Morning Coffee Sip and Book Break: Discovery (Drakyl Ranch #1) by Thianna Durston

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Discovery (Drakyl Ranch #1) by Thianna Durston
Release Date: September 1st, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Thianna Durston
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer – Simply Defined Art

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Sales Links: Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing (sort of)  Thianna Durston author of Discovery.  Hi Thianna, thank you for bringing your character, Aaron Drakyl along to be interviewed:

My Interview with character Aaron Drakyl from Discovery

What do you find attractive in a man?

  •     *grins* Well, up until lately it was kind of slim pickin’s. There were a few men at the local bar, closeted gay men who would meet me behind the grocery, but they weren’t really my type. If I had to say what attracts me first? It’s their mouth. I love lips, especially ones that quirk up on one side.

The first thing that went through your head when you saw Jaret.

  • Mostly that he couldn’t be real. He has almost the same skin tone as I do and that’s not normal.

Do you think you’ll insist the author visits you again?

  • I’m lucky in that I’m the head of my house. Since she’s writing the stories for my cousins, she kind of has to include me and Jaret. *grins* I think she has a crush on Jaret.

Before you met Jaret, what was your ideal man?

  • Well, now, this is embarrasin’. My ideal man before this was one that breathed and was willin’ to meet me behind the grocery. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have loved to meet a guy, fall in love, etc, but I never thought that would happen to me. I’m a gay cowboy. I kinda took what I could get. I never imagined I’d get the ultimate prize when Jaret walked into that bar.

You’re going out for dinner. What’s your favorite food?

  • That’s simple and yet it’s not. Human blood. But I’d prefer it came from a donor. I don’t like killin’. Jaret laughs at me ’cause I won’t kill a human for the blood. Blood drives are an amazin’ thing. If human blood’s not on tap, cougar is good, too. Ever tried it?

cowboy with lasso silhouette at small-town rodeo. Note: added grain.

Blurb

Living in Montana and working the ranch is all Aaron wants to do for the rest of his life. Diagnosed as allergic to the sun thirteen years previous, every day is a struggle to get out of bed. Having to wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and even material to cover his face from the effects of the sun, just makes it all worse. Now, in his thirty-second year, he is sure this will be his last summer. While he hates it, he knows he needs to come to terms with the truth and put things in order for his younger cousins. Before he does so, he heads out for one night of pleasure before facing what’s coming.

Jaret loves excitement and new adventures. For over five hundred years, he has sought them out. In Montana on a whim, he comes across someone he doesn’t expect, someone who makes him feel things he does not understand and does not want to give up. In no time at all, he feels like he cannot live without Aaron. The only problem is Aaron doesn’t know who he is, what he is, nor that he isn’t going to die. Not on Jaret’s watch. With a plan to help the other man discover who he is in place, he only has one thing to worry about: whether an ancient enemy will come and destroy everything he now holds dear.

Warning: This book is a paranormal m/m romance with some horror elements. It also crosses cowboy and vampire genres. If you don’t think cowboys look hot with fangs, you’re missing out.

Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal, Western/Cowboy

Excerpt

“You’re not going to die, Aaron.”
“You don’t know that. This sickness, ailment, curse…whatever the fuck it is. It’s gettin’ worse. And it’s changin’. Morphin’ into somethin’ scary. My nightmares lately have been horrible.”
“What kind of nightmares?” Of course, Jaret knew. They were the same kind all of them had during the change. Fire and ice as the body went through horrendous chills and soaring high fevers. They would only stop once the change was complete. For after that, there was no real sleep anymore.
“Bein’ caught on high mountains, pelted with snow. Of the forests here bright with orange fire. Of you—” His voice broke. “Callin’ out my name only I’m no longer here to respond.”
“Babe,” Jaret said in a soft voice, not understanding why but knowing he was closer to this drakyl than he had ever been to anyone. “We’re going to get you cured. Then you can come out with me at night. We’ll keep the place predator free while your cousins slave in the sun. How does that sound?”
A sad attempt at a laugh left the other man’s throat. “Promise me you won’t leave until I’m gone?”
Fury swept along Jaret’s veins. Anger at the sun, the fact the man next to him was terrified, and at Davis for not explaining to the poor man earlier what he was. But mostly, he was furious at himself for not telling Aaron the truth. Leaning in, he placed his nose against Aaron’s. “I promise you,” he said in a deep growl, “that you are not going to die, Aaron Drakyl. I won’t let it happen.”

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About the Author

Thianna loves to write strong stories with even stronger heroes. While all of her books have an erotic overtone, it is the story that is the most important to her. “The story should be able to stand on its own. The erotic elements are an add-on.”

She enjoys writing about couples with kink, paranormal couples, and straight out strangeness. But more on that later… You can find her at mm.thiannad.com.

She also writes m/f under the name Thianna D.

Where to find the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thiannaDismyname?fref=ts
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/ThiannaDurstonAuthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_weremouse
Website: http://www.mm.thiannad.com

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Discovery’ when it comes out.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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Tour Dates & Stops:
31-Aug Amanda C. Stone

1-Sep Hearts on Fire, Rainbow Gold Reviews

2-Sep Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

3-Sep Parker Williams

4-Sep Prism Book Alliance

7-Sep Mikky’s World of Books, Divine Magazine, Inked Rainbow Reads

8-Sep MM Good Book Reviews

9-Sep Love Bytes

10-Sep BFD Book Blog

11-Sep The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

14-Sep Velvet Panic, Dawn’s Reading Nook

15-Sep Cathy Brockman Romances, Up All Night, Read All Day

16-Sep Molly Lolly

17-Sep Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance

18-Sep Jessie G. Books

21-Sep It’s Raining Men, Book Reviews and More by Kathy

22-Sep Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My

23-Sep Bayou Book Junkie

24-Sep Happily Ever Chapter

25-Sep My Fiction Nook, Iyana Jenna, Michael Mandrake

WillPride

Love LGBTQIA Science Fiction? Check out Sunny Moraine on Writing, and her release, Fall & Rising (guest blog and contest)

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Fall & Rising by Sunny Moraine
This title is part of the Songs of Slipstream universe
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Art by Kanaxa

Sales Link at Riptide Publishing

Welcome to the Fall and Rising blog tour!

I’m Sunny Moraine and Fall and Rising is a story I’ve been trying to make happen for some time. On finishing its predecessor Line and Orbit, I knew Adam and Lochlan’s story couldn’t be over. I knew, in fact, that it was just beginning. In Fall and Rising I wanted to continue to explore their journey, as well as the ways in which their tumultuous meeting and the battle that followed have affected the people they love. In short, this was a world I wanted to return to. I’m very pleased that I was able to do so, and I’m very excited to share the result with you.

On this tour I’ll be talking about the process of writing the book and what it taught me about writing in general, the trials and tribulations of passing through the world of the story, some of the tools I used to put me into a place where I could tell that story, and some of why I wanted to write it at all.

Giveaway

I’ll also be giving away a signed copy of the print edition of the book, along with a set of two hand-made (by me) agate, copper, and glass beaded bracelets inspired by the world of Fall and Rising. Additionally, you’ll have a chance to win one of two e-copies!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you for the giveaway. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 5th. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to leave your email so we can contact you if you win! 

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It’s always interesting to return to a universe you’ve been away from for a while.

I wrote Fall and Rising over a period of months a couple of years ago. It was the second version of the book; I scrapped the first version because I didn’t think it worked and rewrote the thing mostly from scratch. So I wrote it, I was reasonably happy with it after some editing, and then I did two things: I put it away and didn’t look at it again for a bit, and I started sending it to places in the hope that they might offer to pay me money for it.

(It took a while for the latter thing to bear any fruit)

What that meant in practical terms was that I didn’t go back to the universe of Adam and Lochlan and their friends for a few months. I worked on other projects. I focused on other things. The universe was still there, rattling around in my head, and it was still accessible. I just didn’t go there for a while.

Then I (finally) sold Fall and Rising to Riptide – along with its followup and third book in the trilogy, Sword and Star – and I had to dive back in for the editing process to commence.

It felt strange. You know how you might have these places you know inside out, in which you feel very comfortable? But then maybe you leave them for a time. When you return, even if nothing much has changed in your absence, everything looks just a little bit off somehow. Your memory has shifted, and nothing quite matches what’s in your head. It’s almost like a kind of deja vu; you know you know this place, but you’re also not completely sure that you do. It’s familiar, but your feeling of comfort has been lost.

That’s what returning to this universe was like for me. I knew these places, these people, this history and this lore, but I didn’t walk back in with any particular ease. It took me some time to settle and feel comfortable again. I had to get reacquainted with the layout. I had to have conferences with some characters. So what’s up with you right now? What’re you doing? What’s your goal here, what are you hoping to get out of this?

It worked, it was fine, but there was a period of difficulty, and the only thing to do was soldier through.

I think this is something that often keeps writers from finishing long projects. I know it’s gotten in my way more than once. The fear that if you return to something you haven’t touched in a while, not only will it not be as good as you want it to be, but you won’t even recognize it. You’ll try to get back into that universe and you won’t know where anything is. You won’t know anyone. They won’t know you. You’ll get lost and no one will be inclined to help you out, and in the end you’ll just wander away having wasted your time, and feeling uncomfy.

I don’t think that’s an unreasonable fear. But as fears go, I try to remember that it shouldn’t stop you from trying. Because that universe is still inside you, and it is still yours. Your people will know you when you arrive. You’ll gradually remember where things are and how things work. It might not even be nearly as difficult as you imagined.

It might even feel like coming home.

***

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Book Blurb

Adam Yuga is on the run. Three months ago, a miracle saved him from the deadly genetic illness that threatens the entire population of his former home, the Protectorate. Now he and his lover Lochlan are searching for a way to heal his people. When they receive a mysterious coded message promising hope, they make a desperate grab for it, and are imprisoned—by the very race they want to save.

On Lochlan’s distant homeship, a young pilot named Nkiruka faces an agonizing choice: stay with her lover Satya and live a life of happy obscurity, or become the spiritual leader—and the last and only hope—for the Bideshi. Nkiruka doesn’t want to lose Satya, but worse, she fears she lacks the strength to carry anyone through the coming storm, let alone her entire people.

Threads of chance and destiny draw the three together. With the fates of civilizations in their hands, they prepare for a final conflict that might be their only chance for survival—or that might destroy them all.

Author Bio

Sunny Moraine’s short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Nightmare, Lightspeed, Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History, and multiple Year’s Best collections, among other places. They are also responsible for the novels Line and Orbit (cowritten with Lisa Soem), Labyrinthian, and the Casting the Bones trilogy, as well as A Brief History of the Future: collected essays. In addition to authoring, Sunny is a doctoral candidate in sociology and a sometimes college instructor; that last may or may not have been a good move on the part of their department. They unfortunately live just outside Washington DC in a creepy house waith two cats and a very long-suffering husband.

Connect with Sunny:
Website:  “http://sunnymoraine.com/”
Goodreads:   “https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3149946.Sunny_Moraine”
Tumblr:   “http://dynamicsymmetry.tumblr.com/”
Twitter:   “https://twitter.com/dynamicsymmetry”
Facebook:   “https://www.facebook.com/sunny.moraine”

 

Songs of Slipstream

The future isn’t an easy place to live. Humanity is split into two warring factions: one is determined to bring all of human-explored space under its control, and the other travels the stars in massive homeships, carrying with them the ancient stories and traditions their foes have rejected.

On the sparsely populated frontier, renegades, bounty hunters, and pirates maintain their own rule of law. Government is nonexistent. Ethics are a luxury. Greed is the order of the day.

And on the worlds unexplored by humankind lurk wonders and dangers beyond imagining.

One thing you can say for the galaxy, regardless of which faction you’ve chosen: life there is never boring.

In the Book Spotlight: Lover’s Trill by Viki Lyn (guest post, excerpt and contest)

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Lover’s Trill by Viki Lyn
Release Date: September 1, 2015

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Goodreads Link
Publisher: Loose ID
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

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Buy the book: Loose id LLC

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Photo credit: Smadar from morguefile.com

Viki Lyn on the Inspiration for Lover’s Trill

Lover’s Trill is a story about two musicians that had once loved each other. Andre and Leo shared their passion for music and for each other, but followed two very different musical paths. Leo had left Andre to pursue his dreams leaving Andre to pick up the pieces of his heart.

I had just returned from visiting Eastern Europe. Vienna had impressed me as a city that lived and breathed classical music. Yet, the city’s personality also had a lively underground. This had to be the setting for Andre and Leo’s second chance at love.

A story set in Vienna had to include a ball. With a vibrant ball culture, there are more than a 1,000 balls in the city, and attendance is past the 2.5 million mark! The season lasts from November 11 until Mardi Gras, and is very lively in-between. I made sure that Leo and Andre were in Vienna during the season.

The most famous ball is the “Wiener Opernball or Vienna Opera Ball. This would be the sort of ball Andre would attend. Leo, not so much! So when I had Leo the one that had tickets to a ball, I chose a “Kranzchen” or informal ball. These informal balls are often attended in costumes. I had fun imagining Leo’s costume – outrageous as his clothing when he performs onstage!

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Rocker Leo needs a break. From the band, roadies, everything related to his present life. Wandering the streets of Vienna, he chances upon a poster that just might change his life. Andre Revele, renowned violinist, and Leo’s ex-lover, is performing in the city. It’s been years since Leo slipped out of Andre’s life in the middle of the night, but he’s never forgotten their passionate love of music and each other.

Andre’s shocked when Leo shows up backstage after his performance. Hell yes, he’s angry, but he can’t walk away. Against his better judgment, he invites Leo to his hotel for a drink. Not sure what he wants from Leo, he knows what his body wants right now. A night of passionate sex leads to another, until he’s lost his heart to Leo again.

When Andre finds his trust in Leo tested, Leo must prove his loyalty by using their one common passion – music – to bind their hearts.

Pages or Words: 22,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

Leo finished his cappuccino. He needed a break. From the band, roadies, everything related to his present life. He tried to ignore the constriction in his chest. He hadn’t written anything in months, and that scared the shit out of him. His bandmates were like his brothers, but as much as he loved them, it wasn’t the same as having a lover who completely got him. He had no one to turn to when in a funk.

He hoped to God he still had more words inside him. For all of his flamboyance on stage, his real love was composing.

Leo paid the check and left. Too wound up to go back to his hotel, he roamed the streets, taking in the Vienna night. Stars sparkled above St. Stephen’s gothic spire. The wide boulevards twisted into narrow lanes perfect for getting lost in.

Happy to wander aimlessly, Leo slipped his hands into his fleece-lined jacket. Living in LA, he’d forgotten how cold winter could be in other parts of the world. He turned the corner and sputtered to a halt. Staring at the poster pasted to the side of a building, he didn’t need to read the name of the virtuoso to know who it was. He could never forget that face in rapture—when playing or getting off. Music and sex had invoked the same feelings in Andre Revele. Passion was passion, and that man had always had both in spades.

Numbness swept across Leo as he stared at the picture of Andre caressing the bow in those slender-fingered hands—such artistic hands on a large man. It had been love at first sight—or at least lust—when Leo had walked into the practice room.

He could still remember a youthful Andre, not quite grown into his robust physique, as he played the last stanza of Bach’s Concerto in E. The violin’s notes had faded, but the music had remained in the air long after the performance was over. Bright green eyes peered through dark lashes, and sensual, pouty lips morphed into a shy smile. Like an idiot, Leo had been at a loss for words at Andre’s performance and enamored by that handsome face. Until Andre laughed, breaking the spell.

From that day forward, they were inseparable. They both had insatiable appetites for music. They stayed up all hours talking about philosophy and musical composition, and arguing what was better, thin-crust or thick-crust pizza. They played music together, fucked, and enjoyed the simple moments that composed their insular world.

He scanned the poster for the dates of the concerts. Tomorrow night was the last performance. Leo shuffled his feet, unable to move away. He bit his lip and traced the image of Andre. Did he dare go? It had to be fate. He’d been thinking of Andre, talking about the past with Sid, and now this.

His heartbeat quickened. What if he went backstage and Andre didn’t recognize him? Or brushed him aside? Leo had purposely avoided searching the Internet for news of Andre, too afraid that his ex had a lover, or worse, had married. Their lifestyles were miles apart, and Leo could never think of Andre as a friend.

He drank in Andre’s image. Tall and broodingly dark, Andre had the body of a jock and the sensitive heart of an artist. Leo preferred men unlike himself. He’d been a skinny kid, and had a difficult time gaining weight. If he’d been born years earlier, he would have been the perfect face for a glam rock band. At least he’d outgrown the term pretty boy or twink.

Leo chewed his lower lip as he studied Andre’s picture. Tempting as it was to see his ex again, visiting the past was a bad idea. This wasn’t the time, not when Leo was restless and bored. His heart couldn’t take a rejection from Andre. There were other men, lots of men, and he’d had his share of quite a few of them. With his schedule it had become impossible to form any long-term commitment. Or at least that was what he told himself.

A big, fat lie.

He’d never met anyone who made him feel the way he’d felt for the violinist.

Leo kissed his fingers and pressed them to Andre’s lips. “Good-bye, Princess.” Andre hated that pet name, but Leo loved using the endearment. Andre had been born into wealth and privilege, and his family had expected great things from him. “You proved them right, didn’t you?”

Before Leo changed his mind, he hurried away, dismissing the memories of a love lost to his ambition.

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

Meet Viki Lyn:

Multi-published and award winner, Viki Lyn is a successful writer of gay paranormal and contemporary romance. After reading and collecting whatever she could get her hands on, she wrote her first male/male romance. And that was ‘it’ for her. She never looked back. Viki travels the world in search of inspiration. She considers herself blessed to have traveled to many of the mystical sites she had dreamed about as a child. Her travel experiences have been influential in creating her paranormal worlds. When she needs to relax, she calls a friend to meet at their favorite coffee house. When the chattering in her head goes off the charts, she plays one of her favorite RPGs on her PS4 and immerses herself in the world of dragons and magic.

Where to find Viki Lyn:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vikilynromance
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vikilynromance
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vikilynromance

STRW Spotlight Contest Header

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: An ebook of Lover’s Trill or a book from my backlist and a $10 Amazon GC. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Tour Dates & Stops:

1-Sep Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

1-Sep The Jena Wade

2-Sep Bayou Book Junkie

2-Sep Molly Lolly

2-Sep Inked Rainbow Reads

3-Sep MM Good Book Reviews

3-Sep BFD Book Blog

4-Sep Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My

7-Sep Divine Magazine

7-Sep Mikky’s World of Books

7-Sep Love Bytes

WillPride

Cover Reveal for Unbreak Broken (Coming About#3) by J.K. Hogan (cover reveal, excerpt and contest)

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Unbreak Broken (Coming About#3) by J.K. Hogan
Release Date: September 16, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Wild City Press
Cover Artist: J.K. Hogan (KHD Graphics)

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Blurb

Rory Donovan’s life is a hot mess. His marriage is failing and he’s in intensive psychotherapy, working through the unfortunate side effects of memories from a childhood trauma. The only thing good in his life right now is his job—teaching photography to gifted high school students.

Harbor Patrol officer Bennett Foster is co-parenting his teenage daughter with his high school best friend Jessie. When he meets Addison’s teacher and realizes they’ve met before, he can’t get the sexy stranger out of his head.

Striking up a sexual-tension-filled friendship, together they must help an angsty teenager deal with a dying friend. Bennett must keep his little family from falling apart while Rory struggles to come to terms with his new reality. Somewhere along the way, most unexpectedly…love happens.

Pages or Words: 98,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

Dr. Conlan treated me to a rare fond smile, almost motherly in its warmth. “I’m pleased to see you happier than you have been.”

I grinned back, but then my brow furrowed. “Does this make me gay?”

“Does that matter?”

“I don’t know. Should it?”

“I’ll never understand the fascination with labeling things that our society seems to have. To me, sexuality is as intangible as the universe. There’s no way to truly know what’s out there, and how it all relates to everything else.

“As humans, we seek to know, to understand, and somehow we feel that putting things in boxes and labeling helps us do that. But some things are fluid, changing and developing with the tide of the evolution of life. Do me a favor, Rory. Don’t put yourself in a box.”

I was dumbfounded, stunned speechless. I knew I’d remember Dr. Conlan’s words for the rest of my life, and I would try to stay as true to them as I could. “I won’t,” I whispered.

Buy the book Wilde City Press

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Meet J.K. Hogan

J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them. J.K. is hoping to one day have a little something for everyone, so she’s branched out from m/f paranormal romance and added m/m contemporary romance. Who knows what’s next?

J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives in the country with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert. In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! For more information, please visit http://www.jkhogan.com.

Where to find J.K. Hogan:
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialJKHogan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JK_Hogan
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jkhoganbooks/
Other: http://www.goodreads.com/jkhogan
Other: http://instagram.com/jkhoganbooks
Other: http://jkhogan.com/blog/


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, Havan Fellows, Bike Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Molly Lolly, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Bayou Book Junkie, My Fiction Nook, Inked Rainbow Reads, Divine Magazine, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Three Books Over the Rainbow, Lee Brazil, MM Good Book Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Happily Ever Chapter, Carly’s Book Reviews, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy

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Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘Unbreak Broken’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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WillPride

Its Hot Men in the Texas Heat with Buttermilk Ranch by Patricia Logan (author interview,excerpt and giveaway)

Buttermilk Ranch

Buttermilk Ranch by Patricia Logan
Release Date: August 29, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Westburg Publishing
Cover Artist: AJ Corza

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Buy the book:  Amazon

 Author Interview with Patricia Logan!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Patricia Logan author of Buttermilk Ranch.  Hi Patricia, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
• Where do you find your inspiration?

From TV series, movies, photos from models.

• When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I finished my first full length novel.

• Do your characters become like real people to you?

Yes. Sometimes I’m in a grocery store or a restaurant and I think, Zack Teak is such a good cook. I wonder what he would do with this anise root or I wonder whether Dmitri Hernandez’s vegetable soup would taste this good.

• If you weren’t a writer, what else would you like to have done?

I would have loved to have been an artist

• What do you want your tombstone to say?

Her words brought joy to so many people

Blurb

Wendell Blackowl has spent all his life in the working cow horse show ring where toiling with sweaty cowboys all day is the fodder for wet dreams. Though privately he’s come to terms with his sexuality, publicly Dell’s had to build a façade. When his beloved horse Buttermilk dies, Dell finds himself at loose ends so he decides to pick himself up by his boot straps and do what he’s always wanted to do… open an environmentally friendly organic vegetarian café.

Pace Avila, well known music critic, has been drawn to Austin by the live music scene. When friends invite him to check out a fresh new dinner experience, Pace reluctantly agrees to push the deadline on his national column. He isn’t interested in vegetarian food or a restaurant with the cheesy name of Buttermilk Ranch Café, but the moment Pace lays eyes on the stunning cowboy chef, things begin looking up.

When openly gay Pace walks into his cafe and his life, Dell realizes he’s tired of living a lie and tired of being alone. When Mother Nature throws an unprecedented storm at Austin, the muddy waters threaten to wipe out everything Dell’s worked so hard to build. He soon realizes that with a man like Pace by his side, love really can conquer all.

Pages or Words: 62,000 words

Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance, Western/Cowboy

Excerpt

“Yoo Hoo! Dell, ya up there, ya sidewinder! Get outa bed or I’m gonna drag that lazy ass out!”
“What?” Pace said, startled awake as he lifted his head from Dell’s chest where he’d fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning. He wiped his face of drool and stared across the muscled chest he loved, finding Dell’s face. He had one eye peeled open and he didn’t look all too happy by what sounded like Branch’s bellowing from downstairs.
“Fuckin’ ass poor timin’,” Dell grumbled as they both sat upright in bed. Pace knew it would be pretty awful if Branch came bursting into the room with them, lying buck naked in bed. “Guess I’d better find out just what the hell he’s doin’ here.” Pace watched as Dell threw his legs over the side of the bed. He watched his ass from behind, noting the muscled expanse of his back and the thick thighs he loved so much, as the man stood.
“What the hell is he doing here? He and the boys had a show,” Pace grumbled.

“Ya rattlesnake! Ya need me to come up there and put my boot up yer ass?” Branch howled. Pace couldn’t help but chuckle. He loved his brother but he loved the disgusted look on Dell’s face more. Dell walked to the doorway and stuck his head out.

“I’ll be down in a minute, ya jackass… unless ya want to see me in all my nekkid glory!” Dell yelled back.

Pace heard a chuckle coming from downstairs. “Hell naw! Get some clothes on there, scarecrow! Yer movin’ slower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, here we go,” Dell said, glancing over at him. Pace just buried his face in the pillow and laughed.

Meet the Author

Patricia Logan resides in Los Angeles, California along with her husband, four children, her grandchild and ever increasing number of cats. When not being stage mom, baking cookies, or scooping kitty litter, she writes steamy, award winning, gay erotic romance and tries to lead her readers on a journey of discovery with more than a little angst.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ploganauthor
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorpatricialogan?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatriciaLogan1
Other: author website: http://authorpatricialogan.com/


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Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Buttermilk Ranch’ by Patricia Logan.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
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Tour Dates & Stops:
29-Aug Three Books Over The Rainbow, Happily Ever Chapter, Because Two Men Are Better Than One,

Inked Rainbow Reads, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy

31-Aug Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Jena Wade, Divine Magazine, Cathy Brockman Romances

1-Sep LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Ogitchida Book Blog, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, BFD Book Blog

2-Sep Bayou Book Junkie, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, 3 Chicks After Dark, Books A to Z, Love Bytes, Emotion in Motion

3-Sep Molly Lolly, Bike Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Mikky’s World of Books, Up All Night, Read All Day

WillPride

Think Love and Videogames Clash? Check Out Sex, Love, and Videogames (Serpentine Series #3)
 by CJane Elliott (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

SexLoveVideogamesFS

Sex, Love, and Videogames (Serpentine Series #3)
 by CJane Elliott
Release Date: August 21, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

Where can you buy the book?  Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe)

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My Author Interview with CJ Elliott

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing CJane Elliott, author of Sex, Love, and Videogames.

Hi CJane, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hi there. Thanks so much for having me on your blog today to talk about my newest book, Sex, Love, and Videogames, the third novel in the Serpentine Series. Each book is a standalone but the series has recurring characters. Sex, Love, and Videogames is the story of Jed Carter, who we first met in Serpentine Walls, and Charlie Ambrose, a new character to the series.

• Do you buy a book because of the cover, the blurb, or something else?

I’m influenced by the cover. I might pause at a cover that draws me in, then read the blurb. If the author isn’t known to me, I base my purchase mostly on the blurb and whether the story sounds interesting. I tend to buy women authors and I like stories about relationships. I will also buy a book based on recommendations from other authors or friends.

• What does ‘romance’ mean to you?

Romance means hope. It means that falling in love is possible and so is having your happily ever after. In my books, the characters often have to grow and change before they’re able to allow love in, but that’s what makes it satisfying when they finally get there.

• What are your current projects?

I’m about to begin the editing phase on my next Dreamspinner release, which is a follow-up story to my novella Wild and Precious. We find out what happens to Cody Bellstrom as he travels on a train out West. The story is called There You Are and will be published in December or January.

I submitted a story for the Dreamspinner holiday anthology this year, Home Is Where the Christmas Trees Are, and will hear whether or not they accepted it in September. *fingers crossed*

I’m planning my next novella in the Wild and Precious universe and the fourth novel in the Serpentine Series for publication in 2016.

But Dreamspinner had to go and add their new line: Dreamspun Desires, which is Harlequin-style romances featuring all the traditional tropes! Now I have to write something for that too!
• What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

Getting started. I brainstorm ideas, make an outline, and dither around before I start the actual writing. But once I’ve gotten the first chapter written, I’m on a roll.

• Tell us something about yourself that would surprise people.

I’m a licensed clinical social worker and I work for a Hospice in my day job. Far from being an “evil day job” I truly love the work I do.

Now about Sex, Love, and Videogames

SexLoveVideogamesFS

Blurb

Shy guy Jed Carter has always felt invisible next to his charismatic older brother, Kent. Kent’s master plan for Jed is simple: University of Virginia, business, sports, and ladies’ man. None of it is Jed, except for playing on the rugby team, which he joins in defiance of soccer-loving Kent. Jed comes out in his sophomore year and starts seeing Pete, an attractive junior, who uses him for sex and videogames. Jed wants more—in life and in love—and starts making his own plans. First on the list: getting to know Charlie, the handsome guy working at the local videogame arcade.

Charlie Ambrose has always felt like an oddball, and not just for his tendency to stutter. Being gay sets him apart from his African-American community, and as a “townie,” he doesn’t fit in with the college crowd. Charlie’s inspiration is his cousin, Morocco, who’s transgender and doesn’t give a fig about fitting in. Art is Charlie’s passion, and when a local videogame designer discovers him, Charlie’s living a dream. The only thing he’s missing is love. But the last person Charlie expects to find it with is a cute, white U.Va. rugby player named Jed.

Pages or Words: 264 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New adult, *Trans, Interracial

Excerpt

“Okay, warm up laps!” Beau led the rugby team in a slow circuit around the perimeter of Mad Bowl. After a few laps, he stopped and had them do stretching exercises.
The other team did their warming up, and when they moved to take positions, Jed noticed a pair of people standing on the sidelines. His breathing stopped for a second. Charlie stood, hands in his pockets, shifting from foot to foot, while Morocco, a vision in a pink track suit, set up a camp chair (apt name, that) and sat down. Morocco saw Jed looking and waved. Charlie turned and gave a small wave himself, and Jed waved back, heart beating faster.
“Who’re they?” Bud asked, squinting over at them.
“Um, Charlie’s a guy who works at Lucky’s. In the gaming area. And the other is his cousin.”
“Hmm. Townies?”
“Yep.”
“She’s cute.”
“Um, well, about that….” Jed cut himself off because the referee blew the whistle. Time to play ball and hope he did well in front of those two.
The game proved the usual testosterone-fest, with lots of grunting and body contact. When Jed scored some points, Morocco produced pom poms that matched her outfit and waved them wildly.
At the break, Jed ran over to them for a minute to say hi—fuck what the rest of the team thought.
“Jed, child, my word!” Morocco fanned her chest. “Y’all are such manly men! Rugby is going to be my new obsession, I just know it!”
“I like it. My mom never let me play contact sports in high school, so I kinda love ramming into people.” Jed felt his cheeks flame at what he had said. Crap-a-doodle.
But Morocco laughed and Charlie faked a cough so he could smile behind his fist.
“So, hey, thanks for coming. I gotta go back now.”
Charlie nodded as Morocco said, “We’ll see you after the game.” She picked up her pom poms. “Wa-hoo-wa!”
When the team huddled before the second half, a homophobe named Welburn said with a sneer, “Who are those freaks on the sidelines?”
Another guy laughed. “Yeah. I thought all the he-shes lived in San Francisco.”
“What’re you talking about?” Bud peered over toward Charlie and Morocco. “That girl?”
Welburn spit on the ground. “That girl is no she. She’s a he. What the hell are they doing here?”
Beau raised his voice. “Hey, concentrate, guys. We need to win this game.”
Jed held up a hand to stop Beau from continuing. “Before we do that, you all need to know that those are some friends of mine. So shut your fucking faces before I shut them for you.” He leveled a lethal glare at Welburn and his compatriot.
Fueled by his anger, Jed played an amazing second half, and the team pulled out a victory on the strength of his points alone. After their team high five, he trotted over to Charlie and Morocco. Charlie smiled broadly while Morocco jumped up and down. “Jed, Jed, Jed! Wa-hoo-wa! Thass right!”
“Okay, okay.” Jed couldn’t help laughing at Morocco’s outrageous enthusiasm. “Thanks for coming to the game.”
“It was fun. I’m glad we came.” Charlie took a step back, seemingly surprised to have gotten two stutter-free sentences out.
“I’m glad too.” They gazed tentatively at each other, and Morocco suddenly got busy folding up the camp chair.

 

About the Author

After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.
In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjane.elliott
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJaneElliott
E-mail: cjaneelliott@gmail.com
Website: http://www.cjaneelliott.com

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of any Serpentine Series book.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.
Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Dates & Stops:
21-Aug

Boys on the Brink Reviews: http://www.boysonthebrink.com/blog-tour-and-giveaway-sex-love-and-videogames-by-cjane-elliott/

Divine Magazine: http://divinemagazine.net/book-stuff/sex-love-and-videogames-by-cjane-elliott-keep-me-in-mind-tour

Jessie G. Books: http://jessiegbooks.com/blog-tour-sex-love-and-videogames-by-cjane-elliott/

Bayou Book Junkie: http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com/2015/08/keep-me-in-mind-mm-sex-love-and.html

28-Aug Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Happily Ever Chapter

4-Sep Amanda C. Stone, MM Good Book Reviews

11-Sep V’s Reads, Bike Book Reviews, The Novel Approach

18-Sep Hearts on Fire, Love Bytes

25-Sep The Jena Wade, My Fiction Nook

2-Oct Inked Rainbow Reads, BFD Book Blog

9-Oct Prism Book Alliance, Molly Lolly, Velvet Panic

 

 

WillPride

Coffee Break Highlight: Ann Gallagher on Lead Me Not and Future Projects for Her and Her Alter Egos! (guest post and giveaway)

Lead Me Not cover

Lead Me Not by Ann Gallagher
Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Cover Artist:  L. C. Chase
Sales Link:  Riptide Publishing

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Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/Ann Gallagher blog tour for Lead Me Not!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (including books written as L.A. Witt and Lauren Gallagher, excluding Lead Me Not) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on August 29. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries. Don’t forget to leave your email so we can contact you if you win!  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Prizes provided by Riptide Publishing and the author.

***

So what’s next for Ann Gallagher & Co?

Lead Me Not prompted me to add a new pen name to my ever-growing roster. (I swear, I’m stopping at five. I do not need more. Please, please, no more…) So now that Ann Gallagher has one book out there, what’s next?

I honestly don’t know much more I’ll be writing in the Christian/inspirational genre (I simply haven’t come up with any additional ideas, though that’s not to say they won’t happen down the line), but I also don’t want Ann to be a one trick pony. So, chances are, she will be required to wear multiple hats just like my other names. This name will most likely be LGBTQ, focusing on sweet romances (not limited to Christian romances) and Young Adult.

And yes, I am expanding into YA next year. I have two YA romances in the works, and a third YA book that likely won’t be a romance.

Speaking of my herd of pen names, here’s what’s next for everyone else:

L.A. Witt is the busiest of the bunch. What He Left Behind (an erotic menage from Samhain Publishing) just came out, and Running With Scissors (a rock star romance) will be out on August 31st. Also in the offing, Rain Shadow (a new Bluewater Bay book) this fall, followed by If The Seas Catch Fire (erotic suspense with Mafia shenanigans) in November, and a kinky office romance called Not Safe For Work in December. And there are several co-written projects which will be announced as they’re completed.

Lauren Gallagher has a hetero release in October called The Virgin Cowboy Billionaire’s Secret Baby (yes, really), and a bisexual ménage called The Best Laid Plans, which is due out in February. Also in the works is Stuck Landing, the first lesbian book in the Bluewater Bay series.

Diana Fyre is working on two horror novels, which will be announced sometime in 2016.
And finally, Lori A. Witt is working on Mythos, a non-romance science fiction novel; a dystopian spec-fic story; and a sequel to The Tide of War.

There are a few other projects going on that will be announced in 2016, so stay tuned!

***

Lead Me Not cover

Blurb

Isaac Morris has devoted his life to preaching against the sin of homosexuality. But when his sister proposes a documentary to demonstrate once and for all that it’s a choice—with Isaac choosing to be gay as proof—he balks. Until he learns his nephew is headed down that perverted path. Isaac will do anything to convince the teenager he can choose to be straight . . . including his sister’s film.

When Isaac’s first foray into the gay lifestyle ends with a homophobic beating, he’s saved and cared for by Colton Roberts, a gentle, compassionate bartender with a cross around his neck. Colton challenges every one of Isaac’s deeply held beliefs about gay men. He was kicked out by homophobic parents, saved from the streets by a kind pastor, and is now a devout Christian. Colton’s sexuality has cost him dearly, but it also brought him to God.

As the two grow closer, everything Isaac knows about homosexuality, his faith, and himself is called into question. And if he’s been wrong all along, what does that mean for his ministry, his soul, his struggling nephew—and the man he never meant to love?

Lead Me Not is available August 24th from Riptide Publishing.

   About the Author and her many Identities!

Ann Gallagher is the slightly more civilized alter ego of  L.A. Witt,   Lauren Gallagher, and Lori A. Witt. So she tells herself, anyway. When she isn’t wreaking havoc on Spain with her husband and trusty two-headed Brahma bull, she writes romances just like her wilder counterparts, but without all the heat. She is also far too mature to get involved in the petty battle between L.A. and Lauren, but she’s seriously going to get even with Lori for a certain incident that shall not be discussed publicly.

Connect with Ann:

  • Website:  \n _blankhttp://loriawitt.com
  • Author Blog:   \n _blankhttp://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com
  • 
Personal Blog:   \n _blankhttp://navywifeadventures.blogspot.
  • Twitter: @GallagherWitt
  • Facebook:  http://facebook.com//L-A-Witt-MM-Fiction

[Our Barb the Zany Old Lady 5 Star Review follows]

Cover Reveal Time for ‘Signs of Life’ by Melanie Hansen (author guest post, excerpt and giveaway)

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Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen
Release Date: September 28, 2015

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Goodreads Link – Add it to Your Shelf
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow Designs.
Model: Cory Zwierzynski. Photo Credit: Andrew Christian, Inc

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook | Dreamspinner Press paperback

Signs of Life revised cover

It Never Hurts To Ask by Melanie Hansen

IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK. That is my new mantra. IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!
I discovered Cory Zwierzynski when I saw gifs of his Andrew Christian “Kiss” video on Tumblr…

(Do yourself a favor and watch the whole video, so HOT! http://www.andrewchristian.com/index.php/kiss.html )
Once I tracked down who the sexy man with the smirk was, I searched out everything I could find about him, and learned that he’s an Andrew Christian exclusive model. I watched all of his Andrew Christian videos and drooled over all of his pics. I followed him on every social media known to man.
(Follow him on Instagram, it’s worth it! https://instagram.com/coryz07/ )
When I began writing Signs of Life, the physical description of my character, Kai, started to become Cory in my head. The eyes, the hair, the tattoo, the attitude…Cory was Kai. So when it came time for the cover art, I couldn’t stop thinking, what if? What if I could get Cory for my cover?Cory Z 1
Nah, that will never happen. Andrew Christian will laugh you out of town.
I told myself that over and over, talking myself out of it, until I brought up the idea to my friend Kenya one day. She told me, “What do you have to lose? The worst that could happen is they would say ‘no’ or totally ignore you. So what? At least you’d know.”
So I screwed up my courage, emailed Drew LaQuang, Cory’s booking person, and asked if I could license a picture of Cory for the cover of my book, explaining that I Cory Z 4was a huge fan of his. Within a few hours I had my answer: “Sure!”
Cue intense fangirling and celebration! (My friend Monica heard me screaming all the way from Brazil and messaged me to ask what was going on, LOL).
I contacted Paul Richmond, the art director at Dreamspinner, and asked about the steps I’d need to follow for licensing a picture. He was extremely helpful, sent over the legal forms I had to have, and made sure I was aware of the size requirements, pixels, etc., for cover art.
Unfortunately all the pictures I found on the Andrew Christian website were too low-res to be used, so I emailed Drew and asked if they had higher-resolution pics I could look at. He immediately and graciously opened their photo archives to me, and I was able to browse at my leisure.Cory Z 2
When I found one that I liked and that my cover artist, Natasha Snow, could work with, I filled out the licensing form and emailed it to Drew, who had it back to me in a few hours. I forwarded it to Paul and boom, I had my cover Cory Z 3model. I had my actual face cast for Kai on my cover!
The whole experience has been amazing. I can’t emphasize enough how awesome the Andrew Christian organization is. Nobody laughed at me, nobody said ‘No,’ nobody said ‘Figure it out.’ Every time I emailed with a question or a problem (the low-res pics), Drew wrote me back in a timely fashion and helped me resolve it.

For a huge, multimillion dollar company to do that for some strange woman who emailed them out of the blue, that says a lot about their customer service and their appreciation of their fans. Andrew Christian and Drew made everything easy and painless, and now I have a cover that’s personal, and beautiful, and means a lot to me.So from now on my mantra is, and I encourage everyone to adopt it because you just never know…IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!
I’d love to hear about your favorite face cast for your favorite book characters! Share them in the comments!

(All photos in this post used by permission from Andrew Christian, Inc.)

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Blurb

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

Pages or Words: 80,000 wordsSigns of Life revised cover

Categories: M/M Romance

 

Excerpt

Jeremy almost flinched as the man’s eyes met his but somehow he managed not to. There was something vaguely familiar about him, which was why Jeremy had been watching him in the first place, but he was positive they’d never met. This man was unforgettable. When Jeremy had first walked into the club, so noisy and crowded, he’d almost turned around and left. It was a mad impulse that led him here in the first place, and it had been so long since Jeremy was impulsive that he felt shaken and out of his depth. That fact alone had stiffened his resolve to stay for at least a little while; then he’d gotten a glimpse of the beautiful, exotic man, and nothing could have convinced him to leave.

The first thing that struck Jeremy was how confident he seemed, how he held himself. Here was a man who knew who he was and was comfortable in his own skin. He was simply dressed in a tight black graphic T-shirt and jeans, but when he’d stood up from his stool to dig his wallet out of his back pocket to pay for his drink, Jeremy’s mouth watered as the jeans slid down to ride low on the man’s hips, showing a slice of muscled belly.

His shoulders were broad, his torso slim and compact yet rippling with muscle under the tight shirt. Long, lean legs were showcased by the soft, worn jeans, black boots completing the look. As Jeremy stood at the edges of the sheltering crowd and stared, he noticed the leather bracelets and silver rings the man sported on his wrists and hands, his eyes following the corded forearms up to a tattoo that was just visible on his right bicep, the lower edge of it peeking out of the sleeve of the shirt.

Jeremy edged closer, lust surging through him, his eyes drinking in thick black hair, carelessly styled, and a nose that had been broken before but did nothing to detract from the man’s startling good looks. As he tilted his head back to take a long swallow of his beer, Jeremy’s mouth watered at the arch of his throat, the muscles working as he swallowed, a pair of sinful lips wrapped around the tip of the bottle like Jeremy suddenly wanted them wrapped around the tip of his cock, drinking him down as Jeremy emptied his balls against the back of his throat….

Then the man’s eyes met his, the predatory heat in them making Jeremy’s knees weak. As the man licked his lips, Jeremy noticed with a jolt he was sporting a hoop through the lower one, emphasizing the plump fullness of it, and the simmering lust ramped up into raging hunger. Helplessly Jeremy moved closer, the man holding his gaze, the eyeliner he had lightly applied around his amazing golden eyes making him look even more exotic, dangerous.
Jeremy got as close as he could, the people massed around the bar making it difficult to get next to his target. The man looked Jeremy up and down leisurely, all the way to his feet and back up to his flushed and burning face; then he slowly spread his knees wide, making room for Jeremy between them. Jeremy moved in, feeling like he was strangling, his chest tight, the need to touch, kiss, lick and bite overwhelming him.

“Hey,” the man said, his voice deep and husky, lightly accented.

Jeremy swallowed, then nodded, all of his senses focused on the heat of the man’s body close to his, the way his legs looked splayed around Jeremy’s hips.

“Are you here with anyone?” he asked, annoyed at how abrupt his voice sounded. He wasn’t used to making small talk anymore, wasn’t used to the mating dance between strangers. It had been so easy with Brent: a backyard barbeque with friends, an introduction, mutual attraction and easy conversation leading to an invitation to dinner. They hadn’t spent more than a day or two apart after that.

The thought of Brent was like ice water on his ardor, and he could feel himself shutting down, wondering what the hell he was doing. Just as he was about to take a step back and leave, he felt the man settle his warm hands on his hips, stroking the skin between his shirt and the waistband of his jeans with a rough thumb.

“Just a friend,” the man said softly. Jeremy struggled to focus, remembering he’d just asked if he was here with anyone. The thumb caressing Jeremy’s sensitive skin was rough, callused, and it felt so good. It had been so long since he’d been touched….

Jeremy took a deep breath. He could do this… he wanted to do this. It was just fucking, just mutual pleasure with a willing stranger, a stranger he would never lay eyes on again. Purging his thoughts of anything except need, lust, he laid his hands high on the man’s splayed thighs, drawing circles with this thumbs along the inner seam of his jeans, flirting with his crotch but not quite touching.

“I want to fuck you,” Jeremy blurted, hating himself for his ineptness, his cheeks flushing hotter as the man’s amazing eyes filled with amusement.

“Yeah, I got that, amigo,” he said, tightening his grip on Jeremy’s hips to keep him from moving away. “And I want to let you.”

About the Author

Melanie Hansen has spent time in Texas and Florida prisons…for work.   She’s been in a room with a 17-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite teenagers she’s ever met.  After a 13-year career as a court reporter, she can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.
She grew up with an Air Force dad, and ended up marrying a Navy man.  After living and working all over the country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.
Melanie left the stressful world of the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf student.  She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009084006829
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelJoyAZ

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, BFD Book Blog, Jessie G. Books, Love Bytes, Bayou Book Junkie, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Molly Lolly, MM Good Book Reviews, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, Divine Magazine, Amanda C. Stone, Nephylim, Reviews by Jessewave, Inked Rainbow Reads, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Happily Ever Chapter, The Jena Wade, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Mikky’s World of Books, Velvet Panic, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon, Ogitchida Book Blog, Charley Descoteaux, Bike Book Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions..
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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WillPride

Love Takes Flight with Ada Maria Soto’s Bowerbirds (Nested Hearts #2) (excerpt and giveaway)

BowerbirdsFS

Bowerbirds (Nested Hearts #2)  by Ada Maria Soto
Release Date: Target date is August 26 2015

STRW In The Spotlight HeaderGoodreads Link – add it to your shelf here
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

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Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press eBook | Dreamspinner Press Paperback

STRW Author BookSynopsis

Two very different men have a chance at happiness, but only if they can let go of their painful pasts and allow love to take precedence.

After spending his teens and twenties raising his son, James Maron is now dating Gabriel Juarez, the wealthy and sophisticated CFO of the TechPrim technology empire. But after a life of proudly holding his head above the poverty line with the ethos of work, priorities, responsibility, and thrift, he is not looking for a Sugar Daddy, he does not need to be rescued, and Gabe’s wealth is as terrifying as feeling love for the first time.

Gabe has never been good at balancing his high pressure job with his relationships. Money usually clears most of the bumps, and when a boyfriend walks away, Gabe figures it’s for a good reason. But James isn’t like other boyfriends. He doesn’t want Gabe’s money for one, and if Gabe wants to keep his relationship together he will have to finally face the ghosts of his own past and reconsider his priorities.

Pages or Words: 60,790 words

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

STRW Spotlight Book Excerpt

FOR THE millionth time, a load of baseball gear left by the apartment door nearly sent James tumbling. It was one of the very few things he would not miss when Dylan left for college. He checked his watch and saw it was pushing five in the afternoon. He could technically still make it to the laundromat and get a couple of loads through, but the place filled up quick after five and it became difficult to get the good machines. Ada Maria Soto

Dylan came out of his room, his hair sticking up at odd angles from his postpractice shower. “Hey, Dad. I was starting to worry. How did the concert go last night?”

As a last-second surprise, Gabe had gotten them tickets to the California Honeydrops at the Fillmore. After a couple glasses of wine, Gabe had even talked him into dancing. “It was good. Stop leaving your gear by the door.”

“Good?” Dylan tried for a scolding look, but there was too much humor in his eyes. “No, just good does not end with you coming home… um… twenty-one hours later than expected.”

Dylan had been nagging him about getting a social life and a boyfriend for years, but James hadn’t realized he would become so nosy about it once it happened.

You’d think he was the parent here. “The concert ran a bit late, and we got a room in the city.” Then they decided not to leave that room until a few hours after the normal checkout time, followed by a late lunch.

“Which hotel?”

“Does it matter?” James asked as he picked up Dylan’s baseball gear.

“It might.”

“The Saint Francis,” James muttered, deciding to risk a Monday wash.

“Again? Well, here’s to scoring a sugar daddy.”

“What?” James froze for a second as he tucked a baseball bat under his arm.

Dylan headed for the kitchen and rummaged around the fridge. “I mean, a guy with a steady job is a good thing these days, but one who can score you concert tickets and hotel suites on a whim is a pretty sweet deal.” He pulled an apple from the veggie bin.

“He’s not—”

James felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He juggled around the gear until he could pull it out and saw he had missed a call ten minutes earlier.

“He’s not what?

“Hi. It’s me. Stuck in traffic. Seriously, traffic on a Sunday. I think the Niners are playing or something. Don’t worry, I’m on the hands-free setup. Just wanted to say I had a really nice time this weekend. The concert was a lot of fun. The other activities were fun too. Don’t know how busy I’m going to be this week, but I’d love to be able to come up there for lunch or dinner. Catch a movie or something. Oh, Tamyra left me nine messages, the last one informing me that I’m getting ‘Genie in a Bottle’ for my new ringtone. I’m hoping I can pass it off as a postmodern ironic statement or something. Oh look. Traffic is moving. Well, I’ll talk to you later. Drive carefully. Bye.” Bowerbirds

James kept the phone to his ear even after the message ended. Dylan stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He had a funny feeling Dylan practiced that look in the mirror. James hung up the phone. “You know what? My love life is none of your business.”

STRW Author Bio and Contacts

ADA MARIA SOTO is a born and raised Californian Mexican-American currently living as an expat in the South Pacific with her toddler and partner.
She has studied and worked in theater, film, and television with all the usual crummy side jobs of a struggling artist. She has dysgraphia and phonological dyslexia but refuses to let that slow down her writing.
She is a sports fan dedicated to the Oakland A’s, San Jose Sharks, Auckland Blues, USA Eagles, New Zealand All Blacks, New Zealand Black Caps, and the Chennai Super Kings.
She loves to hear from her fans, or really anyone who has read her work.

Where to find the author:

Website: https://adamariasoto.com
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AdaSoto
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdaMariaSoto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaMariaSotoAuthor

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Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Bowerbirds’. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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Tour Dates & Stops:
26-Aug Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

2-Sep Happily Ever Chapter, Divine Magazine, Jessie G. Books

9-Sep Multitasking Mommas, Bike Book Reviews

16-Sep Love Bytes, Molly Lolly

23-Sep Bayou Book Junkie, Mikky’s World of Books, Inked Rainbow Reads

30-Oct MM Good Book Reviews, Foxylutely Book Reviews

7-Oct Carly’s Book Reviews, BFD Book Blog

14-Oct My Fiction Nook, Reviews by Jessewave

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It Gets Hot, Sexy and a Bit Scary with Sandrine Gasq-Dion’s Fret (author guest post, excerpt and giveaway_

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Sandrine Gasq-Dion Talks M/M Romance, Inspiration and Fret!

A lot of people ask me the same question all the time, why male romance? This whole journey began in 2010 while I was watching a soap opera. The gay couple on the show was written so beautifully, I fell in love with them immediately. I began writing fan fiction once the show was cancelled and posted a chapter a day. For two years I wrote stories on the fan site until one day, an avid reader told me I should publish a book. I wrote A Marked Man a few months later and then three more books after that. I sent A Marked Man to a few publishing houses and one of them was very interested. After checking out their offer, I was pointed towards Kindle Direct Publishing and decided to go that route.

I haven’t looked back.

I’ve written thirty-three books and I have no plans to stop. I have a few more books in the Assassin/Shifters and about 7 more in the Olympians. I also have two more books in The Men of Manhattan Series plus the five in Rock Series. I am panning one more book in the Angel series to follow up with Second Time Around and Gabriel’s Fall.

The Idea of FRET came when another author wanted to do an anthology about Rockers/ Actors. Well, my mind jumped all over that and FRET was born. Writing FRET was so much fun as I was hanging out with a band in Flagstaff and got to hear all about their touring life. I am still taking drum lessons and will begin guitar lessons again soon. I now live in the town I’m writing about and love it!

Stay tuned for much, much more!!

AboutTheBookFret_Sandrine_FSTitle: Fret

Author: Sandrine Gasq- Dion

Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis

Length: 48,000 words

Release Date: September 01, 2015

Blurb: Former Navy SEAL Axel Blaze lives a solitary life. He doesn’t do emotions, and he doesn’t do babysitting. Used to being on his own, his job consists of Wetwork (a charming term coined by the KGB) for his former Master Chief, Mac. When an out-of-the-ordinary job lands on his doorstep, Axel heads down a path that includes a famous heavy metal rock band and one quiet, vulnerable, guitar-shredding virtuoso named Gareth Wolf.

Gareth Wolf’s life changed in an instant when a car he was a passenger in crashed, hurting his brother’s best friend and the band’s lead guitarist. They created the band, Skull Blasters, as kids. Gareth had always been happy in the background, playing roadie. With the lead guitarist’s injury, Gareth is suddenly thrust into the limelight and into a frenzied life he never imagined for himself. Finally fed up with living a lie, Gareth comes out as gay in a newspaper interview and finds himself in the bulls-eye of a crazed stalker. Somebody wants Gareth hurt – or worse – and Mac has been hired to be sure that doesn’t happen. Babysitting duty is NOT Axel’s strong suit, but Mac won’t be budged.

Enter Axel Blaze. Against his better judgment, the big man takes the job to protect the shy musician. The more time he spends with Gareth Wolf, the more he admires the man. Where’s a simple assassination when you need one? The situation becomes more volatile for each man as the attempts on Gareth escalate just as Axel finds himself falling for the quiet lead guitarist.

Strong, funny, smart-ass — and kinda sweet Axel is everything Gareth has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s off limits. As the stalker grows bolder, Gareth and Axel move closer emotionally – but is it too late? All Axel knows is that they don’t stand a chance if he can’t find the maniac trying to kill the man he’s come to care about. A lot.

Everyone knows that relationships that begin in pressured or volatile situations eventually fizzle out.

Or do they?

Excerpt

Thumping music was shaking the walls of the Dome as I headed for my designated spot. I guess I’m meeting Paul, the band’s manager.

I took mental notes as I passed through the crowd of screaming, jumping people. The band was rocking it out and I sought out Gareth Wolf. There were two guitarists, but I found him right away. Black hair touched his shoulders and his lean body moved with his guitar.

He was in his element.

The song was wrapping up and the floor was shaking from the bass drum. The floor-to-ceiling speakers pumped out the last notes of the song. The crowd immediately went wild as Ransom Fox leaned over the stage.

“Let’s hear it for the best lead guitarist on the planet!” he shouted.

Gareth shook his hair back and bowed with one hand out. Again, the crowd screamed, shouted and whistled. Ransom went on to give some love to the other members of the group.

I rolled my eyes and pushed my way through the crowd toward the side of the stage. A large man eyed me and then nodded as I walked by. Again, I could have been wearing a ‘Hello, I’m God’ tag and security wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. As it was, my tag faced backwards; he couldn’t even see my name or credentials.

Security for the Skull Blaster band was sorely lacking.

I sat through another hour of bone-jarring hardcore metal before the band finally left the stage. I scanned the area for their manager, but no luck.

I walked right behind the curtain and fell into step with the band members as they trudged toward their dressing rooms. They didn’t even notice me — and I’m really hard to miss.

They stepped into the dressing room; I followed and slammed the door shut behind me. Ransom turned and his eyes widened.

“Who the fuck are you?!”

“Nice of you to finally notice me,” I pointed out.

“Paul!” Ransom thundered. He immediately moved in front of Gareth, shielding him.

“Oh for fucks sake.” I arched a brow.

The door behind me opened and a startled man looked me over from head to toe. He flipped my name badge over and sighed audibly, clearly relieved.

“It’s cool, Ransom. This is the guy I was telling you about.”

“You could have mentioned he was a semi-truck.” Ransom’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you,” Paul apologized to me. “I ran into some media and couldn’t get away.”

“Not that this isn’t fun — because, oh so much fun — but I’m here to do a job. So I need to speak to whoever is in charge of ‘security.’ Now.” I leaned very slightly — but effectively — in to Paul’s face.

“Why?”

I turned to see Gareth peeking out from behind his brother’s broad shoulders. His eyes were a shade of green I’d never seen before, and with his pale complexion and dark hair? The guy was a looker and then some.

“Because band security royally sucks. I walked right on back here with them and not one person noticed or stopped me. That is not acceptable.”

“Who are you?” Gareth gaped.

I pinned him with a hard look. “I’m your bodyguard.”

Ransom chuckled.

“What the actual fuck?” Gareth stepped in front of his brother. “Is this a joke?”

“Nope.” Ransom shook his head.

“Jinx, Harley, Rebel. Give us a few, eh?” Paul opened the door and tilted his head toward the hallway.

“Sure thing, boss.” Rebel tipped his hat and winked at me.

I leaned against the wall as the members walked out. I overheard one of them, not sure which, talking to another.

“Did you see the size of that guy?”

“How could you miss him?” another one answered.

Paul shut the door and turned to Gareth with an apologetic smile.

“I knew what you’d say if we told you beforehand,” he admitted.

“Oh, did you now? You had to get me Conan the Destroyer? Jesus Christ!”

“Gareth,” Ransom warned.

“What? This is stupid! I don’t need a human shield!”

“You’re going to play nice and allow this man to watch your back, Gareth!” Ransom shouted. “You’re getting threats since you came out! I insist you be kept safe!”

“Gareth, why don’t you go clean up? Then you and Mr. Blaze can get acquainted.”

“Seriously? Blaze?” Gareth snorted.

I narrowed my eyes at the kid. Well, to me he was a kid, after everything I’d seen in my life. Gareth was almost twenty-three and I was pushing thirty. We locked eyes for a few seconds before he turned away.

AboutTheAuthor

AuthorPicBest-selling author, Sandrine (Sandy) was born in Inglewood, California. Raised by “Old School” French parents, she later moved to Tucson, AZ. It was there that writing became a hobby. Always told she had a great imagination, Sandy wrote short stories for her friends in High School. In college, she took more writing classes while working on her Criminal Justice degree, but it wasn’t until a soap opera caught her eye that she got involved in male on male romances. On the advice of a friend, Sandy dipped her toes into the world of M/M Romance. Sandy takes the writing seriously and has had countless conversations with gay men as well as hours of research. She’s been involved with the military in one way or another for over twenty years, and has a great deal of respect for our men in uniform. She’s traveled the world, but has finally returned to Arizona.

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