Liza Kay's Blog, page 4

Sneak Peek! :D

Yay! Only ten more days till the release of Marshmallows and the Snow, the first book in the Sweet Snacks series!

To celebrate this special occasion, I’ll offer a sneak peak into the first chapter. Enjoy :)

And if the sneak peak made you curious about Ruben’s adventure, mark the 15th August in your calendar. The book will go online on the eXtasy website first, and on Amazon a week later. 

Sneak Peek into Chapter One:

Just as Ruben was looking for a cozy place in the snow to curl into a ball, a big as fuck and scary owl flapped its huge wings and made those creepy owl-noises. Ruben fell backward and landed on his ass, his heart beat so fast he thought he’d suffer a heart attack. When he let his gaze travel up the tree, the owl peered at him with its bright, yellow eyes. It had this annoyed look going on. Like Ruben was invading its beauty sleep or something.

“Oh, shut up, birdy! I’m the one in deep shit. You’re sitting up there on your branch with your feathery ass still dry, probably digesting your latest snack, while it is poor little me whose feet and balls are freezing off down here. So quit with the bitching.”

The owl’s narrowed gaze sent an unpleasant feeling through Ruben’s body. Uh-oh. Its assessing stare probably meant it was trying to find the best spots to gnaw on as soon as the cold had finished him.

“Sorry, I honestly didn’t mean to piss you off. As a matter of fact, I admire owls. You’re… big and scary and beautiful. And kinda deadly, you know.” Ruben sighed and failed to huddle deeper into his jacket. “Ignore me, okay? Me talking to an annoyed owl means I’ve lost my marbles because of the cold and the fucking dead-end situation I’m currently in. Could you maybe promise to wait with eating me till I’m dead? I guess that beak of yours hurts like a bitch and I think I really deserve a calm death.” Ruben shivered hard. The owl seemed interested enough in the conversation, so he kept on talking.

“Somewhere I read freezing to death feels like falling asleep.” He huffed. “This statement proves that you can never trust so-called experts. Whoever wrote that has probably never been in a freezing-to-death situation. Because I’ll tell you, I don’t feel remotely sleepy and calm.”

The owl shu-huued. Ruben, sure that its reply was meant as an agreement, smiled. “Good owl. See? Now we understand each other.” It flapped its huge, elegant wings again, turning its head to the right. Huh. Maybe it’d sensed another snack under the snow? Ruben hoped not. After their nice conversation, he was fairly sure it wouldn’t attack him and pick out his eyes. He enjoyed its company and talking to it beat arguing with Toby. Big time. Ruben scowled up at it.

“Don’t even think of leaving me. It’s not nice to abandon a dying man,” he admonished. Fortunately, the owl remained on its branch however, kept staring straight into the same direction. It was a bit unnerving. Was something dangerous waiting for him between the trees? Something with sharp teeth and claws that would love to eat Ruben?

He shivered harder, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. “What is it? Do you see something? You could give me a hint, you know?”

Crap. Maybe this was the right time to learn the art of tree climbing. The branches were low enough. The sole question was if Ruben had enough strength left in his frozen hands to, indeed, climb. And he remembered reading that bears were able to climb. Climbing would merely help him in case it was a wolf lurking somewhere. Given the frozen, numb state of his body, he’d probably fall down and onto his scrawny ass. No, thanks.

Suddenly, the owl spread its wings again and took off, sailing a short distance before coming to rest on the next branch. Ruben cursed, following it with his gaze.

Without rational reason, Ruben’s body followed it, too. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was the cold fogging his brain. But they continued this little game five more times. When Ruben considered giving up and calling himself officially crazy, he saw it.

A cabin. Ruben sobbed, part of relief, part of exhaustion. He didn’t see any light in the windows but Ruben didn’t care. In fact, it’d be better if the cabin were unoccupied. He didn’t want to deal with anybody in his current state—namely rumpled, frozen, and heartbroken. Collecting the last of his strength, which wasn’t that much, he gave his feathery companion a thankful nod and scrambled toward the cabin.

He desperately needed to change out of those wet clothes and find something warm to wrap around himself before he caught pneumonia. With its chimney and the wood, chopped and neatly stacked along one outer wall, the cabin looked promising.

Ruben grabbed the handrail with numb fingers, dragging himself up the four necessary steps, and probed the handle. When Ruben pushed at the unexpectedly well maintained and unlocked door, it gave way immediately. He literally fell through the door and onto the hardwood floor with a loud thud. Ouch!

Tears sprang to Ruben’s eyes when his numb and hurting body made contact with the floor. A soft carpet probably would’ve been too much to ask for he supposed. Or a sexy, muscular lumberjack catching him in his strong arms. Ruben groaned at his stupidity, rolled onto his back and merely laid there for a minute. He was so damn tired and cold. Debating with himself if it was okay if he enjoyed a short nap, he looked at the ceiling and listened to the quiet of the cabin.

Only, for an abandoned, empty cabin, it wasn’t quiet. Ruben caught a faint noise, like a floorboard squeaking under a boot and the rustling of clothes. Shit! Wasn’t the cabin as unoccupied as Ruben had thought? And if somebody was at the cabin, why was he lurking in the dark and what would this stranger do to Ruben? Had he made himself guilty by entering the cabin? This was an emergency, after all. So far, every Norwegian he’d encountered had been very nice. Hopefully, the owner of the cabin would allow Ruben to stay for a while and warm up again. If it was the owner of the cabin making those sounds and not a crazy axe murderer.

Ruben heaved to his stomach, and everything but graceful, pushed to his feet. Then he crept farther into the cabin. His breathing was ragged and he shivered from the melting snow dripping from his hair down his neck and back.

Had he been blond, Ruben would’ve felt like the dumb girl in one of those silly horror movies. All that was missing was an even dumber, Hello? Is anybody here?, before the crazy murderer came around the corner, axe raised and a cruel smile on his scarred face.

Turned out there was no axe murderer with a scarred face. Instead, Ruben encountered a very tall, very blond, and very glowering Norwegian in a knitted pullover who pointed his shotgun right at Ruben’s chest. And that was the moment when Ruben, quite spectacularly, fainted.

Tagged: Marshmallows and the Snow, Sweet Snacks

Anthony’s Tailor

Hi folks! So, I’ve just finished singing–although I really can’t sing for shit–and bouncing through my flat. Rooster & Pig Publishing accepted my novel, “Anthony’s Tailor”. It is, I hope, book one in a series about a circle of friends living and loving in Salisbury, Maryland, and will  come in early 2016.

I look forward to working with R&P! That’s so exciting :) Especially because this book is the very first work I ever completed about a year ago. After that, my new hobby just took off, and I continued writing and writing. One day, I just decided to jump into the deep and and send my manuscripts out in the world.

Now, the release of my short story, Marshmallows and the Snow (Sweet Snacks One), is only a few weeks away and it’s a thrilling experience. In addition, I submitted the second book in the Sweet Snacks series to eXtasy books :) Squeee! And I won’t stop! As long as those guys in my head keep talking, I’ll write down their stories and, I hope, will share them with you. 

I wish you all a wonderful morning/day/evening, wherever you are right now :) Take care!

 

Tagged: Anthony's Tailor, Marshmallows and the Snow, Maryland Hearts, Sweet Snacks

Coming Soon from eXtasy Books

Do you like sweet romances? Do you like hot men finding love? Then don’t miss “Marshmallows and the Snow”! It’s book one in my Sweet Snacks series and will be published in mid-August.

When one young, lost Brit and a reclusive Norwegian spend five days in a remote cabin, surrounded by lots of snow, passion ignites.

Ruben, a young man from London, enjoys his first vacation with his first boyfriend in Norway. But soon, the ski-adventure turns into a nightmare. First, Ruben finds Toby fucking one of the hotel’s employees in their bed. Then, in his haste to flee the horrible situation, he becomes lost in the cold woods. And when he finally finds shelter in a remote cabin, the owner welcomes him with a raised shotgun.

Aleksander is stunned when the tiny guy he thought was a burglar faints right in front of him. To make it up to him, he peels the cute slip of a man out of his soggy, icy clothes and tucks him into bed. The meteorologist and self-declared hermit plans to get rid of his guest as soon as he wakes up. Ruben is less than thrilled though.

The blond, Nordic God might have a habit of swinging shotguns, hatchets, or axes, but he’s kind, caring and hot as hell, too. Ruben is instantly smitten and falls hard for the older man. He tries everything to seduce him and even considers to uproot his whole life in London for Aleks’ love. But Aleks has been burned in the past. Can he accept the love and future Ruben offers him, or will Ruben return to London for good?

Tagged: Marshmallows and the Snow, Sweet Snacks

RELEASE DAY – How to Catch a Cheetah is available NOW

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s release day! Finally! How to Catch a Cheetah, my contribution for this year’s Don’t Read in the Closet Event, has gone online today. You can download it FOR FREE here in the formats ePub, Mobi, and PDF. It got an entry in the Goodreads data base, so feel free to check it out there too.

I’m wickedly excited, for this is my first published book ever! If you enjoy funny stories about non-wolf shifters who find their fated mates, check it out. It’s FOR FREE :) And don’t miss the other author’s stories, they’re awesome! New ones get released every day.

Currently, while working on the galley for another release, I’m busy writing the second part of the “How to…” series, so to say. Although I have no idea how, where, or when I should publish it, I just have to write Alan’s and Thony’s story. No worries, you’ll meet them in How to Catch a Cheetah and, hopefully, you’ll fall in love with them just as soon as I did.

I’ll leave you to it, then. I hope you’ll have fun reading the story. If you would like to leave a comment, feel free to do so on Goodreads, or just send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you :)

Cats – Why I love and hate them ;)

While writing the DRitC story, the secondary characters started nudging me to think about their stories, too. :) I’ve got some ideas for another book featuring two of Kei’s fellow pride members: Thony and Alan. They play a big role in Kei’s book and I added a big teaser at the end of the story concerning those two.

Both beta readers, as well as the two annoying cats, demand a sequel now. So I plotted a provisional storyline. Any time inspiration strikes, I write everything down that invades my mind. Lets see how it’s working out in the end. I love both characters, for both fight with their own demons and weaknesses. In addition, I want to handle a certain topic few paranormal stories feature when it comes to fated mates. At least, in my opinion. Maybe I’m completely wrong and just haven’t found those books. :) I’ll keep you posted about the progress, maybe offer some teasers from time to time.

I’m currently busy with another project though. A big one. My very first novel has found a home with a publishing house! Squeee! It’s still freaking me out a bit, but I signed the contract so it must be true and not just a dream :D After celebrating it with my parents for roughly a week, I can’t tell you how many times we clicked glasses with each other. Now I’m preparing myself for the editing work that will follow eventually.

As for the other book (hopefully part one in the Sweet Snacks Series), it’s still in the editing process. I’ll post news as soon as I receive them, such as a cover or a publication date.

I’ll return to my many guys now. The guys living in my head, that is! There’s no secret harem of hot guys in my basement or something creepy like that ;)

Tagged: DRitC, Love is an Open Road, Maryland Hearts, Paranormals, Shapeshifters, Sweet Snacks

A final sprint…

 …down the Love is an Open Road…well…road :D My first draft is done and about 50k long. Right now I’m editing the whole thing before I send it off to the beta reader.

I had such a blast writing about my guys, Djimon and Kei. What’s more, some of the secondary characters stole my heart and they’re pushing me to write their stories, too. Characters and their damn haughtiness :D Guess they’ll eventually get what they demand. They always do. After all, without them, I wouldn’t be able to write my stories.

Here’s a tiny teaser–previously posted in the M/M Romance group–so you can get a feel for the story. As I mentioned before, it’s a very funny shifter story with the main characters being an ostrich (Dji) and a cheetah (Kei).

TEASER:

“I left my flock several years ago. My father gave me an ultimatum I wasn’t happy about, so I packed my stuff and left. I’ve never locked back,” Dji said, not overly keen on sharing his own story. However, it was only fair. Most mates didn’t hide secrets from each other. What’s more, sharing tidbits about his life with Kei wasn’t nearly as painful as he’d thought.

“Was it the gay thing?” Kei whispered, gently patting Dji’s hands where they rested on his mate’s flat belly.

“It was part of it. The concept of male-male mating is not foreign to ostriches. My father is the alpha of the flock though. He wanted me to be is successor and chose some females as mates.”

“What do you mean, some?” Kei inquired, turning to the side so they could look into each other’s eyes. His voice sounded strained, full of barely contained…temper.

Dji swallowed and silently cursed himself. With his dumb comment, he’d jumped head first into a den of rattle snakes. Clearing his throat multiple times, he shrugged his shoulder in an attempt to appear nonchalant. “Lots of ostriches are polygamous. The males have some kind of harem, with one female acting as main hen and the others as…secondary hens.”

Kei gasped, shock clearly written on his cute face. “Polygamous?? Does that mean you have other mates out there? I’m not the only one?” Well, shit. Okay, so there wasn’t anything nonchalant about having to explain polygamy to one’s mate. A possessive, snarling mate, whose claws were, right now, digging through the thick fabric of his jeans.

“No, love!” Dji hurried to explain. “You’re the only one, I swear. The harem thing only applies for those whose true mates are ostriches, too. At least, I’ve never heard of a harem of mixed races. Plus, I’d feel it if the bond were incomplete. It’s not. I knew as soon as I met you that there won’t be another one for me.”

Kei’s face remained pinched and he crossed his arms in front of his lean chest. Shit, shit, shit. How could he convince his mate of his honesty?

Before he saw himself forced to go down on his knees, again, Kei snapped, “There better not be anyone else. My cat couldn’t stand it. And if you ever include another bird into our mating, I’ll allow Alan to relaunch CWF.”

“What’s CWF?” Dji asked, trepidation filling him.

“Chicken Wings Friday,” Kei said.

My cover is finished as well, I only did a few minor changes concerning the font size :) It feels so good to finally hit the home stretch. Deadlines are an evil enemy, and the faster they approach, the more my mind goes “Nah, I want a nap!”

I can’t wait for June, when the first stories of this wonderful event will be published :) There are a lot of awesome prompts (check them out if you’re a Goodreads member already) and I look forward to reading them!

Good morning/day/evening to all of you

Tagged: DRitC, Goodreads M/M Romance Group, Love is an Open Road, M/M Romance, Paranormals, Shapeshifters

Cover Reveal for Don’t Read in the Closet 2015

Hi folks! Here it is, the cover for my contribution to this year’s Love is an Open Road Event. The title and MC names have been revealed in a group game a while ago, so I can share this with you now. As you can see, this is a dissertation about wild cats. NAHH! Just kidding :D “How to Catch a Cheetah” is about–suspense-packed drum roll–a cheetah shifter, Kei Hirota. Out on a run to stretch his legs, he “meets” his fated mate, an ostrich shifter named Djimon Akintola. And so their journey begins.

This will be a fun read, containing: 1) snarky, annoying cat shifters, 2) a slightly swamped, very big bird, and 3) Loooove

Did I mention snarky cats? Anyway, I crossed the 22k words border at the beginning of the week. When I started writing, I thought the whole story would come close to maybe 25k. BUT my MCs kicked my ass, nagging and bitching, and now it seems I’m only half way through. Oh, well, okay. :) Those two guys deserve it! They’re cute, they’re lovely, they’re painstrikingly exhausting. Not only for me but for each other, too. Let’s just see where they’ll take me.

We have another month to complete out stories. However, I’m shooting for middle of April, for the story will need the attention of a beta, and then there’s the editing….you get the picture.

I’ll return to my guys now :)

Have a nice morning/day/evening

Tagged: DRitC, Goodreads M/M Romance Group, Love is an Open Road, Paranormals, Shapeshifters

First Rays of Spring

Mommy shot this wonderful picture last week in our garden. They’re just everywhere now because my mom likes to collect the seeds every year and spreads them randomly :)

So, what’s going on? I’m still very busy with writing the story for this year’s Love is an Open Road Event. So far, it’s moving along pretty well! I decided on the character’s names and a title for the story. Plus, I’m working on a cover :) Those three things are still a big secret, so I won’t tell anything yet. The story-line is still a bit bumpy, but that’s not surprising at all. Every damn time I start writing–armed with a fancy story-line, of course–the characters and the story itself just…develop their own mind and do as they please. They never steered me wrong though, so I think “Whatever! Live and let live!” :D

It’s so much fun writing this story and being able to peek inside my MCs’ heads. They’re still bickering and arguing a lot, stubborn buggers. And their conversations are just hilarious and crack me up ;) But I’m sure they’ll hit–and heat–the sheets very soon. If you’re interested in reading some teasers, you can find them here. You need to be a member of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group though. If you’re not: Join us!! We’re cool, we discuss books, we write reviews, we give tips for reading, and and and…

Have a good morning/day/night folks :) *waves*

Tagged: DRitC, Goodreads M/M Romance Group, Love is an Open Road, Paranormals, Shapeshifters

Love is an Open Road Event – It started!!

“Don’t Read in the Closet” is back and I absolutely adore this event. Main purpose is to celebrate all kinds of relationships between men, no matter if they’re gay, bi, curious, transgender, fluid, GFY, or, or or. If you’re already a member of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group—good for you :) If you’re not, you can check out the event by visiting Goodreads on https://www.goodreads.com/

For those of you who never heard of this before, this is how it works in a nutshell:

Over the last days, members of the M/M Romance Group (a mixed bunch of self-professed reading-addicts who love romance between men, me included ;), and professional writers) picked a picture that took one’s fancy. The pictures vary from very hot nudes to not showing actual people at all.

Next, each participant wrote a quick prompt for a general story idea related to said picture, including individual wishes and big no-no’s. Now, our wonderful moderators reveal the prompts in bunches, and everyone who’s interested can pick a prompt to write the story.

The past year’s stories were wonderful, so I decided to take a more active role this year. It was a very tough decision, what with all the wonderful, funny, intriguing prompts. But then I saw IT. THE prompt that had me laughing like a loon and my creative juices flowing, so to say ;) I’m honored that I managed to snag it and I’ll put my best into creating this story. Plus, I look forward to working with the prompt’s lovely creator.

The picture shows an ostrich in full run, a cheetah chasing the poor thing. Above those two, you can read the line SHITSHITSHIT. It just cracked me up. This is the prompt:

“Dear Author,

The ostrich is a shifter; the cheetah can be as well, if you desire. And this scene should appear in the story at some point. Have fun with it! I want to laugh.

Anything else you want to do with it is fine by me…”

So, prepare yourself for a crazy, funny shifter story :)

I’m very excited.

For all of you who’d like to check out past year’s stories, visit here http://www.mmromancegroup.com/

Have a nice night guys!

Tagged: DRitC, Goodreads M/M Romance Group, Love is an Open Road, Paranormals, Shapeshifters

OMG!

This little guy tried to escape. I got him anyway! Ha! Yet another prince I didn’t kiss, but I don’t have time for guys right now, unless they play a major role in my stories.

Want to know what the news are? I got a contract for my short story “Marshmallows and the Snow”!! *freaks out and jumps up and down* I’m very grateful for the trust in me and my story. I’m so excited and look forward to working with the editor.

I’ll keep you informed ;-)

Have a nice day folks!

Tagged: M/M Romance, Sweet Snacks