Category Archives: guest blog

Today my guest is L.M. Brown, with an inside look at her newest release, Forbidden Waters, the first book in the Merman & Magic series from Totally Bound. It’s a ménage, so you know I’m in!

Jake Seabrook is a regular human with no idea that there are mythical beings living their lives beneath the surface of the ocean. His concerns don’t revolve around sunken cities or anything else to do with the ocean.  He has returned to the coastal town he grew up in after travelling for a year. If he were to be completely honest, he’d admit he has spent the last year running away from the feelings he has for his best friend, Alex.  Unfortunately for Jake, Alex is straight and all they will ever be is friends.

Leaving town didn’t help him get over Alex, so now he has returned, hoping to at least get their friendship back on track, if he can pluck up the courage to face those he walked out on.

Making amends takes second place when Jake and Alex find what appears to be a body on the beach.  The naked man isn’t dead, but is in definite need of assistance.

Taking the stranger under his wing Jake can’t help being attracted to the handsome man who speaks no English.  It’s difficult to hide your feelings when your unexpected flatmate spends most of his time naked.

For Jake the surprise of finding a naked man on the beach is only the first of many shocks he has to face.  Not only does he have to come to terms with the knowledge that beings he thought were myths actually exist, he has to face some harsh truths about himself.

Having harboured feelings for his friend for so long, Jake has always considered himself a one man kind of guy.  But what happens when the man you’re in love with is in love with someone else as well?  Do you give him up and let the better man win?  Do you fight for him and potentially break another’s heart?  Or do you choose the third option?

For Jake the big question is whether it is possible to love more than one person.

To save his clan from ever-increasing shark attacks, merman Kyle seeks sanctuary for his people in the sunken city of Atlantis, even though he knows that as a homosexual merman, he will be sacrificing his own chance for love. Love finds him anyway in the form of Prince Finn, the rebellious young heir to the Atlantean throne.

When their relationship is discovered, Kyle is the one to pay the price. Banished from the oceans, he seeks shelter in England and finds a new love with human, Jake Seabrook. 

For Jake, Kyle is the chance to move on from the crush he has on his straight best friend. The strange man he found naked on the beach seems to fit into his life with ease.  If only Kyle weren’t keeping secrets from him, Jake could see them having a future together. 

Things are not what they seem for either of the men and when Kyle discovers the truth about Finn, he knows he must return to Atlantis. 

Three men, a tangled relationship, and one chance for happiness—if they can trust enough to take it.

Excerpt

Jake’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. He sighed when he saw Alex’s name on the screen as the incoming call. He hadn’t spoken to him for eleven months, just sending the occasional text while avoiding Alex’s attempts to phone him. Jake guessed Summer had clocked him on the street and given Alex the heads up.

The temptation to hit the reject button yet again was strong, but he knew he’d merely be putting off the inevitable.

“Hi, Alex,” he greeted his oldest friend.

“Don’t ‘Hi, Alex’, me like you didn’t just fuck off out of town for a year. When did you get back?”

“Last night.”

“And you didn’t think maybe I’d want to know you were back in town?”

Jake bit back a snide comment about Alex needing advance warning to cover his arse, but he knew his friend didn’t deserve it. It wasn’t Alex’s fault his gay best friend had fallen for him. Alex had done everything he could to be supportive of Jake.

“It was a last minute decision,” Jake said instead. “I’m not even sure if I’m going to stick around.”

“All the more reason to pick up the damn phone and tell your best friend you’re here,” Alex shouted. “Where are you?”

“Just walking the dog on the beach.”

“You have a dog?”

“Yeah. We kind of adopted each other.”

“Cool. I’ll be there in five minutes. Don’t you dare run off!”

The line went dead before Jake could reply. He guessed Alex still lived with his father in the luxurious beach house at the other end of the beach. Sure enough, he soon spotted Alex trotting across the sand. Alex came to a halt several feet in front of him.

“You’re finally back,” Alex said.

“Yeah, for the moment at least.”

Alex narrowed his eyes and when Jake drew level with him, he punched him hard on the arm. “That’s for taking off without a word to anyone, you git.”

Jake guessed he deserved the hit, as well as the second strike that came a few seconds later. “What was that one for?”

“For ignoring my calls. The only reason I didn’t call out a search party for you was because you occasionally updated your Facebook page with pictures of you on your travels.”

“I texted you.”

“After you’d been gone for three weeks. I was going out of my bloody mind worrying about you. We all were.”

Jake focused his gaze on the water. “I’m sorry. I just had to get away for a while.”

“I get that. What I don’t understand is why you couldn’t have said goodbye or let us know you were okay.”

Jake didn’t have any justification for what he had done. Alex was absolutely right. He could have done something other than packing up his bags in the middle of the night and hitching a ride out of town because he didn’t want to wait for the first train the next morning.

Buy Link

About the Author

L.M. Brown lives in England, in a quaint little village time doesn’t seem to have touched. No, wait a minute—that’s the retirement biography. Right now, she is in England in a medium sized town no one has ever heard of, so she won’t bore you with the details. Keeping her company are numerous sexy men. She just wishes they weren’t all inside her head.

L.M. believes there is nothing hotter or sweeter than two men in love with each other… unless it is three.

L.M. Brown loves hearing from readers so don’t be shy.

Website & Blog: http://lmbrownauthor.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LMBrownTreasureTrove/
Twitter: @LMBrownAuthor

Today I’m happy to welcome Brynn Stein to talk about her new release, Living Again, and her writing style—a subject I love to hear about for any author!

I’m enjoying my blog tour so far, and have gotten a fair number of responses for my give away. If you haven’t seen any of my other stops on this tour, here’s how the giveaway will work. Comment below, and go to as many sites listed in the blog schedule listed here and comment there as well. Each blog you comment on will earn you one entry for my giveaway. Three prizes will be given. One signed paperback copy, and two electronic copies of Living Again.

Now to talk about other things.

For this stop, let’s talk about my writing style.

I tend to be a person who likes to plan and organize. I have responsibilities and even fun activities planned two months in advance, if at all possible. I actually almost didn’t have a second date with my husband because every time he asked, “what about such and such date”, I’d tell him, “oh, that’s when I’m going here or doing that.” He thought I was blowing him off and just didn’t want another date. But, I actually did have things planned that far ahead.

So, you’d think that my writing style would reflect that. You’d think that I’d have outlines and flow charts and know exactly what was going to happen. I could picture me with timelines and banks of quotes to use throughout the story, probably even in order. Very organized and methodical.

I get the story in fits and starts in my head, usually while driving. The longer the drive the more of the story I get, but not necessarily in order. I also dream it, but again, not in order. By the time I actually sit down at the keyboard I have a good idea of what will happen in the story. A general outline, if you will, in my head. But not quite every detail.

Once I start writing, it just flows. The characters natter away at me, and I just write what they say. Sometimes I end up in entirely unexpected places, but the characters assure me that is exactly what happened, so I just write it down.

Usually they have the common curtesy to tell me the story in order. With Living Again, they told it in order (both in its fan fiction incarnation and the current one). I struggled to keep up. The story just flowed from my head to the page. It was a joy to write. It was like I was watching a movie in my head and was like a courtroom stenographer, writing fast and furiously just to get everything down as it happened.

In an upcoming story, For Mac, due out in March, the details didn’t come in order at all. It was all over the place. I had the basic idea, but from what I had, I figured it was going to be a novella. There wasn’t enough detail for me to think that it was going to be very long. Once the characters got going though, the thing turned out to be over 85000 words. But they came out of order.

I had written the basic story. It had a beginning, middle, and end. It was short, and to the point. Okay, but missing the heart. The characters then led me on a merry chase for that heart. They said, ‘oh yeah, we forgot to tell you about one of the characters.’ It was a minor character, but he really needed to be there, and of course, he popped up throughout the story. When I wrote about him in one place, it affected how the characters would act throughout the rest of the story, so I had to seek out the other scenes that he needed to be in. It was nuts, and my characters just sat back and laughed at me. I swear they did.

That was the only story to date that I did end up with an outline of sorts. I used the headings in word to be able to navigate from one part of the story to another because, for that one, I kept going backwards and forwards. It was definitely not written in my usual style.

What about you, writers? Do you plan and organize? Or does your story just flow? Have you ever had that one story that just delighted in not fitting into your usual style?

Readers, what about you? Do you plan for projects, hobbies, etc? Or do they just pop up. Has there ever been something that went against your usual style? That one vacation that you didn’t plan for, but just found yourself on the beach even though you usually plan everything months in advance? Or that remodeling project that you planned out thoroughly, with charts and diagrams and stages outlined in advance, even though you tend to be a fly by the seat of your pants person?

Leave me your comments. I’d love to know what you think. And here’s a link to my Blog Tour Schedule. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Please pay a visit to these other blog sites as well. Don’t forget, the more you comment, the greater your chance of winning a copy of Living Again.

Daniel Larson has walled himself off from any possibility of romance since his lover died violently five years ago in Afghanistan. The same bomb that ended his partner’s life took the lower part of Daniel’s left leg. The only support Daniel has, his Uncle Lawrence, is dead-set against anything homosexual, including Daniel.

Now, a popular language teacher at the local university, Daniel’s suffering from a car accident that broke his one good leg. His uncle, who is much better at throwing money at things than offering emotional support, provides a rented power chair and a private in-home nurse. Unbeknownst to his uncle, the nurse comes in the form of a man named Jonah Thacker.

Instantly attracted, Daniel and Jonah fight their mutual feelings in favor of professionalism. They become friends anyway, and Jonah shares his life with Daniel, including his handicapped son, Ethan. As Jonah and Daniel grow closer, Daniel becomes more involved in Jonah and his son’s lives, even being there for Ethan when his medical conditions worsen. But when Daniel’s uncle finds out the nurse he’s hired is male, he uses all of his resources to keep Jonah and Daniel apart.

Buy Link: Dreamspinner

Goodreads
(links to other sites from the Goodreads page are not yet active)

About the Author

Brynn Stein has always loved to write. Fan fiction, original fiction, whatever. While Brynn wrote in numerous genres—everything from mystery, to contemporary, to supernatural—she had always tended toward strong male characters. And then she discovered “slash,” male/male romance, and all those strong male characters were finally allowed to express their love for one another. It seems that there are always at least two characters clamoring to tell Brynn their story.

Brynn lives in Virginia with one of her two two-legged children, and two four-legged ones. Her supportive family encourages her writing and provides a sounding board for fledgling stories. When she isn’t writing, Brynn teaches children with special needs. In free time, when such a thing exists, she reads anything she can get her hands on, and haunts bookstores. She draws and paints, and enjoys the outdoors—especially if she can get to the beach—and is always thinking about her next story.

Please feel free to contact Brynn at any of the following:

http://brynnstein2.wix.com/books-and-thoughts
https://twitter.com/BrynnStein
http://brynnstein2.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/
brynnstein2@gmail.com

My guest today is Kristen Slater, who’s just published her first story, a novella titled Working It Out. Take it away, Kristen!

Hello everybody—and thank you to Shae for letting me wave at you from her blog. My name’s Kristen Slater and just over a week ago my first ever published story was released by Dreamspinner Press. I’m now starting a round of visits to kind people who are letting me tell their readers about my book, and introduce a giveaway that will run for the duration of my blog tour—details of where else you can find me are on the list on my blog. More about that later.

Working It Out is the story of Cas and Joe—and how Cas works out he’s in love. As the story opens, Joe’s already been saying “I love you” for a while, but Cas isn’t sure how he feels. Now, I’ve never been in love and don’t really form close relationships with people, so you may wonder how I can write about it.

It’s because I’ve read about relationships—everything you read shows people in relationships of one kind and another. Some are more successful than others, and they’re not necessarily the focus of a story the way they are in a romance, but the ins and outs of how people interact are described. And then I’ve also listened to people talking about the people in their lives and watched them interact with each other.

So I’ve a reasonable idea of the theory, at least. And I’m in love with the idea of romantic love. That people meet a special someone (or someones if they’re polyamorous) with whom they want to spend the rest of their life. The idea of having someone at your side, someone to share in your good times and support you in your bad times, someone with whom you can completely let go of all the pretences and barriers and masks. That’s an amazing idea. The person you can trust that much must be pretty special, huh? One of the good guys.

In Working It Out, Cas describes his boyfriend, Joe, as one of the good guys. Originally, the paragraph below finished with those two words. Then the editor asked me a question. How is he one of the good guys? How do we know this?

Well, she had a good point there. It inspired me to think about what makes Joe special, why Cas would want him to stick around. The result was an outline of some of the things that I think make a good partner. One who’s right for you and who values you. Someone it’s worth making an effort for.

Joe just texted to say he’s on his way. He doesn’t like calling from the bus; it’s too public. Time to do something nice for my guy. Vanilla scented candles in the bedroom, a big towel on top of the quilt and aromatherapy massage oil. He’s going to be all twisted and knotted up, and I give a good massage, if I do say so myself. There’s other things I do well, but this is the one he’s going to need tonight. I’ve turned the heating on to make sure the room’s warm enough. Afterwards we’ll just cuddle and go to sleep. This isn’t about sex—we can do that anytime—but making him feel good. He deserves it; he’s one of the good guys. He’s never once let me down, never walked off in the middle of a conversation, never spent the whole evening talking to other people and left me on my own in the corner. I realize that makes it sound like I’ve got crappy taste in men, but I haven’t, honestly. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t complain about the same things in their boyfriends. Joe’s really different, and that’s why I don’t want to mess this up.

Basically, Joe’s attention and focus is on Cas. He doesn’t take Cas for granted. I think that makes him a good guy.

Below is a taster and a peek at the cover. If you’d like to read more, you can buy the story from the Dreamspinner Press website.

But first, that giveaway I mentioned. I’m running a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $10 gift certificate for the Dreamspinner Press store. You can enter by commenting on any of the posts on the tour and then visiting Rafflecopter to tell me about it. While there you can click to follow me on twitter and follow my blog for more opportunities to win. If you can’t think of anything to say, I have a question for you. What do you think makes someone a good guy, a person you can depend on?

CAS——November

What is love, anyway? I mean, you tell me how you know you’re in love.

Joe’s been saying I love you for months. I get the feeling he’s expecting me to say it back. But. I dunno. It just doesn’t feel right, you know? Aren’t you supposed to just know? And I don’t. Maybe I love him. I know I like having him around. Those days when he’s late home and there’s no one in the house when I get back, it feels kind of… empty. But that’s habit, isn’t it? Because most times he’s already there when I walk through the door. So it’s bound to feel odd when he isn’t. Isn’t it?

I remember the day he asked me to move in with him. We’d been seeing each other casually for over a year, meeting up and going to his place or mine for some mutual fun. I’m still not sure how it developed into spending most of our spare time together, but we became really good friends at some point. Then there was the day we went back to his flat in the middle of the afternoon, unable to wait to get our hands on each other’s bare flesh. Afterwards, the late afternoon sun bathing us with warmth, he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at me with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

“Cas? I like being with you. I like it a lot.” Joe’s hand idly stroked my belly in circles and swirls. “I don’t just mean the sex, although that’s incredible. I like the way we never seem to run out of things to say to each other, the way we like doing the same things, going to the same places.” The hand stopped and rested over my diaphragm, warm and relaxed. “What I’m trying to say is I’d like to spend more time together. All our time. I want to wake up next to you every morning and know I’ll see you again that evening. I’d like to try living together.”

The longer I stayed quiet, the more tense his hand became. His beautiful gray eyes were fixed on my face, as if he was trying to read my thoughts. He’d have had a problem. I didn’t really have any coherent thoughts initially. Then, when I did, I wondered why he was asking. What we had was good. Why change that? Living together was like some sort of heavy-duty commitment. I’d seen enough people who had a good thing going break up after moving in together. And we’re only in our midtwenties, what’s the rush?

I suppose I should have seen it coming. The “I love you” thing. I’d said yes to living together because I couldn’t see a way of continuing to see Joe if I didn’t. And I wanted to keep seeing him. Like he said, the sex was—and still is—incredible. Also, I’ve never been one of those people who have hundreds of friends. I always say it’s because I’m picky and have a different definition of what the word friend means. And Joe was—is—a friend. He isn’t the only one who likes us spending time together. The way I define friend, I’ve only ever had about four or five, and Joe’s the best one I ever had. It’s not that I’m antisocial or anything, but most people are acquaintances. Some closer than others, but still—acquaintances.

Tonight, I’m on my own on the sofa, some program or other on the muted TV providing a bit of light and movement in the corner. And getting all introspective. Tonight’s one of those late nights for Joe. His job at the Council is on flextime, which looks like an excuse to mess people around, if you ask me. Unlike him, I don’t have unexpected delays at work, because the library at the University has set closing times. It’s a specialized library and I help people find the information and references they need, and assess the quality of their sources, as well as the usual library things. You know, making sure everything’s back where it belongs at the end of each day, keeping our journal subscriptions up to date, chasing down students and staff who don’t bring stuff back when it’s due. But mostly I help people with their research.

I came home to a text on the mobile I accidentally left on the kitchen worktop when leaving for work this morning. I could tell he was pissed off about working late. He doesn’t normally swear in texts. Or any other time really. When he gets in, he’ll need to let off steam about his boss, Penny. I keep telling him he needs to get another job. The trouble is, he likes what he does. It’s just her.

I was disappointed. I’d been looking forward to telling him about my day, finding out about his. There’s always some small thing that’s happened in the day and I need to share it with someone—with Joe specifically. He understands what I’m saying, he gets why it was funny, or sad, or annoying. I like to hear what he’s been up to as well. We sit there after dinner swapping anecdotes, snuggled up on the sofa or one on the sofa and the other in a chair, depending on our mood. I feel like I’ve known him all my life, and even when we’re quiet, it’s comfortable sitting together. I don’t have to make this huge effort to be constantly entertaining, and if a thought crosses my mind I know I can say it out loud and he’ll understand.

So. Where was I? Oh yeah. What is love, and how do you know if what you feel is love? Why should I be worrying about this tonight of all nights, you ask? Well, we’re going away this weekend. Joe’s planned this incredibly romantic weekend in Brussels. I know why. Sunday’s six months to the day when we moved his things in to join mine. If we’re going to start celebrating anniversaries and stuff like that, I need to think about what sort of relationship this is. Is this just good fun, or are we in it for the long haul?

Today’s guest post is from Tempeste O’Riley, here to talk about her inspiration for her latest release, Desires’ Guardian. Don’t miss the giveaway link below!

Inspiration and Insanity…

I’ve been asked many times what the inspiration is for a story or for a certain character, and Chase and Rhys are no exception. However, their journeys inspiration was a lot different than that of James and Seth, so I thought I’d talk about Desires’ Guardian and what led to certain parts of the story. In Desires’ Guardian you travel along with Chase Manning and Rhys Sayer as they work through past pains, current fears, and their wobbly attempt at a relationship.

Once I realized that Chase would have his own story—which was about three chapters into Designs of Desire by the way—I knew his partner would have to be just as strong and contrary to what people perceive him as to handle Chase. The whole time I worked on Designs of Desire I had that thought in the back of my mind, as well as Chase’s development as James’s story progressed.

And before you ask, yes, I knew the secret of Chase’s past long before I began Desires’ Guardian. When I created Rhys, the character screamed out that he was perfect for Chase, but only if he could learn to see past Chase’s façade. Chase was all for this, until Rhys opened his imaginary mouth the first time, lol. You see, the characters write their own stories, I’m merely the biographer of imaginary people. (See, like the title says, insanity.) I know that sounds nuts, but trust me, most authors will tell you their characters are real, at least to them. We live in their heads and hearts as we write their stories, after all. But, the point is, I knew what I was walking into when I agreed to write the story, though I didn’t expect it to be so hard in places to write or experience.

The inspiration for certain parts came from events in the news or in my life. Others came from close friends who’ve shared their pasts and pains with me over the years. None of what you read is “real” as in, happened just as I wrote, but it is real in that these things can and so happen. I take from my imagination and from reality to form the world, people, and happenings in the story. Not an easy thing some days.

In the end, Chase and Rhys did little I expected or planned them to do. I am a panster, but because the next book in the series (Temptations of Desire, set to come out in September) happens at the same time as Desires’ Guardian I had to plot some. That about drove me insane (and we already established authors are a bit bent to begin with, lol). In the end, though, inspiration, stubborn men that don’t really exist, and the insanity that’s me, all came together to form Desires’ Guardian, a story I hope you will take a chance on and love. I honestly put a little of me into everything I write, and hope the end result is something others will find the truth in and enjoy along the way.

Excerpt:

“James, it’s time.” Seth’s voice broke their moment, startling both men. “Gather up your Chase and hurry, please.”

Chase looked over to Seth, confused about what he was referring to. The show isn’t over, so where is he taking Jamie, and what does that have to do with me?

“Oh! Oh, good. Come on, dear.” James pushed him toward Seth and then maneuvered on his forearm crutches to follow behind. Chase followed obediently, confused but moving with the flow of bodies around him.

“What’s going on, guys?” he asked once they were at the front of the gallery. He looked around and noticed there was a large covered frame that hadn’t been there earlier.

Rhys’s brother, Dal, sidled up beside Chase, bending to whisper into his ear, “He’s got one last painting to reveal, but it’s a special one. I heard not even Britt”—the owner of the gallery—“has seen this one.”

“Really?” He peered up at Dal, again noticing how much he looked like Rhys, only a couple of inches shorter and a few pounds lighter.

“Shh… he’s getting ready to speak.”

Chase realized James now stood in front of the painting, smiling again.

“First, let me thank everyone for your warm reception and the wonderful turnout. As some of you know, I don’t really do speeches, but this last painting is special. I debated showing Inner Light, but in the end decided others needed to see the subject as I do.” James moved to the side, releasing his grip on one forearm crutch. He touched the sheet but didn’t move it yet. “You see, sometimes when people reveal who they truly are inside, we find a vile, rotting corpse, but other times, what we find….” He trailed off and touched a recessed panel.

The sheet, which Chase realized was actually a curtain, slid aside to reveal a painting of… him! Well, it was him, but not him at the same time. The artistry was magnificent, but over half his face a lion was superimposed. The lion part even had his ear cuff clipped to the furry ear. Chase gaped, barely noting the gasps and clapping that burst all around him.

Chase moved to the side, trying not to attract attention as questions and praise swarmed James. He couldn’t stop staring at the painting, trying to see how it could possibly be a representation of himself, but couldn’t. He wasn’t powerful or strong like a lion. And while he knew he was decent looking, the man in the painting had an ethereal beauty that dumbfounded him. It was both humbling and uncomfortable to look upon and hear Jamie’s voice in his head saying that was how he saw him.

Chase was startled out of his thoughts when two of his friends, Simon Tyler and Dale Miller, nudged him. “Chase! Did you know about the painting? It’s amazing,” Simon gushed.

Chase shook his head. “I didn’t. He can’t really see me that way, can he?”

“With as much as you’ve done over the years to help and protect him, yeah, I think that’s exactly how he sees you,” Dale replied. “Of course, he’s obviously blind. But then, if he showed you as you really are, no one would buy his artwork.”

Dale and Simon cackled, and Chase glowered at the both of them.

“Maybe he’s trying to make up for conning you into working with Rhys,” Simon suggested.

“Harrumph! I still can’t believe I said yes, but you really think all this was planned? Seriously?”

“Eh, ignore Simon.”

“We’re going out tomorrow night to forget about the sexy ox, so don’t sweat it,” Simon said and winked. “Now, go congratulate James and smile. You look totally wrong with the scowl on your pretty face,” he instructed, turning Chase and pushing him toward the now advancing James.

Desires’ Guardian by Tempeste O’Riley

Desires Entwined series book #2

Most people see Chase Manning as the party-boy twink he seems on the surface. Only James, Chase’s BFF, knows the depth of his loyalty and the extent of the wounds Chase carries inside. When Chase meets Rhys Sayer things don’t go well, but he can’t shake his attraction to the huge, sexy man.

Rhys is a man of contradictions and fear—a strange combination for a PI and bodyguard. He’s in a bad place emotionally when he sets eyes on Chase for the first time. When Chase puts the moves on him, Rhys insults him, thwarting any possibility of a relationship. Rhys doesn’t see himself as a complicated man, but he dreads the very kind of connection he desires.

Just as they’re trying to overcome their uncertainties, Chase is put in harm’s way. Luckily Rhys and their friends have all the right talents to help Rhys save the man of his dreams.

Order: ♥ Dreamspinner Press ♥ All Romance ♥ ♥ Amazon ♥ B & N ♥ Add to: Goodreads

Other Desires Entwined series stories:

Giveaway Link!

About the Author:

Tempeste O’Riley is an out and proud omnisexual / bi-woman whose best friend growing up had the courage to do what she couldn’t–defy the hate and come out. He has been her hero ever since.

Tempe is a hopeless romantic that loves strong relationships and happily-ever-afters. Though new to writing M/M, she has done many things in her life, though writing has always drawn her back–no matter what else life has thrown her way. She counts her friends, family, and Muse as her greatest blessings in life. She lives in Wisconsin with her children, reading, writing, and enjoying life.

Tempe is also a proud PAN member of Romance Writers of America®, Rainbow Romance Writers, and WisRWA. Learn more about Tempeste and her writing at http://tempesteoriley.com.

Website ♥ Goodreads ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥ Google + ♥ DSP ♥ Blog

The awesome Grace R. Duncan is here today to talk about her new novel, No Sacrifice. There’s a giveway, too, so be sure to comment!

First off, many, many thanks to Shae for sharing her blog space with me today. I am here today to talk a bit about my upcoming release, No Sacrifice. Most of the time, research for me involves getting onto Google maps and clicking around an area. I am sure Google has save many an author quite a bit of money in research. Once upon a time, if we wanted to know what a place looked like, we had to hope we had someone who could take pictures for us and mail them to us or we had to actually travel there. But now we have the amazing thing that is the internet. Along with pictures from individuals, we have the wonder that is Google Maps Street View.

When I started to write No Sacrifice, that’s the first place I went. I didn’t live in Southern California. I’d never lived in SoCal. In fact, I’d only ever driven through it a few times. (And that was almost all highway. Yes. Highway in LA. Yes, I was nuts. Moving on…) So, while I had vague information, I had nothing solid. To Google I went and was able to find a place I felt comfortable setting my boys down and started to explore. I managed to get a real feel for what the area looked like, what kind of apartments they’d have, the general restaurants in the area and everything.

Then I got the opportunity to go to BentCon in Burbank last November. By this time, much of No Sacrifice had been written. But I figured I’d be able to see if I needed to change anything, at least. Well, as happens with most cons, I spent the vast majority of the weekend in the hotel.

But I did take a nice walk down to the shopping center and on the last day, the wonderful Rhys Ford took me into the main part of Burbank for a drive through!

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Today Brynn Stein is here to talk about her first year as a published author. Share your own experiences, and be sure to check out her novella, Haunted.

Experiences of a Newbie

It’s coming up on a year since my first book was published. I can’t believe it’s been that long already. The last year has been a fantastic ride, but I found there was a lot to learn and it needed to be a steep learning curve.

I had always wanted to be a writer and never really thought it was an attainable dream. When I found it might be, I honestly thought, getting my story published would be the hardest part. Dreamspinner made that part easy, actually. They walked me through the process, provided talented editors and a gifted artist who produced a fabulous cover. The publishing part really was the easiest part.

It was the all the stuff that came after the book release that I had no idea even existed. Dreamspinner does some PR: sends out the story to various review sites, and creates buy links etc. But that wasn’t all there was to it.

I had no idea what all I needed to do, let alone how to do any of it.  Fortunately, there are a lot of very helpful authors on the Dreamspinner email list, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and other places that were ever so willing to help out. I wouldn’t be able to even begin to name all of the people who helped, so I won’t try. They know who they are and that I will always be indebted to them. I thanked each one personally at the time. But I wanted to take this time to at least mention them in a general sense.

There were people who walked me through setting up a Twitter account and being able to get my book cover to appear on the side of my Twitter page. A small thing, maybe, but at the time, I couldn’t figure it out, so it was a huge help. I was more familiar with Facebook since I already had a personal account, but there were people who helped me set up an author’s page.

There were lots of people who helped me figure out how the heck to use WordPress and to get my blog page to work for me instead of just existing. And I do mean lots of people and lots of help. I found WordPress a little daunting, and still don’t have all the bells and whistles figured out, but my fellow authors were a godsend when I was just starting out.

I also needed a lot of help to figure out how to use Triberr. If I thought WordPress was intimidating, Triberr was downright terrifying. But again, people seemed to come out of the woodwork with tips and invitations to their tribes, and really, just any help I needed.

And, of course, there were lots of people who invited me to their blogs to help me publicize my e-book, Haunted, and they continue to let me visit to keep my name out there (like today’s host, Shae Connor), and people who have already agreed to host me when my new book, Living Again, comes out this summer, as well as when Through the Years comes out in the fall.

I guess the upshot of all of this is that no author can do this alone. Or at least I found that I couldn’t. It took a lot of help from people already in the field. Several of my non-author friends in real life, have been astonished that other authors would be willing to help. “Why would they help possible competition?” A lot of people have asked. And while, I’m not sure I really consider myself competition for most of the very talented authors out there, I haven’t found that attitude among any of the authors I’ve had dealing with. Where it would be quite understandable for people to let fellow authors sink or swim on their own, everyone I’ve ‘met’ seems to have exactly the opposite viewpoint. They seem to welcome newbies into their ranks and go out of their way to make sure we know what we’re doing…to help us be the best we can be…with everything from tips on publicizing to advice on good writing practices and information about conventions, etc.

I’ve been surprised and impressed by the level of care and concern offered by existing authors to me as a newbie as well as to other newbies who have appeared on the scene since. As thrilling as it was, and continues to be, to see my stories in print, it has been an even more eye-opening, and fulfilling experience to interact with fellow authors in such a positive and meaningful way.

No matter how much I’ve already thanked individual’s for their help, I can never say enough just how very grateful I’ve been, and continue to be, to be a part of this fantastic community of authors.

How about you, readers of this blog and possibly fellow authors? What were your experiences when you first started out in this field…whether that be just recently, or long, long ago?  Please comment below. I’d love to hear how our experiences compare, as well as to just discuss this with new friends.

In the meantime, you can contact me, if you wish, at any of the following places:

My blog: http://brynnstein2.wordpress.com

Social media:
https://twitter.com/BrynnStein
https://www.facebook.com/brynn.stein
http://triberr.com/brynn.stein

Dreamspinner page:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_887

You can also sign up to appear on my blog: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Am6LvGXdyttKdGFCcmpQRkw2Nm1Hal9UdVdSRVlqLWc&usp=sharing

Jana Denardo is here today to talk about the location for her new steampunk novella, If Two of Them Are Dead. Thanks for coming, Jana!

Once I settled on Hyde Park, NY, as the backdrop for If Two of Them Are Dead, I knew the victim and her family had to come from money. This small rural town doubled as the home for some of the country’s most wealthy families. The Roosevelts have a home here, though the huge estate you can tour today wasn’t established until about twenty-five years after my story. The house before it was less manorial.

The Vanderbilt mansion would have been a common sight to Abraham Westbrook and in fact, I shameless stole the facade of this house for my novella. It’s an amazing Beaux Art building and not being an architect who can imagine places like this, I rely on visual cues from established homes. Victor, however, is not that impressed by the house. He thinks it looks cold and like a mausoleum.  Of course, once he’s inside Abraham’s home, he’s quite blown away and more than a little intimidated. Victor’s entire dwelling could probably fit in Abraham’s ballroom.

Wealth and classism do play a prominent role in the story. It stands between Victor and doing his job, not to mention between him and Abraham. I placed Abraham and his brother, Benjamin firmly among the legendary 400, who are mentioned in the story (for that matter so are the Vanderbilts and Roosevelts). For those unfamiliar with the term, it came from Mrs. Caroline Astor. The Astors were as close to royalty America had in the late 1800s and she wanted a ballroom capable of hosting her famous parties. It was said that it could hold four hundred people.

Abraham and Benjamin belong to this group. They were born into their family’s astonishing wealth and both have taken it to even higher levels, Ben continuing in the fur and textile business their father left them, while Abraham went off on his own making airship engines and other fantastical steam-driven inventions. However, being richer than Croesus hasn’t always made Abraham happy. He inherited a ton of responsibilities. He has no respect for people in his class who just sit about doing nothing but spending their inheritance. He’s a man who prizes intellect and ingenuity more than money.

Abraham is also very aware that his very wealth is an impediment to solving his sister-in-law’s murder and to him getting closer to Victor. The first problem is one he has no solution for. He knows that people in his social class wouldn’t want to speak to the police, and many see it as an affront that they could be suspects. As for the problem of Victor, Abraham knows the man is uncomfortable with the differences in their classes. His solution is a simple one. Abraham is already something of an outcast for his love of inventing and working with metal. He’d rather be talking to and funding Nikolai Tesla than attending one of Lady Astor’s parties. Playing up the eccentric millionaire gives Abraham the perfect out when it comes to befriending Victor. His determination to pursue the relationship makes all the difference.

Thanks to Shae for having me over!

Called to Hyde Park, New York, ex-Air Corpsman turned detective Victor Van Voorhis comes to only three conclusions about his newest case: the gulf between his status and the wealthy Westbrook family is no trifling matter; someone brutally killed a young mother; and the victim’s brother-in-law is one of the most intriguing men Victor has ever met.

Inventor Abraham Westbrook lost his wife five years ago and is worried about the effect another death in the family will have on his children. He spends most of his time tinkering with steamships, but even his inventions can’t distract him from wishing Victor was in his life for any reason other than a murder investigation—one where Abraham himself is a suspect. He’s hidden his desires all his life, but no longer. Somehow, he’ll catch the detective’s eye.

With murder standing between them and a killer stalking the Westbrooks, Abraham and Victor’s chance at happiness could go up in steam.

Excerpt

Unsurprisingly, wealthymen like Abraham Westbrook thought they were in charge of everything. Victor had expected it, but that didn’t make it any less aggravating when Abraham insisted on meeting his brother at the airstrip. When Victor couldn’t dissuade him, he allowed Westbrook to accompany him in his police-issued horseless carriage to the small strip out on the edge of town, where it wouldn’t bother the well-heeled Hyde Park residents.

From the red, black, and yellow bladder on the airship, Victor knew it was from the Dunn line. There probably wasn’t an airship he couldn’t name after a quick glance. A frisson of grief over his injury-ended career as an airman peeked out of a dark corner of Victor’s mind as it so often did whenever he was at an airstrip. Next to him, Abraham shifted his weight back and forth as they waited for the Dunn ship to dock.

“You don’t have to be here, sir. If you need time to yourself after what’s happened, you could wait in the station.” Victor pointed back over his shoulder at the small but well-appointed building. “Or the automobile.”

Abraham offered a weary smile. “Thank you for the concern, Detective. I need to be here for my brother.”

Victor nodded. He doubted he would be any different. In retrospect, it might be good Abraham had insisted on coming, because Victor didn’t know what Benjamin looked like. He followed Abraham’s lead once the passengers began to disembark. He probably could have picked Benjamin Westbrook out of the crowd based on the stiffness of his posture and the anguish etched into his face.

Benjamin Westbrook was quite different from his brother. He wore a suit—that probably cost half-a-year’s pay for Victor—impeccable in every sense and traditional, stolid deep blue with a white shirt. While Abraham’s hair was longer than was usual and a deep brown, Benjamin’s hair might even be more conservative than Victor’s, a more muddy and unattractive shade of brown. He lacked his brother’s tall, lanky form. Victor knew he had nothing to base it on, but Benjamin’s face didn’t look like he smiled often.

Abraham briefly embraced his brother, and Victor overheard his mumbled “I’m sorry, Ben.”

Benjamin caught his brother’s wrist. “Is it true? Is Permelia dead? What are they doing about it?”

“It’s true. I truly am sorry, Ben.” Abraham beckoned Victor forward. “This is Detective Victor Van Voorhis. He’s going to get to the bottom of this for us, and he has some questions for you.”

Victor certainly hoped Abraham was right. Benjamin looked less convinced. His pinched face was as cold as Abraham’s had been warm.

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Jana Denardo’s career choices and wanderlust take her all over the United States and beyond. Much of her travels make their way into her stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and mystery have been her favorite genres since she started reading, and they often flavor her works. In her secret identity, she works with the science of life and gives college students nightmares. When she’s not chained to her computer writing, she functions as stray cat magnet.

Jana is Queen of the Geeks (her students voted her in) and her home and office are shrines to any number of comic book and manga heroes along with SF shows and movies too numerous to count. There is no coincidence the love of all things geeky has made its way into many of her stories. To this day, she’s still disappointed she hasn’t found a wardrobe to another realm, a superhero to take her flying among the clouds or a roguish star ship captain to run off to the stars with her.

Author Links
http://jana-denardo.livejournal.com/
http://twitter.com/#/JanaDenardo
http://www.facebook.com/jana.denardo

Today’s guest blogger is Suki Fleet, here to talk a little about the inspiration for her new YA novel from Harmony Ink Press, This Is Not a Love Story. Be sure to check out the giveaway information at the bottom of the post!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Shae. 🙂

Since it’s a major theme in my story, I’m going to talk a little about teen homelessness and what inspired me to write about it.

A few years ago now, I saw a kid sitting in a dark narrow alley way in the town where I live. There was a dirty sleeping bag tucked around him, and he was crying. The alley was a thoroughfare from one street to another and, although it wasn’t busy, there were people walking up and down and stepping around him as if he wasn’t there.  I saw no one stop to ask if he was okay. On the corner of the street there was a sandwich shop and I went to get him a sandwich and a hot drink, but when I came out he was gone.

I’ve thought a lot about that kid over the years. I’ve wondered what happened to him and if he’s okay. I’ve wondered why he was sitting there that day, so upset and I’ve wished I just went over to talk to him rather than buying that sandwich. But I didn’t, and I can only hope he got to someplace better.

I didn’t think about writing this story then, but that was the beginning, that was the instance that made me stop and wish I could somehow give some homeless kid a happy ending to their story, because so often there is no happy ending for them, there is no way out of the situation they are in.

Teen homelessness is a huge problem. These kids are vulnerable, and many are on the street because of abuse, neglect and because they’ve been rejected because of their sexual orientation. There are organisations, like Centrepoint in London, that do a lot for homeless teens but it’s not enough, more needs to be done, by everyone.

This is Not a Love Story is the story of two boys’ journey, their struggle to get off the streets. It’s about growing up and it’s about hope. And most of all it’s about love.

When fifteen-year-old Romeo’s mother leaves one day and doesn’t return, he finds himself homeless and trying to survive on the streets. Mute and terrified, his silence makes him vulnerable, and one night he is beaten by a gang of other kids, only to be rescued by a boy who pledges to take care of him.

Julian is barely two years older than Romeo. A runaway from an abusive home, he has had to make some difficult choices and sells himself on the street to survive. Taking care of Romeo changes him, gives him a purpose in life, gives him hope, and he tries to be strong and keep his troubles with drugs behind him. But living as they do is slowly destroying him, and he begins to doubt he can be strong enough.

This is the story of their struggle to find a way off the streets and stay together at all costs. But when events threaten to tear them apart, it is Romeo who must find the strength within himself to help Julian (and not let their love story turn into a Shakespearean tragedy).

Excerpt :

There’s this boy (isn’t there always?), this beautiful, glowing creature who makes me feel alive. Even here, living on the street with all the shit that happens—the cold, the hunger, the terror of spending one more day like this, one more night like this—somehow he makes me want to survive it, despite everything, just to spend another fucking minute in his starry-bright glow.

Even now, especially now, as we stand on the embankment next to the busy main road. This is the red-light district for boys like us. This is where we sell ourselves, one piece of our souls at a time.

Four coins rest in the palm of his hand, the rest hidden in the strap beneath his threadbare sleeve.

He holds them out to me, and I am entranced by the warm gold skin of his wrist—people pay a fortune to get a glow like that, for something he just has naturally.

“For you,” he mouths, fixing his light brown eyes on mine.

Yeah, for me to go and get warm in Joe Brown’s stinking cafe while he gets fucked under the railway arches by some dirty creep who doesn’t give a shit if he hurts him. I wish Julian didn’t act like my big brother. I wish just once he’d trust me to look out for him. I’m not as fragile as he thinks.

But I take the coins, when really what I want to do is throw them into the road and beg him not to go.

He knows, and our gazes lock, the both of us trying to communicate something the other doesn’t understand, or doesn’t want to.

It’s like this every time he gets picked up.

As if on cue, the guy in the car blasts the horn. We both jump.

“Hurry the fuck up,” the creep hisses.

Through the steamed-up car window I can’t see the face attached to the voice, but the rest of him looks old and thin—hands gnarled as the roots of the trees that line this part of the embankment grip the steering wheel. And though I know that his age doesn’t mean he’s harmless, I can pretend, I can hope.

Julian tries to smile, his eyes telling me it will be okay. But how will this ever be okay? I can’t bear it.

But we have nothing.

We are nothing.

His warm fingers brush my cold ones, and I long to grab his hands and pull him away with me. I want to run along the embankment with him until my lungs burst. Maybe I will anyway.

“Twenty minutes,” he mouths.

I nod robotically. He gets in the car and watches me from the window as he’s driven away. I make a note of the color, model, and registration number. Knowing this makes me feel safer: if anything were to happen, I would have a tether, a proof that this car exists and Julian exists within it.

Nothing is going to happen. I bite back a sob. And run.

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Suki has an awesome Kindle Paperwhite sleeve (see picture for samples) and an ebook copy of This Is Not a Love Story to give away! Go HERE to enter.

Author Links:
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