Honorary Blogger Post

Honorary Blogger Marshall Thornton: I Am Not A Romance Writer… + Giveaway!

Posted on September 10, 2014 by thebloggergirls

I Am Not A Romance Writer…

by Marshall Thornton

I feel like I’m at a twelve-step meeting. “Hello, my name is Marshall. And I am not a romance writer.” Instead of saying, “Hello Marshall” you’re probably saying, “Huh?” or if your language is more colorful, “What the fuck?” I get your confusion. First of all, this is an m/m romance blog. Second, I publish with an m/m romance publisher. And third, as you may already know, I market to the m/m romance audience.

So, how did I end up here? Well, like many other sites, The Blogger Girls have been gracious enough to review my books and have gone the extra mile and asked me to blog. How did I get my not-m/m romance books published with an m/m romance publisher? MLR Press publishes a lot of m/m romance but they also publish gay fiction and have a special interest in gay mystery. Why do I market my books to m/m romance readers? Like any audience the m/m romance audience is not monolithic. Certainly, some readers exclusively read m/m romance, while others like to mix it up with other genres; sometimes gay mysteries.

What I am is a gay fiction writer, though I am also a mystery writer – with or without the gay in front of it – and occasionally a gay romantic comedy writer. (Romantic comedy and romance are distinctly different genres but that’s a blog of a different color.) After reading that, some of you may have gone back to “huh?” and “WTF?” Again, I get your confusion. A lot of writers and readers in the m/m romance community use the terms gay fiction and m/m synonymously. I don’t believe that to be true.

A friend of mine recently asked me “Why are some books called romance novels and others aren’t? Don’t most books have romance in them?” I think the explanation I gave is a pretty good one, I replied, “In a romance novel, whatever the main character(s) central problem is it is solved by love. In other genres, the main character(s) problem is solved by other means and love is a kind of trophy granted for solving the problem.”

This explanation applies to the central differences between m/m and gay fiction. In m/m romance the HEA has to be a committed relationship between two men (I hesitate to say gay men because the characters don’t always begin that way and an HEA with one of the men identified as bi is possible.) In gay fiction, an HEA is optional. And, if there is an HEA it very likely has to do with self-acceptance, self-awareness or an increase in self-esteem. Sometimes within a relationship and sometimes not.

Additionally, there are many sub-rules to the m/m romance genre. Rules which I know about because readers incorrectly identify my work is m/m and then complain that I don’t follow the rules.

The biggest rule I break is that I use the HEA common to all mysteries. The crime is solved. In a mystery that is the HEA. Sometimes private investigator Nick Nowak’s life ends on an up note and sometimes it ends on a down note. It really depends on what’s going on in his life. But the crime is always solved.

Another rule I break is that Nick is a guy who has a lot of sex particularly in the early books. He has recreational sex, anonymous sex, friendly sex, angry sex, break-up sex, good sex, bad sex, mournful sex, loving sex, vengeful sex, and, finally, at the end of Boystown 6, safe sex (FYI: safe sex did not exist before 1983). From what I’ve seen in m/m promiscuous characters secretly want a boyfriend despite all the hot sex they’re having or they’re the bad guy or…both.

And, speaking of sex, not a lot of the sex in the books is emotional. That’s another rule I break. Sex needs to be emotional in m/m romance. Nick has a tendency to act like a gay James Bond or a gay Mike Hammer. Some of this is my having fun with those traditionally heterosexual archetypes and some of it has to do with the period.

The books, so far, cover the period between 1979 and 1984. This was a very sexually active period in the gay community. To truly understand that you have to remember that same-sex relationships were still criminal in the majority of the country (as they were until 2003). Illinois repealed these laws in 1961, but the population of Chicago was composed of many transplants from places with oppressive sodomy laws. The heightened sexuality of the 1970s and early 1980s was, in large part, a reaction to the gradual legalization of gay sex. Since it was legal to have sex in places like San Francisco, New York and Chicago, guys wanted to have it. They were asserting their newly granted rights and sex was in the air.

Another important way that I break the rules of m/m romance is Nick’s relationship to monogamy. He was monogamous in his first relationship but in his relationship with Bert Harker he is not. The two of them talk about it rarely but Harker knows what Nick is up to and doesn’t make any moves to stop him. There are some very good reasons for their relationship to be set up that way but you’re going to have to read the books to find out.

I know that open relationships sometimes happen in m/m romance but I’m fairly certain that if a couple or a character begin a book in an open relationship it’s closed by the end of the book. (I know there’s ménage romance out there but I don’t know anything about the rules for that genre.)

Okay, so after looking back over all the ways I break the rules of m/m romance I have to say that if that were what I was trying to do that I’d really suck at it. No, I’m mainly a mystery writer. The Boystown series is much more romantic than a lot of mysteries, even gay mysteries. One reader went so far as to call it “the most romantic non-romance she’d very read.” As her comment demonstrates, romantic is a quality that a book might have while romance is a structural form.

I guess you could call me a romantic writer, but not a romance writer.

About Boystown 6: From the Ashes

The most unlikely person in the world asks Private Investigator Nick Nowak to investigate the un-suspicious death of a priest. It’s winter 1984, Private Investigator Nick Nowak has allowed his life to fall to pieces: he’s stopped taking cases, lost his apartment and works as a bartender at a sleazy bar tucked under the El. All he wants to do is lick his wounds after the death of his lover, Detective Bert Harker. But, when the least likely person in the world shows up and asks him to take a new case he finds himself investigating the very un-suspicious heart attack death of a priest. Nick is convinced he’s wasting his time until the clues begin to add up to.

Available at: MLR Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About Boystowm Mystery Series

The Boystown Mystery series follows the cases of former-police officer turned private investigator Nick Nowak. Set in Chicago during the early 1980s, Nowak is haunted by his abrupt departure from the CPD and the end of his relationship with librarian Daniel Laverty. He moves through a series of casual relationships until he meets homicide detective Bert Harker with whom he begins a tentative relationship.

Find the Boystown Mystery series on Amazon or Audible.

About Marshall Thornton

Two-time Lambda Award finalist, Marshall Thornton is best known for the six books of theBoystown mystery series. Set in the ‘80s, the series follows Chicago P.I. Nick Nowak. Other books include My Favorite Uncle, The Ghost Slept Over and the erotic comedy The Perils of Praline. Marshall received an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and a BA in creative writing from CSULB. He has published stories in The James White Review and Frontier Magazine.

Find out more about Marshall on his Website or Facebook.

For the giveaway I can do either three audiobooks of Boystown 6 which will be available around September 20th or three paperbacks for Boystown 6: From the Ashes whichever you think is better.

Blogger_Giveaway

Marshall has graciously offered up THREE paperback copies of Boystown 6: From the Ashes!! The giveaway starts now and ends September 16, 2014 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 Susan65’s review of Boystown 6: From the Ashes to see what they thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT | Tags: From the Ashes, Marshall Thornton, MLR Press, Series - Boystown, The Blogger Girls | 13 Comments

GRL Blog Tour: K-lee Klein – It’s All About the People + Giveaway!

Posted on September 9, 2014 by thebloggergirls

It’s All About the People

by K-lee Klein

Hi y’all. Thanks for stopping by. I’m K-lee and I guess I’m kind of a pioneer on the GRL circuit—lol—only because I’ve attended all three cons. I’ve been laid-up in the hospital for the past month so my brainpower is a little low and I’m hoping this post makes some sort of sense. First of all, a big thank you to the Blogger Girls for their patience and this opportunity.

I had planned on doing a list of my favorite things about GRL, but once I considered the first item on that list, I realized there was truly one main reason I go, the people—authors and readers. Of course, I love the traveling, the interesting information I pick up from so many great sources, and the opportunity to promote myself and my books, but as a self-proclaimed hermit, the socialization is definitely the highlight.

I’ve had some health problems over the past three years with this year being the worst, so my involvement in GRL has oftentimes been nerve-wracking, panic-inducing, and, perhaps, awkwardly uncomfortable at times. BUT the support I’ve received and the friends I’ve made far outweigh any of those things. Plus, I still consider myself more of a squeeing (usually internally) fangirl than an author anyhow.

I’ll be the first to admit I shy away from large gatherings, generally preferring to watch from the shadows as people connect and reconnect, and I’m normally satisfied with having most of my friendships be part of my daily online routine, but GRL has proven to me that I don’t have to be that way. I can be social and I can have a good time without being so massively self-conscious I want to crawl inside my cave for another long winter or without putting on some sort of mask to hide who I really am—just as my tattoo says. And of course, there is the added bonus of spending time with people who share my love of gay romance.

photo-8

For me, GRL also has the distinction of being the first con I attended as a reader and as an author. In 2011, I was ecstatic to go as the former with the addition of having just received acceptance for publication of my first submission. I was scared to death and may have had to take a few moments of alone time throughout the experience, but in the end I met people I still consider close friends now, and the list keeps growing with each subsequent GRL. It’s a joy to meet people online, become loyal friends, drink in as much knowledge as you can of them, but definitely another matter altogether to finally meet those people face-to-face.

GRL is a safe place where you can wear anything you want, say whatever’s on your mind—no matter how kinky or unconventional—bounce ideas and adorations off people who understand and get what you’re saying, and be exactly who you are or want to be. I’ll be forever thankful for the experiences I’ve had and I’m sure those memorable moments will continue to grow.

So if you see me at GRL or anywhere else, please say hello and give me a big hug—I’m definitely a hugger—because I’m probably more afraid of you than you are of me. In the meantime, I hope you’ll check out my books and enter to win my latest book, Never the Perfect Moment. See you at GRL!

About Never the Perfect Moment

Never The Perfect Moment Bryan Monroe has always catalogued his life in terms of moments—right moments, wrong moments, perfect moments. But when his partner on the SWAT team, Chrys Delos, is shot in a raid gone bad, it’s one of the worst moments of Bryan’s life.

He’s been secretly in love with Chrys for years, and the shooting is a wake-up call that it might be time to tell Chrys the truth. The problem is, Bryan’s never been with a man before, so in addition to worrying about Chrys’ injuries, he’s an indecisive wreck over the future.

But with the help of two unlikely matchmakers, Bryan knows it’s time to find the courage, and the perfect moment, to tell Chrys exactly how he feels.

Available at: Amber Allure, Amazon & All Romance eBooks

About K-lee Klein

K-lee Klein has lived in one part of Western Canada or another for her entire life. She’s a doting mother of three now-grown kids, and has had characters and plots running around her head for as long as she can remember. Her days consist of planning her next tattoo design for her growing collection, and fighting off an abundance of fabulous gay men, large and small, bouncing off the walls of her skull, competing for their turns to tell their stories.

Among her favorite sub-genres to read and write are rock stars, cowboys, shifters, and opposites-attract relationships. But to be honest, she’s open to almost anything if it involves messing around in the heads of her characters. She’s also big on series—because she has a hard time letting her characters go—and is usually working on a handful of stories in various stages of completion all at the same time. You can find her books on her website.

Blogger_Giveaway

As part of her GRL stop, K-lee is offering up a chance to win an eBook of Never the Perfect Moment! The giveaway starts now and will end next Monday, September 15, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Good luck!

Check out TBG’s GRL Blog Tour Schedule

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: GRL Blog Tour, K-lee Klein, Never the Perfect Moment, The Blogger Girls | 15 Comments

Honorary Blogger S. M. Stelmack: Rats, Romance and Other Humanizing Things + Giveaway!

Posted on September 7, 2014 by thebloggergirls

Rats, Romance and Other Humanizing Things

by S. M. Stelmack

Even as you read Midnight Everlasting, second book in The UnderCity Chronicles, we’re busy writing the third, Necropolis of Light. And it is only now that that we’ve realized that The Chronicles is really all about one big question: What makes us human?

We’re not talking about the simple physicality of a being bipedal with a superior mammalian brain, but how we use that brain to be more than animalistic. To be human is to go beyond instinct and to make choices. To know right from wrong. To imagine the world as it might be, and to work to make our visions come true.

Or is it? Perhaps humanity’s just a fairy tale. A lie we tell ourselves because we can’t bear to believe that free will is an illusion. That in the end we’re just soulless windup toys marching to the turn of Darwinian gears.

So how does this question play out in our new release, Midnight Everlasting?

Zephanie literally lives beneath the rest of the world and works in the family business of arranging deals among international crime lords, the circumstances of her birth placing her on the farthest margins of society. Knowing the rest of humanity sees her as criminal scum she’s more than a mite defensive, her opinions of those above her as dark as London’s undercity.

Then an act of violence against her clan brings her into contact with Tom Coyle. A man who’s dedicated his life to one irrational, impossible goal—to know the whereabouts of his son, a boy who’s been missing for a decade. A man who personifies love and loyalty even when all hope is gone. A man who, damaged as he might be, refuses to give up.

And it just so happens Zephanie might be able to help him.

As different as the two of them are their futures are tightly entwined, and together they must face the nightmares which stalk the city’s bowels, and solve a mystery involving the bizarre, ferocious and eccentric inhabitants of the underworld.

But even as they brave the darkness they learn more about themselves and each other, and come to realize that as polar opposite as they might seem they share virtues of wit, loyalty, courage and commitment. That each element is a building block of that most wondrous and complicated of human traits: love.

And as trite as some people might think it, perhaps it’s the alchemy of love which raises us above the beasts.

Perhaps it’s all that really makes us human.

For the next couple of weeks, both books in the series (Undertow and Midnight Everlasting) are on sale at Amazon for $0.99!

About Undertow

Lindsay Sterling’s niece has gone missing in the New York underground and the cops do nothing except pass along a name. Jack Cole. Twenty years ago they were good buddies but horrors have changed them both. Lindsay lost her entire family except for her niece in a car accident, and Jack was held captive in New York’s underbelly for nearly two years by demented sub-humans. It was a soul-sucking experience that’s left him a shell of a man. He refuses to descend into that hell again, especially for a girl who’s probably dead anyway. But when Lindsay is nearly killed there after going it alone, Jack feels compelled to save her skin. Jack navigates Lindsay through a strange territory, populated with the eccentric, the insane and the desperate. Each encounter takes them closer to Lindsay’s niece but also closer into the clutches of the mad creatures that will enslave them.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes and Noble

About Midnight Everlasting

When a brutal massacre rocks London’s underworld, Zephanie Sweetly must uncover why the legendary Rawheads have suddenly reappeared, shattering the age old truce with her bloodline.

Ten years ago Thomas Coyle’s son disappeared, the trail leading beneath the city’s streets to a shadow world ruled by secret clans.

Now, bound by the prophesy of an ancient lineage, the two must fight their way through a web of lies to save those they love from the wrath of an unknown enemy. But sometimes the deadliest enemies are the ones closest to our hearts.

London’s Rat Queen arises, and it’s time to pay the piper.

Available at: Amazon

About S. M. Stelmack

S. M. Stelmack is our pen name, short for Serge & Moira Stelmack.

We aim to give what we like in a story— gutsy men and women, high stakes and LOL lines. Serge is the storymaster who blasts out the beginning, middle and end. Moira comes behind, clucking and hemming, as the story undergoes countless rewrites till it meets our vision. She’s also the media relations manager, senior editor, marketing VP, director of operations (domestic and foreign), comptroller and the one who makes sure that Serge has a steady supply of cola while he works.

We live with our two kids, and several other strange pets, in a land of wintertime sunshine and snow and summertime mud and mosquitoes. Actually, it’s not that bad. The snakes in the local lake aren’t venomous.

Find out more about Serge & Moira at their Website, Facebook or Twitter.

Blogger_Giveaway

Serge & Moira have graciously offered up TWO copies of Undertow and Midnight Everlasting to TWO lucky winners!! Which means each winner will receive a copy of each novel! The giveaway starts now and ends September 13, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s reviews of Undertow and Midnight Everlasting to see what she thought of them!

And keep in mind you can buy both novels on Amazon for only $0.99!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, M/F, Published in 2014 | Tags: Midnight Everlasting, S.M. Stelmack, Series - The UnderCity Chronicles, The Blogger Girls | 1 Comment

Honorary Blogger Kay Berrisford: Seeking Secret Places – Excerpt + Giveaway!

Posted on September 6, 2014 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

Seeking Secret Places

by Kay Berrisford

Last month, I celebrated the launch of my new series, Underground Elves, with the first book Catching Kit (a re-release) out from Love Lane Books.

Catching Kit is an m/m paranormal tale set in London, the city near which I grew up. Although all of my books save one all-out fantasy story have UK settings, the Underground Elves series are the only ones rooted in the capital. While working on the second book in the series, I’ve been wondering why my characters have wandered into this marvelous city so rarely.

While all cities have unique aspects that make them great settings, London has got to be one of the best. The centre is crammed with two thousand years of history, reaching back to the Romans and beyond, and there are so many famous landmarks it would be patronizing to list them. It’s often the less well known corners that capture the imagination…though in London, it’s difficult to find many true secrets.

A scene in my new book was due to take place in churchyard of The Actor’s Church in Covent Garden, a quiet oasis in the middle of the bustle where I used to eat lunch. Not that famous, right? Wrong. I recently started to read Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series (an urban paranormal that I’m enjoying very much) and lo and behold, the opening ghost-related action takes place in this very spot. In my books, the characters explore some of the “ghost” stations – closed and derelict underground railway stations. Even these are getting very famous. The old Aldwych (Strand) underground station, opened in 1907 and shut in 1994, is a popular filming location. It was recently used for Sherlock. And nobody saw that, right?

Fortunately, I still have some secret locations and some great London stories to share…though I’m going to save them for the series. There’s certainly no better city in which to be setting a story about a group of elves who’ve been traveling forward through history for hundreds of years. I very much hope some of you will join us on the journey.

Thank you for reading and thanks to The Blogger Girls for letting me blog.

About Catching Kit

Catching Kit Denny is a top secret agent on a mission to protect London from Ethereal Beings – elves – who are seen as dangerous mind-reading parasites who prey on human emotions.

Kit is an elf on the run, misunderstood and persecuted by humans. When Denny catches him, he shatters everything Denny’s been taught about elves. He’s gorgeous and funny and claims he’s been searching a long time for a guy like Denny. He shares Denny’s kinks and now he needs Denny’s love to survive.

But if Denny doesn’t take Kit to jail, he’s in big trouble. Dare Denny break the law and gamble his life to save the Ethereal Being in his bed?

Please note: This is a revised version of a previously released title.

Available at: Love Lane Books, Amazon & All Romance eBooks

An Excerpt from Catching Kit

“You must be starving.” Kit placed one of the plates in front of Denny. Then he sat down opposite, pronged two tubes of pasta with his fork, and popped them into his mouth. He slowly licked white cheese sauce from his lips, and Denny fought a faint ache in his groin. “Yeah, elves do eat. At least we do when we need to. And this isn’t bad, is it? It’s better than gingerbread and those little sets of dried herbs. I ate those for a month. Oh, and boiled sweets.”

And Kit still had such gleaming teeth? Okay, that had to be rubbish. Denny wouldn’t listen. But he was bloody hungry. They’d eat the pasta, and then he’d put Kit out.

He couldn’t help but hear what Kit said as they dined. The elf claimed he’d materialized a month or so back in the bargain basement of a department store. He’d hidden out in a store room among leftover Christmas items, of which he’d grown fond.

“So lovely to know Christmas is still going on,” said Kit. “That’s the thing with moving on all the time; sometimes customs just vanish. I miss St. Bartholomew’s Fair, you know.”

Kit had grown so attached to the bright Christmas decorations that he’d wasted no time removing Denny’s tree from its box under the stairs to remind him of his most recent home. He’d remained in the store several weeks, chatting to staff and customers and reading his way through any books and newspapers he found lying about.

“Working out how the world works these days and what all the new words mean. Like how tablets aren’t pills anymore, but those shiny things with touch screens.”

Then his body grew solid enough to set off the alarms at night, and he’d had to leave. He’d spent his days and nights after that busking on the Underground network, as the great outdoors freaked him a bit at first.

“After last time I was in London,” explained Kit, “with all the bombs.”

“Right, that’s it.” Denny pushed his half-eaten meal away and got up. Swallowing a mouthful quickly, Kit rose too, turning to drop his plate in the sink behind him. Denny hurried about the table, grabbed him by the elbow, and spun him around. “Why do you keep going on about bombs?”

Kit furrowed his brow, and that strange look glazed his eyes, whispering of memories. Shouting of pain. “I was here in 1941.”

Denny shook him. “You’re telling me you were in London in the Blitz as well as in Shakespearean times? You must think I’m loopy.”

Kit drilled his gaze into him and fluttered his long lashes. “No. I think you’re horribly messy. Apart from your underwear drawer. You keep that neat enough.”

Denny froze. “You’ve been poking around my things?”

“I loved your things. They were beautiful.”

A hot flush spread from the base of Denny’s neck to his brow. The elf had been messing with his most intimate possessions.

His best lingerie.

Yet his humiliation burned out quickly. This elf had cut to the heart of his “disgusting habits,” and didn’t seem bothered at all.

The elf arched a brow, overtly flirtatious. “I hope you don’t mind. I, uh, tried some on.”

“You what?”

“Your lace thong.” Kit dropped his voice to a sexy growl. “I’m wearing it now.”

About Kay Berrisford

Kay writes m/m adventures and contemporary paranormal tales, usually set in her native England.

When she isn’t buried in books, she’s stewarding at a medieval house, or shouting at the world to get involved in awesome events celebrating all things historical.

She loves angst-filled romances, in which the heroes suffer a bit (sometimes a lot!) but they always get their happy ever afters.

Blogger_Giveaway

Kay has kindly offered up an eBook copy of winner’s choice from her backlist!! The giveaway starts now and ends September 12, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Catching Kit to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: Catching Kit, Kay Berrisford, Love Lane Books, Series - Underground Elves, The Blogger Girls | 13 Comments

GRL Blog Tour: Katey Hawthorne – Romance Cocktails with Katey Hawthorne + Giveaway!

Posted on September 5, 2014 by thebloggergirls

Romance Cocktails

with Katey Hawthorne

It’s almost GRL time—the most wonderful time of the year! Well, close, anyhow. GRL means celebrating LGBTQ romance, obviously, but let’s not even pretend: it also means parties. Parties do not require alcohol, clearly… but there’s a lot around. And I’m planning on packing some of my own just to have in the room, since running out when the bar closes is totally not an option.

In this spirit (ha! Sorry, punny…), I’ve decided to put together a list of drinks that can apply to different romance sub-genres. I hope it’s as useful to you as I plan on it being for me at in Chicago this year. These were glaned from all over the net.

Adventure

When I think adventure, I think high seas—okay maybe it’s a little outdated, but come on. What better answer than Black Privateer Punch? To make a small bowl of it:

7.5 oz 100 proof spiced rum

10 oz red wine

7.5 oz cherry juice

10 oz cola

10 pieces each of orange, lemon, and lime

A mess of cherries

Pour that into a wine glass over some ice and… yep. Sounds like an adventure to me.

Contemporary

Ah, the old staple, but always with a new twist. For just such an occasion we require a revamped classic, I’m thinking the gin and tonic’s cousin, the Gin Rickey. Start with a Collins glass full of crushed ice, then add…

Half a lime, squeezed

2 oz dry gin

Chilled club soda

For some options, try a splash of simple syrup or—my favorite, and great for those who want a little kick—garnish with a green chili with one end cut off to let the spice out. Had it like that once in Pondicherry, and lemme tell you, it’s to die for.

Erotic

Speaking of spicy, yeah. We’re doing this. I found this recipe for a blood orange and jalapeno whiskey cocktail and… y’all. I need it. Check it out. This will be the only one on this list I have not actually already tried, if only because blood oranges are not in season right now but. Man. Need. Mighty need.

Fantasy

You know how it is. You’re hanging out in a tavern with your buddies and along comes an elven princess who needs you to go on a quest. You fall in love with one of your buddies. You fight dragons. You fight each other. You make up. You screw. You live happily ever after. And what’s the best thing to drink while you’re having your fantasy romance?

Ale, clearly. Or stout. Or—wait. Both! Go for the Black and Tan, my friends:

Fill a glass halfway with pale ale (I like Bass, as is traditional), then gently—over an upside-down tablespoon if you want to get really safe—pour the stout (I like Guinness—again, traditional!) on top for a layered treat that’ll fuel all your dragon-fighting needs.

Gothic

All right, look, I’m not gonna lie, I love absinthe. This cocktail comes from a long ago recommendation by my friend Zoe E. Whitten, and I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s exceptional. And utterly perfect for curling up with a Gothic romance and feeling all, you know, Cathy in Northanger Abbey swoony.

I like to use an absinthe glass because it has the bubble in the bottom, but you can use whatever you like. Add…

2 oz Absinthe

4-6 oz Chinotto soda

Ice to taste

If you can’t find chinotto soda, try your local import shop—I used to get the San Pelligrino brand at an Italian deli in DC, and I’m looking for a place to get it in Ohio now I’ve moved! (Please email me if you know a place, oh man…)

Historical

My friends, I have tried many, many different versions of the mint julep in my time. I recommend this one. Yeah, I know, it’s a very American-style historical, but hey. Simple, elegant, fresh, and man, bourbon is the best.

Mystery

Curling up with a romance-meets-mystery is one of life’s greatest pleasures. You know what else is? Dumping some whiskey (or whisky, but I tend toward Bushmills so we’re using the ‘e’) in your hot chocolate.

So yep. That. That’s what I’m going with. Mmmmm, fall cocktails for the win.

Paranormal

Cream-based cocktails are difficult. They’re great when you’re just having one or two, but if you want to pull an all-nighter, probably not the best decision you’ll ever make. Then again, when is pulling an all-nighter ever a good choice? What the hell, let’s go for it!

Count on HGTV to bring us the Liquefied Ghost cocktail. Personally, I think you can just use vanilla vodka and plain simple syrup, to make life easier, but what do I know? (No really tho, I tried it, it was amazing.)

Sci-Fi

As a lifelong sci-fi fan, raised on Star Trek and Dune, the moment I discovered my very first sci-fi cocktail is etched in my mind forever. No, don’t worry, I’m not trying to bring you all the Klingon Blood Wine to totally mess you up while you go and read those fabulous intergalactic stowaway romances. Instead, I bring you the delightfully blue Andorian Ale:

2oz raspberry vodka

1oz blue curacao

Mint sprig

Optional: top off with some Sprite

… if not for the mint thing, which I can’t really imagine will make it safely up to Chicago, this would be the one I’d have in my room at the ready during GRL. I don’t even write sci-fi, technically, though I guess superpowers could be considered as much? I could pretend it was an electric cocktail? Whatever, it’s amazing!

So I hope this has inspired you like it’s inspired me, y’all. See you next month, with the appropriate drinks!

About In Distress

In Distress Book 6 in the Superpowered Love Series

Hopeless romantic Eddie Kim acts out his favorite ‘rescued by the white knight’ fantasies through weekly D&D campaigns, but had almost given up hope of ever getting a real one. Then Callum, a mysterious red-head with freezing superpowers and a memorable kiss, saves him from a house but disappears without a trace. Taking pity on him, Eddie’s friends look to craiglist to relocate his hero.

Unfortunately, the publicity brings down the kind of attention Callum Race been trying to avoid; he’s in town to try and clear his family name, and now the dangerous superpowered organization he needs to thwart know he’s come home again. Still, he can’t help following up with Eddie.

The heat between Callum and Eddie flares instantly, and Eddie insists on helping to undo the damage his romantic notions have done. The problem: that will mean becoming embroiled in a nefarious plot, not to mention a superpowered world Eddie didn’t even know existed a week ago. The ‘bad guys’ will try to trick and use him, and in the meantime he has to convince Cal to trust him enough to be the white knight for once–and for real–instead of the perpetual damsel in distress.

Available at: Loose Id, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and All Romance eBooks

About Katey Hawthorne

187c3-katey_sm Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills. You can find her at kateyhawthorne.com, or on twitter and tumblr.

Blogger_Giveaway

As part of her GRL stop, Katey is offering up a chance to win an eBook from her Superpowered Love series! The giveaway starts now and will end next Thursday, September 11, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Good luck!

Check out TBG’s GRL Blog Tour Schedule

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: GRL Blog Tour, In Distress, Katey Hawthorne, Series - Superpowered Love, The Blogger Girls | 14 Comments

Honorary Blogger L.C. Chase: It’s Not About Sex + Giveaway!

Posted on September 4, 2014 by thebloggergirls

PullingLeather_TourBanner

It’s Not About Sex

by L.C. Chase

G’day everyone! Welcome to my Pulling Leather blog tour and a peek into the world of rodeo cowboys. (The official schedule can be found here.) This wouldn’t be a proper tour without some prezzies, of course, so read on for giveaway details. Thank you to The Blogger Girls for hosting my cowboys, and to all of you for hopping in the saddle to ride along!

* * *

I am a die-hard romantic. I believe in soulmates and falling in love with that one person and riding off into the sunset and living happily ever after. I love everything romance, including the honor and joy of being able to write it. Why? Maybe because the heart is an amazing thing, and has a capacity to feel so incredibly deep. Maybe because love and romance make the whole world a better place to live in. That’s the world I like, the one I want to live in, which is why the “grand gesture” so often appears in my stories. Who doesn’t love that moment when loves prevails against all odds and finally—finally—our heroes get the happiness and love they never knew they always deserved?

I had an interview question a while back, “What’s the most annoying thing people say when you tell them you’re a writer?” My answer was easy because I’ve had this exact conversation IRL on more than a few occasions:

Them: What do you write?

Me: Romance.

Them: Oh, so porn.

Me: *throws hands up and groans*

It’s annoying but it’s also interesting and a marvel to me why so many people automatically go there. The first thing I think when I hear romance is a journey of the heart. That, to me, is romance. Sex is most definitely a very large part of romance, for sure, but the degree—on or off page, sweet or raunchy—has no bearing on me, so long as I’m also getting a well-rounded love story. Some of the most amazing romances I’ve read had no sex whatsoever in them. They’re love stories. That’s not to say books with lots of sex aren’t also love stories, but it has to make sense for the story as well as to the characters.

Pulling Leather is definitely Scott’s love story. An anti-hero trying to rise above his past and make amends, and just maybe he’ll find the one person he’s meant to be with along the way. But because of his journey, how far he still has to grow, how much he has to learn, he’s on a slow ride to the bedroom. Luckily for him, Cory is the perfect man to ride along side him, with his wide-open heart and ability to see beyond rough exteriors.

So how about you, dear readers? How do you like your romances?

About Pulling Leather

The toughest ride of his life is all in his head.

Bull rider Scott Gillard has a reputation for quick fists and harsh words. What no one knows is where that anger comes from. After a shocking incident sends him into a tailspin, he knows he needs help: he’s been fighting a battle he could never win. Now he’s trying to navigate a new life and embrace his true self, but some days are easier than others.

Pickup man Cory Ackerson has suffered his share of harassment, but his light still burns bright. He doesn’t let anything or anyone keep him down, so when he meets the rugged cowboy with a battered chip on his shoulder and regret in his dark eyes, all he wants to do is help.

As their unlikely friendship grows into something deeper, Scott must overcome his past to be the man Cory deserves, or lose his best chance at his own happily ever after.

Available at: Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and All Romance eBooks

About L.C. Chase

Cover artist by day, author by night, L.C. Chase is a hopeless romantic and adventure seeker. After a decade of traveling three continents, she now calls the Canadian West Coast home. When not writing sensual tales of beautiful men falling love, she can be found designing book covers with said beautiful men, drawing, horseback riding, or hiking the trails with her goofy four-legged roommate.

L.C. is a 2014 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Pickup Men; a 2013 EPIC eBook Awards Finalist for Long Tall Drink; and a 2013-2014 Ariana eBook Cover Art Awards Finalist. She also won an honorable mention in the 2012 Rainbow Awards for Riding with Heaven.

You can find out more about L.C., story extras, works in progress, and cover designs at her website, on her blog, or on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. L.C. is also a proud member of Art= a collective of artists who donate a portion of their art sales to GLBTQ charities.

Blog_Tour_Giveaway

In celebration and thanks, LC’s offering goodies for two lucky readers . . .

1st prize – One ebook copy of any title in my backlist. Open to worldwide entries.

2nd prize – One signed paperback copy of Long Tall Drink, the extended edition, Pickup Men or Let It Ride. Open to worldwide entries.

To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: L.C. Chase, Pulling Leather, Riptide Publishing, The Blogger Girls | 4 Comments

Honorary Blogger Louis J Harris: There’s Something in the Water – Excerpt + Giveaway!

Posted on September 3, 2014 by thebloggergirls

There’s Something in the Water

by Louis J Harris

Swimmer wasn’t an easy novella to write. I prefer writing thrillers and this was my debut romance. As a result, it took me quite a while. I wanted to write about two guys who both have relationship hiccups. Basil is a successful artist but he’s also a social outcast who lives in a quaint house just off the beach. Four years earlier, his lover upped and left him, just like that. No letter. No sms. Nothing. Not even a postcard. He was so hurt that he vowed never to fall in love again. I could imagine Basil using all his time to paint. I could imagine him taking the blame for his ex-lover’s sudden disappearance. I could imagine him pining and longing for his return. But, after four years, the guilt and the pain of longing faded and in its place was a quiet introvert who longed to be touched and loved by someone special.

On the other hand, Will is a young man with tons of testosterone. He’s on the Olympic team for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and instead of swimming with the rest of his team in a club pool, he prefers to swim in the sea for stamina and strength. He happens to choose Basil’s beach. William is the kind of person who doesn’t give in easily. He’s ambitious and needs to achieve. He hasn’t been lucky in love, in fact he has never really been in love. But the moment he meets Basil, there is an immediate limerence. For Will it’s love at first site.

I wanted to infuse the relationship with drama. Gently. So there are a number of places in the narrative where I drop a couple of dramatic pearls. The South African sardine run is quite a spectacle in the month just before Winter. And with these sardines, come dolphins and sharks and gannets and gulls and a myriad of other creatures to feast on these minute fish. Swimming during the sardine run is a dangerous part time. I had to choose which character would be attacked by a shark. I had to change that scene a couple of times to get the emotion just right. It’s not easy writing romance. There’s a certain subtlety that thriller writing just doesn’t have. A certain passion.

The one thing I had to hold onto as the writer, was the end result of Hope.

And that’s really what Swimmer is all about. Not just love, loss and tragedy, but hope in all it’s nuances.

I chose an unconventional style for the writing of this story. I wrote it in 2nd person past tense. Reason being that the characters leave the reader with a promise, and that promise is a happy ending. My stories don’t usually end happily. One of my shorts involves two men married toeach other and the one is about to leave the other for a younger man. His husband decides that if he can’t have him, no one can. You can imagine the rest. It’s blood curdling. Not all gay love is good love. But Swimmer is more than just about good love. It’s also about love at first site.

I believe in love at first site. Many people will say that LAFS doesn’t work. But it’s not what one doesn’t believe, it’s what one dreams. Dreams are good friends.

Swimmer is more than just a one dimensional love story. It’s more than just the title. I hope you find it endearing, and I hope you will come back and read more of my work.

About Swimmer

Swimmer Basil is not looking for a man. Four years ago, his lover left him without so much as a note. Just like that. Never came home from work. From that fateful day, Basil becomes a recluse, until he meets the Swimmer, a young Olympian who will change his life forever. Swimmer is a beautiful love story of loss, tragic circumstance, and hope. It will leave you applauding for more.

Available at: All Romance eBooks & Lulu

An Excerpt from Swimmer

Hand in hand you trudge along the shore. The sand is thin. The waves cool. He runs and dares you to catch him. He’s fast. It takes all your energy to catch up and make the dive. You’re both on the sand and he’s trying to escape your grip, you’re trying to keep him from running. After a few minutes he gives up, stares into your eyes, and kisses you gently. Your lips tremble god it’s been so long and the sweet wetness in his mouth makes you purr softly. Your lips part for a moment as you stare into his eyes.

‘Jesus, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.’

Instead of answering, he digs into your neck, licking the salt off your tanned skin, sucking your ear, your eyes and finally finding your lips again. This time your tongue digs deep, teeth biting, touching, slamming against each other. You’re both breathless and suddenly you come up for air. Your hands explore his perfect body, every ridge, every bulge, every muscle belongs to you. He’s on top of you. Grinding his cock over yours. Moving delicately across your groin. You don’t want him to stop. You cry out in ecstasy as your cock becomes engorged with blood and you can’t stop yourself. It’s been too fucking long and even though you try to stop him from grinding his cock against yours, he fights you.

‘Jesus. I want you so much, Baz,’ he whispers. ‘I want you to come in your pants. I know you want to. I want you to.’

‘Fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh Fuck Will!’ You cry and your eyes water over as your semen explodes and all you can hear is Will’s voice, ‘Yes. Yes. Fuck. Yes.’

And then the grinding stops. Will collapses onto you, holding your arms above your head.

‘That was so fucking amazing,’ he says.

For a moment there is only the waves crashing against the shore.

‘I can’t believe that you made me cum in my jeans.’

‘I can’t believe that I came in my costume,’ he says, smiling, then laughing. And suddenly you’re both laughing and rolling together in the sand.

‘You’re just amazing. I’ve never done that with anyone,’ you say.

About Louis J Harris

photo-11940[1] Louis’ first book, Revival, published in 2006 by the South African Short Story Publishing Association, introduced South Africa to her first Gay Literary detective, Rain Godart. He now self publishes his M/M Romance stories under the Coooldudes Publishing banner, a publishing company started up to distribute his own works. in 2008 he won the Marion Scher award for writing, and heads up the editing program for gayauthors.org. He is also an affiliate member of PEG (Professional Editing Group) of South Africa. He has a full time job as a despatch manager and at night turns into a wordsmith almost magically. He currently edits for many writers abroad, and also acts as a literary agent for many of his clients. He lives in Germiston, South Africa, 6000 feet above sea level where no Tsunami can touch him or his family. He is married to his best friend, has a son, and two damned naughty Yorkshire Terriers named Bobby and Caesar.

You can email Louis at louish6@gmail.com or cooldudesbooks@gmail.com.

Blogger_Giveaway

Louis is giving away THREE copies of Swimmer! The giveaway starts now and ends September 9, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t forget to check out Jen’s review of Swimmer to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: Louis J. Harris, Swimmer, The Blogger Girls | 13 Comments

GRL Blog Tour: Erica Pike – On Invading GRL Groups + Giveaway!

Posted on September 2, 2014 by thebloggergirls

On Invading GRL Groups

by Erica Pike

J.P. Barnaby wrote an excellent blog post on August 19th on Prism Book Alliance where she said “Your authors are probably more afraid of you than you are of them.” She was encouraging readers to walk up to their favorite authors and say hi, even if the authors are already talking to a group of other people.

She couldn’t be more right. You’re the humans and we’re the spiders. We may seem intimidating and look like an ugly eight-legged species, but we’re usually more afraid of you than you are of us. Like spiders (at least the Icelandic ones) we won’t bite if you walk up to us and say hi. We’ll be flattered and happy that someone wants to talk to us.

J.P. also talked about how authors sometimes hang out in tight groups with other authors. This is to give us some semblance of security so we won’t stand alone in a corner and fiddle with our badge. See, most of us are either social phobic or introvert, even though we might not come off as such when we’re in the GRL high (I’ve been told I come off as very outgoing at GRL). Hanging out in groups doesn’t mean we don’t want to be approached. It’s just like how readers tend to hang out in groups, enjoying the security of having someone by their side.

Is your favorite author sitting on a couch with his/her nose buried in his/her phone? Interrupt! 99.99% of the time, that phone is a security device because the author feels silly about sitting there by him/herself doing nothing.

It’s much easier for me to walk up to another author and chat instead of a group of readers, possibly because I now know that authors are just as “normal” as other people. I sometimes want to invade a group of readers to talk, because they look like they’re having so much fun, but I don’t know how to, so I can very well put myself in the position of a reader afraid to approach a group of chatting authors. What am I afraid of? I’m afraid that the readers will put up blank faces when they read my name tag, so my attempt to chat will look like some lame promo endeavor. I’m afraid that I’ll be interrupting something important, because everyone is talking so animatedly, laughing and having so much fun. I wouldn’t want to ruin that. I’m social phobic, and although I’ve had treatment for it, it still always lurks underneath. Because of that, I’m afraid that once I start talking, I’ll say something stupid or clog up and look stupid. No one wants to look stupid! Be it authors or readers.

The point is that the two groups – readers and authors – are exactly the same. Authors are just people. We don’t look at ourselves in the mirror every day and say, “You’re a bestselling author – you’re on a higher tier than everyone else.” We’re very well aware that we’re on the exact same tier as everyone else. My daily life isn’t much different from anyone else’s. I just happened to write some books, because I love writing. The whole point of GRL is for readers and authors to get to know each other, and yet there’s this gap between us. I want to breach that gap – even if they aren’t MY readers.

Here’s my challenge for readers who really want to talk to their favorite authors, but are too afraid to: Write a list! Write down to whom you want to talk and a couple of questions or topics you’d want to talk to them about. It could be about a character you loved, your favorite scene in a book, questions about future books, insider information about a character (we all have those – not everything makes it into the books), why a character did this instead of that, etc. Or you could skip the book talk altogether and talk about the retreat. You could have the list in a small pocketbook you carry with you and glance at the questions before you approach the author. Don’t worry about the conversation ending up on an embarrassing note, because the author will most likely want to continue to talk to you. Be aware, though, that some of us have no idea how to take a compliment, so we might smile like idiots and say something like, “Awww, thank you!” However, most will try to shed their shyness and continue the conversation. You could write down questions for several authors in case you happen to see one. If the authors aren’t on the run into a conference room, they’ll probably have time to talk – or they’ll make time because meeting the readers and making new friends is what we’re there for.

Here’s my personal challenge: I’m going to “invade” a group of readers at least once during this year’s retreat. I want to be a part of the fun! I also have favorite authors I’d like to discuss with others and I like to hear about how people are experiencing GRL.

My question for your guys is: As a reader, if an author (known-to-you or not) stepped up to you or your group to talk, what would you think of it? How would you react? Or, if you’re an author, how would you feel if a reader stepped up to you to talk?

About Black Hurricane

Black Hurricane Twenty-three year old Jasper Jones fell in love with Dean McQueen at fourteen, but after a disastrous relationship, Jazz would like nothing better than to see the rock star choke on his own vomit.

After a catastrophic reunion, Dean seems bent on destroying Jazz’s life. It all started when an impromptu bar performance ended up on YouTube and Jazz became an internet sensation overnight. The name “Jazdean” keeps popping up in headlines and the paparazzi stalk his every move. To make matters worse, Jazz is about to end up on the streets for the second time in his life.

In a desperate attempt to keep his home, Jazz signs a deal with Dean’s band, Black Hurricane, to perform at a couple of concerts. It feels like one of Dean’s feeble attempts to get Jazz back, but painted into a corner like he is, Jazz has no choice.

Available at: MLR Press, Amazon & All Romance eBooks

About Erica Pike

Erica lives in Iceland with her adorable little twin boys. She often says that her real name sounds like Klingon to foreigners. Seriously, if “Eyjafjallajokull” looks like a random string of characters it’s nothing in comparison to Erica’s name.

She’s been writing for several years, or ever since reading became an obsession. Aside from a business degree, Erica has taken English courses at the University of Iceland and gulped down anything that might help her in her career as an author. She takes great interest in English, but will break every single grammar rule for the sake of The Voice.

Erica loves hearing from her readers. She’s a friendly, easy-going (if a bit silly) person who doesn’t mind talking about herself in third person.

Find out more about Erica on her Webpage/Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Amazon Page.

Blogger_Giveaway

As part of her GRL stop, Erica is offering up a chance to win an eBook from her College Fun and Gays series! The giveaway starts now and will end next Monday, September 8, 2014, at 11:59 pm EST. After which the lucky winner will be randomly picked. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Good luck!

Check out TBG’s GRL Blog Tour Schedule

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post | Tags: Black Hurricane, Erica Pike, GRL Blog Tour, MLR Press, The Blogger Girls | 15 Comments

Honorary Blogger Chris Quinton: Legends and Reality + Giveaway!

Posted on September 1, 2014 by thebloggergirls

Legends and Reality

by Chris Quinton

One of the fascinating things about myths and legends is the way that sometimes they’re based on fact. The legends of Lyonesse are firmly lodged in the hearts of the people of the UK’s West Country, and the stories of Ys are remembered by the people of Brittany across the English Channel. Both of them have similarities with the stories of Atlantis, rich lands destroyed by the folly of those who lived there.

The facts that gave birth to these stories? In the West Country it’s the remnants of old stone field walls that march down some beaches to disappear into the sea. It’s the Isles of Scilly off the toe of Cornwall’s Land’s End, which once were part of a much larger landmass. And before that, underwater archaeology has shown us that Mesolithic and Neolithic hunters lived and hunted the low-lying land that is now the North Sea. Doggerland, the archaeologists have called it, after the Dogger Bank, a shallow area of sea over a treacherous sand bank about sixty miles off the east coast.

Even more telling is Google Earth. Pull the image right back, and you can clearly see the shape of the ancient continent that once existed above the waves. With the melting of the great ice sheets, slowly and inexorably the sea levels rose. Ten thousand years ago [give or take a few thousands] the islands that now form Eire, the British Isles and the politically attached Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are all that survived the inundation.

The legends tell of church bells ringing beneath the storm-wracked sea, of lights burning in drowned houses, the cries of the people as the sea destroyed their land, are the window-dressing, of course. But beneath them are the deep-seated racial memories of hunting grounds slowly washed away, of marshes becoming standing water that gradually formed the ever-widening river that is now the English Channel.

The erosion is still happening. The storms that recently battered England’s coasts have eaten away at cliffs and beaches alike. In a couple of hundred years, despite the factual archives stored of the drama and damage, what new legends will have evolved?

About Greymalkin (Melusine’s Cats #1)

The mutual attraction between Jesse and Will is a bonus for Melusine when her enemies close in and she needs to rebuild her war band—starting with Jesse, Will, and Greymalkin.

Jesse Adams is an ex-rugby player who’s gone into seclusion to avoid the media following a guilty verdict in a court case. Jesse has come to live for a year in Greenlynn, where he is supposed to be writing his biography.

Will Blake is an out and proud policeman, respected and liked by the community he helps to protect from rural crime.

When the two men meet their attraction is instant, but they have no idea their love will draw them into a centuries’ old conflict.

Melusine, a deity of rivers and seas, long ago lost the Battle of the Betrayal and is imprisoned in a nexus centred on the source of the Lynn River. She can only travel in the flowing water of her river, and cannot set foot on her banks. Her cats are not so bound. Neither pets nor familiars, they move freely between the realities, her agents among the humans who live along the Lynn.

When Melusine’s enemies come to the valley in search of revenge, Jesse and Will discover they have a part to play in the ancient feud. Do they commit to becoming part of a mythical triad, or leave the valley and forget they ever knew that magic exists?

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About Chris Quinton

Chris started creating stories not long after she mastered joined-up writing, somewhat to the bemusement of her parents and her English teachers. But she received plenty of encouragement. Her dad gave her an already old Everest typewriter when she was ten, and it was probably the best gift she’d ever received – until the inventions of the home-computer and the worldwide web.

Chris’s reading and writing interests range from historical, mystery, and paranormal, to science-fiction and fantasy, writing mostly in the male/male genre. She refuses to be pigeon-holed and intends to uphold the long and honourable tradition of the Eccentric Brit to the best of her ability. In her spare time [hah!] she reads, embroiders, quilts and knits. Over the years she has been a stable lad [briefly] in a local racing stable and stud, a part-time and unpaid amateur archaeologist, a civilian clerk at her local police station and a 15th century re-enactor.

She lives in a small and ancient city in the south-west of the United Kingdom, sharing her usually chaotic home with an extended family, three dogs, a frilled dragon [lizard] and sundry goldfish.

You can find out more about Chris on her Website and Facebook.

Blogger_Giveaway

Chris is kindly giving away an eBook copy of Greymalkin to one luck winner! The giveaway starts now and ends September 7, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t forget to check out Gyn’s review of Greymalkin to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!

Categories: Book Promo, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: Chris Quinton, Greymalkin, Series - Melusine's Cats, The Blogger Girls | 13 Comments

Honorary Blogger A.E. Via: Favorable Moments – Excerpt + Giveaway!

Posted on August 31, 2014 by thebloggergirls

Favorable Moments

by A.E. Via

Hello my lovely readers!

Thank you for visiting here with me today on Blogger Girls site to talk about my newest release: Embracing His Syn. Syn’s book is not a sequel to Nothing Special, it can stand alone. But, a few of the main characters from Nothing Special act as some very entertaining supporting characters in this story. So feel free to pick that up after.

If you are a fan of my previous work than you already know I’m a huge lover of take-charge, alpha gay men and Syn definitely fits into that category. He’s full of attitude, bravado, and overwhelming protectiveness…especially when it comes to Furious (my other MC). So if those sexy traits do it for you, then Embracing His Syn is the next book you want to one-click.

Now. I’ve come up with a pretty awesome post – which is my 5 favorite moments while writing/developing Embracing His Syn. I’m going to throw in Nothing Special as well, because I think some people may be very interested in how I came up with God and Day as well as Syn and Furi.

Here we go….

5. Highly enjoyed running my thoughts and scenes over with a couple of my contacts in the VB Police Department. These men are a part of the vice squad but are highly trained and very lethal…in my opinion. They are friends of the family. Neither are gay (unfortunately, or else I’d pick their brain on a few other things as well. *winking*). Listening to some of their stories was very exhilarating. They really are a couple of alpha-studs. It was important to me writing a police story, to have the scenes/codes/lingo, of law enforcement officers to be realistic. Nothing Special and Syn’s story is still fiction so I wanted it to be over-the-top-dirty-harry style, but not too ridiculous. Hopefully I didn’t blow it.

4. I loved meeting my new editor in the making of Syn’s story. If some of you may recall, I had some issues with editing in Nothing Special – that was provided through my previous publisher. There were typos, misspellings, etc. I was determined to let readers know that I heard their complaints and was doing something to remedy the problem. Tina Adamski was my solution. She was absolutely awesome, even after I put her on a tight deadline. She had her work cut out for her, because when my mind is flying, my fingers have a hard time keeping up. Typing at 88wpm, there are bound to be errors, okay. She looked at a sample of my work and I was immediately taken with her professional attitude and knowledge of fictional editing. I think you’ll see for yourself when you read the book. I’m so glad to have worked with her and look forward to utilizing her expertise with my future work.

3. Next, was meeting my cover artist, Princess So. I walked past her booth at RainbowCon in April of this year and was floored at the art and detail that was displayed on some of her sample covers. She is an extremely talented artist and I knew I’d want her to do my next cover. What’s so memorable about this experience was watching her create these characters that were solely in my mind and make them visible for everyone else to see. Syn is absolutely delicious on this cover and she nailed Furi – which was drawn, or has she calls it ‘a Frankenstein’. I love that you won’t see my guys on anyone else’s books. These were not picked from the shallow male model bin on Shutterstock. It was a relief working with such talent. Although, I’ve now been ordered to call her ‘goddess’ since I asked for countless favors upon favors. Small price to pay.

2. The development of my characters. Mmmmm. Yummy. Some may already know this, but I don’t use any models for my book characters. I love coming up with my men within my mind. Everything from their look to their mannerisms. You won’t find God, or Angel, or Hawk, or Furi in any magazine or on a photo site. If I had to choose. I would have to say my favorite character couple is: God and Day. Turning them into 100% badass-don’t-give-a-damn-I’ma’-say-what-I want characters has been the highlight of all my writings so far. Day is able to say all the inappropriate-off-the-top-of-his-head comments that probably most men wish they could say and get away with. I wanted to make a highly ranked law enforcement character that was hilariously-witty, out, proud gay that wasn’t constantly harassed on his job, and hiding in the closet. Hence, Day. Who was the harasser not the harrassee’. Ro attempted it in the beginning, but he was usually the one that ended up red-faced after a tiff with Day. It was so much fun…it’s still fun writing those guys. Now I get to introduce more of God and Day’s team, while giving the book humor, because you know they are going to be in it.

1. Now, I hope I don’t get into any trouble with my number one. Not only my most memorable and favorite of all, but also the most FUN of making not only Nothing Special and Embracing His Syn, but ALL of my books.

PORN!!!!!

*laughing and winking* Hear me out, MM fans. A large percentage of MM writers are heterosexual females, so it’s important for us to make sure those scenes are spot-on, and realistic. Positions and execution. (I sound real scientific, don’t I? LOL). Honestly, the same way we have to research occupations, and backdrops, or landscapes, we have to research the sex for our books as well. The more sex you have in the book…the more you have to research…..right? So, I have to watch a ton of it, oh and various sites too! Uh. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.

(And how freakin cool is this? I heard through the MM female writer’s grapevine, that we can write off all our porn subscriptions as a tax deduction, because we use it for our occupation. Hmmm. My porn is tax deductible. My entire family has used the same accountant for many years, and so have I, since I was nineteen. Mentioning my new deduction should be fun when I meet with him this tax season, and I slap a whole phone-book-sized receipt book of gay porn on his desk.)

Well, this had been fun. I’ve enjoyed chatting with you all and being embarrassingly honest. I hope you will pick up my latest release Embracing His Syn, which has been receiving rave reviews! I think it’s a must read if you love sexy detectives and lots of action mixed with extremely hot gay lovemaking. After you’ve done that, pick up my first novel, Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True, or if you’ve already read it….reread it, because Blue Moon 2: This is Reality is coming up next and its coming up fast!

Talk to you soon,

Thank you so much Blogger Girls for hosting me and my guys again!!!!

Loves,

Adrienne

About Embracing His Syn

(This story contains characters from previously published novel ‘Nothing Special‘ but Embracing His Syn is a stand-alone novel.)

Sergeant Corbin ‘Syn’ Sydney transferred from the Philadelphia Police Department as soon as he’d heard there was going to be an opening on Lieutenant Cashel Godfrey and Lieutenant Leonidis Day’s Atlanta Narcotics Task Force. Syn’s primary goal in his life has been to be a great cop. There has been no time for relationships, romance, or especially love.

Syn was dedicated to his new force, focused and ready to back up God and Day as their third in command, but what he wasn’t ready for was the feelings he got from seeing the love they had for each other.

Syn’s all prepared to accept his lonely fate until he walks into a small pub and meets long-haired, tattooed, bartender, Furious Barkley. Before he can even understand why, Syn’s feeling things he barely recognizes: passion, yearning, cravings; and if the dark, lustful gazes are anything to go by, Furious might be feeling the same things for him.

Just one thing needs to happen before Furi and Syn can give each other what’s been missing from their lives for so long…

Syn needs to allow happiness into his world and Furi needs to learn to open his heart and trust again.

God, Day, Ronowski, and Johnson are still as entertaining as ever…

You’ll swoon over God’s massive take-charge attitude…

You’ll laugh hysterically at Day’s never-ending wit…

You’ll fall in love with Furious’ mysterious, sexy demeanor…

and…

You’ll embrace Syn…

Disclaimer: This book DOES NOT contain scenes of polygamous sexual pairings.

Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

An Excerpt from Embracing His Syn

Furi stepped in closer to him and Syn fought his reflex to take a step back. Furi grabbed his wrist and moved him quickly through the customers waiting for the bathrooms and pushed open the back door that led to the parking lot.

Syn quickly took in his surroundings before focusing back on Furi.

“What’s wrong, why’d you bring me back here?”

“What’s your angle, Detective? Why are you lingering around my job and offering me rides, huh?” Furi forced those questions through gritted teeth.

“Why are you angry? It’s just a ride. I was trying to be nice,” Syn said with little conviction, while avoiding answering Furi’s questions. He didn’t have an angle and he wasn’t sure why he was drawn to him. He just wanted to be around this guy, if for nothing else then to at least be friends.

Furi narrowed his eyes again and stepped into Syn’s space. “Are you gay, Detective?”

There it was. The million-dollar question. Was he gay? He’d never asked himself that. He’d only slept with women before, but had never felt anything more for them than an easy friends-with-benefits involvement. Rhodes was the only person that he’d ever felt a connection with. A man. Syn felt his mouth move, but no sound was coming out. Fuck.

Furi looked at him skeptically. “Uh huh. Just like I thought. Who are you working for? Him. He send you? Did he hire you to find me? Are you a private detective?”

That accusation cut through Syn’s speechlessness. “Whoa. I work for the city of Atlanta. What are you talking about? Who is him? Is someone after you?” Syn didn’t realize he’d grabbed Furi’s shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes until Furi threw his arms up and dislodged Syn’s grip.

“Take your goddamn hands off of me! I’m sick of people thinking they can put their fucking hands on me! Stay the fuck away from me, Detective.” Furi shoved past him and reached for the door.

Syn jumped in front of it before Furi could get it open. He yelled right back at Furi, “My name is Syn! I’m not here as a Detective! I don’t know who him is, nor do I work for him.” Syn put up air quotes for the word him. “I just wanted to talk to you!”

“About what?” Furi yelled. They were in each other’s faces, chest bumping each other.

“I don’t fucking know! About you. About me. About the damn Falcons’ game last week. About the weather. About why there’s so many goddamn reality TV shows. About what-the-hell-ever! That’s what people do when they want to get to know someone!” Syn stepped back and gripped his hair blowing out a long frustrated breath. He felt so ridiculous, was so annoyed that he was seconds away from just walking away. “Fuck! I didn’t think dating was this damn hard.”

“That’s what you’re trying to do, Detective? Date me?” Furi’s tone and facial expression were full of skepticism. “Because I don’t want to date. Dating is stupid. What the hell is dating anyway? Some long drawn out process of elimination where you both present your best side while hiding the real you, and you can only keep that charade going for about three months because your bullshit and lies eventually leak out and then you have to spend the next three months getting to know each other for real.”

“Geez, man, you are insanely cynical. Do you always over-analyze everything? Why can’t we just–”

Furi cut him off, “Because. I’m only interested in gay men. Not men that might or might not be gay, or men that are looking for an experiment, or men that are fucked up in the head. I’ve been there. Done that, I’m never going there again. It almost cost me my li–”

Syn turned at Furi’s words. He walked back to him slowly. He could see pain in Furi’s eyes and Syn wanted to take it all away. Take all the hurt this man had experienced, and put it on himself, because he could handle it. All he wanted was to see Furi smile, see him uninhibited, full of passion. Full of him. Syn just barely held in his groan. He wanted this damn man. God help him, he did. He let out a slow calming breath and brought his hands up to cup Furi’s cheeks. He wanted to kiss him. Taste him. Feel Furi moan his name into his mouth and swallow it down. Fuck, he wanted that and so much more. Furi was looking hard at him, waiting. His eyes roamed Syn’s face before settling on his lips. Syn needed this; all he had to do was take it. Take it goddamnit.

Furi took it for him. Syn felt confident, sure hands on his own cheeks and soft, beautiful lips against his. Furi took Syn’s control. He knocked his hands down and grabbed the material of his jean jacket, pushing him up against the wall right there behind the pub, and then those lush lips were on him again. Taking him. Syn’s eyes were rolling behind his closed lids. Fuck, it felt so good. He could’ve never imagined how good.

About A.E. Via

A.E. Via is a best-selling author in the beautiful gay erotic genre. She’s been reading gay romance exclusively for ten years before she decided to submit one of her own stories for publication. Her writing embodies everything from spicy to scandalous. Her novels often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

When she’s not clicking away at her laptop, A.E. devotes herself to her family—a husband and four children, her two pets, a Maltese dog and her white Siamese cat, ELynn, named after the late, great gay romance author E. Lynn Harris.

Although she’s still a fairly new author, she has plenty more to come. So sit back and grab a cool drink, because the male on male action is just heating up! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or get a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, and where she’ll appear next.

Find out more about A.E. on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Facebook Author Page, Twitter, Amazon Page, Goodreads or check out her Gift Shop.

Blogger_Giveaway

A.E. is giving away THREE copies of Embracing His Syn! The giveaway starts now and ends September 6, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!