Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Wicked Wednesday: Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour

Welcome to the latest post in the Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour, where sixteen authors will do their level best to make your winter brighter in January, February, March, and April. (Unless you’re south of the equator, and then we’ll just be jealous of your summer.) Every Wednesday will be a new stop on the tour.

Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for up to sixteen chances at the grand prize: a $200 USD gift certificate to the e-retailer of your choice! Also keep an eye out for links to individual authors’ sites on their release dates for a chance to win some free books.


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Ethan: I haven’t done a lot of traveling and the trip to New Orleans for GayRomLit was one of furthest trips I’ve ever been on. I do make several drives a year to Las Vegas, Reno and Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Zoo is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Very cool exhibits and an albino alligator. Vegas for me has been more about the bars and the strip. Well, and the adult theaters. And the bathhouse. In Reno I like…the bathhouse and the adult store. Yeah, I got a one track mind!


Andrew: I have traveled throughout the world, but the place I most want to go back to is Australia. Warm, crystal clear waters, the friendliest people in the world, scenery that will take your breath away, and wildlife unlike any place else in the world. When I was there I did a number of things including having a kookaburra steal French fries right off my lunch plate, went swimming in the South Pacific and I got to hold a koala. Outside Brisbane, there a koala preserve and some of the animals are sensitized enough for you to hold them.                                                                                          

Where else on earth, could you get a picture like these? Someday I want to get away from the coast and visit Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef. 
                                                                                                                                                                                    




Blaine: I'm addicted to 'Escape to the country' a BBC programme in which people want to move to the country. I love the tours through cute cottages and gorgeous barn conversions. I love the great views, the gardens, the nooks and crannies, the original features and the combination of modern and old.
For a while now I've been seriously thinking about moving to the UK when my husband retires—which won't be for a while, yet— and my husband hesitantly acknowledges the possibility. My husband is swamped in work—which is good in these not so good times, and he's a bit of a workaholic—and more often than not comes home tired and his mind still on the job. And let's not forget those fanatical gamers we're surrounded by.
But, as I said, retiring isn't on the agenda yet, so, in the meantime, I'd love to rent a cottage in the rural British countryside, for a well-deserved—fanatical gamer free—getaway with my husband. I'm already imagining long walks, soaking up the atmosphere, and staring out the window, enjoying the magnificent views, as I write.






Sue: I travelled a fair bit in my younger years, when finances allowed. One of my most memorable trips was a trip along the Silk Road. I could fill blog post after blog post with tales from that ten day trip. It wasn’t so much a holiday/getaway as an expedition. I saw some amazing places, met some great people and came away with a shed load of memories. There were one or two places that really stayed with me and one, in particular, I’d return to in a heartbeat.
The Hunza Valley in Pakistan is where I’d love to go for a bit of peace and quiet. I’d love to sit on the veranda of that hotel again and watch the stars appear, one by one, above the shadowed, jagged mountains. Sadly, no alcohol allowed, but I’d settle for a cold tonic water with ice and lemon, a pack of cigarettes and a fine summer’s evening.
If you ever get the chance, if circumstances change and you want a glimpse of what Shangri-La is like, get yourself there. It really is beautiful.






Clare: My ideal getaway at the moment is a quiet weekend on my own LOL. Ideally, I'll be in a small but cozy guesthouse, by the sea and/or the countryside. I'd like a small kitchen to be able to make plenty of coffee and the occasional sandwich, and internet access to keep in touch - but only for emergencies! My e-reader and a TV for a snuggle up and relax in the evening. But most of all I'd like a quiet room with a view and a comfy chair and table to set up my laptop for writing during the day. Perhaps then I'd get one of my WIP novels finished at last!

I'm away at Easter with Hubby in the Lake District, and I'm hopeful I can meet some of these plans then. He likes to walk the hills, so I can spend time on my own while he's out, then we can meet up for an evening meal and take that snuggle together :)


Blaine D. Arden is a purple haired, forty-something writer of gay romance with a love of men, music, mystery, magic, fairies (the pointy eared ones), platform shoes, and the colors black, purple, and red, who sings her way through life. Born and raised in Zutphen, the Netherlands, Blaine spent many hours of her sheltered youth reading, day dreaming, making up stories, and acting them out with her Barbies. When not writing, reading, or at choir practice, Blaine has singing lessons and hopes to be in a band someday. Blaine can be found at: http://blainedarden.com

Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew's hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania. You can find out more at www.andrewgreybooks.com, on facebook, twitter, or email him at andrewgrey@comcast.net

S.A.Meade lives in deepest Wiltshire and is pathetically happy to see rain after eight years in the desert of south central Arizona. She stumbled into writing m/m by accident when she realised that her historicals put agents to sleep. Since then she’s realised she’s addicted to the genre and keeps writing more dirty books. She loves cooking and eating what she cooks and shares her home with a patient husband and son and two heat-seeking cats. S.A. can be found boring people witless with her blog - kestrelrising.blogspot.com/

Ethan Stone lives in Nevada. But not Reno or Las Vegas. There are other cities there, you know. Where he lives, gambling isn’t on every block, just every other block. He has been obsessed with two things in his life: books and all things gay. After spending years trying to ignore the voices in his head, he finally decided to sit down and listen to them. What he discovered was a perfect union of his two obsessions. Ethan has a day job that pays the bills. He wears a uniform to work and he looks damn sexy in it. Find Ethan at ethanjstone.com

Clare London  Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She's written in many genres and across many settings, with three novels and a smattering of short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she's just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn fiction, she's happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters. Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home. Find Clare at  http://www.darkpearldiva.com/





23 comments:

  1. I'm a bit odd in that I've never left the UK (don't even have a passport!) - our family holidays were always to Wales.
    I like hill walking so have holidayed a bit in North Wales, Scotland and the Lake District - the scenery is beautiful.
    I'd always wanted to travel abroad but being ill has put that on hold. I love Thai food and would love to travel there someday but that be a bit of big starting point :)

    My parents watch Escape to the Countryside; it has been set near them at least once. The UK might be small but we do have lots of pretty little villages and nice scenery :)

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  2. DH & I are planning (by which I mean talking about; we haven't managed to reach the actual Saving-up-our-pennies stage) a trip at some point to Great Britain. He wants to see tanks at a museum somewhere (name escapes me at the moment, but they have, apparently, the only still-functional Tiger Tank & fire it up once a year and he wants to see it.) The rest of the trip would be all about me, but I have no clue what I might like to do. Other than that, well...I've lived in a few different places, but they all kind of feel the same but with slightly different weather and elevation after a while...

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  3. I live in Florida, so it has started getting hot already! I am excited because I will be doing a study abroad in Italy for a month over the summer! I have never been to Europe before and the trip is very expensive but it is helpful to my major (art history) and you only live once! I love this blog hop and getting insights into my favorite authors lives! Thanks!

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  4. I've been all over the United States both living and traveling, but my only international adventure was to Australia. Figures I'd go during the hottest weeks of the year, but watching the New Year's fireworks extravaganza from the Sydney Opera House made up for it. I'm still saving for a grand European tour. It doesn't help that the longer I put it off the more things I add to my list of places to go and things to see. I could probably spend a year there and not check everything off.

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  5. My husband and I were married in Las Vegas twenty years ago. We've talked about going back, maybe for our anniversary. So much has changed since we were there. I think it would be fun. We might even pay a visit to the wedding chapel where we were married. :)

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    1. Here's my email address: lkbherring64@gmail.com

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  6. I traveled a bit around Europe, but it was always work/school related. I'm at my first job with decent salary, so when summer comes I might venture further. East Asia is something I've always wanted to see.

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  7. I would so love to travel to some of these places everyone has been. I have never been out of the U.S. and have only been to two other states besides the one I live in.

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  8. Please remember, everyone, that I need your email address in case you win... otherwise you might miss out on the big ole prize!!

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  9. Andrew I'm so jealous I want to hold a Koala bear!! I wish I had the time and money to travel but with two little kids under the age of five I have neither ;) Great post everyone :)

    brandon_savannah@yahoo.com

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  10. Ethan, Andrew, Blaine, Sue, and Clare... thank you so much for stopping in and sharing your travel stories with us. And thank you as well to all those who stopped by to comment.

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  11. I love to travel and have been to all of the lower 48 except the New England states, they are on my bucket list. I have also been to 5 provinces in Canada and 4 states in Mexico. My European travels have been limited to France and Italy, so far. My oldest daughter has been to Australia and loved it. My younger daughter (the history professor)has lived in Germany and Italy and visited almost all of Europe. Last summer she lead a tour group for the Smithsonian to Turkey, I wanted to go too but could not afford it. Maybe she got her travel bug from me.

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  12. I like traveling but I prefer to get there by plane. That leaves me more time in the city of my destination. I went to England in the early 90's and I loved it. I was staying with a friend at an Air Force base north of London. It turned out that Prime Minister at the time John Major had a residence just down the road. Every time we would drive into town we would pass the drive leading to the house and wave to the guards at the gate!

    mimirose41209 at hotmail dot com

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  13. ugh just lost my entire post!

    I love to travel but prefer to get there by plane so I have more time to visit/tour. I went to England in the early 90's. I stayed at an Air Force base in the north of London. It turns out that the Prime Minister at the time, John Major, had a residence just down the road. Everytime we would drive into town would would wave to the guards at the gate at the end of his drive!

    mimirose41209 at hotmail dot com

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  14. Hey All,
    be aware that I've had to turn moderation on temporarily due to the potentially volatile nature of another post here at the Cave... have no fear, your posts are not lost, and will go up in their entirety just as soon as I see them. Thanks, Cherie Noel, Keeper of The Cave.

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  15. Not much of a traveler but I sure love pictures of other's adventures.

    Jase
    vslavetopassionv(at)aol(dot)com

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  16. I have done mucho travelling in my 28 years. When my bio parents were still in the military, every year or every three years we were moving and then we'd go on vacation somewhere, every so often. I will say though, that the greatest place that I've ever been was to Wichita Falls, Texas. I loved pretending to be a cowboy, riding horses and wearing a Stetson and using rope (obviously). I'm looking forward to travelling to London to visit my adopted Dad for Christmas, to Australia to visit one of my adopted Moms in February, and of course I'm still planning for my trip to Italy for my birthday.

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  17. Most of my traveling has been restricted to the SE section of the US. But I live in Florida and that's where everyone wants to come right. The biggest trip was Jan 2007 when I travel with all my in-laws to Norway. 23 of us in the group. It got way crazy and I needed a vacation when we got home. But I did see snow for the first time at the age of 44.

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  18. Anywhere I can see the waves hit the shore is a good place for me.

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  19. I love the sea. I think I must have some Selkie blood because the waves draw me like nothing else. So where ever there is the ocean I am happy.

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  20. I'm saving my pennies for a trip to Wales and Scotland. I have always wanted to see where my ancestors lives. Maybe someday I'll make it there.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  21. Ideal getaway would be exploring somewhere in the mountains.

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  22. I would love to go to Germany or Hungary (my or my husband's cultural roots) for a family vacation! This year is our 10-year anniversary, so it won't be this soon, but maybe we could make it in another five or ten?

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What's your take?