Surviving the Holidays...

I survived Thanksgiving with my nephews...it was chaos. The men in my family really don't lift a finger at all. It's depressing...I want to believe there are good men out there. Sigh...

I'm still tired, lol! I can't wait for the holidays to be done and things back to normal!

I jumped into edits Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I did some research/networking for a new project in 2014.

I need to get writing...and blogging again. But I'm still recovering :) Dishes/laundry and such...

I have plenty of writing to do but I'm also distracted. Lots of irons in the fire. My novella Rough Landing will be in Ellora's Cave's Hot Pink releases this June! Loose Id wants my MM contemp for it's Easter's Basket theme :)
Still waiting on something else subbed around the same time...over a month since the deadline. It's annoying really.

I'm a control freak ;) So many options to explore though. Good goals for the new year!

My next release is Sterling New Year 12/31/13 MMMF contemp erotic romance coming to loose id. No cover yet :( but here's the link with blurb! http://www.loose-id.com/sterling-new-year.html

Winter is Coming...South Park Style

Is South Park a sitcom??A cartoon, certainly!

Who cares! It's an awesome show (with a couple exceptions of episodes too gross for me to sit through) that hits my generation insanely well. I'm Gen X and so are the two guys behind this show...

But last night wasn't about anything linked to childhood...it was a great hot topic spoof.

game of thrones. With Kenny as the princess and the big divide? Not north and south or land...no gaming console loyalty (PS or Xbox??). Two sides working together for the Black Friday score.

Swords made of wood, goofy thrones, and a war mentality. Cartman vs. Princess Kenny!
The game gets bigger and bigger. Bill Gates takes out the Microsoft head as he swirls his wine.

It's still funny, even if you haven't seen Game of Thrones. I've watched the first two seasons and enjoy that show enough to have today downloaded the 5 books to my Kindle.

And South Park wouldn't leave the author out. The kids track him down for insider tips...the penis jokes never end. Seriously...carolers singing about flopping wieners next to each other?

Where are these on the show? lol...Game of Thrones has plenty of naked women but I'd like to see some of the guys really naked. Sigh..HBO...South Park's promise is better!

I won't touch the incest joke South Park does with the news anchors...but trust me, it is directly pulled from Game of Thrones!  The media kicks the big fight...but the wiener choir is insane (watch with wine!! but that's generally a good rule with South Park)

Even if you're not a South Park fan, if you love Game of Thrones...you should see the episode entitled: "A Song of Ass and Fire"!! http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s17e08-a-song-of-ass-and-fire

Big Bang Theory...like Friends with Geeks

I loved Friends...I love the Big Bang Theory and they have many things in common. Living across the hall is damned convenient. Quirky characters are always good. Hey, the formula works...

Honestly, I love the Barenaked Ladies who did the theme song that made me stop and watch the Big Bang Theory...they got me hooked! I blame those Canadians...lol

 

Most sitcoms do very similar episode premises... This one is right up there. It's their first Thanksgiving themed episode but the sub plot is what made me roll my eyes.

I just hate when it's a dumb move. In writing we call this the Too Stupid to Live character move. Oh Penny...it's so sad.

Vegas weddings are real???? (Shocked face) No...not really. Can't be :(  It's very sad that this is a classic.

Phoebe on Friends actually pulled it off better. The woman who wrote Smelly Cat, stole her sister's porn earnings, and was a surrogate for her brother's triplets...yes, we'll believe she thought that when you get married in Vegas--you're ONLY married IN Vegas. It was an off hand comment by the character but this episode of Big Bang made me flash on that Friends scene.

With Penny, it's much  much worse. She thought it was just a fake/gag wedding?? You need a license and they don't give those out when you get 6th grade married :/ Didn't they all get online ordained to do Bernadette and Howard's wedding??? So she really thinks an Elvis Impersonator saying you're now husband and wife isn't legal?? If she's THIS stupid...I feel so sorry for Leonard because the kids could get his looks and her brains.

It would've been a lot more believable if she'd been drunk off her ass and never remembers she got married. Then Zach calls her up that day having found the certificate. He might not remember it either but his dad said it's real and undo it...same premise but Penny looks less stupid. Zach can still momentarily resist. The same tension etc...but Penny doesn't look so ditzy.

(Sorry, I'm a writer...I can't help it!) But the episode is cute. Thanksgiving together!! Raj in the kitchen with Amy and Bernadette.

Bernadette's father sharing a drink with Sheldon since his dad is gone, very touching. But poor Howard's father abandoned him and his father-in-law blows him off. Sigh...men are weird creatures. Not as good of an episode as it could've been but some good parts.

Now Sheldon drunk...AND smacking Amy's bottom...that's priceless!

Sitcom blogging nov 18's Mike and Molly...

So I don't blog enough and while I love my writing, all writing and nothing else would be dull. Of course I do more than that...what I can't give up is TV and I should probably share my thoughts. If nothing else to keep my blog alive!

Sitcoms are my favs plus a little Supernatural...lol. It's all storytelling and what writer doesn't love that??? So I'm going to give this a try and we'll see if anyone likes it.

Mike & Molly

I'm a plus sized woman and I love sitcoms. I swear, I'll follow Melissa McCarthy anywhere. Like Family Guy's church of the Fonz, okay maybe not full on worship (catholic school flashbacks would be bad!). But being big in Hollywood can't be easy.

I liked her in Bridesmaids, I loved her in the Heat (identity theft...haven't seen it but eventually I'll give in despite the horrid makeup and hair--seriously that is a major turn off). I love her hosting on SNL!

But where I first really found and loved her is on Mike and Molly! (I tried Gilmour Girls, I can't stand the mom...just couldn't).

Also, I'm a Chicago girl too...so I was in from the beginning with this show :)

I loved the first 3 seasons!! Now it's different...the first episode was different. That point of change...and when stress/pressure is that bad, a big change is needed. She's got a great hubby and if she's that miserable in her job...I don't blame her. But I was curious about how it'd go forward.

I might circle back to blog about the first two episodes but let's start where we are with a little background of me....and how I relate to M&M.

This new season has been very different. The NEW M&M... At first I hoped it would follow the path of an episode that I loved: "Vince takes a Bath" because it highlighted Melissa's physical comedy powers but it included the whole family as well. That's not exactly what we're getting now.

What we're seeing this season is Molly with supporting cast. One physical gag after another won't hold a show together, I'm sorry to say. I love that she quit her job to be a writer, it opens things up for her. (I quit my day job to write full time so I totally relate to the stress/freedom and sheer opportunity...but reality does set in and I hope they get there).

This episode was Molly attacking a beeping smoke detector (yep, we've all been there but it'd still be even funnier with mom and sis sitting there drinking wine and mocking Molly's stress over it...) I hope M&M finds the balance of adding more physical comedy but keeping all the great sub plots/supporting characters in the mix.

Now, the teasers for the episode had remarks about 50 shades of grey. LOL. OMG...really, she writes something a little hot (I write erotic romance and some of those words for 'boner' would never be in anything published--newbie lol!) but most of it was about coffin surfing/touching dead people. The previews are off as well. If you want good erotic romance stuff...follow me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/cheryldragonauthor and twitter @cheryldragon

Honestly, I was SOOO excited Molly might be following my life of writing hot stuff but she didn't. She could go to a BDSM shop/info/demo OR a group about polyamory....NO she was poking dead people. No erotic romance pub I know touches necrophilia...wow. Seriously, getting high with her sister is kind of funny but a weird pairing with kinky sex.

I guess I had more to say than I thought :D I still love the show. Swoosie Kurtz is so damn funny and Mike's mom Peggy is just like the old ladies in any good Chicago neighborhood. Tough, mouthy...God fearing but can lie to a priest without blinking!! Love Carl's Grandma too! Where is she??

This is one of the most diverse sitcoms out there. Black, white, old, young, wine and pot! Bring back Harry, and we've got straight AND gay! I loved that twist (last season) of his coming out late in life. A gay man struggling with his weight and coming out...his friends are unbelievably supportive--this could be a really sweet sub plot. Where was that all men's OA meeting? He took Mike there once ;) It could be really cute (especially now that IL has made gay marriage legal...can you imagine Vince at a gay wedding????). Sorry, my writer got loose for a minute there...

Truly, I hope they don't toss away the diversity that is Chicago and the loving acceptance that is part of Mike & Molly for pure physical comedy!! The show might be finding it's way to a new balance so I'm hanging in there...

Random Blogging and updates

So, I suck at blogging. We know this....

I haven't had as many releases lately. I hinted and talked of this a bit.

Before I released almost monthly with Resplendence Publishing. That isn't going to be happening. I will have 4 more titles to finish out a couple series.

Lucky Springs may continue on, hopefully. One more title for sure.
We'll see what happens. It was an unexpected but necessary change.
That's what I've changed. What have I done???

I wrote a couple ménages for Loose Id!

Coven, Sweet Coven is out now. It's MMF in small town IN with a touch of para/Wiccan magic.

Sterling New Year will release 12/31/13 and for those of you who love Lucky Springs, please try this one :) MMMF with a bbw set in Sterling Alaska. If the response is good to book 1, I will write the stories for at least the other two bridesmaids. No cover yet but it's coming...

I've just heard that my MM erotic romance was accepted for Loose Id's Easter Basket theme.

What else???

At Ellora's Cave I have two MM stories in edits....I swear, they're coming!!
                                  

 

And I've got a couple things in for consideration as well :)

 

 

At Totally Bound....Kat's Karma came out :) First in the Fantasy Castle series.

 

 

I'm working on book 2 but a couple little things got in the way.

 

1- the Cowboy Ménage submission call. I sent something. Fingers Crossed! MMF hotness...

 

2- My editor left :( I know...it happens. not the end of the world. But my new editor is new to the publishing house. No word from her yet so Fantasy Castle book 2 is still in the WIP stage and not top top priority but I'll get to it in Dec/Jan :)

 

 

I'm writing a lot, it'll just take a little time to get a new routine and schedule out that feels normal :)

I'll try to be better about blogging on things, even if it's just the TV I like.

 

But please follow me on Facebook, where I tend to ramble a bit more!

https://www.facebook.com/cheryldragonauthor



New Menage Release: Coven, Sweet Coven

It's out!! Live at Loose Id!! 

Coven, Sweet Coven

MMF Erotic Romance (Light Paranormal)

by Cheryl Dragon

released 10/29/13 by Loose Id

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/coven-sweet-coven.html

Blurb:

Powerful witch and psychic, Natalie Fogel never doubts her visions. After a year away from her small town home and the two men she loves, she returns to share her ominous warning. Something deadly dangerous is coming for Halloween. Happy to see her friends and coven members again, she returns to living with the two lovers. She left to grow her skills but also to avoid some of the negative judgment about a group relationship. Zach and Logan are supportive and sexy but they aren't meant to be a couple and they need their lady to balance the relationship. Their love is strong but the triad is especially unpopular with Natalie's big brother.

For Natalie, there's no place like home…but she'll have to stand up for what's right to stay there happily.

Available at Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/coven-sweet-coven.html

EXCERPT: 

Driving down I-65 in her old sedan with peace signs and a witch’s broom sticker on the back, Natalie Fogel had too much time to think. She didn’t consider herself impulsive, but her behavior seemed to prove otherwise.

About a year ago, she’d left her small hometown of Green Leaf in southern Indiana to test her skills as a psychic medium with mentors in Chicago. She’d made the leap after several months of contemplation and gaining the support of her boyfriends.

Her brother thought she was crazy for being involved in a ménage relationship. It also raised some eyebrows around town.

Her stomach knotted as she neared Indianapolis. Not long now. The foreboding she experienced through her recent dark visions grew with every mile. An ominous, intensely negative event overshadowed her concentration. Worse yet, it was linked to Green Leaf.

This morning, flashes of Halloween appeared in the menacing visions that blurred when she tried to focus on details. As much as her powers had grown over the past year, she couldn’t force visions. The future revealed itself to her often, but things could change.

Green Leaf was a nice place where bad things didn’t often happen. Although death and farming accidents sometimes occurred, her childhood had been idyllic. The town of five hundred was one of those places where everyone knew everyone, and even the Wiccans were loved. Having nature-loving witches around wasn’t a bad thing in a Midwest farm town.

As she rounded the southern outskirts of the city, her eyes teared up and her sight blurred. Pain pulsed behind her eyes. She pulled over to the right shoulder, then parked her car. Visions didn’t normally hit her out of the blue when she was driving.

A dark fog enveloped Green Leaf—the strength of the pain and nausea of the vision nearly overwhelmed her. Finally her mind cleared. Returning home was the right thing to do.

Taking a few deep breaths, she altered her focus to rid herself of the achy tension in her neck and shoulders. Visualizing her men always made her feel better. Logan Andrews and Zach Crenshaw were great men—hot and smart in their own ways. The trio had fallen together in high school and found love.

Logan was a bit taller than Zach, with lean muscle, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was the strong, silent type who could be relied on to back up those he loved. Zach was a farm boy with a sexy tan and muscles earned from working the land. He had light brown hair, gorgeous green eyes, and deep dimples whenever he smiled. She could easily picture them naked and kissing in bed—waiting for her.

It’d been too long since she’d seen them. When she left for Chicago, the men remained a couple in the house she’d shared with them. Going home would feel good. She missed everyone.

Her brother, Chris, was probably the only person in town who wouldn’t be thrilled. Natalie could live with all the other small-town issues, but her brother’s disapproval was hard.

She took a drink of water and glanced at the traffic. As it eased up, she pulled back onto the road and headed for home.

* * * *

About an hour later, Nat drove down Main Street in Green Leaf. People waved and smiled as if she’d only been gone a weekend. The sidewalks, shop windows, and lampposts were decorated for Halloween. Pumpkins and black cats cavorted with ghosts and bushels of hay. The Wiccan-owned buildings displayed traditional brooms to sweep away evil as Samhain approached.

It felt like the same old Green Leaf. Whatever plagued her visions wasn’t here yet, or the process hadn’t begun. She’d seen a haze of smoke. Stupid teenagers could do anything, especially at Halloween. She had to keep her eyes and ears open and trust her gut.

Her parents’ old farm was now where Chris lived with his family. Nat had inherited Grammy’s big Victorian.

She didn’t stop in town; there’d be too many questions. Instead, Nat drove on to her house. Zach would be winterizing his fields. Logan would be running the insurance business his dad left him before retiring to Florida.

A few hours alone in her room would be good. As she pulled up the driveway, a sense of peace filled her. That old two-story white house was home. Here, in the great room downstairs, she’d learned her first spell, held coven meetings, and provided readings. So much of her life happened on this ground. She hoped the soothing familiarity would clear her visions.

* * * *

“Did you hear?” Stacey, Logan’s secretary, asked as she came in from lunch.

“Hear what?” Logan asked. Nothing was secret for long. An accident? A house fire? He’d be called in; he wrote the insurance policies for everyone in town.

“Natalie is back. She drove through town and headed straight for her place. She didn’t call you?” Stacey frowned.

“No, she didn’t,” he replied. He checked his phone to see if he’d missed any messages.

Logan hated the small-town gossip Stacey seemed to thrive on. Her husband was the school principal, and between the two, Logan heard everything. Natalie leaving had been a huge story. Her returning without warning would make it around town in record time.

“Maybe it’s for the Wiccan Halloween celebration? She never misses that,” Stacey wondered aloud.

“Maybe.” Logan and Zach had had to live with the questions and curious looks after Nat left. Part of Logan resented her for that, but with her mother and grandmother dead, Nat needed more guidance and a greater challenge than Green Leaf could provide. It wasn’t her fault; they’d discussed her leaving. He and Zach both agreed it was for the best.

The only thing that bugged Logan was she hadn’t invited them to Chicago with her. Not that Zach would leave his farm, but she could’ve asked.

“Need anything else?” Stacey asked.

“No, just another quiet day.” Logan stared at his phone. Why hadn’t Nat called or at least texted?

“Maybe you should take the afternoon off. I’ll call if anything comes up,” she said.

“Thanks.” Logan texted Zach about Nat’s return, then headed out.

Less than five minutes later, he parked his new car next to Nat’s old one. She truly centered her life around needs, not wants. He admired that about her.

He quietly walked in the back door. He wandered through the house, then found her in the library.

She sat crossed-legged in old jeans and a gauzy top dyed various shades of green. Her dark curly hair pooled on her shoulders. Leather sandals had been kicked to one side—her bare toes wiggled. Silver rings and bracelets adorned her hands. She was the same old Nat. Curvy and sexy but serious about her gifts.

As if she’d heard his thoughts, her big blue eyes popped open. “Don’t you knock anymore?”

“I live here too. Rumor is you’re back. Just wanted to see for myself, since you didn’t give us a heads-up.” Logan walked into the room. “Didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“You’re not.” She rubbed her eyes, then stood. “I didn’t plan the trip. It’s something weird. I was drawn here, but I can’t tell what’s wrong. Nothing strange is going on?”

“Not that I know of. You saw something?” Logan hated when her forehead scrunched the way it did now, like she was in pain or struggling with something. “I thought you came to see us.”

A smile brightened her face. “I missed you and Zach so much. I was sure you’d hate me being away this long.”

He hugged her tight. The smell of sage and peppermint took him back to the good old days when they didn’t care what people thought. The rebellious college years… Though they never actually went off to college. She pressed against him. His body responded, but he held himself back from taking her right there. Without Zach, the group was incomplete. They’d never been intimate without the third until she’d left. The two men stuck together and made it work, but it wasn’t the same.

She gave him a sound kiss on the lips, then eased back. “How are things with you?”

“Same as ever. Insurance. You?” He didn’t want to let on about the issues he and Zach had been having. Zach would sometimes stay with his sisters at their family farm.

“I learned a lot. And Randy is a great tour guide. He tried to help me with this block but said I had to come home. If something happens here, at least I’ll be around,” she said.

“What do you see?” Logan asked. So she hadn’t returned because she missed him. That stung.

She shook her head. “It’s too unfocused to read. Something dark around Halloween. My powers are stronger now, but I still feel like that twenty-two-year-old who didn’t see her parents’ car wreck.”

“Accidents aren’t your fault—past or present. Plus, from what Aunt Lorraine says, seeing your own family in danger is hard as hell in a vision. Your brain doesn’t want to accept it and garbles the message so you can stand it. Don’t dredge up your past pain and make it harder. You’re stronger now, so just do your best. The coven misses you.” Logan’s aunt was a bigwig in the Green Leaf Wiccan circle.

“I miss them too. I just didn’t want to make life harder for us. Do you know how many wives asked me why I’d want to cook, clean, and wash up after two men? Sometimes it feels like Mayberry. Randy even left because he couldn’t tolerate the lack of a real gay scene.” She sat on the old tapestry sofa, then leaned her head back to gaze at the ceiling.

“A gay scene in Green Leaf.” Logan shook his head. “I like Randy, but with his style and pace, he belongs in the city. You belong here.”

She shot him a glare. “I liked Chicago. I was challenged and exposed to so much that I’d never get here.”

“You needed to stretch your wings, I get it. I do. But Zach won’t leave here. I don’t think I’d last long in a big city either. We both love you, and that won’t change. You have to decide where you want to live.” Logan wasn’t going to put up with a back-and-forth. They were all adults who had to make their own choices.

An edge of defensiveness tinged her voice. “I came back to stop something dangerous from hurting the town I love. I love you guys too, but a triad just might be more than Green Leaf can handle.” She sighed.

“Too much for the town to handle, or you?” he asked. He crossed his arms over his chest.

She frowned. “I loved being with you two. It’s the talk and the jokes. The questions.”

“We dealt with the town after you left. We handled it before. You know it won’t magically vanish. What’ll be different now?” Logan didn’t want to run her off, but she had to know about the mess she left them in.

“More worldly experience, maybe. I’m sorry, but I had to get out. My brother was making me crazy. Without my parents around to defuse his judgmental comments, his nagging got worse. Along with the need to learn more about my powers, I also needed a break from all the pressure to conform. Going to Chicago let me grow. I don’t know why I’m back exactly, but I know you’ll help me figure it out.” She offered the crooked smile she knew damn well he couldn’t resist.

His heart melted when she patted the cushion. He sat next to her. “Of course I will. But don’t think you’re getting out of here as easily this time.”

“I need to figure out where I truly belong. Trust the universe and the Goddess. But until whatever this is stops haunting my dreams, I’m not sure I’ll have any focus to sort it out.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. Her freshly washed hair smelled of citrus. He inhaled deeply, hardly able to believe she was back.
Read more:  Link: http://www.loose-id.com/coven-sweet-coven.html

A little weekend fun!!!

Sometimes you need to write some erotica/smut/hot stuff!! 

Short fantasy pieces that never happen to ME :) but I wish they would!! 

One such piece is out today. 

It's MFM, older woman/younger MEN :) Black woman/white men. Cougar/milf...

We should all have a birthday like this! 

Blurb: Every woman has a fantasy; some illicit, some simple. Lexie Reynolds finds herself dancing a fine line between the two on her fortieth birthday when her friends drag her out to a bar to celebrate. What woman doesn't have a weak spot for good drinks and great music? What woman doesn't have the silent longing to become the focus of two extremely attractive soldiers' attention? And what woman could say no to having the Pandora's box that holds her quiet desires opened?

Grab it here: http://www.sharaazod.com/ebook/happy-birthday-ms-reynolds.html
Coming soon to ARe, Amazon, BN...