Guest Blogger AJ Jarrett and a Contest!

Today my guest is my friend and fellow author AJ Jarrett. AJ's answered my infamous Rick Reed questions! Plus, she's going to tell us about her newest release, Set Me on Fire. Besides being a fellow Silver author, AJ is also one of our Wednesday Briefers, and has stories in the Wicked Watchers anthologies, at House of Erotica. Now, while I make us something delicious to drink - maybe some caramel macchiatos? - why don't you answer those questions, AJ.

Contest? Did I say contest? Read all the way to the end!

The Questions

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

I would have to say my husband. It’s totally cliché to say this but he is my best friend.  In fact the only other person I can stand to be around for long periods of times without wanting to strangle. Plus he’s neat and clean and does a lot of house work. Bonus for me!

The one item I would just have to have is my hitachi magic wand. Ladies if you don’t know what that is, Google it, then buy it. It’ll be the best gift you ever got yourself. Now if the island doesn’t have electricity, a reading device that ran on solar powered energy and that I was able to have access to an unlimited amount of books.

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

I would have to say Beauty and the Beast. I’m picking this for purely selfish reasons because I absolutely just love it.

And the character I would be is the Beast. Go ahead and laugh but it’s true. If anyone ever meets my husband they would totally agree with that. I’m the one who flies off the handle and starts yelling instead of talking. I’m ready to argue at the drop of a hat. My husband is the one who wants to talk things out and hates to fight. We have a totally role reversal in our marriage. But that’s why I love him!

3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  sacking, skeptical, wholeheartedly

There is a football game being played. Two team rivals after the championship title. The whistle blares and the quarterback shouts out the play. The linebacker for the other team has visions of sacking the sexy star player to the ground, showing him who’s boss. Before he realizes what’s happening the quarterback is sprawled out on the ground pinned beneath the muscular opponent he’s been eye fucking all day. After the shock of the hit wears off the quarterback looks up at the man and knows wholeheartedly he isn’t being skeptical in saying he’s in love with the man.

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

Oh that is so easy. It would be Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse novels. And I felt this way long before the TV show came out. Something about an older attractive and dangerous man pursuing me gets me all kinds of excited. It also doesn’t hurt that in the books he’s described as tall, muscular, with long blond hair. That’s like hitting all my hot spots.

5)      What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

I’m a pretty easy girl. It doesn’t take much to romance me and my husband is the same way. If we’re lucky enough to get a babysitter for the kids we like to enjoy dinner together. We usually forgo going to the movies or to a bar to go home and have adult quiet time uninterrupted. Not having to worry about someone knocking on the door and you can be as loud as you want. I love those times.

6)      When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

Characters. I usually here a dialogue going on in my head and from there I develop the plot. When I say this to people who don’t write, they think I’m crazy. They automatically assume I have a mental illness, because hearing voices in your head isn’t a good thing. I have to explain its more like my imagination and not voices telling me to do bad things. I’m honestly starting to question the company I keep because so many of them are so quick to jump to the conclusion that I’ve lost my marbles.

7)      If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

I would say Kristen Stewart. Only because she comes off as being quiet and shy but underneath you know lies a crazy person.

       Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I was a teenager when the movie Scream came out and I have to say that was the first movie in a long time that actually scared me. So I’d have to say, I think they call him, Ghostface. Because behind that mask it could be anyone that you know. Pretty freaky.

       Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it? 

I’m going to have to go with Abraham Lincoln. He was basically a self-made man who helped accomplish a lot of good in his short life. Plus I just saw a preview for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Not based on actual facts, but still piqued my interest in this historical figure.

      Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

No. I’ve read so many books over my life that I personally can’t think of a storyline that hasn’t been told in one form or another. There are so many talented and amazing authors in the world who push the boundaries of what is perceived as normal and I feel I can only add my own spin to a story that has already been told. I hope that makes sense. If I do ever think of a particular story like that, world ready or not, I wouldn’t hesitate to write it.

Set Me On Fire - Blurb

Kelly Lynch wanted to become a firefighter to help people, but with his accident prone nature his boss, Nate Anderson, thinks he’s an utter fool. Kelly never planned to fall for Nate but now that he has, he realizes loving is easy; understanding and compromise are hard.

Nate has been attracted to Kelly since his first day at the station house. Watching the younger man day in and day out is frustrating. Kelly’s latest stunt almost got him killed and Nate fears losing the man of his dreams.

Will Nate’s demanding ways cause the embers of their love to die out? Or will Kelly prove he has what it takes to be with Nate, at work and in the bedroom?

Story Excerpt

"God, I swear if you get me out of this mess I promise to listen and follow orders for the rest of my life, or at least make the effort to try," Kelly prayed aloud as he crawled, belly down, across the dirty floor. He was doing his best to see through the smoke-filled room but still couldn't find where he'd entered.

Kelly scooted a little more, using touch more than sight to navigate his way through the smoky haze and chunks of debris. He had separated from the team of men he'd come into the burning building with. A choice he now regretted immensely.

He had made a stupid move, but he could have sworn he'd heard someone cry out for help. A completely bonehead move to run off without telling anyone. One of the first things they taught you when you became a firefighter, never leave your team, or at least partner with someone else, but never go off on your own.

But no, he thought he knew better and wanted to be the hero and save the poor individual stuck in this fire pit. Now he was starting to wonder if he'd just imagined he heard the cry for help.

"I'm so fucked." Kelly rested his helmet-covered head on the ground and then proceeded to bang his head on the hard floor. It was useless, he was trapped.

"Lynch."

Kelly sat up at the sound of someone yelling his name. What direction had the voice come from? He couldn't tell. The sound was so faint compared to all the hissing and crackling noises of the fire in full blaze all around him.

"God damn it, Lynch, where are you?"

He heard the shout again, only louder. Kelly felt his way around the floor until he came face to face with a boot. He started to look up when large, glove-covered hands grabbed the back of his jacket.

"What do you think you were doing, you dumb shit? You're lucky we noticed you missing."

Kelly could tell by the size of the man dragging him out of the entryway that it was Luke Parsons, one of the biggest guys in the house. He may be a big beefy guy, but he was super nice, and Kelly couldn't have been more grateful Luke found him and not the lieutenant of their station house.

"I'm sorry but I thought I heard someone call out for help." Kelly grabbed at Parsons' hand, still attached to Kelly's jacket, dragging him along. "Please, Luke, I know I heard someone," he pleaded as he tried to pull himself free of Luke's hold.

The fire raged through an abandoned building in the East Bottoms of downtown Kansas City. While the only people in this building were more than likely homeless, they were still people who needed to be saved.

"Are you sure, kid?" Kelly nodded enthusiastically. "Okay then let's see what we can find. We don't have much time; this building is going up faster than a hay bale."

"Okay."

As Kelly followed Luke back into the room, the sound of a faint cry grabbed both their attention. Luke pushed Kelly behind him as he made his way toward the small whimpering sounds. As they got closer, Kelly saw the slight frame of a man huddled in the corner. Luke bent down and snatched the man up in his arms.

Luke looked to Kelly. "Lead the way. Follow the way we just came and you'll see the crew in the hallway."

Kelly navigated through the smoke and falling ceiling tiles toward the exit. As he reached the doorway the hall was empty. He turned back to Luke. "They're not here." Panic started to eat away at his composure.

"Shit," Luke shouted. "Here, kid, take my radio and let the guys know we're coming out with another man in tow. They need to have paramedics ready for this guy."

"You know the way out?" Luke nodded as Kelly took the offered radio and lifted his face shield. "This is Lynch and Parsons. We got a survivor and we're coming out."

"Copy that, son. Make your way out fast. We just got the order to clear the building and let it burn. Move your asses now."

He looked back to Luke. "You get that?"

"Yep. Head out the door and the stairs are on the right. We need to go up one flight then a little ways down we’ll come to a set of double doors and that will take us outside." Kelly watched as Luke hefted the man higher on his shoulder. “Start moving.”

Kelly nodded his understanding and made his way toward freedom. Times like this he questioned why he wanted to be a firefighter. No one in his family was one, so it wasn't about carrying on a legacy or some shit.

As he pushed the door open with his shoulder, he was greeted by sunlight streaking through the smoky clouds rolling off the burning building. He looked back toward Luke, the man he was carrying appeared passed out over his shoulder. That was why Kelly had chosen this profession. He wanted to make a difference. Have a job he could be proud of.

"Over here."

Kelly and Luke walked right over to the ambulance and deposited the man with the paramedics. They then made their way over to the engine where the rest of the crew stood watching the fire burn. Kelly flipped up his face mask and removed his helmet. Then he took off his jacket, tucked the heavy material under his arm, and stared up at the building. If Luke hadn't found him, Kelly would be one crispy critter right about now.

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

Someone grabbed Kelly by the shoulders and threw him up against the side of the truck, causing him to bump the back of his head hard against the metal door. When his vision cleared he saw Nate Anderson, lieutenant of station house sixteen, standing right in front of him with the attitude Kelly had hoped to avoid.

"Hey, Nate, back the fuck up." Luke pushed himself between him and Nate. "If it wasn't for Kelly, that man over there would be dead."

Nate took a step back and looked toward the ambulance where the man was being triaged. Kelly could see the vein pulsing at Nate's temple. He wasn't happy and Kelly knew he would be hearing all about that unhappiness later.

Nate looked back at him over Luke's shoulder. "You and I will talk about this back at the station house." Nate pointed a finger at him and then walked away.

He was so screwed. Every time he made a mistake Nate made sure to tell him how and why he screwed up. Granted, it was Nate's job to go over the mistakes they made so they could learn from their errors, but his lectures were becoming a broken record. Kelly wasn't looking forward to this discussion.

Adult Excerpt

The younger man leaned forward to nibble at his ear. Goosebumps ran over his arms making the hair stand up. Warm moist heat tickled his ear when Kelly spoke. "It's not teasing when you plan on making good on the offer."

He pulled back to look at Kelly. "Why don't we eat before our pizza gets cold? Then take a walk along the water and just talk." Nate removed Kelly's hand from his crotch and placed it on the table. All the sexual promises for later were fine and dandy but he wanted to make it clear he desired more than just a quick roll in the hay.

"Okay." Kelly turned away but not before Nate saw the scrunched-up look of confusion on his face.

They ate in silence. When they finished they picked up their trash and threw it in the garbage can. The sun set and the sky darkened to twilight. As they made their way toward the trail, Nate grabbed Kelly's hand and held it loosely as they walked the river's edge. He felt Kelly jump at the contact. Nate ran his thumb over Kelly's knuckles to soothe him. He wanted to get to know Kelly on a more intimate level so Kelly would see him as more than his boss and more than an easy lay.

"So, Kelly, tell me why you wanted to be a firefighter?" Nate thought it best to start off with the easy questions first.

"Good question. I guess you could say I stumbled upon it when I was in college. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life." Kelly continued walking but kept his gaze lowered to the cement path they were walking on.

"One afternoon as I left the library and headed back to my dorm, there was this huge crowd standing around outside my building. As I got closer I saw the dorm next to mine was on fire. Then I heard the sirens of the fire engines." Kelly stopped walking to look him in the eye. "I stood out there and watched as they saved some of the students trapped inside then got the fire under control. Watching the firemen work together as a team had to be one the most amazing things I had ever seen."

A look of wonderment crossed the younger man's face and Nate had to grin. He knew the feeling of utter awe at watching and wanting to be the one helping save the people in the building. And then the need to be the one to put out the fire tearing the building apart. Yeah, he knew the feeling all too well. Fighting fires ran in his blood. All the men on his father's side of the family had been firefighters and now he and his brother carried on the family tradition.

"Well that and all the gorgeous firemen standing around. Hot as hell."

The thought of Kelly thinking any other man or men were attractive left a bitter taste in his mouth. He went to pull Kelly closer but the man dropped his hand and took off running down the trail.

"I know that look. You so want to ream my ass right now," Kelly yelled over his shoulder as he ran. "You're going to have to catch me first."

Nate dug his heels in and started running all out. His little firefighter liked to play with fire. Well this was one time an all-consuming fire was just fine. What he felt for Kelly burned him alive on the inside and he wanted to set Kelly ablaze with the same need.

Kelly's shorter legs carried him faster than Nate thought possible but before long he caught up to him. In one quick move he grabbed Kelly around the waist and took him off his feet. He swung him around until they faced each other. Kelly breathed hard from exertion and laughing. The gleam in his eyes and the sweat running down his temple from his hair crushed any of Nate's thoughts of going slow.

Nate wrapped his arms around Kelly's waist. Pulled together chest to chest Nate lowered his mouth and bit at the supple bottom lip of Kelly's mouth. Kelly moaned so loudly he scared a few birds out of a nearby tree.

Without thinking Nate ran his hands down Kelly's back until he grabbed the firm globes of his ass. He picked Kelly up off his feet and walked him backwards off the trail to give them the privacy to be intimate without fear of being interrupted. Kelly's fingers dug into his shoulders as he pushed him up against a tree.

Nate lowered Kelly's feet back to the ground and smashed their lips together. Kelly parted his lips when Nate forced his tongue against the crease, coaxing and prodding until Kelly's tongue came out to play.

Kelly gave as well as he got but Nate wanted total control. He lowered his hands to the waist at the back of Kelly's shorts. The shorts were baggy enough to allow him to slide one hand down the back. He pushed past Kelly's boxers and cupped his bare ass cheek with his hand. The skin was slightly sweaty from the humid heat and their hard run a few minutes earlier. Nate wanted to lick and taste the salty skin until the younger man begged to be fucked.

The kiss went on and on, not rushed or forced. The more Nate rubbed at the hard, muscled ass, the more Kelly relaxed. Seeing his opportunity, he pulled at Kelly's cheeks until his hole was exposed to Nate's questing digit. He gently caressed the tiny pucker, feeling the rippled skin twitch against his finger.

Kelly pulled away to look up at him. "Do it."

Author Bio

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. A lover of M/M romances she has started writing her own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places and a little humor along the way never hurt, plus to her there’s nothing sexier than two men finding their soul mate and falling in love. When she isn’t chasing around her kids she can be found sitting on the couch with her trusted laptop giving life to the voices in her head. She currently has books published through Silver Publishing and Siren Publishing.

Page Link for Silver

https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/144/typefilter/book_authors

Page Link for Siren

http://www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett

http://ajjarrett29.blogspot.com  

http://twitter.com/AJJarrett29    

http://www.facebook.com/ajjarrett29  

I did say contest, didn't I? Well, here it is - one lucky commenter will win a copy of Set Me on Fire! How awesome is that? All you have to do is comment on this post by midnight on Friday, April 20th. The book will be released on Saturday the 21st. Good luck to you all!

Thanks so much for stopping by, AJ, it's been fun! Come back any time!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie