Saturday, 6 September 2014

Sometimes little things seriously naff * me off

Now I know that much of what you put on the internet is there for all the world to see and that certain sites are just a collecting place for ideas and images meant to be readily shared. One such site is Pinterest, which I use--among other things--to  collect images for various stories that I am writing. To give me an idea of the plane a certain character flies, the clothes another one might wear, or the animals that can be found in certain parts of a particular country.

And therein lies the reason for my displeasure. I collected details of the types of antelopes living in South Africa and popped those animals' pictures and range maps into a Pinterest board to refer back to them later. Job done. One made it into the story and though I might not need to look at those pictures again, I kept them up for completion sake.

Animal conservation is high on my list of priorities. (Avoid palm oil in products if you can, people--although it is damn near impossible. Palm oil production is destroying the habitat of the Orangutan leaving the animal on the endangered list.)

So imagine my annoyance when this email from Pinterest turned up in my inbox.


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I tried not to jump to conclusions but one click onto the board confirmed my fears. 

Happy pinning! I'll pin something somewhere, but knowing Pinterests rules on what can and can't be pinned I doubt if anyone would ever see the photo should I manage it.

Okay, rant over. If anyone fancies having a glance at my pins they are here. There's no order over there so you'll have to take me as you find me and not all boards are story related.



*And for the curious, the Urban Dictionary has this to say about the word naff:

British slang, today meaning uncool, tacky, unfashionable, worthless... or as a softer expletive, in places where one might use "fuck" as in "naff off", "naff all", "naffing about". 

Origins of the word are disputed, but it appears to have come from Polari (gay slang), used to dismissively refer to heterosexual people. It was introduced as a less offensive expletive verb ("naff off") in the '70s UK television show, Porridge. "Naff off!" was famously used by Princess Anne in 1982.

(Most of which is backed up by Oxforddictionaries.com )







Tuesday, 19 August 2014

Hear me rawr

More bear talk over at the dreamspinner blog today.

I reveal what inspired me to write my story.


bear IOW photo bear-IOWzoo_zpsf5b3266f.jpg
Hmm, food.
Copyright Lillian Francis


See what my fellow authors have to say about their contributions.

Don't forget that 25% off code should still be good through today.


Monday, 18 August 2014

If you go down to the woods today

be sure to take your copy of the brand new anthology A Taste of Honey which is released today.

A collection of 14 stories all about bears and the men in their lives.

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Copyright Lillian Francis

No, not that kind of bear. Stuffed or otherwise. These bears.

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As you can see from the banner my story is titled Barefoot. Here's the blurb.

A crunching tackle brought Finn’s rugby career to a premature end, shattering his confidence and leaving him shy and insecure about his sexuality, despite his size. Now, knowing how it feels to be left with no hope for the future, he volunteers at a homeless shelter.

One night he gives up his shoes to a homeless man. Of course, that’s the night he finally gets an opportunity to talk to Sam, the cute twink he’s been crushing on.

Available from Dreamspinner 

A coupon code has been created for the ATOH launch.  The code is: ATOH2014 (case sensitive).  It gives everyone 25% off both the ebook and the paperback (1 use per customer) and lasts for 3 days starting Sunday. (For for those in Australia, it starts around mid-day Saturday and lasts for 3 days starting then.) 

Tomorrow I'll have a post over at the Dreamspinner blog about my inspiration for the story.

Friday, 1 August 2014

Rebate

Ellora's Cave are offering a 25% rebate on all their books at All Romance ebooks. So, you can pick up both of my novel length stories there and get money to spend on other books.


In other news, alien pod plants found in Kent. 

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copyright Lillian Francis



Maybe I've discovered the place where all those perfect fellas that populate the pages of our favourite gay romances are grown.



Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Coming soon

a brand new story from yours truly.

Barefoot will be appear in the new Dreamspinner anthology A Taste of Honey.


A Taste of Honey

In the mood to try something sweet? How about a collection of stories about bears and the special men in their lives? Guys don’t have to be in their twenties, perfectly sculpted, and hairless to be hot. Bears are real men with real bodies—and that doesn’t always mean a perfect six-pack or an immaculately smooth chest. With bears, it can mean more man to love. The men in this anthology are chubs, cubs, grizzlies, pandas, polar bears, and more—all looking for a connection. And beneath their burly physiques are hearts of gold. Explore the bear scene and beyond with these big, hairy guys and the men who find them irresistibly sexy.



A Taste of Honey is due for release on 18th August and is available for pre-order here.


Thursday, 10 July 2014

A New Home

As some of you may know, my Christmas story 'When Love Flue In' has been out of print since the demise of Silver publishing earlier in the year.

Well, I'm delighted to reveal that the story now has a new home with Totally Bound. It will be released in time for the holiday season.

Important dates:

Preorder: 24th October 2014

Early download: 7th November 2014

General release: 5th December 2014


This story will finally get its own cover.

Yay!

What do you think will/should grace the cover?