Category: Book Giveaways

In Our Book Spotlight: Jeanne Marcella’s The Phoenix Embryo (Seasons of the Phoenix #1) (contest)

spotlight on booksThe Phoenix Embryo (Seasons of the Phoenix #1)
Author Jeanne Marcella
Release Date: January 2015
Goodreads Link

PhoenixEmbryo-800 Cover reveal and Promotional

 

Author Bio:

Jeanne Marcella was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Granted unlimited access to books at a very early age via the library, she quickly acquired a fondness for creating her own stories through word and drawing.

Going against the grain of mainstream top ten fantasy, she writes eccentric, GLBTQ dark fantasy dramas not for the faint of heart.

Currently, she reworks her first novel about half-breed centaurs into a 2nd edition.

Our Author Mini Q and A!

Q. Three things on your bucket list?

I only have two: Write my books, and get back into drawing.

Q. You meet a time traveler who will take you ‘anywhen’. Do you go to the past or the future?

That’s a tough one. Would I go back in time and be Da Vinci’s apprentice, or finally learn the truth of all those Bigfoot and ancient astronaut conspiracy theories? Decisions decisions.

Q. Cake or pie? Cake

Q. Dog or cat? I’m a cat person now.

Where to find the author:
Blog: https://aforgeofphoenix.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.JeanneMarcella.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanne.marcella.98
(I unpublished my FB fan page)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AForgeOfPhoenix
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GoddessTriad/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110464796341873472652/posts
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/AForgeOfPhoenix

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Publisher: Jeanne Marcella
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics

Sales Links: 

The Phoenix Embryo Synopsis:

Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Acanthus Breese and his yellow-robed peers have survived without an adult presence for seven years. They’ve scavenged. Endured madness, starvation, and murder after the adults imprisoned and abandoned them without a backward glance. They’ve clawed their way to civilization and questionable sanity at the guidance of one of their own.

Thirteen-year-old Edward Dasheel is a direct descendant of the goddess Staritti and the red phoenix god, Dasheel. Because of Edward’s love and leadership, Acanthus and the other boys know that despite their regretful crime of harming Staritti and driving her away, hope for redemption remains. 

Acanthus knows Edward better than anyone; he knows Edward hides dark secrets about their exile, the adults, and specifically about him. So it is terrifying when suddenly the adults return, pushing themselves back into their lives. What do they want after all these years? And why?

Categories: Bisexual, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Drama, M/M Romance, Steampunk, For Mature Readers

Excerpt from The Phoenix Embryo…


 Acanthus danced around in a chaotic circle, waving his arms and pointing out the window. “Dee! He took Minos. He had wings! He flew! Priests! By Staritti, there were adults in Regrets!”

“Shh. Shhh. It’s all right.”

“How can it be all right?” Acanthus yelled. He paced. He prowled. He was helpless. Edward made no move to restrain him. “They throw us away, ignore us, and then pick us off! How much more can we endure? You know we’ll never see Minos again, Dee! We’ll never see him again! Just like all the others!”

“I know,” Edward answered in a helpless, grating whisper.

“Minos didn’t have anyone,” Acanthus said to himself. “No one, for the last seven years. I feel so bad; I could’ve done something. I could’ve been his friend.”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

Horror washed through him. “Yes, I can. This is my fault. I wanted to break something today. I broke Minos.”

Edward put a calming hand to his shoulder. “Dearest, it’s not your fault.”

“We don’t know that for certain. We all should know better by now. All of us. We have to stick together, make sure everyone’s okay.”

Pages or Words: 128,000 words

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Tour Dates: February 19, 2015

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Velvet Panic, Inked Rainbow Reads, The Hat Party, Bayou Book Junkie, Molly Lolly, Fallen Angel Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Boys on the Brink Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Bending The Bookshelf, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Nephylim

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: PDF Copy of ‘The Phoenix Embryo’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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A Stella Review: Neon White E3 (A Tooth Claw and Horns Chronicle #3) by Wulf Francu Godgluck

Rating: 4,75 stars out of 5.

(Note:I subtracted 0,25 from the full 5 stars cause in the book there is an het sex scene too detailed for my taste)

Neon White 3 coverThis is going to be a bloody shit day.
The Alpha is missing, for one thing. Raven’s partner Jessy is still struggling to deal with his death. Finding out that his body is missing from the morgue is a big enough shock, so what happens next is going to be unbelievable…
Especially for Raven

This review contain spoilers on the Episode 2, so if you still haven’t read the previous books and don’t want spoilers, please don’t read this review. Still, you can go straight and buy this series, you don’t regret it.

In Episode 2 we left Raven and Bla’Gar at the Winter Ball, finally hoping for a future together. Bla’Gar tells our sweet Enforcer that he fell in love with him since the first time they met. Raven is still recovering from the incident with the hound in his parents’ home, an incident maybe not so casual, that left him probably destined to a desk job.

Raven and Bla’Gar parted ways because the demon is called by his pack. Once alone, Raven is assaulted and bitten by a vampire. Jessy, Rave’s partner, is the one to find him after the vampire’s attack. Jess is convinced that the responsible of Rave’s death is Bla’Gar, so she goes to him, but he has no idea his lover is dead and he can’t believe it, he needs proves. When Jess takes the demon to the morgue where Rave’s body is, they will find no one.
Where is Raven? He was murdered so he’s dead, right?

Everything we knew about the characters we learned to love changes again in this new chapter.This new episode was simply fantastic. Apart from the main story with Rave and Bla’Gar as MCs, we have two more stories that will catch your attention and will make you hungry for more.

More or less the first part is focused on Bla’Gar dealing with the kidnapping of Seth, the Alpha of the lycan pack, who just mated with Lucas. We learn more about the lycan pack and his dynamics, and most of all we’ll learn more about Seth’s life, which I suspect (and I hope) will be really important in the next book.

Another part shows us the new relationship between Jess and his mysterious boyfriend James. I say mysterious cause of course you can’t expect him to be human.

As I already said in the other reviews, being so short, I didn’t think to read a series with so well developed second characters, but I was wrong. Especially in this new instalment I learnt a lot about them and I met some new characters.
Loved it! All the way through the story the details are so perfect and brilliant and every new word was full of tension.

Highly recommended!

Cover art by Wulf Francu Godgluck. The covers of the three episodes are pretty much the same with just some little details that fit that episode completely. You’ll understand and realize it if you’ll decide to read the series. Well done Wulf!

Sales Links:   All Romance (ARe)     Smashwords    Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 62 pages
Published January 11th 2015
ASINB00S5BM3OW
edition languageEnglish
seriesA Tooth Claw an

In The Spotlight: A Restored Man (The Men of Halfway House #3) by Jamie Reese

Title: A Restored Man
Series: The Men of Halfway House #3
Author: Jaime Reese
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 17, 2015
Cole Renzo thinks his greatest challenge is to behave for the remainder of his term at Halfway House. Until he meets his new boss, Ty Calloway, a man who ticks off every box on Cole’s list of interests.
A sought-after restorer and customizer of exotic and collectible cars, Ty had enough confidence to command what he wanted in life, until one fateful night changed everything. Almost two years later, he’s slowly rebuilding his life with great control. He’s defied the odds and works tirelessly to be the man he once was—but he still feels broken.
Cole’s candor and unfiltered personality awaken Ty’s barely-remembered desire to greet each new day with a smile, while Ty’s unwavering acceptance of Cole’s quirks and brash humor makes Cole feel as if he fits in for the first time in far too long. When a nemesis threatens Ty’s personal restoration and the things he holds dear, Cole is determined to protect their relationship, even if that means sacrificing everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.
But Ty will have to let his guard down, surrender control, and admit he needs Cole first, even if that puts himself at risk of breaking beyond repair.

 

Available at the following:

Chapter 1 – A Restored Man © Jaime Reese 2015
The music reverberated off the walls and
filtered back through Cole’s body. The sounds of Pitbull’s “Timber”
had him gyrating in the kitchen as he reached into the refrigerator. He grabbed
the mozzarella then did exactly as the song commanded after shutting the door.
He spun his body around repeatedly, holding the bag of cheese above his head
while his hips arched up and down, completely seduced by the pounding beat of
the song.
He closed his eyes. His heart thumped in unison
with the beat, guiding his thick, compact, toned body in the fast-paced thrust
of his hips as if he were pushing into the welcoming heat of a lover.
The pace slowed and so did his body, in
complete sync with the rhythm. His hips rounded deeply, seductively, giving a
show that would always excite more than the traditional foreplay.
Cole Renzo had some moves and he knew it.
The song sped up again and he glided barefoot
across the tiled kitchen floor to reach the garlic cloves from the basket in
the corner.
“Hey, you,” Matt said, entering the
kitchen, speaking loud enough for his voice to travel above the music.
Cole looked over at Matthew Doner, owner of the
halfway house where he stayed, and smiled as his body moved to the rhythm of
the song, not faltering a single beat with the interruption. He knew Matt loved
to dance and had caught him doing his own version of a solo when he thought no
one was watching. He dropped the garlic cloves on the counter and bent his
finger in a come here motion,
swinging his hips in a fluid Salsa-like move as he walked toward Matt slowly.
Matt laughed and took two steps forward. Cole pulled him closer, spun him once
then wrapped his arm around Matt’s waist and started to dance to the faster
thump of the song.
The laughter echoed in the kitchen as they moved
in perfect time with the fast-paced rhythm nearing the end of the tune. Matt
held up his arm and Cole circled with the expert elegance of a seasoned dancer,
then pulled Matt close, stepped to the side and spun Matt in the same fashion.
“What the fuck!” Julian thundered
when he entered the kitchen.
They froze at the sound of Julian’s tone, just
as the song ended. Cole’s hand still rested on Matt’s waist as they tried to
settle their breathing, the absence of music magnifying the harsh puff of each
exhale.
“Hey!” Cole responded cheerfully. “Matt
and I were getting it on in here. Matt’s got some hip action that would make a—”
Matt’s hand came up around the back of Cole’s
head to cover his mouth, stopping him midsentence. What the hell? He was just going to compliment Matt on his
seductive dance moves.
Cole glanced at Julian. His golden skin glowed,
and he looked as if he had actually swelled an inch or two while standing there.
His nostrils flared like a bull’s. His usual intimidating green-eyed glare was
more vicious than usual.
“What. The. Fuck,” Julian said in
that controlled tone that couldn’t hide the undercurrent of his bubbling rage.
He looked like he wanted to murder someone. Correction. Based on the white-knuckled
fists he held at his sides, he was probably going to beat the shit out of some
poor soul.
Murder would show mercy.
Matt’s hand couldn’t hide the smile Cole
imagined was plastered on his face. Poor
sorry ass idiot who dared piss off Julian Capeletti. He looked up at the green-eyed guy who towered over
Cole’s five-nine stature.
“J, calm down,” Matt said to his
partner in his usual calming tone.
Yeah, good luck with that. Julian was about to
go ape shit on someone and Cole was going to have a front row seat to that
show. Cole’s stomach fluttered and he started shifting his weight from foot to
foot. He couldn’t wait to see Julian actually lose it for once.
Julian’s jaw clenched and his fists tightened.
Wait a
minute.
Cole looked back and forth between Julian and Matt. Julian’s not pissed at
Matt—he never was. They had one of those sickly sweet, always romantic I love
you lick fest relationships you secretly want but would never openly admit. Why
was Julian so mad? And who the hell was he mad at? There was no one else in the
kitchen.
Shit. Cole slowly
registered how his actions or words may have been received. He instantly
released Matt as if his fingers were singed and put his hands behind his back.
Matt removed his hand from Cole’s mouth. Cole took a few steps back and raised
his hands in a surrender-like fashion, hoping to calm the golden beast that
seemed to be growing in width with each passing second.
“We were just dancing,” Cole said
calmly. He knew better than to joke with Julian while he was in this state of
mind. Stick to the facts. “I was
making dinner…your favorite actually.” He walked over slowly toward the
stovetop like someone stepping away from a wild animal. He kept his focus
trained on Julian as he lifted the pot tops on the stove.
Matt neared Julian and placed his hands on the
stretched black T-shirt covering his broad chest. “J, I heard the music
and came in here. You know I can’t resist a dance,” he said teasingly as
he stroked Julian’s chest. He then smiled and placed a kiss on Julian’s neck.
Julian’s focus shifted quickly from Cole to
Matt and back to Cole. Within a second, his glare had changed. Matt kissed him again
and Julian’s eyes partially closed but snapped open, re-focusing on Cole as his
target.
Matt’s hand reached up Julian’s neck to the
back of his shaved head.
Julian’s eyes closed and his head lolled to the
side, seeking Matt’s kisses up his neck then along his jawline. In a flash, he
grabbed Matt by the hand and pulled him out the kitchen. Matt quickly glanced
back to Cole with a huge grin on his face.
Cole sighed with relief as his entire body
relaxed.
Crisis averted.
He always seemed to get a rise out of Julian
but it was never intentional. Not really. He wouldn’t deny he occasionally had
some fun at Julian’s expense. He just had the worst case of foot in mouth syndrome. It seemed his
mouth worked much faster than his brain. He would never say or do anything to
intentionally hurt someone, his mother had taught him better than that. But
with a thousand different thoughts racing in his mind at any given moment,
picking the right thing to say didn’t always work out in his favor.
Or as Julian said, he had no social filter
between his brain and mouth.
Cole returned his focus to the dinner he was
preparing. Food. God, he loved to cook and was thankful as hell Matt and Julian
allowed him to tinker in the kitchen. He didn’t want to stir anything up—aside
from the sauce he was preparing—but he needed to burn off the nervous energy
that thrummed through his body on a constant basis. He pressed the button on
the iPod docking station to jump to the next playlist and lowered the volume.
The smooth sounds of Maroon 5 streamed through the speakers and eased his
nerves as he continued to stir the sauce. Visions of Adam Levine singing and
dancing came to mind. Mmm. The things
he’d love to do to that man.
He was placing the garlic rolls in the oven
some time later when Julian walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator
to grab a bottled water. Cole closed the oven and stilled, hoping for some
magic superpower that would render him invisible. He couldn’t abandon dinner
and risk it getting ruined or, even worse, messing up Halfway House, the place
he had called his home for the last two months. Shit.
Cole turned, feeling as if he should say
something, but shut his mouth almost as quickly to avoid aggravating the
situation. He sucked at apologies and usually ended up shoving his other foot into
his mouth as well.
Julian glared at him just as Matt entered the
kitchen with flushed cheeks, a dreamy smile, and swollen lips. Matt hummed as
he tugged his shirt to straighten it. When he looked up and saw both Cole and
Julian looking at him, his eyes rounded and he quickly turned and exited the
kitchen.
Midday
booty call. Busted.
A slow smile began to spread across Cole’s
face. He glanced over at Julian who still had a death glare focused on him.
Julian pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you
dare go there,” he said before turning away. “And pull up your pants.
I can see your damn Spider-Man underwear.”
“Hey, don’t rag on the superheroes. Oh,
and by the way…”
Julian turned and gave Cole a pointed glare.
Cole did a chin up gesture toward the door
where Matt had been only moments ago. “You can thank me later.”
The muscles in Julian’s jaw flexed. He inhaled
sharply, shook his head, and left the kitchen without saying another word.
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ARe

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Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

 

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In Our Book Spotlight: Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo, An Interview with Gunner! (contest)

spotlight on books

In Our Book Spotlight: Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo

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Interview with Gunner from Hurri Cosmo’s Chase and Capture!

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. I suppose 20 years in the military. I really liked the idea of fighting for my country, for freedom.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. Peace. And not necessarily world peace. I simply like the quiet.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Happy, I think. Got my man at home and home is on a quiet island.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. I have a pen light that Mitch gave to me before…well, before he died. I needed one and he gave me his to use. I told him I would return it but he said to keep it. Think of it as an early birthday gift, he said. I called him a cheapskate, he called me an ingrate. We laughed, ended up wrestling each other…then did other things. But…but then he was killed. The very next week, actually. Pen light means…well, it means a lot.

Q. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
A. Oh, that is, by far, Camden. Totally crazy about the little shit.

Q. What is it that you most dislike?
A. Dishonesty. Sometimes that can be a moving target depending on who you talk to but for me honesty is rare. So that makes trust hard.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Well, that’s changed a bit. It used to be boredom. Yeah, that’s right, boredom. I used to do a lot of stupid things to keep it at bay. But now, losing Camden. No, not losing him, disappointing him. That would be my biggest fear.

Q. Which living person do you most despise?
A. There isn’t anyone. I probably could have said Ben Tarry. You probably expected me to. But I don’t hate him. Not anymore. Besides, forgiving someone doesn’t mean you condone what they did. It simply releases you from the burden of hate. And yes, it’s a burden; a self-destructive burden to hate someone.

Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. That I couldn’t have stopped the massacre of my comrades. They trusted me to keep them safe. I failed.

Q. Where would you like to live?
A. Right where I am, on Silver Wildwoods Island. I love it there. It’s beautiful.

Q. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
A. Never being able to love or never being truly loved. Never understanding love. That’s over now, thanks to Camden. He’s shown me what happiness is. I love that. I love that I am happy.

Q. What is the quality you most like in a man?
A. Like I said before, honesty.

Q. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
A. Same thing.

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A. That one day in my past. If I could change that…well, things would be different I guess. So maybe not, but on the surface, without thinking about it, yeah. That one day.

Chase and Capture Slide

More about Chase and Capture by Hurri Cosmo!

Publisher: Amber Allure Publishing
Release Date: February 1, 2015

About Chase and Capture…

It was only a game, right? An adult twist on “Capture the Flag”. Very adult, actually. Especially the “flag” and where it went. In fact, the only similarity between the kid version and the adult version was you still needed to capture your opponent’s flag to win. So how the hell had Camden ended up here? Oh yeah, that’s right, Tanner, Camden’s good buddy from college. He was not going to let Camden waste another birthday. In fact, he was hell-bent on getting Camden laid. So much so, the idiot set up this entire weekend gig. And that’s where Camden found himself now; on a remote island, crashing through the woods, playing a chase and capture game, trying like hell to stay ahead of his pursuer.

But why was he the one being chased? Why was Camden the prey and that big, sexy, dark haired, muscle bound, relentless god of a man, Gunner, the hunter? It should be the other way around because it was Camden’s birthday, damn it! Well, thankfully there were going to be three rounds played because it looked like Camden was going down before even reaching the first check point. Yep. Going down on all fours, flag confiscated and…well, let’s just say he would be screwed. 

So… what was the down side of losing again?

Sales Links:

Contest:  Hurri Cosmo is  like to give away a copy of How West Was Won. Here’s a link to the Goodreads page . If you would like to enter the contest, leave a comment for a chance to win.  Contest ends 2/20 midnight eastern time.

About Hurri Cosmo :

Hurri Cosmo lives in Minnesota where she holds tight to the idea that there, where it’s cold a good part of the year, she won’t age as fast. Yep, she avoids the truth as much as she avoids mirrors. But one of the reasons she loves writing is reality doesn’t always offer up a “happily ever after” and being able to take control of that is a powerful lure. Being a happy ending junkie, writing just makes them easier to find. Oh, she doesn’t mind “real life” and she does try to at least keep it in mind when she writes her stories, but she truly loves creating a wonderful couple, knowing they will fall in love and have their HEA. Every – single – time. And, of course, that is exactly the reason she loves reading this genre, too. Give her a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate, and her computer, whether she is reading or writing, and she will entertain herself for hours. The fact she actually gets paid to do it is Snickers bars on the frosting on the cake.

Links to my sites:

Website: http://hurricosmo.webs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialHurriCosmo
Blog: http://hurricosmo.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/?lang=en
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466687.Hurri_Cosmo

Fly Back to the Past with K.E. Belledonne’s Right Here Waiting! (contest)


magnifying glass and focusRight Here Waiting
by K.E. Belledonne

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About Right Here Waiting…

In 1942, Ben Williams had it all – a fulfilling job, adoring friends and the love of his life, Pete Montgomery.

But World War II looms over them. When Pete follows his conscience and joins the Army Air Force as a bomber pilot, Ben must find the strength to stay behind without the love of his life, the dedication to stay true and the courage he never knew he’d need to discover his own place in the war effort. Good friends help keep him afloat, until a chance meeting on the home front brings him an unexpected ally—one who will accompany him from the stages of New York City to the hell of the European warfront in search of his love.

Written in the style of a 1940s film, Right Here Waiting pays homage to classic wartime romances from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

And now a special excerpt from Right Here Waiting

“And now, coming to you from a secret location, pre-recorded earlier today, in cooperation with the Armed Forces Radio Network, we are proud to present one of our brave young men, United States Army Air Forces Captain Peter Montgomery, performing a special song from all our troops here to all of you folks back home.”

Ben gasped and rushed to the radio to turn up the volume. He closed his eyes and pictured Pete standing in front of the microphone in his freshly pressed uniform—khaki, the color of his eyes when he laughs—standing surefooted and strong. Crowds never made Pete nervous; singing for millions of people over the radio wouldn’t be a problem for him. When they’d sung duets during Ben’s shows at the Black Cat supper club, Pete was always so smooth and sure, never a tremor or nerves. And now, Ben could just picture him: Pete’s eyes would be closed; he’d have a slight smile; his hands would be either gently folded behind his back or holding the microphone stand.

The honey sound of Pete’s voice singing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”—a voice Ben hadn’t heard in two years—poured from the radio, simple and unaccompanied. He sank to his knees in front of the set and turned the volume even louder. He reached out with one finger to caress the wood, stained golden-red because Pete swore it was the same color as Ben’s hair in the summer. The set reverberated under his fingers. Ben put his entire hand on the set, feeling the vibrations of Pete’s voice through the wood in almost the same way as he’d felt Pete’s voice through his chest when Pete would sing him to sleep, Pete’s naked chest under Ben’s palm, their legs tangled and bodies satiated.

Ben didn’t feel the tears streaming down his face and ignored the pain in his knee as he knelt there—he only felt Pete. Pete’s happiness and joy in the world, Pete’s kindness and generosity, Pete’s caring and love—Ben was enveloped in thoughts of Pete. For this short song, a song of longing and dreams of home, which he knew Pete had picked as a secret code of their own, he and Pete were together, just as they’d be together again, someday soon.

After the song ended, Ben heard Pete whisper, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Ben whispered back. “Be safe, darling. Come home soon.”

Right Here Waiting will be released by Interlude Press on February 10, 2015.

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About author K. E. Belledonne

K. E. Belledonne is a writer, editor and translator based in the French Alps. A native New-Englander, Kat spends her spare time listening to Glenn Miller records, reading history books and cheering on her beloved Red Sox.

Ms. Belledonne describes her story as “like an old friend—the book you curl up with when you’re not feeling well. You know how it goes. You know how it will end, but it just makes you feel better reading it.”

Right Here Waiting is her first novel.

We asked K.E. one of our favorite author questions, here is her answer:

Q. People say write what you know. Do you think that is right or even important?

I think it’s both right and important. I think it’s impossible to write competently about something that you know absolutely nothing about. There’s always an element of your reality, or a fragment of yourself in anything you write. It doesn’t mean that every single character is an exact copy of yourself, or that you can’t write about something you’ve never experienced.

But I believe that what makes us love books, what keeps us coming back to books – we see ourselves reflected in them. We relate to these characters, we consciously or unconsciously find the commonalities we share with the characters we love. It’s what makes us care about them, root for them, and continue reading.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I am doomed to write nothing about people exactly like me (no matter how well small, round, knitting aficionados who like disco dancing and long walks on the beach might make for an interesting short story). One of the main characters of Right Here Waiting is a WWII bomber pilot who happens to be gay. I am neither of those things.

However, I am a human being, and I write about human beings. There are some grand over-arching commonalities we all face, regardless of age, time period, job, or sexual orientation. Love, separation, deprivation, not belonging, sorrow, loss, joy, hurting – these are things that almost every single person on the planet has experienced, in one way or another.

Pete is fathoms deep in love, and I know what that is like. I can write about that.

Pete misses the love of his life with a bone-deep ache. I know that feeling, too. I can write about that.

Pete’s life as a bomber pilot overseas is that of constant tension and danger – though, thankfully, my experience with it is not as extended as his, I do know about living in states of emergency and what the aftermath of an adrenaline rushes feels like.

Now, there are many other things that I’ve had to research. I’ve chatted with many people about their experiences, and I’ve had to imagine and envision some aspects of this story. But I’d like to think that in the end, readers remember the authenticity of the characters’ emotions.

Contact/Follow the Author at:

Her website http://www.kebelledonne.com, on Facebook at , on Goodreads at  and on Twitter at @kebelledonne.

VBT_TourBookCoverBanner_RightHereWaitingRight Here Waiting Sales Links:   Amazon       Interlude Press  eBook and Paperback

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Contest: Must be 18 or older to enter.

THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY:

K.E. Belledonne will be awarding a $25 Interlude Press GC to a randomly drawn winner and a digital copy of RIGHT HERE WAITING to 10 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Focusing in On Books: April Kelley’s ‘Whispers of Home

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Whispers of Home by April Kelley

About April Kelley, including a few questions to get to know Author April Kelley better…

Q Do you have any particular music you listen to while you write?

At the moment, I listen to Sam Smith and the Beatles.

Q Do you prefer tea or coffee?

Coffee

Q Underwear: Sexy or comfortable?

Everything I wear is done so for comfort.

Born and raised in Southwest Michigan, April lives with her husband and two kids. She has been an avid reader for several years. Writing her first story at the age of ten, the characters in her head still won’t stop telling their stories. If April isn’t reading or writing she can be found outside playing with a farm full of animals or taking a long walk in the woods.

Where to find the author:

If you wish to contact her please email mailto:authoraprilkelley@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/april.ott.12?fref=ts

Publisher: eXtasy Books
Author Name: April Kelley
Cover Artist: Carmen Waters

Sales Links:  eXtasy Books

Blurb:

All Jaron McAllister wanted to do was get out of the small town where he grew up. After being bullied all his life for being gay, that’s exactly what he does. He loses all contact with everyone in the town of Pickleville, including his emotionally distant mother and the only true friend he ever had.

When his best friend and mother of the child they share, get murdered he knows he must ask for help in the one place he thought he would never go back to. Coming back home isn’t easy and finding himself attracted to the town man-slut spells disaster. Travis Heath isn’t at all what his reputation suggests though.
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

Excerpt:

Jaron had been to the grocery store three times this week. Going only once a week would be grand, but very unlikely to happen apparently. He seriously needed to start making lists every week.

“I want the little man cookies.” Bobby was practically bouncing in the cart, pointing at an elf.

“The fudge ones?”

Bobby nodded his head. Jaron grabbed them off the shelf and placed them in the cart.

“Good choice,” someone spoke from behind Jaron. The voice was deep and made him moan in appreciation. He turned to put a face to that wonderful voice.

It was as if Jaron’s thoughts had conjured him up and placed him right next to the Oreo cookies . Travis Heath got hotter since high school. And taller. When did men stop growing? Jaron was probably at the guys shoulder, but it was hard to tell from down the aisle. Travis Heath’s strawberry blonde hair was longer than it had been in high school and could be seen curling around the cowboy hat he wore.

The two women at the end of the aisle clammed up upon seeing him. Jaron didn’t blame them.

He wouldn’t want to be caught talking shit either.

“I haven’t seen you guys in town before.” His smile was kind but his brown eyes—oh God help him—held mischief, as if the guy was up to something.

Pages or Words: 44,597 words
Tour Dates: February 16, 2015

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Inked Rainbow Reads, Molly Lolly, Love Bytes, Wake Up Your Wild Side, BFD Book Blog, MM Good Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Fallen Angel Reviews, Decadent Delights, Cate Ashwood, The Hat Party, Michael Mandrake, Velvet Panic, Kristy’s Brain Food

 

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