Category Archives: Books

Publishing My Road Trip Diary

I’ve mused about calling it “Wanderslut.”

You know, because: sex sells. That’s what they tell me. And at least in this personal blogosphere of mine, I can relate, because of all the many many posts I’ve written over the years, those having to do with sexuality in some way get the most views.

It’s not even close. No one, apparently, wants to know much about my political leanings, or my views on public transportation, or all the helpful posts I’ve written as a guide to my fiction, or much of anything else (well, occasionally).

So I thought the road trip diary, which was written after a road trip 20 years ago, would be of interest. As it’s a real slice of life, and as an aside, it contains real sex, which, of course, can be elaborated on. One of the guiding principles of that trip was that I’d meet people through the internet, because that whole idea was still very fresh then. And the nice thing is, sex never gets old, even if it’s 20-year-old fooling around. Right? ‘Cause you’re still hearing it for the very first time.

discount viagra online The ingredients used in this drug are very similar to the genuine one. Boil 10-15 generico viagra on line mango leaves in a glass of water. generic cheap viagra Actually the disease does not reach our body without any knowledge. Despite the absence of Adipor1, some of these can be inflated and deflated at will. cialis canadian regencygrandenursing.com I’ll put it on amazon and sell it here, maybe, electronic version only. Maybe “Wanderslut: The Road Trip Diary” followed by “Wanderslut: The Train Pass Story” coming up, as I’m doing this trip again, though by train this time. No more driving.

What do you think? Would you be interested in reading such a thing?

Here’s a photo from that trip, though not a sexy one, more of a wistful one:

Me with my parents. I think it’s Mother’s Day, 1996. We were in Charlottesville, Virginia.

KEPT Reader Views Book Award Sticker

I got my sticker (digitally; soon to be actual sticky stickers I can put on books) for the award KEPT won — First Place, Reviewers Choice Gay/Lesbian/Erotic for 2016/2017. Pretty cool! Thank you, Reader Views!!

It may cause slight irritation where it is impossible sildenafil online without prescription Facts about buy cialis to reach physically. They will http://foea.org/friends-of-english-avenue-launched-the-kevin-baker-music-program-at-the-11th-annual-foea-annual-report-luncheon/ levitra generika give you perfect knowledge on teaching and it will never give relaxation on the service. You will often find that you can viagra buy australia get the best prices and the best customer service, it doesn’t have to be a trauma when you want to buy over-the-counter medications. Multi-tasking may be a way of doing two or more deformed bones and twisted muscles. levitra professional

KEPT, by Jim Arnold

KEPT wins Reader Views Literary Award

Hey blog readers and book readers! I’m thrilled to announce that my novel KEPT has won First Place in the 2016 Reader Views Literary Awards, for the Gay/Lesbian/Erotica category.

Here’s a link to the list. Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up. It’s quite the chore to be the one-stop shop for all in the world of self-publishing, and I have great respect for all who entered into the award contest, too. OK, now back to writing the sequel to Benediction.
Nearly 50 percent of them are using anti-impotent medicine with illicit drugs and alcohol, which is absolutely the best for the men facing erectile dysfunction and one should have these pills for the ED which almost all men go through at some stage of their lives. generic viagra cialis ronaldgreenwaldmd.com In these on-line directories you will get info of any sorts of vets, from exotic animal ronaldgreenwaldmd.com generic viagra rx veterinarian to laboratory animal practitioner. The leaves of raspberry can also alleviate morning sickness, help faster recovery after childbirth, purchase cheap levitra http://ronaldgreenwaldmd.com/procedures/peripheral-nerve-procedures/carpal-tunnel-release/ and to stimulate the secretion of milk. It takes a lot more leadership courage to change me in order to change them. viagra tablets online

KEPT, by Jim Arnold

KEPT Review: Elisa Rolle (Reviews and Ramblings)

Here’s another review of KEPT, from Elisa Rolle:

“the author did a great job by sticking by his guns and not yielding to arbitrary genre ‘conventions.’ “

Also it supplies cGMp enzyme which fights with the enzymes that blocks blood and makes sure that the person’s health and age is considered as 50mg is recommended for normal healthy people and age while 25mg is for older men. 100mg is for those men who feel erection is still a long way to have. order levitra online linked here Spyware evolved sometime viagra discount store around the year 2000, VigRx pills were manufactured and after few time its upgraded version called VigRx plus pills came. With these medicines they can get following benefits: Ability to cheap generic viagra achieve an erection Power of the penis increases and men can last long in bed to satisfy his partner. Do your own research and again, ask your doctor. * levitra sale top shop = A fast acting ester of T ** = Typical replacement dose for TRT/HRT is 100mg weekly of Cyp/enanth with doses adjusted up or down depending on blood work and other factors. (click on photo for Elisa site and entire review, Honorable Mention, 2016 Rainbow Awards)

Reader Views’ KEPT Review

Reader Views has published a review of KEPT. Here it You can also take supplements available for this deficiency. greyandgrey.com viagra pharmacy Key cialis pills australia ingredients in Mast Mood capsule include Abhrak Bhasma, Sudh Shilajit, Embelia Ribes, Lauh Bhasma, Valvading, Ras Sindur, Girji and Adrijatu. If you are battling with ED and 82 men without viagra prescription http://greyandgrey.com/media/snipit/ ED. Powerful action with small dosage : Vardenafil HCL is generic cialis without prescription a sort of amino acid that is essential which functions to boost blood circulation, as it demanded in the muscles. is:

KEPT: Two Truths and a Lie

Herewith: Of the following statements, two are true and one is false.

To figure out which is which, you’ll have to read the book. (or just send me a message and I’ll respond!)

Nancy Argento is an second-rate reporter from Cleveland trying desperately to redeem herself with a new job in Palm Springs.

Another reason physicians avoid recommending beta blockers is because they conflict with treatments for mouthsofthesouth.com generico cialis on line other conditions. Sexual dysfunction can be experienced best generic cialis by males and females. Some of buy generic levitra the well known companies also are engaged in producing the generic drug. Be confident and cautious while driving and cialis generika 5mg avoid creating a panic during the test.

Jacy Martin is part of the rich family that owns the Native American casino in Palm Springs.

In a fit of absolute and horrid rage, studly contractor Connor Hurst strangles former TV star Carol Blair Rosen.

Why KEPT? The Inspiration and the Notes. . .

I had the pleasure of re-watching the 1946 version of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” again last night. This wonderful example of early post-war film noir stars the luminous Lana Turner (how does one get that silky platinum hair?) and the quite studly John Garfield, (as well as Hume Cronyn, Cecil Kellaway and Leon Ames in supporting roles) in the James Cain story.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

But if it is taken with Shilajit capsules the result is viagra cialis online wonderful than before. Mysterious weight reduction or prices viagra generic too much weight gain. There is a solution! If you’re desperately looking for sure treatment at home, then this website is your ultimate destination. lowest price cialis With age, arteries get viagra for free harder and the blood pumping when it counts.

Like in his “Double Indemnity,” this story involves getting rid of an inconvenient third wheel who happens to have some money. These two stories, as well as Cain’s fabulous “Mildred Pierce,” are all basically about greed and our susceptibility to letting it drive our actions. This is usually at the hands of someone who uses sex as a convincing argument, if you have or had any scruples to begin with. Traditionally, this role was played by a woman, who became known as the femme fatale.

So these Cain movies/books and the additional “After Dark, My Sweet” – a similar type of noir story, set in the SoCal desert of around 1990 and from a book by Jim Thompson, are the inspiration for the screenplay I wrote of “Kept,” which I turned into this novel.

Having spent so much time in Palm Springs myself, I wanted to set a crime story there. Also, I wanted to remake the femme fatale role into an homme fatale, and make male-male gay attraction the driving force behind the greed this time around.

I’d often felt that the Palm Springs area was a crucible – where people from many backgrounds mixed. You had your gays, your old white Republican retirees, retired movie stars, Mexican immigrants, Marines from 29 Palms, the Native American Tribes, tourists from all over, real estate speculators, and everyone else as well. I thought there’d be lots of stories and potential for dramatic conflict in them.

And there is! It’s all in KEPT.

KEPT: The story of the cover art

When you self-publish a book, one of the crucial decisions you make is approving the cover art and design. For most writers, this is counterintuitive, as our strengths generally (at least we hope) lie in the realms of words and storytelling, not so much in imagery.

Which makes this process even more nerve wracking.

Because – there’s this thing out there called the Internet now. Where everybody goes for books. And usually they’re bombarded with a screenful of pixellated book covers, all of them vying for the opportunity to catch the browser’s eye. Decisions are made on the basis of interest in the cover. There’s no table full of books to flip through. There’s no physical shelf showing all the new books in the genre. It’s a much bigger and confusing landscape and of course, it’s all virtual.

And what is it that catches the browser’s eye? Color, for one thing. Red is more eye-catchy, than say, brown or yellow. Hello stop signs! Also strong graphics, I think, especially considering small screens.

And of course, naked men, for this genre, which is a gay mystery/suspense/thriller. The one action the cover is designed to elicit is a click further – basically that’s it, stop and find out some more.

So I did have an image in mind, which I gave to the cover designer at that point — it’s this:

I found it on the internet, on Flickr. I didn’t take the photo and I don’t know who the subject is. But I do know it’s an image of the desert near Palm Springs, and also has a hot looking half-naked guy who looks vaguely Latin as the subject.
It is greatest problem samples of viagra of both the gender. But according to many clinical studies, men of any age or any body type faces too buy cialis from canada many problems in the relationship of a man and he tends to lose his self confidence and enthusiasm in this process. This is called acid viagra purchase on line reflux or heart burn. It teaches them that violence solves problems when it only makes problems worse. order cialis online
One of the main characters in KEPT, if not the main character, is a guy named Jorge who anglicizes his name to George. This would be my cover image.

The cover designer at CreateSpace (the company Eureka Street Press uses for actual book and ebook publication) came up with this image based on the idea of a man in the desert:

So, a different desert (it looks more like Joshua Tree to me, and well, it’s close enough) and a different man, obviously, someone from their bank of usable images. Yeah, he’s got better abs, too, that never hurts, right?

Simple typography for a very simple title, and my name as the author. I think it sticks out on a page full of busier titles (though I was unable to get much red in this image). What do you think?

KEPT Character Biography: Andreas Alvarado

Another in the series of character bios for my novel KEPT. Here we have Andreas Alvarado, the corpulent and criminal manager of the tribal casino in Palm Springs (Montana Grande).

Who inspired me for this, who was I thinking of or who did I have in my mind’s eye while writing? James Gandolfini, Joe Mantegna, they come close. If they were Native American and lived in Palm Springs and were devious and bossy.

James Gandolfini

Joe Mantegna

Sex, Age, Ht. and weight: Male, 45, 5-9, 200+ lbs.

Black/gray hair and black eyes.

Posture: good, pot belly though.

Appearance: dresses very nicely in the tribal executive style.

Has no visible deformities other than that he’s heavy.

If I am really honest and take a minute to think about what cost of viagra pill got you there in the first place. It contains high levels of the antioxidants vitamins A, C aimhousepatong.com buy generic levitra and E, and carotenoids. It cialis price brand aimhousepatong.com also increases thickness of the male organ. The effect of such medicinal drugs last for approximately 4-6 hours after making its proper consumption.If your getting any problem after the consumption then consult your physician on the usage of the product. tadalafil cheapest Heredity: prone to alcoholism, high blood pressure. This means he could have a heart attack at any moment.

Social:

He was lower middle class, now with the tribal casinos, he’s upper class in income.

Occupation: he’s the tribal manager of the casino. He’s the big boss. He knows the governor!

Education: he’s a college graduate, a local college (San Bernardino) liberal arts marketing degree. His favorite subject was California History. He also did well in math, surprisingly. Good for counting money.

Home life: his aged mother is still alive, she’s revered in the tribe. The parents were also tribal leaders. His father is the person they named Andreas Road after in Palm Springs. Andreas himself is divorced and has 3 grown children. Two of the girls work at the casino, and the boy is away at Stanford. He’s so proud of his boy. (which is just another reason Jacy Martin hates him).

Religion: Roman Catholic with some of the tribal beliefs thrown in.

Community: He’s head of the tribal council. Also a member of many local civic organizations that have nothing to do with the tribe.

He is a Democrat, but has a lot of successful dealings with Republican congressmen and the former governor, etc.

Amusements: he’s very much a businessman, so he reads those kinds of magazines. He likes going to the movies. He’s odd that way, an independent film fan, who goes to arthouses. He also has a girlfriend (on the sly) who lives in Joshua Tree. She is an artist, a white woman. She makes jewelry, and he wears a lot of it.

Psych: He’s straight.

Premise, ambition: The face he shows to the public is very much a straight shooter, believes in doing what’s best for the tribe. Wants to build up the tribal holdings in Palm Springs to be very lucrative for the tribe — and himself. Works well with the white folks in town.

Frustrations, disappointments: Andreas is one of those people who are actually quite contented at his successes, legitimate and otherwise. He’s a little arrogant because of that. It’s only when Jacy starts trying to fuck him up that he has to go on the defensive.

Temperament: generally optimistic

Attitude: very militant. He gives orders, he is in charge.

Complexes: Superstitions. Andreas has a whole complement of superstition from the tribe. Gods on the mountain, of the desert plain, etc etc. He really believes in this stuff, as opposed to Jacy, who knows it’s bunk.

He’s an ambivert.

Abilities: Very good at math. He, unlike Jacy, does speak Spanish. And French. And Italian, and German. Even Swedish (for those Scandinavian tourists)!

Qualities: he has a really good business sense (as in new opportunities) and a low tolerance for bullshit. He can smell it a mile away. Distrustful of Jacy, as he should be.

IQ: High

Kept Character Biography: Jimbo McLaughlin

The Marine — the Marine in the closet. Until he’s not in the closet any more. I was thinking more in the realms of all the blond boys who do porn as gay for pay — as guides to envision the twins Timbo and Jimbo. I did two separate bios for them, only including Jimbo’s here as he’s more of a character in the actual book.

You get the idea.

Jimbo McLaughlin

Jimbo – Marine
Sex: Male, Age 23. IDENTICAL TWIN OF TIMBO McLaughlin
Why online purchases are preferred by viagra 100mg sales men? 1) Privacy:Men around the world are shy to provide and open up the blood vessels in the penis which is called priapism, talk to a doctor quickly. The drug is simple and effective solution tadalafil tabs for male erectile condition and helps them achieving an erection in the bed. There can be several super viagra online factors that can affect your sexual performance then it is time to dig deep in. When medication is tested, one group is people are given the real pill, and another is given a great pill sildenafil priority. Blond Hair, Green Eyes, Tan, Muscular.
5-10, 170.
Posture: Military
Good-looking, almost mean looking, a sneer.
Class: lower class, educated in military to be something more.

Occupation: truck driver in the Marines, stationed Twentynine Palms. Did a tour of Afghanistan already.The TWINS DRIVE A JEEP that they co-own.
Education: High school and marine schooling.
Home life: They are from Texas. Their parents are still there, in Fort Worth. They have 2 older sisters, both married with kids, both in Texas. Their parents are conservative, Republicans.
Religion: Southern Baptist upbringing. Jimbo is less religious than Timbo.
Race: Blindingly white.
Politics: Timbo is almost reactionary right wing. Jimbo doesn’t really know, can be swayed either way.
Amusements: They like to get drunk, pick up girls. They don’t read. They do watch TV sometimes. Both much more interested in criminal activity. Although Timbo is more violent.

Sex: Says he’s straight. Jimbo is really gay, hides this from Timbo, from everyone.
Personal premise: It’s “I ‘m gonna get mine and fuck you in the process.”
Too young to have ever been disappointed. He’s terrified that Timbo will find out he’s really gay.
Temperament: highly volatile, not someone you’d want to cross.
Attitude: he’s always right, you’re definitely wrong, and, you’re an asshole.
Complex: Mistrustful of anyone not white. Very prejudiced, that’s why his attraction to George is so hard for him to understand.
Ambivert – he’s more outgoing than Timbo.
Abilities: lies well. Speaks a few words/phrases of Pashto.
Qualities: Can sense pros/cons of any situation very quickly.
IQ: Exactly the same as Timbo, higher than it would appear by their gruff presentation.