Honorary Blogger Post

Honorary Blogger Lori A. Witt: Going Back to My Roots + Giveaway!

Posted on June 25, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Going Back to My Roots

by Lori A. Witt

I’ve been writing romance since late 2008, and publishing since the end of 2009, but I’ve actually been writing for much longer than that. Though I’ve dabbled in various subgenres—cyberpunk, historical, suspense—it’s been nonstop romance for the last several years.

Up until I made that fateful switch to romance, though, most of my writing had been science fiction or fantasy. Even now, SFF still makes up the bulk of what I read for pleasure. I’m a proud nerd—I’ve loved Star Wars since I was a kid, I’ve played Magic: The Gathering since the mid 1990s, and I can still beat The Legend of Zelda. I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, though, and despite multiple attempts, have never been able to read any of Tolkien’s work, so I might not be, like, nerd supreme, but definitely a nerd of sorts.

So writing The Tide of War wasn’t just an experiment, it was getting back to my roots. Back to spaceships and aliens, other worlds—the stuff I cut my teeth on and have always itched to write again. These are the kinds of stories where no character is safe. Okay, I don’t quite write Game of Thrones level character extermination, but this isn’t a light story. It’s about war. War involves heartbreak. And these characters get their hearts—and other body parts—broken quite frequently.

(Yes, that sound you hear in the background is me cackling madly.)

Does this mean I’m stepping away from romance? Not at all. Diversifying, really. Letting those science fiction and fantasy plot bunnies come to life after pushing them to the back burner for the past few years. Some stories will have romances in them, some won’t. The Tide of War has a love story, but it’s not the main plot (though it does have a major impact on the plot). Some will have sex in them, some won’t. The as-yet-untitled sequel to The Tide of War may have even less sex than the first one, or it may have more. My other in-progress scifi novel, Mythos, will have some sex and romance in it.

What’s next for Lori A. Witt? Well, the sequel and Mythos, as mentioned above. I also have some fantasy stories brewing. There’s an epic fantasy that’s been simmering quietly in the back of my skull for a good fifteen years now. When will those books be written? When will they be released? Hard to say. All I know is that it’s been a blast to revisit the genre that made me fall in love with writing in the first place, and y’all have definitely not heard the last of Lori A. Witt.

blogger_bee_trans

About The Tide of War

1Lieutenant Commander Kyle West is one of Earth Fleet’s greatest fighter pilots. Every day, he leads his squadron into battle over Earth’s cities in a seemingly endless war against a vicious alien race, defending his home and his loved ones.

Millions of miles away, the Fleet’s Elite Squadron attacks from another angle, engaging the enemy on its home turf. Casualties are high, and the Squadron needs more of the Fleet’s very best. But joining the Elite is a death sentence—a surety Kyle isn’t willing to face. Until a devastating attack wipes out the family he refused to leave.

Commander Andrei Dezhnyov, an Elite Squadron gunner, isn’t sure what to make of the cocky new American pilot. Kyle is equally uncertain about the snarly Russian, but as they warm up to each other, their tentative alliance becomes a deep bond—one that endangers them both when a daring and disobedient rescue reveals secrets that call into question everything they’ve ever believed about their enemy. Secrets that their superiors would kill to protect.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

blogger_bee_trans

About Author

Lori A. Witt is the fourth corner of the Gallagher-Witt quad, and prefers to play in the genres of science fiction and fantasy over all that romance nonsense. Okay, so romance does show up sometimes, but these are the books she writes when she needs a change of pace. Sword and sorcery, spaceships, and just general weird nerdy goodness—Lori writes it all. Like the other members of the quad (L.A. Witt, Lauren Gallagher, and Ann Gallagher), Lori is in the process of relocating from Omahabad, Nebraskastan to the southwestern coast of Spain. In her spare time, she tries to stay out of the middle of L.A.’s and Lauren’s ongoing rivalry, while never missing a chance to trip Ann when she’s not paying attention.

Find out more about Lori on her Website, Blog, Facebook or Twitter.

 

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Welcome to the Riptide Publishing/Lori A. Witt blog tour for The Tide of War!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (including books written as L.A. Witt or Lauren Gallagher, excluding The Tide of War) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 28th, and winners will be announced on July 29th.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.

Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of The Tide of War to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , | 18 Comments

Honorary Blogger Parker Williams: Love Stinks + Giveaway!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Love Stinks

by Parker Williams

I’d always known Casey was destined to be with another man. He was just too good a character to pass up an opportunity with. In Protector of the Alpha, Casey gets sprayed several times by a skunk. The SAME skunk. I knew that was his mate, even before I wrote the parts. I had actually done a little research on skunks in Alaska and was surprised to find out there aren’t any, so Sev was unique. What I didn’t know was going to be Sev’s background. When Jake, Zak, and Casey came upon them, Sev was being beaten by the crowd for stealing food. Zak put a stop to it, and we don’t hear from Sev again until the end of the book when he drops his bombshell on Jake.

I had thought about making each book self-contained, but I liked the idea of leaving it as a cliffhanger, if for no other reason than hoping people would like the story enough to want to pick up the second part.

In this book, Sev gets his chance to shine. Casey learns the truth about his destiny from an unlikely source, who may or may not have implications for his future, and they have the chance to be the heroes for a change.

Unfortunately no one gets to be a hero without being willing to pay a price of some sort. And for these men, the price may very well be much too high.

blogger_bee_trans

About Scent of the Heart

Scent-400x600 2Casey Scott grew up being told he’d never amount to anything, and despite the unwavering love and support from his best friend, Jake, the idea sticks in the back of Casey’s mind. When he discovers he has a unique destiny in an enclave where shifters and humans live together, he seizes the chance, wanting for once in his life to be someone special.

Tsvetok Yerokhin lost his parents to the evil ruler of the enclave when he was a boy. The responsibilities of raising his two younger brothers nearly overwhelmed him and self- doubt took over. When the new Alpha and his Protector arrive in time to save his life, Sev is grateful, but he’s even more shocked when he scents his mate with them.
Casey isn’t prepared for the feelings that sweep over him when he meets Sev, but he refuses to act on them because he’s straight. Still, there is something so alluring about Sev that Casey can’t help being drawn to him.

As the two explore the edges of their new discovery, an evil returns, determined to control the enclave or destroy it. The Alpha and Protector are powerless to stop it, but Casey holds the key to victory. If he can discover what it is, he has a chance to save them all. To be the hero.

Unfortunately, the hero has to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, and for Casey that means losing his heart.

Available at: Amazon

blogger_bee_trans

About Parker Williams

Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come with melding lives together.

Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.

Find out more about Parker on his Website, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Parker is giving away a $25 gift card and a skunk Beanie Baby! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: , , , , , | 10 Comments

Honorary Blogger Nikka Michaels & Eileen Griffin: Thanksgiving Outtake + Giveaway!

Posted on June 14, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Thanksgiving Outtake

by Nikka Michaels and Eileen Griffin

When we’re writing the first draft of our current WIP, we usually throw in everything we can think of into the outline and MS, then go back through and cull what doesn’t work or drags the story’s timing.

That was the case with two of our scenes from our latest novel, In The Distance, Book Three of our In The Kitchen Series, each of which centered around Thanksgiving. In our minds, we could see the extreme difference between how Tyler and Trevor spend their holidays – one spending it at a homeless shelter; the other spending it surrounded by family and friends, but still feeling incredibly alone. We decided to cut both and save them for outtakes, but Tyler’s interaction with Sophie in the following scene still remains one of my favorite scenes we’ve written. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into Tyler’s past ☺

~ Nikka Michaels and Eileen Griffin

*****

Tyler

November: Thanksgiving

As soon as there was a break in the line, I took a moment to grab a drink of water. I was already sweating, despite the frigid temperature outside, and my day here had just started. Combined with the heat from the kitchen ovens and service line, I was roasting. I wiped my face off with a towel and pondered opening up the back door to let some heat out. The directors had cranked up the heat inside the shelter since warm clothes and jackets were a rarity for most of the people who frequented the center. Something I had firsthand knowledge of.

Tamara called out, “Tyler, the line’s backing up.”

I gave the shelter manager a look of apology and returned back to my place at the hot food station. Quickly, I changed out an empty pan for a hotel pan full of green bean casserole and restocked the rolls. Working the line in the restaurant had become second nature to me, but I could remember a time when I’d been amazed at the volume of food the shelter cranked out. Before I started volunteering, when I was a scared, homeless teenage looking for my next meal and safe place to stay, I had always been in amazed at how many people needed food. Not just on holidays like today, but every day. Tray after tray, the staff scooped food onto plates to ensure the mostly smiling—sometimes grumpy—people who came to the shelter had at least one meal in their stomachs. Volunteering here had been one of the best decisions I’d made since I’d gotten back on feet after my parents kicked me out. It gave me the ability to help people and feel like I was making a difference in someone’s life.

“Mommy, I don’t like green beans.”

The small voice drew me out of my own thoughts and back on the line.

“But Sophie, these look delicious. They even have cheese on them like you like. Just try them. I’m sure you’ll like them.”

“I already know don’t like them.”

The older woman’s voice lowered as she kneeled next to her daughter. “Baby, we need to eat when we can, okay?”

The small girl, maybe four or five years-old with wavy blonde hair and big blue eyes, clutched the hand of the worn-looking woman in the ragged sweatshirt and jeans. When the green beans were placed on her tray, she made another face. “I still know I won’t like them.” She was quiet and sad as they moved to the next station in the line.

Before they got too far away, I leaned across the serving line and smiled trying to keep my voice soft and friendly. “I’ll tell you a little secret. I don’t like green beans either. How about you try a few bites to make sure whether you like them or not, but I’ll get you an extra roll just in case you don’t.” I looked up at her mom and smiled, adding, “If that’s okay with your Mom?”

Her mom nodded and gave me a wan smile as I snuck the extra roll onto Sophie’s plate. Sophie shot me a shy look and darted behind her Mom’s legs and held on.

“Soph, you have to let go so I can carry our food, okay?”

The little girl released her mom’s leg and they both disappeared down the line and into the crowded dining room area where the tables had been set with donated festive decorations. I took a break from the serving line to make a circuit of the dining area.

For the next few minutes, I made my way through the dining area picking up dirty trays and offering to get refills on drinks. This wasn’t the restaurant and I wasn’t getting paid for any of the work I was doing today, but it felt good to give back and help make at least one day less stressful for the diners. There were a fair number of homeless people here today, usually identified by the fact that their clothing never seemed to fit well and was always lacking in any kind of style or coordination. But there were also a depressingly high number of families present, as well. The number of parents with small kids showing up at the shelter for meals had been steadily growing over the past year, with a few of them coming in on a weekly basis.

I spotted Sophie and her mom at a table in the back corner of the room. As I moved closer, I noticed the green beans were still on her plate, but both rolls and the turkey were gone. She had her head on the table on top of her folded arms, wearing the same sad expression I’d seen when she came through the line.

Her mom looked up from her plate just as I reached their table, the dark rings under her eyes more prominent now that I wasn’t distracted keeping up with the flow of the line and the blazing heat from the ovens. I smiled at her before bending down to squat next to Sophie.

“Hey squirt. How were the rolls?”

Her eyes widened when she realized she was the squirt I was referring to. She looked to her mom to make sure she could talk to me, and once she got a small nod of approval, she looked back at me and shrugged. “They were good but the green beans were nasty.”

I failed miserably at holding back my snort just as mother gasped, “Sophie. That’s not polite. Today is a day to be thankful we have food on our plates, not to be picky about what the food is.”

Sophie’s big blue eyes conveyed just how much this Thanksgiving sucked for her and her mom, and honestly I couldn’t blame her for not liking the green beans. I’d hated them as a kid and still couldn’t stomach them as an adult. I leaned forward and whispered loud enough for her mom to hear me too. “I can’t stand green beans either. They’re the one part of Thanksgiving I could happily do without. Wanna know the one thing I look forward to every year, though?”

Sophie lifted her head from her arms and nodded her head slowly, whispering back, “What is it?”

I fought back a grin and forced the most serious expression onto my face, still whispering, “Pie.”

She nodded again, her eyes opening even wider. “Me too. My granny used to make the best pumpkin pie.”

“Well, I happen to know that there’s a slice of pumpkin pie with your name on it waiting right over there. Wanna go with me to pick it out?”

Sophie gasped in excitement, as if suddenly this Thanksgiving wasn’t sucking so bad after all and turned in her seat to face her mom. “Oh, Mommy. Can I? Can I go with…?”

She turned back to me and whispered loudly, “What’s your name?”

I lost the battle with my grin and laughed out loud. “Tyler.”

Sophie excitedly turned back around and almost shouted at her mom. “Can I go with Tyler to get some pie? Can I? Please?”

Her mom’s tired eyes crinkled a little at the corner as she nodded. “Sure, baby.”

As Sophie scrambled out her seat, her mom caught my eye and mouthed, “Thank you.” I nodded and then turned all my attention to the little girl next to me, smiling widely when she slipped her tiny hand into mine and began to drag me off toward the dessert station. My smile started to fade, however, when memories came surging back of another small hand that had, at one time, fit perfectly in mine.

Had my younger brother and sister ever asked my parents about me? Had he wondered where I disappeared to? Did he and Megan even miss me? Or had my parents told them about how much of a pervert I was, convincing both my siblings their lives were much better without me there to humiliate and disgrace them all?

“Tyler?” A small tug on my hand brought me back to the little girl standing next to me. “Which piece has my name on it?” She looked back at her mom and whispered again. “I can’t read yet, even though Mommy is trying really hard to teach me.”

Pushing the memories of my siblings aside, I made a point of searching the dessert table for the perfect slice. Almost hidden behind a section of apple pie slices was a large, perfectly cut slice of pumpkin pie. I let go of Sophie’s hand and reached over the table to pull it closer to us, took out a pen from the pocket of my apron and printed her name in the neatest scrawl I could manage.

When I held the pie out to her, her answering smile was radiant. “That’s my name!” She turned back toward the table where we had just come from and screamed across the dining room, “Mom! It has my name on it!”

I almost lost my balance when she tackle hugged my knees, then watched as she grabbed the plate and sped off to her mom to show off her very own piece of pie. I took one last look at Sophie, who was now curled up in her mom’s lap. They were in the middle of a shelter with people they didn’t know celebrating Thanksgiving, but at least they had each other. It was more than a lot of people had at this time of year.

With a sigh, I turned around and grabbed a cup of water from the drink station. Ethan and Jamie had each other, and although I counted myself lucky to have them as my friends, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still an outsider. They’d never made me feel that way, but the holidays had always been a time for family. Real family. Real family that didn’t hate you for who you loved.

I shook my head in an attempt to drive off the memories of a past I was no longer connected to. Today was a day to be grateful, and if making one little girl smile over a piece of pie was how I spent my Thanksgiving, I’d take it.

© Nikka Michaels and Eileen Griffin

blogger_bee_trans

About In the Distance

{EEB8C335-52AD-4057-8FE3-8DA4E98AB89B}Img100Tyler Mitchell has worked hard to rebuild his life after his family kicked him out. A culinary student and sous chef who spends his spare time volunteering with kids, he’s happy enough even though he has no time to consider a relationship.

Trevor Pratt is finally getting over losing the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but it’s taken screwing every cute guy in Manhattan to get there. He’s vowed to repair the friendship he broke along the way, but that’s hard to do when his friend’s new employee catches his eye. Despite being warned to stay away from Tyler, Trevor turns on the charm.

Romance is a terrible idea. Trevor is ten years older and a relentless playboy. Tyler is still unsure of his place in the world. Neither of them is ready for life-changing love, but as things heat up, their chemistry in the bedroom might just take that decision out of their hands.

Available at: Carina Press & Amazon

blogger_bee_trans

About Eileen Griffin

Eileen Griffin lives in the southwest, but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M romance.

You can find out more about Eileen on her Website and Blog  /  Twitter  /  Facebook Profile  /  FB Author Page  /  Goodreads  /  Evernight Publishing  /  Amazon US  /  Carina Press  /  All Romance eBooks

blogger_bee_trans

About Nikka Michaels

Nikka Michaels lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest where she spends her time cooking, laughing and crafting romantic tales to satisfy her craving for HEAs with heat. A voracious reader, novice knitter and music lover she’s been known to multitask without breaking a sweat. She loves to read and write M/M romance but believes everyone deserves a love story.

You can find out more about Nikka on her Website  /  Blog  /  Twitter  /  FB Profile  /  FB Author Page  /  Goodreads  /  Cobblestone  /  Evernight Publishing  /  Carina Press  /  Amazon US  /  All Romance eBooks

Blogger_Giveaway

Nikka & Eileen have graciously offered up an eBook copy of In the Distance to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends June 20, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of In the Distance to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Honorary Blogger Annabelle Jacobs: Sam & Ash + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on May 30, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Sam & Ash

by Annabelle Jacobs

My new book, The Altered 2, was released this week, and is the second book in the Lycanaeris Series. It’s the also the second book I’ve self-published, and I’m happy to say the process was a lot smoother this time round!

The main focus of this book is on Sam and Ash. If you’ve read the first one, then you’ll know how it ended for them, but I don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t. It’s set a few weeks after the end of the The Altered, with the whole group now living in Cornwall. By the time I came to write this, I felt like I knew these two characters almost as well as I did Daniel and Jordan. I had very clear images of what they should look like too.

For Ash, who’s sensitive and shy, I think Ben Whishaw is perfect—I just love him.

Ben+Whishaw+x_8e85d777

Sam, who’s more confident and outgoing, at least in wolf form, is more like a young Jason Behr, but with longer hair.

Unknown

I plan to continue this story with a third and final book, and hopefully Matt will get his happy ending too. The Altered 3, will be out later in the year.

blogger_bee_trans

About The Altered 2

25469030-1A remote farmhouse in Cornwall seems the perfect place for Ash to settle into his recently altered status. Starting a new life there with Sam—the shifter he can’t stay away from—should be easy this far from London where they faced so much danger. So why does adjusting seem impossible?

Sam has issues of his own. He has to get used to his human form again after living the last eight years as a wolf. It’s hard when human worries weigh so heavily on his shoulders. Life is much more straightforward from a wolf’s perspective, until Ash needs his human support.

Ash’s problem is simple: he’s fearful of shifting fully. How can he believe he won’t hurt Sam when his genes were altered to create a killer? Despite repeated reassurance, his anger and resentment increase. Only one thing is certain: if Ash can’t learn to trust himself soon, he’s in danger of proving himself right.

Available at: Amazon

blogger_bee_trans

An Excerpt from The Altered 2

The floorboards in the hallway outside his room creaked. Sam knew who it was long before the accompanying knock on the door.

Ash.

Ash knocked twice, only pushing the door open a little when Sam howled softly for him to come in.

“Oh, hey.” Ash stuck his head around the door, his dark hair a tousled mess as usual. He frowned when he saw Sam. “Um. Keira said today was a human day. But, er….” He came fully inside and closed the door behind him. “Don’t you fancy it?”

Ash walked over to Sam’s bed and sat on the bottom corner, propping his elbows on his knees.

Sam sighed and padded over to sit next to him, placing his head in Ash’s lap. As soon as Ash’s long fingers were in his fur—stroking back and forth—Sam felt a hundred times better. The soothing touch spread warmth throughout his body and Sam closed his eyes, letting it chase away whatever had been bothering him earlier.

Ash’s touch always had this effect on him. Sam had known what that meant from the very first time they’d met.

Ash was meant for him.

Everything about Ash: the way he looked, his scent—which drove Sam crazy sometimes—and even his voice, made something in Sam settle. Something he’d been missing for years. It was that feeling that had helped Sam to shift back in front of other people for the first time in eight years. That, and the fact that some fucking guard had a gun pointed at Ash’s head.

The thought had been instinctive, the need to protect rushing through him and forcing his body to react accordingly.

He couldn’t stay human, though.

Everything felt simpler as a wolf. He understood what went on around him, knew what people were saying and wanted to help them, but it had been easy to remain outside of everything. To not feel any guilt.

blogger_bee_trans

About Annabelle Jacobs

Annabelle_Jacobs_logoAnnabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.

An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Find out more about Annabelle on Twitter, Facebook, her Website or by email at ajacobsfiction@gmail.com.

Blogger_Giveaway

Annabelle has graciously offered up an eBook copy from her backlist to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends June 5th at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of The Altered 2 to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , | 14 Comments

Honorary Blogger Elizabeth Coldwell: The Setting For Steal Your Soul Away + Excerpt & Giveaway

Posted on May 27, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

The Setting For Steal Your Soul Away

by Elizabeth Coldwell

If you’ve ever been to Brighton, you’ll quickly come to realise it’s a fantastic setting for an erotic story. For those non-UK readers who are unfamiliar with the city, it’s on the south coast of England, has a buzzing, slightly Bohemian vibe and is particularly tolerant of alternative lifestyles and sexualities.

As it’s become home to a lot of creative and media types like artists, writers and musicians, it’s become known as London-on-Sea. It has some great bars and clubs, and the warren of little streets known as the Lanes, close to the sea front, are home to quirky shops selling antiques, vintage clothing and all manner of knick-knacks. It’s also famous for its beach, which is composed of pebbles rather the sand (so don’t forget to take your flip-flops if you fancy a paddle in the sea!) and has a section reserved purely for naturists. All of this helps to make Brighton the perfect home for a vampire wanting to forge a new identity and take a job which fits in with her need to live a nocturnal lifestyle.

Angelique, the heroine of Steal Your Soul Away, my contribution to the Wild After Dark anthology, has been a vampire since the time of the French Revolution – indeed, she was the only member of her family to survive when their home was attacked by the revolutionary mob. What she didn’t realise was that the man who rescued her and spirited her away to England was actually a vampire. Having been turned by him, she’s spent the last 200 years reinventing herself, and moving from town to town to avoid anyone realising she never ages. Brighton is the city that keeps calling her back, and by the time the story begins, she’s working as a burlesque dancer.

It’s a job she loves, and one that helps her meet two very hot but very different men. Tom is human, a talented sculptor whose works are about to form the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Brighton Pavilion as part of a ‘Cities after Dark’ exhibition. (This event was partially inspired by the various annual ‘After Dark’ arts events that take place in galleries and museums in cities including London, New York and Amsterdam). Lucas is Tom’s best friend. But unbeknown to Tom, he’s really a werewolf. And that’s not the only thing he’s hiding…

Angelique quickly becomes aware of Lucas’ true nature. But even though werewolves are her sworn enemy, she can’t deny her attraction to Lucas. She and Tom have embarked on a hot and heavy affair but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want Lucas, too. With so many secrets to be revealed, and the erotic tension between all three of them rising, what will happen when events come to a head at the Pavilion on the night of Tom’s big exhibition?

blogger_bee_trans

About Wild After Dark Anthology

wildafterdark_800Beyond the Poison Chalice by Helena Maeve

Coveting the enemy is simply to die for.

Claudia Salizar has given blood, sweat and tears to the tenuous armistice between the factions that inhabit St. Louis. She rules the north side with an iron fist, striving to keep the peace between vampires, werewolves and humans no matter the cost. Stumbling across two mysterious intruders who may jeopardize everything she’s worked for is no small inconvenience.

Steal Your Soul Away by Elizabeth Coldwell

In Brighton, the undead come alive when the sun goes down. Can a vampire and a werewolf put their differences aside and enjoy the ultimate threesome?

Angelique is not like other burlesque dancers—she’s been a vampire for over two hundred years. She meets hot, young sculptor Tom, and his friend, Lucas, a lycan. Desire and distrust mix in an explosive combination as Angelique is drawn closer to both.

Taken in by Wendi Zwaduk

Find what you need at the Store Front. Blood, sex…we have it all just for you.

The Supernaturals have taken over the earth, leaving the humans to serve them. The Store Front is one place for the Supernaturals to find partners for feeding and sexual needs. Vic, a wolf shifter, and Gale, a vampire, have a special human female they love to visit. 

Intervention by Aurelia T. Evans

It starts as an intervention for a friend. It ends in bloodshed, lust, betrayal and death, as love often does after dark.

When Emily’s husband, Land, calls her to come down to the warehouse district at sunset, she thinks it’s just another job for their para-extermination company. However, he tells her that he’s finally caught Matt, the third member of their team, who was bitten by a werewolf a few weeks ago.

Darker Nights by Nan Comargue

Lawyer Delia Darker’s world becomes very dark when two new clients turn out to be immortal vampires – and her long-time fantasy.

Delia Darker works at her family’s law firm serving vampires and other immortals. She’s suddenly thrown into the nighttime world of music, partying and incredible sex. How can she resist spending the night with Mark Lyons and Caleb Jennings?

Sated by Lucy Felthouse

A human, a vampire and a werewolf walked into a bar. Sexy is what happens next.

Since getting together with her vampire boyfriend, Ace, Aneesa is enjoying a sex life she could never have with a human. Aneesa is checking things off her sexual bucket list at a rate of knots. So when Ace proposes a threesome with his werewolf friend, Barton, Aneesa’s definitely up for it. 

Like the sound of the Wild After Dark anthology? Buy it here.

blogger_bee_trans

An Excerpt from Wild After Dark

Here’s an excerpt that will help to give a flavour of the love/hate relationship Angelique and Lucas find themselves in: 

He drew himself to his full, intimidating height. “And what gives you the right to judge anyone, when you flash your tits to earn a living?”

“As though you have a problem with that, lycan.” She couldn’t say why, but being up so close to Lucas and engaging in this battle of wills with him aroused her. She breathed in his feral musk, and fought the desire to run her hands over her own breasts. “I know what I’ll find if I put my hand here—” As she spoke, she rested her palm on the front of his trousers. Just as she’d expected, he was hard, his cock so thick she knew she would struggle to wrap her fingers around it. The thought of being filled with something so big had her pussy growing wet.

“Don’t tease me, you gorgeous vampire slut,” Lucas murmured, his voice thick with lust. He spun her round, so her back was to the wood-panelled wall. As he moved, the moon came out fully from behind a cloud, bathing Lucas in her light.

Angelique could only describe his reaction as one of mania. He tugged at the bow tie around his neck and let it drop to the floor. Then he pulled off his tuxedo, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Lucas, what are you doing? You can’t—”

He cut her off with a snarl. “Don’t you see I have no choice? It’s the moon, and being so close to you… Fuck, Angelique.”

blogger_bee_trans

About Elizabeth Coldwell 

Elizabeth Coldwell is the author of numerous short stories and two full-length novels, ‘Calendar Girl’ and ‘Playing The Field’. Her stories have appeared in the best-selling ‘Best Women’s Erotica’ series and Black Lace’s popular ‘Wicked Words’ collections. Formerly the editor of the UK edition of Forum magazine, she now contributes a spicy monthly column, ‘The Cougar Chronicles’, to its pages. When she is not busy writing, she is an avid supporter of Rotherham United Football Club and can be regularly found on the terraces at weekends, cheering her boys to victory (hopefully!).

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

Enter Totally Bound’s May blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice! Not including boxsets or anthologies. Just click the Blog Tour Image below!

WildAfterDark_BlogTour_mobile_final

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, M/F | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Honorary Blogger Bey Deckard: Novelettes, or How I Learned to Love the Short Form + Giveaway!

Posted on May 26, 2015 by justjenbo

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Novelettes, or
How I learned to Love the Short Form

by Bey Deckard

When I first started writing, I jumped straight into the novel form. Caged wound up being over 120k words, which makes it a hefty enough read… and that’s after I cut out a whole bunch. Then, I had a dream about two Space Marines and decided to write it out to see if I had any future in Science Fiction—that was the first chapter of Sarge. Folks enjoyed it and wanted more, so I set myself some writing hurdles, one of which was: can I write a reasonably well fleshed-out story in less than 20k words?

See, I might be new to writing fiction, but I wrote research papers for years: substantial works in history, art history, anthropology, philosophy, art theory, psychology, and Shakespearean language/ interpretation. Huge, weighty papers that had pages of endnotes (or loads of footnotes depending on the prof). I excelled in writing long papers—any time I had to do short abstracts, I floundered. How could you say everything in such tight constraints? I managed to do it, but never really warmed to the short form.

Fast-forward to last year while I was writing Sarge. Instead of seeing the short form as something limiting, I decided to make it a challenge. A fun challenge… Hey, I’m not doing this for a degree or a grade, right? Writing is fun for me.

But… how to write something that conveys what the characters are feeling, and how incredibly powerful the relationship is between them, without breaking the (word) bank? It’s not easy, that’s for sure. For every thousand words I wrote in both Sarge and Murphy, I kept maybe a hundred. The result is something that is incredibly distilled. And you know what? I loved writing it. There’s something incredibly satisfying about paring down sentences and cutting the fat out, and I think sci-fi lends itself well to the style.

Did I succeed what I set out to do? I think so, judging from the reactions to Sarge and Murphy. And that makes me happy.

Will I write more about them? Definitely. In the meantime, fans of Sarge and Murphy should stay tuned and look out for a special print version (coming June) that includes both novelettes, some art, plus what I’ve called “The Missing Reel”.

2

About Murphy

1Sometimes when it seems like it’s too late, the right person comes along and opens your eyes…

Murphy is the continuing story of a D/s relationship between two Space Marines who found each other in the midst of hopelessness and misfortune.

Sarge and his newly minted squad travel across the galaxy on a top-secret mission that could help win the war. However, to Murphy something about the mission stinks, and it’s not just the planet they’ve landed on

Release Date: June 10, 2015
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf:  Goodreads

blogger_bee_trans

About Bey Deckard

Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires, and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.

You can find out more about Bey on his Website, Facebook or Goodreads.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Bey is giving away an ebook copy from his backlist!! To enter, just click the link below!

 Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Be sure to check out Jen’s review of Murphy!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Honorary Blogger Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth: About the Authors + Deleted Scene & Giveaway!

Posted on May 12, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

About the Authors

by Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth

Hi, we’re Michelle Moore and Reesa Herberth.  The kind people here have invited us to stop by and tell you a little about our newest book, Peripheral People.  A standalone novel in the Ylendrian Empire series, Peripheral People combines elements of romance, science fiction, paranormal, and crime drama in the intense, galaxy-spanning hunt for a psychic serial killer.  Hot on the trail and hot for each other (in the sense that they’d both prefer to be set on fire than work together), the imperial agents who stumble into the case must evade terrifying mental traps, their own volatile relationship, and the discovery that someone in a higher pay grade may not be so keen on their quest for justice.

We’re thrilled to be with you today, and we’re looking forward to any questions or comments you might have.

  1. What’s a typical day like for you?

I wake up around 6:45, then hit the snooze button until the munchkin cat alarm starts going off. (Usually this alarm involves some variation of a seven pound cat dancing on my bladder because I haven’t fed her yet.) Feed the monsters (five of them, anyway), then head off to the Day Job, where I pretend to be a frightfully competent office manager.  Then home, more feeding of the beasties (I’m beginning to understand why they’re fat…), whatever assorted family members are about for dinner that night, and a little down time before I pack up and head off to the Writing Office, wherever it may be located that day- coffee shop, studio, or the desk in my room.  I write and attend to writerly business for a few hours almost every night.  If I reach a goal and there’s time left, I’ll catch up on something recorded before I roust the cats off my bed and reclaim it.

  1. If you could only keep one book for the rest of your life, which book would it be?

This answer might change tomorrow, but I think it would be The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.  Aside from being an achingly beautiful fairy tale composed of perfect words, it’s filled with so much wisdom about life.  About the quest for self, and home, and sacrifice, and what it means to make a difference in the world- everything, really.  It’s an amazing book that changes me every time I read it.

  1. Which is the biggest time-waster: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, or something else?

Oh man, it’s twitter, all the way.  (I’m @reesah, btw.)  I love the conversations on twitter.  It’s somewhere comfortably nestled between an echo chamber and the cesspit of most comment sections. Plus, I can fit a LOT of absurdity into 140 characters.

  1. Are there any deleted scenes from your book? (BTW, deleted scenes make great book tour posts!)

Why yes, yes there are! We totally scrapped the first four chapters of the book at one point, but here’s a tiny bit from them that I still like to imagine is canon.  Westley Tavera, our psychic cop, and Gavin Hale, his partner, report for duty on the ship they’ll be living on for their next duty cycle.  Parts of this scene did eventually make it into the book in a much-altered form.

“Gavilicious, you’re in my way.”  West tapped his friend on the back of the leg with his shoe, struggling under the weight of his duffle.  Of course, if Gavin had agreed to carry it, it wouldn’t seem so heavy, but he didn’t see that happening any time soon.  Gavin got sensitive about “contributions to the partnership” when West tried to get him to carry things, and he wasn’t up for the pointed looks at the moment.

“If you hadn’t packed half a ton of crap, it wouldn’t be so heavy.”  Gavin set down his own neatly packed bag, almost managing not to look smug.  “Housing would have crated up all that stuff and had it delivered before we leave, you know.”

“No way.  There’s important stuff in here, man!  Very important Reader-type things that no one can touch without contamination.”

Gavin’s eyebrows climbed well above his dark glasses.  “Like your stuffed hedgehog and your “Most Valuable Psychic” mug?”

West shifted his attention to the expanse of empty tarmac behind Gavin.  “Maaaaaybe.”

“I’ve told you a million times, nobody wants to steal your stuff,” Gavin’s air of familiar tolerance was a welcome balm, much like his silent mind and the quick, calming hand he put on West’s shoulder.

“You don’t know that,” West said, patting the top of his duffel protectively.  “I’m famous, Gav.  I could turn my back for a second, and “poof”, all my worldly possessions could be up for sale on some auction site!”

Gavin let go of his shoulder, shoving him a little.  “I think you’ve confused “famous” with “self-important”.  Common mistake.  For you, I mean.”

blogger_bee_trans

About Peripheral People

PeripheralPeople_400x600Corwin Menivie and Nika Santivan are decorated veterans of the Imperial Enforcement Coalition, and are perfectly capable of solving cases the old-fashioned way. When they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team to emerge from the Psionics Academy, it could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to crime fighting, or the makings of a quadruple homicide.

During a routine investigation, West’s talent puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer who traps his prey in a deadly mental playground. Then the killer starts baiting the team, laying psychic landmines at crime scenes and exposing IEC secrets. The strain of the case binds the agents closer together—so close that Nika and Gavin start sharing a room, and even the curmudgeonly Corwin finds himself as occupied with West as he is with the murders.

But as West’s visions of death grow more violent, the only way out for all of them may be straight through the mind of a monster. If they’re not careful, they may forget which side of the hunt they’re on.

Available at: Riptide Publishing & Amazon

blogger_bee_trans

About the Authors

Reesa Herberth was born in Nevada and spirited away to California before moving to Hawaii, where she grew up on the Big Island.  She tried Arizona for a few years, then lit out for the D.C. area, where her nomadic itch is regularly curbed by the nightmares of urban traffic.  She’s held a handful of the requisite crazy writer jobs, including book store overlord, office goddess for an artisan ice cream maker, and cheese-cup scrubber at an organic goat dairy.

Michelle Moore has a well-documented obsession with travel, television, frappuccinos and flamingos. These, however, come in a distant second to her love of writing. Most evenings she can be found huddled over her laptop at the local Starbucks, dividing her time between actually writing and pretending to be a barista. 

Michelle and Reesa have been writing together for over fifteen years.  They are currently working on more Ylendrian stories, and a petition to have cat hair recognized as a form of currency.

Twitter:
Michelle Moore – @marigotc
Reesa Herberth – @reesah

Facebook – Ylendrian Empire Fan Page

Websites:
Michelle and Reesa Write
Ylendrian Empire

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, Michelle & Reesa is giving away Peripheral People Prize Pack!! To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.

Good luck!

Categories: Author Q&A, Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Honorary Blogger Carol Lynne: Meet the Lobster Cove Residents + Giveaway!

Posted on May 5, 2015 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Meet the Lobster Cove Residents

by Carol Lynne

When I start a new series, I always begin with a list of characters. In my newest Lobster Cove series, I have an entire town of characters to create. Although I add to the list as I go, I thought I’d share with you a few of my initial cast of characters for this series. I use this list to keep them straight in my head. The one character I will leave as a mystery is my lighthouse keeper because his story needs to evolve slowly. I will warn you, I’m copying this from my private list, so forget about grammar or punctuation.

Lobster Cove Characters:

Joseph Allenbrand: 44 yrs old. Oversees a shelter for gay runaways. Bright blue eyes, black hair threaded with silver. Heads the new Rainbow Youth Center in Lobster Cove. The new shelter has room for 40 young men plus an apartment for Carl and Bev Walters.

Cullen “Little Man” Bryant –Moves to Lobster Cove from Cattle Valley to help oversee the town’s reconstruction and work with his partner, Joseph Allenbrand, to establish the new youth center.

Mick Hennessey: Asa hires Mick as chief of police. Brought up from New York, City after a shooting left him ready to get out of the city. Dark brown closely cropped hair, 36 yrs old, 6’2, built, bi-sexual.

Boone Jensen: Medium brown hair, shaggy. Hazel eyes with flecks of green, brown and gold. Stonemason and brick layer who moved to LC from Gary, Indiana. 29 yrs old, 6’2, muscular build from years of lifting rocks and working hard. Takes care of his younger brother, Laddy, after his mother’s death two months earlier. Decided the move to Lobster Cove would be good for both him and his brother.

Landon “Laddy” Jensen: 17 yr old with Down syndrome, Boone’s brother, brown closely-cropped hair.

Ava Hughs: Waitress and manager at Fiducia although she has a Master’s degree in business She’s Dante’s best friend and has sworn off men forever. 5’5, curvy, long blonde hair that she wears up in a knot most of the time, hazel eyes. Foster sister to Dante. They’ve known each other for 19 yrs.

Dante Madia: 35 yrs old, black shoulder length hair that he ties back when cooking. Brown eyes. Owns Fiducia (Trust in Italian) small exclusive restaurant with only room for thirty guests at a time. 35 yrs old, 6’1, shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes, medium build with toned and muscular body.

Jonah Briggs: owns his own lobster boat, runs a crew of three men, grew up in nearby Rockland Maine. Dark brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, 34 but looks older because of sun and wind damage while on the boat.

Isaac Diaz – Fire chief, 36 yrs old, short black hair, tall 6’2, muscular. Worked construction in the town in the early days of LC. Lives next door to Dante. Has a female Dalmatian named Ember that goes with him to the station when he’s on duty.

Alexander Stewart “Zander becomes known as Lexie” – 16, transgender teen from shelter, was locked in basement by his parents after he came out. Waist length dark brown hair.

Jake Skimmerhorn – 31 yrs old, dark brown hair, brown eyes, 6’, muscular, full beard, reclusive lighthouse keeper.

Well, that’s a partial list of the new characters you’ll meet in Lobster Cove. I hope your interest has been peaked in this new series, and I very much look forward to writing their stories.

blogger_bee_trans

About Welcome to Lobster Cove

welcometolobstercove_800When following your dream lands you in Lobster Cove, Maine, anything is possible.

After gaining custody of his younger brother, Boone Jensen moves to a unique LGBT community on the coast of Maine. There, he hopes to find work as a stonemason, heal his broken heart and give his brother a safe place to call home.

Life was good in New York City for chef Dante Madia, until his business partner betrayed him. Determined to trust only himself, Dante risks everything on a new restaurant venture in a small fishing village built on acceptance.

Neither man is looking for love, but in a town like Lobster Cove, secret dreams have the ability to become realities.

Available at: Totally Bound

blogger_bee_trans

An Excerpt from Welcome to Lobster Cove

Boone spun his beer bottle in an attempt to keep his eyes off Dante. Since their kiss in the kitchen, he’d thought of little else but getting Dante alone again.

“What about you, Boone?” Cullen asked.

“What do I need in town to make my life easier?” Boone reiterated the question in case he’d zoned out during a new topic.

“Yeah,” Cullen replied. “For Isaac it’s a bigger grocery store. Ava’s in dire need of a salon, and Laddy thinks a water park would be nice.”

Boone slid his gaze to his brother. “A water park? Seriously, Laddy?”

Laddy smiled. “We already have candy,” he stated as if a huge pool with slides and sprayers was a natural next step for the town.

Boone glanced at the people seated at the long table. “I’m not high maintenance, so I can make do with what’s available as long as there’s enough work to keep me employed.” He gestured to the men he’d met that evening. “I know this is going to sound corny as hell, but as long as I have friends and Laddy, I’m good.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Joseph Allenbrand chimed in.

Boone still couldn’t believe that Joseph used to be a Catholic priest, but, according to Joseph, he’d fallen in love with a parishioner and had decided to rescue homeless gay youths. That had led to an entire conversation about why the Rainbow Youth Center had left Washington, DC. Evidently, the bad situation in DC combined with Cattle Valley running out of room had prompted Asa to buy the bankrupt town of Lobster Cove. Before he’d received Nate’s call, Boone didn’t even know you could buy a town. Joseph had explained that Asa had bought the majority of the buildings from the bank, but there were quite a few houses that he’d purchased from the original owners once they’d learned who’d be moving into their neighborhood.

Mick stood then rested his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Anything I can help with before I get out of here?”

Boone tried to keep his jealousy in check. Mick had flirted with every man at the party. Hell, he’d even flirted with Ava, so it must’ve been part of the police chief’s personality.

Dante answered Mick while staring directly at Boone. “Thanks, but we’ve got it.”

Boone’s cock began to harden at the heated expression on Dante’s face. As much as he loved Laddy, he suddenly wished he could spend the entire night getting to know Dante on an intimate level. Unfortunately, he’d have to settle for the PG13 evening Dante had offered.

blogger_bee_trans

About Carol Lynne

An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles between being a full-time mother and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find Carol either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favourite chair writing steamy love scenes.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

As part of this blog tour, AUTHOR is giving away PRIZE to one lucky winner!! To enter, just click the link below!

Enter Totally Bound’s May blog tour competition for the chance to win an eBook of your choice! Not including boxsets or anthologies. Just click the blog tour image below to enter!

CarolLynne_WelcometoLobsterCove_BlogTour_600x315_final

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment