Ow, dammit

For anyone who may have missed it on Twitter/FB/Google+/etc., or who may be wondering why I’ve been so quiet….

On our way to Sedona last month, I injured my left hand—basically, I lost my balance, put my hand out on the car to catch myself, and Live-Long-and-Prospered a little too enthusiastically. In other words, my ring finger took all the weight. I thought I’d sprained the finger, but when it didn’t get better in a couple of weeks, I went to Ken’s amazing hand doctor. He took x-rays, examined it, and gave me the bad news:

Damaged ligament. Three months to heal. Avoid typing.

As in, hi, you can’t do your job.

I’m investigating Dragon Naturally Speaking, but in the meantime, emails will be short and infrequent and involve lots of contractions/shortcuts. I would love phone calls/Skype, though, as I’ve been very down in the dumps about all of this.

On top of that, Ken’s been away, and I learned that I have an abcessed tooth and need a root canal, which is scheduled for Feb 1.  :-(

Meanwhile, work-wise, I’m focusing on the publishing end of things, and hopefully will have lots of new stories as well as novels (finally!) available in the next few months. I know this blog will feel a bit spammy, and I apologize in advance for that. I’m also lining up some copyediting jobs (tell your friends!). All that involves minimal typing.

There are good things going on, too, but my hand’s hurting and I’ve hit my quota for today’s typing….  ::sigh::

Do you like to watch?

"Undoing the Laces"

Do you like to watch…? A couple camping at a Ren Faire discover that spying on their friends is half the fun. A steamy, voyeuristic short story from a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

"Hands down our agreed-upon favorite was 'Undoing the Laces' by Andrea Dale. It’s about a couple who is camping at a Ren Faire and realizes that they can hear the couple in the neighboring tent having sex. Even better, because of the lighting they can their silhouettes through the canvas, which hides the details but gives them enough to start their own hot sex session. Very erotic, and very hot, whether you have a voyeuristic streak or not. (alanandmichele.com)

“Undoing the Laces” originally appeared in Hide and Seek: Erotic Stories (Cleis Press, 2007)

Cover art by Joanna Zopoth-Lipiejko/ iStockphoto.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

First publications of the New Year!

"His Lady's Manservant"

“She was stunning. I wanted to worship her.…” At a murder-mystery weekend, a normally submissive wife playing an aristocrat turns the tables on her husband, who’s playing a servant. Falling into his role, he chooses to submit—to the erotic delight of them both. A kinky roleplaying short story from a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

“Her Lady’s Manservant” originally appeared in She’s On Top (Cleis Press, 2008).

"Another stellar story is 'His Lady's Manservant' from Andrea Dale. It is a period piece, as a couple switches for the weekend at a Victorian murder mystery. The former submissive is now a lady of the house, her husband now the butler, leading to delicious moments of chastisement for dusty corners and fucking on command. This story takes roleplaying to a new and delightful level." (T.R. Moss, alt.com)

"Another winner is Andrea Dale's 'His Lady's Manservant' a role-playing romp that starts one weekend and continues on indefinitely. A formerly submissive wife turns the tables on her husband at a weekend murder mystery get-away. Spicy!" (o-gal, amazon.com)

Cover art by Elisanth / iStockphoto.

Available in a variety of electronic formats

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Flash!"

Michelle is used to being behind the camera, hoping for that next celebrity nipple-slip. When sexy fellow paparazzo Tad entices her in front of the lens, her voyeuristic tendencies turn exhibitionistic, to both their delight. Coming in front of the camera is more exciting than Michelle ever imagined…. A steamy short story about lust and photography from a legendary erotica heavy-hitter.

“The Heist” originally appeared in Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex (Cleis Press, 2008).

"'Flash!' by Andrea Dale takes us to a sweltering level of excitement, as a professional voyeur gets her turn in front of the camera. This tale…reminds us that the psychological factor is supreme." (Erotic Elf, amazon.com)

"'Flash!'…had me panting." (Emerald, amazon.com)

Cover image by diter / iStockPhoto.

Available in a variety of electronic formats
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Smashwords

Yule 2011 in pictures

New Year's Eve you come and you go

As the year draws to a close, I’m feeling a little melancholy; in part, I think, to the fact that I have a cold (everyone feels a little meh with a cold) and also in part to the fact that we had a nifty plan for tonight, but it fell through.

There’s a 5K run into the New Year starting at 11:55 pm tonight. Unfortunately, while we both said “That sounds like a good idea,” neither of us added “So let’s actually sign up.” Then I caught this cold…. We decided a couple of days ago to do it, probably just walking the whole thing, while discussing our goals and plans for the New Year. Walking with intention is how I thought of it. Intention feels like it’s going to be one of my mantra words in 2012 (and in life in general). But the run is on a military base, and although I knew we had to sign up ahead of time, I didn’t realize how far ahead, and we missed the deadline.

So. We may take a walk at midnight, or we may just sit and talk. Ken’s not much into ceremony or ritual, so it’s really just another night to him, but he respects where I’m coming from. He’s also taking a nap right now so he’ll be awake at midnight.  ;-)

It’s been a tough year. It’s been a tough couple of years, really, but 2011…oof. Yet, as I think about it, a lot of good came out of all the stress and sickness and problems and tears and fears. Flying to GA every other month was exhausting, but my sister has gotten better and better—better than anyone expected. Ken was in a horrific accident, but he’s going to be 100%—and it’s spurred him to focus on his own health. I’ve battled a variety of health issues, but I also ran/walked my first 5K, and intend to fully run one early next year, and then who knows? I’m not sure what my overall goals are there—I’ve never felt the urge to run a marathon—but we’ll take it one step (or 5K, or whatever) at a time.

So many good things did happen in 2011: Styx shows, more friends than I can mention, fun travel (Boise, Sedona, Monterey, Albuquerque, Vegas, LA, Tahoe), writing workshops, a new tattoo, TV show tapings, story acceptances. Seeing Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer on Halloween. Meeting the women who saved Ken’s life. Ken being alive and well.

Good things are planned for 2012 already: Styx and Gowan shows, NAMM, writing workshops, Phoenix Comicon, friends and family. Writing. Publishing.

What about resolutions? I don’t make them, per se. I dream dreams, and then set goals that will help me achieve, or get closer, to those dreams.

What’s the difference? Goals, you have control over. Dreams, not so much. A dream is to lose 20 lbs. A goal is to work out 5x/week, or cut out dairy, or whatever.

I haven’t figured out all my goals yet. Right now, they’re more about me than about things out there. Like, continuing to take better care of myself (Health is a big focus for both of us right now). Pondering intention. The concept that The Obstacle Is the Path. The truth that success is often buried in what looks like failure. (If you don’t set a goal or dream, you don’t have something to work towards. And even if you don’t achieve what you hoped, you achieved a hell of a lot more than you would have achieved if you didn’t have something to shoot for.) Meditation. Silence. The Good Catches Up.

I’ll probably ramble about some or all of this in the coming days. Because one of my goals is to blog more. (Whether that ends up being for myself or things I actually post, I don’t know. I just missed a lot of this year, and I like to be able to look back.)

At any rate, as always, here’s the Neil Gaiman quote that always resonates with me:

Strangely, I’m not feeling too melancholy anymore….

Hamming it up

When I post something on FB/Twitter/G+, I never know how it’s going to be received. Almost always, the things I expect to garner the most comments get few, and the things that are just off-the-cuff observations get the most reaction. I’ve learned to just sit back and be amused.

The response that’s made me laugh and laugh recently, though, was to my two innocent—and, it turned out, unclear—questions about leftover ham.

I thought all the lovely people who responded would like to know the outcome.

Split pea soup FTW! It kicked some major ass, especially paired with some shaved parmesan and Trader Joe’s whole wheat nommy bread (that should really be its official name).

I used this recipe, modifying only by adding the ham in last, after I’d puréed everything else with the immersion blender, omitting the bay leaf because we were out (WTF?), and using dried parsley because I’m lazy and the rest of an enormous bunch of fresh parsley would’ve died in the fridge waiting to be used.

And there’s still ham leftover for sammiches, fried rice, or omelettes!

Favorite Holiday Songs

A re-post for a few years ago, while I take the time to craft a proper entry!

1. "All I Want," Styx

2. "All I Want For Christmas," uh, the kid from Love Actually (I really need that soundtrack!)

3. "The Chipmunks' Christmas Song," The Chipmunks (stuck in your head yet? hate me yet?)

4. "December Will Be Magic Again," Kate Bush

5. "Dickens’ Dublin," Loreena McKennitt

6. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" Band Aid

7. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Loreena McKennitt

8. "I Believe in Father Christmas," Greg Lake

9. "Mid Winter’s Night," Blackmore’s Night

10. "Ring Out, Solstice Bells," Jethro Tull

11. "Ring the Bells," Styx

12. "The Twelve Days of Christmas," Bob & Doug McKenzie (and a beer…in a tree!)

13. "Wizards in Winter," Trans-Siberian Orchestra (it inspired my story “The Queen of Christmas”!)

Kitchenaid mixer questions for our foodie friends

Long story short: When we divorced, my ex got the Kitchenaid mixer, which was fine because he was the cook.

But I miss it. I’ve coveted them for years, whimpering every time we pass by the display in Costco or Bed Bath & Beyond. Now that we’re cooking more (in order to eat more healthily and naturally), maybe it’s worth it. In fact, we’ve found the base model on sale for a really reasonable price.

Yet when we started to put it in our basket, we hesitated. Would we really use it? What would we use it for?

That’s where you come in, smart foodie friends. I need you to tell me what I can do with that mixer—convince me (by tomorrow, the last day of the sale) that it’s worth it.

A few caveats/comments, as usual:

• We rarely, if ever, bake, and don’t foresee ourselves starting.
• However, we very well might use the mixer to make bread, which has the benefit of us not needing to buy a bread maker. Does the Kitchenaid do all the work; i.e., will our job be only to (a) dump the stuff in and then (b) pour the dough into a bread pan?
• One thing we will do is buy blocks of cheese and shred it ourselves. Ideally, it would be nice to get rid of the food processor and just use the mixer attachments, so whatever we get would have to handle shredding carrots, etc. Can we do that? Would the Food Grinder suffice or would the Roto Slicer w/shredder be better? Or would we have to get both (which is less ideal)?

So, to recap: What-all can we do with the mixer that’s not mixing cookie dough or cake batter?

(Please respond here, on the Blogger post, so that I have all the answers in the same place....)

Thanks! xo