Friday, May 31, 2013

Backlist Bloghop

You can never have too many bloghops, right? Seriously? It's always fun to remember the books that came
first, the ones that brought you to where you are now.

Which takes me back to Max. To The Max was my first published novel. It was released by Dreamspinner Press on March 26, 2010. Even after more than three years, that date is etched upon my memory. For some people, it's the first time they had a drink, had sex, did drugs - for me it's the release of my first novel.

Max is very close to my heart. He's my gay male alter ego, and I don't think I'll ever stop writing him. I'm working on the third book now, and looking for a new home for the second (which I pulled from the sinking ship that is Silver).

Max is a 44 year old gay werewolf, who's been with his lover, Richard, for over twenty years. He writes a syndicated advice column called To The Max, and tries to get along with people and not make waves. His mother, Juliet, is more accepting of his lycanthropy than his homosexuality. His boyfriend comes and goes when he pleases, without a word of explanation or apology. Then there's his kooky sister Diana, and his cousin Sebastian, his good friend Cat... and now his mother is dating a homophobic minister? Welcome to Max's world!

Since I'm reminiscing, I'm going to let Max reminisce a little too - about the first time he kissed a boy. Enjoy!

And if you read to the end, you'll find out about my giveaway!

Sunday, November 16, 1969  


I REMEMBER the first time that I kissed another boy. I was thirteen at the time. Puberty was beginning to manifest itself on my unsuspecting body, which had enough to deal with on a monthly basis without
throwing out-of-whack hormones into the mix. It was at Rachel’s thirteenth birthday party. If it hadn’t been for Rachel, I’d have had next to no contact with other children, being homeschooled and not inclined
toward making new friends. Which was the way Juliet preferred it, determined to protect her little Max from the outside world. But Rachel’s mother had planned something special, and we begged my mother for weeks to let me go, until she reluctantly gave in.

 Rachel made sure that I was there well in advance. I had been careful to make myself presentable, although she encouraged me not to be too formal, so I made do with my best pair of cords and a nice shirt. Once there, I made myself useful and helped her mom set things up. Mrs. Sheldon was always nice to me—she was a very nice lady—she never minded how much I came over or how often Rachel zipped over to my house, never treated me like a pest, and always had time to listen to whatever I found the nerve to say. Which was a lot, surprisingly. She had a knack for drawing people out of themselves. She encouraged my
and Rachel’s friendship, as did my mother, although for different reasons. Juliet seemed to understand that we were close friends, nothing more, and that was fine with her.

The party was scheduled to go off at two, and a few minutes before the appointed time, the arrivals began. I had seen a few of the other guests at Rachel’s house before, had had limited contact with some of them. Most of them were her classmates from the local public school she went to, and there seemed to be far more girls in attendance than boys. For the most part I shyly kept to myself, spoke if I was spoken to, was polite. Rachel, my little social butterfly, although the center of attention, always returned to me, making sure that I wasn’t alone for long. That girl has always had my best interests at heart. Always watched out for me, even then. Still does, to this day.

The party was being held in the basement, which was also the rec room. Adult supervision was right upstairs—Mrs. Sheldon and some of the other mothers were gathered together in the kitchen, drinking coffee
and chattering—but for the most part we were left to our own devices, which consisted largely of talking, listening to music, and eating. Until the games began, that is.

I was standing in the corner of the room nearest to the table where a vast array of pizza had been set out, as well as the mandatory chips and dip—what party was complete without the taste of homemade French onion dip, made from real sour cream and dry onion soup mix?—thinking what a terrific combination that was in my book, when another boy approached the table, looked over its offerings before selecting a slice of pizza and claiming it. He regarded me for a moment as he ate the pizza, giving me time to look him over as well. He had curly black hair and mocha eyes, and for a boy I thought that his bowshaped lips were rather pink. I envied him his glossy curls; I thought my own hair boring and totally uninteresting, while his was dark and
mysterious. I liked his looks, he seemed nice, and I didn’t analyze it any further than that.

He chewed his pizza, swallowed, before he addressed me. “I hear they’re going to have games?” I nodded. Rachel had told me beforehand everything that was planned. “Girls.” He shrugged. “Hope they’re not too stupid.” I only kept nodding, like some sort of idiot savant. Luckily he didn’t seem to notice. “You’re Max, aren’t you? I’m Gene.”

Before I had a chance to say anything even remotely stupid, Rachel bustled over and shepherded us to the other side of the room, telling us that our presence was required for the first game, which turned out to be pin the tail on the donkey, which pretty well ended that. Whatever that might have been.

Everyone knows pin the tail on the donkey, right? Blindfold, pin, donkey—that’s about all there is to say about that, basically.

The second game was spin the bottle.

It’s not like I had never kissed a girl before. I had kissed Rachel. She wasn’t shy about that sort of thing, and we were kids; we didn’t know any better. It didn’t mean a thing. We had even played doctor once when we were about seven, which consisted mostly of you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine, that sort of thing. Forgotten as soon as it happened. No big deal. Kissing Rachel was no different than kissing my little sister Diana, who was about six at this time. Or kissing my mother. Nice, but nothing exciting.

I really didn’t want to play this game, but I knew there would be no way around it. The girls especially were clamoring for it, so we all formed the obligatory circle, the empty glass bottle on the ground in the middle of the circle, like an evil predator waiting to claim its victim.

The bottle was spun, the victims chosen, and amid the hoots of the boys and the giggles of the girls, the selected pair met awkwardly in the middle of the circle and kissed: lightly, tentatively. One boy, one
girl, pink-faced but smiling. Applause. The bottle was spun again, the heavy glass skittering loudly against the tile of the floor, before it came to rest, one end pointing at Rachel, the other at a bespectacled young
man with soft eyes and wavy brown hair. He blushed, Rachel giggled, and never one to be shy, she reached the center of the circle before he did. “Come on, James,” she encouraged him, and once again the ring of
spectators was cheering him on. Their lips met, someone cried out, “Ooolala,” and everyone laughed.

The game continued, more couples, more kissing, more laughter. When the bottle pointed to two girls, everyone went “Oooooo,” but it was done in fun. As long as it didn’t point toward me, I was happy. Every time it looked like it was going to stop in my vicinity, I grew cold, but it always seemed to be for someone else. Which suited me just fine. I noticed that the boy I’d been talking to, Gene, was never picked either, and I wondered, did he mind? I looked at him now and then, admiring the easy familiarity he seemed to have with the people around him. He struck me as being very nice, in fact, friendly. I didn’t have any male friends other than my cousin Sebastian who, at eighteen, wasn’t around much between working and preparing for college. And as for female friends, there was just Rachel.

And then I was thunderstruck as I watched that cursed bottle stop dead on me. Damn.

I didn’t want to look to see who was on the other side of it, but when the major giggling began I had to, raising my eyes to find my gaze returned by the dark-haired boy on the other side. Oh my God! Since there was a preponderance of girls to guys, this particular combination hadn’t arisen yet, so we were the first. And did they make a big deal out of it! I didn’t honestly know why. Not having been exposed to public school, I had no frame of reference for this, knew nothing about sexuality, straight, gay or otherwise. My mother hadn’t given me “the talk” yet.

I bit my lower lip, looked at him. He just smiled and moved into the circle, waiting. For me. Damn.

“Go on, Max.” I could hear Rachel’s voice, encouraging me. And then her words were echoed by the other children, as easily as if they were all rooting for their favorite baseball team: “Go, Max, go, Max, go, Max….” What could I do?

My movements seemed highly exaggerated, everything moving in a sort of slo-mo as I found my way into the center of the circle, miraculously without tripping on my own two feet. Gene continued to smile in a calm Buddha-like way. And as those around us cheered us on, he pressed his lips gently against mine.

I wasn’t prepared for the reaction of my own body to that kiss, having been more worried that I didn’t make a fool out of myself or gross Gene out. But as soon as he kissed me I knew that I liked it. This was different from any other kiss I had ever gotten. This was good. Very good.

If he hadn’t broken it off, I’d have probably stood there for a lot longer, so I guess it’s a good thing that he did. As it was everyone was laughing, but I didn’t hear them at first. It was good-natured, though, and as I slowly became aware of my surroundings, I managed to find my place again, as the game moved on. But something inside of me was different, and I could feel it, even though I couldn’t put a name to it.

And to my embarrassment, I realized that something outside of me was different too: namely, I had an erection. Not that I had never had one before; that’s something that starts with males at a very young age, as well as masturbation. Whacking off, if you will. And I had begun having wet dreams about the age of ten, although I never seemed to remember the dreams afterward and was left with just the sticky sheets as evidence of my nocturnal emissions. But I had never gotten hard at someone else’s touch before. Male or female. Luckily no one else seemed to notice. I guess it was just more obvious to me than to them, naturally.

But it had awakened questions in me. Serious questions.

To The Max is available at Dreamspinner Press.

Now to the giveaway. All you have to do to enter is follow my blog and leave some sort of comment, along with your email address. Two winners will receive something from my backlist, of their choice.

Look for an announcement after the hop with the winners' names, as well as the winners of my Hop Against Homophobia. Don't forget to check out the rest of the hop here.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie





Thursday, May 30, 2013

Wunder Review

Wunder   

Author: A.R. Von
Publisher: Dream Z Dragon Publishing
American release date: February 14, 2013
Format/Genre/Length: EBook/ Paranormal Romance/16 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★


Wunder is a wonder to her father. Her mother was bitten shortly before her birth by one of the zombies running rampant in the land; therefore Wunder is one quarter zombie. Luckily for her, she suffers none of the harsh side effects that go with being a zombie.

Fast forward from Wunder’s birth to her blossoming as a woman in love with a guy named Pete.

And that’s mostly what this book is about. Wunder and Pete connecting, hence the paranormal romance aspect.

Wunder is only 16 pages. As the first in a series, I have to hope the other books are longer, because this is barely long enough to get your feet wet.

There are problems with this book, I won’t lie. It would have benefited from better editing, eliminating those pesky tense changes. There is just not much meat to the story, either, but how much can you expect to see in 16 pages?

That being said, I saw the twist coming from the beginning. And I have to say the story involves a pet peeve of mine – two innocents, having sex for the first time, yet they seem to know exactly what to do, and there’s no pain, no blood, no mess of any kind.

So why do I give it three stars? Because deep down it’s cute and sweet, and has potential. I just think it should have been fleshed out before being released. There is no real story development, and little character. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the author can do, if she’d allow herself time and room to do it in.


It’s a short, sweet read with an interesting twist on zombies, but it’s a little lacking too. But it’s also a nice first effort, Miss Von.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday Briefs: No Way Out #6

Happy Hump Day, one and all! Wednesday already? That's what happens when you have a three day weekend lol And if it's Wednesday, then it's time for some flash fiction from the Wednesday briefers! This week's prompts were: "I'd promise you... if I could..." or "What did you just call me?" or use a cream pie in a creative way or "He touched me in a way nobody ever had" or "Don't make me laugh," she sneered or use: princess, heart bank or write about different kinds of knots or have your story take place at a sporting event.

Last week, in No Way Out, Wyatt can't get Shy out of his mind. Spotting Randy's car gone, he decides to make his move. Crossing the street, he meets the ice cream truck, buys two cones, and shows up at Shy's door. See what happens next...  And don't forget to check in on the other Briefers, whose links follow my tale!

No Way Out #6

Shylor was responsible for keeping the house spotless, despite the fact that Randy could well afford to have a housekeeper. But he pushed the duties off onto Shy, who reasoned that it was a privacy issue. Randy didn’t want anyone to see the blue room, or any of his assorted toys.

The trainer’s name was Tony and he came twice a week, on Randy’s schedule, and never went beyond the decked-out gym in the lower level, which had its own entrance.

 The dietician, Joanna, was a tight-lipped young woman who went about her duties and never ventured an opinion, or spoke unless spoken to. She prepared their meals in the morning, everything strictly portioned, every calorie accounted for. It was up to Shy to see that they were finished to Randy’s satisfaction. Shy didn’t care for the regimen, didn’t see any reason that he should follow such a diet, but he didn’t question Randy’s orders. Those were the rules and he obeyed them.

Despite his best efforts to put him out of his mind, Shy’s thoughts often returned of their own volition to the handsome man who lived just across the street. Wyatt Findley. The name rolled off Shy’s tongue when he daringly whispered it to himself. In Randy’s absence, of course. Although he was sure they’d never be allowed to see one another again, he couldn’t stop thinking about him. In his mind’s eye, Shy dressed him in white armor, seated him upon a prancing black steed with blazing eyes. Made him into someone who’d carry Shy away, release him from his prison of shame. A prison of his mother’s making.

But such daydreams were futile, and only led to an ache in his heart that nothing could assuage, not even the furtive touches of his own hand, secretly masturbating in the bathroom to the image of Wyatt. Scouring any trace of his actions afterward, carefully masking the telltale scent with the bleach that Randy insisted he use. Putting his own rules to good purpose.

The night they met was still fresh in Shy’s mind. Time had crawled with infinite slowness, tied to the chair, unable to move, the butt plug in place as a reminder of what his purpose in life was. To pleasure Randy. To be ready for him whenever Randy wanted him. To wait through the times when he did not. Such as tonight.

At first, he figured Randy would leave him tied up for a short while, to drive home the lesson, then he’d come back and fuck him hard. Any moment he expected to hear the key in the lock of the blue room, feel Randy’s presence, even if he couldn’t see him, thanks to the blindfold.

But he didn’t return. After a while, Shy realized he wasn’t going to. At least, not for a good long time. This was his punishment. If he was lucky, it wouldn’t get any worse. There were far worse things than being tied up.
Shy dozed off and on during the night, but never for long, invariably startling himself awake. His muscles ached, and he longed to stretch them, to find another position, but that was impossible. He was helpless until Randy chose to return. And even then...

What if he didn’t return? Shy pushed the thought aside as ridiculous. No way would Randy abandon his house and his possessions. They meant too much to the older man. And Shy was one of those possessions. Randy would not allow him to come to harm; he had too much time and energy invested in his training.

Had Randy ever loved Shy? At first, Shy had deluded himself that was the case. But now? Not so much.

But what if something happened while Randy was out? What if someone broke into the house? Would the intruder free Shylor, or take advantage of his helplessness to loot the house? Or, worse still, what if a fire broke out? Shy would be unable to do anything other than go up in flames.

Would that be his chance for freedom?

Reality hit home when Shy was awakened from a fitful sleep by the sound he’d been anticipating, and a drunken Randy had stumbled into the room, demanding Shy service him. He’d fumbled with the knots, releasing him. Shy fell from the chair, his limbs unable to respond, despite Randy’s belligerent orders. Randy had kicked him when he didn’t immediately leap to attention, and Shy bore the blows without complaint. Once the blood returned to his extremities, they’d gone to the bedroom. He went down on Randy, and pretended that it was Wyatt he held in his mouth, Wyatt whose cock he gave pleasure to.

He whispered Wyatt’s name into Randy’s flesh as he felt him come. “What did you just call me?” Randy asked, and Shy held his breath in horror, but Randy rolled over and fell asleep without another word. The next morning, it was obvious he had no memory of the incident, and Wyatt’s name never passed Shy’s lips again. At least, not in Randy’s presence.

He had just started the dishwasher when he heard the doorbell. Probably a delivery for Randy. Those weren’t uncommon. Clients often sent gifts to the house. Randy welcomed them, although he was adamant about not allowing those same clients onto the premises. He winced and dined them elsewhere. A favored few even received invitations to Randy’s favorite clubs. At those times, he frequently commanded Shy’s presence and he would accompany Randy, and do whatever he told him to do.

He opened the door, expecting to see the retreating back of a delivery driver in brown uniform—they didn’t require signatures and seldom waited to acknowledge receipt—but was startled to find the object of his wet dreams standing on his doorstep, bearing two ice cream cones, wearing a sunny smile.

Shy’s heart stopped, his eyes widened in panic. Oh God, what if Randy came home...

“Get out of here,” he whispered in desperation.

to be continued

Now go visit the other Briefers!


Lily Sawyer     
Cia Nordwell     




Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Guest Blogger Victoria Blisse

Please welcome back my friend and fellow author, Victoria Blisse! She's written a book about a married couple
named Rob and Lou and their loving sensual escapades.  It's refreshing to read about a couple who, after ten years of marriage, still love and desire one another! I'll fix us a cup of tea, Vic, why don't you start?







Introduction to Rob and Lou.
Robert Nimble is thirty-five years old, he’s tech support for a large Internet host, and loves to play computer games to relax. He’s married to Louise Nimble, who’s a child minder, and a year younger than her husband. She bakes to unwind. Taking the old adage that stressed is desserts spelt backwards to heart.

Robert and Louise are more often known by the shortenings of their names—Rob and Lou. They’ve been married for ten years and have two children: Connor, who is six, and Elizabeth, who’s four.  They live in a terraced house in a suburban outskirt of Manchester. As a family, they enjoy their yearly week-long holiday to Scarborough, and visits to the cinema to watch films that the kids and adults giggle at in equal measure.  In the school holidays, they’ll often be found in museums and parks, enjoying the culture and the beauty of Britain.

They’re a smiley family, although Rob can get grumpy when his tech genius isn’t taken seriously enough, and Lou may have the patience of a saint with children, but more than two hours with her in-laws has her pulling out her hair. The children are mostly well-behaved, with an inclination to the curious, and the mischief that goes hand in hand with that. If they do run into the back of your legs, or scare you with their latest pet insect, they will apologise politely and you’re likely to instantly forgive them.

This book is not about the day-to-day life of this family, but those weekends and rare occasions that Lou and Rob get some time to themselves to indulge their sensual natures. Rob enjoys seeing his darling wife in very little clothing, and likes to indulge in intricate and imaginative role plays. Lou enjoys a bit of spanking, some domination, and bondage. She wouldn’t say she was into BDSM, per se; she just likes to dip a toe in the shallow end of that particularly pervy pond.  They both like to flirt with erotic danger, playing about in public places in hopes of possibly being caught.

Rob and Lou’s Wild Weekends are just that, so hold on and enjoy the ride.

Hot Excerpt
Rob and Lou’s Domestic Discipline

It was only a small parcel in a typical brown padded envelope. It wasn’t expected, which is why I spent so long looking it over. The return address didn’t ring a bell, and I really couldn’t imagine what it could be so, finally, I opened it. I grinned to myself as I did. My husband Rob would have laughed at me, spending so long looking at the wrapping and wondering. He doesn’t get why I like to eke out the anticipation in moments like this.
Inside was a square of white with a lacy frill all around it. When I opened it up, I found ties –it was a pinny. Inside the parcel was a sealed envelope. I opened it to find a card covered in small red love hearts.
Wear this tonight and only this xxx
PS Kids are going to my mum’s for tea tonight, so don’t worry.
 I recognised my husband’s handwriting immediately and chuckled when I remembered a conversation we’d held in a restaurant once about pinnies and their attractiveness. Well, Rob had been staring at this red-headed waitress (he loves auburn hair) with cute curves and pouty lips, and I had to pull him up on it.
“No, Lou, No.” He shook his head. “I am helplessly addicted to pinnies. I can’t help it.”
“Pinnies?” I lifted one brow and pinched his thigh under the table. “You’re turned on by tiny little aprons?”
“Yes.” He nodded solemnly.  “It’s a terrible affliction.”
“What’s your favourite kind?”
“White ones with lacy bits,” he replied, licking his lips salaciously.
That night, I whispered dirty sweet nothings in his ear while we fucked in the comfort of our hotel room bed. I told a story where I was a simple girl, waiting on tables in a quaint old tea shop, wearing a little lacy pinny. I giggled. He chuckled, but as my tale got hotter, the noises we made became strangled and lust-filled.
“You watch me until the end of my shift,” I whispered, hunched over him, my soft thighs stretched around his waist as his hard erection filled me. I moved gently up and down and continued the tale. “Then follow me outside into the alley. Before I can cry out, you clamp your hand over my mouth and push me roughly against the wall. I struggle helplessly but you hold me down and whisper about knowing I want it. How I’d teased you and how I would get what I’d been asking for.”
I still remember how he gripped my hips tightly when I rode him. I continued my story through groans of pleasure.
“You spin me around, press me into the harsh brick of the wall, and pull up my skirt. Grabbing hold of my prim pinny, you fuck me. I’m soaking wet, so you slide right in. You fuck me there in an alley, the girl you just met, the girl you hardly know.”
My words turned into unintelligible mumblings at the point where ecstasy took over. And ever since our holiday, with the visit to that restaurant and the evening’s tale of indecency in an apron, we’ve found a mutual fondness for the uniform of waiting staff and hotel workers alike. So, if Rob wanted me naked in nothing but a pinny for Valentine’s, that’s what he could have.

Rob and Lou’s Wild Weekends.

Blurb: Hold on tight, it’s going to get wild! Rob and Lou could pass you in the streets and you’d likely not notice them. They’re in their thirties, have a family and jobs to hold down and they do it with smiles on their faces. But occasionally they get a little time off and that’s when things get seriously sexy.
Light-hearted and fun, this mini-anthology features episodes from this couple’s wild weekends. Making the most of the mud, finding the erotic nature of an apron and even having a sexy visit to a fish and chip shop. Rob and Lou make the mundane much more pleasurable so join them on their kinky ride.
Includes a bonus short story Damsel in Distress and excerpts from other ebooks by the award winning queen of rosy, raunchy, and Rubenesque erotic romance, Victoria Blisse.


Individual Buy links:



 Thanks for stopping by, Vic, come back any time!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Monday, May 27, 2013

The Hop Against Homophobia Continues - Last Day

 


Today's the last day of the Hop Against Homophobia, but of course, the struggle continues. There always seems to be something or someone that society is against, isn't there? As if people can't be happy unless they're unhappy about something or someone. It's like they need a focus for their hate, to draw attention from their own inadequacies. Gay marriage threatens heterosexual marriage? Give me a break! Gay marriage has no effect on heterosexual marriages, any more than the reverse is true. Do you think gay people would blame straights for the failure of their marriages? Of course not, the notion is absurd. Why, you might as well blame other straight people. The truth is that marriage is what two people make of it. Success is not guaranteed - you have to work at it. That's all gay people want - the chance to work at their marriages and relationships. The same rights everyone should enjoy. What makes straight people special? Not a damn thing.


I have no doubt that one day gay marriage will be as accepted as straight, and people won't thinking anything of it, and generations to come will wonder what all the fuss is about, even as today's generation doesn't understand why there was ever a fuss about interracial marriage. Each generation is more understanding than the one before. But that does nothing for those gay people who would like to be married now, to live their own brand of happily ever after. Why should they have to wait for the tolerance of society? There's no earthly reason why they should.

If you haven't made the rounds yet, you can still do so by going here.  

I have recently been reading about an old murder case, one which was considered the Crime of the Century

in its time, followed by the Trial of the Century. Two young men from wealthy families, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, kidnapped and murdered Bobby Franks, not for the money but to commit the perfect crime. The only reason they weren't hung is because their parents, being very wealthy and influential in 1924 Chicago, hired the best attorney money could buy - Clarence Darrow. He pled their case before a judge, no jury, and got them life plus ninety-nine years.

I have become rather obsessed with this case of late, having recently read Compulsion, by Meyer Levin (which I'll review later). It's the fictionalized account of this crime, and is a fascinating psychological study. I especially was fascinated by Judd Steiner/Nathan Leopold. There are many complex reasons for why these young men did what they did, which I'll expound on in my review, including their Nietzschean beliefs. But the one I want to speculate on here concerns their relationship to one another - Leopold and Loeb.

They were lovers, yes. They were homosexual. Perhaps they were a combustive combination. Perhaps if they hadn't gotten together, this crime would never have been committed. I don't believe Nathan would have done it, not on his own. Although at first, he was perceived to be the ringleader in their relationship, the instigator, it was later realized that was not the case. Although Nathan appeared to be the stronger of the two, it was Loeb who called the shots.

But I have to wonder something. They went to great pains to conceal their relationship because of societal
pressures and censure. Just imagine if they had been free to be open and frank about who they were. Is it possible they could have channeled their energies into something more productive?


If you force people to subvert their natural instincts, aren't you doing more harm than good? Something to think about.






I think the important thing here is that people should be free to love. No one has the right to pass judgment on that, and no one should. Don't be afraid of love, embrace it.

Don't forget about my contest.  Three people will receive their choice from my back list, and one will get a $10 Amazon GC. You just have to follow my blog, leave an email address and answer this question - who is my most recent obsession?

Go forth and love, and be happy!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie 

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sexy Snippets #5: Revelations

Hello and Happy Sunday! Today I'm taking my Sexy Snippet from my novel, Revelations, because of a great review I received yesterday! I hope you enjoy it, and those of you in the US, hope you're having a great holiday weekend! Don't forget to visit the rest of the Sexy Snippets authors here!

Today's excerpt comes from a scene between Judas and Lucifer, as Judas negotiates for what he wants most in the world - to keep Jesus safe and not see him die. Enjoy!


“Well, I know what it is that I want, but let me hear from your own sweet lips what you wish in return.”  He actually moves back, crossing his arms expectantly against his chest as he regards me, waiting for my reply. How can he not know? Apparently he doesn’t know everything. News flash. Or else he’s simply toying with me, which wouldn’t surprise me at all.
            “All right, I’ll spell it out for you. Jesus lives and I die."




Blurb:


Judas has never been very popular, not in any incarnation that he and Jesus and the others have lived through. But he doesn't care about that. All he cares about is following the instructions of God as set forth in the script that they follow. And Jesus. For Judas has secretly loved the son of God for over two thousand years.

But now he decides that enough is enough, and he's tired of watching Jesus die far too early, and for what? This time Judas is determined to see that Jesus lives a long and happy life, no matter what price he has to pay to accomplish it...no matter if he has to make a deal with the devil himself.

Revelations is a story of what could be, told by those who play it out, time after time after time, unbeknownst to the rest of mankind.  They've come back again, for yet another round.  But this time is going to be different.



Now available at MuseitUp Publishing, Amazon, and ARe.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Virtual Book Tour: Dangerous Submission

I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know today's author, Lori Toland, when she came to St. Louis for BishieCon, a yaoi convention,  as a Dreamspinner author, where I was not only one of the authors but a member of the convention staff. She is a very sweet, very pleasant and very lovely lady! Today she not only answered my questions, but she's talking about her newest release, Dangerous Submission, which I'm putting on my TBR list. Lori will be awarding a $50 Amazon, B&N, ARe, or Loose ID GC (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more often you comment, the better your chances of winning! To find the other stops on the tour, go here.


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?

My husband and a long distance radio to call for the plane to come rescue us. I enjoy solving problems.  But
I would also enjoy the time it takes for the plane to get there, especially if there was a nice little hut and a bed (woo hoo!)


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

Oh gosh. I don’t watch musicals. I’ve just barely started watching movies and only really because Kele Moon drags me off to them. I’ve been a major book worm for my whole life.


3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  xylophone, scold, flagellation

I set my mallet on the xylophone as the band leader continued to scold me. His harsh tone grated on my nerves and I ached to turn him over my knee to give me a taste of his own medicine. This would be the last time I would take it before turning the wheels on his flagellation. I would show him a thing or two.


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?

OMG Tony Terranova or Stefan. I can have a threesome, right? (Sorry, Drake. You’re big and really sexy hot but Tony… yum!)

Tony is submissive yet he’s very commanding and in charge outside the bedroom. The combination is so brilliantly sexy and I think Bradley thinks so too.


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

Usually over favorite idea of spending time together is hanging out in our living room, with our cats sprawled
out around us. Either myself or my husband (or both) is reading or perhaps playing a game.

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

I usually have a flash from a scene, like a movie still. It has to be enough to keep me interested through weeks and months of creating this world for the two (or more) characters. If it is, I get a book out of it, but I always write the scene down. I always use it later on at some point.

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

This movie would be the most boring show ever. It’s mainly me doing a lot of bookkeeping, ordering supplies, calling companies to complain about money transfers. That’s why I take so many pictures of my cats. Mid-call, one of them will do something cute and then I say, “I must run to the Internet to share!”



8)      Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

Ooh. I’m not sure if he would be considered a “horror villain” or not but definitely Pyramidhead from Silent Hill. He’s an interesting creature for sure.


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

Ooh. Not really. I admire a lot of past famous historical figures and we’ve learned from their many mistakes over the years. My husband is much more the history buff than I am.


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

I don’t really worry about whether or not the world is ready to receive my story. It’s all about whether or not I’m ready to write the story.





Dangerous Submission
by Lori Toland

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


BLURB:

British Agent Drake Steele never thought when he was hired on at the Serious Organised Crime Agency that his job would involve spanking a co-worker. But when the colleague is Lord Robbie Covington, the sexy red-headed computer hacker for SOCA and MI-6, Drake can't agree fast enough to pop Robbie's cherry and pull him into the sensual world of BDSM.

Now they are caught up in a web of lies as they pose as members of the jet-setting crowd. Drake and Robbie have to race against the clock to stop a weapons haul that could threaten the safety of all Europe. As their covers begin to fade and danger is closing in, protecting Robbie is Drake’s most important task, but neither man is ready for the moment when their hearts are put on the line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


EXCERPT:


As we reached the edge of the crowd surrounding the presentation area, a blond gentleman stepped in front of us. “Robbie Covington, it’s been quite some time since you’ve been to Prague,” he said in accented English.

“Joseph!” Robbie exclaimed and widened his eyes. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Joseph pulled Robbie loose from my hold and hugged him hard. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Joseph grinned. “You said the last time we talked it would be a couple years before you could come here. Why didn’t you ring me to let me know you’d be in town?”

“I didn’t know until the last minute,” Robbie said as he pulled away and smiled. “It was a surprise.”

When they separated, the thick gold-and-diamond bracelets surrounding Joseph’s wrists disappeared beneath his sleeves again. They proclaimed him a slave, most likely to the dark-haired man standing right behind him.

“I apologize for my slave,” he said. “But he was so eager to see his old schoolmate again, he forgot his manners completely. I’m Erich.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Drake Steele.” I shook his proffered hand as the other men separated.

Joseph dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry to have embarrassed you, Sir.”

Robbie opened his mouth, no doubt to give Erich a piece of his mind for being high-handed. Gripping his elbow to stop him, I sighed indulgently and then pulled him back to my side. “It seems we both have insolent subs. I’ll punish him later,” I said with a chuckle.

Joseph’s dom smirked. “I think my sub needs it now, or he’ll never behave properly tonight. Care to watch?”





~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

CEO by day, erotic romance writer by night, Lori Toland lives in Orlando where the summers are hot but the romance between her characters is even hotter. Writing since the tender age of 13, Lori somehow finds time to play video games and watch movies while taking care of her beloved cats and a husband who will forever be her hero.

Website: http://www.loritoland.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/loritoland

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tolandlori

Link to purchase:

Dangerous Submission - http://loritoland.blogspot.com/2013/03/dangerous-submission-dangerous-affairs.html

English Chaps (Sequel to The Long Con) Free Short Story from Loose Id - http://loritoland.blogspot.com/2013/03/english-chaps-dangerous-affairs-12.html

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Guest Blogger Chris T. Kat

Please welcome back my friend and fellow author Chris T. Kat, who has a new release she's going to tell us
about, The Caveman and the Devil! She's going to tell us how her characters... er... badgered her into writing it  lol I'm excited for it and for her! I haven't read it yet, but I have read other works by her, and I plan to read this one too. She's one author that I can honestly say I would read anything she writes. Chris, make yourself at home. I got us a treat, some gummi bears. Hope you like them!






Characters who badger for a sequel


Julie, thank you very much for having me on your blog again! I'm excited to share my new release The Caveman and the Devil, with you and your readers. Dreamspinner Press published it on May 1st.

The Caveman and the Devil is an m/m contemporary romance story. The main characters are Paul Myers (POV) and Noah Collins. They're both zookeepers at the Philadelphia Zoo and became a couple a year ago.
When I first invented the characters of Paul and Noah, I didn't know how much I'd come to care for them. Their first story, Cuddling Up, dealt with Paul and Noah becoming a couple and was written for Dreamspinner's submission call for the Animal Magnetism anthology. I sent my submission very early with not much hope of Dreamspinner accepting it but they did. Hurray! :)
I would have posted the story on my blog if they hadn't accepted it, simply because I like the dynamic between Paul and Noah so much. Paul is a very down-to-earth character while Noah is high-strung and sometimes on the bratty side of the spectrum. I should probably also mention that there's an age difference of eleven years between them.
After the anthology came out, I thought I would be done with Paul and Noah but they badgered me for another story and I was only too happy to comply. I love how easy they are to write as much as I enjoy the differences in their personalities. Paul is very practical and adjusts to some of Noah's quirks without hesitation or feeling strange. Noah is only to happy to let Paul deal with things he doesn't like but at the same time he makes sure Paul knows he's the most important person to him.
Paul is a big man and uses his body mass and muscles to manhandle Noah sometimes. He's always conscious of his strength and would never do anything to hurt Noah but he's not above picking Noah up if he deems it necessary. Noah loves Paul's caveman attitude and is never intimidated by him. He enjoys that he can trust Paul to carry him if his legs suddenly turned to jelly. Even though Noah is physically smaller than Paul, he always holds his own verbally.
Noah teases Paul whenever he gets the chance, which has brought the nickname “devil” on. Paul teases right back and I hope readers get a sense of how much fun they have and how much they love each other in:




This is a continuation of Paul and Noah's story “Cuddling Up”, which is included in Dreamspinner's Animal Magnetism Anthology.
Buy links:


Blurb:
The animals at the Philadelphia Zoo brought zookeepers Paul and Noah together, but now they might tear them apart. When a bloodthirsty lioness stalks her cubs, Noah charges into her enclosure without regard for his own safety. Luckily, a coworker catches his mistake and saves the day. It’s not the first time Noah’s rushed in on impulse, and he still carries scars from the last time.

Paul can’t pretend nothing happened. Frustrated, he tries to comfort Noah, but he can’t get past his anger. As head keeper of the big cats, Paul must report the incident and figure out how to keep his reckless lover safe. Somehow, he has to make Noah see that his carelessness could cost him his job or his life—and maybe Paul too.


Excerpt from Chapter Three:

Once inside the bathroom, I inspected my reflection in the mirror. I looked exhausted, but also ready to pop a vessel. Since the sight wasn't all that inviting, I turned away. I hadn’t even opened the first button of my shirt when the bathroom door opened. It was all I could do not to snap at Noah. Was it too much to ask to have some alone time so I could calm down? I hoped he'd get the hint if I didn’t stop with my task at hand.
Noah, being Noah, either didn't understand the silent treatment or ignored it. If I would bet, I'd put my money on the second option. He walked around me until he stood in front of me and, since I didn't trust my voice, I chose to glower at him.
“Hey, Caveman, are you mad at me?”
“Me?” I asked, feigning surprise. “Whatever gave you that impression?”
“You are mad.” He wrinkled his nose as his searching gaze flitted over my face. He was clearly puzzled by my behavior. “Why?”
“Why? Why? Seriously? You’re seriously asking why I’m mad at you?”
“Yes, dear almighty Caveman, I’m seriously asking why you’re mad at me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Utterly baffled, I forgot all about what I was doing or what I had intended to do. I stared down at Noah, my lover, the man I’ve loved for almost a year now. Incredulous, I croaked, “You didn’t do anything wrong today? Is that right?”
The light bulb slowly went on for Noah. Of course, he immediately lunged into defense mode. “I just wanted to get the cubs out of there!”
“You went into Kiara’s compartment without waiting for the inner door to be locked! She had just killed two of her cubs and was in the process of killing the other two!”
“She had walked into the other compartment!” Noah protested.
“But the separating door wasn’t closed yet!” I shouted, eventually losing the fight with my emotions.
“He locked the door right after I was inside.”
“Yes, and she came back and jumped against it, roaring. What if Trent hadn’t managed to lure her away?”
“But he did. Don’t be such a nitpicker all the time.”
I could hardly breathe. The memory of Noah crouching in Kiara’s compartment, cooing at the two surviving cubs in the middle of a bloodbath, raised the hairs on my arms again. Nausea rolled through me, sweeping me up. It could have been over today.


Chris T. Kat
Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.


Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat