Hi, all. Piper and M.J. here with a Tuesday Tangent. Our third co-authored book, One Small Thing, comes out from Dreamspinner in a few days, and we thought it would be fun to share links that both we and our characters would enjoy.

Piper:

We’ll start off Erik, who is a blatant sci-fi and pop culture geek. He shares my love of all things Star Wars, and we think if he were real, these are some of the sites he would regularly visit.

First we have ThinkGeek: Stuff for the Smart Masses (http://www.thinkgeek.com). This site is chockfull of geeky items—funny T-shirts, mugs, novelty gifts like the Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass, gadgets like the Joystick-It iPad Arcade Stick, which you can attach to your iPad to play thousands of games, and tons of other goodies to sooth your geek-loving soul.

Then there is Geeks are Sexy (http://www.geeksaresexy.net), which features a combination of tutorials, reviews, and science and social news, written by geeks for geeks. Read articles about cosplay, watch video reviews for the latest techy products, and find out the 10 must-read books for geeks.

Next up is Geekologie (http://www.geekologie.com), a site “dedicated to the scientific study of gadgets, gizmos, and awesome.” Visit this site to learn about the world’s most sensitive scale (it can weigh a single proton!), or to find out how Yoda would sound if he spoke normally instead of using Yoda-speech, or to read all the latest video game news.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Neatorama (http://www.neatorama.com), where they talk about the latest neato stuff. One of the coolest parts is their Neatoshop, which features The Cute Store, the Zombie Shop, and the “Gifts for Geeks” section, your go-to shopping source for all of the awesome geeks in your life. You want Doctor Who sticky notes? Scissortape? Star Trek salt and pepper shakers? Darth Vader ice trays? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Even if you don’t consider yourself a geek, we think all of these sites are worth a look. You can find out about—and shop for—some really cool stuff, and a lot of the articles and products are intended to be funny along with being useful. We’d definitely recommend them all.

M.J.:

And we have Rue. Pretty alternaboy Rue shares my love of makeup, dancing, and all things sparkly. Here are some sites Rue might like:

First we have SugarPill—makeup for the alternagirl: (http://www.sugarpillshop.com). The bright, fun colors and cool tattoo-ish logos are perfect for him. There are even video tutorials to create outlandish looks that he can wear when he’s bartending at the Tom Tom club.

And of course there’s always Topshop (http://us.topshop.com). Sure, they only sell women’s clothes and accessories, but Rue is always ready to rock a cute pair of capris with flip-flops anytime… or some tiny short shorts. He knows that Erik likes his legs.

He stops by his internet buddy’s YouTube channel quite a lot. They share makeup tips and sarcastic quips. Here’s Michael James: (http://www.youtube.com/user/xxmichaeljames).

A new site he’s been visiting lately has helped him a ton since his daughter was born is Great Dad (http://www.greatdad.com). It’s full of advice that he can’t live without. Especially on those days he wishes he could pull his hair out!

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We hope you have fun checking out these sites and getting a bit of insight into the characters you’ll meet in One Small Thing. The book comes out in both ebook and paperback formats on Friday, May 4th (Star Wars Day ). Purchase it directly from Dreamspinner’s website (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2905) or on Amazon, ARe, and other online book retailers.

The blurb:

“Daddy” is not a title Rue Murray wanted, but he never thought he’d have sex with a woman either. Now he’s the unwitting father of a newborn named Alice. Between bartending and cosmetology school, Rue doesn’t have time for babies, but he can’t give her up. What Rue needs is a babysitter, and he’s running out of options. He’s on the verge of quitting school to watch Alice himself when he remembers his reclusive new neighbor, Erik.

Erik Van Nuys is a sci-fi novelist with anxiety issues to spare. He doesn’t like people in general, and he likes babies even less. Still, with his royalties dwindling, he could use the extra cash. Reluctantly, he takes on the role of manny—and even more reluctantly, he finds himself falling for Alice and her flamboyant father.

Rue and Erik are as different as two people can be, and Alice is the unlikeliest of babies, but Rue has never been happier than when Alice and Erik are by his side. At least, not until he receives an offer that puts all his dreams within reach and he’s forced to choose: the future he’s always wanted, or the family he thought he never did.

~*~

Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea have been writing jointly since January 2011. Their first joint title, Moonlight Becomes You (released August 2011), was Piper’s publishing debut, while M.J. already had several published titles under her belt. Both authors have solo titles available in addition to their co-written projects. You can visit them at their joint blog, Babes in Boyland (http://mjandpiper.blogspot.com), or their websites, http://pipervaughn.com and http://www.mjoshearomance.com.