Marie Sexton's Blog, page 29

I’m an App!

You can now have my blog posts, my Twitter feed, book announcements, buy links and excerpts… EVERYTHING in one place!

The Apple app is here. Android app is here.

I’m still loading data and working out kinks, but it’s FREE, so check it out.

Also, Saviours of Oestend can now be pre-ordered for only $6.11. Go here.

Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt

The Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt is a blog hop featuring nineteen authors, a ton of exclusive material and fantastic giveaways, and an amazing grand prize for one lucky scavenger hunter.

Just joined the hunt? Click here to start from the beginning.

RULES: Hidden within each post on the hunt will be a single letter that is red. Jot those letters down because they’re part of the following mystery phrase you’ll need to unscramble:

_ _ _ _ I _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _ _     _ _ R     _ _ _ _At the bottom of each post will be a link to your next stop on the hunt. Once you’ve completed the hunt, read all the fantastic exclusive material and entered all the individual giveaways, unscramble the letters you collected to reveal the mystery phrase. When you’ve uncovered the phrase, fill out the entry form in order to qualify for the grand prize. Grand prize is open internationally. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The hunt will only be open for 72 hours so play fast! Entries sent without the correct phrase or without contact information will not be considered. All entries must be received by May 28 at noon Central Time.

On with the hunt!

*****

Hi, everybody! Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Rowan McBride on my blog!

—–

Rowan McBride is a bestselling writer and a Pocky addict. The two may or may not be connected.

www.RowanMcBride.com

My first book was published back in 2006. Back then I had no idea I wouldn’t complete a sequel to any of my stories until 2012. So when One Good Year came out in March, it was a big deal for me. Doubly big, since Just Perfect came out in January, and it was the second story I’d written in the Drayner series (technically being a prequel to Just Wait, although officially Just Perfect is the first book in that series. Way too complicated to get into here).

NOW FOR ROWAN’S EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL!One Good Year is the sequel to One Good Hand. It was never supposed to happen. Part two of the “One Good” series was supposed to be One Good Verse, featuring a totally different pair. Then Loose Id asked me to write a Fling (short story) and I adore Ace and Spade. Thought it would be fun to have a quick peek into how they were doing. Spade blindsided me at sentence one and suddenly I had a novella. That’s basically the story of how One Good Year came to be.

Below is the first chapter of One Good Verse, which is now slated to be the third book in the “One Good” series. The Senai (a genetically engineered servant) in this one is very different from Spade, who had an elegance and playfulness about him that Anne Cain captured beautifully the first two covers. He’s got serious issues–but then they all do–and I hope you enjoy this glimpse of the life he’s about to start with Anthony.

 

One Good Verse – Chapter One

 

I squirmed in the hardwood pew, uneasy as I looked around the small church. This was my first time in a house of worship–everything I’d learned about such places I’d gotten from television. “Frank? Why are we here?”

Frank Bowker grinned as he cast me a sidelong glance. “Because Aunt Ruthie asked me, and I don’t ever say no to Aunt Ruthie.”

Strange, hearing such sentimentality come from him. And he meant it, too, because I could feel his love for that woman in my own body. I wondered why he felt it for her and not for his mother. “But you never go to church. Not since I’ve been yours, anyway.”

“Don’t talk like that here, Rex.” Frank winked at me. “I used to go every Sunday as a kid. It’s just a lot of hot air.” He absently plucked a hymnal out of the wooden pocket in front of him and flipped through it. “Ruthie knows I hate these things, but she promised this would be the last time she’d make me go, and so we’re here.”

I picked up a bible, put it back. “Why are we here on a Wednesday? I thought church was held on Sundays.”

“Services can be held any day of the week, actually. Ruthie says the pastor’s son is preaching tonight. He’s not ordained yet.” He dropped the hymnal into its pocket and leaned back, already looking bored. “She says the kid is something special.”

Beginning to relax, I followed his lead and faced forward. Frank, though a little brash and rough around the edges, was the best master I’d ever had. As Senai, I wasn’t supposed to be capable of making those kinds of judgments, but I knew the difference between good masters and bad.Some masters could be very, very bad.

The people around me went quiet, and my lips parted as a young man walked to the podium at the front of the room. Raven hair, eyes just as dark. Even the shirt and slacks he wore over his lean, lithe body were black.

And his face… His fair skin made those eyes seem bottomless, and his carved features were softened only by the fullness of his mouth.

He looked up, smiled.

I swallowed hard and carefully cleared my face of all expression. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything for anyone but my master. I didn’t know why the sight of this person hit me so hard.

When he spoke, I could barely keep my expression blank. His voice was smooth, low, inviting. From word one I wanted him to speak forever.

“Everyone wants to be loved. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do for a living. It’s the most basic, most important human need there is.”

Human need. I tried to look away; couldn’t because I was caught by his eyes, his voice. But something inside of me started to hurt.

I wasn’t human. He wasn’t speaking to me.

“Sometimes we wake up in the morning and find ourselves…separated from our hearts. We feel it beating, but it seems so far away.” He lifted a graceful hand and palmed his chest. “We do crazy things to bridge the gap. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Then we wonder why that gap keeps getting wider.”

Frank leaned forward. My eyes rounded as my gaze shot to his intent face.

Our bond… Our bond was fading.

“Frank?”

“Shh,” he said, the sound soft, gentle.

My mouth worked as I tried to stem my panic. I’d never heard Frank make a sound like that before. And every word in the sermon pulled him further away from me.

What was going on?

Scared, I looked forward again. The man’s dark eyes touched on me briefly, moved on to other members of the congregation.

“God loves us unconditionally. Once we realize that, our minds calm, the ache in our chests ease. God’s love connects us to our hearts, enabling us to connect to the people in our lives.”

Connections. Did he know that he was destroying the one connection I’d ever valued?

Did he know he was killing me?

He spoke for almost an hour. About love. About how to be open for it. His tone was intimate, engaging. Everyone in the church seemed to be in the same state as my master.

In Miami, I’d been passed around as a party favor since I was eighteen. The longest I’d ever been with a human was a year, and that was Frank. Once, I’d spent a few weeks in the Midwest, but I didn’t know anything about Kansas. I didn’t know what kinds of things people did to their pets behind closed doors.

I took a slow, steadying breath as the sermon ended. Frank wouldn’t leave me here, would he?

I wasn’t sure. Even after sixteen years of living on this planet, I didn’t understand its inhabitants at all. They could be kind or cruel on any whim that swept over them.

Everyone around me stood, and Frank tapped me on the shoulder to indicate that I should do the same. He had the hymnal in his hands. When had he picked that up again?

He sang from the book. Our bond was so faint now that I couldn’t pluck the tune from his head, couldn’t sing the unfamiliar song with him.

I was losing my master.

When the service was finished, people hugged each other. A few even hugged me. Then most of them made their way to the front so they could talk with the preacher’s son. An older man stood beside him, beaming.

His father, maybe?

Frank headed that way too, stopping me when I tried to follow. “Stay here, Rex.”

“But–”

“I’ll be back soon. Just gotta talk something private with the kid, okay?”

I sank down to the bench and gave him an obedient nod.

Little by little, the church cleared. Soon, Frank was shaking the speaker’s hand, saying something in his ear. The kid straightened, his face serious as he nodded. He patted the man who might have been his father on the back. The man left the church, while Frank and the kid walked into another room.

I was left alone, trying to pick up on Frank’s emotions. I’d never really been able to read his–or anyone’s–mind. The bond had never been strong enough. But emotions I could do, and I could usually sense exactly what my master wanted.

Not now, though. All I could do was wait.

Half an hour later, I’d decided that waiting was one of the worst tortures that could be inflicted on a being. Unable to disobey Frank by leaving the pew, I curled my slender body, hugged my knees to my chest. I stared at the big wooden cross hanging at the front of the church and tried not to worry about what they might be talking over.

Frank finally emerged, and the kid trailed behind, his dark eyes locked onto me.

I trembled under that gaze. What did he know? What was he going to do?

Frank waved me over. “Come here, Rex.”

Uncurling myself, I got up and walked out of the pew.

He gestured to the kid. “This is Anthony Rose. Mr. Rose, this is the person I was telling you about.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said carefully.

He tilted his head to the side, studying me.

Those pitch-black eyes made me nervous, and I found myself blurting out something just to fill the quiet. “You don’t wear one of those white collar things.”

Frank groaned softly. “Rex…”

Anthony raised his hand, spoke in that same velvet-lined tone he used on stage. “I’m still in seminary school. I don’t get the fancy collar until I’m ordained as a minister.”

I nodded awkwardly. He shouldn’t have intimidated me so much. We were the same height, and he was only a little broader than me. My Senai strength would be more than a match for any sort of attack from a human.

Only… I didn’t think he’d ever attack me, and somehow that intimidated me even more.

Frank cleared his throat. “Rex, I’ve been talkin’ with Anthony here, and we both think… I mean, I think…”

My gaze drifted to Frank, and I knew what the dead feeling inside of me meant. “You gave me away.”

He glanced at his feet. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

Frank took a deep breath before dragging me into a rough embrace. “I like you. I really do.” His meaty hands gripped me tight. “I just gotta get my life on track, ya know? And I can’t do that livin’ with a sex slave.”

I closed my eyes. “Don’t leave me here, please. Take me back to Miami.”

“And let those vultures get their hooks into you? Not a chance.” He straightened and patted Anthony’s shoulder. “You can trust this guy. He’ll help you get your life on track, too.”

My gaze flicked to Anthony, back to Frank. “Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah.” He scrubbed at his face with a big hand and walked past me. “Take care of yourself,” he said, striding out of the church.

Anthony’s gentle voice broke into my desolation. “Rex?”

The very word made my skin crawl. “That’s not my name anymore.”

He fell silent, and I looked at him. “So you’re my new master.”

His mouth crooked, and my gaze dipped briefly to his lips. “You don’t have to call me that.”

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “How much did Frank tell you?”

“He told me a lot. Most of it I don’t understand, but the bottom line is that you’re homeless right now.”

My body jerked.

He caught my gaze when I tried to look away. “Don’t worry. You can stay with me until we get this settled.”

Anthony really didn’t understand what he’d gotten himself into. I didn’t know much about churches and ministers and preacher’s sons, but I did know he’d pass me along sooner or later.

It was the one thing in my life that never changed.

WAIT, THERE’S MORE!So, now that you’ve read all about Rowan’s book, you’d probably like to hear about how you can win it. Well, I’m sorry to say, you can’t, because it isn’t finished yet. However, you can win a lovely prize over on her blog. Before you wander away, leave a comment on this post to be entered in a drawing to win a PDF of my book, Song of Oestend.

 

*****

Song of Oestend

by Marie Sexton

Symbols have power…

Aren Montrell has heard tales of the Oestend wraiths – mysterious creatures which come in the night and kill anyone who’s not indoors. Aren’s never had reason to believe the stories, but when he takes a job as a bookkeeper on the BarChi, a dusty cattle ranch on the remote Oestend prairie, he soon learns that the wraiths are real. Aren suddenly finds himself living in a supposedly haunted house and depending on wards and generators to protect him from unseen things in the night. As if that’s not enough, he has to deal with a crotchety old blind woman, face “cows” that look like nothing he’s ever seen before, and try to ignore the fact that he’s apparently the most eligible bachelor around.

Aren also finds himself the one and only confidante of Deacon, the BarChi’s burly foreman. Deacon runs the BarChi with an iron fist and is obviously relieved to finally have somebody he can talk to. As their relationship grows, Aren learns there’s more to Deacon and the BarChi than he’d anticipated. Deacon seems determined to deny both his Oestend heritage and any claim he may have to the BarChi ranch, but if Aren is to survive the perils of Oestend, he’ll will have to convince Deacon to stop running from the past and finally claim everything that’s his.

1st Place: Best Gay Romance, 2011 Rainbow Awards

1st Place: Best Character Development, 2011 Rainbow Awards

Honourable Mention: Best Gay Novel, 2011 Rainbow Awards

*****

Ready to move on? The next stop on the Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt is… Emily Cale!

Good luck!

CRW Mystic Month of May Continues with BJ Hayes!

Hello! I’m so happy to have you all join us as we near the end of the Mystic Month of May Blog Hop, brought to you by the Colorado Romance Writers. Don’t forget that at the end of the tour, we’re giving away a $40 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. Every comment you leave along the way enters you into the drawing. You can check out my own excerpt on the tour here. You can see the full schedule of our blog stops here.

And now, I’ll turn things over to BJ!

ROMANCE IN THE MYSTIC MONTH OF MAY

 

Is there a more wonderful time for new romance than the beautiful month of May?  Spring is in full swing with leaving trees and blooming flowers.  Right around the corner looms glorious summer.  As the relationship blossoms, lovers look forward to lying together under the sun, sharing a bottle of chilled dry rosé, and then, maybe a little skinny dipping before making love on the warm grass.  Yes, May is definitely the time for new love.

New love finds Dylan where he least expects it — with his fellow biker, Jackson.  Oral Invitation is my first foray into male/male romance (my alter ego, Helen Hardt, has published male/female romance since 2008.)  Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy.

Dylan Lindstrom has always loved women and always will. At least that’s what he thinks until free spirit Jackson Carter invites him back to his place for a beer. Jackson is athletic, outgoing, good-looking, loves motorcycles—a man’s man—and Dylan feels an instant connection with him. But when Jackson offers him more than a bike ride through Denver, Dylan must decide if he’s ready to accept Jackson’s oral invitation.

Excerpt:

“Here it is.” He handed Dylan a brochure. “I’ve done this ride before. We go through Dillon, then over Rabbit Ears Pass through Steamboat to this tiny little town called Murphy where we have dinner and spend the night. Then we head back around the long way.” He pointed to the map inside the brochure. “There’s some great scenery through here, and we ought to glimpse some wildlife. A beautiful canyon. It’s about four hours the first day, five hours home the second. Because it’s short, we don’t have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn.”

Dylan laughed. “That sounds good. I’m not a real morning person. Except when I get up to play racquetball.”

“You play? So do I. We should play sometime.”

“Yeah, sure. I’d like to.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a call.” He pressed the brochure into Dylan’s hand. “You can keep this. I hope you’ll think about going.”

“I sure will. I haven’t had the time for a long ride in a while. I’ve missed it.” He took a long draft of his beer. “I used to ride all summer when I was in college, the years after college, too. I haven’t had time lately. Been too busy building my business. I sure miss the sun and wind on my face, though. So relaxing.”

“I know what you mean,” Jackson said. “There’s something about being on that bike that relaxes me like nothing else.” He let out a soft chuckle. “Well, almost nothing else.”

“Yeah.” Dylan couldn’t help smiling. “I’d take a good blow job over a bike ride any day.”

“Me, too.” Jackson looked straight into Dylan’s eyes. “You want one now?”

Dylan nearly blew beer out his nose. “Excuse me?”

Jackson’s dark eyes penetrated his skin. Dylan closed his own for a moment, but Jackson’s stare still burned him. Like a thousand little fire-laden thorns prickling his entire body.

“I asked if you’d like a blow job.” Jackson’s deep voice was husky, sensual.

“Well…b-by whom?” Dylan stammered.

Jackson’s full lips curled upward into a teasing grin. “By me, fool.”

Dylan swallowed. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am.”

“Oh my God.”

“You haven’t lived until you’ve had a blow job by a guy. Guys have stronger mouths, and I’ll never complain about my jaw aching, because I’ll enjoy every mind blowing minute of it.”

*****

B.J. Hayes writes gay erotica in the majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Visit her at www.bjhayesauthor.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @bjhayesauthor.

Buy Oral Invitation here.

Mystic Month of May

Today, I’m in the spotlight on Lizzie T. Leaf’s blog. Go here. I’m giving away a copy of Between Sinners and Saints. Please stop by and say hello. Tomorrow, BJ Hayes will be here on my blog, so stick around! You can see the entire schedule here. We’re giving away a $40 Barnes & Noble gift card when it’s all said and done. Every comment you leave along the way enters you to win.

Hop Against Homophobia Winner!

First of all, I want to thank everybody who stopped by, and I especially want to thank everybody who donated. The Matthew Shepard Foundation received about $120 from this blog stop, not counting what they’ll be getting from me. I know times are hard right now, and some people gave to other charities (just as worthy) at other stops. Thank you to everybody who contributed in any way. Together, we will put a stop to the hatred. I believe that, with all my heart.

I’d also like to remind you of the other events I have going on this month: the CRW Mystic Month of May Blog Hop, happening right now, the Erotic Scavenger Hunt, which takes place May 25-27th.

And finally…

Drum roll please…

The winner is:

Lisa Herring!!

Thanks again to everybody who stopped by. Lisa, I’ll contact you via email about claiming your prize.

Hop Against Homophobia

Before I get started, let me mention a couple of other things going on today. First of all, I’m part of the Mystic Month of May Blog Hop, brought to you by the Colorado Romance Writers. Today’s stop is here. I’m also a guest today over at Riverina Romantics, which happens to be another stop on the Hop Against Homophobia. I’m giving away a book over there too, so please stop by. Now, on to other things…

A couple of years ago my husband and I were out for dinner with our daughter (who was about five at the time) and my parents. My daughter told us how her friends at school liked to chase the boys and kiss them. My mom said, “Don’t you kiss the boys?” My daughter said, “No, I don’t want to kiss boys. The only person I want to kiss is Courtney.”

I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face, and the way she started to say, “No.” Even after my husband and I cut her off and told our daughter, “That’s fine,” my mother kept trying to tell my daughter how girls should only kiss boys. Luckily, my kiddo was too busy eating her French fries to pay much attention to her grandmother.

Much more recently, I introduced my daughter (now seven) to my female massage therapist and her wife. Afterward, my daughter said to me, “A boy can marry a girl, and a boy can marry a boy, but I didn’t know a girl could marry a girl.” I didn’t go into the legal complications of same-sex marriage. Instead, I simply said, “They love each other. They should be able to get married, right?” She said, “So I can marry a girl when I grow up?” I told her, “If that’s what you want.” (I sure as hell hope it’s legal by then!) She said, “Okay,” and promptly went on to talk about things she considered to be far more important, like whether or not we could stop for ice cream on the way home.

My point here is not to say that my daughter is obviously gay. She’s only a kid, and who knows what will happen with the advent of puberty. My point is this: in her mind, there’s nothing strange or confusing about it at all. Boys can love boys. Girls can love girls. And if people are in love, they can get married. It’s that simple.

I guess I’d just like it to be that way. Why can’t everybody accept this beautifully simple concept with the calm levelheadedness of my kid?

But of course, some people can’t. Some people are threatened by something as simple as two people being in love. And that hatred destroys lives. If at any point anybody should doubt the power of homophobia, we need only be reminded of Matthew Shepard.

If there’s anybody reading this who doesn’t know the story of Matthew Shepard, please go read it. I live in Fort Collins. Our local hospital is where they brought Matthew after he was found bloody and beaten and tied to that fence in Wyoming. Of course, we know now the details of what happened to him, but what I really remember about that day was the confusion. I can remember feeling like my town was reeling, horrified, wondering how such an awful thing could have happened in our own backyard. I remember feeling like all of Fort Collins was pulling for him.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.

It seems like just about every week, there’s a new story of how homophobia has taken a new victim. One need only read the news to see how bad things can be. I don’t know how to fix it, other than to say, it’s time for it to stop. It’s time for people to stand up for what’s right.

I know there are a lot of contests going on today. I know there are lots of things being given away. What I’d like to ask you is, what can you give? And to that end, I’ve decided to do this:

To enter my contest:

Donate $5 (or more) to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. You’ll received a confirmation email from them.


Forward that email to me at msexton.author@gmail.com. (The email doesn’t contain any of your personal payment information, I promise.)


For every $5 you donate, you’ll be entered in my drawing. That means if you donate $20, you’ll be entered four times.


The contest ends on May 20th. At that point, I will draw a winner.
The winner will receive a Matthew Shepard Pendant (it’s also available on a pink cord), as well as 2 ebooks of their choice from my backlist. I’ll announce the winner here on my blog, and I’ll notify them via email.

Thank you for stopping by. Thank you for donating. Thank you for standing up for what’s right.

Mystic Month of May, Day 1

The first stop on the tour is Jessica Aspen on Helen Hardt’s blog. Go here. Every comment you leave along the way will enter you into a drawing for a $40 gift card from Barnes & Noble. We’ll also have smaller giveaways throughout the tour, so please follow along.

The Mystic Month of May is brought to you by Colorado Romance Writers.

For our complete schedule, go here.

And since you’re here, I’ll share a bit of candy.

Newsletter

You can view my latest newsletter here.

Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Tour: What I’ll Miss About Winter

OMG. Barely home from RT. Absolutely exhausted, but it was SO worth it. I met so many fabulous people – readers, authors, bloggers, RT staff. Each and every person was amazing. I can’t wait to do it again! I’ll post some pictures and updates later this week.

But first…

Sixteen authors are here to do their best to make your winter brighter in January, February, March, and April. (Unless you’re south of the equator, and then we’ll just be jealous of your summer.) Every Wednesday will be a new stop on the tour (see schedule below). Be sure to leave a comment at each stop for up to sixteen chances at the grand prize: a $200 USD gift certificate to the e-retailer of your choice. Also keep an eye out for links to individual authors’ sites on their release dates for a chance to win some free books.

The tour is winding down, but we still have prizes to give away!

Don’t forget to check out:

Legal Tender, by Andrew Grey

Five Star Review, by Lara Brukz

Handle With Care, by Josephine Miles

Also, don’t miss Josephine’s Giveaway here!

The Pirate’s Game, by Heidi Cullinan (available April 24th)

And the giveaway for Heidi’s book here.

Payback, by Clare London (available April 25th)

You can enter to win a copy of Clare’s book here.

        

***

I know the tour info says we’re doing a getaway today, but I messed things up by changing the theme at the last minute. What we’ll really be talking about today is, “What I Will Miss About Winter.”

Clare London: What I’ll miss about Winter is…. my boots! We don’t have hideously severe winters in London, but there’s a fine snap of cold in the air, and I get the chance to wear my fur-lined, comfy-soled, ankle-hugging boots. I don’t feel the cold very much otherwise, so I’m not a lover of huge padded coats or woolly hats or thick scarves, but there’s nothing like slipping my cold toes into winter boots. They never seem to go out of fashion, they cover all occasions, and I can throw them in the back of the car if I’m travelling somewhere. This is from a gal whose Nana always told her off for going out of the house with wet hair, “I’d catch my death of cold” LOL. And surely this gentleman agrees with me, that if I keep my feet warm, I can’t go wrong with anything else?

Lara Brukz: What I’ll miss about winter is the cooler temperatures.  Really so- not-ready for the heat and the humidity which has seemed to hit awful early this year.  Last year three months of above 100 degrees here in the south, air conditioners were worked overtime.  Heaters not so much.  Winter meant not having to work in the yard as well. Ah the good ole days. Now it’s back to trimming the weeds and sweating.  So winter will be missed here in the south we get so little of it.

Josephine Myles: Cosy socks, leather boots and winter woollens! Much as I enjoy wearing my summer linen and cottons, there’s something about snuggling up in soft, handknitted woollens that really appeals to me. Plus, when I’ve gone to all the trouble of knitting or crocheting something, I want to be able to wear it all year round. I do feel fabulous in my winter gear, and shall miss my Victorian-style black jacquard coat which always makes me feel a bit steampunk.

I’m also going to miss the convenient excuse that I NEED a “medicinal” glass of brandy because I got chilled outside. That just doesn’t wash in the summer months!

Heidi Cullinan: I’ll miss cuddling up by the fire and watching TV with the family under a million blankets. I like the free-feeling of summer where we’re all over the place, but I love how we all huddle together during the winter months.

Andrew Grey: What will I miss about winter? Nothing. The garden is blooming, I’m ready for warm weather and sunshine, and in a month I get to open the pool.

Kate McMurray: I’m not generally a big fan of winter, so once the warm weather arrives, my feelings are usually, “Good riddance!” But I had a fun and busy winter. A productive winter. A winter in which I wrote a lot and did a lot and had a lot of fun even though I didn’t sleep much. I won’t miss how insanely busy it got at times, but I’m really pleased with everything I accomplished, and I’m finding that laziness is setting in now that the flowers are blooming and I don’t need my wool coat anymore. I kind of just want to go lay in the grass and read a book. So I miss that productivity, I guess. And the good times—the photo is glitter and confetti on a New York City subway platform on New Year’s Eve.

MEET THIS WEEK’S AUTHORS:

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy.  Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters. Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home. All the details of her books and free fiction are available at her website and blog.


Lara Brukz is a sassy, smart mouthed Southern redhead who thinks about sex all the time.  Lara didn’t dream of growing up to read mountains of books, let alone write.  Numbers were always her thing.  Then she needed some extreme excitement in her vanilla life.  She started reading m/m romance and couldn’t put them down.  Her best friend provided the motivation that brought her writing career to life. Now she writes romance beyond limits and loves every tap of the key. Still resides in the same small southern Arkansas town she grew up in.   By day she juggles with numbers and by night she fiddles with words and all things male.  That includes her luscious husband.   Find Lara at larabrukz.com

 

Ethan Stone is a single father with a wonderful and aggravating teenage son. He’s  always loved to write and one point thought journalism was his dream career. He spent several years trying to make himself believe that until he realized he needed to write because he wanted too not because he had to. He just wishes he could’ve figured that out before he earned a sizable debt with school loans. He’s always had plenty of stories in his head and even published several purely erotica shorts on the web. He assumed the stories in his head starring gay men would have to be relegated to the web. And then he discovered the wonderful world of M/M publishing. http://ethanjstone.com/

Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. Though new to M/M, Damon has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades. He’s won some awards, but counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year. Get in touch with him at DamonSuede.com.

 

English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes m/m erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it. Check out Jo’s website and blog at josephinemyles.com

When Kate McMurray is not writing, she works as an editor with a decade of experience in the publishing industry. She has a BA in English lit that she’s still amazed translated into an actual career. Among other things, Kate is crafty (mostly knitting and sewing, but she also wields power tools), she plays the violin, and she is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Visit her at www.katemcmurray.com.

Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there.  When she isn’t writing, Heidi enjoys knitting, reading, movies, TV shows on DVD, and all kinds of music.  She has a husband, a daughter, and too many cats. Find Heidi on the Web: Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and her website.

Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle,, Pennsylvania.  You can find out more at www.andrewgreybooks.com , on facebook, twitter, or email him at andrewgrey@comcast.net
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It’s not too late to check out the previous stops!

January 11: How We Beat the Winter Blues (hosted by Coffee & Porn in the Morning)

January 18: Favorite Wintertime Activities (hosted by Josephine Myles)

January 25: Join us for a January getaway (hosted by Andrew Grey)

February 1: Winter in My Backyard (hosted by Lou Harper)

February 8: “If I could get away right now, I’d go to…” (hosted by Ellis Carrington)

February 15: Valentine’s Day (hosted by J.L. Merrow)

February 22: Authors by the Fireside (hosted by Kate McMurray)

February 29: Join us for a February getaway (hosted by Z.A. Maxfield)

March 7: Things to Do in a Blizzard (hosted by S.A. Meade)

March 14: St. Patrick’s Day (hosted by Clare London)

March 21: Spring Break (hosted by Blaine Arden)

March 28: Join us for a March Getaway (hosted by Tales from the Writing Cave)

April 4: Favorite Winter Movies (hosted byStumbling Over Chaos)

April 11: Signs of Spring (hosted by J.P. Barnaby)

April 18: Join us for an April Getaway (hosted by Marie Sexton)

April 25: Farewell (hosted by Joyfully Jay)

April 30: Grand Prize Announcement (hosted by Heidi Cullinan)

Update and Upcoming Events

Oestend sequel: This book (which may or may not be called Saviours of Oestend) is done and in the hands of my editor. No word yet on if/when it will be published, but my guess is that it will be available late in 2012. This is definitely a sequel, not a stand-alone. It's a bit shorter than the first Oestend book, but not by much. It was hard as hell to write, but hopefully worth it.

Online events: I'll be hosting a chat on Tuesday, March 13th at the LRC Yahoo group, 12:00-5:00 EST. I'll also be part of a huge Amber Quill Press chat on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) at the Amber Heat Reader Group. Lots of authors. Lots of prizes. It's going on all day, so please stop by. Also, the Beat Your Winter Blues Blog Hop is still going on. Prizes there too, so please check it out.

Real life events I'll be attending (hope to see you there!):

RT Booklover's Convention in Chicago, April 11-15
RomCon 2012 in Denver, June 22-24
RWA 2012 in Anaheim, CA, July 25-28
GayRomLit in Albuquerque, October 18-21

Other stuff: I'm still waiting for news on when Blind Space will be available in paperback.

Next up is another loosely-connected contemporary series, which I'm working on in conjunction with another author. That's all I'm giving you for now, but I'm very excited about it. I hope to have more news in the next couple of months.

I think that's it for now. As usual, I'll leave you with something lovely. This picture inspired Emanuel, one of the two characters in my current WIP.