Ǥilakas'la Welcome!

Ǥilakas'la Welcome!

I thought that seeing as Jamie came up with a little of the Hawaiian language and shared it with you all, I'd do the same, but with the Kwak'wala language. This is the language of the native people in the area where I live. No, I'm not native, but I do have native friends and I have done some research into the language for a novella I wrote some time ago. Unfortunately, the publisher who took it went under before it was published and I've yet to find a good home for it—and, how appropriate, the title of the story is 'Finding Home'.

I think I'd best tell you a little about myself and what brought me here. I've been writing forever, like so many other authors. When I was very young, I remember writing little plays and forcing all my friends to help put them on. Parents must have cringed when they got the invitations. Mermaids, sea pirates, cowboys and there was always some romance in there, which the boys detested, or course. LOL Later on, I wrote poetry, badly, but at least I didn't force it upon anyone. And still later, I wrote erotica, which I thought was the most perverted stuff in the world and hid from everyone. Who knew it was something people wanted to read?

I came online in the late '90s and had my first novella published by the tiny e-publishing house of Amatory Ink in 1999, I believe. The owner called it quits a couple of years later and my work was released back to me. It's taken me ten years to get where I am today, and it's been one hell of an interesting journey.

You'll find bits of my work all over, some are pretty good, others, I'm not so sure about. LOL I think the very first submission is still online, a place called 'The Bare Mistress' website. I can't honestly remember the work, but it was BDSM oriented and probably badly written. That was kwisa'yanxt a and years ago. If you ever find it, let me know, I'd love to see it.

I've met some xanyasa, amazing, people online. People I'd have no hope of actually physically meeting. Most importantly, for me, I've been able to meet writers and readers who want to get their hands on the books I've written. That is such an incredible thing. To actually talk to people who understand the frustrations and joys of this lonely craft, without my having to go into detailed description, and still have them look at me as if I'm an alien. And the readers, they are such a blessing. Meeting them, getting to know some of them, you, is a dream come true. I was completely shocked when a reader got all gah gah about talking to me. I mean, I'm just a woman sitting in a little room with a computer staring at her. It's a nice computer, but it's not as nice as some. Don't ever be afraid to say hi, I'd truly love to hear from you.

Let's see, what else might you be interested in? If you'd like to check out some of my writing, I'm currently published with Phaze and Total E Bound, as well as several smaller e-zines and an audio site that's just getting its feet under itself called, A Woman's Goodnight. I often tell people to Google me; you'll find all kinds of stuff about me and what's going on in my writing life. Oh, I've got a website I'm pretty pleased with and if I had to do THAT again, I'd do only one thing differently. I'd name it after myself, instead of how it feels to me. You'll find oodles to do there. Free reads, puzzles and wallpaper for your computer and much, much more.

'm'mu'lakwala, thank you, for joining me and I hope you drop in often to see what we're gabbing about. Each week we'll have a different topic and hopefully some interesting chatter. And don't forget our contest! Every time you leave a comment this week, you're entered to win a $30 Amazon gift certificate!

Good luck and ǥila's a̱'eda̱'aḵax̱, come back, soon.

Hugs
Jude

Aloha

by Jamie Hill

Let me be totally honest with you—I’m not from Hawaii, never been there, might never go. Recently I wrote a story for Total E-Bound’s Pleasure Bound Anthology (coming June 2009) and I had to choose an exotic setting. Folks, I’m from the Midwest. California is exotic to me. Anyway, they let me choose Hawaii. I scoured the internet for details on the Hawaiian language including pidgin slang, which I found very interesting and entertaining. Now I like to sprinkle it in my conversation. Maybe it makes me feel like part of Dog the Bounty Hunter’s posse. I dunno.

But, I digress. (Get used to it.)

Howzit? I’m Jamie Hill, erotic romance author and another member of the new Get a Grip crew. This is my introductory post where I tell you all about myself so I’ll try to make it wiki wiki—very fast. *G*

I write contemporary erotic romance with happy endings. Originally published in 2006, my first novel and anthology stories (most can still be found at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid) were all heterosexual. Pretty soon I discovered there was a market out there for gay and lesbian books. Personally, I’ve always felt that love is love and hot sex is hot sex, no matter who's involved. So I gave it a shot.

I have two lesbian titles right now with a third due out this summer. I have six or seven gay novels and stories, with about a dozen more due out this year. (Yes, I discovered this is my favorite genre to write. Leave out the women and their angst, make it two men and what fun you can have! Hee hee hee) My gay and lesbian titles can be found at Phaze and Total E-Bound Publishing. I also have hetero titles at both places and at Freya’s Bower, where I have a fun romantic suspense chapter book called Edge of Sanity.

I’ve written lots of different types of romance: straight contemporary, paranormal with ghosts, suspense, and horror (scratch the happy endings in the horror stuff.) With my writing partner Jude Mason I’ve written shape shifters (cougars, bears and wolves), and we have a new series out this year involving m/m sex and ghosts. Yum! I’m also tinkering with D/s and BDSM.

I guess you can see, I don’t fit into a niche. I tell people to wander around my website to discover what kooky things my imagination has conjured up. I always label my books so you’ll know what you’re getting. If a certain genre isn’t to your liking, keep looking. I’ve got lots to choose from.

That’s me in a writing nutshell. Oh, there are plenty more stories to be told, but since this is a weekly blog, I’d better save some for later. Pau hana. Quitting time.

Mahalo, thanks for stopping by our blog, and I promise you I won’t be acting like a mainlander and trying to speak Hawaiian next time. Oh wait, no promises from this crew! You never know what might happen here... and don't forget our contest! Every time you leave a comment this week, you're entered to win a $30 Amazon gift certificate!

A hui hou – See you again!

And so it begins...

by Lisabet Sarai

Initiation by Eric Maslowski

Initiation. The word evokes images of secret rituals, trials designed to test the mettle of novices who seek knowledge or power or membership in some elite association. Rites of passage. Transitions from innocence to experience. Of course “initiation” also simply means “beginning”, but its deeper meaning has more emotional resonance, especially for a writer.

We’ve all lived through initiations. The first nasty rejection. The first scathing review. The first public reading of our work. The first tattoo or piercing. For some of us, the first time we were bound or sodomized, or the first time we made love to someone of our own gender.

Initiations are challenging and often uncomfortable. Looking back, we might forget the discomfort, but the reality is that it’s never easy. However, these experiences usually make us wiser or stronger -- more skilled, more sensitive or more loving. That’s the whole point.

So, what does this have to do with “Oh Get A Grip”? For the last two years, I’ve been resisting the universal recommendation that every author should blog regularly. I wasn’t willing to make the commitment. I don’t have anything to say, I rationalized – though whenever I was invited to guest blog, I always managed to fill the page. I don’t have the time, I complained to anyone who would listen. (Not too many people did, of course. They were too busy blogging!) I knew in my heart that I should bite the bullet and join the blogosphere, but I was reluctant. I resisted making the next transition in my developing career as an author.

Then, out of the blue, one of the former members of “Oh Get A Grip” contacted me, asking if I’d like to take over her slot, as she was planning to move on. I figured this was a sign. I swallowed hard and agreed. The next thing I knew, the whole original Grip crew wanted to retire. I thought long and hard. Did I want to find another group and take over responsibility for the whole shebang? I loved the topic-based organization and the lively discussions – could my group and I do as well, keep the energy flowing?

I – we – have decided to try. This week you’ll meet a whole new collection of authors, most of them friends and colleagues whom I’ve known (on the ‘Net, at least) for years. We all write erotic romance, erotica, or some combination. We’re all rather opinionated. (That’s meant to be a compliment, guys...!) I’m hoping that, in collaboration with our readers, we can create an enlightening, exciting and entertaining space here in the cyberworld.

We can’t do this without you. We want you to participate! Don’t just read, comment! In fact, to get you into the habit, all this week we’re running a “Grand Re-Opening” contest. Every time you leave a comment, you’re entered to win. The prize is a $30 Amazon gift certificate – bound to be useful in today’s lean times. I’ll announce the winner next Sunday right here. Stay tuned!

I’m about to hit the “Post” button, sending this inaugural message into public view. I am definitely nervous. Once you cross the threshold, there’s no going back. Once you’ve survived the trial by fire, you can only look ahead to the next challenge.

I’m looking forward to new tests and new opportunities to grow.

Welcome to the next generation of the Grip!

Image used with permission. Visit Eric's website for more compelling digital art.