A.J. Llewellyn's Blog, page 37

Island Heat is out NOW!

Pick up your copy at Amber Allure today!

Purchase link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/IslandHeat.html

Roman and Philippe are hotshot Hollywood wedding planners about to embark on a new exotic location for big-buck weddings—Tahiti. The French government has just changed the law to allow foreign marriages to take place on these wild, untamed islands, and the ten-day, all-expenses paid trip to the South Seas can't come at a better time for the couple.

With Roman in remission from a near-fatal bout with male breast cancer, Philippe feels this is like their own honeymoon…except for one small thing. Philippe's former lover, Tane, is still living in Tahiti and has his sights set on claiming Philippe for himself. Roman, feeling insecure following his devastating illness, watches helplessly as the big, muscular island god makes a play for his man.

Philippe, too, seems thrilled to see Tane again. He would love to re-experience the sexy islander's touch, only with Roman participating in a threesome. But will Roman become mesmerized by the mysterious islander and agree to the salacious proposal?

Come, feel the heat of Tahiti, and a demi-god named Tane…

For an Excerpt and Purchase link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/IslandHeat.html

Banpaia

Out Now!!

Banpaia, a hot new urban M/M Vampire Myth by A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly

Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/22uydnu

 Who is spiriting away the hot young men of L.A's Chinatown? Mysterious marks in the sky…the men returning, hungering for…seeking the man they call Panpaia.

Synopsis: Chinatown, Los Angeles. Young men are disappearing from their beds, sometimes vanishing as they cross the street with friends. The few witnesses who actually report a strange, mystical creature soon suffer memory lapses and die. Yet, the young men all return, one by one. They seem the same but they are different.

Strange things are happening all over Chinatown, as if an odd mist enshrouds it. None of the men who disappeared can say what happened to them. Late at night however, this legion of men, in love and lust with the one they call Banpaia reach out for one another in the frenzy of their need. But for Feng Li, a suicidal young man who feels he was saved by the legendary Japanese vampire yearns for only him. For him, there can be only one to claim his body and his heart.

For HOT excerpt and purchase, please click this link:

link: http://tinyurl.com/22uydnu

Banpaia

 

By A.J. Llewellyn

Ever since I was a kid, I loved being told stories. My mother became very ill when I was five and spent most of her time in and out of hospital. She died when I was six and my dad, God bless him, was not the kind of guy to open the big book of fairy tales on my shelf and read me one of my favorite stories. I used to hold the book and look at the pictures, picking out favorite lines, but I began to re-imagine the stories and of course, I was always the hero in them.

I got into tons of trouble, but no matter how tough things got, I had a happy ending. I always lived happily ever after.

I guess this constant fantasy world was the genesis of my writing. I still love and believe in fairy tales. Several months ago, I went to LA's Chinatown for the New Year celebration. I spotted a guy who was very handsome. A tall, slim, sexy Asian guy dressed in black, I wondered if he was a priest, a cop…or even a vampire.

It was an unusual evening. Unusually chilly. I decided he was a vampire since he was acting so mysterious. I followed him through the strange mist that swirled over Hill Street.

There were people all around, but it seemed to me, it was just me and him.

The red lanterns that hang high over the old Chinatown community cast an eerie red glow over everything.

Chinatown in LA is a melting pot of Asian cultures. Japanese, Chinese and Korean communities fuse, with not always the greatest of ease.

I followed the handsome man and started constructing my own fairytale.

Soon, I'd given up the physical chase and I went home to write. I called my partner and frequent co-author D.J. Manly and told him my idea for a story I wanted to call Banpaia – Japanese for vampire.

I went to work, feverishly, and quickly sent a note to our cover artist Angela Waters at eXtasy books. I told her what I wanted.

Like the idea for the story, my cover art request was unorthodox.

Angie slipped right into my dreamworld and gave us one of my favorite covers of all time – with the red Chinatown lanterns in there too.

When it came time for D.J. to write his sections of the book, I couldn't have been more pleased and also, more intrigued. He too, had somehow stepped into the dream and followed the handsome Asian man. What he wrote was more exquisite than usual.

We spent a long time talking about Banpaia and the haunting man who dominates it. It was unusual for us, because we have such a strong symbiosis we don;t often have to talk about the work. It's there on the page, but then, this whole experience has been beyond magical.

I wish every book was like this.

D.J.'s input was invaluable. In fact, thanks to him, the ending begs a sequel. Though the first book comes out in three days and was finished several weeks ago, in dreams, the vampire beckons me to follow.

And I will, once again, turning the pages of the big book in my mind…following the lanterns, the swirl of mist…haunted by the stranger's smile. Hunted by the man they call Banpaia.

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Crazy Business

Crazy love. We've all experienced it…I think. I've mentioned before I've experienced my own demented moments in love…but how about a crazy friendship? And how about crazy business? Have you ever done anything utterly crazy in a friendship or in the course of conducting business?

I don't know about you about I've had my fair share of lapses in dealing with people but there are lines I would draw in any transaction. For example, how dumb do you have to be to trust a complete stranger with your body AFTER you've had a heated argument?

There is news out of Australia that a guy went to a tattoo artist and they argued. He wanted a dragon on his back and the artist complied. The guy went home and showed off the tattoo to his roommate and learned to his horror that he didn't have a dragon tattoo but a giant, 15 inch penis! And to add insult to injury there is also a misspelled gay slur on his back.

Here's the link to the article:

http://tinyurl.com/34odt6m

I have to say as an outsider it's hilarious. I have no idea what the tattoo artist was thinking. Surely he knew he'd wind up in legal trouble but that must have been some argument to risk criminal charges, which he now faces.

Have you ever done anything crazy in business or friendship?

I think the craziest thing I did – and it still shames me to remember it – was the time I was asked to give a well-known actor some feedback on a screenplay he wrote. Now, this is my day job and the guy knew this which was why he solicited my advice. He didn't offer me money. I guess he thought he was doing ME the favor. Anyway, I made the colossal mistake of telling him the truth. I'm still not sure I was completely wrong in being honest in telling him his screenplay sucked, but I've learned that experience, like a 15 inch tattoo on your back teaches you some life lessons in craziness.

How about you? How crazy have you gotten? Please leave a comment and the best one gets a free ebook from me!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

XU

OUT NOW!!

My new M/M Paranormal Romance "Xu" is now available at Amber Allure!

Purchase Link:  http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Xu.html

Fight or flight? This has always been the way of Lindo Santiago's life, and he has always chosen to fight. He has prepared for world championship boxing glory his entire career. From the Mexican slums to the hard streets of Hollywood, he gave it everything. Lindo thought he was ready until his world title shot arrived and almost killed him. Now, forced to retire by the California State Athletic Commission, he has defied the odds by surviving a three-month coma and severe brain injury.

Forced to choose a new path, to live a different life, Lindo is certain he can do it, with the help of Xu, a mysterious spirit force of a man who emerged in the darkest days of Lindo's coma. Xu and Lindo's homosexuality are his biggest secrets. Encouraged to take his first vacation ever, Lindo flies to Honolulu where Xu becomes more potent, yet more mysterious. Signs are everywhere that Lindo must choose between love and death, and he also must decide whether to enter into a relationship with a hot local, Turner Cypriano. But if he does, what will that mean for Xu?

For HOT excerpt and for purchase, please click this link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Xu.html

For

Laid 3

They're Baaaack!

Supercop Jack Cannon's met the man of his dreams and isn't about to give up loving Lucky… even when the man is marked for death.

                       LAID 3

 By A.J. Llewellyn – from the Mind of director John Bruno

A M/M, M/M/M tale of lust, sex and revenge                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/2wtpvxz 

LAPD SWAT team member Jack Cannon takes a vacation to join his hot and sexy lover, Lucky, in London, where his man is working on an undercover assignment. Jack's plans for a feisty little R and R don't sit well with the hit man who's been hired by a mysterious source to bump off Lucky.

With things heating up between Jack and Lucky all over London from public rest rooms to five-star hotels, Jack lures the wild assassin into their sensual web. This is either gonna be the beginnings of a spicy, feisty threesome…or a triple homicide.

 For purchase and for a HOT excerpt please click this link:

Link: http://tinyurl.com/2wtpvxz

Ala Moana – In Paradise

I'm in Honolulu and as I write this blog, I am halfway through the final galley edit of my book "Xu" which publishes at Amber Quill Press on November 17. 5 days!

It's fitting that I am here since this where I set my story, many of my stories in fact.

I've been filled with nostalgia since my moment of arrival on island (as the locals put it). Driving along Nimitz Highway from the airport, I passed River Street, the Chinatown stomping ground for my character Jimmy Thunder from "A Vampire in Waikiki".

I can feel Jimmy and Tem flying around and I like to think my two favorite vampires are guarding the island.

I swear I can feel the spirit of Detective Jardine, the 1950s homicide cop who protected and patrolled Chinatown. Other people tell me the same thing.

I passed the shipping terminal where Matt and Thomas took the Superferry to Maui in the "Black Point" books. This has especially filled me with sadness since the ferry (a wonderful invention) has since been abolished due to alleged water pollution.

I tried to have lunch at the (thinly disguised) Zippys at Ala Moana Mall where Katie finds a job – and magical help via Kimo and Lopaka in "My Hawaiian Song of Love" but it was closed for renovations.

Almost all my characters wind up at Duke's for mai tais and macadamia wantons…of course, I toasted them all there as I sipped my cocktail and watched the ocean in front of me yesterday.

I feel all my characters around me, whirling in my mind…and none more than Lindo Santiago, the leading man in my new book, Xu.

Yes, Honolulu is my mental playground but it was to me the perfect setting for the story of a closeted gay boxer who is forced to abandon a career he loves when he almost dies as the result of a beating in the ring.

He takes his first vacation – to Honolulu. It's here that I feel him and "Xu" (pronounced Zoo) the powerful, dynamic, mysterious man who saves him.

Last night, my companions walked along Kalakaua Avenue and we watched the people parade. The freak flags were flying high. I see a disturbing rise in homeless people begging on the street. Their encampment, near the ocean is over a mile long and I saw the fear and revulsion on some tourists' faces.

It reminds me of Santa Monica 10 years ago.

It isn't supposed to be like this here. One man asked me for 50 cents. What in the heck can you buy with 50 cents?

My niece stopped to pet "Lani the Friendly Guinea Pig" and we paid a buck for that. To me it smacked of exploitation but as Eleanna pointed out, Lani's grass skirt and floral hat were immaculate and the pig herself looks very well fed. But still…I know the police are asking many homeless people if they would like to go home. Almost all of them were sent here via one way tickets from jails up and down the Pacific northwest coast on the mainland.

Some have accepted the offers, some resist. Maybe, like Lindo Santiago, they are certain that somehow, some way, love and miracles will find them. Ala Moana – In Paradise.

What about you? Is there a place for you that is life-changing? Please leave a comment and the best one will win a copy of "Xu" when it publishes!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Hawaii with a gag ball

As I prepare to travel to Hawaii this weekend with my wonderful man, D.J. Manly and my niece and goddaughter, Eleanna, I am mindful of the fact that at the age of 14 I am lucky she still wants to gang out with me. She also, of course, adores D.J. We have grand plans and she is a wonderful girl. I can't wait to be on my way to Honolulu with her.

She is the daughter of my very best friends, my cousin Chris, and his husband, Tracy. They are wonderful parents and they trust us completely but ever since the countdown began, Tracy has driven me crazy with last minute panic attacks.

"A.J., if it rains in Honolulu (which it does, every five minutes) perhaps you should consider taking the tiki trolley instead of driving."

Another text, "A.J., bring over your cell phone. I want to have Lojack installed on it."

It goes on and on. Yesterday, I called his husband who has been busy stocking up on sex toys and champagne for their kid-free week. I asked him if the treasure trove included a gag ball.

"A.J.," he said, "Try living with the guy. He woke me up at 4am to ask if we couldn't have her microchipped."

I know they trust me, and anyone who knows me knows that I would never let anyone near her. Her very first teenage crush was traumatized by a family barbecue with me, Chris and Tracy, but still…I had a sudden flashback to an experience I'd long forgotten. I was four years old and growing up in Bondi Beach, Australia. My mum took me and my brother Alex shopping. I apparently had ants in my pants because I ran in and out of stores like a demented flea. She bought a harness and put it on me.

A harness!

I actually have a memory of that thing. I remember straining against it. I do remember also, being very embarrassed.

In total frustration and as a joke I sent the picture below to Tracy. I texted, maybe I should buy her one of these?

He wrote back, What sizes do they come in?

I'm not sure he was joking. I do know, however, my little contribution to their weeklong fun will be an industrial strength gag ball.

How about all my friends and readers who have kids…would you trust a good friend with your precious cargo? Leave a comment and the best one wins a free ebook from me!

Aloha oe,

A.J.

Seduced

Logline:  Some call it love, some call it passion, but when a soul is taken over, others call it…seduced.

 Seduced

Children of the Rainbow Series Book 2

By A.J. Llewellyn

 M/M Paranormal Romance

Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/22onpd8b  

Synopsis: Paden Campbell wants nothing more than to enjoy his newfound togetherness with his love, the rainbow-walker, Track. The two men are growing closer, but Paden's solitude with his man is shattered when the mother of a young gay man approaches him. Her son is missing. Closer investigation reveals that Sean Maverick, who has traveled to Hawaii to visit his mom after a bad relationship break up is afraid of water. He loathes the sea, hates pineapples…and Hawaii.

So how come, when Paden and Track walk the rainbow to help find him, the messages they receive are that Maverick can be found in the sea? What are these conflicting messages and can Paden and Track battle the forces of an ancient ocean deity to unlock the mystery? Paden enlists the help of his son's powerful husband, the great kahuna, Kimo Wilder, to help in the battle for a soul…seduced.

 For HOT eXcerpt and purchase please click this link:

http://tinyurl.com/22onpd8b

 

Safe Sex in Erotic Romance Fiction

I've noticed a rising tide of readers and reviewers commenting on books in which the characters either do or don't engage in safe sex.
This is an interesting issue since it's become something of a trend to criticize books in which characters, particularly gay characters don't glove the love.
Where do I stand on this topic?
When I first started out writing M/M novels three years ago, I didn't address the issue since, like politics, bills, debt collectors and other 'facts of reality' were not...