Give a warm welcome to Taylor Donovan

Welcome to Dawn’s Reading Nook, Taylor Donovan. Please let my cabana boys/girls get you a drink and make yourself at home. Comfortable? Great…now let’s get down to business.

Thank you very much for having me J

So tell us about yourself. What got you interested in writing? Who are your publisher(s)?

I’ve been reading romance books my entire life. I think I got my hands on my first Harlequin when I was twelve, but it wasn’t until recently that I considered writing my own. My stories are published by MLR Press.

How did you start your writing career?

Almost by accident, to tell you the truth. A friend of mine has been writing for years and her dream is to get published, but was having a hard time finishing a story. I am a bit anal about finishing what I start, so she asked me to collaborate with her. It didn’t matter that I never wanted to be a writer or that I thought I had no talent whatsoever. The goal was to keep her focused until she’d finished her book. That collaboration didn’t last long, but I discovered I actually had a style and a strong voice and suddenly a hundred different ideas that I wanted to work on. That was in July, 2010. The rest is history J

Tell us about your favorite character from your books.

That’s a tough one… Okay… from my By Degrees serial I’d have to say Sam Shaughnessy. He’s a jerk with a heart of gold. He messes up and redeems himself every other page. He’s so high strung that I love having him jump through hoops *g*.

I also have a very soft spot for Cedric Haugton-Disley, one of the main characters in Disasterology 101 (title not yet released). He’s very quirky, to say the least, and faces more difficulties than all my other characters put together every day of his life. Even leaving his house is a challenge for him, but he keeps trying, no matter what.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

I love history and architecture, so Egypt and England are on my bucket list. The older the city, the more I want to visit!

Tell us about your current/upcoming release. What inspired it?

Six Degrees of Lust, the first installment in my By Degrees serial was released a little over a month ago.  It is an ensemble novel with several developing storylines revolving around a serial killer of gay men and the FBI agent in charge of catching him. The plot was inspired by my love of investigative procedure and law enforcement, and the characters by gay and bisexual friends I’ve known for years.

Has someone helped or mentored you in your writing career?

Mentored, not really. Helped? Absolutely. I have betas, author friends and a crit group that’s invaluable to me. They are always willing a ready to read all my WIPs and point out what needs to be revised. Their constant suggestions and support has helped me mature in my writing. I’m better because of them.

Who are some of your favorite authors/books?

Marie Sexton, Josh Lanyon, Amy Lane, James Buchanan, J.R. Ward, Paulo Coehlo, Isabel Allende… I’ll read anything by them.

What was your first sale as an author?

Six Degrees of Lust was my first contract, but Heatstroke was released first.

When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?

I usually write at night, after my EDJ, Mommy duties and chores are taken care of. Needless to say, I could use an extra five hours every day. The majority of my writing gets done during the weekend.

If you could visit any time and place, where and when would it be and why?

I’d love to visit England during the Elizabethan Era. Queen Elizabeth I was an outstanding woman. It would be amazing to be able to just see her in action for one day.

If you could be any shape shifter, what form would you take and why?

Oh boy… I’m afraid of heights, so probably a phoenix. That’d be fun!

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?

That I a not a conventional writer and will never be. That I have always liked to break the mold and that I’m not opposed to ruffling some feathers if a particular situation or plot line calls for it.

Who's more fun to write: bad boys or perfect gentlemen and why?

The bad boys, because they can get away with murder, but then I get to make them work hard for their redemption. They really need to earn it *g*

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be and what would you do together?

Vishous, from J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I’d like to tag along while he kicks some ass, and then we could go to The Pit so that he could teach me everything he knows about computers *g*

Out of all your books, do you have a favorite one? If not, then which one is closest to your heart?

Again, hard to choose one… Heatstroke is a beautiful “love conquers all” story… Very near and dear to my heart.

What character out of all your books is the closest to your personality?

Derrick Swain from Hearsay (to be released this spring).

Thank you for being my guest today and may you have lots of sales.

Thank you for the opportunity. It was a pleasure to be here on your blog J

I’ll be giving away a copy of Six Degrees of Lust. For the opportunity to win, please leave a comment with one rule you believe a “friends with benefits” relationship should be based on.

Thank you all for stopping by and good luck!

If you wish to contact me, please visit www.taylorvdonovan.com. From there you can email me and find links to my Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads accounts. I’m always happy to hear from my readers. J

 Six Degrees of Lust

M/M Contemporary

Buy link http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=TDSDLUST

Le blurb:

New York City FBI team leader Samuel Shaughnessy lives for his immediate family and his job. After a marriage gone wrong he has stuck to a firm rule when it comes to relationships: he doesn't have them. Sexually active and emotionally unavailable keeps him satisfied, especially now that he is in hot pursuit of a serial killer targeting gay men.

Former firefighter Machlan O'Bannon now manages a successful sports bar in Houston and after years of waiting he's ready to stand up and be the man he always wanted to be: out, proud and drama-free. His politically-aligned family wants to keep him locked in the closet, but Mac just wants to meet the man of his dreams.

One man is as high strung as the other is laid back. A chance meeting brings the two men together, and one night of passion ignites a fire neither can fight. Their lives are not only miles apart, but as different as day and night. They don't want to get involved...but will they be able to stay apart?

Le Excerpt 

Mac reached the truck and instead of getting in right away he stopped by the driver’s side door and smiled. A low moan rumbled its way out of Sam’s throat before he even realized it. He loved dimples, and Mac had them in spades.

“Damn,” Mac said. “You are hotter than I remembered.”

Sam felt his face heat up a little under Mac’s scrutiny, and all of a sudden wished he had taken more time on his own appearance. But if that burning, hungry stare was any indication, the Texan wasn’t put off by Sam’s disheveled state or the fact that he hadn’t even bothered to shave. Thank fuck.

“Get in,” Sam all but growled. He didn’t take his eyes off the guy for a second. Once he was inside, he asked, “Where to?”

As soon as Tex gave him the name of a trendy hotel in Chelsea, Sam rolled up his window and put his hand on the gear stick, and maybe because he was busy looking at the rearview mirror to make sure no other cars were coming, he never noticed Mac move until it was too late.

A gasp jumped from his throat. He snapped his head to the side and zeroed in on his own hand, covered by hot as hell Texan’s slightly bigger one.

“Rough couple of days, huh?” Mac’s voice was low, his thumb gently caressing Sam’s obviously injured knuckles.

Sam cleared his throat and tried to pull his hand back, but seemed to be frozen in place by Mac’s touch. “You could say that.”

“Then let’s hope I can make it a little better for you, darlin’.”

Nodding, he took a deep breath when Mac removed his hand and settled in the passenger seat, leaving a tingling sensation behind and Sam feeling completely off balance. He wanted to tell the big guy nobody ever touched him without his explicit permission… then he wanted to tell him to bring that hand back, but wrap it around his cock this time.

He wanted to tell him he had no use for words of endearment, even if that sexy as fuck accent made them sound prettier. He wanted to tell him to get the hell out of his damn truck.

But he didn’t.

Goddammit, what was wrong with him? Why was he overlooking actions that would be deal-breakers with any other potential lay? Was it because the guy was going back home the next day and there was no chance of Sam running into him again? Or because Sam wanted him so damn much he couldn’t see straight anymore? Whatever the reason, it didn’t stop him from pulling his SUV out of the parking spot and driving them to Mac’s hotel.

They didn’t say a thing during the short trip and that was fine. Sam had never been one for small talk. He had no problems sharing his body—to an extent—but his thoughts and feelings were off limits.

He took a deep breath, feeling a little dizzy when Mac’s clean, spicy scent hit his nostrils and filled his lungs. Christ. Whatever that cologne was, it had the same affect on Sam as pheromones, which was odd and annoying, as he was usually indifferent to such things.

 The anticipation permeating the interior of his truck was damn tangible, and the not so subtle way Mac kept glancing at his mouth, hands, and crotch with those intense cat eyes of his had Sam on the brink of combustion. It was madness, and all of a sudden he felt it was imperative that he take care of business fast, then get the heck away from the gorgeous blond as soon as he could manage.