Cover Reveal for Unicorns and Rainbow Poop by Sam Kadence (contest)

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Need a little wonder in your life?  Check out the new cover for  Sam Kadence’s Unicorns and Rainbow Poop!  There is an excerpt to read and a contest to enter! Now on to  our cover reveal…

Book Name: Unicorns and Rainbow Poop
Author Name: Sam Kadence

Author Bio:

Sam Kadence has always dreamed about being someone else, somewhere else. With very little musical talent, Sam decided the only way to make those dreams come true was to try everything from cosplay at the local anime conventions to writing novels about pretending to run away to become a musician.

Sam has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, sells textbooks for a living, enjoys taking photographs of Asian Ball Joint Dolls to tell more stories, and has eclectic taste in music from J-pop to rock and country. All of which finds its way into the books eventually.

Author Contact:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008292783586&fref=ts&ref=br_tf
https://www.facebook.com/SamKadence
@parisbvamp

10722326_10204675409863614_1859204750_oPublisher: Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist:  Aaron Anderson
Sales Links for Dreamspinner Press:  eBook    Paperback

Unicorns and Rainbow Poop Blurb:

Ex-boyband member Dane Karlson is struggling to overcome an eating disorder and a body dismorphic disorder. His fall through a glass table puts him in rehab and on the road to recovery. Then a friend dies. When depression causes him to lose ground, he calls for the only person he trusts–former bandmate Tommy. But Tommy doesn’t know how to help. He begs his friend Sebastian “Bas” Axelrod to aid them through the emotional struggle.

Bas, an openly gay high school student who’s recently lost his grandmother, is trying to survive his last few months of school before escaping to Stanford. Having just lost the only person in his family to care for him, he is victim to the cruelty of the others. His younger brother bullies him, and his parents are suing him for his gran’s inheritance. When Tommy calls, Bas can’t help but run to his side.

Together Dane and Bas find a middle ground, supporting each other through the lows, dancing together during the highs. They build friendships and plan for the prom and graduation, thinking positively as long as they are together.

Categories: YA, Contemporary, m/m

Unicorns and Rainbow Poop Excerpt:

“So I was thinking since you and I both care about Tommy, we have something in common. See, Tommy is stressed, and I thought we could do something nice for him.”

Dane sat but glared at the man suspiciously. “What sort of nice thing?”

Bas motioned to the bags. “We’re going to make him cookies.”

Dane gulped. “I don’t like food.”

“You won’t be eating it. Tommy will. He canceled a class to come here. Did he tell you? He was taking a theater class at the community college back in Minnesota. Had to withdraw to be here. And with college, you know that means giving up any money paid. Not that money matters much to you guys. Though as young as you all are, I hope you’re well invested.”

Bas shrugged at him and began taking things out of the bags. Flour, eggs, sugar—both white and brown—food coloring, butter, vanilla, and lemons.

“I didn’t know,” Dane said quietly. He’d thought Tommy would be the least affected by his problems. Of course he’d been wrong about that too. Couldn’t he do anything right? “I don’t know anything about cooking.”

“That’s okay. I got this recipe online. It’s pretty easy. We’re making unicorn poop cookies.”

“What?”

“They are sugar cookies with food coloring in them to make them all rainbow-like. Unicorns are good luck and all that. Supposed to be the embodiment of goodness and purity.” Bas picked up his tablet, tapped the screen, and flipped it so Dane could see. The cookies really did look like a big pile of rainbow poop.

“Looks tasty,” Dane grumbled.

“We shall see, right? Think you can measure for me?” He pulled out a couple of cookie sheets and turned on one of the many ovens. “I got permission to use the kitchen here, but we can’t get too rowdy or they’ll kick me out.” He winked at Dane. “I’m pretty sure the orderlies outside are to make sure I’m not burning the place down.”

Dane got up and moved around the counter to stare at the list of ingredients. Bas plugged in a big mixer and took the mixing bowl out of it, bringing it to the counter for them to fill.

“This is really for Tommy?”

“Sure. We can send some to Ru and Adam too if you’d like. I heard they are only an hour or so away.”

“I don’t want Ru to know I’m here,” Dane said immediately. He didn’t need to mess up anyone else’s life.

“No worries. We need tell them nothing other than that they are from you.”

RainbowBadgeTour Dates: October 6, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Andrew Q. Gordon, Amanda C. Stone, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, BFD Book Blog, My Fiction Nook, The Hat Party, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Foxylutely Book Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, Cathy Brockman Romances, Fallen Angel Reviews, Rebecca Cohen Writes, The Blogger Girls, Cate Ashwood, A_TiffyFit’s Reading Corner, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, Smoocher’s Voice, Will Parkinson, Love Bytes, Multitasking Mommas, Twinsie Talk, Iyana Jenna

Contest: 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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In the Author Spotlight: Jamie Lynn Miller and her release, Out of the Shadows (contest)

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spotlight on books

In Our Author Spotlight:  Jamie Lynn Miller

and Out of the Shadows!Out of the Shadows cover

How my real-life law enforcement experiences inspired a romance story by Jamie Lynn Miller

Thanks so much, Melanie, for having me here today. I’m Jamie Lynn Miller and I’d like to talk about my book Out of the Shadows and my inspiration for writing it.

My tagline says it all: “Men in uniform…and out”. Give me a cop, a fireman or a paramedic and I’ll write a story about them.

I’ve been interested in law enforcement since I was a kid and had aspirations of joining the FBI after college. But that’s another story for another time. Instead, over the past many years I’ve taken six different citizen police and fire academy classes, spanning over 72 weeks in total.

I’ve gone on ride-a-longs with the police department and fire department. I’ve been inside a live burn tower. I received the marksman award on the firing range. I worked with the SWAT team. I sketched a crime scene and collected fingerprints and other evidence. I learned how to find my way blind in the dark in a smoke filled room wearing an oxygen tank and mask and full turnout gear. I learned self-defense moves the police use to subdue suspects. I used the Jaws of Life to pry a door off a car and used an axe to break out a windshield.

And during all this, I took notes. Lots and lots of notes. Notebooks full. Because I knew someday I was going to write a story. Or four. 🙂

Then two things came together that gave me the inspiration for Out of the Shadows – I spent time working with two separate K-9 units and I attended a lecture on domestic violence. Being a pet lover I was instantly drawn to the K-9 teams and I was fascinated with how they worked and how they trained and the bond between human officer and canine officer. Part of the lecture on domestic violence and how the police handle such cases was the fact that men are abused, too, but it’s hardly ever reported. That just really stuck with me and I began to wonder how to write a story about a man who found himself in an abusive relationship and how he would find the strength and courage to leave. Then suddenly a handsome K-9 officer worked his way in and Out of the Shadows was born.

So here it is, the story of Shane and Tyler and how they found their Hollywood happy ending. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Out of the Shadows coverOut of the Shadows Blurb:

For K-9 Officer Shane Walker, transferring from the Tulsa police department to the elite L.A.P.D. was a dream come true. He nearly forgets he’s in Hollywood until he responds to a 911 call that brings him to the home of actor Tyler Donovan.

It appears that Tyler has it all – a career that’s on fire and a loving, long-term relationship with his partner, Alex. But then Shane uncovers the truth that Tyler had been trying to hide, and the illusion comes crashing down.

Can Shane help Tyler break free of a life he’s convinced he deserves before it’s too late, and in the process help them both find love?

Out of the Shadows Excerpt:

Shane arrived at Tyler’s house hours later, after being reamed out by Nick, still no less furious with the other man. He could’ve called, like Tyler asked, but what he had to say needed to be said face-to-face.

Tyler must’ve heard his truck pull up, for he was standing with the front door open as Shane walked up the steps. He brushed by Tyler and stood in the living room, hands on his hips.
“Shane – ”

“What were you thinking?!” Shane yelled, cutting Tyler off.

“I wasn’t!” Tyler yelled back, fire in his blue eyes. “I just reacted! You needed help!”

“That’s why I’ve got Chase!”

“He’s not a human, Shane!” Tyler countered. “You needed another pair of hands! I couldn’t just sit there and watch you wrestle with him!”

Shane took a step toward Tyler, his body vibrating with anger and suppressed fear. “He had a gun, Tyler! What if he’d have had it on him and turned around and started shooting? What if he would’ve shot you? I can’t -” his voice broke and he felt himself start to shake. “I can’t lose you!” He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat, taking another step toward Tyler as the other man did the same. They met halfway and Shane crushed his mouth to Tyler’s, pouring out his fear and love in the demanding kiss.

Things started escalating in the blink of an eye. Tyler’s arms wound around Shane, holding tightly, hands gripping Shane’s t-shirt, trying to get their bodies even closer together. One of Shane’s hands cupped the back of Tyler’s head while the other went around his waist. Shane was still shaking, the fear being replaced by desire and anticipation now, like everything was about to change.

Tyler must’ve felt it too, his mouth demanding against Shane’s, his tongue sliding hard against Shane’s own. This was by far the most aggressive, passionate kiss they’d ever shared, Shane’s head dizzy with it as their mouths crashed together again and again.

“Ty…” Shane whined into the kiss, pleading. “Need you…”

~~~~~
CONTEST: To win a $10.00 Amazon gift card, leave a comment here with the answer to the following question: “Who is Shane’s ‘non-human’ partner?” Contest ends Monday, October 6th. Winner will be randomly selected on October 7th.

BUY LINKS:

Jamie photo smallAuthor Bio:

Jamie Lynn Miller has been writing fiction since childhood and decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2008, finding to her amazement that people truly enjoyed her love stories. She’s a romantic at heart, and her tales reflect the desire we all have to find “the one,” persevering through trials and heartache for that happy ending.

Jamie has a degree in fine arts and has spent the last twenty years working as a graphic designer, though she’d much rather be writing. She was born in Chicago and still lives there today with her husband and their two furry, four-footed children, er… cats.

If she’s not brainstorming story ideas, you can find Jamie at a sci-fi convention, in front of a furnace doing glass blowing, or on a mat twisted into a yoga pose.

CONTACT INFO:  Jamie Lynn Miller

Email: jamielynnmiller@live.com
Website:  http://www.jamielynnm.wordpress.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/jamielynn.miller.3

Barb, the Zany Old Lady, Review: Grumble Monkey and the Department Store Elf by B.G. Thomas, audiobook narrated by Donald Tursman

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Grumble Monkey and the Department Store ElfNick St. George is an affluent New York art gallery owner with a mission—he has to get to San Francisco by the end of Christmas Day. As such, he’s pushing through ice storms and horrible road conditions to get there when he takes a quick rest stop break and encounters a very strange sight. A young man, tall, slender, pretty, with big thick eyeglasses and a red-and-white striped hat that is so long it wraps around his neck like a scarf strikes up a conversation with him, or at least talks non-stop at him. This man, Kit Jeffries, is on his way home for Christmas too, but his Jeep has broken down, and he asks to ride along with Nick since it’s two hours away in the same direction in which Nick is heading.

Nick tries to refuse, but this happy-go-lucky kid just won’t shut up long enough for Nick to do that, so he reluctantly agrees. Nick is a nasty SOB and nearly everything out of his mouth is negative and derogatory. On the other hand, Kit is a Pollyanna with never a bad word, literally. Golly gee, Kit won’t even say shit, saying poop instead.

This story is built around the trip to Kit’s house, Kit’s talent as an artist which Nick reluctantly admires, and the fact that Kit’s parents haven’t been able to fly home for Christmas as expected. Over the course of this short story, we get a glimpse of Nick’s soft side, along with a heap of reasons for his lousy behavior, and we get to see what happens when bombarded with kindness from Kit.

I’d like to say that I liked the story, but really it was tough to get through. Nick wasn’t just negative, he was downright nasty and there were so many homophobic slurs that I found it offensive. Yes, I understand the author was just giving us a character but it offended me nevertheless. And Kit was a bit too sickeningly sweet. Granted he was raised to be kind to others, but his character came across as childish and immature, certainly way too young and naïve for the likes of nasty Nick.

I’m not sure if the narration helped or hindered the story. The narrator didn’t have enough vocal range to distinguish between the characters and there wasn’t a clear break between words verbalized by Nick and internal dialogue or story narration, so it was hard to tell when the character was speaking versus the narrator speaking. Plus, there was an annoying clicking sound that occurred off and on throughout the narration, not always present but it was irritating, a sound almost as if the narrator was chewing gum or making another tongue-clicking noise. It’s hard to describe but occurred enough for me to need to cite it in this audiobook review.

So I can’t give more than a 2.5 star rating to the story itself, but I would recommend reading it rather than listening to the audiobook.

The cover artist, Paul Richmond, provided a bright and colorful, interesting cover which depicted the characters perfectly. In hindsight, I believe I may have picked the story due to the cute cover.

Sales Links:   Dreamspinner Audio   iTunes    Audible   Amazon    Grumble Monkey and the Department Store Elf

Book Details:

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package “Heartwarming”.
Cover Artist Paul Richmond
audiobook clipart bwNarrator Donald Tursman
Length 2 hours and 19 minutes

 

Join In on Rachel Haimowitz’s Song of the Fallen Re-Release Celebration! (contest)

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Song of the Fallen Re-Release Celebration

 

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Hello all, and thank you so much for joining me to chat about the queer high fantasy duology Song of the Fallen! This series holds a particularly special place in my heart, not just because I absolutely adore high fantasy and sloooooooooooooow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance and there isn’t nearly enough of any of that to go round in queer fiction, but also because Counterpoint, the first book in the duology, was the first novel I ever sold.

One of the questions I—and probably most published authors—get asked the most often is how I got published. The path of the Song of the Fallen novels was both particularly easy and particularly fraught—Counterpoint is now at its third publisher (if you count a brief interlude of self-pub), and Crescendo, the second book in the duology, is also at its third publisher without any self-pub interludes. Though Counterpoint came out in 2010 and Crescendo in 2011, this month marks the very first time they have both been under the same roof—complete with gorgeous new cover art!—and I couldn’t be happier to have them there.

But when I first sold Counterpoint, it was to a teeny little startup epub called Guiltless Pleasure Publishing. The editor actually came to me, which was an unparalleled delight—she’d read and loved my fanfiction and wanted to sign me for original work. (Note: now that I’m an acquiring editor who also loves fanfic, I have the pleasure of doing this too.) She actually signed me on proposal, which, looking back, was pretty outrageously lucky for a first-time novelist.

What was meant to be one book of about 80,000 words grew and grew as the writing progressed (*shakes fist at high fantasy*), and at 120,000 words I found a natural conclusion to the first half of the story arc and told her there was no way to do this without a book 2. She agreed, and I set off to write Crescendo while Counterpoint went into edits.

Counterpoint came out to a fairly large splash, though I was new to queer romance and didn’t know it at the time. Again, looking back, I was pretty outrageously lucky. Unfortunately, halfway through Crescendo edits, the owner of Guiltless Pleasure came down with a serious, long-term illness, and despite Counterpoint’s success, she had to close up shop. Which left me with not one but two books without a home, one of which was literally paying my bills and the other of which was an eagerly awaited sequel. So, very slightly older and very slightly wiser than I’d been a year past, I self-pubbed Counterpoint, and went publisher shopping for a home for Crescendo. I was fortunate in that Counterpoint had sold well enough to open a lot of potential doors for Crescendo, but ultimately I went with another small press that was willing to use the same cover artist and offer very competitive royalty terms.

I won’t get into details, but more or less from the moment I signed the contract to the moment I got the rights back to that book three years later, that experience was an unmitigated disaster. Thankfully, in the meanwhile, me and some writer and publisher buddies launched Riptide. I’d self-pubbed Counterpoint around January of 2011, and in December of 2011 I signed the rights over to Riptide instead, where it nestled in quite comfortably and saw a huge sales boost thanks to Riptide’s amazing marketing department. Around the same time, Crescendo released at the other publisher while I stared longingly at it and wished I’d conceived of Riptide before I’d signed over the second book.SongOfFallen_150x300

So, like I said, weirdly easy but also kind of fraught. Fast forward three years, to just last month. I get rights back to Crescendo. It needs new cover art, so we decide, hey, let’s give the whole series a face lift. Plus, I’d been very excited about the work this particular cover artist had been doing for us (her name is Simoné, and I highly encourage you to check her out), and I was dying to get a cover from her on one of my books. Or, better yet, two of my books!

And so here we are. Three publishers and two covers per book, and my very first novel and its sequel are finally at home at Riptide. If you’ve read them, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making literally my entire writing career possible. If you haven’t, I hope you’ll consider sharing my babies with me ϑ

To help make that possible, I’m giving away a signed set of the Song of the Fallen paperbacks with the gorgeous new cover art. I’ll ship anywhere in the world, too. To enter, just leave a comment with a way to contact you if you win. You can enter multiple times by commenting on each blog this re-release tour stops at, so be sure to visit the other stops!

About the “Song of the Fallen” Series

Two enemies, three warring races, and a singular love with the power to change the future.

It is the twilight of mankind. Depleted by generations of war with a dark race, the human kingdoms and their ancient alliance stand on the brink of extinction. The outlands are soaked with the blood of the fallen. The midlands are rotting with decadence and despair.

Elfkind, estranged by past crimes, watches and waits for nature to run its course.

And then the two collide.

Ayden’s life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he’s captured in battle, he is enslaved in the service of a human prince, Freyrik Farr.

Freyrik has always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Teetering on a dagger’s edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.

Between prejudice, politics, pride, and survival, Ayden and Freyrik must carve a new path, no matter how daunting. For nothing less than the fate of both their peoples rests on the power of their perseverance—and their love.

About the Author

Rachel is an M/M erotic romance author and the Publisher of Riptide Publishing. She’s also a sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, and quite proudly pervish. Fortunately, all those things make writing a lot more fun for her . . . if not so much for her characters.

When she’s not writing about hot guys getting it on (or just plain getting it; her characters rarely escape a story unscathed), she loves to read, hike, camp, sing, perform in community theater, and glue captions to cats. She also has a particular fondness for her very needy dog, her even needier cat, and shouting at kids to get off her lawn.

Connect with Rachel:

A MelanieM Review: Midsummer Law (Midsummer #3) by Megan Derr

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

midsummerlaw400Kirby Hindon is Sheriff in MIdsummer, a magical, supernatural town.  On the easiest day, the job carries with it a almost constant list of surprises and supernatural  happenings that most Sheriffs never have to deal with.  But one of the toughest parts of his job is notifying the next of kin when someone is killed.  That’s the Kirby is facing now. Hobgoblin Kerry Greyling is dead and Kirby needs to contact his brother as next of kin.  The biggest surprise appears when Kerry’s brother, Merry, shows up to collect his belongings.

Merry is Kerry’s twin brother but they were alike only in appearance.  Where Kerry was dark, Merry is light as well as powerful.  In fact, Merry shimmers from head to toe.  He is a well respected and sought after clothing designer whose clothes are just as unique as Merry.  What happens when a lonely Sheriff  who also happens to be a witch meets up with an equally lonely hobgoblin?  Anything is possible in the town of Midsummer.

Midsummer Law picks up after the events of Midsummer Curse.  All the towns people are dealing with the aftermath of Ferdy the gremlin’s curse and the death of Kerry Greyling, Ferdy’s ex and all round rotter.  It’s been left to witch and town Sheriff Kirby Hindon to notify the closest kin of the deceased and depose of the body and personal belongings.  But what happens next is as unexpected to those involved as it is just what they need.

I love the town of Midsummer that Megan Derr has created.  A place where all the paranormal and supernatural belong, its both a haven and locus for events and relationships of all types.  We’ve had werewolves and kind of weres, weres and gremlins, vampires and vampire hunters and now a witch in search of love in the most unlikely of places.  Kirby Hindon has always existed on the secondary layer of the other stories as a character.  He arrives to haul off the culprit or at the ending of a nasty culmination of events.  Now he’s at the front of his own story and we get a better look at a lonely man with never enough time to practice his magic.

Merry Greyling, twin brother to the nasty Kerry Greyling, is a lovely delight of a character.  A sought after clothes designer, he wears what he makes, along with artfully applied makeup in unusual color combinations.  He’s powerful, quixotic, and lonely.  Hmmmm, where can a partner be found for him?  Derr brings these two together over the death of Merry’s brother and let the rest of the journey to love fall gently into place.

I say gently because there is no drama to be found here, that occurred in the previous story.  This is just two beings trying to work out a long distance relationship and it contain the commonplace errors and miscommunications  one would expect of such an attempt.  It gradually works itself out along the way as Derr starts to fold in the characters for the next short story in the series, Midsummer Baker.

This is a very quick read with none of the depth of the first  two stories.  There is no mystery involved, just two beings in search of love.  I did love the surprise that was Merry and wish we had much more of him and Kirby’s relationship.  We get a few answers to some left over questions but that’s it.  I missed the variety of characters and the layers to the plot that the other stories had, although the romance is a lovely one.   There were also one or two editing issues.  A moment where Kirby looks at Kirby (it should have been Kelly), easy enough to catch and fix but wasn’t.

Midsummer is a town guaranteed to pull you into its stories and relationships.  There is so much to discover here and so many more beings to meet.  I hope Megan Derr continues to develop stories in this series.  I can’t wait for more to come.

Cover art by Megan Derr.   She does a terrific job in branding the series and yet makes each design relevant to the story within.

Sales Links:     Less Than Three Press            All Romance eBook (ARe)        Amazon            Midsummer Law

Book Details:

ebook, 46 pages
Published July 2010 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781936202294
edition languageEnglish
seriesMidsummer #3

Midsummer Series in order they were written and should be read (available in print, ebook and audio):

Midsummer Moon
Midsummer Curse
Midsummer Law
Midsummer Baker
Midsummer Days (Print collection of all stories)

Team Up with Sean Michael on his Book Tour for Underground: Special Teams (contest)

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Check out the latest from Sean Michael, Underground: Special Teams.  There is a interview to read, a hot nsfw excerpt to fan yourself over, and a contest to enter!  Now on to our interview…

STRW. A large percentage of your stories have a BDSM content. Why fold that element into your series?

Sean Michael:  Because it’s hot. I love the kink, I love the power play — it throws a whole new dynamic into a story. And some characters need it.

STRW:  The inclusion of kinky sex, including elements of D/s and BDSM get a wide range of treatment from authors, from the knowledgeable to the uninformed. How important is it to you that your stories are regarded as not only sexy and entertaining but factual?

Sean Michael:  Sane, safe and consensual are important to me, but my books are not instruction manuals – they are fiction.

STRW:  I love the way in which you show people why certain characters need to have bdsm in their lives. Which was the first character to show you that you had to go this route in a story?

Sean Michael:  Thank you! Secrets, Skin and Leather was pretty early on, as were the Velvet Glove books. Conner and Desmond were the characters who really started that series for me.

STRW: . Do you find that using BDSM is a turn off or turn on to readers? Or both?

Sean Michael:  I’ve heard from readers on both sides of that one, actually.

STRW: You also write M/M fiction that has little kink to them, some lovely sweet romantic stories. Do you find yourself alternating them to change up your writing or do you wait for the characters and storylines to talk to you?

Sean Michael:  The characters dictate things, though I can usually tell from the start which way they’re going to go. They have on occasion surprised me!

STRW:   You’ve been writing for some time. How has your writing changed over time?

Sean Michael:  I’m writing a lot more kink now than I did in the beginning.

STRW:  You are great friends with BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot. Do you find yourselves bouncing ideas off each other? And perhaps being crit partners too?

Sean Michael:  All the time!

STRW:  Favorite characters you have written?

Sean Michael:  I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to have favorites. However, the ones that have stayed with me the most would be the Jarheads, a core group of the Hammer Club men, and the men of Chess. But I don’t have favorites. 😉

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

Sean Michael:  I don’t think I could put my finger on one. I’d have to go with just books in general. My folks used to put a book in the crib with me when I was little so I wouldn’t wake them up immediately. Growing up, most evenings were spent sitting in the living room together after supper, reading. Books were very important in my childhood and beyond.

STRW:   What’s next for Sean Michael?

Sean Michael:  I just started a new series that really came out of the blue and it has no deadline, no home as yet, but my God the characters are noisy and hot and I keep sneaking away from the other stories I should be working on to play with Tide, Lance, Ty and Bryan! I say series because while it’s starting with these four, I have a dozen other characters already jumping up and down, demanding their turn.Thank you for the interview!

STRW:  Thanks for stopping  by and agreeing to sit a while in our author interview chair!  Now on to y0ur latest story, Underground: Special Teams!

Book Name: Underground: Special Teams
Author Name: Sean Michael

Author Bio:

Often referred to as “Space Cowboy” and “Gangsta of Love” while still striving for the moniker of “Maurice,” Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to “Chicago.”

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He’ll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

Author Contact:

  • Email:  seanmichaelwrites@gmail.com
    Website:  www.seanmichaelwrites.com
    Twitter:  @seanmichael09
    Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites
    Blog:  http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca/

Underground- Special Teams coverTitle:  Underground: Special Teams by Sean Michael
Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: Kris Norris

Sales Links:

Underground: Special Teams Blurb:

When Hunter Simms goes undercover at an underground BDSM party, the last thing he expects to see is SWAT’s leading shooter Keifer Magnessen bound, gagged, plugged and very naked. He is immediately drawn to Keifer, and wants to get to know his fellow cop better. Much better.

With such a high stress job, Keifer needs to give up control on his down time in order to decompress, but it’s a secret he holds close to his vest. So, when Hunter walks into his chosen place to submit, he tries to cut and run. Lucky for him, Hunter is shrewd, persistent and quite possibly just the Dom that Keifer needs.

Can these two strong men find a way to make their personal lives mesh?

 Underground: Special Teams Excerpt (NSFW):

“Do you want me to observe only this evening?”

“For a few hours at least. Jack has vouched for you, but it’s important to learn us, how we work.”

Hunter nodded slowly. If these people were forcing men to be subs, making them stay, abusing them, he’d be very surprised. This level of care didn’t come out of a place of abuse.

“Let’s go downstairs. I’ll introduce you around. Ben wants to shave his boy today, head to toe, and he wants an audience.”

“Even eyebrows?” That was some hard core shit. And wouldn’t that surprise people who thought BDSM was all about whips and chains?

“Everything. This isn’t a punishment, but Pete is having serious issues with hiding from Ben.”

“Ah, Ben sounds like a very wise man.” Inventive, attentive, a good master.

Hunt already liked this group. If it turned out anyone was being held here against their will, if they weren’t on the up and up, he was going to be extremely disappointed.

“They’re both learning, but they’re getting there.”

 

“Are they a new couple?” Hunt asked, watching Dan move around the kitchen, triple checking everything.

Jack answered him. “Yeah, Ben has been waiting for Pete for years, but the connection is new.”

“I look forward to seeing them together, then. Watching their scene.”

“It should be intense, emotional. Pete is a fighter.”

Hunt nodded, already affected, just by the conversation.

Daniel chuckled. “Pete used to be a surgeon, and he had a breakdown. Went to work on a construction crew before he started working from home.”

“Those high pressure jobs often produce subs, don’t they?” The best sub Hunt had ever had was a man who ran a fortune five hundred company.

“You know it. We have a number of subs that are desperate to break, to allow someone else in.”

“I enjoy a challenge.” Hunt had to remind himself he was here on the job, not to find someone.

Jack grinned. “Me, I’m looking for a sweet boy, a good bottom who likes a hard fuck but isn’t pushing constantly.”

Daniel’s laughter filled the air. “In other words, you’re not looking for a boy like Keif?”

“Fuck, no. No, Keif needs an owner, not a Dom.”

Hunt’s eyebrow went up. “Keif?”

“One of our unattached subs,” Daniel said. “He’s got the need to be hard-used, broken down. No one man can handle him, no offense Jack.”

“None taken.”

“Is he here tonight?” Hunter asked, intrigued despite himself.

“He’s with our group every night he’s not on call.”

“Is that a yes?” Because he hadn’t heard a yes.

“He is here — plugged, bound, gagged, and, I would imagine well-sounded by now.”

Jesus Christ. A bolt of pure desire went through Hunt.

Daniel grabbed a case of water. “Come on, guys. Let’s go down.”

“Can I take anything?” Hunt offered.

“Can you grab the fruit bowl? I find fruit to be hydrating, erotic, and less messy than chocolate.”

“You got it.” These guys were pros at this hosting a BDSM party thing and Hunt found himself once again hoping they were all on the up and up. He wanted to play, not to make arrests.

Following Dan downstairs, he felt his anticipation ramping up.

Instead of a dark, club-like atmosphere, downstairs there was a room with couches and lamps, pillows. It looked totally normal, at least until he saw the cage in one corner. The massage table. The man kneeling, wearing nothing but a collar.

Hunter took everything in, eyes moving over the men in the room, cataloging them. The man in the collar had to be Pete, the slender, whip-like man looking on proudly, Ben. There were a couple of men sitting together, a few wandering. In the back, bound and ring gagged, cock stuffed was…

Wait. Wait. Hunter knew that shock of near-white hair, the icy blue eyes. He saw that face every time the SWAT team was called out. Keifer Magnessen.

Continue reading “Team Up with Sean Michael on his Book Tour for Underground: Special Teams (contest)” →

Barb, the Zany Old Lady, Review: A Rose By Any Other Name (Fallen Rose #2) by Charlie Cochet

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A Rose by Any Other NameJourney back into the Roaring 20’s, the days of Prohibition, where illicit gaming, illicit alcohol, and illicit sex can be had for the right price. And the right price gets you into the Pantheon, a heavenly operation full of scantily clad young men who are yours if you have the cash. The sweetest prize of all is Eros, a blond angel, complete with wings, who will take your breath away. Usually seen in the company of his best friends and fellow angels, Himerus and Pothos, one look at Eros destroys all of Edwards’s brain cells.

Edward Joseph Clarence Junior is celebrating his 30th birthday. His cousins, Maxfield and Albert, have brought him to this slice of heaven, and Maxfield has arranged some very interesting private entertainment for him. He submits, despite his better judgment, but what he wants most of all is to meet Eros. Unfortunately, Eros has been booked for the night by Ares, an evil-looking, powerful and influential man who will use brute force if necessary to get his way.

Eros is Julius, the young male prostitute we met in Roses in the Devil’s Garden. It was Julius, along with his best friends, Lawry and Terry, who escaped the raid the night he met Harlan. Lawry and Terry have come with him to the Pantheon and now play the roles of Himerus and Pothos.

We learn that Ares wants all of Eros, not just for sex, but to own him heart and soul, but Julius won’t succumb to him. In fact, Julius has rules in place that normally keep him protected from allowing men to think they have his heart when they pay for his body. He never sees a man for more than three days in a row, and he never kisses, under any circumstances. Ares intends to break those rules and break Eros’s stubbornness with them.

Edward returns again and again, hoping to gain an audience with Eros, and when he finally does, Eros/Julius is less than impressed with him. But Edward is nothing if not persistent, and he bombards Julius with kindness, buying his time for a three week period in which he doesn’t make one sexual overture, even though he’d like nothing better. The result of getting to know each other during this time is that Julius does start to care for Edward, and Edward falls head-over-heels in love with Julius. The kissing rule goes out the window, and the two make plans to go away together for a while so that they can avoid Ares’s hold on Julius.

But Ares learns of their plans and destroys the little happiness they’ve gained when he arranges for Edward to be committed to Bellevue Hospital, arranging a bogus diagnosis with Edward’s psychologist. Edward had suffered from anxiety disorder after his time serving in the ambulance corps in Europe, and though he’s been free of issues recently, Ares convinces Edward’s father that he needs to be committed then he moves in to grab Julius and keep him in the Pantheon until he’s finally willing to beg for all Ares can give him.

And this is just the beginning! There’s so much more to this story. There’s romance on multiple fronts as Julius’s friends find love and affection with Edward’s cousins, some more easily than others. Harlan and Nathan become involved when Maxfield and Lawry find evidence supporting Ares’s true identity as a crime syndicate boss. There’s adventure and intrigue and catastrophe when the entire mess comes to a head, and it looks like Edward and Julius may never get to be together. But, of course, Charlie Cochet does not let us down, giving us a HEA for the guys—all of the guys, in fact.

So what did I love in this story? I loved the characters. Julius, Lawry, Terry, Albert, Maxfield, Edward, Nathan and Harlan. Each one of them now has a place in my heart, and I’m so glad the author gave us the side stories of the secondary characters’ romances. I enjoyed the big screen production feel of the Pantheon stage settings—I swear I could hear the music playing in the background. Oh, and one more thing—the author gave us a little peek into a time when Edward met a fella named Jacky, before Jacky joined the French Foreign Legion (The Auspicious Troubles of Chance). Such a nice surprise! Thanks, Charlie!

What didn’t I like? There were a few places where I was lost in the dialogue, places where I couldn’t tell who was speaking. There were also a few segments in which one character referenced something as if it had just happened, and I couldn’t follow what they were talking about. And last, I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the way the final catastrophic event unfolded. Without giving away any spoilers, I can only say that the setting where Edward and Julius met up shouldn’t have still been standing at that point in time. I know that sounds odd, but I really don’t want to give away the concluding drama.

So all that being said, I’ve given this story 4.5 stars. It’s so lovely, complex, intriguing and fun, with wonderful, handsome, warm-hearted characters that I can’t possibly give it any less. If you love historical fiction, then by all mean buy this, and if you simply love an adventure with romance and intrigue, then don’t hesitate—you can’t go wrong.

Cover art by Aaron Anderson— captures the feel of the time period and depicts the MCs perfectly.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner eBook Paperback     All Romance (ARe)   Amazon   A Rose By Any Other Name

Book Details:

ebook, 270 pages
Published September 12th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632160307 (ISBN13: 9781632160300)
edition languageEnglish
seriesFallen Rose

A Whistle Stop Tour for Lisa Henry’s Sweetwater (contest)

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Hi! I’m Lisa Henry, author of Sweetwater! I’m touring the web talking about my inspiration, my writing process, and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at Sweetwater. And of course there’s a giveaway! You could win a title from my back catalogue, as well as a $20 Riptide gift voucher!  And you can follow along at every stop on the tour schedule!

About SweetwaterSweetwater cover

Wyoming Territory, 1870.

Elijah Carter is afflicted. Most of the townsfolk of South Pass City treat him as a simpleton because he’s deaf, but that’s not what shames him the most. Something in Elijah runs contrary to nature and to God. Something that Elijah desperately tries to keep hidden.

Harlan Crane, owner of the Empire saloon, knows Elijah for what he is—and for all the ungodly things he wants. And Crane isn’t the only one. Grady Mullins desires Elijah too, but unlike Crane, he refuses to push or mistreat the young man.

When violence shatters Elijah’s world, he is caught between two very different men and two devastating urges: revenge and despair. In a boomtown teetering on the edge of a bust, Elijah must face what it means to be a man in control of his own destiny, and choose a course that might end his life . . . or truly begin it for the very first time.

About the Author

Sweetwater_150x300Lisa Henry lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

You can visit Lisa her website, at Goodreads, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Contest:  Thanks for following the tour! To celebrate the release, I’m giving away an ebook from my back catalogue, as well as a $20 Riptide gift voucher. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you, be it your email, your twitter, or a link to your facebook or goodreads account. Please put your email in the body of the comment, not just in email section of the comment form, because I won’t be able to see it otherwise! On October 8, I’ll draw a winner from all eligible comments! Be sure to follow the whole tour, because the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win the prize!

A PaulB Review: Living Again by Brynn Stein

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Living Again coverAfter a car accident breaks Daniel’s arm and good leg, he must rely on nurse Jonah for the next couple of months while he recuperates. They must move past both past memories and present troubles in order to build their future together with Jonah’s son.

Daniel Larson wakes up in the hospital after a serious car accident in which he suffers a concussion, broken arm and broken leg. Having lost his other leg in an explosion in Afghanistan, Daniel wonders how he will cope until he heals. His Uncle Lawrence has contacted a home nursing agency to help Daniel deal with life until he is recovered. Uncle Larry is upset when the nurse that is sent is Jonah Thacker, a male nurse.

Daniel prides himself on being able to live his life despite his disability. At first he resents having someone taking care of his basic needs. However, he soon realizes that he will not survive without help for the next few weeks until his arm and leg heal enough for him to return to his life as a college professor. And if that help comes in the form of hunky nurse Jonah, who is he to complain?

As the two grow closer together, various obstacles come in the way. First, Uncle Larry does everything within his power to get another nurse assigned to Daniel. Uncle Larry has promised Daniel’s father that he would take care of Daniel. However, he does not approve of Daniel’s homosexuality. A male nurse would he figures would be too much temptation. Second, they want to maintain a sense of professionalism, at least until Jonah is no longer Daniel’s nurse.

Daniel is drawn further to Jonah when he meets Jonah’s nephew/son Ethan. Ethan was born with birth defects due to his mother (Jonah’s sister) being exposed to a virus in Africa as a medical resident. Ethan was born with malformed legs and heart problems. His mother dies nine months after he was born in an accident and Jonah becomes his primary care giver.

As the relationship between Daniel and Jonah grows, both most deal with issues concerning past relationships. Daniel lost his boyfriend Tom in the explosion that took his leg while Jonah was rejected by Ted when he became Ethan’s de facto father. To complicate things more, Ethan’s health problems become worse and Uncle Larry does whatever he can to keep the two apart. They realize that they should make a go of the relationship, but is it too late to build this family?

I liked the slow build of the romance and the angst each of the characters felt as they move toward each other. You can tell they have been hurt in the past and are slow to move onto a new relationship for fear of being hurt again. This of course leads to misunderstandings on both their parts as to each other’s motives. However, they do work together to thwart Uncle Larry’s attempts to keep them apart. They also find comfort in one another during Ethan’s health scares and what finally brings them together for good.

Jonah’s son Ethan is a well written character. His precociousness and love of life despite all his health problems warms your heart. I wonder if Ms. Stein drew on her work as a special needs teacher to help her craft Ethan’s vivacious personality.

If you are looking for steamy sex scenes, this is not the book for you. Most of the bedroom activities take part off page and are only alluded to for the most part. However, if you are looking for a well crafted angst filled romance, I would give this book a read.

The cover art by Bree Archer is well done. The models selected for Jonah, Ethan and Daniel on the top half are what I would picture them to be. The bottom half shows a silhouette of Daniel walking on a boardwalk using crutches instead of his prosthetic leg.

Sales Links:    Dreamspinner Press      All Romance eBooks (ARe)      Amazon          Living Again
eBook Details
200 pages
Published July 21, 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
Edition Language English

Get Hot and Heavy with Julia Talbot’s Georgia Knights Book tour and contest!

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Book Name: Georgia Knights
Author Name: Julia Talbot

Author Bio: Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Dreamspinner Press, and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved

Author Contact:
. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at http://www.juliatalbot.com

Georgia KnightsPublisher: Torquere Press Inc
Cover Artist: Alessia Brio
Pairing:  M/M/F  Menage

Sales Links:  Amazon         All Romance             Torquere Books

Georgia Knights Blurb:

When anthropologist Georgia Cortez heads to rural Georgia from New Mexico, she’s on the trail of a juicy old legend. Haley Falls seems like just the place for old-time ghost stories and spooky hauntings, but she’s on the hunt for something far rarer, a survival of an old sect of medieval knights.

Caid and Alton are Haley Fall natives, and they used to be best friends. A falling out years ago ended in them not speaking, even after Alt left town and returned older, if not wiser. They unite when it comes to a nosy scholar like Georgia picking apart their heritage, and putting their whole town in danger. When boys meet girl, though, they decide wooing is far better than scaring the lady off, and they set about distracting Georgia in the best way.

While their three way romance heats up, so does the intrigue in Haley Falls, until the three of them are facing a danger far worse than falling in love with each other.

Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Ménage, Thriller

Georgia Knights Excerpt:

“Boys…” She felt all flushed and tipsy, like her skin was too hot. It was amazing.

“Alt…” Caid stared at Alton over her head. “You. Damn it.” There was no anger there. Just a strangled heat.

Alton lifted one eyebrow. “Whut? We’re all adults here. There’s no reason not to enjoy ourselves.”

Well, that was true enough. She sure was enjoying them. A lot.

Georgia took a bit of pizza and offered it to Caid, holding it up to his lips. “Want some?”

“Mmmhmm.” Caid nipped it out of her fingers, licking at a little sauce that slid down to her knuckle.

She watched as he licked her finger clean, then offered a bite to Alton, going from sweet smile to wicked grin.

“Tasty.” Alton was more blatant, nibbling her fingers along with the pizza, loving on her.

Her nipples were hard as rocks, her belly taut and tense.

“Lord, Caid. She smells good, huh?” Alton leaned on her, smiling across at Caid, hand pushing Caid’s against her under the table.

“You both do.” Caid said it on a moan, Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Y’all are enough to make me breathless.” Talk about mating rituals. Jesus. She could write a bestselling erotic thesis about them.

“You’re the hottest thing I’ve seen since I laid eyes on Caid, and he’s been resisting me for years.”

Oh. Oh, God. Alton obviously had no filters. She took a moment to visualize that — fine bodies moving, rubbing. Kissing. Oh. Pretty.

Caid made another one of those noises, sounding almost pained. “Y’all.”

“I. Is there somewhere… The cook’s watching us.” And she wasn’t putting on a show for the sixteen-year-old, acne-ridden mouth breather.

“My place.” Alton threw a bunch of bills on the table, waving to the little teenagers who watched them avidly. “I need a box, kids.”

“Alton has a place almost up to the falls,” Caid whispered, breath hot on her neck.

“Okay.” She sounded like a phone sex worker, all breathy and husky.

They packed up the pizza and headed out, Alton hustling them back to her little rental SUV. He didn’t give either one of them time to think, either, just groped them both impartially.

“Alton, you’re dangerous. Sit in the back seat.”

“What? Why?” He pouted at her, but Caid punched his shoulder.

“Because no one can drive with you all over them, Alt. Get.”

She gave in to her baser instincts and went up on tiptoe to kiss the corner of Alton’s mouth. “I have to focus, huh?”

“Oh.” Alton blinked, those pretty gray eyes bright. “Got it. I’ll just sit in the back and…” He made an unmistakable motion with his hand.

She swatted him, chuckling. “Now, now. Don’t pop too soon.” She winked at Caid, offering him a quick kiss, too.

Caid surprised her with a kiss that curled her toes, capturing her mouth for a long moment before moving away. He went and sat in the passenger seat, staring, focused.

“Oh.” Wow. Okay. Driving.

Driving would be good.

KnightsBadgeTour Dates: September 29th, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Love Bytes, Inked Rainbow Reads, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon, Prism Book Alliance, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fallen Angel Reviews, Iyana Jenna, Amanda C. Stone, Velvet Panic, Havan Fellows

Contest:  Rafflecopter Prize: 25.00 Torquere Press gift card.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Use the Rafflecopter link for the entry form and for additional contest  details.

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