Kimberly Gardner

This is my fourth day in Orlando and the second day of the actual national conference. The book signing for literacy was last night and we had nine people from the rainbow romance chapter signing. I got to meet all of them and it was really fun to put actual people with the online authors I’ve known for over a year now.

I met Kate Douglas, Louisa Edwards, Rachael Heron, Deidre Knight, Radcliff, KA Mitchell, Kathryn Shay and Suz Brockmann. Of course my good friend Ally Blue was there as well.

The place was a mob scene but it was all good.

Headed out now for coffee with my first ever romance critique partner, the now NY published Kim lenox. WooHoo!

I know it’s been ages since I’ve posted. Bad blogger, bad!

 But I’ve been busy. Writing, helping to organize the Rainbow Awards of Excellence, as well as running the chapter. All of which take time. And now I’m off to Orlando for the RWA national conference, a week of workshops and networking and reconnecting with friends. And lots of hanging out with other writers, my favorite part. *g*

Hopefully there will be time for writing while I’m there, though I’m not counting on it, too many distractions. Maybe in the airport or on the plane, because the characters in my head are clamoring for my attention. So cross your fingers.

Available now  from MLR Press.

EXCERPT

“Hey, is Jason here?” Rain, now wearing a pair of jeans so low-slung they showed those little divots just beside his hipbones, sashayed into the room and over to the desk. He leaned across the paper-strewn surface and smiled. “It’s Benny, right?”

“Right.” Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Benny tried to close the page so the man wouldn’t see what he was doing. But the damn mouse chose that moment to stop working. He clicked and clicked and nothing happened.

Fuck.

“I’m Rain. But you probably knew that already. You got a problem there?”

Before Benny could answer, Rain slipped around to his side of the desk. He reached for the mouse and stopped, staring at the computer screen.

Oh fucking shit! Continue Reading »

Now available in ebook from Aspen Mountain Press and in print from MLR Press.

EXCERPT

Zach paused in the arch that separated the café from the bookstore. As he watched Keith work, wiping down the counter with the rag in his hand, Zach’s chest tightened. How could he have known how goddamn hard it would be to see another man, a man who was not Jay, moving around the café and looking so at home there? Or maybe, on some level, he had always known and that was why he’d left the café empty for so long.
Keith hummed softly as he worked, rinsing the rag then moving from the counter to the espresso machine. It looked like he was just about done for the day too. He’d closed the blinds on the wide window that looked out on the street and turned off all but the single light over the counter, throwing most of the café into shadow. Continue Reading »

Now available at MLR Press

Copyright 2010 by Kimberly Gardner, all rights reserved.

Vinn went over to the box and lifted the lid. “Look, are they weird looking, or what?”

Julien looked and felt the stirring of a nearly forgotten pleasure. He picked up one of the small globes. It was cool in his palm. He held it up. “They’re called Moros.”

“Moros? You’ve seen these before?”

“Indeed. They’re blood oranges and I’ve eaten them.”

“I thought–”

“Not in a very long time, Vincent. But I have tasted their flesh.” With his thumbnail, Julien split the skin of the fruit and pulled the halves apart. The air was immediately filled with the rich tangy scent of citrus, so sweet it was nearly painful to breathe, or maybe that was the memory.

Vinn’s stared down at the fruit. “It looks almost black, doesn’t it?”

“It does.” Julien separated a slice of the orange. Held it out. Juice ran through his fingers and over the back of his hand. The urge to lick it away, to taste that sparkling sweetness was almost irresistible. But instead he held it to Vinn’s lips. “Taste.”

Vinn hesitated only a moment then he opened his mouth and took the fruit from Julien’s fingers. He bit down, his eyes drifting closed on a moan of the purest appreciation.

“Mmm. Oh man.”

“You like?” Continue Reading »

Of fame …

Tonight I’m going to be reading at the Erotic Literary Salon.

http://theeroticsalon.com/

The salon is a wonderful group of erotic literature enthusiasts who meet on the third Tuesday of every month to read aloud and enjoy erotic writing. The salon is a warm and welcoming place that meets at the Bohemian Absinth Lounge, locate at 13th and Sansom St.

I’ll be reading aloud from my novel, Bound To Please, the reading to be followed by a Q&A.

I’m very excited about this event and would love to see some familiar and supportive faces in the crowd.

I just got a contract with Loose-ID, a brand new publisher for me. The story, as yet untitled, is a contemporary, novella-length work that celebrates national coming out day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Coming_Out_Day 

As such, the story will be available in October.

I’m really excited to be part of the LI family of authors.

Someone shared this video clip with me, so I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjWRGaV-Fs

I have an author interview over at Jessewave’s site. She and Jenre came up with some great questions for me. Hope you’ll check it out.

http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/?p=20483

Well, okay, not me, but my book is in the library in Australia. How cool is that?

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37109590?q=charlie+cochrane&c=book

Big thanks to Charlie Cochrane for letting me know about this. *mwah*