Category: Loose id

Enter the Fantasy World of Alexis Duran and To Catch A Threeve (book tour and contest)

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Alexis Duran is here today! Check out our interview, read the blurb and excerpt and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end of the post!  Happy Reading.

So I was lucky enough to catch Alexis Duran and have her answer a few questions for me.  Here is the fascinating look at Alexis Duran!

Q: I love the title To Catch a Threeve.  Where did that come from?

AD: This is one of those times a title just popped into my head. After I’d come up with the threeves and the plot unfolded in my head, it struck me as perfect (and pretty darn clever, I must say).

Q:Threeve?  Is that something you created or took from established folklore?

AD: Threeves arose out of my own twisted imagination. I love to create my own mythos, especially when the classic ones don’t quite fit my literary needs. If you’re interested in reading more about threeves, I’m writing a blog post on the topic for Rainbow Gold Reviews. It will come out on November 4.

Q: Fantasy is obviously a favorite trope.  Have you always loved fantasy stories?

AD: Yes!

Q: When did your love of fantasy start?

AD: From the first time my mom read my sister and I a fairy tale at bedtime. Going to the drive-in to watch a Disney movie was my idea of pure heaven.

Q: Were you a prolific reader as a child and did you have a favorite story or book that has had a lasting impact on you as an adult and a writer?

AD: Oh, yes. I was that kid, the one with her nose always deeply buried in a book. I think my early outlook, as a story spinner and as a human being, was deeply influenced by the classic fairy tales; Hans Christian Anderson, The Brothers Grimm, The Arabian Nights, plus a rather scary big book of folk tales our German grandmother sent us. I think that book might have sent me down the path of dark fantasy.

Q: Fantasy or urban fantasy?  How do you define them?

AD: There’s no either/ or here for me. I love them both. Fantasy, what you might call classic fantasy, takes place in another world or an earth-like setting in a different time. Usually the author makes use of well-known mythical creatures like elves and fairies, but not always. Urban fantasy happens in the here and now, in worlds similar to this one but with magic. Urban fantasy tends to break the “rules” more often, which can be exciting.

Q: Do you have a favorite fantasy author you read?

AD: I tend to have favorite books rather than authors, but a big favorite is Neil Gaiman. Neverworld is one of my all time BBE’s (Best Book Ever). I also absolutely adored Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. New (to me) writers I’ve recently discovered and plan on stalking are Astrid Amara and Rhys Ford.

Q: Why fantasy?  Why does that resonate with you?

AD: Possibility. Potential. Power. As a kid I deeply believed in magic. As an adult, I strive to recreate that feeling of wonder in my stories. I love the idea of a vast mysterious power source that can save us or destroy us, depending on how we choose to use it.

Q: Favorite fantasy universe if you have one?

AD: Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea. How can I not have mentioned Ursula under favorite authors? Tolkien’s Middle Earth, of course. A bit astray of the fantasy genre is Tom Robbins. He creates magic-tinged worlds I just don’t want to leave.

Q: Old school elf or new mythology elf?  Do you draw from one or both?

AD: Totally depends on the story. My tendency is to start with the with the classic model, then tweak accordingly.

Q: What’s next for Alexis Duran?

AD:I’m mere days away from finishing the next book in the Masters and Mages series, currently titled Blood of Salar. That’s Classic Fantasy. And then I have an Urban Fantasy called Dark Heart nearly completed that I hope my publisher will love as much as I do. My problem is too many ideas, never the opposite. I hope to finish several stories during NaNoWriMo.

Thank you, Alexis Duran, for the great interview and for definitely adding to my TBR pile! And I couldn’t agree with you more about Astrid Amara and Rhys Ford!

 

Book Name: To Catch A Threeve
Author Name: Alexis Duran

Author Bio:

Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She’s worked in museums, fashion, finance and film production. Her favorite job so far was Administrative Assistant in a haunted Victorian Mansion.

She’s had several short stories published in the mystery, horror and literary genres and is the author of the Masters and Mages erotic fantasy series. Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She lives with one dog and four and half cats. She is currently working on the next Masters and Mages novella and several other erotic novellas.

Author Contact:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran

Publisher: Loose IDTo Catch a Threeve_coverin
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Sales Links:  Loose id     amazon

To Catch a Threeve Blurb:

Axel Blackwood catches a thief and is astounded to see that he closely resembles Liam Alloway, the love he lost seven years ago in an attack by the evil woodland folk known as threeves. Axel suspects he’s fallen prey to dark magic, but can’t help becoming infatuated with his prisoner. He’s overwhelmed with the hope that he can at last bring his lost lover home, despite everything that warns him it’s all a diabolical trick. 

Bryn Darrow, the half-threeve, half human orphan sent to trick Axel and rob him of much more than a simple gem finds himself equally as fascinated with his handsome human captor and the lure of someplace to call home, but he knows deep down that the constable is in love with a dangerous illusion. When he’s commanded by the threeves to murder Axel and steal a witch’s powerful grimoire, he’s forced to decide between the only family he’s ever known and the one person who might rescue him from a life of isolation and pain.

Will Axel and Bryn be forced into a deadly confrontation before they can discover the truth?

Categories: Erotica, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance

To Catch a Threeve Excerpt:

“What are you, Bryn Darrow?” Axel asked.

“Wish I knew,” Bryn answered, shaking his head and chuckling. “You can go on pretending I’m this Liam person if you want.”

“If you ever try to act like Liam again, I’ll let Drummond lop your head off. He’s itching to, you know.”

“You started it,” Bryn snapped. “And now you’re getting friendly again.”

Axel jerked his hands away from Bryn’s back as if he’d been burned. “I’m looking for your clan sign. Why’d you remove it?”

“Looking with your fingers instead of your eyes? Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind it.” Bryn looked over his shoulder with that annoying, delectable smile. Only the memory of being spelled senseless stopped Axel from resuming his exploration of Bryn’s skin, kissing his neck, pushing him down into the grass—


Pages: 43,000 words/135 pages


ThreeveBadgeTour Dates: October 28, 2014

Tour Stops:  Parker Williams,  My Fiction Nook,  Prism Book Alliance,  Multitasking Mommas,  Inked Rainbow Reads
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words,  Cate Ashwood,  Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews,  Rainbow Gold Reviews,  Love Bytes,Andrew Q. Gordon, The Hat Party,  Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents,  MM Good Book Reviews.  Jade Crystal,
It’s Raining Men,  Michael Mandrake,  Fallen Angel Reviews,  3 Chicks After Dark

 

Contest:  Enter to win Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Loose ID gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter link below for the entry and for all additional contest details.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

On Tour with Belinda McBride’s An Uncommon Whore 3: Prince of Faith (contest)

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Check out Belinda McBride’s latest release in her An Uncommon Whore series, A Prince of Faith.  Excerpt and contest can be found below.

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Now let’s get up close and personal with Belinda McBride…

STRW:  A Prince of Faith is the 3 book in An Uncommon Whore series? Can it be read as a stand alone or must the series be read in the order they were written to understand this story and characters?

Belinda:  Yes, Prince of Faith is the third book in the Uncommon Whore series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but to get the most enjoyment out of the book, I’d suggest reading it as part of the series.

STRW:   When writing a novel, do you know in advance if it is to be a series or stand alone?  Or can it change along the way?

Belinda:  Generally I know when I’m going to be doing a series, especially when the world building is fairly extensive. Sometimes I’ve written a stand-alone story and realized along the way that there’s really more to the story than I’m telling in that first book. That was the case with An Uncommon Whore. It was meant to be a short novel and as I finished the book I realized that Helios and Griffin had a very deep story to tell, so one book was clearly not going to be enough.

STRW:  Some authors have said the characters “speak” to them. Do yours do that? Or are they planned out along with the stories?

Belinda:  Sometimes characters do really “pop” and take on a life of their own. I do fairly extensive character development on paper, but there are characters (like Helios) who seem to spring intact from my brain with a voice and personality of their own. April Bleu in Blacque/Bleu was another of those characters; she had no place in the outline of the book. She just rolled into town on a motorcycle and was too awesome to send away!

STRW: I love your vampire and werewolf stories as well as your fantasy. Do you have a favorite genre to write in?

Belinda:  I really enjoy science fiction and space opera. For some reason, I just love the limitless potential of the genre, as well as the action that is inherent to it. But since I’ve been known to send my werewolves into space, I have a hard time picking favorites! LOL!

STRW:   How many books to you have planned for this series or is it open ended?

Belinda:  The Uncommon series is really part of a large sci fi universe I call Coalition. It includes The Bacchi and Belle Starr. While I do plan to end the Uncommon series at book 4, I have no doubt Helios and Griffin will be back in some capacity. I’d also like to do stories for some of the supporting characters that appear in their books.

STRW:  What comes first universe or characters? Do you feel you have to have a world to put them down in or do you have a romance in mind first and then create everything around it?

Belinda:  You know, that really varies. Sometimes I have a scenario or a feeling that captures my imagination. I’ll write a few lines and tuck them away in a file. For example I wanted to write a vampire with insomnia. That’s where Oliver Bleu came from. Griffin Hawke was in my file as a “…one eyed, one balled rapscallion” who was escorting a princess to her castle. I also want to write a book about a bunch of misfits on a spaceship. Once I started playing with that idea, I started harvesting damaged characters from some of the other books I’d written. Other times, I have a very strong idea of the story before I start writing. Blacque and Bleu was completely plotted before I started the book.

STRW:. Will you return to the world of Blaque and Bleu anytime soon? Or are you done with that universe and characters?

Belinda:  I plan one more m/m story in that universe and then will turn to a m/m/f trilogy featuring the women who have appeared in the series. I haven’t finished with Oliver and Lukas, but their story will probably play out as a sub-plot in Dane’s story, but I’m also considering a novella for them. Frankly, I’ll probably always play around in Arcada, there are some great characters lurking on the sidelines.

STRW:   What childhood book or story had the greatest impact on you as a child and writer today?

Belinda:  That’s a tough question because I learned to read really, really early and once I started reading, I read copiously and well beyond my age level. I think the book/s that most affected me as a child and continue to influence me as an adult are Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Georgette Heyer’s Black Sheep. The Tolkien books opened my eyes to fantasy and made me realize I wasn’t the only one having these off dreams and imaginings. And Black Sheep introduced me to romance, dark anti-heroes and tough as nails heroines.

STRW:  What’s next for Belinda McBride?

Belinda McBride:  Lots, actually! I’m currently working on a Doms of Dark Haven/Truckee Wolves cross-over featuring Destiny: the sometimes intrepid and often naked receptionist from Dark Haven. I’m throwing her to the wolves. LOL! I’m also playing with a few different series ideas, some with cowboys, Frenchmen and more science fiction. I’m also developing another Belle Starr story. So lots on the drawing board!

STRW:  Thank you, Belinda, for the great interview.  I know fans of your series are lining up to see what’s in store for their favorite characters next. Now check out a Prince of Faith and don’t forget to enter the contest!

Book Name: An UncommonWhore 3: Prince of Faith
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22931220-prince-of-faith
Author Name: Belinda McBride

Author Bio:

Belinda is an award-winning, top selling author of erotic romance, speculative fiction and LGBTQ romance. She lives in far Northern California with her family and a pack of Siberian Huskies.

A graduate of CSU Chico, she managed to attend the notorious party school without once getting drunk, arrested or appearing in a “Girls Gone Wild” video. Her main focus of study was classical and archival history, cultural anthropology and theatre arts.

After several years in the workforce. Belinda purchased a laptop computer and from there, knew that her childhood dream of being an author would come to life.

Belinda’s books are available at all the typical distributors as well as on the publisher’s homepages.

Author Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belinda-McBride/49209583129?ref=bookmarks
@Belinda_McBride

BM_UW3_princeoffaith_coverin_1Title:  A Prince of Faith (An Uncommon Whore #3) by Belinda McBride
Publisher: Loose ID
Cover Artist: PL Nunn

Sales Links:   Loose id

A Prince of Faith Blurb:

Held captive in a whorehouse, Markus Dayspring wakes every morning with a thirst for revenge, and collapses every night with a prayer for strength. He lives on in spite of deadly addictions and a crippling, shameful secret. When he’s rescued by a man from his past, his reawakened love threatens to crush his damaged soul.

Caius also has a secret, one that could ultimately kill him. But his vow to rescue Markus is stronger than guilt, fear and even his loyalty to King Helios. Too many have died because of Caius and rescuing the missing prince might allow him to sleep without nightmares.

Old habits are hard to break and new pain threatens their growing love. Yet one gleaming ray of hope continues to guide them to safety, even in the face of an unexpected violation of trust. With the stakes growing higher by the hour, Markus and Caius must learn to have faith before they can heal and face the future together.

Categories: Fantasy, M/M Romance, Romance, Science Fiction

A Prince of Faith Excerpt:

PoFBadgeTemplateTour Dates/Stops:
10/21: Rainbow Gold Reviews, Sinfully Sexy
10/22: Multitasking Mommas, Kimi-Chan
10/23: Prism Book Alliance, Cathy Brockman Romances
10/24: Hearts on Fire, SA McAuley
10/27: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Tara Lain
10/28: Wake Up Your Wild Side, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Carly’s Book Reviews
10/29: Jade Crystal, EE Montgomery
10/30: Amanda C. Stone, The Novel Approach
10/31: The Hat Party, Romance the Night
11/3: MM Good Book Reviews, The Blogger Girls, Fallen Angel Reviews
11/4: Love Bytes, Angel Martinez

 

 

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: 2 prizes: 1 – A cover art poster, and 2 – 2 e-books (An Uncommon Whore and When I Fall).  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link below for the entry form and for all additional contest details.

 

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Dev Bentham’s ‘Driving Into The Sun’ Tour and contest

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Driving into the Sun_FinalSMBook Name: Driving into the Sun
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23123831-driving-into-the-sun
Author Name: Dev Bentham

Author Bio: Dev Bentham writes soulful m/m romance. Her characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know what they are missing, but whose lives are transformed by true love.

Author Contact: email: devbentham@yahoo.com, website: http://www.devbentham.com

Title: Driving into the Sun by Dev Bentham
Publisher: Loose Id
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

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

Sales Links:  Loose id LLC

Driving into the Sun Blurb:

Bad choices. We all make them, some more than others. Dusty’s choices have left him unemployed, broke and practically homeless. Despite the major issues he has with his family, his only rational choice is to sell everything and move into his parents’ basement. At thirty. Looking for a ride west, he answers a phone ad. The voice at the other end of the line flows like dark, rich honey. Finally something to look forward to—listening to Joe’s voice all the way from Illinois to Idaho.
Rather than the hip crooner of Dusty’s fantasies, Joe turns out to look more like a panhandler. Is that because Joe dresses down, or are Dusty’s preconceptions about Native Americans clouding his vision? Joe is silent more often than not. He has a complicated past and still has amends to make. But he is ready to move on. Dusty feels trapped. Two damaged men, one small car driving two thousand miles into the sun—sometimes things need to break down before they can get fixed.

Driving into The Sun Excerpt:

When Joe finished with the hand, he put his fingers under Dusty’s chin and tipped his face toward the light. His touch was gentle, like a lover right before a first kiss. Dusty’s lips opened as he stared up into Joe’s dark brown eyes. Joe’s gaze flicked to Dusty’s mouth, then away. He wet some gauze and began dabbing at Dusty’s cheek. Dusty had forgotten about scrape on his face. Now it stung. So much for the moment before a kiss. He bit the inside of his lip to keep from pulling away.

“Don’t worry.” Joe’s voice was soft, amused. “This won’t scar your handsome face.”

Dusty rolled his eyes. Handsome was about the last thing he’d call himself tonight. Still, he found himself smiling at the
thought.

SunBadgeTour Dates: 9/23/14

Tour Stops: Carly’s Book Reviews, Parker Williams, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, My Fiction Nook, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, MM Good Book Reviews, Full Moon Dreaming, Love Bytes, Amanda C. Stone, Andrew Q. Gordon, Iyana Jenna, Smoocher’s Voice, Fallen Angel Reviews, Multitasking Mommas, Prism Book Alliance, Michael Mandrake, It’s Raining Men, Queer Town Abbey, Dawn’s Reading Nook, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Cathy Brockman Romances, Cate Ashwood

Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway for Rafflecopter Prize: E-book copy of ‘Driving Into the Sun’.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

Book Blast: On Tour with Smoke and Mirrors by Lillian T. MacGowan

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Book Name: Smoke and Mirrors
Author Name: Lillian T. MacGowan

Author Bio: You can usually find Lily MacGowan reading, knitting herself into the sofa, or writing. Lily has been a carpenter, a circus aerialist, a Sunset Strip club kid and a corporate mogul, but she gave all that up to teach middle school on the east coast and is happier than ever. Lily’s hobbies include food, household renovations and avoiding laundry. She’s a huge fan of comfy jammies and happily ever after.

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Book Details:

Cover Artist: Kalen O’Donnell
Publisher: Loose-Id
Buy Link:    At Loose-id

Blurb:

Firefighter Frank “Deck” Dekker was just doing his job when he saved Dr. Naim Moreau’s life, the last thing he expected was to lose his heart! But he can’t resist his quiet, mysterious doctor, nor does he want to. He wants to make a life with Naim—preferably locked away in his apartment worshipping each other like they were meant to be. Because they are.

Things aren’t as clear for Naim. His past haunts him to his soul, and he would rather die than let Deck seem him the way he sees himself. Being honest with Deck and showing his true face could cause him to lose Deck forever. But is it possible that just maybe Deck will see another man? A beautiful man? And what price is Naim willing to pay to take that chance?

 

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Excerpt:

Naim’s cheeks flushed, and his eyes darted away from Deck’s as he turned toward the wall for gloves, only to find an empty box. He turned back to Deck and frowned.

“Right. We uh…” Naim looked at Deck, one eyebrow up, while Deck cringed. “We kinda used them all up making glove balloons,” he muttered. The corners of the doctor’s mo uth quivered and it seemed like he was struggling to look severe. “The nurse brought more. They’re”—Deck scanned the room—“they’re over there.” He pointed to the counter next to the sink. See? He was helping.

Sighing, Naim walked over to grab the box of gloves.

Fuck. Those scrubs were clingy. And thin. And clingy. And fuck, he was beautiful. Deck stared as Naim walked back to him and silently removed the empty box from the dispenser, replacing it with the new one. What were scrubs made of anyway? Fucking butterfly wings? Spider webs? God he looked so good in them. Argh. Brain then mouth, dude, brain then mouth…

“I like your scrubs.” FUUUUCK.

SmokeandMirrorsBadgeTour Dates: 8/5/14

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, LeAnn’s Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, Love Bytes, Cate Ashwood, Tara Lain, Prism Book Alliance, Full Moon Dreaming, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, GGR-Reviews, Jade Crystal, Fallen Angel Reviews, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Hearts on Fire, Sinfully Sexy, Havan Fellows, The Hat Party, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

Contest: Rafflecopter Prize: E-Copy of the book Smoke and Mirrors by Lillian T. MacGowan.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link below for the entry form and additional information.

 
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway