The BLOGGIES are Back~Nominate Now!

That's right, kids! It's time to nominate your favourite blogs for the 11th Annual Weblog Awards, affectionately known as the Bloggies.

All you have to do is visit http://2011.bloggi.es/ to get nominating. Hell, nominate your friends if you want (that's what I did for the most part...although mainly because I love their blogs even more than I love them. Kidding!) or even, I don't know, nominate me? I mean, if you want to...shucks...it's totally up to you...but there is a category for Canadian blogs and another for LGBT blogs...

Okay, I'll quit being coy and just give you the cold, hard facts:

• If you're thinking of nominating, do it now! Nominations close Sunday January 16th 2011 at 10p.m. EST. Again, the go-to website is http://2011.bloggi.es/

After that:

Wednesday, January 19

200 randomly selected voters receive an invitation to choose the finalists from a list of the most-nominated weblogs in ten random categories.

Monday, January 24 10:00 PM EST

Finalist voting closes. The five (or six for Weblog of the Year) weblogs with the most votes become finalists. I will solve any ties for fifth place.

Tuesday, February 1

Finalists are announced and voting reopens to all to choose the winners.

Sunday, February 20 10:00 PM EST

Voting closes.

Sunday, February 27 8:00 PM EST

Winners are announced and the Weblog of the Year receives a prize of 2,011 US cents (US$20.11).

So there's some added incentive: your favourite blog could win $20.11! LOL Gee, that could pay your...cable bill...in 1983...

Okay, I'm being snarky, but seriously do nominate your favourite blogs today. There are so many different categories and I'm sure you'll have fun perusing the site. Again, it's http://2011.bloggi.es/

Have fun!

Giselle

Journal SCIENCE Reports Women's Tears are a Turn-Off to Men

According to one small and as-yet unreplicated study reported in the journal SCIENCE, the scent of women's tears lessen men's states of sexual arousal.

Experimenters had women cry into buckets (kidding--into test tubes, of course. This is science, after all!) and then put those tears on damp pads which they then placed under men's noses. Men self-reported lesser states of arousal as compared to when pads with a saline solution were placed under their noses.

Scientists are very interested in studying tears cried from emotion pain because they haven't yet established a clear evolutionary reason for them. What's the point in crying?

Well, this group of scientists have offered some weak and, in my radical feminist mind chauvinistic, conclusions. Most notably, that women obviously cry more while we're menstruating as a signal to men that we're not fertile at the moment, so don't even try. Hmm...a lot of bizarre assumptions being made there. If I were around these scientists while I had my period, I might just get a little stabby.

And I think the result of this study might have been a little different if the subjects actually got to SEE these women while they were crying. Call me a sick freak if you want to, but I think a woman in tears is incredibly alluring. Woman are gorgeous when they're crying. Even when it's that mascara-drizzling ugly-cry. It's the emotion, I think, and the intensity of it that gets me.

But, hey, I don't have a man's body chemistry and I won't pretend I do. I'm just one more freaky queer chick with a crying fetish. Though, I must admit, I love seeing men cry too.

Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

Visit me online
http://donutsdesires.blogspot.com
http://www.GiselleRenarde.webs.com
http://twitter.com/GiselleRenarde

New Book Cover: Painting With Brushes

My next MMF Menage short comes out February 20, 2011 from Amber Heat and I just got my grubby little hands on the cover. It's cute and fun and wonderfully depicts the comic tone of this erotic work!

Claudia detests Mark. Mark detests Claudia. They both love Jason Paul.

Two years after Claudia’s husband leaves her to live with Mark, she finds herself unemployed but desperate to stay in the city. As she sees it, the only solution is to move in with Jason Paul and his new love Mark—whom she despises. As she and Mark paint her new bedroom together, sparks ignite and Claudia realizes the romantic and erotic possibilities of having two men in her bed and in her life.

Excerpt:

Claudia knew the truth. She’d always sensed it, but now she knew for certain. “You were in our bedroom when Jason Paul was still my husband.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Certainly it was true.

In Mark's silence, she waited for tears, but they didn’t come. She didn’t have it in her to be upset with them any longer. When she pictured Mark and her husband in bed together, the image made her tingle. “You made love to him in our bed, didn’t you?” One man and another man, their bodies writhing together…rough sex...tender kisses…

“When you were away,” Mark admitted. He didn’t stop painting to confess. “You visited your mother the summer Jason Paul and I first met. We lived in your bed that entire week.”

She nodded. Where had her anger gone? She felt none of it. In fact, when she reflected on the two men falling in love and into bed, it seemed romantic. She had the choice to play a bit part in their love story, or to play the evil witch. Why had she chosen the latter? Why had she made their love more difficult than it had to be? Simple enough, she thought: Jason Paul was her husband. Of course she felt possessive of him—she was in love with him too!

Was it possible to love selflessly, she wondered? One could love one’s children and one’s parents without ego interference. Yes, it was very possible to love two people at once. But being in love was different. In love, she’d been jealous and controlling. It didn’t seem like too much to ask, at the time, that her husband not sleep with other people. Love was such a crazy animal. Uncontrollable.

“I had a feeling you did,” she said. “Something about the sheets. They seemed more tousled than usual.”

“We washed them.”

“Even so.”

“We had sex up against the washing machine,” he reflected. The early days of any affair were always halcyon. Mark shook his head, staring at the wall. “Sorry. I’m sure you didn’t need to know that.”

“I don’t mind.” Claudia actually smiled when she pictured them together. And then she surprised herself by saying, “Tell me about it.”

You can check out this and other Upcoming Amber Heat titles here: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/AH_upcoming.html

Donuts & Desires on Queer Canada Blogs

Sometimes it's the little things that give me the biggest smiles. Today I'm smiling because this blog (Donuts & Desires...that's where you are right now, in case you didn't know) has been added to the blogroll at Queer Canada Blogs.

What is Queer Canada Blogs? According to their site:

Queer Canada Blogs refers to queers living in Canada as well as Canadian queers living elsewhere. The origins of this blogroll are rooted in a desire to find and promote local queer voices. Regardless of how we feel about what it is to be Canadian and/or queer, we believe that our lives as queers are heavily influenced by this country: Its cultures, landscapes, and politics. Whether overtly or as an undercurrent, we use our blogs to negotiate and celebrate the complexity of our identities.

If you're interested in following queer Canadian blogs, I'd say Queer Canada Blogs should be your first stop! At a glance, their blogroll includes a "Bookish Butch," "a queer family grows in redneckville," a "Dead Robot" (aww...poor robot), "Queer as Fuck," "The Naked Black Guy" (yikes!), "A Life about Transition," "My journey with AIDS...and more!" and "Daily Life of a Gay Escort in Montreal."

There's great reading to be done in Canada, and I'm delighted to be on the list!

Hugs,

Giselle Renarde

Canada just got hotter!

Perfect Timing for the Crap Alligator

Ever notice how, just when something great unveils itself before you, a big crap alligator comes up to bite you on the ass?

Oh, wait...I just remembered my New Year's resolution to be more positive and optimistic. So, I guess I could turn that statement around to say that any time something rotten happens, you can trust that something great is just down the road.

What am I talking about? Excellent question. Maybe I'll get around to answering it by the time this blog post is done.

Kidding. Here's what I'm talking about: I got a WONDERFUL review from Sally, the Bibrary Bookslut herself. She reviewed two of my transgender stories, Third Rail and Red Satin.

Of Red Satin, she says, "This is a wonderfully romantic little story of newly-discovered identities and re-discovered love. [...] I think what struck me most about the story was its honesty and its realism. There are no elements of exaggerated fantasy, just the sincere coming together of two friends who are tentatively entering the next stage of their relationship."

Of Third Rail, "This is a story liberally sprinkled with eroticism, but deliberately immersed in the monotony of everyday life. It’s almost comic in how the two lovers bounce between lust and life, between the sensual and the mundane[...]"

Yay! Happy me. But wait, there's more!

Notice how I've linked Third Rail to somewhere you can buy a copy, but I haven't linked Red Satin? Well, that's because only a few days after I got this lovely, heartwarming review I also got a reminder from my publisher that my contract was up on Red Satin. What does that mean? It means you can't buy it anymore. It's no longer on the market.

Crap. Alligator.

It's nobody's fault. It just happened that way. Great review comes out, contract expires. Crap Alligator.

But guess what? I get to finish off this post on a positive note, because the wonderful people at loveyoudivine Alterotica have agreed to reissue Red Satin as part of their TransFix line. This makes perfect sense, since the sequel to Red Satin (The Night Before Red Satin Christmas) has already been published by lyd.

So YAY again. Take that, crap alligator.

Ah, and if you'd like to read the entire reviews of Red Satin and Third Rail at Bibrary Bookslut, here's the link:

http://bibrary.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-red-satin-third-rail-by-giselle.html

Big Hugs!

Giselle

Free Boxing Classes in Toronto for Survivors of Violence

I just watched a great show called "foQus" (the Q is for Queer) on my Rogers cable channel here in Toronto. They had a segment about Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club. Tempting, I must say. I've never wanted so badly to be punched in the face!

But what I wanted to share right away with the lovely people of the blogosphere is that Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club offers a FREE program to women and trans survivors of violence. Isn't that the most wonderful thing you've ever heard? The program is called "Shape Your Life" and...well, instead of trying to describe it, I'll use the words from the club's website:

Boxing Project for Survivors of Violence

*The next SYL session will run Sunday, January 30th – Sunday, March 13th.

** SYL and the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club are proud to be one of the partners working with the 519′s program Healthy Transactions, a new active healthy living program just for trans youth. For more info on Healthy Transactions click here: Healthy Transactions

Shape Your Life (SYL) provides women and trans survivors of violence with an opportunity to participate in a recreational boxing program. Physical exercise, reducing social isolation, exploring healthy aggression and expressing anger in a safe place can help survivors heal from violence and regain control over their lives. Shape Your Life aims to empower survivors by building self esteem and community through the sport of boxing.

SYL is about feeling strong, having fun and trying something new! The SYL boxing classes are designed for beginners and are held at the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club once a week. Each class is two hours long.

This is a free program. Equipment, TTC and free snacks are provided.

To join: If you are interested in joining Shape Your Life please contact: The SYL coordinator – Jen at shapeyourlife2010@gmail.com or call 416.787.1481 – Registration for the next SYL session opens on October 20th, 2010.

If you live around Toronto, you're female or trans, you're a survivor of violence, and this opportunity appeals to you (or if you know someone who fits these criteria and might be interested) here's the link to their site: http://shapeyourlifeboxing.com/

Big Empowered Hugs!

Giselle

Quick Six TNG with CB Potts

Today CB Potts is here at D&D with a couple awesomely incredible book covers. Check out the Silver Foxes cover at the end of the post. I love it as much as I love my cats, and that's big-time! Anyway, on with the show...

1. What does "vanilla" mean to you?

Why, it's the spice that makes all baking better....
In erotic terms, I think vanilla is likely to mean overlooked and underexplored: we're so quick to push the envelope, to find the kinky edge, to look for those extreme moments. And all of those things are great -- but they're not the entirety of the erotic experience. The trick is to capture the everyday romance, those subtle moments that make relationships real and bring that to the reader. It's perhaps any writer's greatest challenge.

2. Is there any moment from your life that you remember in slow motion?

Why yes, and they're all incredibly unpleasant. Pleasure and joy move on greased rails, while pain takes its time. That's why it is essential to pay attention: when the good stuff is happening, it goes so fast!

3. What's the most unsettling movie you've ever seen?

Definitely The Missing. It's an older movie, from 2003, with Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett. It'll rip your guts out and twist your brain.

4. If you had to get a tattoo on your face, what would you want it to
look like?

I'd like it to be a third eye, directly in the middle of my forehead. In for an inch, in for a mile!

5. How many monkeys jumping on the bed?

I don't know, but when I called the doctor, the doctor said, "NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"

6. Which of the books or stories you've written is your favourite?

Well, we always love our latest, and in my case, that would be Silver Foxes: Steamy Stories of Older Men. This is my first single author collection, from Lethe Press, and I'm inordinately proud of it. I like to tell the stories of people who don't get talked about or acknowledged all that often, and that's what you'll find in my books: the correction officers, the farmers, the city councilmen and smart ass college kids. (Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Foxes-C-B-Potts/dp/1590212339/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr?ie=UTF8&qid=1269443358)

Here's the blurb:

Daddy lovers rejoice! Author C.B. Potts has devoted an entire collection to that rough and hunky older man who has earned his place in the long history of gay erotica. Whether he has hair gun-metal gray or lustrous white, the daddy possesses a charisma that drives younger men wild. Who else offers an embrace that promises to keep you warm, safe, and snug? Potts offers readers stirring stories featuring bikers, grease monkeys, soldiers, and even an alderman--all mature men more than willing to provide some much-needed experience to the young fellows who drop to their knees to idolize what the silver fox has learned over the years.


And I'd be absolutely remiss if I didn't talk about my Rockhounds. Action, adventure, explosions, and lots of hot sex...what could be better? At this point, I've written seven novellas with Matt, Parker, and Sean and they are among my favorite characters ever. Especially Parker. *sigh* There's something about a man who will start an international conflict just to save the day that gets me every time. (buy link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=24&products_id=2415)

Here's the blurb:

Matt and Parker start out on a yacht called Tuesday's Rubies, enjoying the high life and each other. Nothing that good can last, though, as they find out when an old business partner, Sean, shows back up on the scene. Things go from bad to worse when Matt is kidnapped, especially when Parker is faced with old demons.

When the dust settles, the boys hope they can try for a normal, quiet life, but nothing works out like Matt and Parker plan it. Can they survive their next adventure, or will the Rockhound boys have to throw in the towel?

Lesbian Couple Survey Participants Needed

Felice Newman of Cleis Press is working on a sex guide for queer women and you just might be able to help! If you fit the criteria below, you can provide feedback:

WANTED: Women couples of 5+ years who have sex 2x/month+

An invitation to participate in research for my next book

https://www. surveymonkey.com/s/LesbianCouples


I am writing a sex guide for lesbian, bisexual and queer women couples.
Much like my first book, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide
for All of Us, this book will offer explicit information, advice, and
support for lesbian, bisexual and queer women of diverse experiences.
I'd really like your help to make this the most comprehensive,
useful book possible.

Would you be willing to fill out a confidential, anonymous
questionnaire?

Whether you identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer; butch, femme or
androgynous; monogamous, nonmonogamous or polyamorous; adventurous,
sensual, kinky; boi, MTF, intersex, traditionally gendered or trans, I
want to hear from you. Would you be willing to fill out a confidential,
anonymous questionnaire about your partnered sex life? I am especially
interested in hearing from you if ANY of these statements are true:

* You and your partner have sex at least twice a month.

* You are happy with your current sex life.

* You've had an active sex life throughout your relationship.

* You and your partner stopped having sex for at least 6 months and then
resumed an active sex life.

* You and your partner have successfully resolved any type of sexual
"issue" or "problem."

You are the expert on what it is like to be in a sexual relationship
with another woman. Please fill out this brief survey and let me know if
you would be willing to be interviewed further.

Thanks so much!

Felice Newman

PS: Please post widely and send to your friends, lovers, colleagues,
email lists...

Felice Newman

Certified Somatic Coach & Sex Educator

URL: www.felicenewman.com

Optimism and Positivity and Gratitude (Oh My!)

You know how every year I say, "I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but..."?

Well, I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but I watched a documentary about the qualities and characteristics of happy people (sorry--I can't remember what it was called!) and among those qualities are:

• Optimism
• Positivity
• Gratitude

For as long as I can remember I've been a jaded pessimist. I KNOW the sky is falling, so what's the good in pretending it's all sunny days ahead? Hmm? Optimists are just people with their heads in the sand (and in that position you'd better believe you're going to get screwed up the ass!)

I'd like to say I was born this way, but according to the documentary I can't even blame a lousy childhood for my negativity. Lots of people have crappy childhoods and go on to become well-adjusted adults. Well, maybe not lots, but at least some.

I feel like I blog about "happiness" quite often. I actually consider myself a happy person (despite my pessimism), so these new resolutions aren't so much a means to an end. They're more like a means to a means. I want to be optimistic for optimism's sake. I want to have a positive outlook on life. I'm pretty good with gratitude, but I could be better. (Does that count as optimism?)

This is a big challenge. It's a total mindset shift. Total. I don't think I can do it, but OF COURSE I would think that way...that's my negativity speaking. My first step toward positivity will be to say, "YES, I can do this!"

I can be more positive, more optimistic, and more grateful in 2011.

Can you?

Hugs,

Giselle Renarde

Canada just got hotter!

Visit me online
http://donutsdesires.blogspot.com
http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/erotica
http://twitter.com/GiselleRenarde

Festive Frenzy: The Night Before Red Satin Christmas

Remember Regan and Maisie from last year's Torquere Holiday Sip RED SATIN? Well, they're back and this year they're returning to their hometown where...well, let's just say some emotional family stuff goes down. Not to be missed!

The Night Before Red Satin Christmas
Giselle Renarde
loveyoudivine Alterotica
Buy Link: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=743
_______________________

Maisie used to be Mark, and this Christmas her family will meet her as a woman for the first time.

As Maisie and her girlfriend Regan arrive in their hometown, Maisie has second thoughts about letting the family know they’re more than just friends. If her mom and sisters still see her as the family’s youngest son and baby brother, how will they be able to understand that she's not only a woman but also a lesbian?

Although Regan agrees to keep their relationship a secret, the deception plays heavy on her psyche. When Regan is reintroduced to Mitts, Maisie's older sister, the schooldays crush she had on Mitts explodes into fiery desire. Can Regan resist the appeal of her girlfriend's seductive sister? And will the family accept Maisie without reservation on the night before a Red Satin Christmas?

---

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60054-573-3
lyd Category: Transfix
Length: 11000 words

---

Excerpt:

Standing on the front stoop, Maisie turned around and crossed her fingers. Regan read terrified optimism in her eyes. The time between Maisie’s pressing of the bell and the door’s opening felt like an eternity. Regan’s pulse stopped. Her heart ran to hide behind her ribcage. She couldn’t even imagine breathing at a time like this.

Mitts answered the door. In high school, Regan had a huge crush on Maisie’s older sister, and seeing the girl again, she remembered why. Mitts had a quiet beauty about her. Back in the day, she’d worn long sweaters over tight tights. She crimped her hair, or teased it, and wore it in a scrunchy back then. Now her hair was long, dark, and nearly as straight as Regan’s. Like Maisie, she was dressed in black pants and a low-cut red top. Even with a tea towel strewn across her shoulder, she looked incredible.

“Hi,” Maisie said.

It was the simplest statement Maisie could possibly have mustered, and her voice was high-pitched when she spoke it. For a moment, nothing happened. Maisie didn’t say anything and neither did Mitts. She was seeing her brother as a girl for the first time ever. When Mitts’ eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped into a gaping emblem of either joy or mortification, Maisie went on to say, “It’s me.”

Mitts took a step back. A smile, whether genuine or put on, broke across her face as she took the tea towel from her shoulder and wiped her hands with it. “Holy shit!” she said, opening the door wider. With her hand, Mitts made a laboured come-hither motion, like she was scooping wet sand. “Get in here, you! Shit, you look…” Mitts shook her head with an expression of absolute astonishment. “Shit!”

“Is mom home?” Maisie asked without taking so much as a step forward.
After another moment of silent, awe-struck staring, Mitts said, “Oh, yeah, for sure.” She turned her head and yelled, “Mom!”

“What?” a disembodied voice hollered back. “I’m on the toilet!”

Mitts turned back to Maisie and, as if she couldn’t hear the whole ridiculous interaction, explained, “Mom’s on the throne.”

“Oh my god, Mitts, do not walk by the upstairs bathroom,” another voice whispered. It was Maisie’s second sister, Kayla, holding her nose as she descended the stairs. “Jesus, the whole fucking hallway reeks to high…”

As Kayla spoke, her gaze seemed to settle on the open front door. Regan watched Maisie’s sister from outside the action, waiting for her recognition to spark, but it didn’t seem to. The fingers pinching her nose slid down until her hand covered over her embarrassed mouth. “Oops…sorry. I didn’t hear the doorbell from upstairs.”

“Kayla,” Mitts said. “It’s Mark.” She whipped her head around fast to look at Maisie. “Shit, I’m sorry. You don’t go by Mark anymore. Do you? Well, obviously you don’t. Duh. That was a stupid question.”

“It’s okay,” Maisie said, though Regan could hear the disappointment in her girlfriend’s voice. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand.”

Mitts shook her head. “No, I’m an idiot. You know, I can’t for the life of me remember your new name.”

A voice rang out from behind Kayla on the staircase. “It’s Maisie. Like my mother, your grandmother. It’s a beautiful name. It’s perfect.”

When Maisie looked up, Regan could feel the happiness coursing through her body. “Mom!” she cried out.

As Maisie bolted through the front door, her mother ran down the staircase. They met in the hallway and dove into each other’s arms. Though Maisie was taller than her mother, something about the nature of their hug dwarfed her, in Regan’s eyes, and she appeared as a little child. “Mom,” she whimpered.

_______________________

The Night Before Red Satin Christmas
Buy Link: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=743


And if you missed last year's Christmas story RED SATIN, I encourage you to buy it now because until December 31, 2010, I will be giving all my royalties from the purchase of RED SATIN to LGBT YOUTHLINE, a queer-positive organization that supports young LGBTQ people.


Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

Visit me online
http://donutsdesires.blogspot.com
http://www.GiselleRenarde.webs.com
http://twitter.com/GiselleRenarde