T. Strange's Blog, page 8

Birthday Giveaway

As if one giveaway wasn't enough, I'm also doing a giveaway for my birthday!

There are two prizes, kinky and vanilla. The kinky pack includes Lock and Key and Night Out, and the vanilla pack includes My Zombie Boyfriend, Crossed Wires and Amber.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Print Book Giveaway - My Zombie Boyfriend

Hey everybody! I'm giving away a print copy of My Zombie Boyfriend (and a swag pack) through Goodreads. Make sure to stop by for a chance to enter!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway


My Zombie Boyfriend
by T. Strange

Giveaway ends July 14, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Seven: Advance Reviews

It's the final day of the countdown, and here's what advance reviews have to say about My Zombie Boyfriend:

Fangirl Moments & My Two Cents - "This story took me totally by surprise."



Decadent Delights - "I really enjoyed this book and the writing style, so much so I’m going to check out the author’s other books."


MM Good Book Reviews - "This whole book and concept was well written and very nicely
executed."


Molly Lolly - "I want to see more of Edward and Kit."

Book Signing - Jasmine Lee

⋰⋱★⋰ BOOK SIGNING⋰⋱★⋰⋱



Author Jasmine Lee will be at the GRAND OPENING of the Rusk Public Library in Rusk, TX on April 14th from 11AM to 2PM!!



There will be MANY MORE Authors in attendance!!



If you live IN or AROUND stop by and say 'HI'



207 E 6th St

Rusk, Texas 75785

Contact

903-683-5916

www.singletarylibraryrusktx

BDSMonday - Lock and Key Cover Reveal

It's BDSMonday! 
Today, as promised last week, is a very special BDSMonday. I'm very pleased to present the cover for my upcoming M/M BDSM romance, Lock and Key. It's the sequel to Boots and Leather (and it includes Boots and Leather, for those who haven't read it). I haven't had a kinky story out since Night Out, and it feels great to have a new one on the way. Since I wrote Boots and Leather, I knew I wanted to explore more of Gavin and Terry's relationship, and I'm thrilled to share more of their story with you. 
Blurb: After meeting Terry at a motorcycle show, Gavin is sure he’s found the man of his dreams. While he’s fantasized about BDSM for years, Gavin has never had a play partner and Terry is happy to teach him. After playing together for a few months, Terry has to leave on a business trip. Terry gives Gavin the key to his apartment so Gavin can sleep in, but Gavin isn’t sure he’s ready for that level of commitment. While he likes and trusts Terry—and loves the kinky sex they have together—Gavin has to decide which he can’t give up: Terry, or his freedom. Part one was originally published as Boots and Leather by Torquere Press.

Excerpt: Weighed down by groceries and a bulging duffle bag, I rang Terry’s doorbell.

“It’s open!” he called.

I left the bag in the entryway so he wouldn’t see it and brought the groceries to the kitchen. He was wearing jeans, an apron and nothing else, and he was sexy as hell. I wanted him to ravish me, right there, right then, but he was busily stirring and chopping and other mysterious kitchen pursuits—I’m not much of a cook.

“Don’t come into the bedroom.” I kissed his shoulder.

“Sure.” He gave my butt a quick pat before turning back to his frying pan.

Making sure he wasn’t watching, I carried the heavy bag down the hall to Terry’s bedroom and started unpacking my goodies.

I’ve known I was interested in BDSM for a long time, though I’d never had a play partner of my very own before Terry. Every now and then I’d see something in an adult store or on a website that I just had to buy, for private use or the hope that I would eventually find a top to play with. “Every now and then” adds up over the years, and soon the bag wouldn’t be big enough to hold everything.
I laid it all out on the bed so I could see everything and try to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do with Terry—or rather, have him do to me. As I pulled out each toy, I remembered the fantasy that had made me buy it.

Terry and I haven’t discussed roleplaying yet, and I was still too shy to mention it, and worried he’d think I was immature for wanting to play “let’s pretend”.

Simple was probably best. A scene that took too long to set up could use up all our energy before we’d actually played. I tossed almost everything back in the bag, except for my matching set of black leather wrist and ankle cuffs, and what had quickly become my favorite toy. It was a jockey bat; similar to a riding crop, but the leather tip was hard instead of flappy. Terry has used it in all sorts of ways—using it the way it was intended, flipping it around to hit me with the handle, striking my thighs or ass with the shaft like a cane, even holding it across the backs of my knees to pin me down.
“I’m ready,” I called.

“Me too. We’d better eat first, or we might not get around to it.”

I was restless. I wanted to play now, but I knew he was right. If we played, we probably wouldn’t leave the bed until morning, and the dinner he’d cooked would go to waste. With a final glance at the toys neatly arranged on the bed, I sauntered out to meet him.

“Are you sure you didn’t own a restaurant in a past life?” I asked, bumping him with my hip while I grabbed a plate. I thought about serving him, but we hadn’t discussed that level of D/s yet, so I only got food for myself.

“I’d go crazy in a restaurant, surrounded by people, everyone in a hurry. I couldn’t even do your job.” He was used to being his own boss; if he felt like working fourteen hours one day, he did. If he wanted to ride to the coast for the weekend, there was no one to stop him but his own deadlines.

***
I don't have a buy link yet, but be on the lookout for Lock and Key from Torquere Press on April 29th!

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Six: Character Quiz + Giveaway

Now that you've been introduced to all the the characters, it's time to find out which one you are: creepy Bone, powerful Mariel, glamorous Kit, or studious Edward. (Sorry, I didn't include the cats...)
I'll also be giving away an ebook copy of My Zombie Boyfriend on April 15th. All you have to do is comment which character you got!

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Five: Edward

Day five, and here's the last character to introduce: Edward. 
Model: Aidan Turner
My Zombie Boyfriend is told from Edward's point of view. At age four (and a half), his cat, Boo, died. He brought Boo back from the dead (not very well...he was only four and it was his first zombie!) and has had him ever since.

Edward grew up to become a medical student. His life is simple, and he likes it that way: school, weekly dinners with his parents, and training his necromancy with his mentor, Mariel. He definitely wasn't looking for the added complication of Kit.

Edward's life has been a fairly sheltered one, both socially and sexually. The only people he's slept with (to my knowledge...he's shy about these things!) are Mariel and Bone.

Kit is exactly what's needed to draw Edward out into the world--whether he wants to or not!



Here's Edward's board on Pinterest.





I feel as though Edward's playlist might require a little explanation, especially to non-Canadians. When I was growing up, you could hardly turn on a TV without seeing the National Film Board's animations of the Black Fly Song or the Log Driver's Waltz, and as Edward is only a few years younger than me, it seemed like an experience he would have had too. Edward's musical experience is limited, so the majority of his music comes from other people, like his father. His playlist is very nostalgic for the most part, with the exception of The Ballad of Serenity. Firefly is one of the few shows Kit and Edward can enjoy together. I drew most heavily on my own experience for this playlist: my mom didn't listen to a wide variety of music, so I basically grew up on Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, and Mozart.

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Four: Kit

Wow, here we are on day four of the countdown already! Please join me in welcoming Kit!
Model: Taylor Hanson.Kit, for those of you who aren't yet aware, is not a typical zombie. Oh, Edward intended for him to be (at least he likes to tell himself that), but Kit has a mind and will of his own. And personality. Hooooo boy does he have personality! He's smart, sarcastic, and sassy. He prefers to be called an Undead Canadian.

Understandably, after waking up in a strange man's basement and being told he's a zombie, Kit is wary of Edward at first, and isn't convinced that Edward didn't kill him. It takes Kit a long time to warm up to Edward as he adjusts to his new afterlife...unlife?

Kit has quite a crush on Mariel, at least at the beginning of the book. (For her part, Mariel likes Kit, but she likes her zombies as, well, zombies. Kit is far too independent for her liking.)

My Zombie Boyfriend trivia: The Official Preppy Handbook, which I mention in the book, is a real thing. I read it while I was researching MZB and it is hilarious.

Not only does Kit have a Pinterest board, he also has a Tumblr. While I was creating both of those, I realized that Kit has many more hobbies and interests than I do...




This is a little embarrassing to admit, but Kit's playlist was the most difficult of all to create, for the simple reason that my wife and I aren't as cool as him. We don't follow popular music, and Kit definitely does. I only hope I've done him justice! (I've also included a song from My Little Pony because, not only is it a very Kit song, Kit watches MLP and is basically Rarity in zombie form).

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Three: Mariel

Here we are on day three of the countdown, and I can't wait to formally introduce you to Mariel!

Model: Aïssa Maïga Mariel is a practicing Vodou Priestess, or Mambo, and Edward's mentor for necromancy. She's older than Edward and has been honing her abilities for longer (though exactly how much longer remains a mystery...) so her necromancy is more powerful, and she often saves Edward's butt.

She has a Haitian accent and speaks Creole with her zombie servant, Pierre, but has never disclosed much to Edward about her past.

In the book, I chose to go with 'Vodou' rather than the more commonly seen 'Voodoo', because my research led me to believe it's a more accurate spelling.

My Zombie Boyfriend trivia: In her early design, before I started writing the book, Mariel had a daughter named Kamaria. For all I know, she's out there somewhere...

Here's Mariel's Pinterest board:





Enjoy a Mariel-inspired playlist! Creating this playlist had its own set of problems. A lot of the songs I wanted to add made me think of her, but weren't necessarily what she would listen to, which is what I was going for. A few of the songs, like Toccata and Fugue and The Witch Queen of New Orleans, I couldn't resist including...but I can also see her enjoying the music and laughing about it.

My Zombie Boyfriend One Week Countdown - Day Two: Bone

Welcome to day two of the My Zombie Boyfriend countdown week! Today I'm introducing Bone.

Model: Andrej PejicAs some of you may know, My Zombie Boyfriend was originally conceived as a webcomic. Early on, we decided that we wanted Edward to have a contact at the morgue, because that seemed like a useful thing for a necromancer to have. In the book, Bone is Edward's ex-boyfriend, and they still consider each other friends.
Of all the characters in My Zombie Boyfriend, Bone has undergone the most changes. His original design was much less human and much more demonic-looking, but I pictured him differently when I started writing the book. He's now very small and pale, with very light hair that is, according to Edward's inside information, natural. There's speculation in the book that Bone isn't human, but Bone doesn't say anything to the contrary and Edward's never asked him. Speculation about what, exactly, he might be is open!

One thing hasn't changed for all the incarnations of Bone: he's creepy. Even though he plays a relatively small part in a book about a necromancer literally dating a zombie, and a zombie cat who occasionally loses bits of himself, I can say with certainty that Bone is the creepiest character. He doesn't just work in a morgue--he's really into death (which, let's be honest, is at least 90% of the reason he dated Edward in the first place). He also enjoys flirting with Kit, who is so not into him.

While Edward is decidedly vanilla, I apparently couldn't entirely keep BDSM out of my writing. Bone is definitely kinky, though his exact preferences aren't disclosed.

Another little bit of MZB trivia: originally, all of the characters had cats, not just Kit and Edward. If Bone were to have a cat, it would be a Ukranian Levkoy named Rasputin.




Here's Bone's Pinterest board (warning: some of these images could be disturbing to some viewers):

Follow T. Strange's board Bone on Pinterest.





Enjoy a Bone-inspired playlist! The challenge with this one was cutting it down to fewer than fifteen songs. I've been planning these playlists for a while, adding songs as I thought of them, and getting my wife to do the same (while our taste in music mostly overlaps, hers is a little Bonier than mine). When we went to narrow it down, he had over a hundred songs!