I’m Back…and Guess What?

…I’m writing again.

Hello! Is anyone still with me? I’ve been away much longer than I intended. Life changes have really thrown me for a loop in recent years and I’m trying, yes trying, to get back on a secure footing with my writing…beginning now.

Who remembers my first release? That’s right. Zakia and the Cowboy.

Zakia and the Cowboy is the book that started me on a course of manic writing that kept me busy for years. Friends called me a writing ninja, lol. Then disaster struck…and struck again, and again. I won’t bore you with all the sordid details, but most recently, I’ve had to learn to walk again as a septic infection in my hip almost killed me. Yes, I went into septic shock and almost died. Ended up in the hospital for ten weeks. But I didn’t die. So I am thankful. I don’t appreciate having to use a walker or wheelchair to get around, but I finally got my driver’s license back and with it a certain amount of independence.

And I can still write. To prove this, I am determined to release Abby’s story, The Seduction of Abby Kerrigan, and the final book in the series, A Thunder Creek Christmas, this year.

The Seduction of Abby Kerrigan is almost half written. I’m going to work on it more tonight. Here’s a sneak peek at the first chapter, although the wording might change during the editing process. Heck, I may even decide to rewrite it before then. 🙂

Chapter One

Abby Kerrigan sat by the front window in her father’s house, her computer on her lap as she searched for jobs in the area. But her heart wasn’t in it. She shut it down and set it aside to stare out the window.

She loved it here on the Manning ranch in Alberta, Canada. Her father, Cameron Manning, had made sure their mother and all three girls learned how to ride and shoot. Abby could lasso a cow just as good as any of the wranglers, although hanging onto said cow and not falling off her horse was still a definite problem. She didn’t have the muscle the wranglers did, and didn’t want to be muscular. Although she sure loved looking at the way those cowboys filled out their jeans. Maybe even drooled over one a time or two.

The girls had also learned to enjoy the winter months, so different from their native Ireland. Skiing, snowmobiling, ice-skating, snowshoeing…it was all terrific fun. And everyone had made her feel so welcome, but it wasn’t home. It wasn’t Ireland. She missed her family and her friends there. And if she went back to Ireland, she’d surely miss her family here.

Lynne and Rena weren’t around much any more as they were married to handsome, hardworking men. On top of that, both sisters had babies on the way, which secured their spots in the family, to Abby’s way of thinking. Even her mother and Cam had married after all those years apart and were expecting, a boy this time, and only one. But Abby, the youngest of the Kerrigan triplets, felt at a loose end, as if life was fast slipping right by her.

She wanted to go back to Ireland and run the Bistro that Lacey, her mother, had started when she and her sisters were still little girls. She didn’t want to disappoint anybody by leaving the ranch, as her parents rejoiced in having their family near, so how could she tell them what she wanted to do without making it seem as if she didn’t like the ranch? If she stayed, she’d be nothing more than a glorified babysitter for everyone. What she needed was to get out and meet people. Maybe then she’d find the man of her dreams. But what if this fantasy man was in Ireland?

Laughing at the direction her thoughts had taken, she decided a cup of tea was in order. She went to the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil. She was rummaging through the cupboards for a snack when the doorbell rang and she smiled, looking forward to having some company. It had to be family as rarely had anyone else ever ventured out to her father’s house.

She walked to the front door and checked the peephole before unlocking it. After all the trouble her family had had this past year, Abby wasn’t about to open the door to just anyone. The man standing on the front step looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. “Who’s there,” she called.

“Mark Matthews. I’m looking for Cameron Manning.”

Abby unlocked the door and opened it. “I remember you. Weren’t you the photo-journalist who welcomed us at the airport?”

He smiled. “One and the same. How are you adjusting to ranch life, Abby?”

“What makes you think I’m Abby?” she asked, since she was identical to her sisters in looks.

“Well, truth be told, I’ve kept up with your family and, as you’re not wearing a wedding ring and definitely aren’t pregnant, I assumed you were Abby, the only single lady left.”

“Good powers of observation. What brings you out this way, Mark?” she asked as she opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in.

“I’m looking for your father. Is he home?”

“No, most of the family went to Fort Macleod for the day. A country music jamboree or something,” she replied as she pushed the door closed.

“You not into country music?” he asked.

“Not enough to spend the entire day listening to it. I was just making a cup of tea. Would you like to join me?”

“Sure, if I’m not imposing.”

“Not at all,” she said as she led the way to the kitchen. “It’s nice to have the company.”

“You probably won’t think so when you find out why I’m here.”

“Sounds scary,” she said as she made the tea.

Mark nodded. “Scary enough that I’m out trying to track Cameron down.”

As he sat down, Mark pulled a letter-sized envelope from his back pocket and laid it on the table.

“Dad has his cell phone. Want me to call him?” she asked as she set their cups on the table.

“I hate to interrupt his day off, but this is important. If he could meet me at the park gate that would be great.”

Abby grabbed the house phone and dialed. As soon as he answered, music blasted across the line but she couldn’t hear her father. “Dad? Are you there?”

“Abby? What’s up?”

He must have moved away from the music as she could hear him now. “Dad, we have company, the photo-journalist who met us at the airport last year. He needs to see you right away. He says it’s important.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“No, he said he’d meet you at the park gate…Dad?” He’d already hung up. She turned toward Mark. “He’s on his way home.”

“Maybe that’s for the best. What I have to show him is not for public consumption.”

“Could I see what you have?”

Mark slowly stirred milk into his tea before he answered.

“I’d rather wait until your father arrives, if you don’t mind. Saves me from doing the telling twice.”

“No problem. It is him you came to see.”

“I’ve been trying to work up the courage to come see you, but I’m not so good with the spoken word. I can write and write and words never fail me, but in person? Nope.”

“Why courage? I don’t bite, kick, or scratch,” Abby said with a grin aimed his way.

“Ahhh, that’s good to know.” He smiled, picked a cookie off the plate, and bit into it. “Mmmm, these are good.”

“An old Irish recipe. Irish Oatmeal Lace. They’re gluten free and I love them.”

“My mom has Celiacs and is always looking for new recipes. Could you write it down for me?”

“Sure.” She grabbed a pen and paper from the bureau and wrote from memory.

 “There you go.” Abby ripped the page from the spiral notebook and passed it to him. Their fingers touched and seemed to set fire to her very soul. What the heck? She glanced over at Mark, but nothing in his expression was amiss. It must have just been me jolted by that spark.

“Thanks.” He read it and then folded the paper and stuck it in his shirt pocket. “You have beautiful penmanship. The letters almost flow off the page.”

“Uh, thanks, I think.”

Mark looked over at her and smiled, a smile that lit up his eyes and had two cute dimples appearing in his cheeks. “If you read some of the scribbled notes I’ve had to work with, then you’d realize that was meant as a compliment.”

“Oh. Okay. Then thanks.” She heard a vehicle stop out front. “That must be Dad. I’ll go see.” She stood and headed for the front of the house, but the door opened before she got to it and in walked her father and mother.

“Hi, Abby. What’s up?” asked her mother.

“I’m not sure. Mark wanted to wait until Dad was here.”

“Where is he?” her father asked.

“In the kitchen. I’ll make more tea.”

“Thank you, dear. I could use a cup,” said her mother.

For the first time since Mark showed up, Abby worried about her mother. This pregnancy had been difficult for her and Abby hoped Mark’s ‘important news’ was good news.

Mark stood and shook hands with her father and mother as they entered the kitchen.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your day, but I felt this was important.”

“Sounds ominous. What have you got, Mark?” Cam asked as they sat down.

Mark picked up the envelope. “This came to the office addressed to me and marked as personal and confidential. It’s a photocopy of the article I wrote about you and your family last year, but with one major difference, as you’ll see. Mrs. Manning, please don’t look unless Cameron thinks it’s okay.”

“Call me Lacey. Now I’m really curious.”

Cam opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper. He held it by one corner and unfolded it, then gasped and turned pale. Abby snatched the paper from his hand, looked at the defaced picture, and promptly fainted.

**********

I hope this has whet your appetite for more of our Thunder Creek family as they embark on another adventure. Will keep you updated. in the meantime, happy writing. 🙂

Spotlight on Nicola M. Cameron!!!

Hello, my friends. Nicola M. Cameron has come to us today to explain how To My Muse came about. Please welcome Nicola and her new release. 🙂

Hello, and thanks so much for having To My Muse on your blog today. If I’m being honest with everyone, the tagline for this book should be, “Loosely based on a kind of true story!”

Back in March 2017, I pinged the extremely talented, kind, and tolerant actor Louis Herthum on Twitter and told him that he’d helped to inspire my new dystopian SF romance novel Degree of Resistance with his performance in Westworld. This resulted in a brief but lovely chat, at the end of which I asked if he’d like a print copy of Degree. To my delight, he said yes and told me where to send the book. The next day I signed a spandy new copy to him, packaged it up, and mailed it off, happy as a clam.

Six hours later, I had a nervous breakdown.

See, since I write romance novels that tend towards the explicit side of things, sex scenes don’t shock me. They’re just another part of the plot, and not even the most interesting part a lot of the time. But I forget that civilians don’t always share that view, and I had just sent a perfectly nice stranger a book that had some rather hot (well, no—extremely hot) scenes in it. Worse, I’d told him that he had inspired the plot. I was belatedly but absolutely convinced that he would put two and two together and come up with, “Note to self—make sure this pervert never comes within 50 yards of me.”

Panicking, I called my friend T. As she tried to talk me down, pointing out that 1) Lou’s a guy, so it was highly unlikely that 2) he would read a romance novel, even one with heavy SF themes, and 3) would probably just stick it on a shelf as a nice piece of egoboo, I was busy coming up with an insane plan—I would fly to LA, break into his agent’s office, steal back the book, and nobody would be the wiser. Brilliant! It would work!

Why, yes, I’m a little neurotic when it comes to my writing, why do you ask?

Needless to say, I was talked out of this. But after I calmed down I did have to admit that it was a hell of a funny idea. And when I decided to try writing a contemporary romantic comedy, it popped back into my head and waved its little hands, saying, “Me! Use me!” Seeing as I’d already lost some of my sanity and a largish patch of stomach lining on the concept, I figured why not. To My Muse is the result.

By the way, this book? No sex. Lots of comedy and banter between my leads, but no sex. Yes, I’m shocked as well. But boy, it was a ball to write.

BLURB:

 Ever do something really, really dumb?

When too much tequila and an enabling BFF put Lily Nayar’s romance novel Feast of Lovers into the hands of its inspiration, sexy British actor Tom Morrison, Lily is horrified. Now she’s determined to get her book back, even if that means breaking into Tom’s hotel room to do it.

With the help of a strategic lie and a charismatic knight, Lily’s screwball plan catapults her into the middle of her very own Cinderella story, Hollywood style. But will a vengeful actress ruin Lily’s shot at a real life HEA with Tom?

Need more? Here goes…

EXCERPT:

Giving Theresa a thumbs up, I closed the door and turned my attention to the hotel room. It had already been cleaned and the bed was neatly made. A suitcase sat on the valet stand next to the TV, and the dresser and desk held various pieces of paper, notes, and a couple of plastic shopping bags, all the usual stuff when you’re stuck in a hotel room for a couple of weeks.

Of course, the fangirl part of my brain was screeching like a gibbon at me that I was in Tom Morrison’s hotel room. He’d slept in that very bed last night. Sat at that desk to check his email and Facebook. Took a dump behind the closed door of what I assumed was the bathroom. The prosaic nature of that last bit helped me regain some self-control, and I tiptoed (why, I don’t know, I’m an idiot) over to the desk. There was what looked like a script for GearShifter on it, as well as a MacBook Pro, but no Feast of Lovers. Bad Tom, no leaving your expensive computer equipment out where people can steal it.

I wanted to leaf through the script so badly, but I ignored it and kept looking for Feast. Not on the desk top, not on the dresser, not on the TV. I was starting to worry that he’d taken it with him to the location when I noticed the suitcase. I truly, honestly hated the idea of going through his personal stuff, but he might have stuck it in there. I could just lift the lid, take a peek, maybe it was in plain sight—

I had the lid in hand when the bathroom door swung open and a tall, beautiful blonde in a towel strutted out. “I thought I heard you—” she purred, before she saw me. Both face and tone iced over. “Who the hell are you?”

I let out a noise that could have been used as a sound effect for a creaking vault door. The blonde stalked closer, looming over me. Up close, I could see some fine lines around her eyes, but she was still ridiculously gorgeous. “What are you doing here?” she snapped.

Oh. Oh, shit. My brain informed me that I was currently sharing a room with Claudine Ellery, the actress playing Tom’s antagonist/love interest on the show. What the hell was she doing in his bathroom? Were they dating in real life? Why was I asking stupid questions when I should be turning and running for my freaking life?

And then Fate decided that she needed an even bigger chuckle because the room door opened and Tom Morrison walked in. I caught a glimpse of an apologetic Theresa hovering in the hallway before she was eclipsed by Tom, who was staring at Claudine and me.

Oh, God. He was even better looking in person. Not all actors are, but Tom—he was edible. Curly black hair, eyes the color of dark chocolate, and lips that I’d wanted to kiss since the first time I saw him on screen. With faded jeans that fit him perfectly, a dusty white button-down with rolled up sleeves, just the right amount of chest hair peeping out of his collar, and the cutest smudge of dust across one laser-sharp cheekbone, he was every one of my fantasies come to warm, tall life right in front of me.

And I had broken into his hotel room.

That was it. I was going to jail, assuming that the cops didn’t just see “brown person” and shoot me when they got here. At the very least I’d get fired from Golden State. Mom and Dad would disown me, Dada and Dadi would die of shame, and Derek would probably take out an ad in the LA Times saying that I was adopted. My only hope was that Theresa had gotten the hell out of here. There was no reason for both of us to go down for my stupidity—

“Lilian, darling, what are you doing here?”

My brain skidded to a halt. Words had come out of Tom Morrison’s mouth. Friendly words. While he was staring directly at me. Looking, if I may say so, as if he was talking to someone he knew. Which he didn’t, because I may not have remembered sending him my book but I would definitely remember meeting him.

“Um. Hi?” I waved weakly.

“I thought you decided not to come out this weekend.” He crossed to me, slipping an arm around my shoulders as he stared at Claudine. He squeezed my shoulder once, kind of hard, then did it again.

Even with my brain in fangirl vapor lock I can take a hint. I had no idea how he knew who I was, but he wanted me to play along. Plastering a grin on my face, I slipped my arm around his waist and squeezed back. His torso felt like warm rock, and he smelled so good.

“Well, I figured I needed a road trip,” I extemporized, giving him a bright smile. “And I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Not at all, angel,” he purred. Up close, I could see a hint of relief in his eyes. It disappeared as he turned to Claudine. “Claud, why are you in my room wearing a towel?” he asked politely.

She planted hands on slim hips, cocking her head to the side. “Seriously? You have to ask why?”

“Yes, because if I remember correctly, I told you that I had no interest in going to bed with you. In fact, I’m quite sure I informed you of this on numerous occasions. And when I walk into my hotel room and see you wearing nothing but terrycloth while my girlfriend,” this time his squeeze was gentle, “is standing there looking gobsmacked, I have to wonder what the actual fuck you’re up to.”

My face went rigid as it tried to hold onto my smile. Girlfriend? Eeeeeeeee…

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

BIO:

Nicola Cameron is an expatriate Chicagoan who has lived in England, Canada, Holland, and Sweden, and keeps a confusing amalgamation of languages in her head as a result. Currently located in the clavicle of Texas, she has finally mastered the proper use of “y’all,” much to her Chicago family’s dismay.

Despite a healthy interest in romance and sex since puberty, it wasn’t until 2012 that Nicola decided to try writing about it. As it turned out, the skills she picked up during her SF writing career transferred rather nicely to speculative romance. When not writing, she wrangles cats, smooches her husband, makes dolls of dubious and questionable identity, and thanks almighty Cthulhu that she doesn’t have to work for a major telecommunications company any more (because there’s BDSM, and then there’s just plain torture…).

You can find Nicola at any or all of the following locations.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Happy Reading y’all! 🙂

My Interview with Peri Elizabeth Scott

Another super Evernight author is about to be introduced to you. 🙂 Please make welcome Peri Elizabeth Scott.

1. What first drew you to writing?

I feel like I’ve written forever and it came out of never being able to tell a simple story or answer a question without flourishes. My family called me their story teller and I suppose it went from there.

2. How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first novel, The Time, in 2009, a post-apocalyptic/dystopian set in Manitoba, Canada, and without a hint of romance. I had no idea where to submit it and finally self-pubbed in 2012. I keep getting emails from people who would like to see me write a screen play. Now, that’s very kind but overwhelming.

3. Have you always written in the romance genre, or did it take you a while to find your niche?

My second novel came about when I read an erotic romance, a free read when I purchased an ereader. I thought I could write something similar and did, under another author name. To my surprise, my submission was accepted and I haven’t looked back. I self-pub and write for three publishers.

4. How would you describe your writing style?

There’s always lots of the human condition in my work, particularly angst. Gaining your HEA is worth the long, hard slog. I sometimes build in some suspense and enjoy that ride, too.

5. Who are your favorite romance authors? Favorite authors in other genres?

There isn’t room to list all the romance authors I follow, and I add more every day. I can cite Joey W. Hill as being right up there, along with Cherise Sinclair and Rosalind James. As for other genres, I read a ton of zombie books and enjoyed Adrienne Lecter and Bobby Adair. Science fiction: Eric Thomson (Siobhan Dunmoore), and mystery/fiction: the incomparable John Sandford, Thomas Perry and Lee Child.

6. What are the primary influences on your writing?

My career of working with abuse victims primarily impacted my writing. I’ve dealt with most of my vicarious trauma by writing informed consent no matter the relationship and lean now toward contemporary or sci fi romance. My heroines have a feisty side and my alpha males are capable of humility and making amends.

7. Major milestones in your writing journey so far?

Next month I intend to amalgamate my author names with a new website, FB page etc. and celebrate with an indie release of another post apoc, this one with plenty of romance!

8. What are some of your writing tips and tricks? What triggers your story? Do you keep a notepad handy? How do you find time to write?

Anything can trigger a story. Overhearing a conversation by strangers in the grocery store, something I see on the drive home, a dream. I make notes in my phone, having learned a long time ago I won’t remember when I get home. 🙂

I don’t have enough time to write, but I carve out minutes whenever I can. It’s wonderful to lock the door and sit down and let my mind loose and my fingers fly on occasion when no one is around and making demands.

9. What are some of the most important things you have learned as an author that you weren’t aware of when you started writing?

I learned immediately about POVs. No head hopping! I’ve always been a “show not tell” kind of person but I told far too much in the beginning. Most importantly is the marketing and social networking that I still don’t truly understand and don’t try hard enough to master. I write primarily for me and am eternally grateful when someone else reads my work and enjoys it.

10. What is the most important thing you’ve learned, either in writing or publishing, or both?

 Fight the urge to become defensive and despondent when you feel constructively criticized or challenged about your work. Consider the advice and input once you calm down. In the end it’s about your voice, your words and your book, but there are people out there who can make you better. The cruel ones, those who hide behind their computer screen and spew misery can destroy all the kind reaction, so it’s best not to read them!

11. Any wise words to everyone out there?

Wise? How about my opinion? If you want to write, write. Anyone can publish a book. However, seek support, join author groups, find beta readers and above all, a good editor to put out the best product you possibly can. Expect to market your baby.  And don’t expect to get rich, lol.

About Your Current  Release:

Blurb: Feeling trapped into marriage, Beckett Kilmer doesn’t hide his disdain for his young wife, although he certainly wants her physically.

Grace didn’t deliberately trap the man she loves, but ignorance is no defense, neither in a court of law nor the law according to Beckett.

When she loses their baby, he is kind and supportive but remains distant. Grace despairs, also trapped—but by the skeins of love that bind her.

Mysteriously finding herself capable of resisting him, she plans to assert her independence when Beckett comes to his senses, recognizing his reprehensible behavior. He strives to make amends and convince Grace to reconsider.

Still determined to leave, she then finds out she is pregnant again and Beckett redoubles his efforts to repair their relationship. Can Grace find it within herself to forgive and trust him again?

1. Lovely cover! What inspired you to write your contemporary romance, Nothing in My Heart? Have you always been interested in this genre? If not, what piqued your interest enough to write this novel?

I’ve always been intrigued with arranged marriages, specifically those in historical romances. I wondered what it would be like to write something similar in a contemporary style. I could ‘see’ a vulnerable young woman swept off her feet by a good-looking charmer who needs to grow up and grab a pair. And who better to teach him than the vulnerable young woman as she learns to stand on her own two feet and have a relationship that enhances her life and doesn’t replace it?

2. How long did it take to write?

Approximately six months, given that I had many interruptions.

3. What was the greatest challenge when you wrote this novel?

I didn’t want the heroine to forgive the hero too readily and I know there will be some who believe I might have! There are times when an HEA stings a little, lol.

4. What are you working on right now?

I have a short read coming out shortly after this book, one that is all about a black pickup truck. No spoilers. And I was successful in a submission to a teen antho call, something I had no idea I could pull off. It’s very different and was amazing to write. And that’s it for now. I edit for three authors and they have recently become very prolific and require my dedicated time.

About the author:

Peri Elizabeth Scott lives in Manitoba, Canada. She closed her part-time private practice as a social worker and child play therapist and pretends to work well with her husband in their seasonal business.

Writing for years, along with her alter ego and three coauthors, she has published over 50 novels and reads most everything she can lay her hands on.

http://www.perielizabethscott.com

https://www.facebook.com/Peri-Elizabeth-Scott-author-468074056571357/

Excerpt for Nothing in My Heart:

Beckett’s big form blanketed her far smaller one as he increased his thrusts, driving her toward that cliff of mindless insensibility her orgasms always conferred. He braced his weight on his forearms, head tucked into her throat, lips tight against the sensitive juncture of neck and shoulder.

He’d slipped into bed, naked and urgently erect, stripping off her nightgown with a muttered imprecation before bestowing a hard kiss that caused her to open to him, his mastery of her senses chasing away the last vestiges of sleep.

Her body instantly responded, the flush of arousal dampening her core, nipples tightening with desire as his big hands cupped and molded her breasts. There was no need for additional foreplay although he tested her readiness with a finger before settling between her thighs and entering her.

It was a vastly familiar, nightly routine, one she desperately anticipated—to her shame—and their coupling tonight should have culminated the same way. With a climax, the sensation giving her the connection she craved, however fleeting, because that was all Beckett would give her.

Purchase links for Nothing in My Heart:

https://www.evernightpublishing.com/nothing-in-my-heart-by-peri-elizabeth-scott/

https://www.amazon.com//dp/B07D4KPLM8

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/nothing-in-my-heart

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nothing-in-my-heart-peri-elizabeth-scott/1128717845?ean=2940155258322

http://www.bookstrand.com/nothing-in-my-heart-mf

Thank you for coming today, Peri. Your book looks and sounds fabulous and I have enjoyed getting to know you as an author. 🙂

My interview with Katherine Wyvern!

I enjoy interviewing other authors and finding out what makes them tick. Today I have Katherine Wyvern on the hot seat. 🙂 Here goes…

1. Katherine, what first drew you to writing?

I was a lonely child, and I always had imaginary friends, with whom I would have complicated adventures in my head … writing was the result of that I think. The stories were there, why not write them?

2. How long have you been writing?

Since I can remember, pretty much. Already in primary school!

3. Have you always written in the romance genre, or did it take you a while to find your niche?

My first completed short stories, which I wrote in my teens, were mostly fantasy, but they already had elements of romance, and they became more and more sensual…

4. How would you describe your writing style?

Poetic, for sure. I write a lot of poetry and some of that voice bleeds into my prose giving it a lyric feel. But I also write extremely explicit sex scenes and gritty, naturalistic dialogue.

5. Who are your favorite romance authors?

Lauren Burka for her short stories MATE and Whip Hand. And Katerina Ross. All that I have read from her is perfect.

6. What are the primary influences on your writing?

Antonia S. Byatt. Although it’s presumptuous to claim my prose is anything as good as her, there is no doubt her voice colored my “sense” of the English language (which is not my native language). And Patrick O’Brian. His prose is lush, moving, versatile, impishly witty.

7. What is your writing routine? Please describe a typical writing session for us. What do you do when you sit down to write?

I usually start by rereading, editing and polishing previously written parts. I am a little obsessive that way, but it also helps me to sink back into the rhythm and flow of the story.

8. What is the most surprising thing about you?

Tough one! I asked my husband, and he says, my 360°, full spectrum creativity. It is true that I am obsessively creative in a number of mediums … fine arts, crafts of all kinds, writing, photography…

9. What are your writing pet peeves?

Haha! That’s a dangerous question! Explicit sex scenes where the sex cannot even be attempted to be believed (seriously, do not use porn for research!). Flat, humorless prose. And unnaturally scripted, artificial dialogue.

10. Major milestones in your writing journey so far?

Having my debut novel, Black Carnival, published. And picking up writing again after a major writer block (four long years!), which resulted in my most beautiful lovestory ever, Woman as a Foreign Language.

11. What are some of your writing tips and tricks? What triggers your story? Do you keep a notepad handy?

I can’t say I have much in the way of tricks or tips … I write in a completely instinctive way. Although I will polish a scene obsessively, the first draft of it must flow compulsively, or not at all. A story or even a single scene, can be triggered by the strangest little things, a dream, an actor or model that catches my fantasy and becomes part of my imaginary world, where stories are always churning… A notepad is a good thing because my poetic vein will sometimes scream out a few lines that must be written, must be written exactly this way, don’t you dare forget them…
But one thing I do try to keep an eye on is that every scene, especially dialogue, plays a role in forwarding the story. Characters chit chat, because real people do, but the chit chat must be sifted very carefully, not to let in any idle lines. And I always make sure that even the most explicit sex scenes contribute to the character’s building, tell us something about their personality and their journey. That is not necessary in Erotica, but in Erotic Romance I believe it is.

12. What are some of the most important things you have learned as an author? 

However well you write, you cannot please everyone. A book that has ten rave reviews will still get slammed by someone. It’s something you have to live with, even if it smarts.

You should not judge a book by its cover, but in fact we all do. A good cover makes a difference. Learn to work with your cover artist.

An editor’s job is to be a polite sort of asshole. Learn to take the criticism constructively, because that’s  what your editor is for. (Love this one!)

Good reviews don’t necessarily mean good sales. Good sales don’t necessarily mean literary quality. You have to be philosophic about it all, or you will go insane.

13. Writing vs social networking. How do you find the perfect balance? How do you find time to write?

I am not a terribly prolific writer. Once I am in a story it really takes me over, and I will make time for it come hell or high water. The garden goes wild, I stop reading, I forget to eat and drink, and I become mildly (?) crazed. I do set myself a daily word count goal, not so much to “crank out” a given number of words, but to make sure I focus and sit down and write every day, whatever chores might get in the way. But when a story is finished, I need a break before diving into the next one (because a story is very much a love affair with my characters, and I don’t want the next guy to be just the bounce-back guy). That is a good time to be more active on social media. If I were trying to publish a book a month it would not work, but it’s a good balance for me.

14. What is the most important thing you’ve learned, either in writing or publishing, or both?

Don’t leave your day-job yet! It’s very difficult to “make it” as an author.

15. Any wise words to everyone out there?

Write from your deepest core. Write what you know. Write without filters or reserve. Pour yourself in it.

About Your Current  Release:

1. What inspired you to write Spice & Vanilla?
   

It is really a spill-over from my previous release, Woman as a Foreign Language. I really wanted to write about a gender-fluid character because gender-variance is something I can relate to personally and because despite the stigma society puts on it, it has in fact a heartbreaking beauty to it. I am enchanted by anyone who can be gracefully and convincingly gender-fluid, and I wanted to put this wonder into words, but also explore the emotional challenges that go with it.

2. Have you always been interested in transgender romance? If not, what piqued your interest enough to write this novel?

Yes and no. There was a transgender character in my debut novel, Helenay. But she was not really central to the story. However, the curiosity was certainly there. What sparked a more specific interest on the topic was seeing Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, and discovering some beautiful androgynous models who made me immediately want to write a character with that mixture of male and female traits. Spice & Vanilla in particular was inspired by something that a friend of mine said (about himself), “an angel with a bit of a devil inside”. It made me want to write a story about a character that is constantly on the fence of… anything really. S/he is gender-fluid, bisexual, a truly sweet, kind person with a few dark sides, and a switch to boot!

3. How long did it take to write?

Beginning to publication, it was almost exactly six months.

4. What was your inspiration when writing this story? 

The main character’s stunning androgynous looks were inspired by a gorgeous German model and actor, Paul Boche. He has a history of gender-queer roles, so I am not the only one who sees that in him! Other aspects of the story, especially in the personality of the other two characters, Di, and Hugh, are partly autobiographical.

5. What was the greatest challenge when you wrote this novel?

This might sound weird, but, the weather, lol. I live off-grid and the weather last winter was so grey that I often struggled to have enough power to work on my laptop. It was awfully frustrating. From a more writerly point of view, I certainly had a problem keeping Raphael, the main character of the novel, apart from Julian, the main character in my previous release. The first idea for Spice was for it to be a prequel to that book, and when I decided to make it a story about a different character, I had some trouble making him indeed a different person. But finally Raphael took a life of his own, and brought me to unexpected places!

6. What are you working on right now?

A very difficult story called A Muse to Live For. Difficult because it keeps changing characters’ genders, POV, tense… it’s like trying to nail jelly to a wall! It is a spin-off from Spice & Vanilla, but it’s set in Victorian London, rather than contemporary. It’s the story of a painter who lost his will to live and paint, and the woman (?) who becomes his muse and unleashes his creativity again.

7. What is it about these characters and their story that appeals to you?

I can relate to the painter’s predicament, because I have been in the doldrums, creatively for a long time since 2013 or so … and then something happened that made it all come back again … a muse’s power is both exhilarating and terrifying. I want to write about that, because there is an immense well of dark, passionate emotion in it.

8. What can your fans expect to see from you in the near future? More of the same or an entirely different type of story?

Who knows? A Muse to Live For is part of the same loose series as Woman as a Foreign Language and Spice & Vanilla, and at its core it pivots on the same topic. After that, I have no idea. Indeed the muse is all-powerful, but unpredictable!

Thank you so much for the interview, Lorraine, it was wonderful to talk to you! 🙂

Thank you, Katherine, for such a wonderful interview. 🙂

*********************************************************************************

Purchase Links:

Find Spice & Vanilla at Evernight (blurb and spicy excerpt): https://www.evernightpublishing.com/spice-vanilla-by-katherine-wyvern/

Or on Amazon (blurb and very spicy free sample!): https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Vanilla-Katherine-Wyvern-ebook/dp/B07CWFZYFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525683799&sr=8-1&keywords=spice+Vanilla+Katherine+wyvern

You can also find an exclusive (relatively vanilla) excerpt on my website, here:

http://meetingivory.wixsite.com/katherinewyvern/spice-and-vanilla-excerpt

 

See what Katherine is up to on:

Katherine’s Blog: https://katherinewyvern.blogspot.fr/

Katherine’s Website: http://meetingivory.wixsite.com/katherinewyvern

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinewyvern

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatherineWyvern

Or follow her on Instagram @katherinewyvern

Bio:

I have entered that age when looking at beautiful male models in their prime probably makes me a cougar, ahem.
Almost all my heroines are short: that’s because I look at the world from hobbit level. Being so small I am three times more concentrated (read: obsessive) than anybody I know. I am exhaustingly creative in writing, arts, crafts… Sometimes my brain gets friction burns from hurtling at such speed from one universe to the next.
I love animals, plants, and occasionally even people.
Like Highlander, I come from a lot of different places. I was born in Italy but lived here and there and consider myself simply and deeply European. I love Europe passionately, its antiquity, its diversity, its quirkiness. All my books are set in Europe, or alternate versions of it!
I have been writing since I can remember. The first word I ever wrote was not my name but “lupi”, that is the Italian for “wolves”.

I hope you have enjoyed Katherine’s story. Stay tuned for more of the same as I introduce other authors in future. In the meantime…Happy Writing!

How is Your Writing Journey going?

Hello, my friends!!! During the past few years I’ve met so many wonderful people online…authors, readers, critique partners, reviewers…you know who you are. Many of you subscribe to this blog. Each of you have made an impression on me and have helped me grow as an author. Remember my trouble with POV? 🙂 With staying in 3rd person? And my marketing skills were non-existent when I began this journey and some of you have been there every step of the way. I want to let you know that I appreciate you, yes, every one of you, who has helped me in any way.

As many of you know, my writing has stalled for quite some time now. A story I started two years ago is languishing at just under 20 thousand words. I opened it today for the first time in months. Have I added to it? Not yet, but I fully intend to do so. Maybe not today, although the temptation is there. But I thought I’d start by blogging again. I know I’ve let you down by not being here for you, but please, contact me if there’s anything I can help you with.

Now, the story I am currently working on (and I use those words loosely lol) is temporarily titled Abby’s Intent. It’s book 9 in my Thunder Creek Ranch series with Evernight Publishing. It will be followed by book 10, A Thunder Creek Christmas, which will end the series.

I’ve become so immersed in the lives and loves of the people in this series, it’ll be quite difficult to see them go. They’ve been with me since 2009! Many have asked me to do a “Next Generation” series featuring the children all grown up. What do you think? Is that stretching things too far?

I do have a couple of other series that I’ve started…Loving in Lostwood where the inhabitants moving in are rebuilding the ‘ghost town’; and Crosswinds Ranch, which, believe it or not, is turning out to be a YA series. That wasn’t the intention when I first started out, but I read an article somewhere about troubled teens and I decided to give them a place to go, a safe place where they could feel loved and appreciated, a place where they could learn life skills, finish school, learn responsibility and so much more, while at the same time building their self-esteem.

The first book, Hiding Out With Billy, is already written, but I want to get a couple more under my belt before I release them. Same with Loving in Lostwood, the first book is written and the second is well under way.

My second series is The Hudson Ranch wherein three estranged brothers come together to rebuild their father’s ranch while watching over their two-year-old brother, orphaned due to his parents’ death.

I love writing a series! I also love spreadsheets, which I use to keep track of characters’ likes and dislikes, hair and eye color, etc. There’s nothing I hate more than to find in the second or third book in the series that the heroine’s friend is listed as a green-eyed blonde where in the first book she was a brown-eyed brunette. Get the picture?

Is there anything you’d like to see me write about/post here? I don’t consider myself an expert or anything, but I do have 35 titles out and I’ve learned a thing or two since I started. 🙂

Anyway, what are you working on? Where are you at in your writing journey? I’d really like to see your remarks in the comments. If you have a website or blog, send me the links. I’d really like to see them. Author pages? Where? Don’t be shy. 🙂 If you would rather contact me privately, please email me. If you’d like to guest blog here or strut your stuff in a Spotlight post, send me your info. lornel@xplornet.ca I’d be honored to have a look and see what you’ve accomplished. Your writing dreams are welcome here. Hugs to all.

In the meantime, Happy Writing!!!

 

Spotlight on LM Spangler!!!

Today it is my pleasure to place a spotlight on fellow Evernight Author, LM Spangler, with her new contemporary release, My Ex-Partner’s Ex-Wife.

But be warned…This novel is classified as Sensual/Erotic.

Blurb:

She’s smoking hot…and his ex-partner’s ex-wife.

Ridley Asher found herself unemployed.

Jack Sterling needed an administrative assistant.

No brainer, right?

Ridley became Sterling Motor’s administrative assistant…and the object of Jack’s desire. He had no idea the attraction was mutual.

After an incident involving her ex-husband, they grow closer, both mentally and physically.

Little do they know, her ex has no intention of letting her go.

Can they explore a life together even though she’d once belonged to someone else?

Excerpt:

“Thanks, Jack. I know this might be awkward for you,” Ridley Asher said. “You never hung around us much.”

She had no idea. Jack’s libido went into overdrive every time he’d see her. Even in the presence of Dean Asher. Ridley was temptation with a capital T. Curvaceous, stunning, exotic. A man’s fantasy.

And his ex-partner’s ex-wife.

“It’s no big deal, Ridley. You need a job and Sterling Motors needs an administrative assistant. You win, and I definitely win. I’m organized when it comes to restoring cars, but I can’t organize this business to save my life.” He’d just walk around the shop with a raging woody for eight or so hours a day.

“Umm. Wha-what about Dean?”

Her ocean-blue eyes searched Jack’s. A frown turned her full lips downward. Her response bothered him. Ridley deserved to smile.

“Dean doesn’t play into this. This is purely a business decision. You have the skill set I need and you understand the restoration process. You literally know the nuts and bolts of a job.” He leaned back in his beat-up leather desk chair, elbows on the arms, and steepled his fingers. “I will let Dean know I hired you. Just to avoid any surprises.”

She nodded. “Fair enough,” she admitted, wringing her fingers. “I hope I don’t put you in a bad situation, but I appreciate you hiring me. I can’t believe the firm closed down. We were in the green every quarter I worked there.”

“I’m not sure, but their loss is my gain.” He rose from his chair, reaching his full height of six-feet-two. He leaned his head from side to side, cracking the vertebrae in his neck. “I know this is spur of the moment, but can you start today? You’re already here.”

“I could, but I have Dozer with me.”

A brow rose. “Dozer?” A large piece of construction equipment popped into his mind.

A soft smile graced her face, adding alluring beauty to an already exquisite face. “My very large yellow Labrador retriever.”

He gave a mental eye roll. Dean had mentioned that she couldn’t find a man so she’d gotten a dog instead. Jack seriously doubted she had trouble finding men. His mechanics and metal workers had stopped whatever they’d been doing and watched her walk to Jack’s office. A magnet had nothing on her.

“He’s welcome here. Three of my men bring their dogs with them. My only rule is they have to wear a fire retardant vest when they are around sparks or blow torches.”

“Again, fair enough.” She rose from the chair opposite Jack’s desk and maneuvered around the beat-up metal piece of furniture. She laid her hand on his arm and stood on her tiptoes. “Thank you, Jack. I’m glad Denny gave me the heads up on the job.”

Her lips brushed his ever so softly, probably not to entice, but to show her gratitude. Every nerve ending in Jack Sterling’s body roared to life. She returned to her chair and leaned over to pick up her purse. Her jeans hugged her heart-shaped bottom to perfection. Erotic pictures filled his mind.

Interested? I know I am. 🙂

Buy Links:

Evernight Publishing

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/ 

Books to Read

https://www.books2read.com/ap/nlvm5x/LM-Spangler

Also available at your favorite e-book retailer!

Social Media:

Website-

www.authorlmwrites.blogspot.com

Facebook-

https://www.facebook.com/authorlmspangler

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/authlmspangler

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/authorlmspangler/

Google+

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LMSpangler

Author Bio:

             LM Spangler lives in South Central Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, three
dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and some fish. Her son serves his country in the US
Navy.

             She is a fan of college football and any kind of baseball and likes to watch the Discovery, Velocity, HGTV, DIY, Science, and any channel showing a college football game. She also watches old game shows like $25,000 Pyramid and Match Game.

The 2018 Metro Moncton Book Festival

Hello, my friends. I’m back and have a special event for you to consider.

The 2018 Metro Moncton Book Festival is a one day event and is fast approaching. Please plan to drop in and meet your local authors and, hopefully, purchase a few books. This gives us a wonderful chance to chat with our readers. I know I’m very much looking forward to it. 🙂

Saturday June 9th 2018

10 AM – 3 PM

Moncton Lions Community Centre
473 St. George Street,
Moncton, NB

At present, I believe we have over 40 authors registered, and that means plenty of genres on hand. I can’t list all the bios here, but you’re welcome to check them out on our website: http://www.metromonctonbookfestival.com/#Authors

Hope to see you there. LN

 

 

New Release by London Saint James!

Today it is a great pleasure to welcome back my friend and fellow author, London Saint James, with a new release. Take it away, London…

Title: Forever & Always
Series: Two Hearts, One Soul Duet: Book Two
Genre(s): M/F Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: 4
Word Count: 119k
Author: London Saint James
Publisher: LSJ Romance
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Cover Art: Book Cover by Design
Editor: Red Penn Services

Blurb:
From international bestselling author London Saint James comes the final installment of Two Hearts, One Soul, a breathtaking story of two people who have always been connected, forever tied together by fate, by destiny, by unbreakable love.

With the media hell-bent on exposing Winter’s once private life, Cayden will do anything to protect her. But there’s more than just the voracious paparazzi conspiring against them.

Involved in an unprecedented web of strange events, and wound in a string of lies about to break with devastating consequences, Winter must battle ghosts from her past that threaten to harm the man she loves.

Faced with a choice she always knew would be inevitable, and a secret of her own, can the fairytale Winter’s been living with Cayden beat the odds of their reality and really come true?

Excerpt:
Thirteen years ago, I died.
While my death hadn’t been physical, it became a never-ending death of the heart. A complete withering of the soul. You see, Austin Carlyle was my everything. My best friend. My lover. The very air I breathed. The sun in my world. My warmth. The beating of my heart. But the night before our wedding, my heart would be ripped from me when Austin’s life ended in a horrific car crash. A crash I ‘survived’ if that’s what you want to call it.
Unable to cope with Austin’s loss, I retreated deep within myself, eventually leaving New York and my broken past behind. I found some semblance of a new life in Colorado, living in the make-believe worlds of the novels I wrote.
Three weeks ago, I returned to the place I knew would hold all the ghosts of my past, though I came back to the Big Apple at the urging of an old acquaintance, Zander Harrison—Austin’s one-time agent and friend. He convinced me to help him with a script to a movie that had been put in a very expensive holding pattern. The leading man hadn’t been happy with the direction of the film and had requested Zander find me. I couldn’t imagine why. I wrote romance novels. I wasn’t a script writer. But something about my books captured Cayden—an A-list actor I’d never seen or heard of before. Of course, I’d soon find out not knowing who the actor was, was ridiculous. I might have been living in my own personal dark ages, but still. He was a megastar. However, the real shocker would be what I faced when memories from the past came back to haunt me.
Weak, bone-cold, sopping-wet, and on the verge of batshit crazy, I stumbled into someone on Valentine’s Day—of all days—who shook me to my very unsteady foundation. What I saw when I looked at him was the face of a destroying angel, because it was like looking back in time at Austin. Oh, there were a few things different, like the color of his hair being nowhere near the pitch black of Austin’s, but so much about the man was baffling. He was the same height—his build an exact match. His voice—eerily close in texture, tone, and inflection. But if that’s not strange enough, he spoke with the same cadence.
Who was he? The Hollywood heartthrob I’d never seen before—Cayden Cain.
After our bizarre ‘introduction’ the need to know more about him ate at me like the slow drip of acid. I had to find some answers, so I searched the internet. Surprised by the results of my search would be an understatement. It was all too much. Too unbelievable. Impossible. Cayden was twenty-three years old, the exact same age Austin was when he was killed, but even stranger, Cayden had been born in the same month, on the same day—May eighteenth—in the same city as Austin, only years later.
But that’s not all. There was a weird coincidence of Cayden being involved in a car accident. One which tragically took the lives of his parents and left him the sole survivor of that accident when he was ten, putting this terrible happening around the same timeframe as the wreck Austin and I were involved in. What was also baffling was the life path Cayden took—acting. It was very close to the path Austin had taken and would have continued to take if he’d been alive. By seventeen, Cayden had been the lead in a small foreign film and moved to Hollywood shortly after, gaining his groundbreaking role at the age of eighteen. The first movie Cayden obtained his superstar recognition for was Longing.
Before Austin’s death, he’d signed a movie deal with Paramount. What was the title of the movie he was to begin filming after our wedding? Longing.
When I first read that, I gaped—completely stunned. Then I read a synopsis of the movie, beyond shocked to see it wasn’t just a coincidence of the title; it was the exact same movie. I had no idea why Paramount shelved their project for so many years. But to find it had finally been completed with Cayden as the leading man, well, what were the odds of such a thing?
Even with all the uncanny coincidences and the almost carbon copy similarities in appearance, what was truly unbelievable? Cayden’s eyes—the same shades of blue from my past. They captured me, looking straight into my soul—the eyes of my love. My life.
Everything changed.
Trust me, I tried to fight against the truth—the pull I hadn’t felt in so very long—but it was no use. I’d come to believe, as crazy as it might seem, some way, somehow, Austin saved me through Cayden. It was as though they were two hearts, one soul. Cayden himself spoke as though he’d always known me. Missed me. Loved me even. I couldn’t explain how it was possible, but he, like Austin, was the missing piece of my heart.
With his touch, Cayden brought me back to life, reawakened dormant feelings, and gave me what had long been missing—Winter Perri. The only problem, I wasn’t sure I could live in Cayden’s superstar, paparazzi infested world.
“Will you stay with me?” he’d asked.
I gave the only answer that made any sense at all.

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074MZBHH5
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074MZBHH5
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B074MZBHH5/
*Read For Free with Kindle Unlimited

For a limited time only, Always (Two Hearts, One Soul Duet: Book One) is on sale!
You Can Find Book One Here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPXK4LR/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XPXK4LR
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Always-Hearts-Soul-Duet-Book-ebook/dp/B06XPXK4LR/
*Read For Free with Kindle Unlimited

About the Author:
London Saint James has lived in many places, but never felt “at home” until she met the real-life man of her dreams and settled down in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. London lives with her husband and their fat cat who thinks he owns them.

As an award-winning, international bestselling author, London is living her childhood dream. She knew all the scribbling she did, that big imagination of hers, and all those clamoring characters running around in her head would pay off someday.
Stalking Links:
Website: http://www.londonsaintjames.com
Blog: http://londonsj.blogspot.com
Twitter: @LSJRomance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonsaintjames/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSJRomance/

Giveaway
London will be giving away a signed paperback of Always (Two Hearts, One Soul Duet: Book One) as well as a handmade leather bound travel journal, and a pair of pink mirrored Sojo shades to one lucky winner. All you need to do to be eligible is fill out the Rafflecopter entry below.
The winner will be announced on September 15th

Rafflecopter HTML
a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Release by Jacey Holbrand

Hello, my friends. It’s my pleasure to have another super Evernight author, Jacey Holbrand, with us today to tell us about her new release, Seduced by Him. Take it away, Jacey…

Warning: Sexual content, M/M

Hey folks! I’m happy to announce that I have another story out! It’s called Seduced by Him and is the second book in my series: Helldorado Mongrels MC. But first a little about me…

~ * ~ BIO ~ * ~

Jacey Holbrand believes life and love comes in all forms and should be celebrated. She’s committed to her muse and writing so she can share her stories with readers. Hot days. Sexy nights. Come play in her world.

Jacey loves to hear from readers! Click the link to eMail her: JaceyHolbrand@gmail.com

~ * ~ STALK ~ * ~

Website/Blog ## Twitter ## Facebook ## Facebook Page

~ * ~ ABOUT THE BOOK ~ * ~

This story is the second book in my series called Helldorado Mongrels MC. The series follows different immortal shifter families, a couple of humans, and the quest for stolen gold. It takes place in southern Nevada. I’d been toying with the idea for this series for the past few years after catching an episode of Haunted Highway on Syfy regarding the Hellhounds of Eldorado Canyon.

In book two, Seduced by Him, two human brothers are at the end of their camping trip in the canyon where, as teenagers, they had a frightening experience in a gold mine when confronted with wolves. Jarrod Russell, one of the heroes of this story, is jealous his brother found love, and he wonders when he’ll find his other half. Which doesn’t take long since he runs into him in a store and then in a casino.

Jarrod and Tex, the sexy stranger (who is based off of Brock O’Hurn in case you were wondering 😉 ) he keeps running into, have a one night stand that’s turning into something more when Jarrod is kidnapped by Tex’s fellow Helldorado Mongrels MC members.

Want to know what happens when Jarrod finds out the guy he’s super attracted to is an immortal wolf shifter and if he escapes the Mongrels? Well, you’ll just have to read the book now, won’t you? *wink*

~ * ~ BLURB ~ * ~

Wolf shifter and member of the Helldorado Mongrels MC, Dante “Tex” Valentin is restless and dissatisfied. He goes on a ride in search of excitement, never expecting to encounter his mate—a human male, who disrupts his world.

Jarrod Russell is envious his brother, Cameron, found love. Wondering if fortune will ever smile on him the same way, he runs into a man who rocks his world. A man he believes could be the love of his life.

When Jarrod and Tex’s paths cross again, a passion-filled night connects them. Because of who they are, though, they’re in danger from the Mongrels. Will their relationship be over before they even have a chance to love?

Be Warned: m/m sex, anal sex, language, violence

~ * ~ ADULT EXCERPT ~ * ~

The blond haired man without a name stood naked in his room.

Bare as the day he was born, too, Tex sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his elbows, and took in the view.

Tall, athletic physique. Classically handsome features with a full mouth. Cock that sported a slight curve. It didn’t appear to be overly big but still seemed to be larger than average. Just like he liked a man’s dick.

“What do you want me to do? Please. Tell me.”

He loved it when his partners had the touch of pleading in their voices, had amorous longing in their gazes, begging him to take them and use them as he saw fit. But this blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty wasn’t like the others. The lean, well-toned man didn’t fit the type of guy he’d normally go after—big, brawny, and rough around the edges—much like himself and the other Mongrels. No, the stranger from the store was the complete opposite, almost angelic, and the thought of claiming him sent lusty rivers of heat down into his rigid shaft.

“I want you to drop to your knees before me, take my cock in that luscious mouth of yours and suck me dry.”

A visible shudder racked the man’s body, and for a second he looked as if he might refuse, but then he closed the distance between them and knelt.

The angel positioned himself between Tex’s thighs and gently grasped his length. The bend of his fingers stroked him, feeling like the finest linen glancing against his skin. Tex’s body sizzled as his man’s appraisal of his body seemed to devour him. Then the stranger licked and kissed his cock and balls, sucked him into his mouth, and Tex felt as if he’d arrived home.

The guy laved its length and circled his fingers around its base, then traced the underside with the tip of his tongue and feathered his ball sack with the ends of his fingers.

Tex let his head fall back, enjoying the way the guy took command of his cock and savoring the delicate feel of the man’s moist and warm mouth on his shaft and his hands as they smoothed up his body.

So soft. Such a gentle caress. I love the way he’s touching me. Not enough though. Need to…

~ * ~ BUY ~ * ~

Evernight Publishing ## Amazon ## Apple ## Barnes & Noble ## BookStrand ## Kobo ## Smashwords

~ * ~

Thank you for having me on your blog, and readers, thank you for stopping by today!

Love & blessings to all! ❤
Jacey

Love that excerpt! Thank you for stopping by, Jacey.

Below are the covers for both books in this series. Grab your copies and enjoy a couple of good hot reads.

Spotlight on April Zyon!

April is dying to show off her new book, Hacked. Please welcome her.

Blurb

Holly Smith has always had a certain affinity with computers. By day, she strengthens Internet security for corporations. By night, she’s a hacker. When she hits upon what she believes to be an author’s unpublished manuscript, she finds herself reading about a world where warriors of old wage war against a dark force bent on consuming everything it touches. Then she finds out it’s all true.

Demaratus of Corinth has seen a lot during his lifetime. And while many things prove useful, he finds technology to be a greater hindrance than a help. Sent to find the hacker who managed to penetrate their base’s security, he is stunned to realize who she is to him. As the darkness closes in on them, Demaratus and Holly will have to battle to survive not only the coming fight but the war that is gaining momentum.

*****************************

Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYIBZY6/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LYIBZY6/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LYIBZY6/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01LYIBZY6/

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/hacked-by-april-zyon/

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/hacked-mf

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hacked-2098645-147.html

*****************************

Excerpt:

She nodded and stood. She watched him as he watched her, taking her time. “Do I call you ‘Sir’?” She whispered the question. “I saw that in a movie. The Dominant ensured his submissive’s pleasure, and she called him ‘Sir.’ Is that right?”

“Only if you are comfortable with it. You can use my name, or that ridiculous nickname you’ve come up with, if you think it would be easier. I am not your Master and never will be. While I will be your Dominant, and you my submissive, this is always going to be an open relationship where we make our own rules. So go with whatever works for you, little warrior.”

She went to her knees, her hands behind her back and knees braced apart. Her head down and tilted to the side, she shuddered in need. “I think that I’m going to love you, DC. For the rest of your life.”

“Seeing you like this makes me wonder what sort of movies you’ve been watching,” he commented. She saw his feet move and in the next moment his fingers under her chin brought her face up. Leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees, Demaratus regarded her with what she could only assume was curiosity. “What else have you learned?”

“I’ve watched bondage movies, spankings, blindfolds, all of them with the woman submissive to the man. I like that. I think that I’ve learned how to give a blow job, but I don’t know, since I’ve never— Shit, there I go again.” Blurting out everything in my mind. Bloody brilliant.

“Sucking a man’s cock is something not every woman likes. Some love it, some do it out of a mistaken sense of duty, and others hate it but do it because they believe it is the only way that they might get fucked themselves. That’s not what we’re about. If we try something and you realize your expectations outshone the actual attempt, then we will never do it again. Now, what would you like to try first, little warrior?”

“I would really like to try the blow job, please? Sir.” She had never wanted to do anything so much in all of her life like she wanted to take him into her mouth.

Rubbing his thumb lightly over her chin, he nodded, then leaned back. Demaratus slouched slightly and studied her. Reaching down, he undid his belt and the buttons holding his fly closed. He lifted his hips a bit to push off his pants.

She smiled. “Do you know just how much I love the way you look at me like that? How do I do this?” She asked the question even as she licked her lips. “I don’t want to hurt you, but goodness, my mouth is watering.”

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About The Author

Having been a lover of the written word all her life April has always wanted to expand her horizons and write something that could be shared with the world. Only one thing held April back, the fact that the letters and numbers mixed and jumbled more often than not. Diagnosed with Dyslexia when she was eight years old April had to work her butt off just to be able to keep up with the other kids in reading and writing, so her love for fictional writing was tossed to the wayside for the moment.

Time marched on, as it always does, and she forgot her childhood dream of becoming an author and instead focused on what she had to – creating a career for herself.

As the endless waves of time passed the shores became less rocky and more sandy, a place where she could find an even foot. That and Microsoft invented Word. Hallelujah.

This is where April began her journey into the written world, the world that her imagination had been ceaselessly creating for her entire adult life.

Now she has been given a chance to let her literary wings unfold and fly, thanks to the amazing publishers with Evernight Publishing and Secret Cravings Publishing.

Now its time to let the dream take flight and watch it soar!

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