Tag: contemporary

In the Spotlight: Burning Tracks (Spotlight Series #2) by Lilah Suzanne (author blog, excerpt and giveaway)

Burning Tracks 900px FRONT (Tumblr)

Burning Tracks (Spotlight Series #2) by Lilah Suzanne
Can be read as a standalone
 Release Date: August 11, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Victoria S.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words has invited Lilah Suzanne here today to share a little bit about herself with our readers.  Welcome, Lilah. Describe your favorite rainy day activity.

I love the smell of petrichor right before rain, and I do love a good rainy day, but I lived in Seattle for a while and I have to say, the constant rain got old pretty fast. So, depending on how many days it’s been raining, my favorite rainy day activity ranges from watching movies and reading books, to getting increasingly annoyed and desperate for sunshine. The thing about rainy days in Seattle is that you can’t get cozy and wait it out or you’ll never leave the house. Even though I’m in North Carolina again, I still sometimes have the Seattle mentality of dealing with rain: suck it up and carry on as usual, or a slightly grumpier than usual.

I’ll share one of my favorite rainy day memories also:

I lived in Florida until I was eight, when we moved to North Carolina. And in the summer of North Carolina or the eternal summer of Florida, my siblings and I loved going out and playing in the rain. We’d put on our swimsuits and grab buckets and jump in puddles and have a blast. Our favorite though, was when it would rain when we were swimming in our grandparent’s pool. I don’t know why it was so exciting to get rained on when were already wet, but it just felt magical somehow, this intermingling of rain and pool water and breaking sensibility to play out in it.

On one of our last family vacations before we all grew up and moved away and got married and had kids and all that was a trip to New Orleans, staying in the French Quarter in this old hotel in an even older building with very few windows and thick walls and narrow, twisting hallways. Our room was on the first floor in a courtyard with a pool in the center. Usually we were out and about seeing the sights (two out of four of us were old enough to see the nighttime sights) but one day it rained all day. Bored and listless, we all decided to go swimming in the rain. We have a picture, and it’s one of my absolute favorites, the four of us in the pool, the rain just pouring on us. It looks magical. And even though we were all teenagers and young adults, it felt just as magical as it used it.

Thank you, Lilah!  Now more about Burning Tracks by Lilah Suzanne.

Blurb

In the sequel to Broken Records, Gwen Pasternak has it all: a job she loves as a celebrity stylist and a beautiful wife, Flora. But as her excitement in working with country music superstar Clementine Campbell grows, Gwen second-guesses her quiet domestic bliss. Meanwhile, her business partner, Nico Takahashi and his partner, reformed bad-boy musician Grady Dawson, face uncertainties of their own.

 

Pages or Words: 224 pages, 62,000 words
 Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, Lesbian Romance, Romance Rom-Com

 

Excerpt

“There’s a reason you two aren’t allowed to hang out alone.” Arms crossed, one impeccable eyebrow raised, lips twisted, hair artfully tousled, and dressed to the nines: Alexander Wang black-on-black tropical-printed board shorts, a slim fit black-and-white chino and matching black lapel jacket, black boots, and a black and white scarf to tie it all together. “Nico,” Gwen says.

“Nico?” Grady is up in a flash. “You came?”

Nico’s face softens into his Grady look. “Of course I came. Did you really think you were getting rid of me that easily?” Grady comes closer, and Nico brushes a spiraled lock of hair from his face. “I’m sorry it took me so long. There were storms over Dallas, and I got stuck on the tarmac with a dead phone. I barely made my connection, and the clusterfuck of morons known as the United gate at JFK could not get its shit together, and I may be banned outright from Charlotte-Douglas International, can you believe they flag you as a security risk and hold you in a room with no phone signal or Wi-Fi just for threatening one person with shoving that goddam intercom up their—” He opens his arms for Grady; his look of annoyance slips away the moment they touch. “Anyway, I’m here.”

Grady sighs, crowds into Nico’s space, and tucks himself into Nico’s body. Much better, a perfect fit. “God, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Nico sinks one hand into his hair, strokes the nape of his neck with other, breathes him in, and closes his eyes. “I’m so sorry. About the apartment and taking off and not being here yesterday, I tried to so hard to make it because I know how difficult it is for you. You shouldn’t have been alone.”

Grady sniffs and holds him tighter. “It’s okay. We’re okay. I’m sorry, too.”

Still ensnared in the sheets and duvet and barely awake, Gwen presses her hands to her cheeks and awws. “You guys,” she coos.

Grady lifts his head from Nico’s neck to smile at Gwen. “I wasn’t alone, though.”

“Mmm” Nico says. “And how much trouble did she get you into?”

“None,” Gwen says, defensive. Here she kept Grady safe and sound, searched all over Nashville and Las Vegas while he was off burying himself in work and what thanks does she get? None.

But then Grady smirks and says, “Kind of a lot.”

“Grady.” Gwen throws a pillow at him. “You’re such a tattletale, gosh.”

He bends to whisper something in Nico’s ear, and Gwen doesn’t miss the way his lips drag and linger on the shell of it, or the way Nico’s breath catches and his eyes roll back. When Nico lifts Grady’s shirt and traces around the tattoos with reverent fingers, Gwen takes that as her cue to extricate herself from the bed, put on some pants and a bra, and go fetch her luggage.

“‘Kay you guys have fun and make sure to change the sheets when you’re finished.”

“Wait.” Nico tugs Grady’s shirt down. Then he goes to the case he always has nearby. “You have trouble of your own, Gwen. Thought you might want to know about this.”

Gwen catches the magazine and folded-up papers he tosses her way: screen grabs from a few entertainment websites printed out in black and white.

Is This Clementine Campbell’s Girlfriend? Our source says, “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Clementine and Gal Pal Definitely More Than Pals Sunning On Vegas Pool Deck.

Our exclusive source and close confidant of both says: Clementine’s married girlfriend “would cheat for sure. She was always touching her. There’s been an energy between them from the very beginning.”

There are pictures: her rubbing sunscreen on Clementine’s bare back, which looks far steamier in a fuzzy long-range picture than it actually was; a picture of them from the back at the store in the Venetian with their hands clasped and Clementine curled in close and her lips on Gwen’s cheek; and most damning of all, grinding together at the VIP club at the Bellagio just last night.

“I don’t—” Frantic and confused, she flaps the magazine and printouts in the air. “What is this? This isn’t— Nico, I didn’t, I swear.”

Nico holds both hands up. “Hey, I am well aware of the slander of tabloids. I get it.” He gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m just not sure Flora is going to.”

 

 

Buy the book:
Interlude Press: http://store.interludepress.com/collections/burning-tracks-by-lilah-suzanne

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2b9OekC

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burning-tracks-lilah-suzanne/1123818262?ean=9781941530993

Apple iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/burning-tracks/id1114833507?mt=11

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-burningtracks-2058729-149.html ?referrer=55feb862851f8

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/637139

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/burning-tracks-book-two-spotlight-series

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941530993&aff=interludepress

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Burning-Tracks-Lilah-Suzanne/9781941530993/?a_aid=InterludePress

 

 

Meet the author:

 

Lilah Suzanne has been writing actively since the sixth grade, when a literary magazine published her essay about an uncle who lost his life to AIDS. A freelance writer, she has also authored a children’s book and has a devoted following in the fan fiction community. She is also the author of the Interlude Press books Spice, Pivot and Slip, and Broken Records, which was named a Top Pick by RT Book Reviews Magazine.

 

 

Where to find the author:


Tour Dates & Stops:

11-Aug: Havan Fellows, Jessie G. Books, Divine Magazine, 3 Chicks After Dark

12-Aug: BFD Book Blog, Unquietly Me, The Novel Approach

15-Aug: Molly Lolly, Inked Rainbow Reads, Oh My Shelves

16-Aug: Book Reviews and More by Kathy, Alpha Book Club, Bayou Book Junkie

17-Aug: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Velvet Panic, Prism Book Alliance

18-Aug: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Kirsty Loves Books, Bonkers About Books

19-Aug: V’s Reads, My Fiction Nook, Happily Ever Chapter

22-Aug: Love Bytes, Foxylutely Book Reviews

23-Aug: Nephy Hart, MM Good Book Reviews

24-Aug: A.M. Leibowitz, Open Skye Book Reviews, Book Lovers 4Ever
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A VVivacious Review: Orientation by Rick R. Reed

 
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
 
OrientationRobert and his lover Ethan have drifted apart to the point that they are mere strangers living together. As things between them worsen Robert wonders if he ever truly loved anyone other than his first lover Keith who died of AIDS.
 
Then on one particularly lonely night Robert comes across a suicidal girl, Jess but it appears that there is more going on between Jess and Robert than either can guess at first. But what exactly does this sense of familiarity and love translate to between a gay man and lesbian?
 
I really think this book is not aptly named, I mean I don’t think it ever deals with orientation, I mean the characters in this book are not conflicted about their orientation and neither are they troubled by it. While this book ends on a note that kind of stresses orientation, this book is truly just a story of love.
 
It is a very engaging story. I read this book at a stretch; I just couldn’t put it down. It is a short book but what I liked about it is that the story never becomes predictable. What kept me turning the pages one after the other was the fact that I had no idea where this story would take me or how it would end.
 
Our MCs are Robert and Jessica who are both in ways dealing with loss. They bond over this fact but what truly makes them want to be with the other is the fact that there is a deeper sense of familiarity and love that underlies there meetings. Since the moment they met Jessica has felt that she is meeting someone she already knows and loves. Complicating this fact is that even though they feel love towards the other their orientations are completely incompatible. This story also follows two other characters, Ethan, Robert’s boyfriend and his drug dealer, Tony.
 
This story really focuses on its characters, you can sympathize with Robert’s desire to be blind to the obvious, to not have to face his boyfriend’s infidelities as well as his potentially lethal lifestyle and bury that under the joy of having someone else who understands his love for Keith. While Ethan’s struggle with his addiction is painful, he is wasting away and try as he might to climb out of the abyss he is in, he only ever manages to dig himself deeper. Tony’s guilt over being the reason many people have lost touch with themselves and his shame over not being able to give up the opportunity to make just a little more money is honest. And then there is Jess who is reeling form loss, is burdened by her lack of finances and struggling to understand these new feelings that have awakened in her… for a man…
 
This story really ties together the lives of these four characters and makes for a compelling read. This book is firstly about love and secondly about the human condition. It is an amazing read.
 
Cover Art by Wilde City Press. I liked the cover but I’m unsure as to how it relates to the story.
Sales Links
Books Details:
Wilde City Press
Kindle Edition, 2 edition, 192 pages
Published July 25th 2016 (first published May 7th 2008)
Original Title Orientation
ASIN B01J4KIP94

In Our Author Spotlight: Alina Popescu on Writing and her release ‘Dawn to Dusk (Lover’s Journey #1)’ (Author Guest Post, excerpt and giveaway)

Dawn to Dusk Tour Banner

Title: Dawn to Dusk
Series: Lover’s Journey, Book One
Author: Alina Popescu
Genre: Gay Romance, Contemporary
Length: Novel (over 50000 words)

Writing Down Memory Lane by Alina Popescu

Emotional rollercoasters, nostalgia, broad smiles, stray tears, they are all part of any drive you might take down memory lane. Funny, cathartic, or downright heartbreaking, memories are a great source of inspiration for me. Sometimes it’s about sharing them with the world. Other times (and I got a vampire trilogy out of this one) it’s about purging your own demons. With Dawn to Dusk, I experienced both!

As Dawn to Dusk covers roughly twenty years, from childhood to well into the adulthood of main character Edi, I had a lot to explore. The best part was remembering all the crazy things I used to do as a kid. Running, jumping, climbing trees, playing football or tag, reading the heat away after half an hour to an hour of exploring the cramped shelves of the village library, that sort of thing. Everything Edi does as a child, I did it first! Tomboy much?

While exploring the seemingly never-ending summer days spent in the country side, I had to eventually get to the part where the character grew up. That impression you get, that everything suddenly becomes smaller, less appealing, foreign, that was something I really struggled with. I did not want to let go of the climbing tree part, for example. But when you’re a university student, people don’t think it’s cute anymore. I could have ignored that part, of course, but planting my behind on a tree branch and reading for a few hours suddenly wasn’t that comfortable anymore.

As Edi grew up, I moved on to different memories. High school with all its wonders, moving to the capital for university, the campuses I lived in with their clubs, bars, and cheap, greasy food. The endless possibilities Bucharest had to offer in terms of career, opportunities, entertainment, dining, all contrasting with the small town feel of my home town. Which is actually, technically, a city.

There is a political side to what was happening during my childhood. I did catch a few good years of Communist regime, and then lived through the Revolution of December ‘89. I was safely tucked away at one of my grandmother’s, in a village only thirty kilometers or so from cities where there were shots fired, rumors of terrorists, and people dying to free us from a system that meant little and quite bad food, little comfort, and very, very cold winters.

I expected all of this to be harder to go through that it actually was. Maybe because it happened a long time ago, or maybe because it’s now romanticized by what our brains do with warm, fuzzy memories, I enjoyed every minute of this wild ride. I smiled my way through recollections of meeting people, running free, and growing up. I was even taken aback by how vivid things that happened over twenty years ago still were in my mind’s eye.

In fact, I’ve enjoyed it so much, I can’t wait to do it again in the second book of the series, Dusk to Dawn!

Synopsis

That first encounter with Robert in rural Romania at eleven. A summer spent together in the same setting a year later. Their first text exchange in high school. The first sexual experience. The first heartbreak—the second and third and fourth chance. The point of total breakdown and the despair of failing. More love than anyone could have warned him about.

No matter how much time passes, no matter how different their paths, every meeting brings Edi and Robert closer together. Those stolen moments shine brighter than any. Yet loving Robert is not easy, not when Edi wants to be true to himself and is met with dishonesty. Or when Robert keeps parading new conquests and ignores Edi more often than not.

Edi has always loved Robert, but he must decide if his journey leads to or away from his childhood friend. Is it true love or is Edi just unable to let go?

Dawn to Dusk Cover

Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I8FG8P4
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I8FG8P4
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01I8FG8P4
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01I8FG8P4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dawntodusk-2048734-149.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/649340

Giveaway

Prizes: 1 x $10 WIP Gift Card, 1 x $5 WIP Gift Card, 1 x ecopy of Br0th3rly (Famous on the Inernet, Book One).

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About the authorAlina Popescu

Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.

Social Links

Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+:  https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu

In the Spotlight: Roller Girl (Lake Lovelace #3) by Vanessa North (excerpt and giveaway)

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Roller Girl (Lake Lovelace #3) by Vanessa North
Riptide Publishing
Cover art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

Hi, I’m Vanessa North, and welcome to the blog tour for Roller Girl!

Throughout the week, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on writing the third book in my Lake Lovelace universe. Follow along and join the discussion in the comments to be entered to win a Lake Lovelace Rollergirls swag pack, including a signed copy of the book. Thanks for reading!

About Roller Girl

Recently divorced Tina Durham is trying to be self-sufficient, but her personal-training career is floundering, her closest friends are swept up in new relationships, and her washing machine has just flooded her kitchen. It’s enough to make a girl cry.

Instead, she calls a plumbing service, and Joanne “Joe Mama” Delario comes to the rescue. Joe is sweet, funny, and good at fixing things. She also sees something special in Tina and invites her to try out for the roller derby team she coaches.

Derby offers Tina an outlet for her frustrations, a chance to excel, and the female friendships she’s never had before. And as Tina starts to thrive at derby, the tension between her and Joe cranks up. Despite their player/coach relationship, they give in to their mutual attraction. Sex in secret is hot, but Tina can’t help but want more.

With work still on the rocks and her relationship in the closet, Tina is forced to reevaluate her life. Can she be content with a secret lover? Or with being dependent on someone else again? It’s time for Tina to tackle her fears, both on and off the track.

This title is part of the Lake Lovelace universe.

About Vanessa North

Author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and short stories, Vanessa North delights in giving happy-ever-afters to characters who don’t think they deserve them. Relentless curiosity led her to take up knitting and run a few marathons “just to see if she could.” She started writing for the same reason. Her very patient husband pretends not to notice when her hobbies take over the house. Living and writing in Northwest Georgia, she finds her attempts to keep a quiet home are frequently thwarted by twin boy-children and a very, very large dog.

 

Connect with Vanessa:

 RollerGirl_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Roller Girl, Vanessa will be sending one lucky winner a special gift basket!

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Gift basket will include an autographed copy of Roller Girl, a purple Lake Lovelace Roller Girl t-shirt in your size, a pair of waffle earrings, some derby stickers, and more! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 30, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

In the Spotlight: Top to Bottom (Escape Book 3) by Delphine Dryden Blog Tour and Giveaway

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Top to Bottom (Escape Book 3) by Delphine Dryden
Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase

Read An Excerpt/Buy It Here

 

About Top to Bottom

Drusilla Stasevich wants to leave the past behind and start the next chapter of her life. Returning to her hometown to open her dream kink club, Escape, seems like the perfect solution. But it can be tricky making dreams come true—especially when the person you want to share them with isn’t around anymore.

Amie Templeton is no stranger to tough times. She’s learned to make it on her own, and doesn’t do relationships outside the kink world. When her ex Dru moves back to town, old feelings surface. But that’s fine, right, since Dru has just opened the hottest new kink club in town?

Dru and Amie want to get the distracting spark between them out of their systems. Instead, their intense play sessions fan that spark into a flame. As if Dru didn’t have enough on her plate, an anonymous saboteur threatens to push her new club out of business. It will take the help of everybody at Escape to set things right again, and a lot of trust for Dru and Amie to start working toward a new life together.

About Del Dryden

Delphine Dryden  probably should have gone ahead and  become an English professor like she planned. Instead, she took a detour through law school, another detour through the wonderful world of working in special education, and took an extra fifteen years to end up where she belonged: writing kinky romances.

Del’s writing has earned an Award of Excellence and Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times Book Reviews, an EPIC Award, and a Colorado Romance Writers’ Award of Excellence.  When not writing or editing, she can be found binge-watching television shows with her girlfriend, playing tabletop games, and tweeting to excess.

Connect with Delphine:

ToptoBottom_TourBanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Top to Bottom, one lucky person will win an ebook package of Dom Around the Corner and The Unicorn, plus a $5 Amazon gift certificate. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 23, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info.

For the duration of the tour, Del is also giving away paperback copies of her steampunk books Scarlet Devices and Gilded Lily. Contact her via her website’s contact page, put your favorite mythical beast in the subject line and your name and address in the body. Limit to 20 people total, or until the tour ends.

This title is part of the Escape universe.

An Ali Review: Cops and Robby by Carol Lynne

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Cops and RobbyCops, Cole and Morgan Caldwell, have always had to hide their love for each other from the outside world. They are content with each other until the night they rescued Robby. Beaten and left in an alley by a john, Robby has never known true kindness and soon falls for both men, but Robby’s got a problem. His pimp, Vince, isn’t ready to let him go.

 

Can two cops love a prostitute or will Robby’s baggage be too much for them to carry?

 

Cole found Robby in an alley in pain on his way home one night.  Morgan is wary of the stranger and doesn’t want anyone to come between him and Cole.  As they give Robby time to heal they learn some new things about each other.

 

Cole and Morgan already have a taboo relationship, but it is based on their deep love for each other.  They don’t hide their relationship from Robby and welcome him to their lives.

 

My heart broke for Robby with how bad his life has been so far and how he believes that Cole and Morgan are just too good to be true.  Cole loves having someone to take care of, while Morgan has someone else to protect.  This was a shorter story that held a lot of emotions, it was wonderful to see the three of them get their HEA.

 

The cover art is nice, but needs to be zoomed in a bit to see the details.

 

Sales Link: Wilde City Press | Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 21,992 words
Published: 2nd Edition, April 13, 2016 by Wilde City Press
ISBN: 9781925313925
Edition Language: English

Its All About the Wedding with Daniel & Erik’s Super Fab Ultimate Wedding Checklist’ by K.E. Belledonne (author interview, excerpt and givewaway)

Checklist 1600px (Smashwords, Amazon)

Daniel & Erik’s Super Fab Ultimate Wedding Checklist by K.E. Belledonne
Release Date: June 23, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: C.B. Messer

Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to be interviewing K.E. Belledonne, author of Daniel & Erik’s Super Fab Ultimate Wedding Checklist. Hi Kat, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Q. What genre is your book and what drew you to this genre?

This book’s genre would technically be “romance”, but it’s not a traditional romance. There’s no bodice ripping or long luxurious love scenes. It’s a M/M romantic comedy. It’s light, it’s fun, it’s breezy and at times a bit silly. It’s a good time read.

I adore romantic comedy, it’s one of my favorite genres to read, and to watch. I love that we all know the basic structure of the plot, but how that plot is achieved can vary greatly. It’s like writing a sonnet – there are rules that govern it, but the content can vary greatly.

Q How many days a week do you write?

I try to sit down at my computer to write at least three days a week. Some weeks, I manage to get 5 days, and some weeks, I don’t get any at all. I always carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go, so I can scribble down ideas, or write chunks of scenes when I have some downtime.

Q On average, how long does it take to write a book?

I’d say I’m averaging about a book a year. I like to do a lot of research, and I need to build in a lot of time for shifting things around. I also write more than one book at a time; while this book was with my editor, I started writing the next, and doing research for another.

Q Do you have a trailer for your book? If yes, give us the link. If not, do you think you’d like to have one done at some point?

I don’t have a trailer for this book, simply because I lack the skills to make one! I would absolutely love to have one done. Books always play like movies in my head, even the ones I’m writing. I tend to write in a very cinematic style, so I think a book trailer would really be a great addition to the book!

Q If I could be a character in a book, I would be _______?

I would absolutely love to be Eloise Kelly from Lauren Willig’s The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I adore those books. They are such fun to read, such

wonderful romances and they make me laugh out loud. I’m always in a better mood after I read one, and that’s exactly what I want out of a book. Eloise is smart, and strong, and yet still goofy and nerdy. I love her.

Thanks, Kat, for the wonderful interview.  Now more about Daniel & Erik’s Super Fab Ultimate Wedding Checklist by K.E. Belledonne!

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Blurb

When Daniel gets caught up in the demands of a cheeky wedding planning app, his fiancé Erik grows frustrated with his preoccupation with adhering to heterosexual traditions. Will Daniel’s groomzilla ways give them the wedding of their dreams, or ultimately lead to their relationship’s demise?

 

Pages or Words: 53,000 words, 188 pages
 Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Romance, Rom Com

Excerpt

“I think Aurora is disappointed in me.”

“What?” Erik rubbed at his eye. It wasn’t even early morning, judging by the weak light coming through the blinds from the streetlights. “Who?”

“Aurora. The wedding planning app.” Daniel lay on his back, wide awake and staring up at the ceiling.

“The wedding planning app is not a sentient being. It has no feelings or opinions.”

“I feel like she’s judging me. I’m sorry if I woke you up.”

“Oh my god, go to sleep.”

“I can’t. I’m never going to sleep ever again.” Daniel tugged the blanket higher up his chest, folding his arms over it and exhaling heavily.

“You’re being dramatic.”

“I’ve got too many things buzzing in my head. There’s too many things I’m going to forget to do.”

“I thought that’s why you had that damn app, so you don’t have to remember anything; it’s all right there saved on your tablet.”

“Yes, but I have to remember to put everything in it.″ Daniel rolled over. ″She doesn’t just know everything—”

“A: She is not a she. It is an it. B: What are we doing tomorrow?”

“Oh my god, what is the point of sharing the app calendar if you’re never going to look at it?” Daniel wailed.

“I look at it. It’s just crammed so full of everything that I have no idea what’s going on when.”

Daniel blew out his breath. ”Look, I know you don’t like the calendar. We’ve been over that, but I don’t know how else to keep track of all of these appointments and deadlines.”

“I told you, we could color-code them, or something,” Erik rolled to his side and punched at his pillow.

“Aurora doesn’t give you that option.”

“Well, it should.”

“I agree, but there’s nothing I can do about that.” Daniel bunched his pillow up under his head. “Tomorrow, we have four appointments to meet with caterers: two in the morning, two in the afternoon.”

“Why so many in one day?”

“It’s the only day we both have available this week, and I am not going to make any decisions about the food at our reception without you there to discuss it.”

“Seriously, you could just make a choice, and I’ll live with it.” Erik rolled over.

“I don’t want you to just ‘live with it,’ Erik.″ Daniel tried to keep his voice neutral, but failed. ″This is our wedding. I don’t want you to just ‘live with it.’”

“Why are you getting so worked up about it?”

“We only get one chance at this. Everything needs to be perfect.”

“You’re going to drive us both crazy, you know that, right?” Erik tugged the blankets back up over his shoulder.

“Well, then, we’ll both be crazy.” Daniel squinted up at the ceiling. He was so tired of making these decisions. Why were there so many options? Why were there so many decisions? The planning was getting on Erik’s nerves; he was getting on Erik’s nerves. Erik was getting on his nerves. They were both just a pile of irritated nerves because the to-do list didn’t seem to be getting any smaller.

Daniel’s phone chimed with another notification from Aurora.

New Private Message from: MommyMargie.

His mother probably had another ludicrous suggestion for the reception, or a passive-aggressive reminder of the hymn that she and his father had had played at their wedding, that their grandparents had had played at their wedding and that she expected to hear at his wedding. Or maybe his parents had decided to paint the living room green. Who knew?

 

 

Buy the book

 

 

 

Meet the Author

 

K. E. Belledonne is a writer, editor and translator. A native New Englander, Kat spends her spare time listening to Glenn Miller records, reading history books and cheering on her beloved Red Sox. Her first novel, Right Here Waiting, was published by Interlude Press in 2015.

 

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

23-Jun

Prism Book Alliance, Unquietly Me, Book Lovers 4Ever, Man2ManTastic, Three Books Over The Rainbow,

BFD Book Blog

24-Jun

Bonkers About Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words

27-Jun

Oh My Shelves, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

28-Jun

Havan Fellows, V’s Reads, My Fiction Nook, Open Skye Book Reviews

29-Jun

Up All Night, Read All Day, Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews

30-Jun

Molly Lolly, Full Moon Dreaming

1-Jul

Attention Is Arbitrary, Alpha Book Club

4-Jul

Happily Ever Chapter, The Novel Approach, Love Bytes

5-Jul

Nephy Hart, Bayou Book Junkie, Divine Magazine

6-Jul

A.M. Leibowitz, Two Chicks Obsessed With Books and Eye Candy, 3 Chicks After Dark

 

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: Grand Prize: $25 Interlude Press gift card, 5 first prizes of an e-copy of Daniel & Erik’s Super Fab Ultimate Wedding Checklist.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

 

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A BJ Review: Til Death Do Us Part by Addison Albright

Rating:  3.25 stars out of 5

Til Death Do Us PartHenry and Sam Miller-Greene are living the dream. They love their careers — which afford each of them opportunities to travel to exotic locations — they love their home, Sam’s caring family, and each other. They disagree on the subject of adoption, but are fully committed to each other in marriage … ’Til Death Do Us Part.

The dream is shattered when Henry’s plane crashes and he’s presumed dead. But four people — Henry, two other men, and a child — survive undetected on a remote, small, and insignificant island. Will Sam and Henry’s love be able to survive, as well?

Henry fights to endure in harsh conditions, never knowing when disaster will strike. Sam struggles with his loss, but with help moves on with his life. Will Sam be able to put aside his new love when he reunites with Henry?

I love this sort of story, had been looking from something with this scenario, so for me the story was gripping enough that I finished it in one day to see the conclusion. The descriptions of how they survived on the island were very detailed and obviously very well researched. I enjoyed the story quite a bit, but there were several things that kept me from LOVING it as much as I really did want to.

The survivors did seem to have it remarkably easy on the small island, it wasn’t hard to find water and the supply stayed consistent, there was very little sickness or injuries over the extended length of time they were there. It’s mentioned how dangerous even small injuries can be, and yet there was a mention of blistered hands but no mention of complications from it nor how it was dealt with.  And when we do see one rather serious injury, the care was mentioned but not in depth, and the recovery was pretty much glossed over with no lasting consequences from the injury. They explain how they washed their teeth, but never that anyone had a tooth issue in all that time despite all the fruit sugar and stuff.   

My connection to the characters never felt close I’d find in books that fully engage me. A few days after reading it, I have a hard time to remember them. I wanted to feel more attuned to their emotions and desperation and trauma than what I did. Too much was told than shown, I think, which kept me at a distance from them. And the dialogue often felt unnatural.

Also there were frequent flashbacks to Henry and Sam’s relationship prior to the separation. I think this was meant to make us feel closer to them as a couple, but since it was in the past, I often felt compelled to skim and get back to current matters. The jumping around from present with each guy, then back to the past didn’t work well for me. A little touch once would have been enough for me, I’d actually rather have seen the relationship with Nash develop more rather than the rather cursory depth it was given.

Before they were rescued, despite the lack of depth to the characters, I was invested in the story and would have given it at least a four. But after the rescue, my feelings changed rather quickly. The character’s reactions after the rescue and the dialogue (often times they all seemed to just spout words without even thinking) really changed the heart of the story for me. Because I came to dislike all of them at a time when I should have been feeling for them intensely. All the back and forth, lack of thoughtfulness towards each other and what was said, just pulled me out of the story and made me hardly care.

One character just suddenly dropped off without even a final conversation on page, making me doubt if the other was ever truly in love with him. Basically, the angsty drama I had expected at the end didn’t materialize, it all felt distant. Also, I enjoyed the little boy, Buddy, and his storyline, but again it’s conclusion also so easy and left me wanting just that bit more depth and angst.

Lovely cover is lovely, perfect for the story.

Sales Links:   JMS Books LLC | Amazon


Book Details:  

ebook, 212 pages
Published April 3rd 2016 by JMS Books, LLC
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersHenry Miller-Greene, Sam Miller-Greene settingSeattle, WA (United States)
Honiara (Solomon Islands)
Hawaii (United States)

Coffee Sip and Book Break with Carrie Pack’s ‘In The Present Tense’ (excerpt and giveaway)

In the Present Tense 1600px (Smashwords, Amazon)

In The Present Tense by Carrie Pack
 Release Date: May 19, 2016

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: CB Messer

*******

Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is lucky to be interviewing Carrie Pack author of In the Present Tense. Hi Carrie, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

I’m thrilled to be here and share my new release with you. In the Present Tense explores the impact of mental illness on those we love through the lens of contemporary science fiction. My main character, Miles, has a condition similar to dissociative identity disorder that causes him to time travel and it causes all sorts of trouble in his personal life.

  • Why do you write?

I write because I love the written word. I love the way language ebbs and flows over time. I love the way you can create poetry, songs, prose, nonfiction, and a dozen other types of writing with the same 26 letters of the alphabet. I love the way other languages worm their way into English. I am a shameless abuser of puns and I’ve always been fascinated by a writer’s ability to craft a well-turned phrase. I became a writer because I wanted to be one of those people.

  • Which of your books was the most difficult to write?

Definitely In the Present Tense. There was a sense that I was writing a “Book” this time. Whereas my first novel was written without the intent of publishing it, this go around, I had a contract before the first chapter was written. I also had to do a lot of research because I wanted to make sure I respected my topic. I have characters who are mentally ill and it’s very important to me that I treat that properly.

  • Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

He time travels, which is pretty unique, but that particular characteristic causes a lot of problems for him. One of the themes of this book is how varying degrees of mental illness affect those around us. Obviously, Miles’s illness is extreme, but nearly all my characters have varying degrees of mental health disorders. Miles has an amazing ability to use his mental illness as a tool to help him understand his own mistakes, though. So he tries to fix his past, and, of course, that changes his future.

  • How much research do you do for your books?

I always do some research. For my first book, Designs On You, my research was my early career as a graphic designer. For In the Present Tense, I read books and articles on dissociative identity disorder to make Miles’s condition as realistic as possible. And right now I’m working on a novel set during the Riot Grrrl movement of the early ‘90s. Research for that is fun. I’m reading back issues of zines and listening to lots of punk music.

  • Who designs your covers?

The lovely and talented CB Messer at Interlude Press is art director for all the IP covers and she frequently designs a lot of the covers as well. She was the artist for mine and it just so happens to be one of my favorite covers she’s ever done. I’m so lucky.

**********

Blurb

Miles Lawson goes to sleep dreaming of a future with his boyfriend Adam, but wakes to find he is married to Ana, an acquaintance from high school. When he learns he has been time traveling, Miles is consumed with finding a cure for his rare condition—and finding his first love. But will he be able to convince Adam he is telling the truth before it’s too late?

 

Pages or Words: 336 pages
 Categories: Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction

Excerpt

Miles sat there and tried to make out shapes and colors in the dark room as he searched his brain for a memory of anything.

Nothing looked familiar. His desk, his drum set, the sheets—all gone. Not one thing looked the way it had when he’d fallen asleep, and Ana certainly hadn’t been in his bed.

He tried to replay the previous day’s events, but everything seemed fuzzy, like a fogged bathroom mirror that he couldn’t wipe clean.

Why was everything so fuzzy?

Last night… What happened last night?

Adam had come over and they were watching TV together, and Adam had given him a small stuffed giraffe because Miles was scared about having surgery. He reached for his left arm, expecting to find the cast that had been there for the last two months, but it wasn’t there. His heart began to beat so loudly he glanced over at Ana to make sure she was still asleep.

Unable to determine what had happened to his cast, Miles resumed his tally of the previous evening’s chain of events. At around ten-thirty, his mom said Adam had to leave because they had to get up early to go to the hospital. He had taken his pain meds and gone to sleep with the phantom of Adam’s goodnight kiss on his cheek. He’d been happy.

He’d gotten a text from Ana earlier in the evening, but she was only wishing him luck with the surgery. She hadn’t come over. In fact, as far as Miles knew, Ana had been several hours away in her dorm room.

So how had she gotten into his bedroom? And who had changed his sheets?

He threw off the covers and stood up, noticing he was only wearing a tight-fitting pair of boxer briefs instead of his usual basketball shorts.

He looked around the room for anything familiar, but it was still dark out, and all he could see were shadows and vague shapes. On the dresser opposite the bed, he found a few framed photos. Squinting to see without turning on a light, Miles studied the images carefully.

As his eyes focused, he recognized a couple of the photos. One was from last year’s prom: Adam wearing that ridiculous corsage Miles had bought him, Ana being dipped by her date, David, as all four of them smiled widely in front of a cheesy faux tropical scene. One of the frames held a collage of photos of his and Ana’s friends. He recognized Adam, Lucky, Antonio, Dahlia and Brienne. But the last one, the largest of all the photos, was of him and Ana—her in a flowing white dress and him in a black suit, both wearing broad smiles and flanked by Miles’s parents and a woman Miles had only seen once: Julia Espinosa, Ana’s mother.

A loud clatter echoed through the bedroom as the frame hit the edge of the dresser and fell to the hardwood floor. This wasn’t his room, and he didn’t remember that photo being taken.

“Go back to sleep,” Ana mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“Ana,” he whispered, risking her full anger, but unable to stop himself, “we’re married.”

“Thanks for the update. Now go back to sleep before I divorce your dumb ass.”

He dropped to the floor on his knees, barely even noticing the sharp pain of bare skin hitting the hard surface.

Married. To Ana?

What the hell had happened?

 

Buy the book:

 

 

 

Meet the Author:

Carrie Pack is the author of Designs On You and a part-time college professor who recently left her job in marketing to actively pursue her writing career. Carrie lives in Florida, which she fondly calls America’s Wang, with her husband and four cats.

Where to find the author:

 


Tour Dates & Stops:

19-May: Sinfully Addicted to All Male Romance, Oh My Shelves, Happily Ever Chapter

20-May: The Novel Approach, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Velvet Panic, Havan Fellows

23-May: Anna Butler Fiction, Outrageous Heroes, Alpha Book Club, Jessie G. Books

24-May: Unquietly Me, Dawn’s Reading Nook, BFD Book Blog

25-May: Inked Rainbow Reads, Divine Magazine, Boys on the Brink Reviews

26-May: Love Bytes, Louise Lyons, A.M. Leibowitz

27-May: My Fiction Nook, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings

30-May: Bayou Book Junkie, MM Good Book Reviews

31-May: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, TTC Books and More

1-Jun: Prism Book Alliance, Molly Lolly

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Giveaway

Enter to win a $25 Interlude Press Gift Card.  Must be 18 years of age or older.

 

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