Leta Blake

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

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Smoky Mountain Dreams! Want to know what Gatlinburg is like? Now you can experience it yourself! :D #gatlinburg #extras

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I didn’t actually have to watch this video myself in order to write about Gatlinburg since I’ve been there many times over the course of my life. In fact, my folks used to take my brother and I up there as kids for little day trips on random weekends. I actually wrote about 50% of Smoky Mountain Dreams during a week’s stay in Gatlinburg in June of 2014 and went to Puckers and a few other places to make sure I got the descriptions right in the book. (By the way, there is a lingering shot of the Puckers sign at the end of this video.)

I wouldn’t say this is the best video of Gatlinburg. For one thing there is that unfortunate red truck blocking the view of a lot of it. I much prefer the video I posted earlier this month. I think it gives a better feel for the place. But I do think this gives one an idea of the landscape and the crowds and the way the traffic flows through there (and why Christopher is always taking shortcuts). It’s a busy little place akin to, say, Daytona Beach in the mountains in terms of quality of shopping experience and type of crowds. It might even be described as trashy. I’m okay with that. 🙂

So here you go! Complete with a Dolly Parton song! 😀

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and 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.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and 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.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

That HILARIOUS time someone made Gatlinburg look awesome! #LOL #gatlinburg #lies

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This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most hilarious videos I watched while looking for ways to show readers Gatlinburg in order to add to their experience of reading Smoky Mountain Dreams. Someone made a very lovely video of only the very choicest shopping centers in this tacky little town and put it up like it was a walk in Gatlinburg at night. Hahahaha! No, my sweet readers, this is a walk through one rather quaint shopping center. The rest of Gatlinburg is a hilarious, tacky, flapjack fueled mess. 😀 (That I happen to love very much.)

LIES! This video is LIES. But cute lies.

Sister Songs: 500 Miles & A Sorta Fairytale

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In my last Sister Songs post, I talked about two songs that I feel like are the same character at different points in their life. (I actually think Curtain Call is also that character.) But this time, I feel like these are two alternate takes on the same event, like the same character taking the same journey, covering the same exact days, but in one take they are “a sorta fairytale” kind of days and in the other they have a more positive spin.

500 Miles

[youtube=http://youtu.be/K00n8Ud2jOs]

A Sorta Fairytale

[youtube=http://youtu.be/jqSlrmzLnbI]

Straight Guys Aren’t That Different… Right? – YouTube

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Straight Guys Aren’t That Different… Right? – YouTube.

I love this Davy Wavy video. He cracks me up.

I lost several hours last month when I was sick watching the videos of the straight guy in this particular Davy Wavy video, and then jumping over to some other mutual friend of theirs. It was a highly unproductive day. Heh. But fun!

Crap Happens! AKA The Truth About Anal Sex #davywavy #gay #sex

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Reading a gay erotic romance novel, you’d never know that anal sex between men wasn’t clean, easy, and fuss-free. However, as the following videos with Davy Wavy attest, that’s not always (or possibly even often) the case.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/EzH5kIEGmBk?t=2m27s]

[If the above YouTube video isn’t cued to the right place, it’s at 2:27.]

It’s interesting that in the video above they are discussing the tendency of the porn industry to also present anal sex as totally poop free. From that, I think we can all concur that lots of poop on dicks isn’t considered an ideal turn-on for human beings in general. There’s a reason it’s left out of porn and erotic romance scenes.

But, as Davy points out, it does happen. That’s why many gay men douche or use enemas to try to keep it from interfering as much as it might otherwise. It’s one reason, I think, that not a single gay man who has reviewed my book Training Season has made any noise at all about the scene where one of the MCs uses an enema as part of a non-sexual BDSM scene with his boyfriend. [Perhaps that’s another topic for another day: BDSM scenes are not always sexual.] Many straight female readers, however, have really clutched their pearls over that scene.

I can’t say that surprises me. When the characters started that scene when I was writing it, I said, “Hey, guys, readers are going to hate this. Stop.” But they didn’t stop. So I wrote it. And then editors didn’t hate it. So, we left it in, and went with it. I’m glad that we did. I feel like it’s something that is real and isn’t seen in every book out there.

I remember when I was in college an older friend said to me, “You know you’re with a man who really loves you if you can take a shit in front of him and he still finds you attractive later.” At the time I pondered that comment a lot, but I do think she was on to something there. I appreciated the characters in the book going to a place that few people seem entirely willing to even think about going. The scene was intimate and intense, but not sexual, and advanced the story in an important way.

Anyway, yes, shit happens during anal sex. Porn and the erotic romance might not want to show those realities very often, but I think that there is something almost fetishistic about refusing to contemplate the potential realities associated with a certain act. And I think the fact that gay male readers haven’t found the scene problematic speaks rather clearly to the fact that they’re cool with enemas and other preparation for anal sex that might include the dreaded poo. It’s straight female readers, who often aren’t as familiar with anal sex or the prep that goes with it, who are reacting so negatively to a preparatory scene, and, well, I think that says something interesting, too. Something worth mentioning and thinking about.

Anyway, below is Davy Wavy giving some life tips from his bedroom. Two are applicable to this post: when it doubt douche it out, and shit happens so don’t buy white sheets.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/KdifTiEzXaE]

cover-web-copy
Training Season can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords. And also on iBooks.
Unquestionably talented figure skater Matty Marcus is willing to sacrifice everything for his Olympic dream, but his lack of discipline cost him the gold once before. Now the pressure’s on. He needs a coach who can keep him in line, but top coaches don’t come cheap, and Matty can’t afford to stay in the game no matter how badly he wants to win.
When a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana, Matty does his best to maintain his training regimen. Local residents turn out to be surprisingly tolerant of his flamboyant style, especially handsome young rancher Rob Lovely, who proves to be much more than a cowboy stereotype. Just as Matty requires a firm hand to perform his best on the ice, Rob shows him how strong he can be when he relinquishes control in the bedroom. With new-found self-assurance, he drives himself harder to go straight to the top.
But competition has a timetable, and to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to join his new coach in New York City, leaving Rob behind. Now he must face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned how to win—on and off the ice—during his training season?

Pat & Billy are GETTING MARRIED! #vlog #gay #marriage

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A friend of mine suggested to me that I watch Pat & Billy vlogs on YouTube awhile back when I was having a bad day. She guaranteed that these videos would cheer me up and bring me joy. Oh my gosh, you guys, seriously, these vids have become my absolute go-to videos for feeling good.

So, let me walk you through some highlights so you can also fall in love with them and start to follow them on YouTube (and Twitter and Instagram) like I have. *cough*

1. How they met which is a charming, wonderful, sweet, and awwww-my-heart story. (Though please ignore the one moment of ableism which they at least seemed to catch and cut off quickly.)

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Q1rSu0rtebY]

2. How they got engaged. Loved it because it was realistic and not some over-the-top story of full-on dance numbers and hot air balloon rides.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/rkgewHjIpE8]

3. Their discussion of PDA and if they do PDA and why or why not.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/BGYTzvsVwDA]

4. Will they take each other’s last name? This one isn’t so much darling as just really interesting. As a woman, I had so many of these same issues when I got married. I liked seeing dudes struggle with this.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/k9d6QEa2zvk]

5. And they answer with charm and hilarious adorableness the really annoying question of “Who is the bride?”

[youtube=http://youtu.be/e7yakd-wyKk]

6. Pat and Billy react to the many outraged reactions to their announcement that they were not going to have a traditional tiered wedding cake. Hilarious! Adorable! Too cute!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/GppAOveFQzw]

Now, admit it! You love them, too! Go forth and follow them on social media far and wide! Do not follow them in person, though, because that’s creepy.

Sacrilege

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I have been thinking about this video for days, including while replying to my post about being an ally. It’s fascinating and so well done. Be sure to watch to the end.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/62820182]

In My Blood Like Holy Wine

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caseofyou

 

As a writer, there is no doubt that parts of people I’ve loved, if only momentarily, pours out of me in the lines that come out of my fingers.

The other day, I wrote a line in my most recent work in progress about a woman’s ankles. It was written instinctively, it came out of the character’s mouth as easily as breath, and yet my mind went back to a woman who taught British Literature when I was in college. I no longer remember her name or her face, but I remember her captivating ankles. If I had been gay or a straight man, I’d have attempted a move on her due to her ankles alone. Most of her has vanished from my  memory, but a part of her poured from my soul in the moment I wrote the lines for my character. She touched me. Or her ankles did.

This is a superficial example. I have characters who suddenly spout off a version of my father’s position in our last argument, or my good friend’s confession about her desire for babies, or start to eat pepperoni slices out of a massive bag a la The Pepperoni Lady at my prior job.

If I know you, if I’ve loved you, part of you will pour out of me in these lines from time to time. When and where and what there is no telling or any way to plan, but it will be happen. Because you live in me, some part of you, forever.

Go Slow by Haim

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I’m obsessing over this band and this song especially. A full-length album would be much appreciated! From what I can tell, their EP is only available on iTunes.

Fanworks Friday: The King of Anything

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This vid. Oh, wow. I love it still. So much. Thank you, Amelia, for making it. Soaps are awful evil things that are ridiculous and melodramatic, but I guess I love that somtimes, because, gosh, I loved Luke and Reid. The less I say about the character of Noah, though, the better.

The song can be found HERE.

Fanwork Friday: Cosmic Love = Fandom Love

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Festivids is an annual fanvidding festival which always delivers a variety of fun, thought provoking, entertaining, intense, emotional vids. Today I’d like to highlight my favorite one of the year. This multifandom feat by Anonymous. (Names are revealed later in the process after everyone has the chance to view the vids without preconceived notions based on past associations with the vidders.)

This particular vid is multifandom and, more importantly, meta–which are always my favorite kind of vids. In this case, Florence is a representational stand-in for fans, and that is used to great effect to show the power that good storytelling via movies and television can drive fans into frenzies of emotion.

I think it is absolutely work the small difficulties of having to click through to the link–here have it again–and type in the password to view. It’s absolutely lovely and features a wide variety of shows and movies.

Fanwork Friday: Dancers

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I’m not sure if this counts as a fanwork, necessarily, but I figure I might as well claim that it is. If I am a fan of Casey Stratton’s, then I’m going to assume that two girls who put so much time, effort, and passion into choreographing a dance to one of his more obscure songs are fans, too.

http://youtu.be/MxT5jOkqkM8