Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Today's Life-Lovin' Moment!

I know I've already posted Matt Alber's song "End of the World" before, but because he's going to be my future husband despite the fact that he's yet to accept my friend request on Facebook, (that's okay, I know he's busy) I thought I'd share this awesome trio of clips with you. The first—Willem and Jacob's same-sex ballroom dance on "So You Think You Can Dance"—is awe-inspiring enough. But then to follow it up with Matt posting a personal message to the boys on YouTube telling them they're his heroes, well that just melts my fucking heart! And then, to remind you all of how beautiful Matt's song and video are, I've capped it off with "End of the World". Enjoy!





Movie Poster Mayhem - Alfred Hitchcock!

Because I love old movie posters (doesn't everyone!) I thought I'd start a new segment. And who better to kick it off than the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. These are my Top 5 Hitchcock classics!





Song of the Day - The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”

These days if you wanted to write a song about technology formats murdering each other, it'd be a massacre. DVD, Blu Ray, cable, downloads, youTube, 3-D, blogging... (well, bogging's ok)... there's so much competition when it comes to entertainment that the killing spree is happening on a daily, if not hourly basis. But back in the early 80s, it was a simple case of video vs radio. Queen covered the potential demise of radio in "Radio Ga-Ga" as did the Buggles is this ceaselessly catchy classic. The irony of course is that radio will probably long outlive video—have you seen TERMINATOR SALVATION? How else are the survivors of the apocalypse going to communicate? But enough about the end of the world. I just love the space lady in this clip. I think she knocks her boob as she's being sucked up the space tube. Does that make it a boob tube?

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Return of the Darcy Boys!

Make a date with the Darcy Boys because today I found out that those hunky, heroic, not-so-bright sexy sleuths are back for more action—in more ways than one!

After successfully solving the Case of the Secret Skulls, the boys will return in THE DARCY BOYS AND THE CASE OF THE HE-BOT HUNKS by A.J. Ryan (mmmm... I wonder who that might be).

In their newest, most thrilling case yet (well, it is only their second case), Tommy and Dash Darcy find themselves cock-deep in college-boy, apple-pie-handsome Abercumbie & Felch models who don't seem quite normal. How can these all-American lads be so darn beautiful...or have the boys found themselves in the midst of yet another sexy, saucy, silly, sizzling mystery?

If you haven't yet had the chance to meet the Darcy Boys in their first mini-mystery, THE DARCY BOYS AND THE CASE OF THE SECRET SKULLS—filled with murder, conspiracy and polyester-filled mystery—then check out the link in the right-hand sidebar. (Oh yeah, it's the one somewhere under the link to HARM'S WAY by Sam Cross. Mmmm... I wonder who that might be as well!)

Anyway, I'm thrilled that the Darcy Boys are returning because I love them to bits! So enjoy!

A Quick Celebration of Fragrance and Flesh!

I hope nobody's offended by the Yves Saint Laurent ad, but I figure if their marketing department approved that ad, then I'll happily endorse it too!








Facebook Friend Quote of the Day

"About me: There's too much to say. I like to swear and eat things that are delicious. Okay, there's not too much to say."
Kate R Canter from the University of Iowa, she's so cool!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Monday Muse-Fest!

Well it's Monday where I am, so you can all enjoy an early morning Muse-fest and start your week with a smile!





Dissection of an Action Sequence

"OH MY GOD..."


This is one of—if not THE—scene in a movie that made me want to be a storyteller! And I think that's what I am more than being a writer. A lot of people tell me that when they read my books they feel like they're watching a movie. And I want to thank them, because that's exactly what I always set out to do, merge movie-making and novel-writing into something that simply becomes storytelling. I doubt I'll ever win any literary awards with that as my goal, but that's okay, my reward is anyone and everyone out there who enjoys my stories.

But back to "Oh my God..." This is what Marion Ravenwood utters in the plane/explosion scene in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (which for the record is my favorite movie of all time) after she's locked inside the gun turret then not only shoots the cap off a nearby fuel tank but also blows up a truck which would have been a good idea...if not for the fact that it's about to ignite the trail of gasoline that's headed straight for the plane in which she's locked.

And this is the crux of it... layer upon layer of things going wrong for our heroes. Indy's fighting a mountain of a man on the airstrip, Marion's locked in the gun turret, the gas is spilling toward the plane, the fire has been ignited, and the two believe the treasured Ark is onboard the plane. And then there's Marion's "Oh my God..." when she realizes what she's done. Not screamed, not panicked—it's a sinking realization that there may be no escape. But the real beauty of Spielberg's direction is that he follows this immediately with Indy realizing the same thing at the same time, who in turn utters "Marion", knowing she's trapped. It doesn't get any worse for our hero and heroine, and it doesn't get any better in terms of storytelling!

Song of the Day - Cole Porter’s “You're the Top” performed by Cary Grant and Ginny Simms

God bless Cole Porter! While I'm on a Cole-roll, I thought I'd post this oh-so-cute little love song that is the epitome of Porter's style: a classic, catchy melody with lyrics that can be read two ways, innocent yet hinting at Cole's not-so-innocent desires. Take it either way, because that's the beauty of Cole Porter's songs—they are what you want them to be. For me, well lyrics like "Baby if I'm the bottom you're the top," say it all. But although he was clever, Cole was never sly or patronising, and his tunes (and the performances that went with them, like this one) go down as the best showtunes in history. Over to you, Mr Grant and Ms Simms!

Who's your Favorite FATHOM'S FIVE Hunk?


Have you voted yet?

The search is on to find out who is everyone's favorite Fathom's Five hunk! Is it New York adventurer Jake Stone, Brazilian biologist Eden Santiago, Texas cowboy Shane Houston, Italian art expert Luca da Roma or Californian college quarterback Will Hunter?

It's like Idol without the songs, Survivor without the disgusting food challenges, or Big Brother without the morons! Whose physique will reign supreme? Only you can decide. Right now it's neck-and-neck between Will and Shane, with Jake a close third, Eden an even closer fourth and Luca bringing up the rear—as he does so well ;-)

Don't miss your chance to vote now! Check out the poll in the right-hand sidebar and choose your ideal hunk today!

Dissection of a Sexy Boy's Room!


I LOVE this picture for obvious reasons...but then the writer/detective in me takes over and I start to dissect and analyze everything in sight and piece together the story of a stranger. For example: the washing basket on the floor to the left suggests that this hunky young man may still live at home, an argument that is strengthened by the family photo on the television and the Sesame Street balloons behind him (that's not something you sneak into a dorm room!) His muscle worship is more than evident—there's a jar of protein powder at the end of the bed, an Arnold Schwarzenegger poster on the wall and a book by Arnie on the shelf under the TV, and the 300 poster on the wall could be there for inspiration... or perhaps arousement even... because the pink shaft-like device on the end of the bed has me intrigued, as does the slip of something small and pink in the washing basket. But the most pressing question is: in a room this messy, how does this hunk find the space to fuck anyone!?!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

THE WOLFMAN

There are SO many reasons why I'm dying to see this movie, but the two biggest drawcards would have to be the quality cast and the fact that despite how messy and smelly they might be, there is something innately SEXY about werewolves. There's a brutal masculinity about them, a raw animal attraction that simply cannot be denied! I'd never want to run into one in a dark alley, but a dark cinema...? Bring it on!

Muse of the Day

Song of the Day - Regina Spektor’s “Us”

It's been a while since I posted a Regina Spektor song. This is "Us" which is from one of her older albums but was recently included on the soundtrack of the movie (500) DAYS OF SUMMER. It deserves the new attention—it's a beautiful song, upbeat yet poignant, a tough combo to crack!

Phone Sex







I find the world a fascinating place—sometimes disturbing, a lot of times fun, but always fascinating! And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the "guys with iPhones" phenomenon all of the above: disturbing, fun and fascinating!

The need to be seen these days never fails to astound me, which I guess is no surprise given our obsession with social networking. We've turned into a planet of profile-updaters, and as a result our voyeuristic and exhibitionistic natures have exploded onto computer screens all over the world.

Give a guy a phone and a bathroom mirror and I'll give you thousands of blogs dedicated to young men taking snaps of themselves—in various states of undress—and posting them on social sites for all the world to see. Is it pride or vanity? Is it because we're comfortable with our bodies and don't care, or are we trying to compete for physical perfection and shameless attention? Are we desperately seeking our 15 minutes of fame, or are we telling the world not to take life so seriously and have a little fun? Do we all want to be pornstars deep down inside or are we declaring to the world "this is me and I'm happy with who I am"?

Who knows? All I ask is, if you're going to take a pic of yourself with a toilet in the background, please make sure the lid's down!

Finishing a Novel



Hi everyone! Sorry I've been a bit absent this past week, it's been a big one! I flew down to Melbourne to appear at their GLBT Festival "Midsumma" and do a reading for their lit event Novel Conversations at my favourite gay bookshop Hares & Hyenas; I also received word from editor Richard LaBonte that he'd like to include a short story on mine in his steamy new erotic anthology MUSCLE MEN, coming soon from Cleis Press; and to top it all off I finished putting the final touches on the brand new Fathom's Five novel, THE CURSE OF THE DRAGON!

I'm sure all writers are different, but when I finally finish a novel, my brain kind of melts down for a day or two. I walk around like a zombie and my conversations become painfully dull and dim-witted. I vow to take time off writing and do normal things like pay my bills and clean my bathroom and fold the clothes that keep getting dumped in a pile on a chair in my bedroom. But then I turn on my computer and desperately start plotting something altogether new (despite to dozens of projects I've already planned to write). It's a sick and twisted cycle, an addiction, an all-consuming obsession. I think that's when you know you're a writer. It's not about publishing contracts or books on shelves or chunky word docs sitting in various folders on your computer entitled "Ideas" or "To be completed" or "Untitled"... no, it's about the addiction. The inability to go a single day without thinking "that'd make a good story" or "how am I going to get them out of that fast-flooding room?" or "what are the legs on a helicopter called?" When you're sitting at a table in a restaurant with friends or at a church wedding or stuck in traffic on your way to work thinking about helicopters, that's when you know you're a real writer. That's when it's time to give into the curse and just...write! We're like werewolves, without the big teeth.

By the way, the legs on a helicopter are called landing skids. Not legs. Thankyou Google!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Song of the Day - Cole Porter’s “Day and Night” performed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Oh something marvelously different for today's song! I'm a HUGE fan of Cole Porter, I think he is a musical genius yet to be surpassed! Add to his gorgeous melody and lyrics the dancing of Fred and Ginger and this is pure bliss! Yeah, I guess I really am gay! :) Enjoy!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Thursday Muse-Fest!

Why wait till Monday!





A Day in the Life of Storm Trooper Action Figures!

So that's what they get up to when I'm not around! Thems Storm Troopers got attitude!







An Aussie Hunk for Fathom's Five!

One thing that has come as a big surprise to many is the fact that as an Australian, I don't have an Aussie hunk in the Fathom's Five series. Well rest assured I'll be making amends on that one soon, and when he does appear I kind of see him as someone similar to oh-so-hot Aussie nude model Brian Hansen. Less chat, more writing I say!