proof!” Also, that’s one of my goals for 2018, to believe I am, and do, and have enough. Because I am, and do, and have enough. It’s true.

In 2017, I published the following new books:

 

Slow Heat Leta Blake

 

In 2017, I released the following audiobooks:


 

In 2017, I  released the following translations:

FRENCH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GERMAN

ITALIAN

In 2017, I also:

  1. wrote 90,000 words of a Christmas book that will be released in December 2018
  2. wrote 33,000 words of Alpha Heat, the sequel to Slow Heat to be released in 2018
  3. wrote 15,000 words of a new Blake Moreno book
  4. added almost 10,000 words to a m/f serial I poke at off and on every year
  5. edited or revised several other unfinished manuscripts, adding words, re-imagining them, or edging them closer to completion
  6. content edited 9 works by other authors ranging in length from 10,000 words to 140,000 words

IN ADDITION, in 2017, I began my Patreon account. This account has been the source of immense emotional, social, and financial support in the last year and I’m so grateful for each and every patron there. I can’t express how much they all mean to me and how they’ve made so much of the good things that happened this year possible. They funded the audiobooks. They held my hand through the realization that my Christmas book would not be ready for release this year. They’ve waited for promised books to have their turn. There’s something to be said for the constant knowledge that I have approximately 100 people out there who believe in me and the books so very much that they are my monthly patrons. My heart swells near to bursting and when writing gets hard, that knowledge is the reason I go on with it. Well, that and the fact that I can’t ever NOT go on with it.

 

Last year in my year end round-up post, I said, “It’s my belief that 2017 will be a building year for me. It will be a lot of work and expense with potentially little profit. It will probably feel a lot like the uphill part of the roller coaster…” and that was a fairly accurate prediction. As you can see, there have been many runs at increasing or creating word count on future book potentialities.

Which brings me to my 2018 Goals…

  1. Alpha Heat, Slow Birth, and Alpha Birth – these are my top priority books for 2018.
  2. Mr. Frosty-Pants – editing and fixing the 90,000 word rough draft in time for Christmas 2018 is my second priority.
  3. Don’t Get Me Wrong – 90’s Coming of Age Book 3 – editing and completing this book, of which I have a 90,000 word rough draft, is my third priority for 2018.
  4. If I manage to get all of the above completed, then I have a Blake Moreno book that I have a rough draft of and a Leta Blake book 40% completed, and I’d choose which of those to focus on.

I actually have several other books listed in my Official 2018 Publishing Plan, stretch goals so to speak. But I won’t mention them here because I feel like managing expectations is probably important, and, frankly, what I’ve listed above is a lot given the realities of my current life as mother of a tween.

I have a number of personal goals for 2018, too, including yoga and travel plans. 2017 was a dark year for me and I do believe that the current political atmosphere negatively impacted my output in a lot of ways. But I’m heading into 2018 with a new outlook regarding my work and myself: I am enough, I do enough, and I have enough. I will make what I can, as I can, and I won’t make myself depressed or sick trying to achieve more, more, more.

Now, to sign off for the year. THANK YOU to all of you amazing, wonderful, fantastic readers and fans out there. You’ve made my writing career a dream come true, and I’m grateful to each and every one of you. I know that when you read a book, you’re spending your precious time, something that can’t ever be gotten back, and I’m beyond grateful for the fact that so many of you choose to spend that sweet time with my characters and books. My joy and sincere wonder in that can’t be expressed in words. Instead, I’ll try to radiate it out to you like a shining sun.

May 2018 bring you all the knowledge that you, too, are enough, do enough, and have enough. May the darkness we’ve been swimming in be purified in the light generated by our love for each other and our determination to bring about a better tomorrow for all of our families, and for ourselves. Cheers!

Cross-posted to https://steemit.com/lgbt/@leta-blake/taking-stock-of-my-year-2017-accomplishments-and-2018-goals

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Leta Blake’s Top Reads of 2017

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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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Attention Will & Patrick fans! Endless Honeymoon on Patreon!

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Attention Will & Patrick fans!!
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The FINAL CHAPTER of Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon has been posted on my Patreon for the $1+ patrons. This book will be released to the wild in February, probably, at $3.99 after it goes through editing. Just a heads up that you can access the unedited version now for a $1 monthly pledge. 
 
You can change or delete your pledge at any time, so you can sign up for a single month of access if all you want is access to the unedited version of Endless Honeymoon for the $1 price. 
 
Link to all W&P’S ENDLESS HONEYMOON CHAPTERS: http://bit.ly/2vNfhIU

Patreon Offerings Recap! ICYMI!

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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! 😀

The Difference Between by Blake Moreno (Leta Blake's alter-ego) NOW AVAILABLE at Nook, iTunes, Kobo!

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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

 

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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/

What's Coming on My Patreon? May & June 2017

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What’s coming for my Patreon in the next few months?
 
May is going to be a big month! The $5+ crowd will be getting the unproofed Advance Review Copies (ARCs) of Slow Heat THIS WEEK. Then hopefully shortly thereafter they’ll have access to the pretty, final, proofed, and formatted copies, too. The Training Season audiobook is also due this month, so the $10+ crowd will be getting access to that file by the end of the month as well.
 
June looks like it will be fun, too! The $1+ folks will be given weekly chapters of Will & Patrick’s Endless Honeymoon. The $5+ folks will get a lot of extras and bonuses from me. The $10+ folks will be given excerpts and chapters of We Can Be Good (’90’s Coming of Age, 3), plus the audiobook for Will & Patrick Wake Up Married.
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Day Job Is Tenuous But the Future Can Be Bright – What's Happening, Leta?

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I have a (wonderful, flexible) day job because I don’t make nearly enough money as a writer to pay my family’s bills. My employer has been sick for 2+ years now and his income has been cut drastically. Obviously, this affects me. It’s a very small business with just me and one other employee. The last time I talked with my employer about my job he said, “I will continue to pay you as long as I can. But I have no idea how long that will be. You need to get ready for that eventuality.”

My current day job allows for a lot of flexibility in my time which has let me write as many books as I have. Since 2013, I’ve put out what amounts to seventeen books. Guys, that’s a lot of books. And I’m nowhere near to earning enough that I don’t need the money from my day job. In fact, book sales were down by 1/3 this year over last and I’m not sure how to reverse that trend. That is, frankly, almost beside the point, though. Book sales go up and down, and there’s nothing I can do about that. All I can control is the making of books and what I spend my time on.

In the face of possibly losing my day job soon, I am determined to be proactive and get ahead of the situation before there is a crisis. I believe in my writing and my readers. I’m not a lazy person. I put a lot of time and effort into my work. I think the number of book releases I’ve had while carrying on a day job and being a good mom shows that. I work hard and harder and more and longer and yet without my day job my family would be in a crisis situation very quickly.

Which brings me to Patreon.

This video explains it better than I ever could. Please take a moment to watch.

“Patreon is for creators who love their communities and the communities who love those creators back.”

I love that line.

Don’t get me wrong! You can love me and my books a whole lot without being part of Patreon and I totally feel that love. More than feel it, I appreciate you deeply and thank you from the bottom of my heart for that love, devotion, and your readership. I get that not all readers can afford to give even a little bit more and I want you to know that I will continue to put out high quality books for you! Patreon won’t affect that at all.

Also, I want to be clear, EVERY SINGLE NEW COMPLETED STORY OR BOOK I WRITE THAT STARTS ON PATREON WILL EVENTUALLY GO OUT INTO THE WORLD FOR ANY READER TO ENJOY. The only difference would be that Patreon subscribers will have early access. I am not offering exclusive content in that way. For example, if I wrote a short story tied into the Wake Up Married universe and put it on Patreon first, I would eventually release it on Amazon, B&N, etc, or put it up free on my blog. Every reader will have access to every new story.

But I also know there are some readers out there who are passionate about some of the books I’ve written, who feel like those characters are friends or family, and who want to be part of seeing new books be built from the ground floor up, and who want and are able to help me do that for a living instead of looking for another day job.

So you’ve figured out that readers would make a monthly pledge to my Patreon account in exchange for more access to what I do. But what’s in Patreon for you as a reader exactly?

I have long known that some readers what more information and access than other readers. Many are happy to pay for a finished book, read it, and be done, but others want more information. What happened to the characters next? What other books do I have coming out? What does it look like behind the scenes of being an author? Not to mention, I’ve always had a lot more to say about my creative process and my books than I’ve taken the time to write up. Mainly because I haven’t thought that was a very good use of my time when I have bills to pay and a sick boss.

But Patreon offers a chance to change that for us! Readers who want more can get more and writers who want to share more can do that without fearing that it’s time taken away from something that will help pay the bills. Throughout time artists and writers have depended on the fans of their work to help support them. Today is no different. Patron acknowledges that and I can’t say how much I appreciate this opportunity the creators of the platform have given us.

Again, readers who don’t want to participate or can’t, I promise that you will still get quality books! Have no fear! I appreciate you and everything you are. Thank you for being readers and fans of my work! Patron or not!

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you’re curious about what I’m doing on my Patreon account, click below and have a look! (Even though it says “Become a patron”, you don’t have to do that just to have a look!) On Friday, I’ll begin posting chapters of my current WIP for all pledges at $5 and up! I’m excited to see how that process goes.

Thank you for reading this and considering contributing!

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A Caryn Review: You Are Not Me (’90s Coming of Age #2) by Leta Blake

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“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!

Smoky Mountain Dreams by Leta Blake on Kindle Unlimited! NOW AVAILABLE! #KU

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Sometimes holding on means letting go 

After giving up on his career as a country singer in Nashville, Christopher Ryder is happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee. But while his beloved Gran loves him the way he is, Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. Even when he’s center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.

Bisexual Jesse Birch has no room in his life for dating. Raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother, he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

AVAILABLE NOW ON KINDLE UNLIMITED FOR 90 DAYS!