It’s Back! The Texans Are Back in RJ Scott’s Texas Fall! (book tour and contest)

Texas Seris LLB

RJ Scott’s heartwarming Texas family is back in Texas Fall! There’s a wonderful excerpt to read and a contest to enter.   Check it out! 

Texas Fall by RJ Scott

Book six in the Texas series

For all buy links when they become available click here:

http://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/texas-fall.html

Texas Fall 400x600Jack is focusing on building an equine therapy school for children with special needs and works hard along side his normal horse training and breeding program. He and Riley have settled into a softer, quieter, kind of family life, but that doesn’t stop them using the barn with the door to the fullest!

But the lull comes before the storm.

Riley and his new assistant travel to Laredo, and across the border into Nuevo León as part of an exploratory team and things very quickly go to hell. Riley is caught in some serious Cartel problems and suddenly everything Jack holds dear is threatened.

Add in Vaughn and Darren’s story, revisiting Robbie, Eli, Liam and Marcus, alongside Sean and Eden and the wedding that never was, and this story promises you everything you want from a Texas series book.



Author Bio:

RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.

As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.

With over sixty titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.

Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

Contact RJ Scott via:

Contest:  Win a $15 gift card and free e-books, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for all additional contest details and for the entry form.Texas Fall 400x600

a Rafflecopter giveaway    oR    http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f922301b41/

Texas Fall Excerpt 1

“You can’t hide the whole night,” Riley said from behind him. Jack turned to face his husband, leaning back against the stable door and waiting for the lecture. Riley was happy as a pig in shit right in the middle of it all: juggling babies, catering, socializing, and hell, everything that Jack was avoiding right about now. “People asked where you were,” Riley added.

Riley sure looked good tonight, his blond hair just this side of bed-head spiky, his long legs in black pants, the dark green shirt so perfect against his warm skin tones, and his hazel eyes sparkling with enthusiasm for life. Sexy. Very sexy, all toned and slim and hard and hot. Jack cleared the thoughts of kissing the life out of Riley from his head. He’d need all his faculties to deal with Riley when Riley wanted him to go back inside and host the party.

Anyway, he was suspicious that anyone really worried where he’d gone. “Who asked?”

Riley stepped right up into his space, close enough so that Jack could inhale the scent of his man. The combination of familiar citrus was underscored by deeper notes of mulled spices from the kitchen and some punch concoction Eden had made.

“Actually, no one asked,” Riley admitted. “Josh mentioned that he was impressed you’d lasted an hour.”

Jack huffed a laugh. He was surprised his brother hadn’t come out and hidden right next to him. Seemed that enjoying socializing skipped the male Campbell line entirely.

“So,” Jack began slowly. “What are you doing out here?”

Riley placed his hands on Jack’s hips, then slid his fingers through belt loops to tug Jack away from the door and flush up to him.

“I was asking myself,” he explained, “just where would my husband be when it’s only ten at night and he was looking for peace. I tried everywhere.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips, then smiled down at him, that few inches in height he had just enough to force Jack to lean his head back a little. “Actually that’s a lie. I looked in the twins’ room, checked in on Max, then came here.”

In the Book Spotlight: Slippery Slope by Iyana Jenna (blog tour and contest)

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Book Name: Slippery Slope
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Iyana Jenna

Author Bio:

Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.

Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.

Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.

Publisher: JMS Books
Author:  Iyana Jenna
 Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Sales Links:  JMS Books     Amazon US    Amazon UK   Smashwords     All Romance (ARe)  Bookstrand

Slippery Slope Blurb:

Actors Ethan Grey and Alex Haynes are gay, but in Hollywood, they can’t be open unless they’re willing to be typecast in future movies or they’re dating prominent gay producers. Since neither are willing to become stereotypes, and neither have studio boyfriends, they take another path — hiding their relationship under the cover of a pretend girlfriend.

What works for Ethan, though, doesn’t work for Alex, who screws up to the point of losing his job and the chance to get another. His manager finally finds him another job across the pond, where he meets Nathan Wells.

Nathan can be the prominent producer Alex needs to further his career, but there’s something Alex doesn’t know about the man.

Soon Wells grows obsessed with Alex, and he’ll do anything to keep Alex from getting away.

Though Nathan wants Alex for himself, there’s still Ethan to think about. Is the love story between Alex and Ethan really over? Or will Ethan find a way to get his boyfriend back?

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Words: 20,000

Excerpt:

“Come on, Ethan. You don’t have to pretend. I’m in love with you, but I’m not blind. There’s clearly someone else you’d rather be with right now instead of me.” Lea wrapped herself up in the silky coverlet, leaving Ethan staring at her, shocked, as he sat back on his heels.

Feeling ashamed yet not totally guilty, Ethan backed away from the bed and put on his jeans.

“Who is it that you want, Ethan? It’s Alex, isn’t it?”

Ethan just looked out of the window. The setting sun was golden on the horizon.

“I—I need to do something,” he mumbled then, and left the room. He felt Lea’s eyes boring into his back but Ethan just couldn’t make himself turn around. He’d been unfair to her from the very beginning.

Ethan sank into the chair and turned on his notebook. He hadn’t checked his email for too long. This might be the best time to do so. Time to find out what was hot in the world right now.

His eyes fell to the first mail, and Ethan’s heart started to pound. It was a Google alert he had for Alex. It had been months since he’d heard anything about Alex. Ethan felt like crying.

 

SSBadgeTour Dates/Tour Stops:

24-Nov

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

The Hat Party

25-Nov

BFD Book Blog

25-Nov

Bayou Book Junkie

26-Nov

Up All Night, Read All Day

MM Good Book Reviews

27-Nov

Parker Williams

3 Chicks After Dark

28-Nov

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Love Bytes 

 

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of Slippery Slope. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided below for all contest details and for the entry form.

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Love’s in the Air with Renee George and Kiss My Ash! (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: Kiss My Ash
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Renee George

Author Bio:

Multi-published, best-selling author Renee George has been a factory worker, an army medic, a nurse, a website designer, a small press editor, an artist, and a teacher, but writing stories about sexy alpha men is the BEST job she’s ever had. When she turned thirty, she went back to college and earned her BA in creative writing. She has been married to the love of her life, a wonderful man who supports in every way, for over half her life (and that is a VERY long time!). She happily lives in a small, Midwest town with her husband, two needy dogs and a very independent cat. Anything else you want to know, just ask. She’ll give you all the nitty gritty dirt.

Author Contact:

Publisher: Ellora’s CaveKiss my Ash_FINAL_HiRes

Sales Links: http://www.ellorascave.com/kiss-my-ash.html

Kiss My Ash Blurb:

A werewolf who’s hairless in full shift.

A water sprite who can’t hold his shape at the slightest touch of water.

An ash-tree nymph with a black thumb who kills every bit of flora in her vicinity.

That’s Fortunate, Missouri, in a nutshell—the town for abnormal paranormals. Nymph Romy, however, can one-up them all—her particular flaw is killing her. But thanks to a possible love spell, the wolf and the water sprite could be Romy’s key to cheating death. And the three misfits may find that even imperfect creatures can still create a sexy, loving, perfect union.

Inside Scoop: Sol, Romy and Lucien love each other—emotionally, spiritually and physically. Which means both ménage and male/male action. You lucky reader, you.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Categories: Bisexual, Erotica, Fantasy, Fiction, Menage/Poly, Paranormal, Romance

Ellora’s Cave Publishing note:  “Kiss My Ass” Excerpt is only for those who are 18 years of age and older: By reading further, you state that you are 18 years of age or above:

An Excerpt From: KISS MY ASH
Copyright © RENEE GEORGE, 2014
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Mathias was a korrigan, a fairy dwarf, and to his detriment, he’d been born male. An abomination amongst the korrigans, who were always female. Even his own mother had wanted him dead, but you can’t kill an immortal.

When he finally strolled out from behind the counter, his height no more than four feet, he held a red clay pot filled to the brim with a dark, loamy soil. Carefully, he handed it to Romy. “Here.”

She stepped away. “And what the hell am I supposed to do with dirt?” Maybe Mathias was tired of her bringing back dead plant after dead plant. It didn’t matter how much she watered the damn things, fed them, or even talked to them—none survived. She’d stopped giving them names after a while, awash with guilt and shame over each death.

His red eyes sparkled with excitement. “In this soil, there is a very special seed, my girl. Very rare and unique. I’m entrusting you with its care.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. There is no way in hell I’m taking on a ‘rare and unique’ plant. No. No. No. Give me a hardy shrub or weed. Better yet, maybe a cabbage. I won’t feel so bad about a cabbage when it croaks.”

Romy was a dryad; specifically, an ash tree nymph. Which meant, in theory, plants should flourish around her, but she couldn’t even keep her own tree alive. Her mother had postulated it had something to do with the sperm donor, aka Romy’s biological father, but the elder dryad had refused to say more on the subject. Tree nymphs were traditionally a love-’em-and-leave-’em race of females. They didn’t get involved with beings they considered no more than means to an end. Males born to tree nymphs always developed into the same race as the male halves of the couplings, while the females were always dryads.

Unfortunately, something had gone very wrong in the making of Romy. It hadn’t taken long after the dryad equivalent of puberty set in before her people had decided she was toxic.

She pushed the pot back to Mathias. “Uh-uh. You’ve seen my track record.”

When her “birth defect” had eventually started to affect the trees of her forest six months ago, Romy had been summarily kicked out by the other dryads. Of course, her people had called it a “long, extended respite” and sent her to the town of Fortunate, Missouri.

The moniker, over the years, had become a joke. The town had been named after the Fortunate Isles, also called the Isles of the Blessed, and had been used for more than two hundred years as a dumping ground for the “paranormally challenged”. Those who didn’t fit in with their own kind were sent to Fortunate to finish out their days. For immortals like Mathias, the end of days was a long-ass time.

For Romy, well…without a tree to tend, she wouldn’t live another year, the chlorophyll drying in her veins. The plants were test subjects for her, to see if she could sustain life. So far, they’d served only to help ease the ache of dying. But as far as tending plants and making them flourish, she failed constantly.

For Mathias to trust her with a “special” plant…no way was she taking on that kind of responsibility.

It was one thing to kill a common houseplant, but a whole ’nother thing to be responsible for something “rare and unique”. Was Mathias crazy? Romy shook her head again. “I can’t. Don’t you have an air plant or something? Hell, those suckers don’t even require watering.”

He patted her hands, his fingers soothing and gentle. “Ah, but my dear, I hope this may be the answer to—”

Mathias’ explanation was cut off by a barking baritone. “Ah, shit!”

Romy put the pot on the counter as she scooted around Mathias to see who the unfamiliar voice belonged to.

In the greenhouse area beyond the main shop, two long, well-muscled legs and a firm ass, all packaged in perfectly tight jeans, stood nestled between two rows of plants.

“Hello,” Romy said.

The owner of the legs and ass straightened, making him a foot taller than Romy. And oh goddess, did he have an upper body and face to go with the lower half—thickly muscled chest and broad shoulders crowned by a face with bow lips, a Roman nose and the brightest green eyes. All framed by messy, shiny black hair that fell about his shoulders. It was as if the gods had decided to create perfection.

Ridiculous though—they would never do that. But hot damn, they’d come pretty close.

“Uh, hello yourself,” he said back, dusting his palms against his jeans.

His really low voice, which would have better suited a grizzly bear, sent a humming through Romy that made her body sing.
“What have you done now, Lucien?” Mathias asked when he walked into the back. His presence was enough to break the harmony, and Romy snapped out of her new-guy-induced daze.

“What a great name.” She smiled. It made her feel foolish, but she couldn’t punch down the giddiness.

“It’s a name.” He shrugged then leaned over again, which gave Romy another clear shot of his fabulous ass. When he stood once more, he held a small plant, cradling the roots carefully. He looked at Mathias. “I broke the pot, but the fern is fine.”

Lucien had a slight accent, but Romy couldn’t put her finger on the origin. If possible, it made the young man even more exotic and mysterious.

Mathias shook his head, making his red beard sweep his chest. “Where’s Sol?”

“I’m here!” Sol Winter, who’d been working for Mathias long before Romy had moved to Fortunate, stepped out from behind the last row of plants. He wore a baby-blue polo shirt that matched his light-blue eyes. It also complemented his tan, a deep golden bronze. Natural, according to him. Strange for an elf, but who was Romy to judge? His long blond hair was pulled into a ponytail. He often wore it down and spilling over his shoulders, but generally had it tied back for work.

Sol was taller than Lucien by several inches and a little broader. His smile brightened when he saw Romy. “Hey, you.” His mouth turned down in sympathy. “Kill another one?”

They’d had a strange relationship ever since Romy had arrived in Fortunate, which generally involved spirited banter and sarcasm. Even when the conversation turned a little mean, Romy was still thankful for Sol. He was the closest thing she had to a friend.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Nice.” He raised a brow. “Bitchy much?”

Even though she was certain Sol was gay, it didn’t stop her from having some wicked fantasies about him. After all, the man was hot-hot and knew how to dress. “Takes one to know one.”

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the oak this morning.” Sol scooped a handful of topsoil and pitched it at her.

“Oh no you didn’t.” In retaliation, Romy grabbed a nearby hose and squeezed the nozzle trigger, dowsing Sol where he stood.

“Stop!” Lucien yelled.

Too late. At Lucien’s shout, Romy turned, the spray of water slapping across the man’s face—and Lucien instantly melted into a clear puddle on the greenhouse floor.

Mortified, she dropped the hose. “Oh no!” She shook her head and stumbled forward. “What have I done?” Not only was she a plant killer, apparently she was a man killer as well.

Two lips formed in the clear pool. “I’m fine. Really.”

KMABadgeWords: 27,000
Tour Dates: November 26

Tour Stops:  Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Molly Lolly, The Hat Party, BFD Book Blog, For the Love of Bookends, Love Bytes, Tara Lain, Regular Guys, Hot Romance, It’s Raining Men, My Fiction Nook, Fallen Angel Reviews, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Velvet Panic, Decadent Delights, Havan Fellows, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Kimber Vale, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Queer Town Abbey

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Book Tour: Laura Stone and her release, The Bones of You (book tour and contest)

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The Bones of You

by Laura Stone

Laura Stone is here today with her latest release, The Bones of You.  I got a chance to ask her some questions about her inspiration for this story, and much more.  Check out the blurb and excerpt and don’t forget to click on the Rafflecopter link to enter the contest.

 

Laura Stone is giving away a $25 Interlude Press GC to one randomly drawn winner and multi-format copies of THE BONES OF YOU to ten randomly winners via Rafflecopter. One randomly chosen host will win a $25 Interlude Press GC.  Use this Rafflecopter link to enter.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Interview with Laura Stone…

What was your inspiration for the story? The Bones Of You is actually the title of a song by an English alternative rock band, Elbow. It’s just a beautiful, romantic piece of music about a man suddenly stopped in his tracks by the memory of a former love, one he’d believed he’d gotten over. I just could not get that idea out of my mind, and that’s something I think we all do at some point with old lovers: what are they up to now? Would we work as a couple now? I wanted to explore what that could be like for two people who stopped being together not because they stopped loving each other, but because life wasn’t working for them. And now, living on different sides of an ocean, how could it work again?

Do you have a muse? Without question, it’s music. I love big, sweeping epic rock songs, classical music, you name it, I love it. Music has always been a part of my life growing up, and every song always tells a story to me, even if it’s just orchestral. When one of those stories won’t leave me, I have to sit and write it out.

Do you work on one project at a time or many? In the past I’ve only worked on one project at a time, but now, if I get stuck, I’ll pick up something else and work on it, usually something like a short story, just to keep the creative juices flowing.

Hero or Antihero?  Who would you chose and why? You know, this is going to be corny and uncool, but the Hero. I think I’ve had my fill of the tortured past as an excuse for bad behavior and trying to help change them. How about we stick with the person who’s already become the good guy from the start? So uncool, I know. Now, who am I fascinated by… That’s a different story! But choose? Gimmie the hero!VBT_TheBonesOfYou_CoverBanner

People say write what you know.  Do you think that is right or even important? This is one of those phrases people bandy about, and I think it does a massive disservice to new writers. I mean, if authors had to stick to “writing what they know,” then Thomas Harris has a lot to answer for with his Hannibal Lecter! I think a better idea is to write what you want to know about. Research, educate yourself, and go! But I will say that you should write the emotions that you know. But setting? Place? Time? Nah, have fun!

What is the first book you read that really meant something to you? Hand’s down, it’s Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery was formative for my humor, my sense of fantasy, gosh, the types of friendships I wanted! Everyone deserves a Diana Berry. Anne was someone who dreamed and hoped like I did. It was such a relief to “meet” a character in a book that felt the way I did about life.

What do you find sexy in a man? How much time do we have? Ha! I love a confident man, one who isn’t posturing or peacocking for attention. A man that is confident in himself doesn’t feel the need to put other people down, doesn’t put himself above his partner, and knows that when he reaches out, they’ll reach back. A great set of (long, strong) legs and a broad set of shoulders doesn’t hurt, either!

What’s next up for you? I’m working on two different books, in fact. One is contemporary, our protagonist Becca has been dealing with the grief of losing her ex and struggling with when it’s okay to move on. (The beautiful and fun Dani Torres isn’t making it easy to resist.) The other is set in the mid-1800s, and is based off an actual gravesite in Tombstone, Arizona where two cowboys insisted on being buried together. Turns out that being homosexual and a cowboy was pretty common back then. Who knew?

Cover_The Bones of YouTHE BONES OF YOU
by Laura Stone

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The Bones of You BLURB:

Oliver Andrews was wholly focused on the final stages of his education at Cambridge University when a well-meaning friend up-ended his world with a simple email attachment: a clip from a U.S. morning show.

The moment he watches the video of his one-time love Seth Larsen, now a Broadway star, Oliver must begin making a series of choices that could lead him back to love—or break his heart.

The Bones of You is full of laughter and tears, with a collection of irritated Hungarians, flirtatious Irishwomen, and actors abusing Shakespeare that color Oliver and Seth’s attempts at reconciliation.

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The Bones of You Excerpt 

And that’s when he heard it, a beautiful voice that was painfully familiar. God, that sounds just like… He dropped the satchel–the papers thankfully stowed away–and turned to his computer screen. It felt like time had stopped, that it took him forever to see proof on the screen that he’d heard what he thought he had heard. That’s when he saw him.

Oliver immediately forgot that he needed to get to campus, that he had a mountain of work ahead of him, that he’d not even eaten yet. Seth. Seth, his first love, his first, well, everything, was on his computer screen, singing. And if he’d thought Seth had a beautiful voice as a teenager, that was nothing to how he sounded now. Clearly his time at Juilliard and whatever he’d done after had developed his voice into something truly special, almost otherworldly.

Oliver gripped the computer with both hands, his face close to the screen, breath trapped in his aching chest. Seth, tall and lean, his pretty, still-boyish face aglow from the joy of performing, was in the middle of the studio, hands clasped in front of him, eyes closed and head tilted slightly as he sang a song Oliver wasn’t familiar with. He didn’t care; he was transfixed by the line of Seth’s long throat, how the fitted shirt he was wearing accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, the small smile on his face as he sang. It was Seth, but now so much more than the captivating boy he had loved all those years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laura StoneAUTHOR Bio and Links:

A life-long fan girl, Laura Stone takes a leave of absence from the glamorous life of motherhood while the kids were in school, devoting her days to writing full-time. In the past she’s worn the hat of actress, Master Gardener, and computer geek, but now sticks mostly to a Texas Ranger’s ball cap as she raises her children. They’re not fully raised, but then again, she would say that she isn’t either.

She began telling stories to her parents at the age of four. She was so successful in catching her parent’s attention that her father actually dislocated his back, trying not to sit on her imaginary cat, Doka.

She lives in Texas as proof that it’s not totally populated by hard-line right-wingers—and because that’s where the good tamales are from.

Connect with Laura:

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Join in the Mystery Hunt with Charlie Cochrane’s The Best Corpse for the Job (tour and contest)

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Do you love mysteries?  Are  British “Cozies” mysteries must reads?  Then Charlie Cochrane has just written a mystery for you! Today Charlie Cochrane has stopped by to talk about writing, story locations, and of course, The Best Corpse for the Job!  Check it all out below and don’t forget to leave a comment with an email address to be entered in the contest.

Saving my bacon – tales of the eleventh hour by Charlie Cochrane

All of us make mistakes in our writing. Sometimes it’s just about making assumptions, like the provenance of the word blizzard. It sounds nice and old and sort of Shakespearean, so it never occurred to me to check whether my nice gay Regency vicar could use “blizzard” in my short story “The Shade on a Fine Day”. Turns out he couldn’t, as it’s late Victorian, of US origin. Rats. I’m not alone, though – PD James has allegedly featured a motorbike reversing down a road, when they don’t have reverse gear.

I’ve been saved from making a major blooper on several occasions. The little voice in your head which tells you to double check something should never be ignored. For example, I set Lessons in Seduction in and around Pegwell Bay, Kent. As a child, I used to go on day trips there from Ramsgate when we were on holiday and in my memory, the access to the beach was flat. My memory lied to me, as I discovered when I looked at pictures of the place – there were cliffs. Luckily I had time to go back and change some of the relevant bits of the story before sending it off, but it was a close shave.

I had just such an experience relating to “The Best Corpse for the Job”. In the original draft, the people who turn up to process the crime scene were called SOCOs (Scenes of Crimes Officers), but recently those title changed to CSIs (Crime Scene Investigators). In another bout of good fortune, I was out at a barbecue with someone whose daughter was a SOCO turned CSI, so I could pick her brain about what things should be called now. Thank goodness for word processing, “find and replace”, and all the other blessings of modern writing!

The other peculiar thing which happened when writing the story is related to the name of the school where the first murder takes place. To put it in context, the governors of a school in a typically leafy, middle England type of village are recruiting a new headteacher and one of the candidates gets done in. I called the school…well, I won’t tell you what I called it originally, because it was awfully like the name of a real village school. I do some freelance training and blow me down with a feather if I didn’t get asked, just at the time I was drafting Best Corpse, to go and do some training at (you’ve guessed it!) that place I will refer to simply as “a real village school”. It gets funnier. The training I was asked to take was “Selecting and Interviewing Headteachers”.

Find and replace, find and replace, find and replace…

About The Best Corpse for the JobBest Corpse for the Job cover

Tea and sympathy have never been so deadly.

Schoolteacher Adam Matthews just wants to help select a new headteacher and go home. The governors at Lindenshaw St Crispin’s have already failed miserably at finding the right candidate, so it’s make or break this second time round. But when one of the applicants is found strangled in the school, what should have been a straightforward decision turns tempestuous as a flash flood in their small English village.

Inspector Robin Bright isn’t thrilled to be back at St. Crispin’s. Memories of his days there are foul enough without tossing in a complicated murder case. And that handsome young teacher has him reminding himself not to fraternize with a witness. But it’s not long before Robin is relying on Adam for more than just his testimony.

As secrets amongst the governors emerge and a second person turns up dead, Robin needs to focus less on Adam and more on his investigation. But there are too many suspects, too many lies, and too many loose ends. Before they know it, Robin and Adam are fighting for their lives  and  their hearts.

About Charlie Cochrane

As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes, with titles published by Carina, Samhain, Bold Strokes, MLR and Cheyenne.
Charlie’s Cambridge Fellows Series of Edwardian romantic mysteries was instrumental in her being named Author of the Year 2009 by the review site Speak Its Name. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People, International Thriller Writers Inc and is on the organising team for UK Meet for readers/writers of GLBT fiction. She regularly appears with The Deadly Dames.

Connect with Charlie:

Giveaway Contest:

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for an e-book from Charlie Cochrane’s backlist (excepting The Best Corpse for the Job). Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 29. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.   However, you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Don’t forget to leave an email address where you can be contacted if selected in the body of your comment.

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You can follow Charlie Cochrane on her The Best Corpse for the Job tour here!

Special Book Treat! Bailey Bradford Interviews Miller and Gideon from Off Course (Coyote’s Call #1) (book tour only)

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Today at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, we have a special treat for our readers.  Bailey Bradford is here with a interview between her bear shifter Gideon and her coyote shifter, Miller.  Their story, Off Course is the first in Bradord’s new series, Coyote’s Call.

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Hi there, I’m Bailey Bradford and I’ve got a new series starting up. It’s titled Coyote’s Call and the first book is Off Course. To introduce y’all to it, I thought I’d do something I haven’t before, and interview the main characters, Miller Hudson and Gideon Wells. Then a better idea occurred to me—Miller and Gideon should interview each other! So today’s post is Miller interviewing Gideon. When Gid interviewed Miller, they ended up running off to have fun. *shakes head* New love—it’s so sweet to see.

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Miller Hudson: Okay, I’m Miller, and I’ll be interviewing Gideon Wells. Gideon is my partner, my lover, pretty much the center of my world.

Gideon Wells: Talking like that’s going to result in this interview being over so I can kiss you, and kissing leads to naked, and naked is good.

Miller: Ah, yeah, it’s really, really good, but we have to do this first. Now tell everyone about yourself.

Gideon: I’m just a guy. Well okay, I’m a bear shifter. I can shift, and I point that out because Miller and his people are coyote shifters that have lost the ability to shift. Which maybe you’d think would make them just people, but it doesn’t.

Miller: Right, because we all feel that pull of the moon, and the need to shift and run, and we can’t do it. It’s a kind of hell I don’t think I can adequately explain, and besides that, this is about you, Gid. How’d you end up in Texas?

Gideon: Ugh, right for the bad memories, huh? It’s okay. Doesn’t hurt anymore. I got banned from the bear clan I was a part of because while I could shift, my senses weren’t anywhere near as sharp as they should have been. For example, I didn’t have the hearing a bear does, and let me tell you, not being able to smell like a bear can? Means not tracking food so well, and when you’re a big, lumbering predator, that’s a real impediment. There were other things, too, but let’s not go there. So I got banned, and given a car and my bag of belongings. I just drove. My mind was kind of in a bad place. Then there was a fire, and scorpions, and yeah, next question.

Miller: Do you ever feel out of place as a bear shifter surrounded by coyote shifters? Even when they can’t shift?

Gideon: Nah, and that’s odd because I always felt out of place everywhere. It seemed like I just never fitted in with my clan, and living on my own as a bear was dangerous, given my screwed up senses. It was weird. I got here, and after a few days, it just felt like I’d finally found my home. That was scary and amazing at the same time.

Miller: That deserves a special treat—after the interview. One more question. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Gideon: Oh, that’s easy. Under you, or on you, or bent over—

Miller: Gid…

Gideon: Well, you asked. But if you mean in a non-sexual way—and ow, that hurts to even say!—then I see me with you of course, and maybe a cub or pup or two.

Miller: You know we can’t have kids.

Gideon: Duh, but we could adopt, or maybe ask someone to be a surrogate. Don’t you want to have little Miller juniors and Miller-ettes running around? And maybe some little bear cubs, too? Hey, I didn’t know you could go that shade of pale.

Miller: We, uh…that’s all for today, folks. Thanks for stopping in. Gid and I have to go now. It seems there’s future plans to discuss.

Title:  Off Course by Bailey Bradfordoffcourse_800
Pulisher: Totally Bound Books
Cover Artist:
Sales Links:  Totally Bound Books

 

Blurb for Off Course:

This is book one in the Coyote’s Call series, see the full series listing here

Gideon’s worst night ever starts out with a bang that will change his whole life.

Gideon Wells has been cast out of his bear shifter clan for being a curse, and he’s inclined to believe they’re right. After all, everything from fertility rates to shifting abilities has gone down the tube since he was born. Then when his car catches fire and mutant scorpions—he thinks they’re mutants, anyway—almost get him, he’s more certain than ever that he’s bad news.
Not that he’s just going to roll over and die.

Ignoring a prophecy might not be wise, but coyote shifter Miller Hudson has seen and heard too many false prophecies to put any faith in the one proclaiming him to be the alpha and—along with a mystery bear mate—the saviour of the now defunct coyote den he grew up in. Besides, there’s no need for the den to be brought back together. None of them can shift, so what’s the point?

The buzzards circling overhead on the far edge of his property lead him to the very last thing he ever expected to find.

Reader Advisory: This book contains references to and threats of assault and rape, scenes of fisting and mild BDSM.

Like the sound of Off Course? Buy it here!

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About Bailey Bradford:

A native Texan, Bailey spends her days spinning stories around in her head, which has contributed to more than one incident of tripping over her own feet. Evenings are reserved for pounding away at the keyboard, as are early morning hours. Sleep? Doesn’t happen much. Writing is too much fun, and there are too many characters bouncing about, tapping on Bailey’s brain demanding to be let out.

Caffeine and chocolate are permanent fixtures in Bailey’s office and are never far from hand at any given time. Removing either of those necessities from Bailey’s presence can result in what is known as A Very, Very Scary Bailey and is not advised under any circumstances.

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On Tour with Aria Grace’s “Choosing Happy” Book tour and contest

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Check out the latest M/M Romance from Aria Grace.  We have an exclusive excerpt for our readers and a contest with several prizes for you to enter.

Book Name: Choosing Happy
Goodreads Link
Author Name: Aria Grace

Author Bio:

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Aria enjoys the year round sunshine and laid back environment of the west coast. She lives with her husband and two children on a quiet hill that gives her lots of time to read and write. Her first series was a semi-traditional look at sexy gigs found online. She has now ventured into the exciting M/M world of gay erotica. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to drop her a note or visit her at http://www.ariagracebooks.com.

Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/aria.grace.37
http://facebook.com/ariagracebooks
@ariagracebooks

CHPublisher: Surrendered Press
Cover Artist: Sexy Men Pix

Sales Links:  Amazon  iTunes    Nook   Smashwords

  Choosing Happy Blurb:

Book 3 of the More Than Friends Series. Can be read in sequence or as a standalone.  (Book #1 is free)

Steve is living in Portland with many regrets. He has alienated the people he cares most about by making bad choices that continue to haunt him. When he meets a kid that’s in a bad relationship and needs some help, Steve reluctantly offers it, knowing it’s his chance to redeem himself. What he doesn’t expect is to find happiness. It’s there, all he has to do it choose to accept it. 

For mature readers.

Categories: Contemporary, Gay fiction, M/M Romance\

Choosing Happy Exclusive Excerpt:

I hit the snooze button for the first time since high school. Always an early riser, I never sleep past six so when I crack an eyelid and see it’s seven fifteen, I groan. After a quick shower to wake up, I step into a pair of old jeans and grab the first t-shirt my fingers touch then run down the steps. The bike needs gas so I get in my truck instead and drive the six miles to work.

Having become more of a slave to technology than I’d like to admit, I’m walking and texting Allen when I hear a tiny voice.

“Hi.”

Startled, I look up and see my little duck huddled in the shadows behind my cart.

He’s curled in a tiny ball against the generator and looks like hell.

“Hey, kid.” I kneel down in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

Tears flood his eyes as he looks away. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

In the dim light, I couldn’t see his battered face but when I brush his hair aside and see a line of caked blood that crosses from the middle of his scalp to his cheek bone, I want to kill someone. “Did that prick do this to you?”

He won’t look at me. By the way he flinches, I know he’s scared. I take a deep breath and lean back on my haunches. “We should go to the police. I’ll take you.”

“No.” He jumps up and backs away, ready to bolt. “I’m sorry I came here. I’m fine.”

The way he’s limping pisses me off even more but I force a steady voice. “Okay, okay. No cops.” I slowly reach forward and hold my hand out to him, praying he’ll take it.

With a tentative step, he walks to me and lets me guide him into the trailer that serves as my shop.

 

 Pages: 36,000 words

2Choosing HappyBadgeTour Dates/Stops:

17-Nov

Parker Williams

17-Nov

The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat

18-Nov

The Hat Party

18-Nov

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

19-Nov

Regular Guys, Hot Romance

19-Nov

Amanda C. Stone

20-Nov

MM Good Book Reviews

20-Nov

Molly Lolly

21-Nov

LeAnn’s Book Reviews

24-Nov

Wake Up Your Wild Side

24-Nov

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

25-Nov

Love Bytes

26-Nov

Book Reviews and More by Kathy

27-Nov

  • Contest: Rafflecopter Prize:
    $25 amazon or itunes gift card (sent electronically) and signed paperback of any Aria Grace Book (shipped within US)
  • International winners can receive 2 free Aria Grace ebooks of their choice via amazon.com instead of a paperback.

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Winner Announcements and its almost Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving_Quotes_Carl Sagan

The Rush is On!

Thanksgiving almost here and the rush is on for getting all things ready whether it is shopping for ingredients, finalizing the menus and guest lists, traveling to family and loved ones.  Whatever is on your agenda, this is the week we are all scurrying to get it done.

And then its December.  Oh my.

So Happy Thanksgiving for those of us in the US and Ex pats Abroad!

And Happy Reading to all and to all a Good night!

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STRW Winner Announcements:

Meredith Shayne’s winners were:
Ist Prize – Paperback – Denise D.
2nd Prize – $10 BDP Voucher – H.B.
3 x 3rd Prize – ebook – Trinitee M., Lisa G., Shelly H.

Susan MacNicol’s “Love You Senseless” Winner is Serena S

Sarah Madison’s ” Walk A Mile” Winner is Bronwyn H.

Our Schedule this Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words:

Monday, November 24, 2014:

  • MelanieM Review: Who Knows The Storm by Tere Michaels
  • Choosing Happy by Aria Grace Excerpt Tour and Contest
  • A PaulB Review: Galactic Treasure (Earth Con #2) by Theodora Marie Adams

Tuesday, November 25, 2014:

  • TB: Bailey Bradford Off Course Book tour
  •  Charlie Cochrane’s No Better Corpse for the Job Book Tour
  • Sloan Johnson Teach Me Cover Reveal and Release Date Announcement‏
  • A MelanieM Review: Radiant Burn by Laura Harner (PF2014)

Wednesday, November 26, 2014:

  • VBT: The Bones of You by Laura Stone.‏  Tour and contest
  • Renee George ‘Kiss My Ash’, Book tour and contest
  • A MelanieM Review: Sand and Ruin and Gold by Alexis Hall
  • A PaulB Review: Ciro by Remmy Duchene

Thursday, November 27,2014 – Happy Thanksgiving!:

  • A MelanieM Review: Manipulation by Eden Winters
  • A Sammy Review: Thunder Snow by Owen Keehnen
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review:  Third Eye by Rick R. Reed

Friday, November 28, 2014:

  • Share the Love – Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt -book tour and contest
  • A PaulB Review: “Unjustified Claims (Hidden Wolves #3)” by Kaje Harper
  • Iyana Jenna ‘Slippery Slope’ Excerpt Tour and contest
  • A MelanieM Review: Chestnuts Roating Anthology (Angel Martinez, Freddy Mackay, Toni Griffin

Saturday, November 29, 2014:

  • Texas Fall (Texas #6) – RJ Scott Book Tour and Contest

And Then That Happened by Liam Livings Book Tour and Contest

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And Then That Happened, by Liam Livings

Published by Love Lane Books

For all buy links please check here: http://lovelanebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/and-then-that-happened-by-liam-livings.html

 

And Then That Happened


ATTH_400x600Should you settle for a nearly perfect happiness or put your heart on the line for more?

It’s 1999 and 28-year-old Dominic’s carefully planned suburban life with his boyfriend Luke is perfect. His job as a nurse, his best friend Matt, his relationship with his parents, everything is just right. He and Luke have been together ten years, seen each other through friends’ deaths and their parents’ ups and downs, and even had a commitment ceremony.

Gabe isn’t happy with his boyfriend, but he stays with him, because, well it’s complicated.

Fate throws Gabe into Dominic’s life. And then that happened. Gabe’s open relationship, impulsive nature, enthusiasm for life and straight talking advice are fascinating to Dominic. They’re friends, they click over a shared love of Goldie Hawn and Gabe shows Dominic there can be more to life than planned and safe. So why can’t he take his own advice?

And Then That Happened is about finding a new kind of happiness, even when what you have is already perfect. And how sometimes perfect isn’t quite what it seems.

AUTHOR BIO


Eight things about Liam Livings, one is untrue, can you guess which one?

  1. He lives, with his partner, where east London ends and becomes nine-carat-gold- highlights-and-fake-tan-west-Essex.
  2. He was born in Hampshire with two club feet (look it up, it’s not nice) and problem ears, needing grommets: this meant he was in plaster from toe to groin until he was two, and had to swim with a cap and olive oil soaked lamb’s wool over his ears – olive oil bought from a health food shop, before it was sold by supermarkets.
  3. He started writing when he was 14: sat in French lessons during a French exchange trip, for want of anything better to do, he wrote pen portraits about his French exchange’s teachers. He wrote for his school’s creative writing magazine and still writes a diary every day.
  4. He grew up on the edge of the New Forest – not in the New Forest mind, but on the edge. Now it’s a national park, it’s so much more glamorous. He went to uni in London and never really left.
  5. One evening, flicking through the channels, he stumbled across the film, Saving Private Ryan, and it took twenty minutes of not seeing Goldie Hawn in an army uniform, before he realised it wasn’t actually the film, Private Benjamin.
  6. When not writing, he also enjoys baking.
  7. He avoided any sport at secondary school by having an orthodontist appointment between the age of 14 and 16, and when he was old enough to drive, just drove home instead of playing rugby/hockey/whatever.
  8. He is a car geek, his particular passion is old French classics, and his every day car is what is popularly referred to as a ‘hairdressers car’ a Mazda MX5 in powder blue – Muriel.

Contact Liam through:

Contest:  Enter to win a Win $15 giftcard for Amazon or All Romance, plus free ebooks from Liam Livings and Love Lane Books.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.   Use the Rafflecopter link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  OR   http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f922301b40/

And Then It Happened Excerpt:

Gabe and Dominic discuss their past love lives after going to a concert together

Lying on twin beds, we compared notes on our favourite bits of the concert, sipping hot chocolate from the room’s store. Gabe said he couldn’t believe I’d never been to a concert before.

I said there were lots of things I’ve never done before. Gabe lay on his bed, arms behind his head, smiling at me.

‘I wish I’d tried a few more things, a few more men, before Luke,’ I said quietly. ‘You did, you’ve got more than your fair share of men during your early twenties.’

‘And before,’ he replied.

‘I can’t shake this feeling I’ve missed out on so much. Missed something which, for so many gay guys, is such an important part of coming out, growing up gay.’

‘You must have had your reasons why you didn’t.’

‘Course I did. I was scared, scared of all the people around me dying. And I’d met Luke, and he was nice to me, so…’

‘…you stayed together.’

‘Yeah, weeks became months, months years, and before I knew it, we’d been together a third of my life.’

‘I didn’t really think about it at the time, it wasn’t an experience, I was just living my life, being me, meeting people, seeing what happened. Same as you I suppose, only none of the people I met, stuck, so I moved onto the next one. It’s no better or worse, just different.’

‘You would say that, though, wouldn’t you?’

‘I don’t have anything to compare it to, so I don’t know.’

‘I just feel like I’ve missed out on so much, from being scared to try things.’

‘But it doesn’t matter if in the end, you’re happy.’ He paused. ‘You are happy aren’t you?’

I picked up my book and started to read. Gabe sat on the bed next to me, stroking my arm slowly. I put the book down and lay on my side, tears making the pillow damp, I felt Gabe lay behind me, his arm around my waist; we lay like spoons, fully clothed as he turned the light off.

In the Book Spotlight: The Superstar by Patricia Logan (book tour and contest)

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Book Name: The Superstar
Author Name: Patricia Logan

Author Bio:

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.

Author Contact:

Publisher:The Superstar Cover
Cover Artist: Jeff Adkins: http://www.jpadkinsdesigns.com
Sales Links: amazon

The Superstar Blurb:

Storm Ellison is the sexiest man on two legs. The gorgeous young star of “Trapped on an Island”, the hottest reality show on television, is instantly recognizable the moment he leaves his palatial mansion. Paparazzi follow him everywhere, leaving him no peace or privacy, selling his pictures to the tabloids, and cementing his reputation in the press as a slutty gay playboy. As Storm prepares to sign his first major movie deal, his manager decides he needs protection. What he doesn’t expect, is to be attracted to the cold bastard who’s now running his life.

Balthazar Grant, freelance bodyguard, is a huge, handsome, rough and ready former Marine, trained by the best, and willing to step between Storm and anyone stupid enough to come at him. Always stoic and serious, Taz lends a deadly presence to Storm’s entourage whenever he ventures out in public. Storm doesn’t want a bodyguard, much less one who won’t let him live his fast and loose lifestyle with impunity and he’s certainly not one to be dictated to by an overconfident Marine who has opinions about everything including who he should hook-up with.

When a deadly threat hits Storm’s world, he’s suddenly living his own reality show, only this one has an outcome which doesn’t involve being voted off an island. Will Storm wake up before it’s too late and will Taz be able to fight his attraction to the handsome young superstar while trying to convince him he’s in very real danger? The pair will soon learn that reality is stranger than fiction.

Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M Romance

The Superstar Excerpt:

Jules grinned again. “You like Storm, Taz. You LIKE like him!” she raised her voice and Taz looked around to see who else could have overheard her.

“I like him fine, Jules; I work for the guy,” he replied, intentionally misunderstanding her.

“No, Taz, you are ‘in like’ with Storm,” she reiterated. She reached up and took hold of his sunglasses, dragging them off his face. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t like Storm like that, big guy. Whoa, those are some dreamy eyes,” she sighed.

Taz felt embarrassed and exposed without his shades and hated the fact that she could see the very real truth in his eyes when all he wanted to do was deny it. He averted his gaze, staring out onto the dance floor only to regret it immediately when he noted Storm’s arms wrapped around the twink, his lips being plied by the smaller man’s as their lower bodies ground against each other to the beat of the music. The moment he saw them, he frowned.

“See? That’s what I’m talkin’ about, Taz. You can’t stand the way that other man touches Storm. You want him for yourself,” she said emphatically.

Words: 82,000

Tour Dates/Stops:

PSuperstarBadgeTour Dates/Stops: 

19-Nov

Multitasking Mommas

Michael Mandrake

My Fiction Nook

20-Nov

Tara Lain

Cate Ashwood

Parker Williams

21-Nov

Hearts on Fire

Love Bytes

Queer Town Abbey

Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

24-Nov

It’s Raining Men

Velvet Panic

Prism Book Alliance

25-Nov

BFD Book Blog

26-Nov

Inked Rainbow Reads

Molly Lolly

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘The Superstar’ by Patricia Logan. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

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