Talking with author Andrea Speed and the characters from the Infected Series

Since the release of the Infected Holiday Special is coming soon, I thought I’d get a bunch of my characters together to talk about the book: Roan McKichan, Dylan Harlow, Fiona Sutton, Holden Krause, “Tank” Beauvais, Grey Williams, and Scott Murray.

Andrea: To kick things off, I should ask what your favorite holiday is.

Roan: Halloween, I suppose.

Grey: That’s an easy answer though, isn’t it? Everybody likes Halloween.

Holden: Not me. I dislike all holidays. What’s the point of them beyond making all poor people feel bad?

Tank: Right on, brother.

Holden: Was that sarcastic? Sometimes I can’t tell with you.

Tank: No, I’m serious. They may have begun as harmless festivals or ways to mark the turn of seasons, but they’ve definitely been co-opted by capitalist forces. Stapling religious meanings to them doesn’t make them suddenly legitimate.

*long moment of silence*

Scott: Tank is from a long line of political activists and he’s taken many pucks to the head. You’ll have to forgive him.

Tank: Speak for yourself. I’m not the one who’s been sidelined by a concussion.

Scott: Yes, but I’m coasting on my looks. No one expects me to be able to talk good.

Andrea: Is it always like this?

Fiona: Oh my God, and men say women talk too much? When these guys get together, I have to lob in a smoke bomb to get a word in edgewise. These guys yap like you wouldn’t believe.

Grey: We don’t yap. We chirp.

Fiona: You squawk.

Andrea: Back to the topic at hand –

*Grey flaps his hands and makes bird noises*

Andrea: – was there a holiday not covered in the book that you wished was covered?

Roan: Uh …

Holden: No. They’re all terrible.

Tank: Arbor Day?

Andrea: That’s in the book.

Tank: Fuck you.

Andrea: No, I’m serious.

Scott: Is Cinco de Mayo an actual holiday, or just an excuse to drink tequila on a Tuesday?

Dylan: It’s more like an American bastardization of Mexican Independence Day, which isn’t on May 5th.

Scott: When is it?

Dylan: September 16^th.

Grey: Okay, is that in the book?

Andrea: No.

Grey: Why the hell not?

Andrea: I … don’t know. I forgot.

Holden: What the hell kind of excuse is that? You’re the writer, right? Write, goddamn it.

Tank: What about Canadian Thanksgiving? Is that in the book?

Andrea: No, I forgot that one too.

Scott: How? We’re Canadian and we’re right here.

Andrea: Not when I was writing you weren’t.

Roan: Where else did we have to be? Aren’t we a captive audience?

Andrea: Um …

Holden: Sounds like victim blaming to me.

Andrea: Guys, we’re getting off the topic here.

Tank: Not really. We told you the holidays we wanted, and you didn’t include them. We’re disillusioned.

Fiona: Really this is your fault for asking the question in the first place.

Andrea: I guess we covered the holidays you hate question.

Holden: All of them. Next question.

Andrea: But the others haven’t –

Roan: No, we’re good.

Andrea: Guys, you’re not helping.

Grey: Do we exist to help you?

Andrea: Uh … no, I guess not.

Fiona: Okay. So why do you expect us to help now?

Holden: And let’s be real here: I’m not known for my helpfulness.

Roan: No, you’re mostly known for various felonies.

Holden: You say that like it’s a bad thing.

And that seems like a good place to leave it. The Infected Holiday Special is out May 17^th (linky here: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/infected-holiday-special-by-andrea-speed-247-b ) and it was fun to write, in spite of these guys. One of these days, I’m not going to be shown up by my ungrateful creations too. (I can always hope, can’t I?)

The Infected Holiday Special

DSP Publications

Paranormal

Available May 17th, 2016

Pre-Order HERE

Peek behind the curtain with Roan McKichan and the various characters who make up the Infected universe in this sometimes serious, sometimes humorous collection of short stories centered around the holidays.

There’s Kevin, who reflects on how lonely his life in the closet is. And Fiona and Tank, who go on a surprisingly good first date. Roan himself finds his Halloween celebration at Panic interrupted by loose cats and obnoxious frat boys while Paris contemplates his mortality on their impromptu honeymoon. Dropkick deals with her new marriage and male egos on the job, Roan meets Connor at the scene of a drunken fight, and Holden contemplates his future as a street kid. These stories and many more will be told, centered around more holidays than you can shake a dreidel at.

Meet the Author

Andrea Speed was born looking for trouble in some hot month without an R in it. While succeeding in finding Trouble, she has also been found by its twin brother, Clean Up, and is now on the run, wanted for the murder of a mop and a really cute, innocent bucket that was only one day away from retirement. (I was framed, I tell you – framed!)

In her spare time, she arms lemurs in preparation for the upcoming war against the Mole Men. 

Viva la revolution!

IN ABSTENTIA BY ANDREA SPEED: http://andreaspeed.com/
WRITER OF STUFF (TUMBLR): http://notmanos.tumblr.com/
8TRACKS: http://8tracks.com/notmanos

Welcome Holden “Fox” Krause and Andrea Speed today

Please give a warm welcome to Holden “Fox” Krause  from the Infected series by Andrea Speed today as we sit down and see what makes him tick.

Q: So tell us about yourself. What got you in the crosshairs for your author?

Oh, I wouldn't even try and guess. Have you seen her brain? Little scares me, but that does.

Let's see, what can I tell you about myself? My dad's an evangelist, and he fathered me and probably my sister with our mother, a junkie in one of his outreach programs, while married to another woman. When our mother died of an overdose, he let my sister get dumped into the foster care system, but as I was an infant, arranged to adopt me to show what Christian charity he had, while never acknowledging he was my biological father. And when he found out I was gay, he threw me out of the house, and I became a hooker to survive. I'm still really bitter about it, can you tell? At least, if he does believe a smidgen of that religious bullshit he shovels – and I say he probably doesn't – and it exists, at least he'll burn in hell for being the worst kind of hypocrite. Have I mentioned I hate the fucker?

On the street I got the nickname Fox, not 'cause I'm so foxy – although, of course I am – but because I could think my way out of almost everything. Crazy – and smart – as a fox. It's a name to wear with pride.

Perhaps I should point out that I'm no longer an escort. Well, technically. I'm trying to give this detective thing a try. Roan somehow blackmailed me into it. It's super boring, but on the plus side, I don't have to pop Viagra like candy.

Q: What was it that drew you to your mate?

Scott? Have you seen him? Boy's fucking hot. I mean, hockey players usually have busted ass faces, but their bodies … holy shit. All that skating makes a body hard and sculpted like marble. He could make a shit ton of money as an escort. And, you know, his face isn't bad. Especially for a hockey player. He's like a god of beauty compared to most players. Like me, he doesn't mind keeping things open and casual. I really don't do realationships, and I still have no idea how I ended up in one.

Q: A little naughty fun, where was the wildest place you seduced your partner(s)? 

Oh. He's no fun. Probably 'cause he's still in the closet about his bisexuality. But I once fucked a client in the bathroom of a shitty biker bar. A straight biker bar. He had a thing about it.

Q: Boxers, briefs or Commando on a man? 

I know for a fact boxer-briefs are the sexiest underwear. Well, on most. There's some guys who can't be helped. No matter how pretty the wrapping, the package is just pathetic. Sometimes, there just ain't enough glitter and stickers in the world to make that a gift worth unwrapping. That's not true of Scott, though. He's good in that department too, the bastard. Some guys get all the good genes.

Q: If your partner wants to seduce you, what's one sure fire trick they can do to seduce you? 

Gin. Lots of gin. Maybe some pot if I'm in the mood for it.

Q: What is the one place on your partner's body that you know will drive them wild-in and out of bed?  

There's a spot just below his belly button, almost half way down the treasure trail. All I have to do is breathe on that spot or tickle it, and he's laughing and ready to go.

Q: What was one of the most embarrassing things your author did to you in Infected: Lesser Evils? 

Well, she just had to document a couple of stupid ass corrupt cops beating the shit out of me, huh? I take solace in knowing Roan fucked them up but good. I'm pretty sure they're still in therapy over that.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

Although I can't really say it in mixed company – Johnny Law and all that – I really do like being called a hooker vigilante. I really wish I could use that on resumes and business cards, but since both things are technically illegal, that's one of those things I need to keep under wraps.

Thank you, Fox, for joining us on 'Meet the Character' day here at Dawn’s Reading Nook Blog. You can find all of Andrea Speed’s books at Dreamspinner Press and Amazon .

Infected: Undertow

Sequel to Infected: Lesser Evils

Dreamspinner Press

Paranormal M/M, Shifter, Mystery/Suspense

Available in e-book & Print

In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds. Now Roan is locked in a coma as the struggle between his human and werecat sides reaches a new extreme. All Dylan can do is sit, wait, and think. 

Meanwhile, Roan’s assistant, Holden, wants to shed his old street life and his relationship with Scott, but he can’t seem to do either. Holden doesn’t want a relationship with Scott but finds himself drawn to him all the same, even if he can never fully reveal his past. 

With Roan out of commission, Holden looks into the murder of an old friend. At the same time, Fiona takes on a case about underground death matches between infecteds —one with connections to the Church of the Divine Transformation. 

Finally Roan wakes only to discover that his shifts have new consequences. His lion’s strength is growing, and he can’t hide from it any longer….

 

Book Review~ Josh of the Damned Triple Feaure 2: The Final Checkout by Andrea Speed

The final installment to the wonderfully addictive, laugh out loud series from acclaimed author Andrea Speed is her and you won't believe what Josh gets himself into now.

My Rating for The Final Checkout: Five Stars and a Recommended Read


Josh Caplan thought he discouraged the Quik-Mart’ corporation’s expansion into hell but sometimes company CEO’s need a good swift kick in the butt to show them that they are not wanted there. Josh just never anticipates being told he is now a guardian for Hell and that Medusa’s work for him is never done. Take a ride with Josh as he navigates being a guardian as well as stopping the Quik-Mart from trying to kill him once and for all. Can Josh be able to use his new found guardian powers to stop the one thing that stands before him and death- a money hungry CEO?




My Personal Book Review:


Let me say that I absolutely adore this series by author Andrea Speed. The stories are a comedy of fun that has left me laughing until I cry as I cheer on Josh at his night job at the Quik-Mart. In the final three stories in this series, readers are taken on the ride of their life as Josh battles a nasty CEO, keep Quik-Mart’s expansion out of the Hell universe called Dev and keep his job all at the same time. Add in some intriguing characters, a fun storyline and you got the makings of one book that will take the reader for the ride of their life, all the while laughing hysterically and rooting for the main characters to survive.



Meet Josh Caplan. Night time Quik-Mart clerk, monster magnet and has a vampire boyfriend. I got to admit. Josh made me laugh at times with his one liners as well as his acceptance of life with an ease that astounded me when I read his adventures in the Josh of the Damned series. Josh grows within each book of the series and in the end, he turns out to be one heck of a guardian…even if he has no idea what the heck he is doing at times, which made me think that was what the author wanted to convey within this final triple feature in the series. Add in some spectacular secondary characters such as Mr. Kwon, Josh’s necromancer boss, Medusa, leader of the hell world Dev, Colin the vampire boyfriend and more leave the reader eager to see what happens next with each page and I, for one, love the adventures Josh has with these characters at one time or another in the series. Add in a love-sick Yeti stalker, Medusa’s insane sisters and you got some plot twists that leave you giggling like crazy. Andrea Speed’s world building is just flat out amazing. Her characters shine in a world where monsters come to the Earth through portals and grab snacks at Quik-Mart, meet humans and just shuffle on back to Dev with the world none the wiser. Not too many details keep the story from being bogged down when we switch over to Dev. It was just enough of a glimpse to make me want to know more about that world and the monsters that call it home.

The final three stories keep the reader spellbound and as you find out what happens when Josh takes on the CEO of Quik-Mart Corporation, Medusa’s sisters and trying to stay alive while doing all this is a fun romp in the paranormal world Ms. Speed as created. The reader will laugh, snicker, root for Josh and all his friends and then laugh some more as the final three stories show the reader how Josh can save his life, his job and find a happy ever after that makes it to the next day. I can’t say more about the final three stories in this amazing series without giving too much away. Just be warned, you should read the series in order as each story to make sense to and to meet the characters that all make an appearance in these final three stories.

If you enjoy a good laugh while reading a paranormal book, then try the Josh of the Damned series and settle in for one hell raisi8ng adventure from start to finish. I look forward to seeing where this author will go in the future for her readers to enjoy.

The Josh of the Damned Series 
Find buy links and more HERE

Book One: Pretty Monsters


Josh knew the night shift at the Quik-Mart would be full of freaks and geeks—and that was before the hell portal opened in the parking lot. Still, he likes to think he can roll with things. Sure, the zombies make a mess sometimes, but at least they never reach for anything more threatening than frozen burritos.
Besides, it’s not all lizard-monsters and the walking dead. There’s also the mysterious hottie with the sly red lips and a taste for sweets.
Josh has had the hots for Hot Guy since the moment he laid eyes on him, and it seems Hot Guy might be sweet on Josh too. Now if only Josh could figure out whether that’s a good thing, a bad thing, or something in between. After all, with a hell vortex just a stone’s throw away, Josh has learned to take nothing at face value—even if it’s a very, very pretty face.

Book Two: Peek-a-Boo

As night-shift clerk at the go-to Quik-Mart for monsters with the munchies, Josh Caplan believes he’s seen it all. Battling lizard men, werewolves chasing cars in the parking lot . . . nothing fazes Josh anymore.
Or so he thinks, at least, until a yeti with poor communication skills drops a dead skunk on the checkout counter. Josh can’t figure what a living, breathing shag carpet wants with him, or why it won’t leave him alone no matter how hard he ignores it. But hey, at least it seems harmless . . . if perhaps a little slow on the draw.
But Sasquatch is plenty fast when two of Josh’s human customers try to out-monster the monsters. Times are strange when creatures from the hell portal save the day, but in the protective hands of a lovesick yeti and a sexy vampire boyfriend, Josh realizes that maybe his new normal isn’t so bad after all.

 Book Three: Triple Feature #1

What most people call a hellish shift, Josh Caplan calls a normal evening. After all, he works nights at a convenience store beside the mouth of hell, selling snacks to zombies and lizard men.

Some monsters are odder—and more dangerous—than most. Like the rampaging, oversized mustache who skips the Pringles and eats the customers instead. Or Cthulhu’s half-brother Stan, who doesn't know how to take no for an answer . . . or where to put all those tentacles.

But killer facial hair and inept hentai beasts pale in comparison to the monster even other monsters fear. When hell’s big boss demands a sit-down with Josh, she reveals a destiny bigger than he’d ever imagined—or wanted. You'd think preventing the apocalypse would net Josh more than minimum wage and a hot vampire boyfriend, but it turns out saving the world can be a pretty thankless job.

 

Book 3.5: Night of the Dust Bunnies

Free Read

Is it a quiet night at the Quik-Mart or are the dust bunnies lurking, waiting to strike? (Don't laugh, they're very mean).

 

Is it a quiet night at the Quik-Mart, or are the dust bunnies lurking, waiting to strike? (Don’t laugh, they’re very mean.) - See more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/josh-damned-35-night-dust-bunnies#sthash.771vqdar.dpuf

 Book Four: Triple Feature 2: The Final Checkout

Josh Caplan thought he’d solved his home office problem and stopped the Quik-Mart Corporation from expanding into hell, but it turns out a guardian’s work is never done. Medusa has plans for him, and she’s not the only one.

What's a poor night clerk to do when he’s besieged on all sides by deluded vampire slayers, angry zombies, crazy gods, and the most terrifying enemy of all: a dickish CEO?

To survive this, Josh will have to do more than just rely on his necromancer boss, his hot vampire boyfriend, and his yeti stalker. This time, he’ll have to find his own inner hero to save the day.

Josh knew the night shift at the Quik-Mart would be full of freaks and geeks—and that was before the hell portal opened in the parking lot. Still, he likes to think he can roll with things. Sure, the zombies make a mess sometimes, but at least they never reach for anything more threatening than frozen burritos.
Besides, it’s not all lizard-monsters and the walking dead. There’s also the mysterious hottie with the sly red lips and a taste for sweets.
Josh has had the hots for Hot Guy since the moment he laid eyes on him, and it seems Hot Guy might be sweet on Josh too. Now if only Josh could figure out whether that’s a good thing, a bad thing, or something in between. After all, with a hell vortex just a stone’s throw away, Josh has learned to take nothing at face value—even if it’s a very, very pretty face.
- See more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/pretty-monsters-josh-damned-1#sthash.rCBEuoWb.dpuf

Josh knew the night shift at the Quik-Mart would be full of freaks and geeks—and that was before the hell portal opened in the parking lot. Still, he likes to think he can roll with things. Sure, the zombies make a mess sometimes, but at least they never reach for anything more threatening than frozen burritos.
Besides, it’s not all lizard-monsters and the walking dead. There’s also the mysterious hottie with the sly red lips and a taste for sweets.
Josh has had the hots for Hot Guy since the moment he laid eyes on him, and it seems Hot Guy might be sweet on Josh too. Now if only Josh could figure out whether that’s a good thing, a bad thing, or something in between. After all, with a hell vortex just a stone’s throw away, Josh has learned to take nothing at face value—even if it’s a very, very pretty face.
- See more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/pretty-monsters-josh-damned-1#sthash.rCBEuoWb.dpuf

A Special Guest Author Day with Andrea Speed

I was so excited when I found out author Andrea Speed wrote a short blog story for us today. I love her Josh of the Damned Series at Riptide and can not wait to see what happens next for the night clerk at the Quik Mart. So without further adieu  meet Josh and see what adventure (or is it a mis-adventure lol) he gets in now.

Night of the Dust Bunnies

Josh knew it was too good to last.

It had been a quiet night, even the werewolves had given it a rest, and he thought maybe he was going to have a nice, boring night for a change. It'd been so long since he'd had a customer, he'd already broken open a bag of Ruffles and a bottle of Snapple, and was eating as he read a gossip rag. Josh imagined he'd feel guiltier about reading who was having an affair or who had gained twenty five pounds if he had any idea who these people were. He knew about half, roughly. Like that one guy was in that show he never watched, and he'd seen that one lady's tits in a movie Doug liked, but sometimes he'd be treated to page after page of stories about people he didn't know from his rare human customers. Except these people in print dressed better, and looked more awake.And generally sober.

Josh was considering stealing an ice cream bar – so sue him, he didn't have time to eat before work – when he heard a distinct pop. It literally sounded just like the word, like a guy with a weird, inflectionless voice suddenly said “Pop” very succinctly into a bullhorn. But since he was alone in the store, that couldn't be the case. Right? “Hello?” he asked tentatively. What if there was a response? Oh hell, what if there wasn't? Suddenly feeling unnerved, he reached under the counter for the silver broomstick.

“You ever clean this goddamn place?” a tiny, high pitched voice said. It was only when he heard the hum, like an angry mechanical wasp, that he realized he was being visited by Gary the Reverse Tooth Fairy. “And color coordinate the shelves, you freaked out maniac! The colors clash so much it's like my eyeballs have thrown up.”

The tiny man came out of the chip aisle, hovering like a psychotic hallucination of a dragonfly, and while Josh found it difficult to make out his clothes (it looked like he had doll sized green pants on, and a pale shirt), it looked like he was indeed holding his tiny, voice amplifying bullhorn. “What the hell do you want?” Josh asked, closing the paper. He'd met the foul mouthed creature just the once, but he really didn't like him.

“Don't get your panties in a bunch, dickdip,” Gary said, continuing to hover at more or less face level. Sadly, he was more than a broomstick away, so Josh couldn't smack him. “I'm just lookin' for the dust bunnies. You seen 'em?”

This seemed more surreal and pointless than usual, and since Gary seemed to be a professional dick, that was really saying something. “Yeah, I get it, the store isn't clean enough for you. You'd be amazed by how much I don't care about your opinion.”

“No, fuckhole, I'm not talking about your lack of hygiene. I'm talkin' about the dust bunnies. What, Colin never told you about them?”

Josh crossed his arms over his chest, so Gary didn't get the impression he was buying a single thing he said. “Are you really so bored turning coins to teeth that you have to come to my dimension and bore me?”

“Ya think I wanna be here, in this shitpile you call a store? Dungbrain, these little fuckers are dangerous.”

“Are they?”

“Don't give me that look. I got better things to do than hang out with you, meat monkey.”

Josh didn't even know what that insult meant. Then again, Gary was hard to understand, in more ways than one. “Let me get this straight. You're looking for clumps of lint?”

“What, you got Jello for brains? Dust bunnies are these vicious little shits that were the result of some weird gene splicing experiment. They'll eat anything, even those manure scrapings you call food.”

“Hey!” He grabbed the bag of Ruffles and shoved them under the counter. “So if these things are real, what do they look like?”

“What d'ya mean what do they look like? What do you think they look like, genius? They're fuckin' dust bunnies! They look like clumps of hair, and they're small. They like hidin' under stuff.”

“Now I know you're just screwing with me.”

“Don't flatter yourself, dicklard. I bet they'd love a filthy place like this. All the free eats they could want, and no risk of bein' cleaned at any point.” Gary turned and flew off down the aisle.

“Are you applying as a custodian? 'Cause I could totally give you a job application.” Since Gary didn't respond, Josh went after him, just to make sure the flying rat wasn't doing something disgusting to the candy bars.

The hum of Gary's wings seemed to take funny bounces, so following the sound was difficult, and the little bastard was zig zagging all around the store, faster than an angry bee. Eventually Josh caught sight of him in the hangover aisle (it had aspirin and a variety of over the counter drugs, most of which were devoted to hangover symptoms) , where he was gliding near the floor. “There you are, you little bastard,” he squeaked, and for a second he thought Gary was talking to him. But then this little black piece of dust – like a teeny tiny tumbleweed – suddenly blew across  the floor.

Josh jumped back in shock and maybe let out a noise that wasn't very dignified, but it wasn't a shriek. The way it moved, he thought maybe it was a spider, except they weren't shaped that way, and he saw no hint of legs at all. Just a ... dust bunny, rolling way too fast.

Gary glared at him – or at least Josh thought he was glaring at him. His eyes were so small it was hard to tell. “Did you just shriek like a little girl?”

“No! I just ... it was startling.So these things do exist?”

Gary made a tiny noise that could have been a tsk, but it also could have been a sneeze or a fart. “Jesus, you really think I ain't got nothin' better to do than tease the low rent counter gibbon? Dude, some of us gotta work for a living.”

“Stop comparing me to a monkey, you flying venereal disease,” Josh snapped, going back to retrieve the regular broom.

Josh started sweeping around the shelves and near the counter, anywhere where he could find a small recess, and chased out a couple of dust bunnies that made a break for it, but didn't get far before Gary zapped them with this tiny gun he had. Or at least Josh thought it was a gun. It was kind of hard to tell, and it didn't make a noise, but after Gary used it, the dust bunnies disappeared, and there was this nasty burnt hair smell.

Josh swept the whole store, even the top of the shelves, and while Gary was satisfied they got all the dust bunnies they could, Josh had this skeevy, skin crawling feeling, and wanted to douse the whole store in bleach. Just the thought of living dust bunnies set off his creepy crawly and OCD responses.

Gary disappeared – with another pop – as abruptly as he'd shown up, and Josh was wondering if he could stand the bleach smell for the couple hours he had left on his shift. Then a customer came in, and Josh was forced to scramble back to the counter and dump the take a penny tray, which was now full of teeth. (Damn Gary.)

“Did you have an electrical fire in here?”

Josh looked at the customer, and was surprised to see that he looked human (he could have been a vampire, but he wasn't feeling that strange pull that he usually felt with vamps). Also, he was fairly hot, despite some ghostly scars on his face, and hair color that was a weird crimson-brown. His green eyes were really riveting, though, and gave Josh the creepy feeling he was seeing right through him. “Um, yeah, sorry. It's out now, though.”

“I'd hope so,otherwise why are you still open,” he said, and turned back towards the cold case. He got a bottle of tea and came back to the register, and Josh was doing his best not to stare at the guy, who was really older than he went for – though he was dating a three hundred year old vampire, and if that wasn't out of his age range, who was? - but undeniably attractive. Or something. It wasn't exactly an insistent vampire pull, but it was a pull all the same. It looked like he was wearing a wedding ring, but since when did that matter?

He paid cash, and as Josh was getting his change, he realized the guy was sniffing, just glancing around the store and smelling the air. He looked puzzled by it too. So not human? What was he then? Josh thought he saw a tattoo on the underside of his wrist, but he couldn't tell what it was.

The guy left, still looking confused by the store, and the door had barely shut before it opened again, only this time it was Colin coming through the door, a little early tonight. But he was looking out at the parking lot, troubled. “That guy smells like a lion,” Colin said.

Josh had no idea what to say to that, beyond the fact that he hadn't picked up anything. Then again, all he could smell was that disgusting burnt hair stink, that seemed to have gotten stuck in his nose. “Are there werelions?”

Colin shook his head and shrugged at the same time. “I don't think so, but then again, werepandas exist, and I didn't know that either.” He then paused and winced as he got a good sniff of the store. “Shit. Was there an electrical fire?”

“Gary showed up, and we hunted dust bunnies,” Josh told him. At Colin's surprised look, he said, “Flip the closed sign, grab a beer, and I'll explain it to you.”

At least he could end the night with a few quiet moments with his boyfriend. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. 

You can find the Josh of the Damned series at Riptide Publishing

News and Releases from Dreamspinner Press

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's October, which means it's time for our Halloween Extravaganza once again! To start things off right, we're giving 25% off all eBooks in the Angels and Demons category from now through October 4!

Check it all out at www.dreamspinnerpress.com

New Releases for week of October 1st, 2012

Dex in Blue by Amy Lane

Length: Novel | Genre: Contemporary

Available in E-book & Print

 

Ten years ago David Worral had plans to go to college and the potential for a beautiful future in front of him.  One tragic accident later, he fled to California and reinvented himself as Dex, top porn model of Johnnies. 

Dex’s life is a tangled mess now, but the guys he works with only see the man who makes them believe even porn stars can lead normal lives. When Kane, one of Dex’s coworkers, gets kicked out of his house, the least Dex can do is give him a place to stay. Kane may be a hyperactive muscle-bound psycho, but he’s also a really nice guy. What could be the harm? 

Except nothing is simple—not sex, not love, and not the goofy kid with the big dick and bigger heart who moves his life into Dex’s guest room. When they start negotiating fractured pasts and broken friends, Dex wonders if Kane’s honest nature can untangle the sadness that stalled his once-promising future. With Kane by his side, Dex just might be able to reclaim the boy he once was—and if he can do that, he can give Kane the home and the family he deserves.  

Love Comes Softly by Andrew Grey

Length: Novel | Genre: Contemporary

Available in E-book & Print

Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming—especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton’s partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don’t qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna’s tired life—and so does Ken’s neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty.

For two years Patrick hasn’t been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he’s watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him—a life he isn't sure he can have.

Ken doesn’t realize he’s fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there’s nothing more they can do: Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken’s heart is set on a new beginning—with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.

The Binding: A Matter of Time by Leora Stark

Sequel to The Binding: Someone to Depend On

The Binding Trilogy, Book 2

Length: Novella | Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Available in E-book Only

 When human couple Javier and Robin have a relationship-threatening disagreement about raising a family, the benevolent Felan Council dispatches newly trained Rilke to help them sort it out. But the Felan Council doesn’t know Rilke has problems of her own.

Somehow Rilke has developed a psychic bond to Gimle, the founder of the bond on which the Felan culture is based. Thousands of years ago, he bonded with a human man named Isa. Now Rilke sees their passionate love story firsthand through her dreams—but the dreams differ greatly from the Felan teachings. Convinced she must be crazy, Rilke flounders in her quest to help Javier and Robin communicate and struggles to find the confidence to tell the Felan Council what she’s learned.

Human After All by Connie Bailey

Length: Novella | Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery/Suspense

Available in E-book Only

In the future, corporations buy the life contracts of infants and raise them for specific careers. Jaymes, aka The Prince, is Erotic Bioware, Thoroughbred Class, trained to seduce and give pleasure in the highest tiers of society. But his latest client involves him in a political assassination, and Jaymes must flee the comforts of the city for the barbaric outlands.

With Drue the Fox, Bioware, Exotic Class, Jaymes struggles through the last wilderness on his world in his quest to return to civilization and his pampered life. The ruthless corporate mercenary on their trail should make them want to work together—but Jaymes and Drue are diametrically opposed in personality, class, and ideology and can’t stop bickering about Bioware inequality.

Eventually, Jaymes’s dislike of Drue evolves into something else as Jaymes wakes up to the reality of his place in society and admits that Drue is right. It will take great courage, a band of ex-military outcasts, and a sympathetic politician to clear Jaymes’s name and bring about lasting changes for all Bioware. Only then can he and Drue have a life together with all the rights a human deserves.

When I Say When by Tia Fielding

Length: Nap Dream | Genre: Contemporary

FREE NAP DREAM STORY

Available in E-book only

Jordan has his hands full running the publishing firm he saved from going under at the cost of his personal life. He doesn’t have time to date, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have needs.

Instead of trying to find a date, Jordan makes an appointment with a prostitute—something he’s never done before—and his companion turns out to be his high school crush, Gabe! Panic would ruin everything, including the chance at something real that Jordan suddenly craves.

The Road to Byron by Isabelle Rowan

Length: Novella | Genre: Contemporary

Available in E-book Only

Matthew Kellett and Craig Jeffries are lifelong friends and neighbors. They thought they knew everything about each other, but some secrets seem too big share. Craig hides the truth about his father—but Matthew’s secret is his own.

To celebrate their high school graduation, Craig, Matthew, and Craig’s girlfriend take a road trip up the east coast of Australia to Byron Bay. Then one night on the beach, everything changes: Matthew meets Damien, a college student who senses what Matthew is hiding. Though the connection between them is undeniable, Matthew scrambles to keep it secret. It will take a shocking revelation from Craig and a lot of courage to get Matthew back on the road to Byron—and the boy waiting there.

All Alone in a Sea of Romance by B. G. Thomas

Length: Novel | Genre: Contemporary, Humor

Available in E-book & Print

 I’m Jude Parks, writer of gay romances. Even though I’m good at what I do, the irony is that I haven’t exactly been lucky in love. My friend Jeannie says it's because I settle for Mr. Right Now instead of holding out for Mr. Forever. I say I’d rather regret what I have done than what I haven’t.

I only came to Romantic Voyages, the biggest romance convention in the country, for business. Yet in no time I got mixed up with a gorgeous cover model, weeping artists, drag queens, and crazy housewives—and became the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Well, they say any press is good press.

Maybe I should've stayed home. But then I never would’ve met Tommy Smith, the craziest, most outrageous, silly, sexy man I've ever known—a man who makes me wonder if it may be worth holding out for Mr. Forever. A man who might turn my rotten luck around. But only if we survive the weekend and I clear my name….

Infected: Lesser Evils by Andrea Speed

Sequel to Infected: Shift

Infected Series Book 6

Length: Novel | Genre: Werewolves/Shapeshifters

Available in E-book & Print

In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds.

Until recently, Roan was ahead of the curve when it came to reining in the lion that lives inside him. Now his control is slipping at the worst possible times. A new drug has hit the streets—one that triggers unscheduled changes in infected users. Street hustler Holden Krause gets attacked by one of his clients, then is surprised to find himself involved in an unwanted, unexpected relationship. And a serial killer begins targeting infecteds in their cat form—something that’s 100 percent legal.

To stop the murders, Roan has to work outside the law. But his newfound thirst for violence makes him worry he might be more like the killer than he thought, and his reluctance to talk about it with his husband, Dylan, puts an extra strain on their relationship. So Roan isn’t just fighting the killer and struggling with his mutating virus… he’s trying to save himself.