Saturday, May 31, 2014

New Series Announcement and Giveaway~ Victoria Vane's Hot Cowboy Nights

Slow Hand
Coming November 2014
Pre-order at Amazon
Book One in Hot Cowboy Nights Series

Teaser excerpt from Slow Hand:


He went to work on his shirt buttons. His collar was soon wide open revealing a generous show of muscular chest that make her hands itch to rip it off him. She diverted her gaze and curled her itchy hands by her sides.
“Have no fear, cowboy,” Nikki replied in a tone meant to disguise the warm flush that had come over her. “I corralled all my wild impulses long ago.”
“Did you, now?” He still stood in doorway, head cocked. “Somehow, I think you may have missed a few strays.”
“Maybe I need to make myself clearer. I have an aversion to cocky cowboys.”
Just keep telling yourself that, Nikki. Maybe if you repeat it often enough it’ll become true.
“Is that so?” His brows flew upward. “I can’t say I ever met a woman with an actual aversion to me.”
“Don’t take it personally. It’s nothing against you in particular, but to your type.”
“And what do you think you know about my type?”
“Since I don’t have a pole handy, enough to keep you at arms-length. Besides that, this whole line of conversation is entirely inappropriate in light of professional ethics, don’t you think? You are my attorney, after all.”
“Well, darlin’,” he scratched his unshaven jaw, “there’s a little hitch to that.”
“What do you mean? You said you’d help me.”
“And I will, but you can’t engage my professional services until I know who you are.”
“I’ve told you who I am!” she insisted.
“Sweetheart, I’m a lawyer, and according to the law, your claim don’t weigh without authentication.”
“Authentication?”
“Proof.”
“So what are you saying? That you don’t believe me?”
“I’m not saying that at all. Only that our professional relationship will commence once you get your I.D. In the interim,” His gaze slid over her in a way that threatened to melt her insides, “you’d best find yourself a nice, long, sturdy pole.”


You can also pre-order book two, Rough Rider at Amazon NOW! Coming in 2015!

About the Author

Victoria Vane is an award-winning author of smart and sexy romance. Her collective works of fiction received twenty-one reviewer awards and nominations to include Library Journal Best E-Book romance of 2012 and five RONE nominations for The Devil DeVere series, as well as two RONE Finalists for Treacherous Temptations and The Sheik Retold. 

Her works range from historical to contemporary settings and include everything from wild comedic romps to emotionally compelling erotic romance. Look for her hot new contemporary cowboy series coming from Sourcebooks in Fall of 2014.

 http://www.victoriavane.com/home/

Giveaway Information: Win some cool prizes such as this t-shirt from the author.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 30, 2014

Talking Alpha Male characters with Morticia Knight



Do Men Always Have to Be Alpha in Romance?

The studly Alpha-Male archetype – he is a staple in Romance Fiction, and for good reason. Who doesn’t want to fantasize about a powerful, sexy man in control of their desire, protecting them, masculine in every way? It certainly sold a lot of EL James books. 

Since I write gay romance, that doesn’t always work – although it can. What it boils down to are the individual characters themselves. An author can work within archetypes when developing the MC’s, but it can be too easy to fall into cardboard cut-outs. Typical. Boring. One-dimensional. If the main love interests in the story aren’t multi-faceted beings with their own specific quirks, likes, dislikes and ways of doing and reacting to things, then it’s easy to lose the reader’s interest. 

A character can be Alpha, but he also has to be so many other things as well. He can even be obnoxious and hard to love, as long as the top layers get peeled off and the soft spots are revealed. What is it about the guy that makes someone very different fall in love with him? Does he volunteer at the soup kitchen, but keeps it carefully hidden from anyone he knows? Maybe the love interest he’s already alienated spots him there and is intrigued by this undiscovered side to a man he thought was a total bastard.

In Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5), Fire Marshall Daryl is one helluva grumpy man. He’s also quite Alpha and very sexy in a rough and ready kind of way. He’s been alone since he caught his partner cheating, and he’s pretty much sworn off relationships. Policeman Zach is a fun-loving guy, and doesn’t think Daryl would make a very good prospect, even if one of their mutual friends keeps insisting to Zach that he should give Daryl a try. Finally, Daryl does something that allows Zach to see that there’s more to the Marshall than he’d thought.
Excerpt from Secret Fire (Uniform Encounters 5)
What the hell happened?
Zach had a raging headache and the light hurt his eyes, so he’d given up trying to look around and kept them closed. Different images flashed in his mind, all filtered through a fog. A loud boom and his cruiser being littered with the wreckage of the machine shop. A man with his shirt on fire. Searing smoke going down his throat, the sharp pain in his shoulder as he’d dragged a victim to safety. Blood being drawn, oxygen masks, X-rays, an ER doctor Zach sort of remembered as being Terrence’s partner.
Terrence.
He’d been by his van when Daryl had helped him, insisted he come to the hospital. Daryl had practically carried him to the gurney and set him on it.
What was that all about?
It was difficult to reconcile the jerk he’d left behind at the park with the compassionate and concerned man who had insisted he seek treatment. He could also swear he’d heard him say something about them getting a beer.
Obviously, I’m delirious.
He opened one eye just enough to see that he was out of the ER and in a room. The mask was still on and he began to wonder how long he’d been there. He needed to pee pretty bad, so he tried to lift his head from the pillow to sit up. He groaned as a sharp jab of pain shot through his skull.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Lie your ass back down.”
The fuck?
The push of a hand against his good shoulder caused him to open both eyes. He drank in the sight of Daryl leaning over him, his brow furrowed as he stared down at him.
“What are you doing here?”
It had barely come out as more than a whisper. His throat felt as though someone had smoothed the inside of it with heavy duty sandpaper.
“Making sure you’re following doctor’s orders.”
“I gotta take a piss.”
There was a tickle in his throat and he swallowed a couple of times to keep from dissolving into a spasm of coughing. However, it was next to impossible without any spit. He choked a little, and Daryl picked up the plastic container of water the hospital had provided, extending it to him. With Daryl’s help, he swung his legs out of bed so he could sit up and take a drink. Moving the mask aside, Zach then clamped onto the straw and took several swallows as Daryl held the large cup.
Zach couldn’t make eye contact with him—the whole thing was too awkward. He noticed the cold of the floor, which he could feel through the funny little bed socks someone had placed on his feet. The room was also somewhat chilly. And his bladder screamed for mercy. He let go of the straw, and Daryl set the water down on the nightstand.
Grabbing the metal railing, he began to push off the bed, forgetting all about the oxygen mask still half on his face. He became tangled in plastic tubing running to an IV pole. He saw that it was attached to the back of his hand.
“All right, that’s enough. Hold on and I’ll help you.”
Why does he have to be here right now with me like this?
The whole thing struck Zach as strange—and embarrassing. It had him jumbled up inside. He was confused as to why Daryl—of all people—was tending to him and why he was so concerned about not being at his best in front of him. Daryl had his arm around his waist, and helped pull him up.
“I got it from here, I’m good. Thanks.”
Zach stumbled a bit and Daryl grasped him harder.
“Sure you do.”
A slight draft reminded Zach that he was decked out in an open-back hospital gown and he clutched at it to close it up.
“Relax. I’ve seen tighty whities before.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t seen mine.”
“That’s a damn shame to be sure.” There was a slight cough from Daryl and Zach was sure he’d let that comment slip out unexpectedly.
He chanced a look at Daryl, but the man steadfastly kept his head down as if he were focused solely on helping Zach to the bathroom and nothing more. As if it were perfectly natural for them to be together the way they were.
I swear, if anyone I knew were to pop in right now…

Buy Links:

@morticiaknight or on Facebook

Release Day Blitz for Nona Raines' Read to Me and Giveaway



readtomerd

Read to Me by Nona Raines
Published by The Wild Rose Press (a Scarlet rosette)
Genre: Erotic M/F novella
Releasing: May 30, 2014


Synopsis

At the age of forty-four, Blaise Blankenship believes her own opportunity for romance has long since passed until she accidentally lands in the lap of a sexy stranger. She and the handsome Latino connect over an afternoon at a local bookstore, sharing their love of erotica. Blaise is swept away by an impetuous, hot, "no last names" night together. But the morning after reveals a truth she can't ignore—or avoid.

Excerpt

A waitress appeared at their table. "What can I get you?" "Do you have any Krupnik?" Blaise asked. The young server's brow crinkled. "I don't…" "It's a honey flavored drink," Guy told her. She shook her head. "I don't think we have that." Then a smile stole across her face. "But maybe I can come up with something." She left, and the two of them sat without speaking. The silence was a comfortable cocoon enveloping them, connecting them. There was no need for speech. A bit later, the waitress returned with two rocks glasses half-filled with an amber liquid. "Honey flavored Kentucky bourbon," she explained as she served them. Guy paid the woman then lifted his glass in a toast. Blaise followed suit. "What shall we toast?" "To happy accidents," he proposed. "That works for me." They clinked their glasses, and Blaise took a sip. Though unusually sweet, the drink had the familiar burn of whiskey. Heat spread down her throat to her belly and below. He touched the book. "Shall we continue?" She nodded, and Guy opened to the page and began to read. People around them chatted and laughed, going about their business, but she and Guy were in a bubble. No one looked their way. No one paid them any mind. They were in a tiny universe all their own. Blaise sipped her drink, sliding closer to him in the circular booth. He was so big, so warm. Just being near him made her body heat rise. Perspiration bloomed, and her blouse clung to her skin. Her nipples, hard and achy, poked against her bra. A few words penetrated the haze—something about the Hummingbird's Kiss—but it wasn't the story line or the whiskey making her woozy. She was getting drunk on the low, sensual timbre of Guy's voice. Soon the words blurred into an incomprehensible buzz in her ears. Her breath slowed as she watched his lips move. She pictured herself kissing them, licking the sweetness from them. Lowering her gaze to his hands, she imagined them touching her. He'd skim the pads of his fingers along her torso, fasten those succulent lips of his on her nipple and pull… Her pussy responded to the fantasy with an answering pull. She shifted slightly to ease the throb between her thighs. Her movement must have distracted him. His gaze flickered from the page to light on her face and his voice trailed off. Guy nodded to her empty glass. "Another?" She'd finished it? When had that happened? "No." Her tongue felt thick. "Would you like something else, then?" he asked.
  1. She knew what exactly she wanted. The question was, did she have the guts to ask?
It's your last chance. Your last adventure before you become the boring old mother of the bride. Take it. Take it! Gathering her courage, she took the leap. "Yes." She placed her hand on his thigh. Underneath her fingers, his muscles tensed. His eyebrows lowered and his gaze sharpened. "Yes." She squeezed his thigh. "I want to get a room. Let's go upstairs."

Author Bio

Nona Raines became hooked on romances when she first picked up "The Flame and the Flower" by Kathleen Woodiwiss (and she's not telling how long ago that was). Romances may have changed since then, but her love for a good love story has not. She's been writing off and on for years, but it was only when she joined the Central New York Romance Writers Association that she finally gained the support and confidence she needed to complete a manuscript. Nona lives in upstate New York with her many pets and is currently working on her next novel. A former librarian, she enjoys reading books of all genres and discussing them with others. Her books include The Man Series (One Good Man, Take This Man and Her Perfect Man) from The Wild Rose Press and Uncollared from Loose Id. Her transgender romance His Kind of Woman was a GLBT finalist in the 2014 DABWAHA competition sponsored by the Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books review blogs.

Author Links:

Link to website: www.nonaraines.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NonaRaines.author Twitter: https://twitter.com/nonaraines Blog: http://divasofdesire.blogspot.com/ Amazon page: amazon.com/author/nonaraines

Giveaway


  bpbuttonfortours    

Thursday, May 29, 2014

One Year Anniversary for Honor C

Celebrate with author C. Zampa in the One Year Anniversary for her sensual book, Honor C, with some great new artwork and discover a story that will stir your senses as well as steal your heart!





Honor C by C. Zampa
Contemporary M/M Novella
Dreamspinner Press
Available at Publisher

When Honor Castillo convinces himself he isn’t gay, he begins a new life. He ends his affair with his lover, Jorge Villagomez, and marries Rebecca to establish a life with her as a respected San Antonio businessman. They have a son and he tells himself he is happy.

Eleven years later, Jorge returns to San Antonio, and his path crosses with Honor’s once more. The flame of their passion never died, and neither did Jorge’s love for Honor.

When Jorge approaches Honor to design his studio, Honor believes he can walk the line between friendship and lovers. But when a sudden crisis threatens to take Jorge from him forever, Honor must choose between his duty and his heart. Most of all, he’s forced to decide what he’s willing to lose in order to be true to who he really is.


Teaser Excerpt:


There were times I thought I would die from the pain of it and times I often hated myself because of the pain it caused for those I loved.
But if I had the chance to go back, to do it over again, would I still have done the same? Yes. Hell, yes.
—Honor Castillo

San Antonio, Texas, 2001

Honor

I STARED through the slats of the tree house roof at the porch light shimmering on the leaves. The weathered boards were warm and rough on the soles of my bare feet, and the musty smell of the worn wood soothed me, turned me on.
The little wood sanctuary had hosted some of the best memories of my life. In this secret clubhouse, my buddies and I stashed comic books and Playboy magazines. We sneaked cigarettes, turning our little haven into a sort of juvenile male-only nightclub.
It was here I discovered I didn’t go for the chicas in the nudie magazines but instead lusted for the cocks and tight asses of chulos. One hot summer night a million years ago, on the floor of this little dilapidated tree house—crickets going wild in the dark and lightning bugs glittering in the shadows of the trees—I made out with a boy for the first time.
That boy was Jorge Villagomez.
Thin, pale Jorge, who always seemed to be in frail health. Constantly missing school, in and out of the hospital, never having to participate in gym. The boy who carried a little plastic container filled with his medications in his backpack. Although he never spoke of it, not even to me, the undisputed word—from a kid named Julie something-or-other who knew everything—was that Jorge had a heart condition.
Beautiful, ungodly beautiful Jorge. Somehow his fragility made him all the more divine. Unbearably delicate skin complemented with the shiniest, blackest hair I’d ever seen. But it was his eyes that riveted me. Clear, mystical, startling silvery gray. And in the middle of all those ravishing features was the cutest gap-toothed smile. That tiny flaw lent Jorge a smidgen of ordinariness. It almost made him approachable.
Rich, spoiled Jorge. Hell, even his name dripped with privilege. Jorge Villagomez. His parents—of noble Spanish heritage—were San Antonio society, steeped in culture and money.
Fiery, icy, bossy, bitchy, girly, sweet, adorable Jorge. Sickly as he was, feminine as he was, nobody but nobody ever made fun of him. He never endured the bullying most of the weaker kids did. Something in Jorge defied the teasing. His very spirit double-dog dared anyone to make fun of him.
My Jorge.
What that exquisite creature saw in me, I hadn’t a clue. I figured he got some rich boy’s thrill hanging out in my not-so-affluent neighborhood.
But then I figured if a guy like me was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of Jorge’s libido, I shouldn’t ask questions. I’d just smile and roll around in the sexual glow.
If I lived a hundred years, I’d never forget the day he sashayed into my life.


 Author links:
Blog 





Upcoming Releases from Yasmine Galenorn I am excited for

Yasmine Galenorn has a few upcoming releases that I am anxiously awaiting for....You can pre-order these books now!

The final book in the Indigo Court Series is coming July 2014

Night's End
Book Five in Indigo Courts Series
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Available July 1st, 2014

Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they could have imagined. Now, in a final push, Myst returns with a vengeance to bring the Golden Wood forever under the rule of the Indigo Court.

Newly crowned Fae Queens Cicely and Rhiannon have embraced their destinies and claimed their thrones. But Myst is rising once more, and now, at the helm of her armies, she begins her final assault on the Golden Wood. As Fae, vampires, and magic-born alike fall under the tide of blood, Cicely and her friends must discover a way to destroy the spidery queen before they—and their people—face total annihilation.

Pre-Order at Amazon / Books-a-Million / B&N

*****
The spin-Off to the Otherworld series is coming in August 2014

Flight from Hell
Prequel to the Fly by Night Series/Spin-off from Otherworld series
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Coming August 19th, 2014

**This is an e-book only**

When Carter, half demon, comes to Menolly and her sisters, asking for their help, they think he's just had a tiff with Shimmer, his blue dragon girlfriend.
But after talking to Alex Radcliffe, the owner of the Fly By Night Magical Investigations Agency where Shimmer works, they suspect that she has been kidnapped by an old enemy of Alex's.

Now, Alex joins forces with the D'Artigo sisters in a desperate race to find Shimmer before Julian, a powerful vampire from Alex's past with a grudge to settle, can use the dragon to wreak havoc on Seattle as revenge.

Pre-Order at Amazon 

****

The next book in the Otherworld series is coming in September 2014

Priestess Dreaming
Otherworld Series Book Sixteen
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. Menolly is a vampire married to a gorgeous werepuma. And me? I'm a Moon witch married to three gorgeous husbands, and I'm about to journey through the veils to search for a long lost legend...

With the war in Otherworld raging, the Queen of Shadow and Night summons me to her court. Aeval orders me to embark on a hunt through the mists to find an ancient ally she once knew. I must seek out The Merlin and wake him from his long sleep. But Morgaine and Bran are along for the journey, and the pair pose a threat to both me and my quest. Now, surrounded by danger on all sides, I must pray they are allies rather than enemies, as we undertake a perilous search through the labyrinth of time...

Pre-order at Amazon

WRITERS WRITER...WRITING PARTNERS FEUD ~ May...May...Vamps and Wolves




Z:  It's May...it's May... outdoor lovin' begins this day.  (He grinned that naughty grin)  Want to go on a picnic?  (Just a magician would pull a bouquet of fake flowers out of his sleeve, Zi pulled from his an bundle of red-vine Twizzlers)
A:  In June.  (Grabbed the red-vine, noticed that they were stale, but continued to eat... why... sugar was sugar)
Z:  I was in June in College.
A:  You were and are innnn-sane!
Z:  (Zi grabbed the bundle from her hand and cajoled)  These were a bribe to get you to picnic with me.
A:  Picnic with yourself.  You probably did that also in college.  (She snatched the candy back)
Z:  (After five minutes of processing her assertion, he asked)  Do you want to write another Vampire book?
A:  Vampires and/or werewolves are everywhere.
Z:  (Zi started a search on Vampire books)
A:  (While he was turned away, she put a pair of fake fangs into her mouth and crept up behind him and in a horrible Transylvanian accent she spoke)  I vont to suck... your Twizzler.
Z:  (He turned as she laughed and in so doing, spit her fangs out.  They were so close the fangs popped into his mouth that was agape.)
A:  Beast!
Z:  Me?   Grrrrr!  (He transitioned into a general dialog about vampire books)  People like the primal animal these books represent.  Let me gnaw on you... while my guttural growl brings butterflies to your belly.  Let me suck... the youth from you... and flop in that sate.
A:  I get the exchange of blood is likened to the exchange of bodily fluid.  The suck on the neck or elsewhere is pseudo-sexual.  The haunting captivity of the victims is much like being smitten.  But, come on, it is a form of bestiality.  Animal on human.  Is this where I add the ick?  Or do I accept that titillation as real?  (She opened the collar of her blouse, showing white flesh and a tad of cleavage) Why don't you come up and... bite me... bite me... big boy.  (May West hand-hip swag was in place)
Z:  So vampires... a crime against nature? 
A:  But by nature, humans feel akin to animals... so isn't it their nature to be beasty?  (She bent her chin down tightly to grab a red-vine without using her hands... she was close and maneuvered the bunch to be closer... delight manifested itself in her eyes, she had created a self-serve candy dispenser)
Z:  Bestial behavior has always been a taboo, but has also intrigued since the beginning of recorded history.  Petyroglyphs show prehistoric man getting it on with beasts. 
A:  Deviant... or bad blind date Saturday? 
Z:  Mythology and folklore have highlighted this activity with the likes of the myth Leda and the Swan, where the horny fowl gets the girl... good.  (He paused)  Not good that he gets her but good is how!   I've seen the statues and pictures. 
A:  That's one romping rooster.  This all gives new meaning to being cocked. 
Z:  Centaurs, half man/ half horse, have been pictured in sexual union, stallions, accouterments have excited women. 
A;  Ride 'em cowgirl!  (She pulled a red vine and used it as a crop riding her air horsy)
Z:  Minotaurs, in the middle ages, were bull-men that were always depicted as powerful and sexual.  (Giving the get-with-the-program-cause-this-is-serious look) 
A:  Minotaur crap... fantasy bull-shit?  (She popped the candy into her mouth and showed the whites of hers eyes in pleasure)  
Z:  A faun, such as Pan, was an ancient god that was half man and half goat, often depicted as seducing via his flute.  
A:  Flute?  (She plucked another red vine and tried to play the limp piece of candy as one might a flute... she tooted the song... A Framer in the Dell)
Z:  Satyrs, also men having goat-like features, especially their phallus, have been seen in pictures having their way, missionary style, with of all beasts, goats. 
A:  Baaaad story!  (Because of the tooting and having candy in her mouth, she driveled red spit down her chin and giggled as she wiped it... ultimately, offering a lick to Zi who shunned her) 
Z:  Dating back to the 14th century and continuing into the 20th, women were accused of being witches and punished because they were thought to be having sex with animals.  Why the sex?  Some weird belief that they were trying to mate with the Devil, who were oft though the image of a goat.  So, you can see that the fascination has been omnipresent.  
A:  Zoophilia and/or bestiality has been thought deviant.  The recent media use of attractive werewolves and vampires softens the edge of that deviancy.  So have our characters in our writing moved people to be more accepting of this behavior?
Z:  That is the least of our worries.
A:  I worry I haven't laughed today.
Z:  I vont to suck your...
A:  Be nice.
Z:  I have a short piece.
A:  (She read)
Little Boy Blue still chatting-up Little Girl Pink, "A young Grandpa Dumpty was in Paris walking along one of the River Seine's bridges one sunny afternoon and saw a man about to jump off.  Frantic, Dumpty sprinted to the man and shouted, 'Wait, don't jump!  Let's talk!  I'm sure things can't be this bad!'  The jumper turned to Dumpty and sobbed, 'What do you know about it?  Listen, my magic built that castle. See that one over there? And there!  Three of those Bastions are my design!  But when I walk down a rue, does anyone say, There goes Merlin, the Magical Architect?  Nay, they don't!  I write necromancy books, too!  I wrote a magical mystery novel in 3D that made the Hamlet Old Times best-seller list!  But does anyone say, There goes Merlin, the magical author?  Nay, they don't!  For ten years I've taught magic courses at Spell U Without a Y, but does anyone ever say, There goes Merlin, the magical college prof?   Nay, they don't!  But you suck one little twisler...'"  (BALDERDASH AND  DONA PENZA TATTLE TALES  PRESENTS:  SECOND FLORILEGIUM...THE FABLE OF SIN-SIN-CINDERELLA BALLING...BOOK TWENTY-FOUR...DANCING LOVE...BY  Angelica Hart and  Zi

A:  Want some soup?
Z:  Ok.
A:  Your turn to make it.
Z:  I think I have some frozen ox-tail soup.
A:  Really?














***
We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at writingteamcw@yahoo.com (Write - Blog Dawn - in subject line) and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.



Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com








Book Blast and Giveaway: Fox Hounds by Lia Connor

Title :  Fox Hounds Author : Lia Connor Publisher : Changeling Press Cover Artist: Renee' George Release Date : March 15, 2024 He...