Lily Grace's Blog

Hey all,

Happy Sunday! So, I'm sure a lot of you have been checking out the Goodreads MM Romance group's Love Has No Boundaries event. There have been so many amazing stories this year!

Well, you're truly also wrote a story for the event, and Forever. I promise. is out today! For now you can read it directly on Goodreads, but there'll be a download link coming soon, which will be post HERE on the MM Romance LHNB website.

This is the first time I've done this event and so so excited to be a part of it. I'm not a very fast writer (in fact, I'm the complete opposite) so writing a story when there is a deadline fast approaching is always sort of equal parts terrifying and exhilarating (perhaps more terrifying than anything else!). But, it's also a good challenge.

Forever. I Promise. is a young adult story. It's about best friends since childhood discovering they love each other, despite close-minded parents and homophobic classmates. I hope you all enjoy Zack and Patrick's story.

I want to send out a huge thank you to all the amazing LHNB staff who made this event possible. And most of all, I want to thank Little.dhampir for the fantastic prompt that was the inspiration for this story. This story wouldn't exist without you!

xo,
Lily

Fair warning... this post is going to be a potpourri or randomness.

First, tomorrow I'm going to be guest blogging over at The Armchair Reader. I'll be talking about my love of comfort foods and sharing a recipe. So stop on by. There may even be a giveaway involved. ;)

Second, this video makes me extremely happy. So much androgyny. So much Bowie. And the fact that Bowie cast Andrej Pejic in his music video pretty much makes my head explode (in a good way).






Third, thanks to my darling friend, I'm thoroughly enjoying some German pear brandy. I'm not even sure you can find it in the US. I usually don't drink alcohol straight (I'm a mixer type of a girl), but this is definitely lovely to sip and has a distinct crisp, pear taste. Yum.






Fourth, this tumblr makes me really happy. So does this one and this one (yeah, I totally have a thing for Andrej Pejic... and pretty boys in general).

Fifth, I forgot how beautiful this is. The song and the video. And Brian Molko. I <3 Placebo.



Also, I love that I felt the need to number all the items in my random post. I'm just slightly OCD. :p

That's all for now!

xo,
Lily

So, I'm currently doing the promo circuit for Analyzing Emory, and I wanted to make sure I let everyone know where to find me over the next few weeks.

First, in case you missed it, I guest blogged on ARe Cafe a few weeks ago and talked about how I started writing M/M Romance. Last week, I wrote about the importance of cover art at Pants Off Reviews.

Tomorrow, January 25, I can be found at Joyfully Jay. I'll be talking a bit about Analyzing Emory and sharing an excerpt.

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On Friday, February 8, I'll be at Chicks and Dicks blogging about what exactly is romance. Yup. You read that right. I'm a M/M romance writer asking the question, "What is romance?".




Then, on Wednesday, February 13, I'll be guest posting at Coffee and Porn in the Morning. Be sure to come back that Friday, February 15, because I'll be giving away a copy of Analyzing Emory.




Phew. So, that's it for now. Hope to see some of you as I make the rounds to some of my favorite blogs!

Also, Dreamspinner is currently having a mega sale through January 27th... 20% off everything! This would be a great time to stock up on all those books you've been eying! ;)





xo,
Lily

In case you aren't familiar with The Next Big Thing blog hop, it's basically a bunch of us writers running around screaming "Tag you're it!" at each other, and once you're tagged you're required to answer the following ten questions about your current work in progress (i.e. your Next Big Thing). 
First things first, I was tagged by the lovely L.C. Chase, Skylar M. Cates, Lex Chase and Jacob Flores. Please be sure to check out their great posts!
Now, down to business. My brand-spankin’ new release, Analyzing Emory, is a contemporary romance. So to spice things up, I’m currently working on something a bit different at the moment. :)

1.    What is the working title of your book?
How to Survive a Dinner Date with a Vampire
2.   Where did the idea come from for the book?
The attack of the plot bunnies actually happened when a friend gave me a super cute and funny children’s book for fun. It’s called A Vampire Is Coming To Dinner! and follows the story of a young boy who gets word that a vampire is coming over to his house for dinner. The book then outlines the 10 (hilarious) steps the boy needs to take in order to make the evening a success.

Somehow my brain went from children’s story to: What if there was a similar story for adults? And, what if it was a dinner date? And if vampires really did exist, how would you go about dating one without being scared out of your mind?


3.   What is the genre of the book?
M/M Paranormal (slightly humorous) Romance
4.   Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is challenging because of course I want my characters to look exactly like I pictured them in my head, so it’s hard for me to pick an actor and say, “Yup! That’s him exactly!”. But, I’ll do my best.
I reeeallllly don’t want to fall into a True Blood cliché here, but Alexander Skarsgård (with long hair) would kind of be perfect to play Norwegian vampire, Aleskander Riestad. 
As for Ted, the slightly skittish, nerdy librarian who is being pursued by said Sexy Vamp, I had some trouble coming up with someone, but if you geeked him up a bit, I think Jackson Rathbone might fit the bill. (And yes, it’s not lost on me that Jackson has also played a vampire before… but in this movie, I just need him to be human. :))
5.   What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A mild-mannered librarian, who doesn’t quite want to admit that vampires actually exist, gets asked out on a dinner date by an exceedingly handsome vampire and must decide if he’s capable of getting over his fear and giving love a chance.
6.   Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?
*crosses fingers and toes* I hope it will be picked up by a publisher.
7.   How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
*cough* *looks around sheepishly* I’ll let you know when I finish it… *cough*
8.   What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Uuug… I hate comparisons. Do I have to answer?
Hmmm, well, I don’t think my blog will explode if I skip…. So there!
Moving on…
9.   Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I kinda feel like this question is similar to Question 2. I certainly have to give some credit to my friend who gave me the children’s book (since that was the plot-bunny-inducing trigger). But I’ve always thought vampires were sexy and I’m also completely in love with HBO’s True Blood. So, I was intrigued to try my own take on: Present-day world, add vampires and other supernatural beings coming out of the closet, shake and serve (with a generous helping of humor on the side).
10.  What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If things go the way I’m hoping they will, this may become a series with each book exploring the relationship between a different human and supernatural pair in the same small town.

I’m tagging Andrew Q. Gordon. Be sure to stop by and check out what he’s working on!

xo,Lily

I currently have a guest blog up at ARe Cafe! My post actually went up Tuesday, but somehow I'm just  now getting around to mentioning it here. Clearly my day job is taking up far too much of my time.

Some of you may be aware, but my background is actually in biological sciences and public health. I do health consulting work now, but back a few years ago, when I first tried my hand at writing, I was actually still working as a laboratory scientist. My post over at ARe Cafe explores how I got into the M/M romance genre and how the hell I decided to try to write a story of my own in the first place. I also talk a bit about Analyzing Emory and some of the things that influenced it.

Did I mention that if you comment on the post you're in the running to win $10 Omni Bucks? That'll get ya a few things off your TBR list. ;) Contest is open through Friday.

xo,
Lily

It's finally here! Analyzing Emory is out today!!

I'm so so SO excited!!!

I'm over at the DSP Blog today holding a little release party, so please stop on by to find out more about Analyzing Emory and read some excerpts. I'll also be giving away an ebook copy to one lucky commenter!
xo,Lily

Chris over at Stumbling Over Chaos is graciously running an ebook giveaway contest for Analyzing Emory. All you have to do is comment on the contest post to be in the running. Contest runs through January 3!


Chris runs a TON a fantastic ebook giveaways, so be sure to check out her site!



Also, you can read the first chapter of  Analyzing Emory  HERE. 

Finally, I had a really bad day at work today. Like, a new hell dimension type of bad day. I was completely unamused that my first day bak after the holidays was such a complete and utter s**t storm, but I survived... (only a little scathed). 

After my heinous day, I needed something to cheer me up:




Yup. Feeling better already. 
I've been totally obsessed with White Collar lately. I had never really watched it until recently, but I've simply devoured the seasons on Netflix. The show is smart and funny and I enjoy the characters, but I'm not ashamed to say even if it sucked, I might watch it anyways just so I could stare at Matt Bomer. I mean, seriously? Can you blame me?
xo,Lily

No? 
Have no fear! Dreamspinner is having a huge sale for the holidays! All titles are 25% from December 20-25. Stop on by and treat yourself to some yummy, man-on-man romantic goodness. :)


Also, a very special announcement regarding the paperback edition of Analyzing Emory. The first 20 copies purchased through Dreamspinner Press will be autographed by yours truly! And now you can even get it on sale!

The count down is  officially on, folks! 15 days and counting until Analyzing Emory...

....well, almost. :)

So, I was taking a brief break at work this morning to sit back, take a large sip of my jumbo coffee, and check my personal email on my phone. I came close to snorting coffee out my nose and all over my computer and desk when I read an email from the lovely folks at DSP saying Analyzing Emory was up on the site and available for pre-order. Then I had a holy shit moment because it all just became incredibly more real than it had all seemed only moments before.

My. First. Novel. Is. Available. For Pre-order. O.M.G.

Because I was at the office, and couldn't quite run screaming up and down the hallways (What can I say? I need the paycheck!), I settled for one of these in my chair:



I've always been unfailingly impatient, so I'm not quite sure how I'll survive the next month, but I'm sure I'll manage somehow. Now, please excuse me while I go back to dancing like a complete and utter dorky spaz in the privacy of my own living room. :D

xo,
Lily

It's right around the corner! My first novel, Analyzing Emory, will come out January 4th from Dreamspinner Press. SQUEE!!!




When a family friend offers him the job of resident psychologist at Chicago’s GLBT Center, Kyle Michelson jumps at the chance to reinvigorate his career, move on from his recent breakup, and get his life back on track. Kyle hopes returning to the familiar territory of his hometown will do him good, but meeting Emory Brenner at a club changes everything.
Anything but familiar, Emory leaves Kyle breathless from the start. There’s just one problem: Kyle wants more than a one-night stand, Emory doesn’t do relationships, and neither man can resist the other. Luckily for Emory, he never has to see Kyle again. Or so Emory thinks until he runs into him while volunteering at the GLBT Center.
Kyle makes Emory want things he never thought he could have and chips away at secrets Emory has kept locked away for years. On the surface, Emory’s recovered from his past: he has a job at a record store and a roof over his head. But putting his trust in another person, having a relationship, means opening himself to more pain—and that is a risk he can’t take.


There were a lot of times I didn't think this novel would ever get finished. I owe a big thanks to a very dear friend for always lending the encouragement and support I needed to keep plugging away at it. I'm really proud of this story and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it. I also have to send a shout-out to the wonderful folks over at Dreamspinner who've just been exceptional throughout this process. And the biggest thank you ever to L.C. Chase for the beautiful cover!!
xo,Lily