Spooktacular Blog Hop 2014: Day 1

Happy Halloween and welcome to the Spooktacular Blog Hop! Thanks for stopping by!

There's something very special about Halloween, a time when the veil between this world and the other grows thin. When anything is possible, and it's easy to believe in things that go bump in the night. Our fantasies are fueled by vampires, and werewolves, and ghosts - oh my! And where there are fantasies, that's where you'll find a lot of writers, taking notes and naming names.

Today at work, we're having a Halloween lunch - how cool is that?  For my contribution, I made a cheese ball that I like to call Mason Verger. Okay, the actual recipe name is the Flayed Man, but you get the idea (since Mason cut his face off and ate under the influence of Hannibal Lecter). It was actually easier to make than I thought it would be, and I didn't bother to use a mold. I figured I could shape it myself, and I did.

This is pretty much what mine looks like.














Another important fact about today is that Be My Human was released today from Dreamspinner Press! This is the second book in the Moonlit Skies series by M.A. Church and myself.

For the first day of the blog hop, I promised to finish the flash I started Wednesday, A Crescent Bay Halloween. Well, here's part two. I hope you enjoy it. But before I post it, every good blog hop needs a giveaway, so this will be no exception. I'll be giving away to three commenters, randomly drawn at the end of the hop, a copy of anything from my backlist, including books that are unavailable. How do you win?

Every day, I'll ask a question. All you have to do is answer it. And don't forget your email address. Without that, I can't contact you.

Today's question - could you love a werewolf or a vampire, if you met one in real life - why or why not?

Now here's my second part of my flash, enjoy!

A Crescent Bay Halloween, Part II

Raoul hadn’t celebrated Halloween in years. Twenty years, to be precise. Despite the fact that the holiday brought a plethora of partiers to Charisma from far and wide, hoping for glimpses of the supernatural set that frequented the place, Raoul never set foot there on Halloween night, preferring the solitude of his cabin in the woods. No desire to fuck, to drink, or display himself as the reigning prince of Charisma. On that night, he preferred to remain alone… and brood.

Tonight was different. Tonight he simply wished to be with Alexx, to celebrate this special day with him, for reasons that had nothing to do with any Samhain festivities. It was Alexx’s birthday, and that meant more to Raoul than anything. Therefore, Charisma was the last place he expected to be. And yet, here they were.

“But it’s your birthday, I thought we could do something special. Just you and me…”

And by something special, he meant making love, all night long. Put his vaunted werewolf stamina to the test.

Surely making love hadn’t become stale already? Not that there wasn’t more to their relationship than the physical, but there was nothing wrong with spending an evening in bed, either. Sometimes there were things the heart could only express with the assistance of the body, times when mere words became inadequate to express the desires of the soul.

“We belong at Charisma,” Alexx insisted. “Especially tonight of all nights.”

Raoul had accepted Alexx’s decision with as good a grace as he could muster. “Anything you wish, my love,” he whispered softly in Alexx’s ear. They sat together in their cabin, discussing the night to come. For a moment, Raoul thought he felt Alexx tremble, but the moment passed, and he saw nothing but Alexx’s complacent smile. So be it, he thought. Charisma it is.

It was too late to even think about costumes, not that Raoul really cared. Those days were long dead for him, but if Alexx wanted to, he would have. But Alexx didn’t push the issue, so they’d dressed as themselves. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but being together.

When they’d walked up to the front door of the nightclub, they found Paolo and Francesco checking IDs, and they received wide-eyed stares from both bouncers. Well, to be fair, they were staring at Raoul, for reasons he knew only too well.

‘B-boss, you’re here,” Paolo stuttered.

“Glad you noticed,” Raoul growled, but there was no bite in his voice, despite his words. “We’re just here to celebrate—”

“Hey guys, happy Halloween,” Alexx interrupted, so smoothly anyone else might have believed it was unintentional and born of enthusiasm for the occasion. But not Raoul. That move was deliberate. As if he didn’t want to be reminded of his birthday. Odd, now that he was legal to get into Charisma, Raoul would have thought Alexx would want to bask in the fact. But no, he seemed to be hiding from it. The question was why?

“C’mon, wolfboy, can’t stand here all night. The party’s inside, isn’t it?” He took Raoul’s hand and tugged him toward the door. Raoul rolled his eyes and shrugged, allowing himself to be led inside Charisma.

Charisma was awash with brilliance, with lights and laughter, high spirits, glitter, and a contagious buoyancy that swept through the club like wildfire. There were a few faux werewolves and vampires—de rigueur for Halloween night—but there were other, more imaginative and creative characters. After all, when one has the real thing in ones midst, a costume is simply a costume and cannot compare.

“Drink first or dance?” Alexx asked, once they were inside the main area. Techno music thrummed around him, and the dance floor was full of energetically writhing bodies.

“Your day, your choice, what would you like—” Something in Alexx’s eyes stopped him cold. Something was wrong. Something was damn wrong, but Raoul had no idea what, just that whatever it was began with Alexx and was creeping its way up his spine with ghostlike precision. He shivered, in spite of himself.

“I… I need to use the men’s room. Be right back.” Alexx’s voice was barely audible, but with Raoul’s supernatural hearing, he caught every nuance. Including a trace of pain. He reached out to take Alexx’s arm, but Alexx was faster, for once, and melted into the crowd around them faster than butter on a hot pancake.

Raoul’s first instinct was to go after him. Follow him into the men’s room, find out what was wrong and make it right. But a hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks. He turned in annoyance to find himself looking into the eyes of a strangely familiar-looking blond. It took a moment for the memory to register.

Miller. In the wig he’d worn as a disguise on the fateful night when Raoul had been kidnapped and Alexx shot by the same insane socialite—Foster Levine.

Miller was one of those guys who couldn’t hide what he thought or felt, his eyes were indeed windows to his soul. And right now, his eyes were full of sympathy and compassion, seemingly directed at Raoul.

Okay, he knew something. That much was apparent to Raoul.

“What are you supposed to be?” Raoul asked. “Surely not the other man?” That had been Miller’s part on that night, when it was imperative they convince Foster that Raoul and Alexx were no longer together. Of course, that was long past and buried.

“What? Oh, the wig.” Miller shrugged. “I didn’t have time to get anything else, and this was sitting in my closet… Hey, you’re not exactly dressed up either.”

“No, I’m not,” Raoul agreed. ‘You and I need to talk.”

“Maybe we should get a drink?” Miller piped up hopefully, but at Raoul’s growl, he seemed resigned. Raoul took Miller’s arm. They threaded their way between the revelers until they reached a relatively quiet spot further from the dance floor.

“Miller, something’s going on and you know what it is.”

“Um… er… Raoul…” Miller began to whine, almost defensively, before he gave up, pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded, a bit reluctantly. His deep sigh carried easily to Raoul’s ear.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what I think’s wrong, but remember, I could be wrong,” Miller warned him.

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Alexx?” The hackles on the back of Raoul’s neck began to rise.

“No, no, not like you think. Calm down, please. Let me try to say this so it makes sense,” Miller implored. He glanced at Raoul, then at the floor, then up at the bright disco balls that decorated the room. Raoul curbed his impatience, but it wasn’t easy. Finally, Miller spoke again.

“I think he feels guilty.”

“Guilty?” That was something Raoul hadn’t expected. “Why? About what?”

“About being happy … and alive… especially today…. I mean, it’s his birthday, and other than me, he’s never had anyone who cared enough to celebrate it with him. But now he has you… and he’s also aware that his birthday is the day you lost… you know…”

“Jamie.” Raoul supplied the name.

“Yeah, Jamie. He loves you too much to hurt you by celebrating what’s probably the worst day of your life.”

At one time, yes, it was the event that shattered Raoul’s world, and sent him into a twenty year tailspin. But all that was behind him now. Now he had Alexx, who may or may not be Jamie McKenna reincarnated. But regardless, he was the love of Raoul’s life, the light in his eyes, his new reason for being.

Nothing else mattered.

And now everything made sense. Coming to Charisma. Alexx wanting to make sure Raoul had a good time. Raoul’s heart ached at the pain Alexx must be hiding. Damn, he felt like an insensitive lout for not catching on sooner.

He caught sight of Alexx, emerging from the hallway where the restrooms were located, looking about for him.

“Miller, I hope you won’t be insulted, but you’re on your own tonight. No offense, but I don’t want to be here, and I don’t think Alexx does either.”

“None taken,” Miller assured him. “In fact, I think I might go home myself. Nothing here for me.”

Raoul gave the other man a sharp look, but Miller only laughed. “It’s okay, go on with you. Be with Alexx. Make each other happy.”

Raoul swooped in and gave Miller a quick peck on the cheek, a far cry from the liplock he’d laid on him the last time. “Later,” he told him, then hurried away, easily catching up to Alexx, who seemed relieved to see him.

“There you are, Raoul. Thought I lost you for a minute. Everything okay? I saw you talking to someone…”

“Miller, but he’s leaving. And so are we.” He slid his arm around Alexx’s waist.

“Leaving?” Alexx looked confused. “But we just got here.”

“And now we’re just going.”

“Where are we going?”

“Home. Where we should have stayed to begin with.” He walked Alexx back through the crowd, until they found themselves outside of the night club once more. Alexx didn’t protest, didn’t question, but a slight tremor seemed to run through him, as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

They bid good night to the two confused bouncers, then crossed the parking lot to where Raoul had parked his sports car. He unlocked the car, as he walked Alexx to the passenger side, but stopped beside the door.

“Alexx, do you realize how very much I love and need you?”

“Well, yes, I think I do, but—”

“But nothing. You are, without question, the best thing that ever happened to me, and I thank the powers that be every day that you came into my life. All I wanted tonight was to celebrate your birthday with you, that’s all.”

“I know, Raoul, I know, but how can we… how can I…” A small moan escaped Alexx’s lips, despite his best efforts to contain it. His lower lip quivered. Raoul quickly stilled it with a kiss.

“This is your day.  Your very special day. The day that set you on the path to me. Anything else is done, and in the past. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Nothing, Alexx.”

Alexx gave him a sharp look, and then his bright blue eyes flashed with realization. “That was Miller, wasn’t it? Damn, I thought I recognized that wig, even from a distance. He shouldn’t have told you…”

“He should have, since you didn’t.” Raoul gave Alexx a no-nonsense look. “Didn’t we promise no secrets from one another?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Don’t well yeah me, we did, so let’s just continue doing that, all right?”

Alexx nodded, as if he didn’t trust his voice.

“You are all that matters to me, Alexx. Not being at Charisma tonight, not Halloween, nothing else but you. Do you know that? Really know that?”

“I do now.” Alexx stretched up, caught Raoul’s lips in his own, and kissed him long and hard. By the time they came up for air, the kiss wasn’t all that was hard.

“Take me home?” Alexx murmured, and Raoul consented with alacrity.

The drive to the cabin was shorter than usual. And Alexx didn’t complain once about Raoul breaking the speed limit.

Raoul parked the Ferrari as close to the cabin as he could, and they raced inside, shedding their clothes on the way to the bedroom.

They fell together, naked, on the bed, mouths joined, and hearts beating as one. There was no further need for talk; a consensus had been reached, a mutual accord. And although there’d been no actual fight between them, who was to say they couldn’t indulge in make-up sex anyway? Lovemaking by any other name…

They kissed and licked and sucked, touched and tweaked, exploring to their hearts’ content, delving into one another like explorers on a strange continent. And once every facet of their mutual terrain had been re-discovered, Alexx lay on his back and drew up his legs, exposing his pink bud to Raoul’s lustful gaze.

“Take me,” he begged. “Make me yours all over again.”

Luckily, lube was just an arm’s reach away. Raoul groped for the tube, popped the top handily and prepped his achingly hard cock.

“You are mine, and no other,” he swore as he slid easily into Alexx’s waiting channel. “You are my everything, Alexx. Never forget that.” He drove inside Alexx with one long thrust, and Alexx received him, gripped him tightly as they came together in the intimacy of their own personal dance. Their lips crashed together, again and again, and when they’d found their mutual release and exhausted one another, they cleaned up and then curled together in their bed, breathing more easily.

“Raoul?” Alexx said softly, twining his fingers in Raoul’s tendrils of dark hair that curled over his shoulder.

“Yes?”

“Best birthday ever. Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Raoul replied.

“For what?”

“For being a part of my life.”

Alexx’s face lit with the most beautiful smile Raoul had ever seen. They gazed deeply into one another’s eyes by the light of the moon, before giving themselves over to sleep, and the realm of the Dream Lord, for another night.

Now go visit the other participants of the Hop!

My Sexy Saturday #22: Leonardo DiCaprio is a Vampire

Today's My Sexy Saturday has a Halloween them, so I thought I would show a little bit of my Halloween story, Leonardo DiCaprio is a Vampire.

Hunter and Fisher have been friends forever. Fisher has feelings for Hunter he's afraid to admit to. But somehow he finds himself in a position where the truth might just come out, wish it or not.

And yet the very next moment, the most incriminating words in the world had left his lips, albeit in a very small, very tight voice. "Did you have sex with him?"

He felt the movement before he saw it. Hunter's face was closer to his than ever, those light blue eyes boring into his own. Fisher could do nothing but look back, speechless, as Hunter seemed to dive into his very soul through his eyes. "Never," he replied softly, his voice a husky whisper. "I could never do that to you."

Fisher trembled, waiting for something to happen. He didn't have to wait long. Suddenly those beautiful lips were touching his, and then they were kissing, truly kissing. No, it wasn't Fisher's first kiss, but it was his first with a man. His only kiss with a man. And he was amazed at what a difference there was between this kiss and the others. Not because of gender, but because it was with Hunter.

He felt himself giving in to those lips, melting into that touch, with a heat that penetrated his entire body, vibrating in its intensity. Now Hunter was nibbling at his lips, soft tender kisses that shook him to his very foundation. His head was reeling, and he was on the verge of losing all sense of self when he felt the first raindrops splash upon his upturned face.

What the hell. He pulled back at this sudden insertion of reality into a very unreal scene, his mouth forming a large "O" of amazement, his eyes going into saucer-plate mode. But even as he did, Hunter moved forward, sliding closer until their knees touched. From this position, luckily, they couldn't get much closer, or Hunter would realize what else he had raised, besides Fisher's blood pressure.

He was going to do it again. Fisher just knew it, he could feel it, and oh God how badly he wanted it, as he felt a whimper rise in his throat, indicating a neediness he wasn't aware he even possessed. But the drops were turning thicker now, more of them, and they were brutally cold. A definite shock to the system. His brain was screaming to him to get out, get out now.

Even though this was what he wanted, exactly what he wanted. So what was the problem? What did he think would happen if he gave in to his feelings? He didn't know. He was afraid of things that he couldn't even explain to himself.

Now available at Torquere Press!

Blurb:  

‘Tis the night before Halloween, and Fisher Roberts wishes it was over, not being a fan of this or any other holiday.  But he tolerates it because his roommate/best friend Hunter Long takes a childish glee in all things Halloween.  And Fisher has a vested interest in keeping Hunter happy.  If only he could find the nerve to tell his childhood friend that he loves him, and has for a very long time.

Fisher thinks Hunter is carrying things a bit far this year, though.  First Hunter claims to be a vampire, and he just won’t let the silly joke go.  Then he forces Fisher to go to a costumed Halloween party which Fisher would rather avoid, especially when he realizes where it’s being held, and whose house it is. Things at Fisher’s job might just be going south, too, when he receives a mysterious summons to report to the editor’s office the next morning.  And then Fisher goes and does something stupid—like kissing Hunter!

Bad leads to worse when Fisher ends up at the Halloween party from Hell, and he learns something that threatens to destroy his and Hunter’s relationship forever.  Running from his fears, Fisher encounters a strange young man with an unusual resemblance to Leonardo di Caprio, who shows him things he never realized before, truths about his life and the people in it.

Can Fisher find his way back to Hunter, and can he find the courage to do what his heart wishes?

Tease Me Thursday #12: To The Max

The nice thing about a three day weekend is that it makes the following week go by that much faster! Thursday already! Hooray! One more day until Friday and the weekend!

Which of course means it's time for me to tease you!

Today I'm giving you an excerpt from my first published novel, To the Max. It's currently out of print, but don't worry, I'll be subbing it one of these days, along with the sequel, For Love of Max. And I'm also writing the third book in the series, called A Time For Max. In this scene, Max and Richard have just met for the first time, at a disco (it is the 70's after all lol)  and have left together. Enjoy! Then don't forget to check out the other members of the blog hop!

To The Max

It wasn’t until he had started the car, pulling out onto the otherwise empty road, that I realized that we had not even exchanged names. This was not typical of me, believe me, to place my life in the hands of a stranger, even a gorgeous one like him, not knowing something as elementary as his praenomen. I was usually more cautious than that.

Turning my head toward him, I watched as he took another drag of his cigarette, eyeing intently the sexy way he put it to his lips, inhaling lightly and expelling the smoke from his well-sculpted nostrils, the other hand palming the steering wheel, guiding it easily along the deserted road. I sensed he was observing me as well from the corner of his eye. “Richard,” he said, almost as if he could read my thoughts, “Richard Burke.”

“Max,” I replied in turn, “Max Montague.”

“Which side of the river you live on?” he asked.

“Other side. Webster Groves. You?”

“Kirkwood. We’re practically neighbors.” He grinned. If I hadn’t already been in love with him at that point, that smile was the nail in my coffin. It reached from ear to ear and lit up his whole face, mirrored in the starlight reflected in his beautiful blue eyes until he fairly radiated an inner beauty. I felt such a tightness in my chest as I looked at him that, for a moment, I simply could not breathe. “At least for now,” he continued, “staying with some friends.”

“You’re not from around here?” I asked, note of disappointment creeping into my voice at the idea that I might soon lose this angel from my life, when he had only just appeared.

Now for the link to the others, and thanks for stopping by!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the recent Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and for visiting my blog. Hopefully this is something we'll see disappear during our lifetimes. Wouldn't it be great if all prejudice and bigotry would simply cease to exist? Maybe someday.

And now to announce the winners that I promised!

First we have the Grand Prize winner of the $10 Amazon GC. Drum roll, if you please...

redtigerburninglust!

Moving on, each of the following has won their choice of one of my ebooks.

Congratulations go to:

Lynette Michelle, stella matta, and Ray!

I'll be in touch with you all soon!

Thanks again for being part of my blog  hop. I'm sure there will be more in the future!

♥ Julie

Hop Against Homophobia Blog Hop 2014

TGIF and welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia Blog Hop.

Prejudice of any wrong is just wrong, and is usually based on fear and ignorance. Many people fear what they do not understand, or what they perceive to be a threat - either to themselves, or to their way of life. Many peoples have been targeted with such ignorance over the years - for their race, for their religion, and for their sexuality.

It's time to stop the madness.

Spread the word. Prejudice will not be tolerated any more. Usually, those who are ignorant enough to believe in these things do so because they think they have someone else's backing. Let them know that they are wrong. Explain why they are wrong. Because people are people, and love is love. And no one should be allowed to tell you who to love.

There have been great strides since last year at this time, more states taking a stand and legalizing same sex marriage, because it is the right thing to do. But there is still a ways to go.

Last year, I told you about my experience with homophobia. I'm going to repeat that story here. Homophobia can affect anyone, and it does.

When I grew up, there was a lot of prejudice against black people. Even though segregation was over, it was still there. People don't change overnight and they don't change easily. I grew up in white neighborhoods, and didn't see a black person in my school until I was in the fifth grade. Why? I don't know, that's just how it was. What I remember from then is my father telling my mother that her sister, my aunt, could not bring her current boyfriend to our house. Why? Because he was black.

Prejudices are just stupid and they're wrong. And yet they exist because too  many people are content to say nothing and do nothing, either from ignorance or from fear. Or because they think it doesn't concern them.

But it does. It concerns everyone. Intolerance of someone is an intolerable situation, and one we can rectify.

But you have to want to do it, and you have to be willing to open your mind, and heart - and use your brain.

Homophobia is far too rampant in this country. The far right will tell you homosexuality is a choice, but it isn't. It's how you're born. It's hardwired into you, like eye color, hair color, etc. The bottom line is that you love who you love.

So what are they afraid of? I've noticed that it's more often the men that bear the brunt of the displeasure, although not exclusively. Men seem to have a higher "tolerance" for women who love women. In fact, it often fuels some of their fantasies. But let it be two men and watch the denials start to roll. What are you afraid of? That perhaps you too could love a man? Is that such a bad thing?

The problem has only gotten worse in recent years because these ill-conceived attitudes are being handed down to the children, at a time when more and more young people have found the courage to speak out, to question and accept and deal with their own sexuality. And they are being bullied for it by narrow-minded young bigots who parrot their parents' unadulterated messages of hate. Too many of our children have died, taken their own lives because of the bullying.

It has to stop!

Being homophobic is every bit as wrong as being prejudiced against people of color, or people of a different faith, or  people of a different race. You can dislike someone for who they are as an individual, but don't hate because of something like sexual orientation.

There are some people, such as the now late Reverend Fred Phelps, who preach messages of hatred and carry them to extremes. There are members of Congress who also spew messages of hate. They think they are conveying the word of God - I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they arrive at the Day of Judgement and realize just how wrong they've been. When did they decide that God hated people? What right do they have to spread their lies and prejudices under His name? Somehow, I don't think He'd be amused.

And then there are people like my brother. I worked for him for over thirteen years. I did payroll, bookkeeping, billing, scheduling - everything but income taxes, and I even helped with those. I made it possible for him to spend little time in the office. When he got married (for the third time, I might add) and he and his new bride were on their two week honeymoon, traveling around the eastern seaboard and Canada, I didn't even tell him I got very sick, I still went into the office and took care of business so I wouldn't disturb him. I knew he was born-again Christian, but I didn't let it bother me. We had gay clients, and he acted like he liked them. But the signs were there, which I chose not to see, I guess. Like when I told him on the phone I'd gone to see Brokeback Mountain and he started to lecture. It all came to a head when my first published book, To the Max, was released. Silly me, I was so proud of holding my book in my hands. I took it to the office and showed it to him, held it out to him. I didn't want or expect him to read it, but just to wonder at what I had done, to admire it, and to have nice things to say. He wouldn't even touch it. Like it was the lowest form of human excrement. It wasn't long after that he "laid me off" because of having less work. While it's true we lost our biggest client, that was his fault, not mine, for something he didn't do.

Update: I started working for a temp agency last June, but the work is sporadic and not stable. However,

I've been at my current job, with National Elevator Inspection Services, for five weeks now and it looks like I could be there for a while. So things are looking up. I still have not spoken to my brother since he fired me, which is almost three years ago now.

Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. The Power of Love is a wonderful thing, stronger than those who hate.

Contest

I will give to three winners a copy of anything from my backlist. And one winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC. What do  you have to do? It's simple - follow my blog, and tell me something about one of my books. Whether it's plot or favorite character - what you like or don't like.  And don't forget to include your email address, otherwise your entry won't be valid. If I can't reach you, I can't very well give you a prize, can I?






To learn more about the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, go here
To follow the rest of the Hop, go here..
Also, my friend Jim didn't quite make the hop, but he has a post about homophobia, too, so please visit him here.


The hop will continue until the 24th.  I have some guests lined up during this time, so I hope you come back

and see what they have to say. I will be posting on this topic again.

Now, get out there and take a stand!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Tease Me Thursday #10: Dark Love

Happy almost Friday! Welcome to another edition of Tease Me Thursday!

Today, I'm giving you something a little bit different. This is an excerpt from Dark Love, my paranormal m/f romance. Samantha Kane works at the McHenry House of Horror and Museum of the Supernatural, and is an expert in the Tarot and vampires. Eric Vargas is the museum's wealthy European investor, newly arrived to see his investment - and he's also a vampire. This is their first meeting. Enjoy!

Eric turned to gaze up the steps at the front of the building.  The sign over the entrance read McHenry House of Horror and Museum of the Supernatural.  On the glass doors were posted the hours of operation as well as all admission fees, except for private performances such as séances, tarot readings, etc., in which case the prices were available upon request inside.  “Come, Raymond, let us meet these McHenry brothers,” he started to say, but the words were immediately forgotten in the next breath as he stared in amazement at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen – and that was saying a great deal, for he had seen many beautiful women over the course of his long life – come hurtling through the front doors.

She seemed to be annoyed, although that might well be an understatement.  Her eyes were blazing a bright blue and her brows, which were of the same gorgeous red-gold hue as her hair, were drawn together over her nose in a fierce scowl.  She was paying little attention to the path which her feet were taking, intent upon some inner monologue, and it was with some surprise that she walked head-on into Eric just as her feet left the steps of the Museum for the city sidewalks before her.  Just as he planned it in the split second after sighting her.

Samantha looked up into the blackest pair of eyes she had ever seen, her mouth dropping open to form an o of astonishment.  She hadn’t recalled seeing anyone in front of her, but perhaps she had been too distracted to notice.  She felt like a clumsy fool.  The man gripped her arms closely in his efforts to keep her from falling to the pavement.  “Are you all right?” he asked concernedly, knowing full well that he had done her no actual harm.

“Yes, yes, I’m just fine.  What about you?  Are you okay?  I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what I could have been looking at.”  She couldn’t keep from babbling like a blasted idiot and she cursed herself mentally for her stupidity.

He laid one slender finger upon her lip in a gentle motion.  “Not to worry,” he assured her, “I am fine.  Now.”  And the implication in his voice was so apparent that it caused a deep rose flush to suffuse Samantha’s cheeks.  She gazed up into his impossibly dark eyes and felt as if she could drown in their impenetrable depths.  She took a deep breath.  It required some effort to remove herself from his firm grip, for a part of her didn’t want to let go of him.  Her pulse was racing and all of her senses seemed to be overloading in a way that was unfamiliar to her.  She knew that she shouldn’t be standing here with this man, especially with her fiancé so close at hand.  “I must go,” she mumbled, sliding reluctantly from his grasp.

“Please,” he pleaded with her, “I have just arrived and …” But she allowed herself to listen no further, for even the sound of his voice was setting off alarm bells deep within her soul.  She shook her head, not trusting her voice not to betray her, and walked quickly away, leaving him standing on the sidewalk looking longingly after her.

“We shall meet again,” he murmured softly, although she was much too far away to hear him.  That was a promise, he vowed to himself.  When he turned back to the van, Raymond was waiting patiently for him, a hint of a smile on his normally implacable visage.  “Back to the business at hand,” Eric concurred and gestured toward the front door which he was sure now would lead to his new life.

           

Now see what is happening in the rest of the hop!

When Sparks Fly 4th of July Blog Hop

It seems appropriate that as I write this, I'm listening to the soundtrack to 1776. I would so love to see this

live someday. I wish I could find a production using the movie cast, but alas that will never happen. Guess that's why we have DVD's lol  William Daniels, Howard daSilva, Ken Howard....how amazing would that be? And of course, I never think about watching the movie, or getting it from the library, until the night before when it's obviously too late. Even if I purchased it from Amazon, it wouldn't get here until after the fact.

But there you go.

So today is the 4th of July, America's birthday. Just think, if those people who chose to rebel against the king had not been successful, we'd all be speaking with an accent and singing a far different tune. After all, history is written by the winners. Thus it tends to be a little prejudiced.

This country isn't perfect, but which one is? None of them. Because all countries are made up of people and people just aren't perfect. But some countries are nicer to live in than others, depending on the people. This country has problems, undoubtedly, and it's not a simple matter of politics, because these problems exist no matter which party is in office. The system itself is not perfect, and it invites abuse, which some are quick to take advantage of. There are far too many people getting fat off the government, and politicians who work short hours for big pay, and have no idea of the real lives of their constituents.

On the other hand, there are the people who take advantage of government programs - families who live entirely on welfare and never attempt to do any better, cheaters and lazy asses. It burns me to see the ads from groups that offer to intervene between taxpayers who owe more than $10k and the IRS to get these taxes reduced. Does no one see a problem with that?  Pretend you are the government, and you expect to receive x amount of dollars for your revenue, and from that you plan your expenses. What happens when you don't get all the money you're owed? Do you do have to hold off on paying some of those bills? Real people do, yes, but somehow the government manages to spend what it doesn't have. So yes, not paying your taxes is problematic for all of us. So why do so many people think the name of the game is keep money away from the IRS? Have you forgotten? The IRS is the government, and WE are the government. You only hurt everyone in the long run.

A great and wonderful thing happened recently. DOMA was struck one. Well, half a great thing. Because there is still part of it that has gone unchallenged (as a lawyer friend of mine explained to me, when I naively thought the problem was solved). Apparently they didn't tackle the crux of the matter - the part where gay marriage that is legal in one state is legal in all of them. That is what needs to happen, that's what I've always said.  The states that don't do so are blurring the lines between government and religion, and need to stop meddling in that way. Marriage is a civil and legal union. (These same people need to butt the hell out of matters concerning women's reproductive rights as well).

At least we are moving in the right direction at last. In years to come, students will study this time, and the turmoil this issue has caused, and they will look at one another and shrug and ask what the big deal was, because by that time it will simply be accepted as right and natural. The same way that interracial marriages, once illegal, and looked down upon, are very much a part of our society, and accepted by most people (except the die-hard bigots).

It's hard enough to run a family, with its diverse elements, much less a nation of millions, with people having their own ideas about the way things should be. The important thing is to respect one another, and to respect the rights of others. To feed the hungry, provide medical care to the sick, and shelter the homeless. Just think if we took all the monies and energies spent in the battle for equality on both sides and used them for these causes, what great good could be done? It's all well and good to help other nations, and I do think we should, but you have to take care of your own first.

There are things in this country that could benefit from change, such as the school systems, the prisons, and the government. But change takes time, these things did not break over night and they won't be fixed in a day. As long as we work at it together, we can get it done.

 In some countries, I could not even say such things about the powers that be, because these are freedoms that are denied to their citizens. Which is one of the great things about America. We have freedom of speech.

So Happy Birthday, America - you're looking good.

Today is the first day of the When Sparks Fly 4th of July Blog Hop. To visit the other members of the hop, go here For my part in this blog hop, I'm offering the following prizes: three winners will receive a copy of anything from my backlist, and one winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC.

How do you enter, you ask?  It's simple. Comment on this blog and tell me something about this country and what it means to you. Don't forget your email address, so I can contact you if you win.




This blog hop runs until the 8th. I'll announce the winners some time after that. Good luck and start hopping!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie.

Hop Against Homophobia Blog Hop

TGIF and welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia Blog Hop.

Prejudice of any wrong is just wrong, and is usually based on fear and ignorance. Many people fear what they do not understand, or what they perceive to be a threat - either to themselves, or to their way of life. Many peoples have been targeted with such ignorance over the years - for their race, for their religion, and for their sexuality.

It's time to stop the madness.

Spread the word. Prejudice will not be tolerated any more. Usually, those who are ignorant enough to believe in these things do so because they think they have someone else's backing. Let them know that they are wrong. Explain why they are wrong. Because people are people, and love is love. And no one should be allowed to tell you who to love.

There have been great strides since last year at this time, more states taking a stand and legalizing same sex marriage, because it is the right thing to do. But there is still a ways to go. DOMA needs to be stricken from the books. Then it won't matter if every state allows same sex marriage - they'll be legal in all, regardless. And maybe then the states that say no will realize there's no point, and they may as well do what's right.

Last year, I told you about my experience with homophobia. I'm going to repeat that story here. Homophobia can affect anyone, and it does.

When I grew up, there was a lot of prejudice against black people. Even though segregation was over, it was still there. People don't change overnight and they don't change easily. I grew up in white neighborhoods, and didn't see a black person in my school until I was in the fifth grade. Why? I don't know, that's just how it was. What I remember from then is my father telling my mother that her sister, my aunt, could not bring her current boyfriend to our house. Why? Because he was black.

Prejudices are just stupid and they're wrong. And yet they exist because too  many people are content to say nothing and do nothing, either from ignorance or from fear. Or because they think it doesn't concern them.

But it does. It concerns everyone. Intolerance of someone is an intolerable situation, and one we can rectify.

But you have to want to do it, and you have to be willing to open your mind, and heart - and use your brain.

Homophobia is far too rampant in this country. The far right will tell you homosexuality is a choice, but it isn't. It's how you're born. It's hardwired into you, like eye color, hair color, etc. The bottom line is that you love who you love.

So what are they afraid of? I've noticed that it's more often the men that bear the brunt of the displeasure, although not exclusively. Men seem to have a higher "tolerance" for women who love women. In fact, it often fuels some of their fantasies. But let it be two men and watch the denials start to roll. What are you afraid of? That perhaps you too could love a man? Is that such a bad thing?

The problem has only gotten worse in recent years because these ill-conceived attitudes are being handed down to the children, at a time when more and more young people have found the courage to speak out, to question and accept and deal with their own sexuality. And they are being bullied for it by narrow-minded young bigots who parrot their parents' unadulterated messages of hate. Too many of our children have died, taken their own lives because of the bullying.

It has to stop!

Being homophobic is every bit as wrong as being prejudiced against people of color, or people of a different faith, or  people of a different race. You can dislike someone for who they are as an individual, but don't hate because of something like sexual orientation.

There are some people, such as the wrong Reverend Fred Phelps, who preach messages of hatred and carry them to extremes. There are members of Congress who also spew messages of hate. They think they are conveying the word of God - I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they arrive at the Day of Judgement and realize just how wrong they've been. When did they decide that God hated people? What right do they have to spread their lies and prejudices under His name? Somehow, I don't think He'd be amused.

And then there are people like my brother. I worked for him for over thirteen years. I did payroll, bookkeeping, billing, scheduling - everything but income taxes, and I even helped with those. I made it possible for him to spend little time in the office. When he got married (for the third time, I might add) and he and his new bride were on their two week honeymoon, traveling around the eastern seaboard and Canada, I didn't even tell him I got very sick, I still went into the office and took care of business so I wouldn't disturb him. I knew he was born-again Christian, but I didn't let it bother me. We had gay clients, and he acted like he liked them. But the signs were there, which I chose not to see, I guess. Like when I told him on the phone I'd gone to see Brokeback Mountain and he started to lecture. It all came to a head when my first published book, To the Max, was released. Silly me, I was so proud of holding my book in my hands. I took it to the office and showed it to him, held it out to him. I didn't want or expect him to read it, but just to wonder at what I had done, to admire it, and to have nice things to say. He wouldn't even touch it. Like it was the lowest form of human excrement. It wasn't long after that he "laid me off" because of having less work. While it's true we lost our biggest client, that was his fault, not mine, for something he didn't do.

Update: I started working for a temp agency last June, but the work is sporadic and not stable. However,

I've been at my current job, with National Elevator Inspection Services, for five weeks now and it looks like I could be there for a while. So things are looking up. I still have not spoken to my brother since he fired me, which is almost three years ago now.

Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. The Power of Love is a wonderful thing, stronger than those who hate.

Contest

I will give to three winners a copy of anything from my backlist. And one winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC. What do  you have to do? It's simple - follow my blog, and tell me the name of my first published book. See?  Easy. And don't forget to include your email address, otherwise your entry won't be valid. If I can't reach you, I can't very well give you a prize, can I?






To learn more about the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, go here
To follow the rest of the Hop, go here..



The hop will continue until the 27th.  I have some guests lined up during this time, so I hope you come back

and see what they have to do. I will be posting on this topic again.

Now, get out there and take a stand!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Swept Away - Day Three

Day three of the Swept Away Valentine's Day Blog Hop! I thought I had a guest today but I was wrong, so I'm going to talk about two more of my couples. First, Hunter Long and Fisher Roberts, from Leonardo di Caprio is a Vampire. It was previously published with the publisher who shall be nameless, but I have actually added about 7k to the story in the form of Hunter's POV, and have subbed it elsewhere. I believe this addition rounds out the story nicely. I hope those who've read it will think so too.

I can't show you the previous cover, for obvious reasons, but I can show you my inspirations for these two.

Hunter Long

Fisher Roberts
















The inspiration for this story came when my daughter and I went to see Inception at the theater. I was thinking about Leonardo di Caprio and how he looks pretty much the same as he did years ago. Suddenly a voice in my head said, Did you know Leonardo di Caprio is a vampire? And a story was born!

Note: For you trivia fans, Fisher Roberts' name was derived from the Cillian Murphy character - Robert Fisher - reversed it and added an ess.

Blurb:  ‘Tis the night before Halloween, and Fisher Roberts wishes it was over, not being a fan of this or any other holiday.  But he tolerates it because his roommate/best friend Hunter Long takes a childish glee in all things Halloween.  And Fisher has a vested interest in keeping Hunter happy.  If only he could find the nerve to tell his childhood friend that he loves him, and has for a very long time.

Fisher thinks Hunter is carrying things a bit far this year, though.  First Hunter claims to be a vampire, and he just won’t let the silly joke go.  Then he forces Fisher to go to a costumed Halloween party which Fisher would rather avoid, especially when he realizes where it’s being held, and whose house it is. Things at Fisher’s job might just be going south, too, when he receives a mysterious summons to report to the editor’s office the next morning.  And then Fisher goes and does something stupid—like kissing Hunter!

Bad leads to worse when Fisher ends up at the Halloween party from Hell, and he learns something that threatens to destroy his and Hunter’s relationship forever.  Running from his fears, Fisher encounters a strange young man with an unusual resemblance to Leonardo di Caprio, who shows him things he never realized before, truths about his life and the people in it.

Can Fisher find his way back to Hunter, and can he find the courage to do what his heart wishes?

My next couple is a new one - Reed Hatcher and Fabrintazo (Taz for short). They are the leading men of a novella written by M.A. Church and myself called Be My Alien, and it's the first book in our Moonlit Skies series. Be My Alien is going to be released by Dreamspinner in May or June of this year, so look for it! Once again, no cover - yet - but we have a little promo pic for it.  

Blurb:  Reed Hatcher’s life is work, work, work. He owns a successful men’s boutique in New York City, but a love life is out of the question—for many reasons. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and business is brisk. On an unexpected visit to the Empire State Building, a sexy man literally falls into Reed’s lap. His name is Taz and he’s just been dumped by his date. One look and Reed is hooked. He offers to buy Taz some coffee and they leave together.

Reed is attracted to Taz and takes him home to his apartment. But Reed discovers there’s more to Taz than he realized—especially when Taz’s stripes begin to show. And he has a tail? Turns out Taz is not quite like Reed. In fact, he comes from another planet, far far away, and he’s only on Earth for a vacation.

Reed never believed in aliens before, but he’s facing one now, and dear God, what is he going to do? Just when he decides he loves Taz and together they can handle anything, the alien that dumped Taz decides he wants him back and steals him away.

Can Reed live with the memory of what he almost had, and the love he found and lost? How can he ever face the moonlit skies again?

And now here are the inspirations for Reed and Taz (just imagine Taz has multi-colored calico hair lol)

Reed Hatcher

Taz

We are currently working on the second book in the series, which is untitled as of now.

Enjoy your day, and come back tomorrow for more of the same! Don't forget to comment and leave an email address!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Of Cupid and Love and Vampires and Blog Hopping

So today is that special day, that Hallmark-inspired occasion which makes saps of us all, and sends us running to purchase greeting cards, chocolates and cute Teddies holding hearts! A day for expressing your love for that special someone in your life! Well, I have no SO at the moment, but I have something better - a blog and readers! So today I'm going to express my love by participating in not one, but two blog hops! Yes, you heard correctly - two blog hops! One is a Valentine's Day hop, the other is about vampires, another love of mine. So please stay for both, you won't be sorry!

The Swept Away Valentine's Blog Hop is another Drea Becraft production! This blog hop has tons of talented authors, just dying for you to stop in and see what they have to offer. You can go here for the complete list.

Love. It makes the world go round, right? It's a damn powerful emotion, something that connects us all. I'm going to make a separate post for the Vampire Hop, so that way I'll know which one you really want to be a part of.

To find out how to win, go to the end of my post, and the details will be there!

For my Valentine's Day first day of the hop offering, I give you the flash fiction I posted yesterday. It is something new that I plan to expand. I hope you like it!

This story has a working title of Sebastian Laguerre. I'm going to post the inspiration pic for this piece too, just so you can see what I saw. Enjoy!

       Sebastian LaGuerre

Someone had the worst timing in the world.

And judging by the jangled lyre sounds emanating from his smartphone, it was his distant cousin and bandmate. When Sebastian caught up with Orpheus, he was going to have to hurt him.

“Who’s that, baby?” The voice was muffled, its owner’s face buried in the thick pillows of the hotel’s double bed. Sebastian couldn’t remember his name—that was inconsequential; an unimportant detail, nothing to clutter his mind with. But whoever he was, he had a very delicious ass, one that Sebastian was thoroughly enjoying plowing. At least until the moment had been so rudely interrupted.

“Fuck me,” he muttered under his breath, before deigning to reply to the question. “Someone. I won’t be long. Just lie there.” He pulled out, irritably, and slid off the other man, wrapping the sheet about him, ignoring the shiver his action produced. He grabbed the phone and stalked into the bathroom, firmly shutting the door behind him before answering.

“This better be damn good. I was busy—”

“I can only imagine.” A throaty chuckle from the other end of the line.

“Why don’t you find Cupid and torture him if you’re bored?” Sebastian searched his image in the mirror. The lighting was harsher than he might like, but he still looked damn good. That was one of the benefits of being a demigod. Maybe he hadn’t gotten the looks that some of them had, particularly the bastard offspring of Aphrodite, his own father’s consort. But Sebastian was certainly beautiful in his own right and he knew it.

He pushed back unruly locks of curly black hair that came just to the nape of his neck. Twisting his head for a better view, he decided to let it grow out a little more. The trace of sexy stubble that he maintained above his full carmine lips and along his jaw was pleasing to him—he’d keep that as it was.  His cool grey eyes were carefully lined in black. A perfect vision of loveliness. He blew a kiss at his reflection and smiled.

“Stop admiring yourself.” Orpheus laughed again. Sebastian scowled at the phone and turned from the mirror. “You know I can’t do that. The man’s busy, or have you forgotten what today is?”

It wasn’t so much that Sebastian had forgotten, he simply didn’t care. He found Cupid to be annoying, for the most part. Going on and on about love all the damn time. Like it really existed. Like it really mattered. As if it wasn’t anything more than hormonal urges that produced a vast mass hysteria. A hypnosis that muddled the brain and threw it into a tailspin from which it seldom recovered. It ruined lives, and made fools of normally intelligent men. The only useful byproduct was that it was also responsible for a great deal of violence, and had launched many a war.

Sebastian Laguerre loved no one but himself.

And thank the gods he was beyond Valentine’s Day.

 “Go bother my brothers, why don’t you? I’m busy,” Sebastian repeated. Okay, technically Phobos and Deimos were half-brothers, but whatever.

“You’re the only one that likes to hang with them,” Orpheus pointed out. “Normal people avoid them.”

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“You’re you and I love you for who you are, Sebby.”

“Zeus’s beard, don’t call me that. I’m going. Go fuck yourself. Literally.” He clicked off the phone without waiting for the smart reply he knew was imminent and exited the bathroom. He let the sheet fall away from him as he wound his sinuous way back toward the bed; it trailed behind him until he stepped from it. Dropping onto all fours, he crawled across the bed.

“I’m back,” he purred in a sultry voice. The other man shivered in anticipation, lifting his head at Sebastian’s return, although he was well trained enough that he did not turn to look. “Miss me, love?”

“Mmm, yes, I did. Missed your cock up my ass. So much…”

“Of course you did.” Sebastian wore a very self-satisfied smirk. “Roll over, pet.”

“Is it time, then?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

He had a nice body, Sebastian admitted. Darryl? David? Dan? Something with a D, he was fairly sure. He was young, early twenties. Young and eager to please. And so far, he’d done a decent job of it. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Sebastian wasn’t going to let that stop him from enjoying himself thoroughly.

He positioned himself between the boy’s legs—Dirk? Devin?—and took himself in hand, pumping his cock a few times. Orpheus’ ill-timed interruption had brought it down slightly, but a little well-applied pressure restored its former tumescent state.

“Now where were we?”

“About to reach glory,” the innocent supplied.

“Ah yes, just so.” He thrust inside of that tight channel in one hard stroke, producing a gasp of pure pleasure. Hot velvet surrounded his cock, a sensation heightened by the tightness of this boy’s muscles that clung so deliciously. “Touch yourself,” he instructed and the boy obeyed, grasping his cock and pumping.

“Not too fast,” Sebastian cautioned. “And don’t close your eyes. I want to see.”

The lids fluttered open again. Sebastian drove into him again, over and over, watching for the right moment. He’d know it by the boy’s responses. He’d see it in his eyes. He’d laid his instrument within reach; when he was ready he picked it up, looped the silk necktie about the boy’s neck and began to tighten it slowly, slowly…

Sebastian could see the play of emotions in the boy’s blue eyes as he spun into euphoria, until his orgasm was inevitable, and Sebastian had wrung out all that he could. As the boy came, he tightened the tie completely, until all breathing ceased.

* * * *

The body was discovered in front of a café near the Eiffel Tower, the heart in a small box beside it, along with a note—Happy Valentine’s Day, Inspector.

For The Swept Away Blog Hop, I'd like to give away one of my books to two readers. All you have to do is comment, and tell me what you would personally consider the ultimate Valentine's Day - how would you spend the day, with whom, and what would you like as a gift. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!  Enjoy the rest of the Blog Hop!