Cover Reveal, Contest, & More! The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds by Charlie Descoteaux

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BirdsBadgeOrangeQ   Check out the gorgeous cover of The Nesting Habits of 

Strange Birds along with a blurb and excerpt below!!!

Author: Charley Descoteaux

Cover:  D.W. Skinner (photographer), Paul Richmond (designer)

Dreamspinner Press

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Pre-orders and The Trevor Project by Charlie Descoteaux

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First I’d like to thank Pride Promotions for arranging this tour, ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords for inviting me to visit their lovely space, and D.W. Skinner and Paul Richmond for my gorgeous cover!

I’ve been writing for a long time, but The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds is the first full-length novel I get to share with the world. During all the years I spent writing, and dreaming of the day when I could say I am a novelist, I also made plans.

I don’t set out to write political or message novels, but after growing up in the Bay Area in the 70s and spending my share of time in the trenches, it’s hard to separate the activist from the author. Like many other writers, I have trunk novels that will probably never see the light of day (you’re welcome ;)). Each of those trunk novels included a plan for giving a portion of any earnings to a relevant charity.

The two main characters in The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds, Phil and Lee, have both been touched by depression and suicide—and since The Trevor Project is one of my favorite national charities, it seemed like a good fit.

I’ll donate $1 for every pre-order of The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds to The Trevor Foundation, in support of their efforts to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth.

Visit my blog for a running tally of pre-orders. I’ll update the tally every few days, and post the final total on August 11.

Thank you all for helping me raise awareness, and a little cash, for this very worthwhile cause!

Pre-order The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds through Dreamspinner Press. [Link]

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: E-Copy of the book when it comes out.  Use the link provided below to enter the contest.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press    eBook          Paperback

Book Name: The Nesting Habits of Strange Birds

Author Name: Charley Descoteaux
Author Bio:
Charley Descoteaux has always heard voices. She was relieved to learn they were fictional characters, and started writing when they insisted daydreaming just wasn’t good enough. In exchange, they let her sleep once in a while. Home is Portland, Oregon, where the weather is like your favorite hard-case writing buddy who won’t let you get away with taking too many days off, and in some places you can be as weird as you are without fear. As an out and proud bisexual and life-long weird-o, she thinks that last part is pretty cool.

Rattle my cages, I’d love to hear from you!

Author Links:

Cover Artist: D.W. Skinner (photographer), Paul Richmond (designer)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Cover The Nesting Habits of Strange BirdsBlurb:

All he ever wanted was to be a normal guy….

Phil Brask spends his days in the basement of his mentor’s Victorian home, converting legal documents into electronic format. When the pipe feeding the water heater bursts, Lee Redding arrives in the plumber’s truck and draws Phil away from the narrow focus of his computer and camera lens. Lee gives Phil hope for a life beyond the walls he’s constructed using the nesting habits of migratory birds and dense legal files, a guided tour through a world filled with romance and music…maybe even family. But there’s a reason Phil retreated behind those walls, why he panics at a simple touch.

Lee has a good life—working with his uncle and on his mother’s farm, playing bass in a horrible metal band, and hooking up when he pleases—but he’s always suspected something was missing. When he meets the hot photographer with the icy-blue eyes, he knows exactly what that something is. Phil isn’t like other guys, but neither is Lee beneath his carefree exterior. Maybe Lee’s the perfect guy to show Phil that everything doesn’t have to be done the hard way and “home” isn’t a four-letter word.

 

 

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Excerpt:

“Your pictures, they’re amazing.” Lee said, his voice calm and steady and filled with sincere awe. “What’s this in her beak?”

Lee carefully scrolled forward, and Phil realized Lee had thumbed through all the pictures from that morning and some from last evening as well. He’d been out of it longer than he thought.

“It’s a spiderweb. Hummingbirds use them to build their nests.”

Two sentences. Phil couldn’t remember when he’d last gotten two sentences out just the way he’d intended. He smiled and raised his eyes to Lee’s. They seemed to mirror what he was feeling. Relief; happiness; desire. The next thing he knew, Lee’s lips brushed his lightly. Phil trembled but didn’t pull away. Pride in his perfect speech along with the giddy feeling inspired by Lee’s smile allowed Phil to give in to desire, just for a moment, to take a chance it would end well. Lee leaned toward him, but not so their shoulders touched, and kissed him just a few seconds longer. He kept his mouth almost completely closed, but Phil tasted a hint of hot chocolate. Or maybe the heat came from Lee.

“Whoa,” Lee sighed as much as said.


Birds600x600BannerOrangeQTour Dates: 7/11/14
Tour Stops:
Parker Williams, Hearts on Fire, Emotion in Motion, Love Bytes, My Fiction Nook, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Jade Crystal, Smoocher’s Voice, Full Moon Dreaming, Lee Brazil, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Iyana Jenna, Amanda C. Stone, Tara Lain, Redz World, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Fallen Angel Reviews, Romance the Night, Velvet Panic, Kimi-Chan, The Hat Party, MM Good Book Reviews, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Lee Brazil, Decadent Delights, Havan Fellows, Kimber Vale, EE Montgomery, Michael Mandrake, Cate Ashwood, Dawn’s Reading Nook
Rafflecopter Code

: a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: One Door Closes (Secrets of Neverwood #1) by G.B. Lindsey

Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

One Door ClosesYears ago, Calvin Ware was one of many of the foster children that Audrey Elizabeth Rasmussen brought into her home, Neverwood, to shelter, comfort and raise.  Following the death of his foster mom, Calvin has returned home to Neverwood to try and save the house and continue his mother’s mission to give shelter to those children most in need of a home and compassion.  However, it’s not just Calvin to whom she has left the house but two other foster sons as well.  Devon McCade, Calvin Ware and Daniel Redmond each held a special place in Audrey’s heart and now its up to them to save the house they were raised in and honor their mother.

But the house is mortgaged up to the rotting roof and a ruthless builder is giving them only a short amount of time to come up with the money needed to restore the mansion or have it repossessed and condemned for development.  Calvin, Devon and Daniel haven’t seen each other in years as each went their own way after turning 18.  Only Calvin remained close and in touch with Audrey.  That reality, plus resentment and the fact that they can’t agree on the restorations needed is keeping them divided and the house in danger of falling down around them.

All the boys have secrets between them and one of Calvin’s turns up on Neverwood’s doorstep as a contractor looking to help restore the mansion.  Will Cabot, Calvin’s high school crush, remained behind in town and is now an accomplished contractor.  Will offers to work on the mansion to restore it but Will and Calvin’s past is acting as a barrier to any new relationship between them.  Old secrets must come forth before any of the boys can move forward towards happiness, love and a new chance for the home they call Neverwood.

One Door Closes is the first book in a Secrets of Neverwood trilogy written by 3 different authors.  Available individually or as a complete collection, the trilogy is focused on three foster brothers,  Devon McCade, Calvin Ware and Daniel Redmond, who were brought to Neverwood by Audrey Rasmussen to live until their 18th birthday.  Upon her death, the three men learn their foster mother has left them the house equally and now must work together to restore Neverwood and continue her mission of sheltering unwanted children.  One Door Closes by G. B. Lindsey is Calvin Ware’s story.

I love the idea behind the Neverwood stories.  The trilogy plot of three foster brothers, each with their own closely held secrets, is an engrossing concept, one that is easy to connect with.  None of the brothers were  particularly close when they lived at Neverwood and only Calvin appears to have remained in touch with Audrey after leaving foster care.  Told from Calvin’s perspective, you get the viewpoint of the child he was when he arrived at Neverwood and that of the returning, grieving adult.  Calvin is a man on overload.  Burdened by secrets from his past that he has never dealt with as well as some closely guarded issues in adulthood, Calvin is suffering from a combination of guilt, resentment towards his two other foster brothers, pressure from an unscrupulous developer and mired in a financial quagmire left by Audrey’s estate.  The impact of all those problems upon Calvin weighs as heavily on the reader as it does on the character due to the beautifully scripted moments that highlight scene after scene.

Lindsey has filled her story full of poignant characters and unresolved issues that stem from childhood angst and trauma.  This is a story full of grey, a matter of  muted tonality and shading instead of darkness and light.  It feels realistically written with scenes and plot lines that radiate authenticity and a certain amount of desperation due to the situation Calvin and his brothers find themselves in and the chilling nature of their backgrounds that brought them to Neverwood.  However, instead of the drama and high impact one might expect from such a storyline and the anticipated revelations that  comes from long buried secrets, the  grey scale of the narrative continues throughout the story.  Its as it the very vivacity of life has been removed under the burdens they all carry and even the secrets uncovered make a much smaller impression upon the reader than they should.

I appreciated G.B. Lindsey’s approach to her story and the well-rounded characterizations that include many human frailties as well as a certain hopefulness as well as the ability to forgive and be compassionate.  Calvin’s battle to overcome a shared  event from his past  as well as his quiet, loving regard for Audrey make Calvin a most admirable character.  But, as with real life, it takes a while to pull up some of the issues that are alluded to continually in the story. That dragged out admission as well as others bogged down the narrative making it painfully slow at parts and  almost at a standstill at others.  How well you deal with this type of slow reveal and tempered be calmed storytelling will impact your enjoyment of this story.

I intend to read all three novellas that make up the Neverwood trilogy and I can’t wait to see how each author handles the remaining brothers stories.  It should be exciting and informative.  If you are looking for a romance, then this might not be the story for you.  There is a halting relationship here but its buried under layers and only emerges at the very end.  But as a marvelous character study and to appreciate an author’s well crafted approach to her story, then I recommend One Door Closes to you.

Cover art not credited.

Buy Links:     Carina Press              ARe                            Amazon  One Door Closes

Books in the Neverwood Trilogy include:

One Door Closes (Secrets of Neverwood #1) by G.B. Lindsey
The Growing Season (Secrets of Neverwood, #2) by Diana Copland
The Lost Year (Secrets of Neverwood, #3) by Libby Drew
Secrets of Neverwood Collection by Libby Drew

One Door ClosesThe Growing Season Neverwood 2 coverThe Lost Year Everwood 3 coverSecrets of Neverwood Trilogy cover

 

 

 

 

 

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 149 pages
Published June 30th 2014 by Carina Press
ASINB00I15VKGE
edition languageEnglish
seriesSecrets of Neverwood

On Tour with Eric Thornton and his latest release, Absolute!

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Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Absolute’.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link provided below to enter to win. Good luck and happy reading.  Contest prize provided by Pride Promotions.

Book Name: Absolute
Author Name: Eric Thornton

Author Bio: Eric Thornton writes just about all the time. He writes short stories and has one novella out. He wishes he could be taken seriously as an author and does his best to try and write longer books.

Author Links: https://www.facebook.com/ericbkroberts

Cover Artist: Eric Thornton
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Goodreads Absolute Page

Buy Link:          Amazon
absoluteBlurb(s): Kristian doesn’t know how much longer he can stay a bachelor. Coastal is full of sexy people. In the meantime, he lives with four guys that watch over him no matter what.

When Julius spots Kristian—and damn he is hot—he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold back.

Will they get together? Do they connect? Or will things become tense?

Excerpt:

Julius calmed his breathing a bit before he turned to Kristian and provided a soft, gentle kiss.

“You are amazing. You know that?”

“And you are amazing. We so have to do this again.”

“Sure. But how about you take me on a date first.”

“Who’s paying?”

“I’ll pay,” Julius replied and laughed.

An hour later, Julius and Kristian went out for a nice walk. The cool ocean breeze brought a smile to Julius’s face. He hadn’t gone for a simple walk for a while. Normally someone wanted to fuck and leave him behind. But that wasn’t the case at all.

And as they walked, he felt Kristian’s hand take hold of his. The feeling brought a smirk to his face. He was good and comfortable. Good and happy. And if Kristian truly did like him like he hoped was the case nothing was gonna turn out bad in their favor.

Maybe they would end up becoming a steady couple. That would be nice.

That would be the ticket.


Tour Dates: 6/30 – 7/4WillPride

Tour Stops:
AbsoluteBadge6/30: Kimi-Chan
7/1: Fallen Angel Reviews, Hearts on Fire
7/2: MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook
7/3: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Prism Book Alliance
7/4: Amanda C. Stone

 

 

Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of ‘Absolute’

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Diverted with Lucky, Bo and Eden Winters’ Diversion Book Tour (contest)

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Do the names “Lucky” Lucklighter and  Bo Schollenberger rings any bells for you?  Well, they should.  Lucky and Bo are the heart of Eden Winter’s Diversion600x600GreyBannerDiversion series, one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords all time favorites.  Diversion, the book that started it all, is now out in its 2nd Edition.  And for all of you new to the series, this is a wonderful time to get acquainted with these two complicated and undeniably sexy men.

Contest: As a part of the tour, Eden Winters and Pride Promotions has brought an eBook copy of Diversion to give away.  To enter visit the Rafflecopter link here and below.  Must be 18 years of age to enter.  Contest ends 7/11.

At the moment there are 3 books out in the Diversion series, and a fourth on the way.  So if you are like me and love to sink your teeth into a couple with multiple books to their story and more coming, then this is the series for you!  Don’t miss out on the excerpt and blurb below.  Here are the stories in the order they were written and should be read to understand these complex men, their growing relationship and the events that occur:

A ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords 5 – Star Series by Eden Winters:

Diversion (Diversion #1)
Collusion (Diversion #2)
Corruption (Diversion #3)
Manipulation (Diversion #4) coming soon

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Book Name: Diversion (2nd edition)

Author Name: Eden Winters
Author Bio:
Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family’s pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.

She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, “We could do this, you know.” Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ characters; hello plots and sex scenes. So far that’s produced such award winning novels as The Wish, Settling the Score, The Angel of Thirteenth Street, Duet, Naked Tails, and Diversion.

Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad Thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she’s a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.

For more information about Eden, please visit her website at http://www.edenwinters.com. Be sure to look for Eden’s soon-to-be-published works: A Matter of When and Manipulation.

To follow/contact Eden Winters use Author Links:

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00023]Book Details:
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Publisher: Rocky Ridge Books

Blurb:

There are good guys, bad guys, and then there’s Lucky.

Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter flaunts his past like a badge of honor. He speaks his mind, doesn’t play nice, and flirts with disaster while working off his sentence with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. If he can keep out of trouble a while longer he’ll be a free man–after he trains his replacement.

Textbook-quoting, by the book Bo Schollenberger is everything Lucky isn’t. Lucky slurps coffee, Bo lives caffeine free. Lucky worships bacon, Bo eats tofu. Lucky trusts no one, Bo calls suspects by first name. Yet when the chips are down on their shared case of breaking up a drug diversion ring, they may have more in common than they believe.

Two men. Close quarters. Friction results in heat. But Lucky scoffs at partnerships, no matter how thrilling the roller-coaster. Bo has two months to break down Lucky’s defenses… and seconds are ticking by.

Buy Link:   Rocky Ridge Books  

 

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Excerpt:

The door flew open and Lucky made a grab. He rammed Bo’s back against the wall, setting off an automated hand dryer. Lucky ignored the hot air wafting over his arm, slammed his mouth hard against Bo’s, and shoved his leg between the man’s thighs. They devoured each other’s mouths, no hesitant tender kiss, but a release of tightly coiled passion. Tongues intertwined, each man sifted fingers through the other’s hair, tugging closer.
Below their belts their bodies followed suit, Lucky rutting against Bo’s firm thigh in an old-as-time mating rhythm. I’m going to blow in my jeans and I don’t give a fuck.

Lucky’s overwhelmed brain yielded up a single clear warning: someone might walk in. Mouths joined, he danced them toward a stall without breaking contact. A condom machine hung on the wall at an awkward angle. A handwritten sign proclaimed, “Out of Order.” Damn it!

At this rate, he wouldn’t last long enough to wrap his meat anyway. He wrestled them both into a stall, and slammed and locked the door behind him.


BadgeDiversionTour Date: 7/3/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Amanda C. Stone, Fallen Angel Reviews, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Full Moon Dreaming, Velvet Panic, It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake, Iyana Jenna, Nephylim, MM Good Book Reviews, EE Montgomery, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Havan Fellows, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Hearts on Fire, Angel Martinez, My Fiction Nook

 

Contest Prize:  Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Diversion

Rafflecopter Code: <a id=”rc-7d5bb763″ class=”rafl” href=”http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7d5bb763/&#8221; rel=”nofollow”>a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Focusing In On: Bailey Bradford, Unexpected Places , & the new TB What’s His Passion? Imprint

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magnifying glass and focusWHP_Bailey Bradford_Book Tour_final

 Bailey Bradford has stopped by ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords today to talk about her latest release, Unexpected Places, for Totally Bound’s new imprint What’s His  Passion?   Welcome, Bailey!

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Totally Bound has a brand new Imprint out, What’s his Passion? and I am thrilled to be a part of it! My contribution is Unexpected Places, a story featuring Carter Hausemann, a man who is passionate about hiking.

WHP_Bailey Bradford_Social Media_final♥ Contest: To celebrate the launch of What’s his Passion? Totally Bound Publishing is giving away a bundle of prizes. Enter here for your chance to win. The competition will run from the 23rd June – 6th August celebrating the launch of this new imprint, What’s his Passion? with winners being announced at the Totally Bound facebook release party on 6th August.  Here is the link again.

 

 

What Inspires You?

by Bailey Bradford

In Unexpected Places, the first book out in Totally Bound’s What’s His Passion? imprint, Carter is inspired by the great outdoors in general, and hiking in particular. He feels it brings him closer to his true self, and frees him in a way he can’t explain.

I understand that, which is why I chose hiking to be Carter’s passion. When I was asked to take a part in this imprint, I was on a hiking trip in New Mexico with my husband. There are some gorgeous casitas we stay at when we go to New Mexico, and it was there that I got the email about What’s His Passion?

I dove in immediately, thrilled to be a part of it. Writing is a passion of mine, reading is, too. I have several passions, among them spending as much time with my family as possible, and experiencing Nature’s beauty every chance I get.

So passion is something I understand in not only the sexual context, but in living my life. There are many things I am very passionate besides the ones mentioned. All inspire me and make me strive to embrace more, learn more, live more.

Exploring other people’s passions, whether fictional or real people, has helped broaden my own life experiences. I hope this new imprint with Totally Bound will help bring some new passion into your life. I know it has to mine.

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unexpectedplaces_800Blurb for Unexpected Places:
Love finds you in the most unexpected places.

Carter Hausemann loves his adventures in the great outdoors. He never feels as free and happy as he does when he’s hiking up a mountain or over a desert trail. After a childhood spent locked indoors, he craves the sunlight on his face and the blanket of moonlight.

Unfortunately, he has to work, so his hiking trips aren’t as frequent as he would like.

He has a new adventure planned, but little does he know, his real adventure will start at a worn-down looking club in Odessa, Texas. Carter’s dreams of finding his perfect men will become more than fantasy, starting with one sexy leather-clad man, Eddie Canales. What starts out as a night of debauchery turns into so much more.

Like the sound of Unexpected Places? Read more here.

 

 

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About Bailey
A few things about me…

I am a married to a lovely man who supports everything I do and encourages me to be myself. I am also a mom who spends most of the day writing, either on stories for books or at the blog. I love to write as much as I love to read. I am generally quiet and laid back, choosing to let things slide off me rather than stick to me and be irritating.

And it’s really hard trying to think of descriptives for myself, so I’ll just let y’all e-mail me or comment at the blog if there’s something specific you’d like to know, and spare you from reading a boring bio.

To contact/follow Bailey Bradford, you can use the following links:

Totally Bound Tour Banner

 

Author Spotlight:G.B. Lindsey & “One Door Closes” Book Tour/Contest

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 Author and Book Spotlight: Up Close and Personal with G. B. Lindsey!

ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords welcomes G.B. Lindsey into the spotlight to talk about writing, inspiration and what makes a character a hero.

G.B. Lindsey has two giveaways for readers to enter. Look for the details below. Welcome, G.B.Lindsey!

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STRW: Why did you choose to write M/M stories?

G.B. Lindsey: It started out as completely unexplored territory for me as a writer, both in terms of the physical elements and the desire to portray a convincing homosexual relationship. Thank god, though: I quickly learned that it was all about writing a convincing relationship, full stop. Relationships of all kinds are the basis for most of the really interesting drama. Real people leading real lives, juggling the same things that everyone else juggles. So they have the same sexual organs as each other. Big deal. Nowadays, the gripping part is not the M/M so much as the emotional impact two people can have on each other. Since there is still a significant societal taboo involving men being emotional, especially toward each other, I also see it as a challenge: to bring forward the ways that emotion and masculinity are not mutually exclusive. In the wider frame, I really love the chance to (hopefully) introduce more readers to the fact that relationships are relationships are relationships: gay, straight, bi-, trans-, inter-, a-, omni-… We all struggle with a lot of the same questions. M/M stories started out as the gateway for me to tackle these themes as a writer, and I’ve learned a hell of a lot in the process, both about writing and about human beings. For that reason, I feel I’m always going to love writing M/M.

STRW: What was your inspiration for this particular story?

G.B. Lindsey:  My agent is the one who approached me and my co-writers Libby Drew and Diana Copland with the original idea. We were all on board from minute one. The premise was just too juicy to pass up: one of those story ideas that hits you low in the gut, and you know that it could be awesome. I like to think that Libby, Diana, and I inspired each other during the creation of our separate characters. It was fantastic to play off of each other, to fill in holes and likewise find our gaps closed by what was going on in the other two novellas, to toss questions at each other and find ready observations and answers. As far as other influences, when I write I take a lot from observing what goes on around me in my day to day life. The character of Glenna Stuart specifically was influenced by several people I’ve met over the years regarding the questions she raises about sexuality and identity. She worries about some extremely intimate, important things that I feel should be explored, contemplated, better understood.

STRW: What makes a character a hero to you?

G.B. Lindsey:  Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve thought about characters in terms of heroism until now! I usually think about them in terms of realism, conviction, how convincing they are, how much their motivations resonate with me as a reader/writer… It could be the most despicable character in the world, but if I am convinced, if I think it reads true, then I’m usually fascinated, anxious to pick apart how it was done from the writing standpoint. What makes a character a hero to me? Someone who isn’t afraid to be him or herself, I think. It’s been my own particular struggle as I’ve grown up. I was fairly quiet, taught myself early not to make waves, didn’t like standing out, and thus tended to let myself get pushed around or taken advantage of. It’s been a long journey, re-teaching myself that I have a voice, and that my opinions and ideas are not automatically less important than others’. I’m still learning it. I find a character heroic when he or she does what is right, what he or she believes to be best, and of course, when he or she can learn from the past and adapt, learn, keep reaching out even when burned.

STRW:  How much research to you do for any particular story?

G.B. Lindsey:   It depends on the story. For instance, at the moment, I’m working on a novel that requires quite a bit of delving into psychoses, firearms, law enforcement… I joke that I have probably finagled myself a nice NSA file, what with the websites I’ve been frequenting. One Door Closes didn’t require the same amount of research; we looked into property law, civil law, and the foster system, which I didn’t know that much about. But I love the research aspect. It’s one of my favorite parts of writing fiction. I used to just salivate over Michael Crichton’s novels because, wow, think of all the amazing things he got to dabble in! For fun! Because he wanted to! I would have loved to research for his books.

STRW: Is there any specific genre of writing you don’t connect with and which ones are your favorite to write?

G.B. Lindsey:  Mystery is the genre I connect with the least. Not that I don’t love to watch mysteries. Sherlock Holmes and Brother Cadfael are two of my favorite characters ever, and both are amazing to read and watch. But I rarely write mystery, and I don’t read much of it unless it’s also thriller or horror. It’s just not a genre that piques my creative interest. The writing aspect of it turns me off because it’s rare that I visualize a plot so well right away that I can effectively craft the mystery and not give everything away too soon. I’ve tried, and I’ve been happy with the product, but yeah, definitely not my favorite. My favorite genre to write is Horror. It’s a heavily underappreciated genre in terms of “good literature” (and don’t even get me started on that argument because we’ll be here all night) and it’s one of the best ways to comment on societal fears. I’m pretty much addicted to horror films. It’s difficult to find good horror in Hollywood these days, so when I come across a movie or a book that really deliciously scares me, you’re probably going to hear about it. There’s a real beauty in turning a phrase in just the right way to send chills prickling over someone’s skin. My second favorite genre is Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction, and that is the best way to comment on society as a whole. Again, underrated by the Powers That Be. Again, they are wrong, wrong, wrong. What a fantastic thing, post-apocalyptic sci-fi!

STRW:  Thank you so much for stopping by.  That was a great interview.

For more information about G.B. Lindsey and her latest release, One Door Closes, visit the links below.

Special Note:  To listen to an audio recording of G.B. Lindsey reading the first ten minutes of the book, visit here.  

Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkj_prq43p4

Contest:  One $10 Amazon gift card and one copy of One Door Closes.  To enter, visit the Rafflecopter links provided below.  Contest rules include that you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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Author Bio: G. B. Lindsey was born and raised in California, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Literature and Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. Her first love has always been writing: as a child, she cultivated such diverse goals as becoming “a cowgirl… and a writer” or “a paleontologist… and a writer.” Aside from her salacious and ongoing affair with the horror genre, she loves to write sci-fi, romance, historical fiction, and short stories. Other hobbies include playing the piano, reading voraciously, the occasional period drama movie night, and devouring scary film after scary film. She recently moved back home from Newcastle upon Tyne, where she earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing, and now lives in Sacramento.

You can follow G.B. Lindsey at:
Goodreads Author Page Website Twitter
E
mail at lindseywords@gmail.com

Facebook One Door Closes

About One Door Closes: Blurb:   Years ago, Calvin Ware found a refuge in Neverwood, a home for wayward boys. Now, following the death of his foster mother Audrey, he’s returned to fulfill her request to restore the decrepit Victorian mansion to its former purpose. Under the threat of repossession, Cal clashes with his foster brothers over restoration plans while fending off the unscrupulous developer who is breathing down his neck. Audrey’s well-meaning presence in his dreams does more harm than good as he struggles to cope with it all. What’s more, the contractor he hires to get the building up to code turns out to be Will Cabot, his high school flame. As they begin working together, Cal finds he still has feelings for his first love. But his mistakes of years ago threaten their future, just as they ruined their past, and Cal knows he can’t withstand the heartbreak a second time Three foster brothers are called home to Neverwood, the stately Pacific Northwest mansion of their youth. They have nothing in common but a promise to Audrey, the woman they all called mother…

Book Details:

Kindle Edition
Expected publication: June 30th 2014 by Carina Press
ASINB00I15VKGE
edition languageEnglish
Buy Links:  Barnes & Noble     Amazon

 

 

 

 

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WillPride  One Door Closes BadgeTour Dates: June 23 – June 28
Tour Stops: June 23: Jade Crystal, My Fiction Nook, The Hat Party June 24: Kimi-Chan, Amanda C. Stone June 25: Prism Book Alliance, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words June 26: Cate Ashwood, Parker Williams June 27: MM Good Books, Crystal’s Many Reviewers June 28: The Blogger Girls

 

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Review: Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Cold Feet coverMany things brought Cannon Malloy west from Atlanta.  Cannon wanted to put his past behind him, including ex boyfriends and the trauma that went along with them.  Cannon most importantly want to find out  what it meant to finally live his life as an out gay man after years of living in the closet.  But that initial step out of his self deception didn’t mean Cannon felt comfortable as a gay man until now.  With help from his flamboyant neighbor at Mountain Shadows and some well applied eye liner, Cannon is ready to try once more to connect with the handsome Finn Lorensson.   With a newfound sense of self-appreciation and  confidence he approaches Finn’s cabin with more than lust on the mind to make up for their last unhappy encounter and repair some of the damage he caused.

But professor Finn has plenty of problems of his own, one especially that arose around a malicious student and his impact on Cannon.  Finn’s unsure of how to proceed, with the student and the newly confident Cannon.  Both require his immediate attention and how he handles them both might mean the end of his tenure as a professor and any chance of happiness he might find with Cannon.

Cannon finally seems over his own brand of cold feet when it comes to Finn and relationships.  But how long that will last and what Finn will do about it is anyone’s guess.

Of all the interconnected Pulp Friction 2014 series, Lee Brazil’s seems the most introspective of the four.  With all the others, while the characters are undergoing emotional upheavals and personal problems, they are also being impacted by outside forces and obstacles.  But Cannon and Finn are grappling, almost solely,  with Cannon’s past and its effect on each other and the possibility of a relationship.  Cannon Malloy is the fulcrum of In From the Cold.  He is the pivotal element on which most of the plot threads rest or emanate from.  A character displaced after the events in Atlanta (Pulp Friction 2013), Cannon was an ambivalent character, deeply closeted, married and the cause of much pain to the main character Chance.  He ran from Atlanta to Flagstaff, unable to operate due to the events that occurred in Atlanta and is floundering in his role as a professor.   From a dislikable personality to one clearly in need of compassion and understanding, Brazil has moved Cannon through his journey in cautious, fearful steps to this point.  It’s been realistic and painful.

Reacting to Cannon is professor Finn Lorensson, a confident, handsome man.  Cannon, however, is strewing Finn’s life with stumbling blocks and obstacles in Finn’s pursuit of the skittish Cannon, the last one of which might have lasting consequences for all.  I love how Brazil has taken this self assured mountain of a man and added cracks and fractures to a strong personality that seemed unbreakable.  It’s a lovely, believable transformation, especially with love as the impetus behind it.  With the exception of the disgruntled student who feels entitled to take what he wants, all the movement and changes made have been done so because of internal arguments and decisions, changes of attitudes and self worth.  It’s an internalized and introspective storyline and its very intimacy is conveyed through thoughtful inner monologues and bouts of painful fretting on the characters part.

The other characters and plots exist in Lee Brazil’s series but sometimes it feels as though we see or feel them at the very perimeter of Finn and Cannon’s lives.  Such an inward facing story structure has been a wonderful way to relate to both difficult characters and their fragile steps towards each other.  But I expect that is about to change.

Cold Feet and the other three stories are at the midway point in the series and changes are about to fall on all the people involved.  I expect Finn and Cannon to change their direction, and move outward to embrace the other characters and the tumultuous events occurring at Mountain Shadows. I can’t wait to see how the author folds these two back into the main story thread that flows through all the series and the evil that has clearly visited the woods around them.    I love these characters, the series and the entire Pulp Friction 2014 grouping.  It’s compelling, gorgeously depicted and as wide ranging as the mountains themselves, and I can’t get enough of their lives and their stories.

I highly recommend this story and series (all of them) to you.  However, you must start back at the beginning to understand the scope of the stories and the characters involved.  I have listed all the series for you below.  Don’t miss out one a single one of them…..

Cover art by Laura Harner.  Love these covers, perfect branding and great models.

Buy Links:       <a href=”Cold Feet: Pulp Friction 2014 (In From the Cold Book 3) ” title=”Cold Feet At Amazon”> Amazon         ARe

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 1st 2014 by Lime Time Press
edition languageEnglish
seriesIn From the Cold #3, Pulp Friction 2014 #10

The Pulp Friction 2014 series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters, events and plot:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1)by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by TA Webb

Round Two:

Controlled Burn (Fighting Fire #2) by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort  (In From the Cold #2) by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses (Whispering Winds #2) by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) by TA Webb

Round Three:

Backburn (Fighting Fire #3) by Laura Harner
Cold Feet (In From the Cold #3) by Lee Brazil
Blow Hard  (Whispering Winds #3) by Havan Fellows
Tremors (Earthquake #3) by T.A. Webb

Round Four: to be released

Flare-up (Fighting Fire #4) by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold (In From the Cold #4) by Lee Brazil
Blown Chance (Whispering Winds #4) by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) by T.A. Webb

Round Five: to be released

Radiant Burn (Fighting Fire #5) by Laura Harner
Cold Day in Hell (In From the Cold #5) by Lee Brazil
Final Blow (Whispering Winds #5) by Havan Fellows
Terra Firma (Earthquake #5) by T.A. Webb

Sixth Book Series Finale Written by all the Authors
charactersFinn Lorensso

Tales From The Edge from L.M. Somerton:Book Tour/Contest

TheEdge Tour Banner

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Have you been to the Edge yet?  L.M. Somerton is here to act as your guide with four sensual stories to entice you right to the Edge… and has brought along a contest/giveaway as well.

Contest: A signed paperback copy of ‘Tales From The Edge) which contains book one and two, posted anywhere in the world.
Prize: An e-copy of A Double-Edged Sword. Visit here to enter and for contest details.  Must be over the age of 18 to enter.

Book Name: Tales From The Edge (Reaching the Edge, Living on the Edge, Dancing on the Edge, A Double-Edged Sword)

Author Name: LM Somerton
Cover Artist: Emmy Ellis
Publisher: Totally Bound

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Blurb(s):

The Edge is a training company with a difference. Its weekend clients come for classes in bondage and domination, not team building and problem solving.

The management, staff and customers of The Edge do not lead boring lives. In fact they have a habit of getting themselves into all kinds of trouble. Put Dominant, possessive alpha males together with bratty, loveable submissives and sparks are bound to fly. These Tales from The Edge are their stories.

reachingtheedge_800Reaching the Edge:
When you reach the edge, you can’t avoid taking a leap of faith.

Joe Dexter leads a complicated life. In one world he is a consultant criminal psychologist—in another he runs The Edge, a successful corporate training company. He’s also an active Dom in the London BDSM scene.

A social call to The Underground, a club owned by an old friend, turns into much more when Joe is introduced to a prospective sub. Falling hard for the boy’s tumbling blonde curls, huge blue eyes and desperate need for protection, Joe carefully coaxes him out of his shell. By the end of an intense weekend, unbreakable bonds have been forged and Joe is well on the way to becoming Olly’s Master.

Joe knows that there is trauma in Olly’s past, but it is not until his professional and private lives collide that Joe discovers the truth. He knows he shouldn’t have let Olly out of his sight but it’s too late—Olly’s old Master is back on the scene and he’s not in the mood to forgive and forget.

With Olly’s life on the line, Joe risks everything to save him. Has Joe found his perfect submissive only to lose him in a horrible twist of fate, or will love win the day? They’ve reached the edge and there’s no avoiding a leap of faith.

livingontheedge_800Living on the Edge:

Sometimes it takes willpower to resist temptation but courage to give in.

Aiden Keller is a brilliant and intriguing young man. When he’s convicted of hacking, his sentence takes him to The Edge, a high-end corporate training company with a mysterious sideline. There he is given into the custody of its owner, the enigmatic and demanding Heath Anders, and his business partner Joe Dexter.

From the moment Heath takes charge of Aiden he recognises the boy’s submissive nature, even though it is well hidden beneath a veneer of snarky attitude. But for twelve months, Aiden will be his responsibility and Heath cannot allow himself to get involved whilst the boy is obliged to obey him.

Aiden settles into his new life with the help of Olly, Joe’s pretty, submissive boyfriend, who is very perceptive when it comes to noticing the sparks of attraction flying between Aiden and Heath. Slowly and gently, he teaches Aiden that submission is not a weakness and to accept his desire to be dominated.

Unable to resist, Heath starts to test Aiden’s willingness to be obedient, and against all the odds, love (and lust) start to bloom. Aiden, however, is not quite what he seems and his past is about to endanger all their lives.

dancingontheedge_800Dancing on the Edge:

Life is a dance. Whether you lead or follow, the passion of it should sweep you away.

Carey and Alistair have the kind of relationship that is the envy of their friends. Carey is an old-fashioned Dom who appreciates quiet obedience. Alistair is a sub who is comfortable in his skin and finds peace in his submission. Needless to say, their happiness is too good to last.

When Alistair’s powerful father chooses his reputation over his son, all hell is let loose. Forcibly committed to a clinic for reversion therapy, Alistair can only hope that his lover will save him.

Carey calls on his friends from The Edge and they band together not just to rescue Alistair but also to protect his future. They’ve all flirted with danger in the past—but friendship is worth any risk. As the tension mounts and the stakes get higher, new bonds are forged but will Carey and Alistair’s love survive?

adoubleedgedsword_800A Double-Edged Sword:

How do you stay standing when the ground is torn from beneath your feet?

Becket and Christian are taking the first, tentative steps towards the committed D/s relationship they both crave when the world literally explodes around them. In a frightening reversal of roles, Becket has to deal with his own vulnerability and Christian must find the strength to take care of his Dom. With the help of their friends at The Edge, the two men come to realise that dominance and submission cannot be switched on and off.

Events that could have ended in tragedy provide the catalyst that affirms their trust in each other, but there are still questions to answer. Is the safe path always the right one to take? Is control simply a state of mind?

One thing’s for certain, life’s too short for compromise.

Buy Links:          Amazon                Totally Bound           

Exclusive Excerpt:

Excerpt from L. M. Somerton’s Reaching the Edge:

What did Angel see when he looked at him? Joe knew that he was considered handsome. He wasn’t vain—it was just a fact of life. He didn’t obsess over the way he looked, but he was a little concerned that he might seem cold and intimidating to someone as young as Angel. He did have a habit of schooling his features into an emotionless blank. It helped in his job to appear completely calm and neutral and it had rubbed off in his private life. Experienced subs seemed to like the hardness but Joe was concerned that Angel was far more sensitive and vulnerable than the boys he usually played with.

He rubbed a hand through his short blond hair and softened his expression from icy to mildly frosty. There was a definite twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes—eyes that looked faded compared to Angel’s startling bright blue ones. He shook his head wryly—Angel was everything he looked for in a partner, and he was already feeling intensely possessive and protective.

He finished up and headed back to the room, half wondering if Angel would be gone. He hid his relief well when he opened the door to find him placing their empty mugs on the side table. He took his seat on the sofa and waited to see whether Angel would join him again. To his delight, a slender body was soon squirming in his lap, getting comfortable. Soft golden curls tickled his neck as Angel nuzzled closer, and Joe felt his dick harden in response. Joe wrapped an arm around Angel’s waist and held him tightly. He positioned his other arm higher up, which allowed him to slip his hand inside the folds of the fluffy robe that concealed Angel’s body. For a moment he just rested his open palm against a warm, smooth chest, enjoying the slow rise and fall.
Gradually he moved his hand until he found the small rise of a nipple. He waited again, giving Angel the chance to protest or pull away. Feeling more secure in his exploration, he rubbed slowly, delighted at the instant response. The little nub peaked and hardened instantly under the pads of his fingertips. He moved again and found its twin, already hard for him. He rolled it carefully between his thumb and forefinger before flicking it hard. That got him a whimper and more nuzzling. Joe took that as a signal that more would be welcome and began to twist and pinch, getting a little rougher each time he moved from one hot bud to the other. He was still holding Angel firmly in place and the boy made no attempt to get free as Joe slid his hand down to stroke his flat belly in slow circles, gradually working his way lower.

 

Author Bio: L M lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.

She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She’s fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle (and not so subtle) leanings towards BDSM.

Author Links: http://pinterest.com/lmsomerton
Twitter: @lmsomerton

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TheEdge Tour Badge Tour Dates: June 20 – July 6WillPride
Tour Stops:
June 20: Kimi-Chan
June 21: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
June 22: Nephylim, Amanda C. Stone, Jade Crystal
June 23: 3 Chicks After Dark, Love Bytes, Rainbow Gold Reviews
June 24: The Hat Party
June 25: Hearts on Fire
June 26: Michael Mandrake, LeAnn’s Book Reviews
June 27: Prism Book Alliance
June 28: Iyana Jenna
June 29: Tara Lain
June 30: Velvet Panic
July 1: Wake Up Your Wild Side
July 2: Elisa Rolle
July 3: MM Good Books
July 4: My Fiction Nook
July 5: Cate Ashwood, Parker Williams
July 6: Book Reviews and More by Kathy

 

Contest: A signed paperback copy of ‘Tales From The Edge) which contains book one and two, posted anywhere in the world.
An e-copy of A Double-Edged Sword.  Visit here to enter and for contest details.

Author Spotlight and Book Tour: A Dance with Domination by K.C. Wells (Contest)

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On Tour with K.C. Wells and A Dance with Domination (Collars and Cuffs #4)

ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords is happy to host K.C. Wells on her promotion tour for A Dance with Domination (Collars and Cuffs #4).  Included in today’s  tour is a Rafflecopter Prize of $25 Amazon card as well as an E-copy of A Dance With Domination.  To enter to win, visit the Rafflecopter link given here.   This information will be repeated at the bottom of the post.

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Dance With  Domination coverBook Name: A Dance with Domination (Collars and Cuffs #4) Author Name: K.C. Wells Cover Artist: Paul Richmond Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Book Blurb:  Recently returned to the UK after living in the States since he was eleven, Andrew Barrett is determined to keep busy and make a new life for himself. He works full time as a copywriter and strips at a club on Canal Street on weekends. But it still leaves him too much time to think. Then he finds the BDSM club, Collars & Cuffs, where at twenty-nine, he is their youngest Dom. Young doesn’t mean inexperienced, however. All this activity keeps him focused with no time to dwell on the past. But the past has a way of intruding on the present. It’s been four long years since Gareth Michaels last set foot inside Collars & Cuffs. But when he finally summons his courage and steps back into his former world, he finds the man who drove him away is still a member, and what’s more, he wants Gareth back. Two men in pain need the freedom they find in each other, but it takes another man’s horrific plans to make them see it

Buy Links:         Dreamspinner Press         ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published May 23rd 2014 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN139781627988902
seriesCollars and Cuffs

Author Bio: Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – writing about men in love was even hotter… K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.

Author Links: K.C. can be reached:

WillPrideTour Dates: May 23 – June 20 Tour Stops:

Domination Badge-1May 23: 3 Chicks After Dark, Hearts on Fire
May 26: Love Bytes, It’s Raining Men
May 27: Havan Fellows
May 28: Amanda C. Stone
May 29: MM Good Books
May 30: Mrs. Condit & Friends, Prism Book Alliance
June 2: Jade Crystal
June 3: Parker Williams
June 4: Fallen Angel Reviews
June 5: LeAnn’s Book Reviews
June 6: Cate Ashwood
June 9: The Novel Approach, My Fiction Nook
June 10: Kimi-Chan
June 11: Iyana Jenna, SA McAuley
June 12: Vicktor Alexander
June 13: Two Men Are Better Than One
June 16: Angel Martinez, Rainbow Gold Reviews
June 17: Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Smoocher’s Voice

June 18: Louise Lyons
June 19: Kimber Vale, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
June 20: Up All Night, Read All Day, F.E. Feeley Jr., Nephylim

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon card + E-copy of A Dance With Domination. Go here for Rafflecopter Entry Form

Note: The excerpt below from A Dance with Domination is white hot and definitely NSW or those under the age of 18.  By continuing to read more you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older.  Scene consists of hot D/s BDSM rope tying: Continue reading “Author Spotlight and Book Tour: A Dance with Domination by K.C. Wells (Contest)” →

On the Trail of Crown & Cross with Abigail Roux and her Sidewinders (contest)

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Abigail Roux’s Sidewinders 

Are Back in Cross & Crown!

 

 

 

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It’s that time!  Nick O’Flaherty and his boyfriend and recon partner, Kelly Abbott, in an action packed adventure full of twists and turns and gunfire and perhaps, some even more surprising old acquaintances that need their help.  Abigail Roux has done it again in bringing this fantastic duo to life and love in  this latest Sidewinder story, Cross & Crown.  To help celebrate, the author and Riptide Publishing has a huge contest in store for all as well as a scene cut from the novel.  

Enjoy the scene and don’t foreget to enter to win the $100 certificate from Riptide Publishing….

 

Contest:  Win $100 Gift Certificate from Riptide Publishing.  Visit this link for contest details and to enter to win.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
Entries close at midnight, Eastern Time, on June 21 , and winners will be announced on June 23rd. Contest is valid worldwide.

Rafflecopter Link for contest:

 

Cross & Crown (Sidewinder #2) Blurb and Cut Scene:

CrossCrown_150x300Blurb:

When Nick O’Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for vacation time.

Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.

Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.

You can order Cross & Crown directly from Riptide.

 

Cut scene from the book:

Cross&Crown_500x750Nick was silent as he looked out on the moonlit fields. They were peaceful now, but it seemed there were echoes of gunfire and cannon blasting, bayonets clashing, men and horses screaming in fear and pain.

“It doesn’t really matter why, or how history writes it down,” Nick said. “The only thing that matters is that every man out there believed in what he was doing. He was standing on this ground, willing to take a bullet fired by his brother, to protect something he thought was worth dying for. That country. That king. That ideal. That land back home. That flag. That man leading him. That man standing beside him.” Nick’s voice filled with emotion and he lowered his head. “The burden of death and bravery in places like this is heavy. I’ve always been able to feel it. Someone should feel it.”

Even if Kelly hadn’t already felt the power of this place, it came through clearly in Nick’s voice. It was holy ground, in its own way, bearing the gravity of the past up in what were now wild green pastures dotted with stone and tourists. The agony of it. The struggle. And Nick believed the same as those men, felt it down to his bones. Call it patriotism. Heroism. Integrity. Honor. That indefinable something that had driven so many men to die for something they felt more important than life also lived inside Nick. It had lived inside their team. And if what he believed in was threatened, he’d do the same as they had done; die defending it.

Kelly’s chest constricted as he looked at Nick’s profile in the moonlight. He had never believed that men like this still existed, not until he’d met Sidewinder.

Nick’s breath billowed in front of him in the cold. His eyes were taking in the battlefield, seeing things Kelly couldn’t see, remembering things Kelly had lived with him. Kelly swallowed hard and set one hand lightly on Nick’s shoulder. He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he didn’t speak at all.

Author Bio:

Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year.

Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head.
Connect with Abi:

Book Details:

ebook, 225 pages
Published June 9th 2014 by Riptide Publishing (first published June 7th 2014)
original titleCross & Crown
ISBN139781626491335
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/cross-and-crown
seriesSidewinder #2
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Books in the Sidewinder Series to date in the order they should be read:

Shock & Awe (Sidewinder, #1)
Cross & Crown (Sidewinder, #2)

Shock & Awe CoverCross&Crown_500x750