Series Recap Tour for K.A. Merikan’s Guns n’ Boys Series (excerpt and giveaway)

Series Recap Tour & Giveaway

Guns n’ Boys Series 

K.A. Merikan 

 

Author: KA Merikan
Series Links
 
Guns n’ Boys: He is Poison (Book #1) Amazon US  Amazon UK
Guns n’ Boys: He is Mine (Book #2) Amazon US  Amazon UK
Guns n’ Boys: Paris (Book #2.1) Amazon US  Amazon UK 
Guns n’ Boys: Homicidal Instinct (Book #3) Amazon US  Amazon UK 
Guns n’ Boys: Swamp Blood (Book #4) Amazon US  Amazon UK 
Guns n’ Boys: Chokehold (Book #5) Amazon US Amazon UK 


Blurb
 

‘Guns n’ Boys’ is a twisted, dark erotic romance mixed with a crime thriller. It’s a long, turbulent journey of one couple deeply entrenched in the dealings of their mafia family. Behind the morbid humor and extreme violence hides the intense love affair of Domenico Acerbi, the mafia’s best hitman, and Seth Villani, the Don’s son.

Together, they have to deal with their blooming affection for each other, their familyís homophobia, their own prejudice, lust, jealousy, and violence. In true anti-hero fashion, they do so in most morally ambiguous ways. 


Author Bio


K. A. Merikan is the pen name for Kat and Agnes Merikan, a team of writers, who are taken for sisters with surprising regularity. Kat’s the mean sergeant and survival specialist of the duo, never hesitating to kick Agnes’s ass when she’s slacking off. Her memory works like an easy-access catalogue, which allows her to keep up with both book details and social media. Also works as the emergency GPS. Agnes is the Merikan nitpicker, usually found busy with formatting and research. Her attention tends to be scattered, and despite pushing thirty, she needs to apply makeup to buy alcohol. Self-proclaimed queen of the roads.


They love the weird and wonderful, stepping out of the box, and bending stereotypes both in life and books. When you pick up a Merikan book, there’s one thing you can be sure of ñ it will be full of surprises.


Website: http://kamerikan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KA_Merikan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KAMerikan/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/KAMerikan/

Giveaway

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Pill Bugs of Time (Offbeat Crimes #2) by Angel Martinez

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

the-pill-bugs-of-timeRelationship and communication issues plague Officer Vikash Soren, but those are nothing compared to facing stick-throwing tumbleweeds, pill bugs and…time travel?

Vikash Soren, the perfect police officer except for his odd paranormal ability, never seems to lose his temper. Always serene and competent, he’s taken on the role of mediator in a squad room full of misfits. But on the inside, he’s a mess. Unable to tell his police partner that he loves him, Vikash struggles silently, terrified of losing Kyle as a lover, partner and friend.

But life in the 77th Precinct doesn’t leave much room for internal reflection. A confrontation with a stick-throwing tumbleweed in Fairmount Park leads to bizarre consequences involving pill bugs, statues and…time travel? If Vikash manages to survive the week and stay in one point in time, he might be able to address normal things like relationship problems. He just needs Kyle to have a little more patience. Maybe a few centuries’ worth.

Those wonderful oddball paranormal police officers of the 77th Precinct are back in their second crime novel, The Pill Bugs of Time (Offbeat Crimes #2) by Angel Martinez and I couldn’t be happier.  I first met up with them in the wildly offbeat and downright scrumptious Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (Offbeat Crimes, #1) and now get to step back into that paranormal police squad and the romance of Kyle and Vikash to see what’s happened to them all.

Normal was something one left at the door when assigned to a paranormal police station. Officer Vikash Soren had seen that demonstrated the first time he had set foot inside the 77th. During roll call, the man who would later become his partner had accidentally shot fire from his fingers at the ceiling. Someone else’s fire, as it turned out. In the weeks that followed, he had encountered an animated leather jacket, worked with a vampire, a lizard man and various officers of dubious paranormal talents, and had helped stop the killing spree of an alligator snapping turtle the size of a sedan.

It would follow that nothing should surprise him anymore.

But when he walked into the squad room that morning, late due to a doctor’s appointment, his colleagues had gathered around the periphery of the room to watch Greg Santos in a fistfight with a puddle of water.

That’s how Chapter One starts as Vikash wanders over to the desk of his police partner/off duty lover, Kyle, as they also watch the morning’s events unfold.  All in all, pretty typical for them, hilarious for us…and oh thanks whoever for the marvel that is Angel Martinez’s twisty turny imagination. Because as great as the fight with the puddle of water?  That even better, “really, guys?” solution to it all.   Yep, I was home, smack dab right where I wanted to be.  Where just when you think it can’t get any stranger, then weird up and rides in the door sailing past a tumble weed made of post it notes who just happens to be called Tim.

Of course, there is a largely personal element looming over all the nuttiness here.  Vikash and Kyle’s new relationship is teetering on the edge of failure because of Vikash’s struggles with his own demons.  His fears have cost him relationships and jobs before but never has he really cared.  Now he does but  Vik doesn’t know how to break his pattern.  Its so familiar, this heartbreaking inability to break out of a pattern that’s become so infused, so self fulling that it may cost this man the love of his life. Martinez pulls us in so deeply into Vikash and Kyle’s confusion that we sometimes forget that Vik’s chasing after giant time traveling pill bugs with sentient leather jackets and vampires who find blood distasteful.  Ok, no we don’t.    But it makes everything else seem so perfectly part of their lives too.  Normal is overrated here.

Can’t forget about Kyle as he’s never far from Vikash’s life, thoughts and struggles of the heart.  Kyle’s pain is on the table too when Vik loses out to his fears and diminishes their relationship daily in small ways, all the while continuing their partnership as policer officers.

I think I love that so much. Layered, believable, characters like Vik and Kyle that fall in love, never have an easy time of it, and all while pursuing some of the most insanely creative and imaginative paranormal crime cases you will want to read about.  And while one case may be solved, the relationship just gets eased into the next stage of growth and all our wonderful cast of investigators proceeds forward anew…with some wonderfully great new additions as well.

I love Offbeat Crimes and The Pill Bugs of Time is a grand new story in this series.  Its all there.  Humor, wild adventures and love…Angel Martinez style! I can’t recommend them highly enough.  Grab this and the first story up today.

Cover art by Posh Gosh is the one branding the series.  It works.

Sales Links:

Pride Publishing

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Book Details:

ebook, Revamp Edition
Expected publication: September 20th 2016 by Pride Publishing (first published June 27th 2015)
ISBN139781786514721
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesOffbeat Crimes – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

Publisher’s Note: This book has previously been released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

Pre-order Date: 9th August 2016
Available exclusively to Pride Publishing: 23rd August 2016
General Release Date: 20th September 2016

In Our Book Release Spotlight – Sweet Summer Sweat by Clare London (excerpt and giveaway)

Sweet Summer Sweat – Clare London

Author: Clare London
 
Release Date: September 20 2016
 
Publisher: Jocular Press
 
Length: 74,000 words
 
Buy Links:  to come
 
Blurb
 
When you find a place where lust and sex rule life, and your every desire can be fulfilled, why would you ever want to leave?
Young runaway Scot and his boyfriend Jerry escape their deadbeat homes and families, hoping to leave prejudice behind them and travel to a new life in Las Vegas. Unprepared and naive, they’re lost almost at once, and shelter at a run-down, deserted motel in the middle of the scorching hot Nevada desert. A place with secrets, run by staff both gorgeous and uninhibited, and driven by a mysterious sexual connection Scotís never even dared to dream.
All but drugged by the lazy heat and the hedonism around him, Scot watches as Jerry is seduced away and realizes their relationship was nothing more than shared lust. Restless, Scot knows he wants true love and real understanding. Could he find it with the mysterious and elusive owner of the motel, Connor Maxwell? Connor seems to think so, every time he appears and pursues Scot for his own. But where does Connor come from? It seems the passion calls him into being at its own whim.
Eventually, what binds Connor and his friends to the motel may be too strong for Scot to break through. Scot has ambitions to travel, to make something of his life ñ but is his only option to embrace life at the motel in his true loverís arms?
Or will that love be strong enough to release them both…
 

Excerpt

Scot had been dreaming, he was sure he had, though he couldn’t recall it clearly. It had been a suffocating, disorientating dream: he could still feel the shudder in his limbs, the throb of his heart. A wet dream?

you were happy. You were laughing

The details were slipping away from him like smoke, even as his mind cleared. But he remembered a tall stranger leaning over him with a hypnotizing smile, and an expression of delight. Someone welcoming, with hands on him, soothing him, caressing him. A comforting, sensual presence beside him, within him, talking to him….

I’ve been waiting for you

Scot shook his head to clear such nonsense. A presenceWhat the hell kind of weird word is that? He and Jerry had been to plenty of movies about vampires, succubi and other monsters, though they’d spent most of the time making out in the darkened back seats of the theater. Was one of those special effect creatures teasing his dreams now? But he hadn’t watched a movie like that for a long time. They didn’t scare him like they were meant to, and besides, he knew all too well the difference between movies and reality.

He stretched, his movements languid. The tangible feeling persisted. It felt soft and thick, flowing like viscous liquid, stroking like feathers, full of warmth and color and a really delicious smell.

talking to you

It wanted him. It slid inside his clothes, between his legs, seeking an entrance to his body.

want you

Startled, Scot sat bolt upright. His heart was beating far more quickly than usual. For the first time, he acknowledged he was in nothing but his boxers, with no memory of undressing. And he had a throbbing erection. It tented the fabric, causing a damp patch at its tip. This was fiercer than his normal waking reaction, and it showed no signs of dying down.

Shit. He’d never had such a strange, erotic dream before, not even about Jerry!

He shifted on the bed, unsettled and horny, the sheet creased beneath him. Had Jerry undressed him? Surely it wouldn’t have been anyone else. The erection nagged at him, persistent and demanding. He toyed with the idea of running his hand a little lower, and giving it what it needed—

Then a door at the back of the room opened, bringing a waft of scented, wet air from what was obviously the bathroom.

“Scot? You’re awake then.” It was Jerry, his voice soft and sleepy too. The hard edge of their last conversation had gone, replaced by the caressing tone Jerry often used when they were making out.

“Where have you been?” Scot grumbled. “Come closer.”

Jerry walked over to the bed, toweling at his hair. He was naked, except for another towel twisted around his slim waist. A fuzzy patch of moonlight bathed his bare chest, highlighting a single, erect nipple.

Scot ached somewhere deep inside, wondering at the emotions that stirred him so strongly. He lusted after Jerry, of course he did, but this ache was something else. Damned dreams. “How late is it? Have you had a shower? I thought the lights were working now.”

“They are.” Jerry’s smile was more relaxed. “But I liked the candlelight in the dining room, so I thought we could have the same in here. It’s only ten p.m. or so. My headache was easing off so I left you sleeping and took a shower. It’s a very small bathroom so we’ll have to take a turn.” His gaze flickered over Scot’s stretched limbs, the shape of his swollen cock under the sheet. “I thought you needed the sleep.”

“Thanks.” Scot sighed and wriggled his hips on the bed. “But now I need something else.”

Jerry laughed and turned to the dresser, lighting a candle in one of the holders there. When he turned back to Scot, the chiaroscuro effect made him look alternately sensual and sinister. The faint smell of sulfur from the match trailed in the still air.

Scot sighed contentedly, and fell back on to the bed. “Didn’t I say to come closer?”

A strange expression flitted over Jerry’s face, but he grinned easily enough and climbed onto the bed beside Scot. “Yes, boss.”

Scot chuckled, then caught his breath. Jerry’s body beside him was so different from his dream. It was real. “It’s just us now, isn’t it?”

“Yes, thank God. This is our new beginning. For us, Scot—together. They won’t chase us any more, there’s no one to keep us apart. To tell us who we can and can’t see.”

It sounded rather melodramatic to Scot, but no less the truth. “To swear and spit at us?”

Jerry nodded. He stretched out a hand and slid it around Scot’s neck. “I know how bad it was—”

“No, you don’t.” Scot tried to keep the pain and anger out of his voice, but sometimes he wondered if he ever would. He’d struggled with life for as long as he could remember, first of all trying to keep beneath the radar of his miserable home situation, then to hide the true nature of his friendship with Jerry. He’d once told Jerry that he lied so much to his family and colleagues, he couldn’t always remember what was the truth and what was his cover story. He’d been forced to do it all because he’d been drawn to a man: they’d wanted each other.

Was that so wrong? He didn’t know which caused him the more pain—the persecution and abuse he’d suffered, or the cowardly way he’d tried to cope with it all.

“Hey, it’s okay. There’ll be no more of that crap,” Jerry whispered. He rolled across the bed, nudging against Scot’s body. “You’re so damned hot.” He winced as he shifted his cock under the towel. “You make me so fucking horny.”

Scot smiled and pressed his mouth to Jerry’s shoulder. His heart was beating fast again, but for a very different reason. “No more sneaking around, doing it in corners. In cars and alleyways.”

Jerry grinned. “Not always so bad, though? Sometimes the danger adds to the excitement.”

Scot hid his shiver. “But we have a choice, now, Jerry. A choice of when and where. Not just snatched half hours at lunch, or after dark, or while my parents are getting wasted at some bar or other.”

Jerry nodded. “Sure, whatever.” His hands ran gently down Scot’s chest, cupping his belly.

Scot’s muscles tightened. So maybe he’d found their secret life much more distressing than Jerry had. And it had been exciting, in its own way. Jerry in particular had seemed to enjoy the risk. Their groping sessions had been desperate and awkward, but Jerry had never hesitated to take any opportunity to fuck. Scot had been carried away with the desire too, but he regretted the fact they’d never had much time together to explore each other’s bodies. Everything had been rushed, the feelings anguished, the lovemaking awkward. Scot felt he had years of frustration and repression still to set free.

“Jerry….”

“Hmm?”

“My choice is now, Jerry. I want you here—and now.”

“Sure.” Jerry smiled at him. He didn’t seem to be listening that carefully, his eyes unfocused and his breathing shallow. Scot could feel Jerry’s cock thickening under the towel. He reached down, jerked the cloth away, and took firm hold of it.

Author Bio


Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.


Clare loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her here:


Website: http://www.clarelondon.com 
E-mail: clarelondon11@yahoo.co.uk
Blog: www.clarelondon.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarelondon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clare_london
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/clarelondon
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/clarelondon/
Google+ : https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ClareLondon/posts

 

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A Lila Release Day Review: Safe House (Buchanan House #4) by Charley Descoteaux

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

safe-house-by-charley-descoteauxKyle Shimoda is an asshole magnet, has been for as long as he can remember. At forty-seven, he doesn’t see much chance for improving his luck in love. His friends who run Buchanan House, a gay retreat on the central Oregon coast, know he wants to find “someone nice” to settle down with, and they set him up with Officer Brandon Smith. Kyle has a turbulent history with law enforcement, but he can’t deny his attraction to the buff cop.

Brandon has been a police officer in Lincoln City almost since the day he graduated from high school over thirty years ago. He’s cultivated the facade of a serious, disciplined law enforcement officer, but beneath his overdeveloped chest beats the soft heart of a drama queen. A cancer scare shifts Bran’s focus from finding a serious relationship to having as much sex as he can—putting his goals squarely at odds with Kyle’s. If he can’t find the courage to be honest about his feelings for Kyle, the happiness they’ve both been searching for could slip through their fingers.

Safe House goes beyond a simple love story and into each main character as individuals. I like how we were able to see them with their friends and families before they were together and how well it worked when both their worlds met. We see how their past framed their future and relationship approach. Kyle and Brandon didn’t need each other to be great characters, but they complemented the other; giving the reader the opportunity to enjoy mature men falling in love.

I enjoyed Kyle’s and Brandon’s story. They were perfect for each other and had the life experience to value the small details that made them a lovely couple. There’s a bit of miscommunication between them, but not enough to take over the entire story. Their times together in bed were hot and their interactions sweet.

The cancer scare and Kyle history with police were the only two aspects that kept me from giving this story a higher rating. Not because they were part of the book, but because they became secondary and almost were solved too quickly. In the beginning, the author did an excellent job bringing them to the forefront, but after the MCs’ relationship starts, their backgrounds get pushed aside.

As in the previous books, every character taking part in the series has a reason to be there and are as important in this particular installment. It’s also nice to get updates from those we met previously.

Overall, this book has a well-balanced amount of flirt, smexy times, and low angst making it a perfect read for a fall afternoon.

Another beautiful cover by L.C. Chase. It matches the rest of the series and shows important aspects of the story.

Sale Links

        

 

 

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published: September 19, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781634776073
Edition Language: English

Series: Buchanan House
Book #1: Buchanan House
Book #2: Pride Weekend
Book #3: Tiny House
Book #4: Safe House

 

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Dad’s Nerdy New Boyfriend by J.M. Snyder

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

dads-nerdy-new-boyfriendWhen website designer Rick Pruitt takes his eight-year-old son Micah to see the latest Pokémon movie, he expects to be bored out of his mind. What he doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the guy ahead of them in line.

Self-confessed nerd and Harry Potter look-a-like, Marty Owens runs a comic shop downtown. Marty needs a new website to help grow his business and Rick needs a guy he can eat cozy meals with, snuggle up to, and … But no matter how many of Rick’s boxes Marty checks, there’s still Micah to consider. Fortunately Micah and Marty hit it off, connecting over a love of video games and all things Pokémon.

Rick starts coming by the comic shop after hours to work on Marty’s website. Can they build something long-lasting and meaningful offline, too?

First of all—great title! That attracted my attention to the story more than anything else. And I’m glad it did. This was a delightful story, very much in line with what is stated in the blurb, but even more lighthearted and fun.  Both MCs were well-developed and engaging and the good news is: the author struck the right balance in making Micah, the eight-year-old, just annoying enough, but not over-much, so that he added to the reading enjoyment, rather than detract from it as some children in MM stories do. 

There was definitely a slow buildup to the romance as the men got to know one another both during the movie “date” with Rick’s child and during the subsequent week of working on Marty’s website.  It was natural when they finally fell into bed together and ended with the promise of a possible happy future for the two. I wouldn’t mind seeing them together again in a sequel—one that could explore their attraction further while letting readers follow what their future turns out to be. 

For Pokeman lovers, this is the perfect book, delving into discussions that only those fully vested in the app would understand. Don’t get me wrong—I didn’t find that boring at all—in fact, I found it quite interesting and gave me a new appreciation for why the kids in my neighborhood seem to be obsessed with their cell phones, even while riding their bikes. 😀

If you want a light read that leaves you feeling good, check this one out.  I found it to be the perfect cure for a rainy day Sunday, and I highly recommend it.

The cover by Written Ink Designs attracted my attention, and though I can’t visualize the men on the cover as the MCs in this story, the spirit of the relationship is there. 

Sales Links

JMS Books LLC

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Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 79 pages
Published August 20th 2016 by JMS Books LLC
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Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Audiobook Review: The Autumn Lands by J. Scott Coatsworth and Narrated by Vance Bastian

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

autumn-lands-audioJerrith, a human boy from the Vandis city of Althos, has had a rough life.  His mother died when he was four.  The only thing he has to remember her by now is the leaf pendant he now wears around his neck.  His father has become an alcoholic and abusive since his wife’s death.  The only saving grace for Jerrith has been his apprenticeship at the blacksmith.  However he might have thrown even that away after he is caught kissing an elf boy in the town square.

Caspian has had things just as rough recently.  A prince of the land of Nevis, he has had his wings removed and forced into exile in the land of Vandis.  As part of the exile, Cas’s memories of what forced the exiled have been wiped clean, so he has no idea WHY he is in Vandis.  To make matters worse, members of the royal guard are keeping an eye on him.  He has no idea what compels him to kiss the cute Vanders boy, but he does.  Having been caught and beaten, Cas now awaits his fate in the dungeon.

Learning that the boy he kissed is in trouble and knowing he has no future in Althos once word gets out about him kissing the Nevers boy, Jerrith decides to rescue Cas.  Using what little magic he know chanting “I’m not here” over and over, he makes himself, and anyone in contact with him, disappear from view.  Having broken free, the pair must now travel back to Caspian’s home in the Autumn Lands on Nevis while trying to elude the royal guard on their tail.  Once there, they will have to confront the king as to the reason for Cas’s exile and hopefully stay alive in the process.

I was totally captivated by this story.  The author does a great job of building the worlds of Vandis and Nevis.  The dull drab world of Vandis stands in contrast to the metallic, futuristic world of Nevis.  The mythology of how the Autumn Lands serve not only to tell the history of the two lands but also compels the actions of our two protagonists.  Jerrith has an “Alice in Wonderland” type moment when his first sees the capital city of Nevis.  The happily ever after ending is not quite what the reader/listener would expect but it is satisfying.

Vance Bastian narrates this tale and I really enjoyed his style.  His voice is a little different from the other audiobooks I have listened to in that it is not quite as deep as the others I have heard.  He deftly moves between character voices and gives Jerrith a voice I would imagine him having.  I hope to have an opportunity to listen to more of his narration.

Sales Links

Mischief Corner Books

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Book Details:

Audiobook, 3 hours 12 minutes, 12 chapters
Published:  July 12, 2016 by Mischief Corner Books

The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II/Giveaway) & This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II)

Last Sunday, I started our conversation about the fast-rising audiobook industry with my blog  Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks.  This Sunday, that conversation continues with The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II).

As I have said before, and as reviewers/listeners we have noted many times in our reviews, a good or great narrator makes or breaks an audiobook.  It doesn’t matter that you have read it before.  Listening to a book makes it fresh once more.  It gives a reader a new and different perspective.  Often times I hear things I missed in the story, or  catch things from a narrator’s inflection that highlights a previously hidden element.  I love that about this format.

Also the opposite is true.  A narrator you don’t connect with, or one with a flat delivery, or monotone voice…well, that can sink a terrific story faster than a lead anchor.  So what’s the key?  How to get some insight into those people behind the voices we love to listen to?

Well I was so lucky to hook up with the very talented Joel Leslie who agreed to answer some questions for me.  A favorite narrator for both Barb, our Zany Old Lady and Ali, I was delighted to have this chance to talk audiobooks, voices and favorite genres.  Here is my interview with Theatrical Director, Designer, and Audiobook Narrator Joel Froomkin , known to most of the LGBTQIA listeners of audiobooks as Narrator Joel Leslie.  For you authors out there thinking of putting your story out on audio?  Hmmm, I think you might find this as enlightening as our readers.

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Welcome, Joel, to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  We love our audiobooks here, including several you have narrated including Dinner at Fiorello’s by Rick R. Reed and  Ali’s Audiobook Review of Desert Heat and Native Tongue by Lucy Felthouse. I have so many questions for you but these were the first ones that came to mind.

My Interview with Joel Leslie

  •  How did you get started with narrating audiobooks?
Long answer… lol…
It was a long and winding road actually – but I’m so grateful to have landed here. My undergrad was in performance at USC and then I did my MFA there in design and directing.  My entire professional career up until the past few years has been concentrated on directing… I did a lot of assisting as well, working on shows with Dame Maggie Smith and lots of other amazing folks.  About ten years ago my partner and I started a theatre company in Indiana.  It was a labor of love, but despite our efforts the community wasn’t able to financially support the scale of professional productions we aimed to do.  I have also been a college professor, teaching dialects at NYU and I was the Director of Drama at a university here in Indiana for a while.
While we were doing shows, in between productions I would sometimes present one-man radio dramas… I would abridge classics like Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and do them for a few nights.  The audiences loved them.  As we were looking to be able to move the theatre company to another area, one of my long time friends who is a fantastic female narrator suggested I give it a try.  So I began auditioning and the first contract I landed has actually been most successful series (the SkylerGo Foxe Mysteries by Haley Walsh).
foxe-tail-audiobook
It is a perfect blend of skills really – because 99% of the time with audiobooks you are directing yourself… so my performer background is obviously helpful, but also being able to listen to yourself with a critical ear and shape the performance I think is a terribly useful tool.  And now it’s a full time job.  I’m booked through February at the moment!  Eep.
  • Do you listen to audiobooks yourself and was that an element in your career or just a plus?
I came to audiobooks largely because I was a huge fan of them.  I have always loved the theatricality of an actor playing multiple roles in front of an audience… the ability to be a chameleon.  And I fell in love with audiobooks because of that.  My favorites were Jim Dale, Davina Porter and Roy Dotrice… they don’t just read a story – they perform it for you.  I listen to an audiobook every night… I think that one of the trickiest things is actually working of authors who AREN’T listeners to audiobooks, because they don’t really have a familiarity with the art form and what the audience wants.
  • What is the hardest part of narrating a story?
Gosh – great question.  I narrate under two names… Joel Froomkin for most of my material and Joel Leslie for my m/m material (simply so that I have a consistent brand for my m/m listeners).  But Joel Froomkin does a lot of historical and fantasy stuff – and I hate doing battle scenes.  It’s difficulty to not try to over act them, or speed up to make it seem exciting… and those are traps.  I just think they are hard.  Maybe cuz I’m not into sports lol!  Other than that, I have a tough time when there are a lot of alpha american men in conversation with each other in a scene.  Flamboyant characters can have quirks and personality that make them easily identifiable… and when you are doing a British book it’s so much easier because class and level of education is so distinctive with their speech and also dialects change in England every 21 miles… so you have great variety for how you make characters sound to pull them out for the listener.  But if I have a bunch of super-butch American alpha males in a room having a conversation in a book I usually have a panic attack.
It’s also very challenging to do a series where the author gives you multiple POV chapters.  Usually you would make your main character your own voice… because it’s going to be the most authentic and resonate as the most truthful with the reader… but when you have a bunch of characters speaking in first person… you can’t do that.  And it can be a real challenge.  I’ve had two like that recently (“Absolution (The Protectors #1)” by Sloane Kennedy (which is the first in an amazing series) and “Guns Blazing” by Eva Lenoir and Andrea Smith) that I sweated bullets over.
  • And the easiest?
People are so shocked to hear this…but the sex scenes.  Because usually there isn’t that much dialogue and it’s all descriptive.  So you can just settle back and read… it’s kind of like putting your car on cruise control.  And after doing this for almost two years now, there really isn’t much I can read that will make me blush!
  • I can remember listening to books being read to me as a child.  How they were read had a huge impact on me.  Using different voices, no matter how silly it might have seen to the adult (bears, rabbits…you know…childrens books).  The same carries over here.  In some stories, you play many characters where there are different pov.  Or do you only narrate stories with a singular pov?
It depends on the narrator… but I am very much a narrator who creates characters.  It’s funny that you mention animals, because when I first get a book I send the author a bunch of questions and one of them is “if your character was an animal what would they be”… Finding the voice for someone is much easier if you know the author thinks they are a ferret  vs. a hamster or a Persian cat. But I think the m/m listeners that really respond to my work usually do so because they enjoy how much individuality I try to give my characters.  Also, because I grew up in the UK with American parents, I’m kind of a dialect ambidextrous lol.  I jump between authentic British and American accents and I do as much British work for British authors as I do for American authors.  Listeners who have tried multiple books of mine are often confused about what my real voice sounds like.
  • I would imagine, being a narrator lets you go into any genre you want…am I correct in that?  Or do you have a particular favorite
Well I love that I get to do so much m/m work. I find it really important and empowering to be able to put those kind of stories out into the world.  I know the main audience is female for m/m romance, but I also think about the young adults who are struggling to feel ok with themselves and they might discover one of these stories by the brilliant authors I get to work for and find some hope.  And the thing about audio is it’s so private… you really are one-on-one with the listener.  So it means a lot to be able to give voice to m/m romance.  I also love doing fantasy stuff because it means you can use every dialect in the universe and play with crazy voices.  You don’t get to do everything you want – I think you can get pigeonholed as a narrator.  But I’m luckily not in that place yet, and my audiobook career has a lot of room to grow.
  • What’s your favorite types of stories to read or listen to?
I am such a sucker for cozy mysteries.  I don’t know why.  I LOVE MC Beaton and the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin books.  I think that’s why I love doing Haley Walsh’s Skyler Foxe so much…because it really is a gay spin on that type of mystery.  I think TJ Klune is one of the most amazing authors out there in any genre.  I don’t think I could ever get tired of listening to Jim Dale doing Harry Potter or Roy Dotrice doing Game of Thrones… they are just extraordinary examples of old-school storytelling.  I’m also so lucky to have an ongoing relationship with authors like N.R Walker, Kim Fielding, Andrea Smith, Kiernan Kelly, TM Smith and Grace R Duncan – they always seem to have something wonderful for me to play with.
  • What current projects are you working on that you want to share with our readers?

Absolution, the first in the protectors series by Sloane Kennedy just came out, as did Fame and Fortune by TM Smith.  Upcoming things I’m really excited about are the sequel to Black Balled called Hard Edit by Andrea Smith and Eva Lenoir, the second book in the Red Dirt Heart series by NR Walker and The Naked Prince and Other Fairy Tales by Joe Cosentino.

  • If you were an bard of old….how would you start your story of your life and what would it be called?

 

“Once upon a time there was a kid who could never keep his big mouth shut… It took two decades for him to realize there was a career for that.”

Thank you, Joel, that was a wonderful interview.  I’m sure there are many more questions rumbling about inside my head.  I hope you will stop back by Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for another conversation about  narration and audiobooks and any future projects you want to share with us.

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To listen to Joel, here are three different excerpts:

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If you want to reach out to Joel, we have listed his contacts below.  We also have a giveaway today for our readers brought to you by Joel who is giving away 10 copies, yes 10 winners… the winners could choose the first book in any of my series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled)!

About Joel Froomkin

Joel is a UK transplant, growing up with an American parents in a British commonwealth.  He is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of both American and British sounds.  His wit and comedic timing also appeal to producers.  He has developed a strong body of work for young audience, historical, fantasy, new-adult, romance and m/m fiction.

His author’s have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery”,  and a “true delight…” “legendary, and his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with”, “Anyone else would only be second best”.

Joel records under two names, for mainstream and children’s fiction as Joel Froomkin, and for m/m and adult material under Joel Leslie and has consistent access to home studio for all production needs.

 

 
You can contact Joel Froomkin at:

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Giveaway

We are giving away 10 copies (1 copy a winner so 10 winners overall) , all thanks to Joel Froomkin!  The 10 people chosen will get to chose from the first book in any of Joel’s series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled).
To be entered, tell us who’s your favorite narrator or narrators are. Tell us what you like best about a narrator and maybe name some of your favorite audiobooks. New to audiobooks?  OK,  name the ones you’d love to be able to listen to if you had a way to listen to audiobooks.  And after you do that, make sure you leave a contact name and email address where you can be reached if chosen.  Contest is open until midnight, September 30th.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
(Special Note:  If you are a Amazon Prime user, Audible is now free with your account.)
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This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Sunday, September 18:

  • The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Froomkin (also known as Joel Leslie)(Audiobooks Part II)
  • This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  • A Paul B Audiobook Review:  The Autumn Lands by J Scott Coatsworth

Monday, September 19:

  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway ~ Bitterwood by Rowan Speedwell
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Dad’s Nerdy New Boyfriend by JM Snyder
  • An Alisa Release Day Review: Power Bottom by Rowan McAllister
  • A Lila Release Day Review: Safe House (Buchanan House #4) by Charley Descoteaux
  • A Paul Review: Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves # 1) byVictoria Sue

Tuesday, September 20:

  • Release Blitz & Tour – Sweet Summer Sweat by Clare London
  • An Alisa Review: Broke by Amanda Young
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Pill Bugs of Time (Offbeat Crimes #2) by Angel Martinez
  • An Ali Review: Looking for Group by Alexis Hall
  • A Stella Review: Three More Wishes by Sean Michael

Wednesday, September 21:

  • Its Release Day for Flight: Queer Sci Fi’s Third Annual Flash Fiction Contest Anthology (QSF Flash Fiction #2) by J. Scott Coatsworth , Angel Martinez , et al.
  • Series Recap Tour – Guns n’ Boys by KA Merikan
  • A Stella Review: Resistance (Village Love #1) by Lillian Francis
  • A MelanieM Release Day Review: Taming the Wyld by Lucie Archer
  • A Ali Review: David, Renewed by Diana Copland

Thursday, September 22:

  • Riptide Tour and Giveaway: Gambling on Love by Jane Davitt
  • A Stella Review: Gambling on Love by by Jane Davitt
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Run for it All by Carolyn Levine Topol
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: The Queen & the Homo Jock King (At First Sight #2) by T.J. Klune and Michael Lesley (Narrator)

Friday, September 23:

  • Keep Me In Mind tour: Deanna Wadsworth ‘Too Good To Be True‘ (Excerpt and Giveaway)
  • In the Spotlight: Immortal Watch by Olivia Helling (blitz, excerpt and giveaway)
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale and Scott R. Smith (Narrator)
  • An Ali Releases Day Review: Raven’s Rest by Stephen Osborne
  • An Alisa Audiobook Review: Model Citizen (Haven Investigations #1) by Lissa Kasey and Mike Pohlable (Narrator)

Saturday, September 24:

  • A MelanieM Review: Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr

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A MelanieM Review: Midlife Crisis by Rob Rosen

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

midlife-crisisJack is thirty-five and single once again. He is not, as he as quick to point out, going through a midlife crisis. Still, it would be nice to have a partner. And so he sets out on an adventure to find the one-time love of his life, Bing, a man he hasn’t set eyes on in more than fifteen years, a man who has seemingly vanished off the face of the planet. With the help of his family and friends—plus the family dog and, of all people, his high school bully—he goes searching for Bing, only to unearth an ages-old mystery that puts them all in grave danger. In this hysterically funny tale of romance and self-discovery, the question remains right on up to the surprise ending: can we return to our past in order to better our future?

I often forget Rob Rosen’s ability to crack me up until I pick up another book of his, then the memory snaps back into place, along with the laughter as I read his characters hilarious wry, snarky and often wildly funny thoughts and dialog that flows out of their mouths and stories.

Midlife Crisis is another Rob Rosen gem.   Jack, a college professor has just had his last long relationship (6 months) breakup.  And his emotions are a jumbled mess about it. On one hand, he wasn’t in love with the boyfriend, in lust with the sex, ok.  But not with the man.  So time to say goodbye.  But another failed relationship?  That’s that  one that hurts and Jack is trying to see where he’s gone wrong with all the past relationships in his life because none have worked.  And hey!  Jack’s hitting 35, the gay midlife crisis number (according to Jack).  No long a cute  twink, his best cruising dayz behind him, he’s reaching gay old age (in his head).  Listening to Jack’s thoughts rambling on, leaping from one snarky peak to the next without ever hitting a valley of connectivity, is hilarious.

I love how Rosen lay’s out Jack’s life and his thoughts about how its played out.  It helps off course to have  Jack’s best friend weigh in on the matter with his own funny judgements.  Soon Jack has made the fateful decision that the love of his life, Bing O’Malley, must be found.  That the former teen love might hold the answers to the problems of his current relationship woes seems both silly and familiar and all too real.  Yep, its off to his hometown, his folks (who I couldn’t get enough of ) and a gassy Bassett Hound named Chompers.

Let the hilarity ensue.  How it does.

Also some very hot sex.  Many wild goings on, a murder mystery, the Shriners, the mob, even the FBI, as Jack pursues the boy who he loved and who left him, the new hot guy helping him, and  a slew of crazy clues all swirling about Jack’s past.  Plus there’s tons of laughter thrown in.

The writing’s fast paced to keep up with the action ~ in and out of the bed.  I was finished before I knew it or I was ready for the story to be over.  I loved Jack, his parents, Chompers…everything about Midlife Crisis.  And yes, Jack found the answers he was looking for.  Ready for some love and laughter? A murder mystery and hot sex too?  Pick up Midlife Crisis by Rob Rosen, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Cover art works for the character and story.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

ebook, Smashwords edition, 182 pages
Published August 20th 2016 by Fierce Publishing
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Audiobook Review: Black Balled (Black Balled #1) by Andrea Smith and Narrator Eva LeNoir

Rating Overall:  3.5 out of 5 stars

  • Rating for Story 3 out of 5
  • Rating for Narration:  4 out of 5

black-balled-audiobookLarson Blackburn is an author who is published by an independent publisher.  He has been trying to get his life back together after the death of his father, caring for his mother, and the disappearance of his sister Kennedy.  He believes that his newest novel will help move his life forward.  When influential online reviewer Babu savages not only his book but himself personally, he does the only thing he can think of doing.  Start an online war with the critic, a term he uses loosely.

Tony Babalonia, Babu to the hundreds of fans of his online reviews, is known as a savage critic, and that suits him just fine.  The Simon Cowell of the literary world, he does not hesitate to call a book garbage if he thinks it the term fits.  However, what he views as candor has sent many an author out of the business.  What he did not expect happened two years previously when one of those authors met him in a crowded elevator and stabbed him in the chest, causing his lung to deflate.  This caused Tony to become both a recluse and avoid elevators at all costs.  He cannot believe the audacity of one author, an L Blackburn, to challenge him and the critique he gave his book. 

The two continue their online war via Babu’s review site and personal emails, detailing their own sexual conquests with women.  Then Larson’s ex-wife comes to Babu and hands him information that suggests Larson plagiarized the novel from another book.  Things come to a head (literally) when the two meet at a literary convention.  The two, along with a woman that Larson was taking to his room, become trapped in an elevator at the hotel the convention was being held.  As they were attending a Halloween masquerade ball, neither man knew the identity of the other when sexual hijinks take place.  Will this lead to hurt feelings being eased or ramp them up to greater levels?

When I received the blurb for this audiobook, it said that it was a tale of two dominant alpha males.  I found the two MCs to be more like assholes the first two thirds of the book.  I could really gather neither sympathy nor empathy for either character.  Both characters try to one-up the other in either tales of what one will do to the other or what they have done to women, complete with video to prove it.  The ex-wife, who should be the main antagonist, comes of flat.  When the two men take the revenge on Noelle, it borders on cruel and sadistic.  I must say the sex scenes, especially between the two MCs were hot and well done. 

Narrating a novel from two MC’s points of view can be difficult but Joel Leslie does ad admirable job of doing so.  If I had to stop listening, when I returned, I could tell which of our MCs was currently speaking.  I am not sure if his narration made the MCs seem more distasteful that what was written but he seemed to bring out the true nature of the characters to me. 

Cover art is eye catching and draws you to pickup the story just as it should.

Sales Links

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Book Details

Audiobook, 9 hours 28 minutes, 55 chapters
Published:  June 8, 2016 by Andrea Smith

Audible Audio
Published June 8th 2016 (first published April 27th 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlack Balled #1

A MelanieM Review: Skyships Over Innsmouth by Susan Laine

Rating: 3 stars out of  5

skyships-over-innsmouthTwenty winters have passed since the Cataclysm brought down society and robbed people of their memories. Humanity, vastly reduced in numbers since the initial chaos, has started anew in Canal City with the aid of library books and steam technology. The Scout and Ranger Corps was established to search for possible survivors and to replenish dwindling resources.

Dev is the captain of the scout airship Smoke Sparrow, and Shay is the scholar of their newest expedition. Their destination is Innsmouth, Massachusetts, a small fishing town that is mentioned in obscure books but shows up on no maps. Might its secrets offer answers? But within the fog-covered, ruined hillside town by the bay lurk unspeakable dangers and horrors beyond imagining. The expedition team soon learns that Innsmouth is one town that should have been left forgotten.

Skyships Over Innsmouth by Susan Laine is more of a horror steampunk story than a romance.  Taking place in a post apocalyptic world, Laine imagines what’s left of humanity living without memories of their past, in small societies run by steam and cobbled together knowledge from left over books.  The event that wiped out their memories and killed most of the world’s population?  Only mentioned by name, the Cataclysm, it brought the world almost to oblivion.  No one living can remember past “twenty winters”, and most of those alive are young.

Its a fascinating foundation.  Our main characters live in a place known as Canal City (its familiar name we will find out only towards the end of the story).  All the people, Shay, Dev, even the remarkable Malia (one of my favorite characters) is mostly a blank slate.  They have no history, no past, and unfortunately, that lack of foundation to their characters, leaves them shallow and lacking.  I understand that its part of the narrative but it left its mark here on the men too. Malia is a stunshine gun wielding, armor wearing security guard for the Smokey Sparrow. She’s the most vivid, sparkling character in the entire story.  I loved her.  She outgunned, out powered and basically out charactered every darn thing in this  story.  Not good for Dev and Shay. Even the villain.

Laine did spooky rather well.  The atmosphere over the town of Innsmouth practically shouted “run, you fools”.  Typically, no one ever listens.  I loved some of the descriptions of the town, the evil elements I can’t describe here without giving away plot points, and a host of other vile goings on.  I liked those.  But they kept being interrupted by Shay and Dev and a romance I never, ever believed in, not once.    It went from shy, “I Lurve You” glances, to instant hot in love.  I never felt any real connection between the two, all while trying to escape the town, and save themselves and others.

Nope, I wanted more  of Malia.

The explanation, when it came…well, I’m not sure that I understood it all.  But Malia was there kicking butt and somehow it all came together.  The almost to the end was smashing!

As a horror/adventure tale, I liked Skyships over Innsmouth by Susan Laine.  Definitely not as a romance.  Its really up to you.

Cover Art © 2016 Staf Masciandaro. I liked the cover art.  Spot on for the story.

Sales Links

DSP Publications

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Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published August 2nd 2016 by DSP Publications
ISBN 1634769902 (ISBN13: 9781634769907)
Edition LanguageEnglish