Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Sakira's White Hot Wild Boyfriend is Available Now!


Find out just what is UP with the bud vase or, for that matter,  the blood pressure cup or that cotton swab. And then, there are the hot encounters in daring places or mundane places. Oh, let's not kid around, they happen everywhere - the emergency stairwell (very popular), the school nurse's office, a flower shop, a dojo. I think there was a rodeo and a space ship. There's a reason this title is TOO HOT for Amazon Kindle!!

Here's the skinny on Sakira's Wild Boyfriend:

 Tough guy Ran thought Keitatsu was shy and vulnerable as he longed for him from afar. Then, when a brutal act brings them together, Ran discovers that he’s the one in need of a rescue and Keitatsu is more than he or anyone else can handle! Sakira’s long awaited debut collection features hot couples in the wildest first encounters ever! [localized by L.W. Hubbard, D.L. Warner, and Hentai Tenshi]

 Wild Boyfriend – Bousou Kareshi © Sakira. All rights reserved. Original Japanese edition published in 2009 by JUNET Co.,Ltd” This title is available for Nook here http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-boyfriend-sakira/1111509456?ean=2940014800266 or to read online via EManga here: http://www.emanga.com/books/Wild_Boyfriend .

Read about all the most recent TOO HOT titles here: http://www.digitalmanga.com/blog/2583/steamy-weekend-yaoi-vol-3

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Andreas Comes Alive, Naughty Freebies and Protective Ukes


I have to preempt my planned blog to have a flailing fit over a photo I spied in a web magazine called Gaytwogether.com. This image appeared on Friday. Maddeningly, there is no name for the model. There is no listing even for an agency!! Anyway, feast your eyes on the embodiment of Andreas Hesper from Ensnared. He would have no beard or mustache, but that's him! I was distracted most of the day trying to find out who represents this dreamboat. I was hoping to hire him to do some photos for posters and the like. Alas, there was no info on him to be had from the website or the photo. At any rate, it isn't often that I've seen an near perfect representation of a character in real life. I thought my readers might enjoy looking at that face as much as I did.

Now, where was I?

Naughty Freebies

I'm planning on doing a few convention appearances this year. Thus far, there is The West Hollywood Book Fair in September, Yaoicon in October and Bent Con in December. For those occasions, I am planning on giving away some fun merchandise that is in keeping with the themes of my yaoi books. This has made for some entertaining things turning up in my search history. I'll bet you never thought about how many kinds of key words it took to find novelty packets of mini lube. The right word is pillows. Pillows??!! I found them on Amazon, believe it or not. Little did I know that putting them on my wish list or favoriting something on Etsy like the 'Pocket Sadist' mini flogger would end up on my Facebook page. Not that I hide my interests or the nature of my writing, but an image of a big bucket o' lube (really, amazon?) or an image of a mini flogger is waaaay more 'in your face' than I ever am. Ah, well. On the plus side, I did find a lot of really cool things to give away at these events. And no worries if you aren't planning on attending any of them1 I'm planning on contests that will coincide with the events where my readers can get a chance to win some or all of these items. Along with the naughty things, there will be fun stuff like illustrated short stories featuring my yaoi men and an illustrated cookbook by Vincent Greven and a Dami ear tag and collar from Ensnared. I'll have more details and images of all of the freebies closer to the events.

Onto my original topic of the day!

Protective Ukes

I've talked a lot about possessive Semes, because I adore them. What's the point of being a Seme if it isn't to be crazy possessive? I've also talked about the headstrong uke. There is another type of uke that I adore reading and watching and writing. I really adore the protective uke. That trait seems to be counter-intuitive. The definition of being a uke is being submissive to a dominant partner. Such dominants are powerful people. How could a uke think his Seme would need protecting? The Seme's I like the best are very complicated. As powerful as they really are, there is always some vulnerability in the Semes I like to follow and most definitely in the ones I like. Let's take one my very favorite yaoi couples, Akihiko Usami and Takahashi Misaki of Junjuo Romantica. Usami or Usagi is a very powerful man. He is wealthy and successful and well regarded. His confidence is so absolute that it often drifts into arrogance. Yet, from the beginning of their relationship and before they were really lovers, Misaki sensed that Usagi was fragile emotionally. He is protective of him even from his own brother's insensitivity. Later, he is vehement in defending Usagi against anyone who had a bad word against him – even if those words were true. I adore the complex interplay between these two adorable men.

My own ukes are very protective of their Semes. Darius Galatea of Ensnared Volumes 1&2 is literally the most powerful being on the planet. Yet even he is vulnerable if he has a perceived weakness or eccentricity. His choice of Andreas Hesper as a lover alone could endanger his life. Andreas is sensitive to this concern from the start of their relationship. He is very protective of the image Darius presents while they are together. Though Andreas cannot bear the thought of being apart from Darius, he is consumed with the concern that their relationship will cause his lover's downfall or even his death. Many of his actions during Volume Two, including cutting himself off from his oldest friend, are about protecting Darius from forces that are almost as powerful as he is seeking to take his position and his life. In the Soldiers books (A Soldier's Choice and A Soldier's Fate), The physically powerful Colonel Rik Heron is vulnerable from forces in the military that helped create him and he is emotionally fragile. Upon his return from oblivion Vincent has two purposes in life – loving Rik Heron and protecting him from all threats. Vincent is also willing to protect his lover from even those closest to them. In both cases, the ukes biggest fight in protecting their respective Semes is with the Semes themselves. Often, it is their own behavior that causes the biggest problems. For Andreas, this is a very delicate dance he must do with his Seme. Darius was literally bred to lead. His words are like laws – they must be obeyed. It is difficult to get him to accept that he even needs protecting let alone allow others to act on his behalf. Vincent, on the other hand, can be much more direct. He makes sure his lover eats and rests. And everyone knows that to cross Rik means that Vincent's powerful anger and his dangerous abilities will be aimed squarely at the threat. This facet to these love stories makes them more compelling for me as a reader and a writer. Hopefully my readers will feel the same. For links to excerpts from these books or links on where to purchase the books, see the MENU to the right.

Next time, an exciting preview to the next yaoi manga I worked on for DMG. It's Sakira's white hot Wild Boyfriend!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Anime Expo Cuties and Muse Music


Image courtesy of Anime Expo
I took time from work to get my geek on a little bit. I went to Anime Expo as it is a mere 30 minutes from my house. AX was a personal treat, because there was all kinds of firm fleshed young men that were either nearly undressed or wearing paint or very tight costumes. And then, there were all the anime and manga related goods to explore. The young men wouldn't let me explore them. All this talk about 'laws' and 'lewd' acts. Bah! The two big reasons I attended in the middle of the mayhem that is my work, was to meet the bosses at Digital Manga who send me wonderful yaoi to edit. In fact, a new title is going to be distributed widely sometime this week. I'm very excited about it as it is a very funny and extremely naughty book! We got to chat with some of the folks who run the Digital Manga Guild. I even had a chance to chat with the president of the company! The other reason for the trip was a visit with the talented ladies behind Teahouse Webcomic. I am such a huge fan of this series! And I am so in love with their newest character, Gilder. I love this big, scary strong, yet sweet Seme! I walked away with some gorgeous artwork and trinkets featuring him. Sugoi! A great time was had by all, despite not wranglin' that herd!

Muse Music

I've had a few conversations on various writing forums about the environment necessary for writing well. Many of them have spaces just for writing that are quiet and free of distraction. I never had that – ever. My childhood home was filled to the rafters with our immediate and extended family. I always shared a bedroom. We didn't have a study. If we had, I do not doubt there would have been a distant relative living in it. I learned to do homework with the TV blaring and every day life bellowing around me. To this day, I can tune out the most raucous of settings and work. The communal household also made playing music to work by difficult. You see, young-uns, I am from the age before headphones. We had a hi-fi (boy, that was a major piece of equipment) and later, a boom box. By the time things like the walkman or discman came along, I was simply used to whatever ambient sounds were around me when I wrote.

Only recently did I start writing while listening to music. It started with A Soldier's Fate. I had become enamored with Yoko Kanno's music for Ghost in the Shell Second Gig. This sequel to Soldier's Choice has a melancholy air to it due to the separation and tension Rik and Vincent endure in the book. Also, there was the theme in the background of the plot that these soldiers must be willing to give their lives at any moment to make sure their given objective is achieved. I found the song, Rise, summed up all those things for me. I also found the song Get 9 reminded me of Falcon Squad, Rik and Vincent's unit. It was a funky tune with attitude that fit the personality of that squad. I wouldn't listen while I wrote, but I would listen when I was having a block. The song Rise in particular helped me get through a scene at the climax of Soldier's Fate where Rik and Vincent are trying to survive a brutal attack. The song has a haunting quality to it. There is a sense that death is something that a soldier expects, but they must fight anyway. In that case, they are fighting to survive.

Ensnared has an entirely different vibe. It is drenched in sensuality even when Darius and Andreas are nowhere near a bedroom. Early on, Darius spends every waking moment after meeting Andreas on a campaign of seduction. Even though Darius owns Andreas through a happenstance of fate, he still works to seduce his lover so thoroughly that leaving their relationship will be completely out of the question. The seduction continues during the time they are forced to be separated. There are intimate meals and sexy notes and detailed wet dreams. All of that sexuality can only mean that Sade is my musical muse. In fact, the song that Andreas has played to get a rise out of Darius when they first meet is Sade's Smooth Operator  . The song seemed to describe Lord Darius Galatea, and I could see these beautiful men dancing closely while listening to it. I use most of the songs from Sade's early CDs for inspiration in writing the saga of Darius and Andreas. Yes, there are more to come!

The current book, A Soldier's Destiny, seems to have a Jpop vibe. I'm listening to Theatre Brook and Yuya Matsushita. There's an edginess to the music that matches all the action and intrigue in this book. There is still some melancholy for my leading men. They will be put through a lot once again, but I'm hoping that the reader will sense that they have a lot more control over what will happen in their lives. Yes, I'm getting all that from the music. I still don't actually write to music, but it has become useful to feeding my muse.

Updates

I am doing the sound mix for the second CLU video with the cutie pie actors while in pre-production for the next shoot. I'll make no promises. I'll just announce when I do the upload.