Category: MLR Press

A PaulB Review:Unjustified Claims (Hidden Wolves #3) by Kaje Harper

Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

Unjustified Claims coverHaving run away from his home pack in Michigan, Brandt Davis spends his time in his wolf form. Winding up following a wolf pack in Minnesota, he stumbles upon an injured man, Ethan Sjulstad. Ethan, having tumbled off a cliff, thinks he must be suffering from delusions when a large wolf and a handsome, naked man come to help. Together, they must try to heal each others’ wounds, both physical and emotional.

This is the third book (with two intervening novellas) of the Hidden Wolves series by Kaje Harper. While it could be read as a stand-alone, it is recommended you read the other books in order to pick up on some of the finer details of the plot lines.

Brandt, a werewolf from Michigan, travels west after fleeing from his home pack after his stash of gay porn is found by his alpha. Spending his time in his wolf form to try to forget his troubles, he follows a pack of wolves in the Boundary Water area of Minnesota. Hearing a scream, he goes to investigates. He finds man with a tree branch through his leg. The man tries to scare the wolf away to no avail. The wolf then brings the man his backpack, which had fallen out of reach. Seeing the man struggle, Brandt decides to shift and help the man in his human form.

Ethan, hiking to get his mind away from having his motel vandalized by homophobes, believes he must be out of his mind with delusion when first a large wolf, then a naked man come to his rescue. As Brandt helps get Ethan to safety, the two talk as to how each of them wound up in their situations. After successfully getting help for Ethan, Brandt decides to help Ethan out getting his hotel into shape while he is recovering from his injuries. The two begin to grow closer during the process.

I loved the interplay between the two main characters. Having meet not in the best of circumstances, they help each other deal with their problems. Brandt struggles with a particular fetish that he favors. Ethan shows his that it is not only alright but encourages Brandt. Ethan’s spying is understood considering that Brandt is trying to escape from a “cult” that dislikes gay members. Ethan only wants to protect the man he is growing to love.

I also enjoyed visits from Simon and Paul along with Aaron and Zach, the main characters in the previous two books as well as Paul and Megan who are spunky human mates in this little werewolf pack.  I would  recommend this story and the series, but make sure you read them in the order they were written.

The cover art by Winterheart Design has one of the cabins of Ethan’s motel with the images of Ethan and Brandt above it. The models are perfect depictions of what I would think the couple would look like. It also fits in with the motif of the previous book’s covers.

Sales Links:   MLR Press            All Romance eBooks          amazon              Unjustified Claim

Book Details:
Ebook, 398 pages
Published September 19, 2014 by MLR Press
Edition: English

Series: Hidden Wolves:
Unacceptable Risk (Hidden Wolves #1)
Unsettled Interlude (Hidden Wolves #1.15)
Unexpected Demands (Hidden Wolves #2)
Unwanted Appeal (Hidden Wolves #2.5)
Unjustified Claims (Hidden Wolves #3)

Into the Author Spotlight with Haley Walsh and her Skyler Foxe Mysteries! (book tour

Foxe Tail cover

Foxe Hunt 2 coverOut Foxed 3Foxe Fire cover 4

Who’s sitting in the Author Spotlight today?  Haley Walsh, author of the Skyler Foxe Mystery Series.  Haley is here today to talk about her latest release and the inspiration behind Skyler Fox.  This M/M romantic mystery series follows the teaching and unwitting sleuthing career of Skyler Foxe, high school English teacher!

 

Haley Walsh is giving away one eBook copy of Desert Foxe (Skyker Foxe Mystery Series 5).  To enter to win, leave a comment with an address where you can be reached in the body of the email.  Do you have a favorite sleuth?  Tell us about it and be entered to win.  Contest ends 11/22/2014.

 

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The Story Behind the Skyler Foxe Mystery Series
By Haley Walsh

There’s a story behind every story. What inspired the books? What, if any of it, is from your own life? But the story behind my latest Skyler Foxe Mystery was more than that. It happened quite a few years ago, in fact. Long ago and far away.

It’s strange to have been pals (and have dated) gay guys all one’s adult life and yet not know about m/m romance until recently. Sometimes you walk around with blind spots. But when I did discover it, it sort of became something sitting in the back of my mind. After all, I was working on a career as a novelist. I didn’t have time for this. I was writing serious books! Of course, about that time, I had veered my writing toward the fun genre of murder and mayhem: mysteries! But these were still fairly serious being historical mysteries, something dense with prose and heady research. In fact, research took up a lot of my time besides the day job, but I did finally get that publishing contract from a big New York publisher. No, it’s not all that glamorous and money is not tumbling into my hands, but let’s just say it is slightly prestigious and ego-boosting.

And yet, here at the back of my mind was this other story just squirming around taking up my daydreaming time. Since I was in mystery mode now it began being shaped as a mystery, and since I love writing characters with depth, it started to be populated with all kinds of interesting people with detailed backstories. For my day job, I had been working with kids and teens for six years, and with the teens there was so much drama from the least little thing. My writer’s eye took note, memorizing details like the toss of a head, the scrunch of a nose, someone wearing their sunglasses at the back of their head, the slouching, the strutting, the posturing, the slang! Yes, an idea was definitely forming.

I like stories to have all sorts of things going on. And especially in a mystery, it isn’t necessarily the puzzle that is the most important thing in the book. The characters and their lives and loves can become the main thrust and the mystery can come along and screw it all up. Making my detective an amateur sleuth and putting him in a high school setting as a teacher added just the right amount of angst, red herrings, and plot galore to keep a series going for a good long time.

I do use my own past experiences with teens, my own sense of humor, some of the characterizations of gay men I have known. These books are supposed to be funny, light-hearted romantic mysteries but they also deal with some serious themes and issues, including homophobia, murder, and the sexual orientation of teens. It’s fluff but deep fluff. Fluff noir.

And then I got the idea from watching the television show, Veronica Mars, that one could have a mystery solved in each episode but still have an on-going story arc stretch throughout the season. And I got it in my head to do that with the first three books of this series, making it like a mini-series pilot. Each book will have its own puzzle, its own murder to solve, but there will be something going on in the background, something strange and dangerous to keep the characters on edge for three books until the final denouement in book three.

And so we started with FOXE TAIL. Skyler Foxe is a young, fun-loving player, a brand new high school English teacher in a bible belt sort of region inFoxe Tail cover southern California. He loves teaching, loves his school kids, has an unnatural obsession with Motown music, and loves going out dancing with his friends, who are all former hook-ups—what are affectionately known as the Skyler Fuck Club or SFC—and just wants nothing more than partying on weekends and getting down to English Lit during the week. Of course—this being a mystery—he also falls into murder.

In the first book, FOXE TAIL, Skyler finds a dead body outside a dance club and discovers it’s the son of his high school principal.

Foxe Hunt 2 coverAnd in FOXE HUNT, Skyler meets up again with former hook-ups and friends, Jeff and Evan, just kicked out of the Army for don’t ask don’t tell. Evan came home wounded and very depressed and winds up dead. The police call it suicide but Skyler discovers it’s murder. Meanwhile, through all this, something fishy is going on behind the scenes at the high school. A math teacher, hinting at her own fears and suspicions, is pushed down the stairs and ends up in a coma. And the gorgeous new assistant football coach, Keith Fletcher, is acting suspiciously himself, and seems to know more than he should.

In book three, OUT-FOXED, while chaperoning a high school dance Skyler has just been dragged out of the closet by the hunky assistant football coach—a man he thought he knew. But when Sky discovers Keith has been keeping a big secret, he breaks it off, leaving both of them lonely and confused. With troubles mounting from the press, angry parents, confused students, Skyler’s own mom, andOut Foxed 3 a murdered teacher, what’s a boy to do but discover—once and for all–who’s behind all the dirty doings at James Polk High? A novella followed, volume 3 ½ called FOXE DEN: A Holiday Collection. It has no mystery at all, but what I call “DVD extras.” We see Skyler and his Foxe Den 3.5main squeeze Keith through the holiday season with some hot action as well as navigating the scary territory of a first time relationship.

Book four, FOXE FIRE, is a standalone though it does continue the story arc of Skyler and his boyfriend Keith while Skyler is trying to stop an arsonist and a murderer, worrying that it might be one of his students. And in the latest release, DESERT FOXE, Skyler and his cadre of friends goes to the White Party in Palm Springs for some fun, frivolity, and luscious men but wind up getting involved in murder and more when the FBI asks Skyler to do the unthinkable.Foxe Fire cover 4

There are more books in the future with Skyler tackling some of the knottier issues of LGBT life and, of course, solving murders.

DesertFoxe_WDDesert Foxe by Haley Walsh
Published by MLR Press

Genre: M/M mystery/humor
Is it Part of a Series: It is number 5 in the series, which is also available for review
Publication Date: Nov 7
Length of book: 230 pages
Formats: Print and ebook: mobi, pdf, Kindle
Website: http://SkylerFoxeMysteries.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skylerfoxe.mysteries

Sales Links:   MLR Press   All Romance Ebooks (ARe)
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You can find out more about Haley Walsh’s series at her website  or friend her on Facebook /skylerfoxe.mysteries

Author Bio:

Haley Walsh tried acting, but decided the actor’s life was not for her. Instead, she became a successful graphic designer in Los Angeles, her hometown. After fifteen years of burning money in the ’80s and early ’90s, she retired from the graphics industry and turned her interests toward writing. She became a freelance newspaper reporter, wrote articles for quirky magazines, published award-winning short stories, and now writes an acclaimed gay mystery series, the Skyler Foxe Mysteries. She’s lived all her life in southern California, sampling wines and chomping chocolate. Yeah, it’s a living.

You can contact Haley Walsh at:

Website
Goodreads Author Page

A MelanieM Review: Accidental Contact and Other Mahu Investigations (Mahu #7.5) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Sex, mayhem and justice in the Aloha State as openly gay Honolulu homicide detective tracks murderers, missing people & a dog with unusual appetites.

Accidental Contact and Other coverOpenly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka has had a long and storied career with the Honolulu PD in the Aloha State of Hawaii.  In this selection of ten short investigations in the Aloha State, Kimo goes from rookie officer to seasoned homicide detective in a range of cases from a hearse carrying more than bodies and a psychic with some surprising information for Kimo and his partner.

A wonderful introduction to the rich cultures of the Hawaiian populace as seen through the eyes of its complicated native son.  The stories are captivating, sometimes humorous and always richly layered.  A must for all lovers of detectives on the hunt and mysteries waiting to be solved.

I first discovered Neil Plakcy and his Hawaiian detective, Kimo Kanapa’aka, towards the end of the Mahu series with the novel Natural Predators (Mahu #7). That book was such a revelation.  Plakcy had created in Kimo Kanapa’aka a richly nuanced, highly complex character, one steeped in his family and Hawaiian culture.  Coming in at the seventh  story,  I had missed out on all the character and relationship growth that had taken place prior so that Kimo, his domestic partner, and, foster son could have an established and happy home life.  But the novel had enough glimpses into past stories to let the reader know that the climb to such a contented arrangement has been fraught with pain, difficulties, and a few partings.  That alluring back history was enough to send me racing back to the beginning to see  how it all began and meet Kimo at the start of his career.

Accidental Contact and Other Mahu Investigations allows a reader new to the Mahu series a chance to dip into the life and cases of Kimo and his department at various stages of his life and career.  As the blurb informs “from murderers to missing babies to a shaggy dog with an unusual appetite, openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka has his hands full…” with cases both extraordinary and colorful.  But what really sets this detective apart from his counterparts is Plakcy’s ability to bring all aspects of the myriad Hawaiian cultures to life via vivid imagery and a use of colloquialisms and dialects, slang and tonal flow of the voices that swim in that great pot of peoples, traditions, lore, and even societal  prejudices known as Hawaii.

I can get lost in the conversations alone  that Plakcy lays out for his characters. It can sound like music, all soft and flowing with all those 5 vowels and 7 consonants that make up the Hawaiian alphabet, yet what they are actually conveying can be painful and harsh.  Such a dichotomy originates and flows from the land itself.  The author makes the reader see and feel the real Hawaii, not just those postcard beaches and Diamond Head scenes so familiar from travelogues everywhere.  From the ghettos and dark streets teaming with characters as unforgettable as the cases they appear in to the hillsides where the huge and diverse Kanapa’aka family reside, this author takes us on a journey limited only by the natural boundaries of the islands.  And no matter where the destination, or level of society, Plakcy imbues his characters so throughly with all the flaws and human dimension that all levels feel authentic and believable.  Even the criminals here  have their own language with which they impart their own rules and lawlessness yet still remained tied in their own way to their families and cultures.

Accidental Contact and Other Mahu Investigations gets its name from a most memorable excuse an offender offers up to Kimo and his partner during an investigation.   I won’t spoil the reference for you all, its just one of the many delights to be found here.  Normally with a collection, I rate the stories but I can’t do that with this collection.  Each brought its own groups of surprises and memorable moments.  Some ended abruptly just as shaggy dog stories should, others continue to the final satisfactory ending you would hope for.  The end result of them all is to send me once more back to that first story and being my journey with Kimo all over again.

When I think of fine regional voices, the ones that pull you immediately into a culture and region, Neil Plakcy jumps immediately to mind.  His Mahu series should be on everyone’s list of Must Have, Must Read stories and series.  And Kimo Kanapa’aka rates just as highly among the detectives I have come to know and love.    Let this collection be a quick introduction to this marvelous series and author.  And then let it guide you back to all the other fine stories and a romance and love affair to savor.  I highly recommend them all.

 

Cover art by Kris Jacen.  I love the cultural feel of this cover.  Works perfectly for this collection of stories.

Sales Links:  MLR Press     All Romance eBooks (ARe)   amazon    Accidental Contact

Book Details:

ebook
Published August 22nd 2014 by MLR Press
ISBN13MLR1020130286
seriesMahu #7.5

Books in the Mahu series in the order they were written and should be read for character and relationship growth and timelines:

  •  Mahu (Mahu #1)
  • Mahu Surfer (Mahu #2)
    Mahu Fire (Mahu #3)
    Mahu Vice (Mahu Vice #4)
    Mahu Blood (Mahu #5)
  • Zero Break (Mahu #6)
  • Mahu Men: Mysterious and Erotic Stories (Mahu #6.5)
  • Natural Predators (Mahu #7)
    Accidental Contact and Other Mahu Investigations

Its Double the Trouble with T.A. Chase and Jackie Nacht’s Double Book Blast and Contest!!

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Ready for some double trouble?  Jackie Nacht  and TA Chase are here with two books for double your holiday fright time fun!  Read the excerpts, get to know the authors, and don’t forget to enter the contest at the end of today’s  post!

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Book Name: A Bittersweet Haunting/ A Holiday Job Zombie Run
Author Name: TA Chase Jackie Nacht/ Jackie Nacht

Author Bios:

  • Jackie Nacht

Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Author Contact:

You can find Jackie at:
Website: www.jackienacht.com
Blog: www.jackienacht.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

  • T.A. Chase

I’m T.A. Chase, and I write stories about men loving men, but my stories are more than that. It’s about one person finding the other half of themselves. It doesn’t matter whether that person is male or female. I’m a happily married woman living in the Midwest with my husband of fifteen years. I’ve been writing for six years now, and because of my awesome readers, I’ve been able to do it full time for over a year.

You can contact TA Chase:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ta-Chase/100001595721283fa
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TaChase

Publisher: MLR Press/ eXtasy Books
Cover Artists: Kris Jacen/ Carmen Waters
Sales Links for A Bittersweet Haunting:  MLR   Amazon   All Romance
Sales Links for A Holiday Job Zombie Run:  cXtasy Books

 

Blurbs:

ABittersweetHaunting_ChaseNacht_smA Bittersweet Haunting

In a moment of youthful curiousity, these six men were marked forevermore.

Jersey Paranormal Investigation was created when Braden and his five friends were marked by the Jersey Devil during their childhood. Now, they all have special gifts when it comes to the supernatural. Years later, Braden finds himself on his next job only to come face to face with the beautiful victim, Mack. Not all is it seems and Braden and his team will have to figure out why Mack is being targeted and to keep from falling for the man in the process.

A Bittersweet Haunting Excerpt:

Turning, Mack made his way to the old flight of stairs that creaked with every step he ventured. Goosebumps popped up on his flesh the more he ascended. Breathing heavily, Mack took the last step and cautiously made his way down the hallway. The air hung thick, and he almost choked on it. The closer he got to room 212, the more his flight instinct raised its red flag. The only reason he kept going was that he did not want to embarrass himself by returning empty-handed because he had been spooked.

Standing in front of the door, Mack’s hand trembled as he reached for the handle, finally turning it. Blowing out a breath, Mack decided to just get it over with. As fast as he could, he entered the room, searching for the box that held the spare linens.

Out of nowhere, a blast of freezing cold air hit him in the face, knocking him on his ass. Whipping his head around, Mack searched for an open window, only to find that all of them were tightly shut.

I’m getting the fuck out of here.

Climbing to his feet, he grabbed a box, praying that it was the right one and took off out of the room, not even bothering to close the door as he descended the steps two at a time.

Clutching the box to his chest, he leaned against the wall at the base of the stairs and caught his breath.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nick came up to him, relieving him of the box.

Mack wiped his sweat-soaked forehead. What the hell was that? His heart was still pumping, and his mouth couldn’t even form the words to lie to Nick and tell him he was okay.

Megan came up next to Nick. “You all right?”

Nodding, Mack rasped out, “I’m fine…just…” He just couldn’t say it. There was no way he was going to say something weird happened upstairs, especially when he actually didn’t see anything. Hell, was it all in his head because he was freaked about going upstairs? Possibly.

Shaking it off, he finally answered, “I’m fine. Let’s go, Nick, and get the Ivy Room set up.”

“Are you sure?” Megan eyed him with concern.

“Yes, tea starts in forty-five minutes. I better get moving.”

For the next half hour, Mack and Nick set up the room. The linens were placed on the tables—thankfully Mack had grabbed the right box. They both worked in unison, setting the silverware up and getting the china out for each member of the party coming in.

“I’m just going to fill up their water glasses,” Mack called over to Nick who was doing the final touches on center pieces.

Going behind the bar, Mack grabbed a pitcher and began getting ice out of the bar well. As they both worked, the curtains billowed as a gust of wind came into the room. Mack shot a look toward Nick to see him wide eyed as the room’s temperature suddenly plummeted. Before Mack even had time to think, the bar rack above him came crashing down upon him.

“Mack!” Nick cried out from across the room as glasses began shattering all around him.

Stunned, Mack couldn’t even move an inch as the shards of glass surrounded him. The floor, the bar, even his body was covered in the sharp glass. He feared if he moved so much as an inch, he would cut himself. The sounds of people screaming and hollering broke him out of his shock, and he slowly raised his head, feeling glass fall from his hair, to stare at Megan from across the room.

“Don’t move, Mack. We’re coming to help you.” Megan gingerly made her way to him, accompanied by the sound of glass crunching under her feet.

“Not…moving.” Mack felt the glass slide down from the top of his head and fuck if that didn’t give him the biggest case of the willies.

“I’m going to need some help and a pair of gloves,” Megan called to Nick.

Nick nodded and ran out of the room.

Megan pursed her lips as she began pulling large pieces of glass off him.

“Are you okay?” Megan asked quietly as she worked the glass out of his hair.

“Not even close.” Mack’s voice trembled, and he hated that.

“What happened?” Megan asked.

Nick came up behind them and answered. “There was this blast of cold air, and then the whole bar rack came crashing down on Mack. It was a ghost.”

“It wasn’t,” Mack denied. If he denied it enough, maybe he would eventually believe it himself. Maybe.

“Hon, that rack is oak. It’s as solid as they come. Wind wouldn’t have caused it to break. Plus the windows aren’t open. I think you had an encounter, and a violent one at that. I think I’m going to need to make a call.”

“It’s not that bad.” Even as Mack said that, he knew it was a lie. Something inside him felt violated, and an air of malice hung thick over him.

“Then let’s just have it checked out for peace of mind. Okay?” Megan grabbed the gloves from Nick and began plucking the tiny shards off his shoulder and neck. Her gloves came away from his skin with a trace of blood.

Swallowing, Mack gave in. “Maybe you’re right. Make the call.”

 

Zombie Run NachtphotoA Holiday Job Zombie Run

This Halloween, Drake is about to meet one guy he can’t say goodbye to.

And Drake is about to meet his match.

After a casual encounter, Drake can’t seem to stop thinking about Wilson. Even though Wilson pretty much thanked him for a nice time and walked out of his dorm and his life.

Now Halloween is approaching, and Drake is being roped into volunteering for the charity fun run. Having to dress as a zombie is horrible enough, but seeing Wilson at the starting line has Drake ducking for the trees. Will Wilson look past the gory makeup to see Drake actually cares about him? Will Drake finally be able to capture Wilson’s heart?

A Holiday Job Zombie Run Excerpt:

 “Will you knock that off?” Drake batted Ian’s hand away.

“Look, asshole, I need to put this makeup on you. You volunteered!” Ian charged back in and began putting the prosthetic on his face.

“Don’t you think you’re going overboard on this? I mean, why don’t you just squirt some ketchup on me?” Drake was thoroughly annoyed.

He’d volunteered to be a zombie for Ian’s frat charity run. He had thought he would just tear some holes in a white shirt and put a little makeup on, but no, Ian wanted to scare the hell out of everyone. The guy thought he was on Skin Wars or some shit. Drake wanted to scratch the prosthetic on his cheek that was currently being painted to look like a zombie. He thought he looked ridiculous. Shaun was splattering paint all over his shirt.

“This is just a Zombie Run, guys. I’m not going to be in a movie or anything.” Drake stared up at Ian, annoyed.

“Have fun and live a little. You’ve been in a pissed-off mood for the last month.” Ian pointed out.

And why shouldn’t he be? He hadn’t found the guy he’d hooked up with last month, and it was now his all-new obsession. He hadn’t had sex with anyone since and was constantly long necking the corridors in hopes of finding that white-blond head.

It didn’t matter how hard he tried; the guy was nowhere. Drake was beginning to wonder if the guy even went to their college. Shaun had helped him, but so far, his friend couldn’t spot him either.

Drake had never been so caught up with a person in his life. Unbelievably, he’d had dreams of the guy and those sapphire eyes, but it was like this damn race. Whenever he tried to go after him in the dream, the guy took off in a crowd and he couldn’t find him. Drake growled in irritation at his own thoughts.

“It’s not that bad,” Ian chastised, probably mistaking his growl for a complaint about the stinky paint that was being applied to his face.

Drake wasn’t going to correct Ian on the matter. Then, he would have to explain to all his friends again about the big about face he’d had this year. They all had looked at him like he had lost his ever-loving mind. And he had. He didn’t even know the guy’s fucking name, yet he was hunting him down all over campus like some stalker.

Shaun came in with a grotesquely painted face and a smile. “Didn’t Quinn do a great job?”

Shaun was actually happy to look like the dead. Really. Didn’t that shit all over his face itch like crazy, or was it only bugging the hell out of me?

“You look like you got ran over by a truck.”

 

Categories: Contemporary, Horror, M/M Romance, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Tour Dates: October 22nd

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Tara Lain, BFD Book Blog, Guilty Indulgence Book Club, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Blogger Girls, Jade Crystal, My Fiction Nook, Andrew Q. Gordon, Multitasking Mommas, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Amanda C. Stone, Love Bytes, Kimi-Chan, Fallen Angel Reviews, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

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

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On Tour with Erica Pike and Black Hurricane (contest)

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Erica Pike here today to talk about her latest release, Black Hurricane, hot rockers boys, and all things writing.  She’s brought along a contest to enter and an excerpt to read.  Check them all out,  now on to our interview. Welcome, Erica!

 

STRW: What is your character’s favorite profession?

Erica Pike: Honestly? I love writing characters who cook, and yet the only books I’ve written that contain a professional baker is the Castor Spring series (free, because they were a part of a writing event). However, I love throwing in characters, in my other books, who are amazing cooks even if it’s just a hobby. Musicians are also one of my favorites, because there’s just something about a guy who can make music, be it with his voice or fingers.

STRW: Do you have a favorite age in mind for your characters?

Erica Pike: I mostly write New Adult, which means 18-25ish. I like it because people have to learn so much during those years when they take their first steps into adulthood and everything that comes with it. It’s also the time period where a lot of gay men are finally free to be themselves by moving away from their childhood towns, so they experience life in a whole different way, make new friendships, enter the adult dating pool, and possibly find their first love.

STRW: Contemporary romance or erotica?  How do you see your stories?

Erica Pike: I write gay romances. If I have to choose between the two terms, it’s definitely romance. You can remove the sex scenes and there’s still a romance story. Erotic Romance would be a better way of describing them, since there’s explicit sex in almost all of them, but people tend to think “Erotica” when they see Erotic Romance so I just say “Romance.” The first books I wrote contained a lot of sex scenes, as if often with debut novels in the M/M genre, but I’ve mellowed over time and now there’s more focus on other things. It doesn’t mean that the books have become boring, it just means that the guys don’t jump into bed as quickly.

STRW: Rockers are always hot!  What makes your rockers different?

Erica Pike: Mine are hotter? But, seriously, Black Hurricane is about Jazz who isn’t a professional rocker to begin with. He loves to sing and play guitar, but he’s never been about the fame and never thought about a career in music. When the fame is thrust upon him, he resents it, but the resentment has more to do with the media connecting him to the rocker Dean McQueen, whom Jazz despises with passion.

STRW: Favorite rock band?  Now and growing up?

Erica Pike: My favorite rock band hasn’t changed since I was growing up. Well, I wasn’t much into rock until I was in my teens and I discovered Quarashi, an Icelandic rock-rap band. They broke up in 2004, but announced this year that they’re back together. That’s beyond awesome, because it means more cool music. Quarashi’s “Stick ‘em Up” helped get me in the mood for Black Hurricane’s back alley standoff scene.

STRW: Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what inspires you?

Erica Pike: I don’t. Not while I write, but I may listen to it in between writing. However, during the writing of Black Hurricane, I did listen to some rock music while I wrote, Nine Inch Nails’ Closer, for example. That’s the kind of music that inspires me – great beat and raw lyrics. None of the flowery stuff for me.

STRW: Favorite character of yours?  Or do you have one?

Erica Pike: I have one, and my other characters wouldn’t mind if they actually existed. It’s Eric Wesley. I never mean for him to steal the spotlight in every Boston Boys book, but he does it anyway. I love his brash nature, his way with words, and his spunky attitude.

STRW: Which comes first character or a plot?

Erica Pike: In case of the Boston Boys series, it was definitely the characters. I never meant for it to become a series when I wrote A Life Without You, but five weeks later I had Absolutely Eric in my hands. Since I’d written two, I figured I might as well give the rest of the guys a book. However, when I wrote the College Fun and Gays series, the plots came to me first.

Thank you so much for having me over. It’s been a pleasure.

Book Name: Black Hurricane
Author Name: Erica Pike
Publisher:  MLR Press LLC

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Certificate and signed paperbacks of A Life Without You, Hot Hands and The Walls Have Ears. One (international) winner for the lot.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Visit here for the entry form and additional contest details or at the link at the bottom of the post.

Hot Hands 400 x 600A Life Without You 400 X 600The Walls Have Ears 400 x 600

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Bio: Erica lives in Iceland with her adorable little twin boys. She often says that her real name sounds like Klingon to foreigners. Seriously, if “Eyjafjallajökull” looks like a random strings of characters, it’s nothing in comparison to Erica’s name.
She’s been writing for several years, or ever since reading became an obsession. Aside from a business degree, Erica has taken English courses at the University of Iceland and gulped down anything that might help her in her career as an author. She takes great interest in English, but will break every single grammar rule for the sake of The Voice.

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Black Hurricane 400 X 600Title: Black Hurricane by Erica Pike
Cover Artist: Scarlet Tie Designs
Publisher: MLR Press

Buy Links:    MLR Press            All Romance eBooks (ARe)          Amazon

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Black Hurricane Blurb:

Twenty-three year old Jasper Jones fell in love with Dean McQueen at fourteen, but after a disastrous relationship, Jazz would like nothing better than to see the rock star choke on his own vomit.

After a catastrophic reunion, Dean seems bent on destroying Jazz’s life. It all started when an impromptu bar performance ended up on YouTube and Jazz became an internet sensation overnight. The name “Jazdean” keeps popping up in headlines and the paparazzi stalk his every move. To make matters worse, Jazz is about to end up on the streets for the second time in his life.

In a desperate attempt to keep his home, Jazz signs a deal with Dean’s band, Black Hurricane, to perform at a couple of concerts. It feels like one of Dean’s feeble attempts to get Jazz back, but painted into a corner like he is, Jazz has no choice.

Excerpt:

“Jazz, take pictures!” Eric pokes me hard in the side with his bony elbow.

I wince and raise the camera, clicking a shot.

“Go to the front, like they’re doing.” He points at the photographers running to the front and clicking madly on their cameras.

Heaving a sigh, I drag my ass off the chair to walk forward. I rake my hand through my hair before I glance back at the monstrosity on the platform. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be in this position. Suddenly oil paint and new guitar strings don’t seem all that important. I just wanna get out, but Eric needs these pictures for the magazine and I’d rather die than let one of my friends down.

My heart thuds when I see Dean looking right back at me as I approach. His brow furrows as if he’s trying to place me. Typical. Of course he wouldn’t remember me. Why would he? My heart hammers a fast beat as my body breaks out in sweat. The inside of my throat thickens, stopping half of the oxygen from reaching my lungs. And still, I’m having the hardest time looking away.

Am I nervous under his green-eyed gaze? Or is it just the hate? It’s been years since I last saw him.

Not wanting to give the wrong impression of an adoring fan, I narrow my eyes and spew out all the venom I feel for this man into one, hateful glare, just before I raise the camera and snap my shots.

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Tour Dates/Stops

BlackHurricaneAugust 11: Because Two Men Are Better Than One
August 18: Full Moon Dreaming
August 25: MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire
September 1: Velvet Panic, Fallen Angel Reviews, Havan Fellows
September 8: Decadent Delights
September 15: Up All Night, Read All Day, Love Bytes
September 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Smoocher’s Voice
September 29: Prism Book Alliance
October 6: It’s Raining Men, Michael Mandrake
October 13: Cate Ashwood
October 20: The Novel Approach
October 27: The Hat Party, Dawn’s Reading Nook
November 3: Tara Lain
November 10: My Fiction Nook
November 17: Emotion in Motion, Kimi-Chan
November 24: Amanda C. Stone

 

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