A.J. Llewellyn's Blog, page 24

FREE STORY! A Vampire in Waikiki Chronicles Chapter One! Read it Here!

A Vampire in Waikiki Chronicles

Chapter One: Ho’ano ~ Divine Sex

By A.J. Llewellyn

 

Attention Readers: This story takes place a few years after the last A Vampire in Waikiki series ended. Div and Tem’s beloved nephew, Akua is now four and Div and Tem still share their home with Div’s sister Kalani and her life mate, Clancy…I hope you enjoy this new series! There will be a new chapter every two weeks…

Love, AJ xoxo

 

 

Chapter One

 

“So what makes you think you’d be good parents?” the man across the desk asked me.

I held my breath.  It was noon and Joshua Cain already stunk of onions. Why did humans always eat onions? My eyes began to water so I had to breathe.

“You really want a child badly.” Joshua sounded surprised as he pushed a box of cheap tissues toward me. “You have tears in your eyes, Jimmy.”

If it helped our cause there was no need for him to know these were onion tears. I tore off a tissue and held it to my face. Evidently my improv skills needed work. My husband, Tem, looked at me, exasperated. This was so emotional for him, that I spoke for both of us.

“We love children and we have plenty of time and money to take care of one.” I had a hundred reasons I could offer the director of Applewood Children’s Home, but the only important one was that Tem wanted to foster a child. I could feel his tension, his restlessness. We’d been childless for just two days and he was climbing the walls.  Me, I wasn’t. But this wasn’t the time to be feeling sorry for myself. I was so in love with my man I’d even violated my own habit of not being out early in the day. I would have been happy making love to Tem all day. But noooo, he wanted more sticky pizza fingers and bedtime tantrums and…

I glanced past Tem to the windows that overlooked the emerald green grass outside. I think this was what upset him the most. That the children in the home were well cared for but the magnificent land out there belonged to the Disney resort complex next door. The Applewood kids got to see and hear other, more privileged children having a whale of a time all day long as they played with toys donated by strangers on grass that was a lot less attractive.

We’d done our best, ever since Tem found this place, to brighten the kids’ lives. We’d had a blast over Christmas buying a ton of One Direction stuff, iPods, and even iPads for the older kids and anything we thought would make them feel a little bit special.

If, however, I never had to hear Harry Styles belting out What Makes You Beautiful ever again, I’d stay a happily undead man.

This fostering idea had been Tem’s and to be frank I hadn’t been thrilled.

“We want to give an unwanted baby a home,” Tem started to say when I’d lapsed into silence. “We want the sound of a child’s laughter. The running feet, the−”

“There’s more to being a parent than that.” Joshua was being rude now and I didn’t tolerate anyone being rude to Tem. We had been good to him and his staff. Most of our dealings had been with them, but they’d encouraged us to approach him.

“Tem raised his brother and we frequently babysit our nephew. We’ve just had him for a whole month,” I said. No need to mention that Akua, whose name meant godly thunder, but since he was a storm demon he was more thunder and less of a god… And absolutely no reason to mention that Tem and I were apparently the only two people alive, or…undead…or whatever, who could control the little bastard.

No reason at all.

I realized Tem could read my mind and he was getting ready to be very upset. He adored Akua. We both beamed at Joshua who glanced from me to Tem and back again.

“You’ve donated a lot of money to us and you brought Christmas presents for the children last month. Your family has spent a lot of time here with them. The children all love you.” He took a breath.

I sensed a big but coming.

“And of course I’m aware that you do a lot for the community,” he added.

A lot for the community? He didn’t know the half of it. Being Tem’s life mate meant that the sick, stray and completely senile sought us out. Todah, his brother, constantly palmed Akua off onto us. Not that I minded. Not really. I sort of got a kick out of the kid hosing nasty people with fire and poking his little forked tongue out at them. It could be difficult to explain sometimes. I’d also become used to having to fly up to the roof to get him down from there.

“Then what is the problem?” I asked.

“Your wife.” Joshua picked up a piece of paper. “She’s out of the country traveling with her band, isn’t she?”

God. “She’s on her way back.” I didn’t check my watch again. I’d done so many times in the fifteen minutes since we’d walked into the office. We’d had to reschedule two meetings already when Clancy’s tour of Japan became extended and Tem would flip out if she didn’t turn up soon.

How did I explain that Clancy was only technically my wife? I couldn’t tell Joshua that she was my sister Kalani’s vampire mate, and that Tem was mine. I’d married Clancy so she could stay in the country. It was all Kalani’s idea and Tem had insisted on it. I took a deep breath.

“Yes, but she should be here any minute. She’ll be here for another week before heading to Vietnam. She loves children and ah…and my sister lives with us.” I indicated Tem. “My business partner lives in the house, too.”

“Right.” He looked at us. “And so…all of you would be involved in taking care of the child?”

“Absolutely.”

The door flew open and Clancy cluttered in, a violin in one hand and a giant takeout coffee cup in the other.

“I’m here! I’m here!” She looked so pleased with herself. Something was stuck to her blonde hair. It looked like a plastic fork. She seemed exhausted but she remembered to plant a kiss on my lips.

I was surprised she’d made it at all. Kalani was right behind her. Having just collected her wife from the airport after a three-week separation I was pretty sure this wasn’t where Kalani wanted to be. Or Clancy for that matter. They shook hands with Joshua who brightened at the appearance of the two women.

“We were just discussing the possibility of your fostering a child,” Joshua said. His gaze remained riveted to Clancy’s hair.

Kalani seemed to suddenly notice the plastic fork and gently extracted it. Clancy’s blonde curls fell in waves to her shoulders.

I think it was that moment in which Joshua Cain fell in love.

“I saw your concert at Blaisdell,” he said in a hushed tone. “Thank you for giving all the children free tickets.” His gaze flew to the violin case. “Is that…it? The Lady Tennant?”

Clancy nodded. One of the world’s most valuable, highly coveted violins, this Stradivarius had come into Clancy’s possession when the previous owner needed money Kalani had bought it for her on their third wedding anniversary.

Of course he wanted to look at it. Everybody always wanted to look at it. He wasn’t gauche enough to ask what it had cost but most people could Google it and know the previous owner bought it at auction for two million dollars.

The Lady Tennant never left Clancy’s trusty grip if she was traveling with it and once she was home, we kept it in an underground safe.

“Would you like to see her?” Clancy asked.

“May I?” His face trembled with excitement. She moved around to his side of the desk as Kalani sat beside me and squeezed my hand. I felt Tem relaxing on my other side as Clancy opened the case and picked up her prized instrument.

Joshua’s mouth fell into an appreciative o as she put it in his hands.

“It’s so heavy.” He sounded surprised. Everyone who touched it said the same thing. “Beautiful. Just beautiful.” He handed it back to her with a reverent gaze and she secured it once again in the case’s lush purple velvet interior. Clancy must have aimed to impress. Even I wasn’t allowed to touch that piece of wood without a pair of white cotton gloves.

She hurried around to squeeze into a chair between me and Tem.

“Well,” Joshua said, apparently caving in. “I’ve thought about it. And you mentioned a baby but we don’t have any of those. I know you know most of the children here but we have one little boy who doesn’t quite fit in here−”

“What’s wrong with him?” Clancy asked.

Joshua blinked. Her Australian forthrightness could be a real sting in the eye at times but it was a fair question. The man looked pained.

“Nothing’s wrong with him.” He tapped his fingers on his desk for a moment. “Keej came to us under unusual circumstances.”

“Keej, that’s a delightful and unusual name,” Tem said.

Joshua nodded. “His family is hmong, and they come from the mountains of Thailand. It’s a very sad set of circumstances, but his parents and grandparents were killed in a flood there. He was sent to live with relatives on the Big Island and they couldn’t cope with him. They say he is rambunctious.”

“Is he?” Tem asked.

“Well, yes. But it’s more than that. He’s been here for a week and he’s just so unhappy. He picks fights. He won’t eat.”

“Does he speak English?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. He’s five and a half and he’s been living in Kona since he was two. I don’t think he remembers his own language anymore.” He paused and gave me a significant look. “He loves One Direction. Harry Styles is his favorite singer.”

I knew I would never live down having made an ass of myself singing along with that doll on Christmas Day when we visited the home. Word had spread. I was a boy band guy. A further ding to my street cred.

“Can we meet him?” Tem was so excited.

“Of course.” Joshua picked up his phone. I wasn’t stupid. I’ve been a vampire in Waikiki for over a hundred years. I could tell when a human adult thought he was offloading a lemon. Something had to be wrong with the kid for him to be willing to let us take him home.

“Martha,” he said into the receiver, “bring Keej in.”

The door opened a few minutes later and Martha, whom Tem and I knew well, came in, a big smile on her face as she held the hand of a tiny boy wearing blue board shorts that were too big for him and flip-flops in lurid green.

“Hi Keej, I’m Tem, and this is Jimmy, though we call him Div at home. And these lovely women are Clancy and Kalani.” Tem got down on the floor with the kid. “We are so happy to meet you!”

Keej was a handsome boy. His dark hair looked a little dull and he tossed it back from his face. He smiled at Tem who suddenly grabbed him and hugged him. The boy seemed to melt in his arms.

“Oh, Div! He’s adorable!” Tem looked up at me. “Can you take a photo of the two of us together?”

“Sure.” I pulled out my cell phone. I pointed the camera at them trying to remember the complicated configuration for saving the photo.

“Don’t worry,” I said, glancing up at Joshua. “It won’t show up on ebook or facemail.”

Joshua had a look of total surprise on his face. It quickly turned to a grin. “I think you mean Facebook.”

“Right,” I said.

The women took turns fussing over Keej. Me, I was staring at him, trying to figure out why I didn’t want to go near him. There was something off about him. I felt bad thinking so when he seemed perfectly sweet and rather shy, actually, but something shimmered around him. Perhaps, with such a sad beginning, something had clung to him from the other side.

I cast all these thoughts aside as Tem went bonkers over the boy. “Would you like to come and stay with us? Would you like to feed the dolphins?”

Trying to appear cool and with-it, I asked, “You like Super Mario Brothers?”         Keej’s little face lit up. “Yeah!” he screeched. “I want a wii U.”

What? He wanted to wee on me? Joshua was right. The kid was a menace to society.

“A wii U, Div,” Tem said quickly. “It’s the hot new video game console.”

“Right, right.” God I was such a damned dinosaur. “We got some for the kids for Christmas.” We’d also given Akua the Super Mario Brothers but at the age of four, he was so advanced being a supernatural being he’d labeled Mario a pussy.

Within minutes, Joshua began organizing Keej’s release papers. The little boy would be coming to stay with us for four weeks and if all went well, this would be extended.

“Is there anything we should know about him?” I asked as Martha led a reluctant Keej away from us to pack his things.

“He didn’t come here with much.” Joshua frowned. “Most peculiar thing.” He glanced at the file in front of him and back at us. “His relatives on the Big Island burned all his things. They took him to the police station saying they could no longer care for him. They wouldn’t say why they burned everything. They said it was the custom in Thailand, but frankly I think it was devastating for Keej. He cries a lot and sometimes wets his bed.”

He stared at Clancy. “Since you’ve been to Thailand and you’ve traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, I thought Keej would be a good fit for you. He needs a lot of extra attention. With all of you involved, maybe it’s the tonic this little boy needs.”

My thoughts were racing. I had a terrible feeling something sinister was going on. People of Asian cultures only burned things to destroy a curse, or an evil entity. I’d come across an imu-gami when I’d first met Tem. I’d recognized it as other-worldly but hadn’t been able to identify the vicious dog-ghost. With the help of a Japanese odaisan, I’d destroyed the spirit that had attached itself to Todah.

Oh, man, would I have to get help once more?

I tuned back into Joshua’s monologue. “In the meantime, Martha will be your caseworker and she will be making unannounced house calls to you, approximately once a week. The state of Hawaii’s  Child Support Enforcement Agency will also be kept in the loop.

“You can expect a visit from them if Martha files anything negative, but hopefully it won’t come to that.”

Clancy and I signed a bunch of papers and we all rushed outside to await Keej. As soon as Martha brought him out he rushed right into Tem’s arms. Everybody loved Tem. He was love personified.

I took hold of the small backpack with Keej’s meager belongings. Kalani and Clancy hugged us all. We urged them to go home and enjoy each other.

“We’ll make dinner,” Clancy said. “Something special for Keej. Do you like hamburgers, Keej?”

The little boy nodded then buried his face in Tem’s neck.

“We want to take Keej shopping,” Tem said. He put the kid into the child safety seat we used for Akua in our SUV, and buckled him into it. Keej discovered a couple of Akua’s books in the seat pocket in front of him and pulled out Dora and Diego’s Adventures. He kept himself busy as we drove to the Ala Moana Mall.

Our first stop was Gap Kids where Tem went mad buying Keej all kinds of cool shorts and tops, some swim trunks, and underpants and socks. At the Reef store, we got the kid some board shorts that fit and flip-flops that matched. At the computer store, which I owned, the staff went gaga over him.

“He’s so well behaved,” Greta the store manager said. Yes, he was a big improvement on temperamental Akua for sure.

We picked up a wii U and a couple of games for Keej then dovetailed into the bookstore where he chose half a dozen books to read.

“Can we go for a swim?” he asked, his voice a nervous whisper.

He was really a sweet little guy and I was feeling bad about my dark thoughts. Maybe he wasn’t cursed. I mean, I couldn’t really see anything. It was something I sensed, and of course, what Joshua had told us.

“Of course we can go for a swim,” I said.

Tem and I exchanged grins. This was actually novel for us. Maybe the kid was normal after all. Akua was highly allergic to water. Something had gone wrong when he was born and as a rare hybrid of vampire and storm demon, he had to be bathed very carefully with a moist sponge. He certainly had never jumped into a body of water in his life.

“We should take him to Duke’s,” Tem suddenly said.

Uh-oh. I could see His-His-and-His Aloha shirts in our immediate future.

I wasn’t wrong. I drove to the Outrigger Hotel on Kalakaua Avenue, the nice end with the posh boutiques, as Tem sat in back with Keej, redressing him in new threads. He stashed all our new purchases in the cargo hold and quickly changed into board shorts we kept in back as I rolled into the valet entrance of the hotel.

The child looked positively stylish in a new pale blue T-shirt, matching board shorts, and black and blue flip-flops. As we passed the Aloha shirt shop, Tem walked in and asked if they had any vintage shirts in the same pattern for all three of us.

“I’ll find some for you,” the store clerk promised, dollar bills dancing in his eyes. He had Tem’s cell phone number already and we went on to Duke’s.

Keej seemed excited as he looked out at the thatched umbrellas at the outdoor tables and to the ocean beyond.

“Would you like some lunch first or a swim?” Tem asked the little boy.

“Mmm…a swim.”

Tem took him to the beach while I waited for a table that was outdoors but shady enough that I wouldn’t melt into a vampire puddle before I’d had a single drink.

I could see Tem, who’d left their shirts and shoes with me, striding into the water. Man, I loved his hot ass. Keej squealed with joy as they plunged into the water together.

A harried waitress found us a table and I sat, ordering a mai tai. I was in a thoroughly good mood by the time Tem and Keej returned. Being mated vampires, Tem and I could read each other’s thoughts.

Not a single tantrum. Not one moment of fussing, he telepathed to me.

I nodded. Smiling at Keej I asked, “What would you like to eat?”

He looked saucer-eyed. “I can choose?”

“Of course you can choose. What’s your favorite thing in the whole wide world?”

“Hamburgers.”

“Hmm…mine too. We’re having hamburgers for dinner but since this is a special day we can have them for lunch as well. You like French fries?”

“Yeah!”

This day was getting better and better. We could take this kid out with us. He didn’t pick up his utensils with his feet. He laughed and listened and ate. He took tentative bites of his mahi mahi burger, which he switched to after I ordered one. He liked the fried fish, but took a little coaxing to eat more than a few bites. He seemed shy one second, excited the next. He loved the fries and chocolate shake we ordered and his eyes grew dreamy when he saw the hula pie the waiter brought for all three of us to share.

I took a photo of him and Tem sharing a spoonful of whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce and that’s when I saw the shimmer again. It was all around him. Something tall.

Tem was unaware of it, for which I was grateful. I’d have to call on our family matriarch, Blossom, and ask her for another favor. I didn’t want to, because her return favors were usually unpleasant, but we were going to need help. Whatever had attached itself to Keej was lying in wait.

Blossom had found the last odaisan for us but Tem had been forced to kill him after he tried to kill Akua.

I tried to keep my thoughts neutral because I didn’t want my husband to read my fear. He was so happy in this moment, I wanted nothing to spoil the simple pleasure he took in enjoying this afternoon with Keej.

After lunch, we walked on the beach, another rare pleasure. The three of us danced and chased waves across the sand, winding our way back to the hotel. We retrieved the SUV from the valet guys and headed home.

Little Keej picked up the book he’d been looking at earlier but it slipped through his fingers as he fell asleep.

“He’s wonderful,” Tem whispered.

I agreed. I had to. We drove home in silence, holding hands. I was pleased to see that a few holiday decorations remained on some people’s houses. I wished every day were Christmas.

 

Back at our house on top of the Tantalus Mountain, Keej awoke, full of curiosity and joy when he saw Kalani riding up to us on horseback. The little boy went nuts when he met Lono, one of our sweetest horses.

“Would you like to ride with me?” she asked Keej who jumped up and down with excitement.

“He needs a helmet,” Tem insisted.

“Tem, are you kidding me? This is me you’re talking to. I won’t let anything happen to him. Children on the islands don’t wear helmets on horseback.”

I lifted Keej up to her and he giggled as she settled him protectively in front of her. This was one hobby she’d been unable to share with Akua, because although he liked the horses, they were spooked by him.

She seemed to be really digging Keej. I dutifully photographed them together. He looked so small and sweet up on that horse with my raven-haired, leather-clad sister.

“Go have some fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows at us and turned Lono around. “We’ll see you a little later.”

“Giddyup!” Keej shouted, giggling.

My sister laughed.

I didn’t need sex permission in writing. I helped Tem unload the cargo hold and we took everything inside. We’d prepared for this day but it was still a surprise to be taking the things we’d purchased for Keej into the room we’d picked out for him.

We dumped the bags as Clancy walked in.

“He’s so cute,” she said, “but Kalani says he has a shimmer.”

“A shimmer? What’s a shimmer?” Tem’s head whipped back and forth.

“I think he has a ghost attached to him,” I said, keeping my tone light.

“Oh. Well, that’s not a surprise really, considering his whole family died. Div, do we have time to jump into bed really fast?”

“Of course we do.”

“Go,” Clancy said. “I’ll keep him busy once they come back inside.”

Tem looked worried. “We won’t be long.”

“Relax, sweetie.” She put a hand on his cheek. “He’s not Akua. He won’t set fire to anything. I can almost guarantee it.”

 

Tem and I raced to our bedroom, where our cat, Moontime, lay on Tem’s pillow. He lifted a languid eyelid and peered up at us. He tolerated some light petting before revealing his teeth. Moontime was a nap guy and we’d just invaded his privacy.

We fell on the bed, hugging and kissing, trying to avoid his lordship. I soon forgot everything except the taste of chocolate on my husband’s tongue and salt on his beautiful, caramel-colored skin.

He moaned each time I came up for air and kissed his mouth. I moved back down his body, wanting to lick every inch of him at once. For a moment, I paused gazing down at him.

Being with him was Ho’ano. Divine Sex. I couldn’t get enough of him, but then as I moved in for a kiss, I could read his thoughts.

Poor little Keej. His hair should be shiny. I’ll wash it and condition it. We should take him to the dentist and check his teeth. His breath’s kinda stinky…

“Hey!” I protested.

He gazed up at me, a guilty look on his face. “Sorry, Div. I adore you. I just…”

His gorgeous, sensuous lips formed into a sexy grin as I began undressing him. When his breath began turning ragged, I knew he’d tuned back into me. Yeah! Me!

When I’d liberated his cock from his tight-fitting jeans, he went crazy as I began to suck him. He pushed at my shirt, fumbling for the buttons. I raised myself off him, hastily tossing off all my clothes.

I got back on the bed and pushed his board shorts off his legs, licking and sucking as I went. I went back to his mouth for another kiss.

Chocolate salty caramel. Hmmm…

He lay on his side, trying to get to my cock but this was my fuck. I wanted to pleasure him. I hoped the girls could manage Keej a little while longer. Quickies had become a part of our repertoire thanks to our unruly nephew−

“Hey!” Tem said.

Oops. He’d been reading my thoughts. I returned to his hot, wanting cock after lavishing attention on his beautiful hip. I loved every inch of this man.

He gasped as I sucked on his huge, meaty cock, drawing it into my mouth tightly. I worked him with serious intentions, but as soon as I detected some pre-come, I pulled right off him, moved to his back in spite of his murmured protests, and began licking from his neck to his fine ass.

I’d been coveting a piece of it since I’d watched him wade into the ocean without me.

I got to his crack and lifted his left leg. He clutched at the bedding as I gave him a lavish tongue bath, running my tongue from his asshole to his balls and to his cock. I pulled it down so that I could suckle the head, giving him both pleasure and a small amount of pain in this position.

His ass kept humping my face and I pointed my cock at his hole. His lovely, long hair fell over his shoulders as I kissed him and began to enter him. He trembled against me, longing for contact. I jabbed into him, loving the tightness, the depth I craved.

I was fully in him. I fucked him with steady strokes, reaching between his legs for his cock. His left leg came up even higher and he leaned against the bed, bracing himself as I began to fuck him faster, harder.

The fusion of our souls never failed to astonish me, our fire dance swamping me.

“Oh, Div, Oh, Div,” he muttered as his ass clamped down on me. I came with a roar, Tem shooting into my hand. His hot cream fell over my fingers and I lifted them to my face.

So much better than hula pie.

It was hard to pull out of him but we showered quickly and changed, Tem and I eager now to spend more time with Keej.

“We can get his room set up,” Tem said. “Do you think he’ll get along with Moontime?”

“Let’s hope,” I said.

Next to us, Moontime was the only other being in the world who could handle Akua. I knew the cat was still sulking because Akua had left.

Moontime would punish us with a good long fume, I knew.

 

We came out of the bedroom to a flurry of activity. Kalani and Clancy were running, trying to separate Keej and…Akua.

Akua? What the hell was he doing here?

“Todah dropped him off.” Kalani didn’t look pleased. “He said Akua’s been impossible since they got him home. I said we’d take him, of course, but he freaked out when he saw Keej. Keej just wants to play but Akua…”

Her voice drifted away as a sad-faced Keej stood beside her.

“Take Keej into the kitchen, get him some milk and cookies,” I said. I was stunned to see Akua hiding behind a wing chair.

Kalani took Keej away, a shocked Clancy following them.

“Div, what is it?” Tem asked. “What’s going on?”

It took us several minutes to coax our nephew out from behind the chair. As always I was stunned by his beauty. He was a handsome little boy with his mixture of Hawaiian and Moari blood. He looked so much like Tem and Todah, yet, he was a little monster.

Literally.

Neither Tem nor I had ever seen Akua afraid of anyone or anything, but he trembled in my arms.

“Make him go away,” he whispered, sounding terrified. He wound his arms around my neck. “Please, Uncle Div. Please.”

Tem’s voice flew into my brain. Div, what is it? What does Akua see in Keej?

It took me several times of asking Akua what he saw before the child spoke.

“I saw it.” His voice was a whisper, his eyes darted from side to side.

“I saw it,” he said again, his face crumpling.

“Darling,” I said, “Akua, please tell me what you saw?”

“Zashiki Warashi,” he whispered, his eyes huge, his expression panicked.

“What the hell is a Zashiki Warashi?” Tem sounded near hysteria.

I wrapped my arms around my nephew a little tighter.

“They’re parlor children.”

Tem gaped at me. “And what the hell does that mean?”

“Ghosts of children left to die, or disposed of after birth.”

The words hung between us for a moment. I took a deep breath and went on. “They can be playful, or very violent.” I let that sink in before adding, “Only children can see them.”

“So which one is he…or has him possessed? Playful or violent?” Tem looked worried now.

“No idea. I guess we’re about to find out.”

 

 

New Beginnings

By A.J. Llewellyn

Hey Gang!

It’s a new year and I’m pleased to announce some big changes for me. A huge portion of my back catalogue came up for contract renewal but I have decided to let them lapse and the rights to these books have all reverted back to me.

My babies have come home!

I have new publishers and upcoming covers etc. for most – and am very excited to be doing new Phantom Lover series, Mingo McCloud series, Waikiki Vampires series stories etc. but will not be announcing anything definitive until contracts are signed – I believe it’s bad luck to do so

My many collaborations with the divine D.J. Manly – including the Black Point series (with new books) and Blood Eclipse will also have new homes…

Anyway, in the meantime, to celebrate, I want to let you know I will be doing some free stories in my Waikiki Vampire series and to kick this off, my lovely friend, gay porn director John Bruno gave me the astonishing gift of this cover for what I am calling the Waikiki Vampire Chronicles. The cover art features the simply divine retired gay porn star Leo Giamani. He could only look better if he had fangs.

These stories will appear for free on my blog starting this weekend so stay tuned!

As soon as I have firm release dates for the re-released books I will let you know. This is the best place to check, right here on www.ajllewellyn.com and you can always email me. I love hearing from you guys!

Happy New Year and many blessings to you ALL,

Aloha oe (love forever),

A.J.

Oh, What a Circus!

 

By A.J. Llewellyn

Last night, the BCC, the first-ever GLBTQ synagogue established in Los Angeles celebrated 40 years of service to its community.

As is typical with the BCC, the celebration included much music and laughter but there was also a sad reminder, as Rabbi Lisa Edwards told us that the previous day, December 1 was World AIDS Day. Not one person at the concert has been unaffected by the AIDS epidemic. We have all loved and lost somebody and yes, as she pointed out, we all wished our loved ones were there to sit beside us. She pulled a chair up on the stage and the irony was not lost on me that unlike the hateful, embarrassing rantings of a certain Academy-Award winning actor who used this ruse recently to abuse an Invisible Obama, the message here was one of love. Compassion. INCLUSION.

There were some bittersweet moments in the show but most of it was fun and always inspirational. It starred of course, the divine and dynamic BCC Cantor, Juval Porat who recently recorded a CD called Insight.

He performed many songs, explaining their origin and their meaning as  he introduced a dazzling array of talent helping him perform some truly unforgettable numbers. I was particularly impressed by his duets with rising cantorial  superstar Tamara Wolfson.

I also loved the impassioned “show tune, because every concert needs show tunes” rendition Cantor Yonah Kliger gave of the brilliant, vocally difficult “Oh What a Circus” from the musical, “Evita.” He pointed out that Mandy Patinkin, Ricky Martin and Antonio Banderas have all portrayed the late revolutionary Che Guevara in the musical, but having seen two of these versions, I believe his performance rivals any of theirs. As the Cantor asked us to chant “Evita!” before he sang, I really became transported. I felt I’d gone back in time to Buenos Aires and this was a gift of his performance. I was part of the crowd at the steps of the mansion, clamoring for the queen…

Oh, yes, it was a circus.  But of the delicious, never-to-be-forgotten kind, not the “whip-the-ponies” kind of circus, though I am sure a bit of whip-wielding was part of the rehearsal process to prodice such effortless grace and harmony.

So many songs, so many gorgeous voices. I was thrilled to be introduced to so much talent, including visiting Cantor, David Berger, whose spirited version of “Psalm 150″ was a treat. I also loved listening to the rich vocal work of Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel and the charming harmonies shared by Cantor Juval Porat and Jaclyn Fromer.

Then there was the choir. Oh, the choir! This was ensemble work at its best. The musicians who were all amazing featured the fabulous TJ Troy on drums and percussion. I’ve seen him perform in accoustic services at BCC so it was fun to see him open up and kill those drums.

But perhaps the defining moment came when Juval Porat performed the last song of the evening on his own. “Elu D’Vorim”, a song he heard on a recent trip to Israel, inspired him, he told us. Somewhere up there in the sky as he returned to LA, not here, not there, crossing the invisible dateline, he came to some realizations and down here on earth, we have too.

Juval Porat is a gift to us all. A gift I hope he continues to give us for a long, long, long, time.

I am reminded of another song from “Evita”, “High Flying, Adored”. Yes, he is.

Last night, Cantor Juval Porat’s circus came into town.

A big, beautiful circus filled with light and love.

And so much more.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Bah, Humbug!

By A.J. Llewellyn

As a kid growing up in Australia, humbugs seemed to be a Christmas candy supposedly eaten mostly in winter and yet our Christmases were in the summer. I hated having a hot Christmas. I wanted to be like the rest of the world. I wanted snow and ice and winter lollies that were supposed to be eaten in winter!

Instead, we would spend the day at Bondi Beach – right outside our door – and our lunchtime snacks of lime cordial and vegemite sandwiches with sand dusted through them seemed right in the heat, but at night we had a big, British-inspired Christmas dinner.

And it was hot! Damned hot.

Of course, with my sweet tooth, pudding with brandy butter and bowls of boiled lollies scattered around the house made up for the long, hot meal in the middle of a long, hot summer.

Humbugs. Until I moved here in 1984, I had no idea that most Americans didn’t know what a boiled lolly was, not to mention a humbug.

They thought I was referring to Dickens and kept saying, Why do you keep saying humbug? What’s wrong?”

Nothing was wrong. Except, I craved humbugs. They seemed perplexed to learn that humbugs were candy, not just an expression of dissatisfaction.

My friends in London and Sydney used to take pity on us US-transplanted Aussies and send us VHS tapes of TV shows. Occasionally, they’d send me bags of Barrett’s boiled lollies and I got to have my humbugs – and eat them, too.

This was very nice but they seemed to have no idea that we couldn’t watch those videos here since the US is on a different frequency. So all I saw was snow.

It wasn’t until I went to London one Christmas and walked into an old-fashioned candy shop and saw jars and jars of humbugs that I felt once again at home. I bought bags and bags of the stuff to bring to my friends back here in LA. The following year when I went back to London for Christmas again I got many requests for more humbugs. Thankfully now, one can buy them at some of the British tea shops that have sprung up around the country but to me they just don’t taste the same.

I’ve tried making my own – yes, I truly did. I won’t tell you how badly they turned out. I didn’t get the perfect stripes. More like a drunkard’s version of swirls and smears. But, I digress.

Christmas to me is humbugs. The tasty kind. Not the grumpy kind. What about you? What candy do you associate with Christmas? Please let me know. I’ll be selecting two winners! They will each receive a free eBook of my Christmas titles from my backlist OR one of my upcoming Christmas releases – Sex and Candy at Total-e-Bound or Eynhallow from Amber Allure, once they become available. They will also receive a free bag of humbugs!

Bah, Humbug!

A.J.

 

Slow Dance: Orgasmic Texas Dawn Book 3

OUT NOW!

Purchase Link:

https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/new-release-c-1/products_id/1231/?zenid=b434f7ecfab261e94bf294b1a786b505

Canadian detective Kieran Fox goes undercover to infiltrate a violent drug ring. US Marshal Jubilee Mason is worried about him, but has his hands full hunting one of the most wanted men, recently spotted in a Lone Trail brothel…

US Marshal Jubilee Mason is separated from his lover, Canadian detective Kieran Fox, who goes undercover infiltrating a violent drug ring. Jubilee worries about Kieran throwing himself into his undercover assignments, and this one almost destroys him. Meanwhile back in Lone Trail, Jubilee is on the hunt for one of the US Marshals’ most wanted men; a former detective who murdered his wife and has been seen in an unlikely place–a brothel–by an even more an unlikely witness: Dillon DePriest, the newly reinstated, happily married Sheriff of Lone Trail…

Pick up your copy today!!

It’s Our Party and We’ll Give You a Kindle Fire!

By A.J. Llewellyn

Yep You got it right! My fellow Midnight Seductions Authors and I are celebrating our group’s fifth birthday and we’ve dug deep to pool our resources to give one lucky reader a gift – a Kindle Fire!!

All you have to do is click the link below and enter your name to enter the draw. We are having a three-day blog hop so post comments on every participating author’s blog to qualify to win other cool prizes!

In the meantime I want to add a few words about birthdays and how I CANNOT believe I’ve been writing gay erotic romances for FIVE years! Seems like thirty! Naaaahhh…kidding.

In the five years I’ve been pestering you folks with my latest releases and Facebook posts (back when I started, MySpace was the king of social media) but anyhoo, I’ve seen a lot of trends come and go, publishers come and go, authors good and bad come and go and I’ve seen cake.

Plenty of cake.

I do like to eat cake and I blame author Amelia June for once telling me that one should eat cake when writing sex scenes.

My brain refuses to let go of this idea. I dream of cake. Big, luscious gobs of gooey cake. I’ve tried eating fat free muffins. I’ve even tried my cousin’s recipe that involves flax seed. Let me tell you, unless you relish the idea of spending hours in the bathroom, don’t cook with flax seed.

I’ve tried candy. Fat free and otherwise. I’ve tried chocolate. It comes a close second to cake.

Damn you cake. I love you!

I don’t eat it often. Not as often as my tiny mind would like but judging by my girth my brain and body think I have. I go by the reward system as a way to ease my cake-free world. A cupcake for every 10,000 words I write. This has worked well but lately I’ve been sort of cheating myself. Yes. I confess. I’ll allow myself some sort of cake per thousand words. Yes, soon I’ll be the size of a house boat.

As for the kinds of cake I like, I must admit I don’t go for healthy stuff much (see above) and I am not much of a cake baker. Perhaps this is a good thing. I have to buy my cakes. I did at the suggestion of my friend, author Silver Pixies try the Martha White packet mixes.

Oh, dearie me. They work. They are tasty. My fork is ready. I even went online and Googled Martha White. She has a packet mix for blueberry coffee cake. Even a cake dunce like me can manage that! I see cake in my immediate future.

Damn you Martha White. You feed my addiction. I love you! Can you possibly rustle up a red velvet mix? I love everything else you have that I’ve tried. My love scenes depend on your response…

And what about you my darling readers, authors, friends, co-conspirators? How do you celebrate birthdays, word counts or anything else you consider a milestone? Do you love cake?

Please click the link here to enter the draw for the swell Kindle Fire!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And please leave a comment to enter the draw to win one of my ebooks – reader’s choice!

Important note: Please check out the MSA blog for other blog links! http://midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com/

Party on!

A.J.

 

FULL

One of my favorite and most personal stories is OUT NOW!

Barney loves food. He loves to love food, but food doesn’t love him. It has ruled his life and wrecked his relationships. Will he ever feel…full?

Barney Calloway is a super-successful voice-over actor in Hollywood. He is, however, extremely overweight. He has struggled with his weight his entire life. Things come to a head when he demolishes half of his sister’s birthday cake before she can even set eyes on it.

Leaving her house after her party is over, he finds a business card tucked under his windshield wiper with only one word:

Full.

On the reverse side of the card is a toll-free number which, out of curiosity, he finally calls. A woman’s voice tells him his order has been processed. Order? What order? He awakens the next morning to find he’s lost one hundred and three pounds. Overnight, he’s gone from being a lard ass to a hot ass and nothing will be the same again…and unbelievably, all the changes aren’t necessarily for the better. His family members’ reactions are weird and his old love, Diego, really struggles with the new Barney.

Will Barney ever have the life and the love he craves? And will he ever really feel…full?

Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Sins of Autumn anthology by Total-E-Bound.

Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product....

‘AILANI: THE LAST WARRIOR BOOK 1 – OUT NOW!!!

Purchase Link:

https://spsilverpublishing.com/produc...

After a bad breakup, Lio rents a cheap house with magical views. It seems the perfect solution, but the house has a haunted connection with an ancient statue. Once unearthed, it gives Lio the power of… THE LAST WARRIOR…

When Lio’s lover cheats on him he’s forced to give up what he thought was an idyllic romance he’s lived with Maks, including their stunning, scenic Waikiki apartment. He rents a cheap house on the other side of the island which has magical views so why is it so cheap?

He soon becomes haunted by dreams in which a fearsome yet sexy Hawaiian man begs him to rescue him from the garden. Lio is certain he’s going nuts until one night in the midst of a tropical rainstorm he follows the man’s urgings and digs a hole in the yard. He finds a gigantic, ancient stone statue with scary eyes… that soon gives Lio the power of… THE LAST WARRIOR…

 

WINTER HEAT is HERE!!

WINTER HEAT, a piping hot collection of stories from some amazing authors and ahem, me, is OUT NOW! We are a group of authors who love men and belong to a group dubbed It’s Raining Men and this is the second antho I’ve been in and I’m stoked!

Purchase Links:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Heat-Ero...

All Romance eBooks:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com//prod...

Here are the story blurbs:

Daniel B. Johns – Mirrors In The Attic

My name is Stanley Nelson and I am a psychic working with the Boston Police. My notoriety comes from a voice in my head. When evil threatens my life I run to free the only person who can help me, Luchien. Along the way, I meet Deke Bridges, a Nantucket handyman who harbors a secret that ties us together. Will good win out over evil? Can love survive no matter what the cost?

My name is Stanley Nelson…wish me luck.

Kimber Kahn - Fated

Home. Family. To most, those words bring thoughts of safety and joy. To Ryan Daniels, they bring guilt and pain. Returning to the place he grew up, the place he left behind, he finds something he never bargained for and didn’t know he was missing until the afternoon he bumped into Stuart Vaughn. Can Stuart be what Ryan needs to rearrange his perceptions? Are some things truly Fated?

CR Guiliano – Unexpected Winter

Abbott Wilson couldn’t believe he’d finally made the trek into the Arctic, above the Arctic Circle, in the dead of winter. A dream come true, a challenge to himself that he finally mastered. What he hadn’t counted on was getting trapped in a deep ravine and the masculine and gorgeous man that saved him.

But Iluak was as quiet as he was beautiful. Abbott was strangely drawn to Iluak, but the closer he tried to get, the stranger Iluak’s behavior became and Abbott wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then, Abbott pushed too hard and found himself in a waking nightmare. Or was he?

Julie Lynn Hayes – Son of a Preacher Man

Levi Thornton is the closeted gay son of homophobic televangelist Marshall Thornton. So what’s the perfect gift for the father who never cared? Levi’s going to find a yummy young man on Christmas Eve, fuck him all night long and six ways to Sunday. And then he’s going to out himself on live national TV on Christmas Day in front of his father and God and everyone else.

The problem is he’s having no luck at finding that special someone to share this moment with. Just when he thinks his quest is hopeless, in breezes Darjeeling Crane, and it’s off to the family hideaway for a night of fun. This will be a Christmas to remember, if Levi has anything to say about it.

Patricia Logan – Over the Road

When Trace Martin, Kyle Kincaid and Ryan Harris plan to take a winter getaway, they decide to try out RV camping. What better location to go in the dead of winter than Aspen, Colorado to hit the slopes. What they didn’t count on was what it would be like to be crammed into a tiny bed with a generator that doesn’t work. The boys have to resort to making their own heat and what better way than what works best. Join the lovers for the fun, sex-filled adventure into the snows of the Rockies and all the twists and turns of driving over the road.

Donya Lynne – Snowed In Truth or Dare

Rick’s life isn’t what he had imagined it would be in his mid-thirties. His wife is cold and resentful, his children treat him like a figurehead instead of a father, and his sex life is nonexistent. A hunting trip with the guys the weekend after Thanksgiving is just what the doctor ordered for him to reclaim his man card and give him back a sense of dignity. But when a blizzard snows in the four men, a game of poker turns into a game of Truth or Dare that’s anything but kid stuff. When the dares grow out of hand and the truth comes out about his three companions, will Rick succumb to temptation, as well as to his new feelings for his best friend? Or will he decide that his joyless marriage isn’t all that bad, after all?

Ike Rose – December’s Dilemma.

The Master of My Passion series. started in the story A Midsummer’s Night Pickup in the Hot Summer Fun anthology, continues. On their first Thanksgiving together as a couple, actor and singer Hans Rath discovers that complications can result from his being of a different faith than his older lover, world-famous playwright and author Theodore (Teddy) Behr. Pappa Bear is very proud of his Jewish heritage, and reluctant to celebrate Christmas in his home – the one he’s told his beloved Goldilocks is their home. Can they compromise?

T.A. Webb – His Name was Harley Manfield

They were the Three Musketeers and friends for almost twenty years. But when tragedy strikes the group, how will they be able to move forward this Christmas?

A.J. Llewellyn and Serena Yates - Cat vs Dog

C.A. Tallus has gone to Gay Ski Week in Aspen in search of snow, sex and…a dog? No. No. No.

C.A., or Cory to his friends, hates dogs. Hates them. Especially little ones, which are usually smarter than big dogs and know there’s something…unusual about Cory. And of course there is. He’s a cat shifter longing to get back into his natural state and run with the wind on top of the Aspen peaks.

When he meets Bryan Braun he senses something different about him, as well. Bryan’s no ordinary ski fanatic who’s been working too hard and in need of a break. Cory is certain Bryan is a werewolf. His natural enemy! Can a cat and a dog get along? Can they have fun in the snow? And beyond?

And what about the mysterious, big dumb dog accompanying one of the skiers for the raunchy week in the western slopes of the Rockies? What, or more to the point, who is Tank the dog and how did he and his human companion James become involved with deadly Scrimpers?

Sara York – Changing Currency

When Max put’s on his evening gowns and high heels, stripping away his masculine identity, changing into the gorgeous drag queen, Maxine the Devilicious, the fun begins. When he runs into his boss from the bank the game changes. Max has a secret and it’s about to come out, changing his life, changing his work, changing his everything.

Pick up your copy today from one of these fine booksellers:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Heat-Ero...

All Romance eBooks:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com//prod...

 

NIGHTWALKER

By A.J. Llewellyn

When I signed up for Amber Allure’s Making Magic PAX Anthology, I had a strong feeling about the story I wanted to tell. I love paranormal stories and, I love magic.

Some years ago I worked part-time in a psychic book shop and I always intended to write a story around the characters there – including some of the wacky psychics. Over the years I’ve stayed in touch with some of my former co-workers. My time there was educational and I know they feel the same. I got to read some amazing books during my time in purgatory, er, I mean, during my employment and read the gamut from the profound (Krishnamurti, Helena Petrova Blavatsky) to the truly bizarre: Behold a Pale Horse, the Kryon books and a plethora of ‘autobiographies’ of people abducted by the Greys.

There was even one self-help book on How To get abducted by aliens!!

But I digress.

A young woman came in for a reading and I noticed her. She was dressed like a cheerleader and was very sweet, nervous about her first reading. Two days later, she’d been abducted and her face was all over the news.

I never forgot her or her untimely end. I always felt her hovering, her spirit close and I wish I could have helped her…perhaps…warned her? I only know I felt something strange about her and couldn’t put my finger on it. She has haunted me for years.

Several months ago when I read about the Benedanti, the Good Walkers of Italy and their horrifying suffering in the Roman Inquisution, I felt I could finally tell the story of my time at the store. I felt I understood why the cheerleader had been murdered and why all of us noticed her, but were unable to help her. Bad things happen to good people. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s magic in the answers.

I hope you will check out NIGHTWALKER. I believe it’s one of my best books and it was torn from my nightmares. I fell in love with Trace Edward Zaber’s cover the second I saw it and it too, seems ripped from my reality and my dreams.

Talk about making magic!

For more information on NIGHTWALKER and/or purchase, please click this link:

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure...

Aloha oe,

A.J.