Josh Lanyon's Blog, page 44

Advent Calendar Day 17

Good morning! I'm running a little late today. I woke up with a scratchy throat. UH OH. NOT NOW. I still have a short story to write and a book to finish, but my Christmas shopping is not only done, it's mostly wrapped and shipped. So in theory I can relax and enjoy being sick--er, enjoy the holidays.

I'm going to be doing through and picking the winners of the previous giveaways (not counting the Buche de Noel, which was decided days ago), which I'll list at the bottom of their individual posts.

Today's offering  comes from the talented and terrific Dianne Thies of Lyrical Lines Proofreading and Book Covers. Di is a long time friend and one of my own proofreaders.

Which book inspired it? Can you guess? ;-D



Whether you're shopping or wrapping or relaxing with a wintry beverage of your choice, have a wonderful day (and evening)!

Advent Calendar Day 16

Guten Morgen und Frohe Weihnachten!

This morning's giveaway was donated by my lovely friend Sabine, who many of you know from our Facebook and Goodreads gatherings. Sabine thought it would be a nice surprise to do something specifically for European readers, who are so often left out of online giveaways.

She's donating two  50 € amazon gift cards and four 25 € amazon gift cards -- a total of six gift cards -- which means we'll be selecting six lucky winners from this morning's commenters.

Sabine, thank you so much for your generosity!

To make it a little more fun, match the holiday scenes below with your best guess as to the most likely romantic pairing:

1 - Mike and Barry from Halloween is Murder
2 - Finn and Blair from Plenty of Fish
3 - Jesse and Rocky from Baby, it's Cold
4 - Austin and Jeff from A Vintage Affair
5 - Elliot and Tucker from the All's Fair series


PHOTO A


PHOTO B



PHOTO C


PHOTO D


PHOTO E

Advent Calendar Day 15

Good morning!

We're getting SO close to the holiday! So close that even the calmest and most serene of us (and that would not be me, by the way) are probably starting to feel some strain.

So here is something just for you.

I have TEN audio codes to give away for SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS (the final Adrien English audio book -- narrated by the wonderful Kale Williams).

Four codes are for fans who have never tried my audio books. Speak up in the comment section and I'll randomly pick four winners.

Six codes are for those of you who already know and love my audio books (which means you probably already bought this one, but that's okay because you can use the code on any of my audiobooks).

Advent Calendar Day 14

Did you see the moon last night? Gorgeous! Be sure you take a few minutes to look out the window and enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

And how appropriate for today's terrific offering. Natasha Chesterbrook has generously written a coda to Halloween is Murder. :-)

I want to take a moment to say thank you to Natasha and all the authors and artists and readers who have contributed so far to this year's calendar. It really makes for a wonderful event. Even I can't wait to see what every day brings.


 All Saint’s DayNatasha Chesterbrook


I woke with a start and the dissipating image of elongated teeth and sharpened claws inches from my neck chasing my subconscious mind into a desperate gasp for oxygen and sanity. My hand reflexively grasped my neck as I stilled my body’s reaction. Awareness quickly overtook me and I darted my gaze to Mike’s sleeping form next to mine, his bare, broad back with those clearly defined muscles in repose. Willing my breathing to slow, I leaned into his heat, taking as much warmth and strength from it as I dared without disturbing him. My eyes had just fluttered closed feeling the drowse of sleep start to retake me when I heard that deep and familiar rumble, “You okay?” So much for my undercover skills, so to speak.

“Yeah,” I rasped out much too quickly. Compounding the obvious lie, I added, “I’m fine.”

I waited. Mike lay still for minutes, what seemed like hours, while I forced my heart to stopped
spooky sleigh in the woodsbeating out of my chest and hoped my desire to be “fine” would manifest itself to be truth. Mike was never one to press or even ask questions. A man of action more than words, he rolled over and just looked at me.

All at once, the night before came to me in a flash. Memories of that first brutal taking where we both fought for control over something neither of us could stop much less contain. My breath hitched recalling that first release, both of us crying out as if in pain or fear or need. It was probably all three but after, I found it wasn’t enough. Not even close. And so we began again almost immediately, the second time with purpose and desire to just enjoy.

Those memories erased any that my nightmare had brought forth, replacing fear and revulsion with desire and heat. Mike was a man worth remembering, to savor when this affair had long died away. The roughness of his hands contrasting with the lush terrain his mouth made. The intensity of his gaze fought with his almost muteness throughout the encounter. His passion clearly wrought in the single shout of my name when he climaxed. It has felt surreal almost enrapture. Even if we never had this again, I wanted those memories etched into my soul.

Now he just looked at me, unmoved, no emotion except perhaps a bit of skepticism on his face. But maybe something else. Regret?

I looked away and sat up, taking in the early morning shadows just creeping in between the slats of the blinds. The coolness of the night still hung in the air fighting to retain its hold on the world as if a door to another much colder place had been left open but was now slowly closing. With only a few hours of sleep I wanted nothing so much as to sink back into the heat within the bedsheets that Mike wore like a second skin. My bedsheets, my skin.

Only when I started to rise did his hand reach out and clasp my wrist. I flinched and he immediately retreated.

“Changed your mind?” Looking away but glancing back, Mike was uncharacteristically tentative.

“What? About... you? No. Never.”

Now he stared at me or I should say more precisely he stared at my mouth. And then I could see it, just a hint, not fear exactly but wariness like he’d been down this road before and it never lead to anywhere good. What it wasn’t was regret. And I wondered what he was seeing on my face at that moment. Did he think I was the one with regrets? Sure, last night had changed things and sometimes seeing is harder than being blind but here was Mike and no way did I want to be blind to him anymore.

I laid back down, pulled myself into him and rested my head on his shoulder. His muscles only relaxed after I breathed a deep sigh of comfort and rested my hand on his hip. His arms encircled me and just as drowsiness once again claimed its hold on me, I heard him murmur, “Mianach i gcónaí.”

Advent Calendar Day 13

Good morning!

I was glancing through All I Want for Christmas last night, and I stopped at Christmas Coda 37 (Colin and Thomas of  "The French Have a Word For It"). Clearly I was hungry, because the idea for Buche de Noel stuck in my mind.

Now I've never actually had Buche de Noel, but it certainly does look decadent and delicious!

Listen to this description:

The bûche de Noël is a French holiday favorite, inspired by the giant yule logs that were traditionally burned on Christmas Eve. The bakers at the small, family-owned We Take the Cake bakery have handcrafted this one with their best-selling chocolate génoise cake, rolled with rich coffee buttercream and finished with chocolate cream cheese frosting "bark." Whimsical berry-laden fondant holly leaves and crisp meringue/marzipan mushrooms add festive flourish.

Yum!

So today's giveaway--limited to readers in the US, unfortunately--is a Buche de Noel from Williams and Sonoma. It's going to be tight pulling this one off, so be sure to check back to see if you've won because we have very few days to get the order in!

To be eligible for this particular giveaway you must live in the US and you must contribute your very favorite holiday recipe in the comment section below.  I'll be choosing the winner tomorrow morning, so don't put off contributing your recipe in the comment section!

Advent Calendar Day 12

Happy Hanukkah (Chanukah)!

Today a poem and a picture. But first, fun facts about Hannukkah.


Chanukah Lights Tonight
 Steven Schneider
Our annual prairie Chanukah party— latkes, kugel, cherry blintzes. Friends arrive from nearby towns and dance the twist to “Chanukah Lights Tonight,” spin like a dreidel to a klezmer hit. 
The candles flicker in the window. Outside, ponderosa pines are tied in red bows. If you squint, the neighbors’ Christmas lights look like the Omaha skyline. 
The smell of oil is in the air. We drift off to childhood where we spent our gelt on baseball cards and matinees, cream sodas and potato knishes. 
No delis in our neighborhood, only the wind howling over the crushed corn stalks. Inside, we try to sweep the darkness out, waiting for the Messiah to knock, wanting to know if he can join the party.

by Nina Mikrukova licensed thru Shutterstock

Advent Calendar Day 11

Happy Holidays! We've got something especially warm and lovely for your Monday morning. My dear friend  Steve Leonard (who most of you already know if you read his wonderful Adrien English coda last year) has contributed another coda. And to all a Good Night, a peek at Kit Holmes and JX Moriarity from the Holmes & Moriarity series.

It's funny and touching and,er, NSW, so don't walk away from your computer. ;-)


And to All a Good Night!
 


I had just ended my call when the bathroom door opened and J.X. emerged in a billowing John Varvatos-scented cloud of steam. It made me think of those early 1980s MTV music videos; all that was missing here were strobe lights, a soundtrack, and a few doves. With his black hair towel-mussed and still damp, and a plush, pale green towel wrapped low on his lean, tanned hips, he flashed me a rakish smile as he slid over to where I was sitting and leaned in to give me a kiss.
“Just let me shave and the bathroom's all yours,” he said as he pulled away.
“Mmm,” I murmured, enjoying the taste of him on my lips as I reluctantly let him go. “I took a shower while you were at the gym so I just need to change.”
He looked down at the phone still in my hand. “Who were you talking to?”
“Oh,” I said absently as I set the phone down. “That was Adrien.”
“Yeah? How are he and Jake?” He was back in the bathroom, clearing a spot on the mirror with a hand towel.
“They're good. I told him about the books from Irving Butler.”
“Oh? And is he interested?”
“Very,” I replied. Irving Butler was a neighbor who’d passed away a few weeks ago, losing a long battle with cancer. He’d been a diehard Miss Butterwith fan and when he learned from my next door neighbor, Emmaline, that I’d moved in across the street, we struck up a friendship. I was very surprised and touched to learn he left me several books from his large collection.
“He was extremely jealous about the copy of ‘Known Homosexual’ but I told him I was going to surprise my friend Diane with it for her birthday. She’ll be thrilled.”
“I bet,” J.X. commented.
“They’re going to be in Sonoma in a couple of weeks. Adrien owns property outside of Basking and invited us to come down for a few days. I thought we’d go and bring the books with us.”
“I remember Jake talking about renovations the last time I spoke to him,” J.X. said between razor strokes.
“Yes, they finished about a month ago.”
“I've been to Basking before. It's a nice little town. I think you might like it.”  Man, I look nice!

I watched him as he finished shaving and began to work on his hair. In a matter of seconds he had it artfully mussed, a look that usually took me upwards of ten minutes to achieve. As if he could sense me staring, he turned, his eyes finding mine. “What?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“Kit?” He rinsed his hands and patted them dry. “What is it? You’re not nervous about tonight, are you?”
“What? Oh, no. It's nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?” He sat on the arm of the chair, his brown eyes warm and filled with concern. “Talk to me.”
“Sometimes I can't believe my good fortune, is all,” I said with a shrug, averting my eyes, suddenly self-conscious and not quite able to meet that penetrating gaze of his. It was as if he could see into my soul, and it was unnerving at times. Like now.
“Kit... silly.” He took my chin in the palm of his hand and turned my face to his. He was smiling like the big dope he is, eyes bright and shiny. Then he leaned down and took my mouth with his. “It’s my good fortune too, you know,” he whispered as he kissed me deeply.
That made me smile. Yes, it had been rough going at times, especially in the beginning, but I've truly never been happier than I’ve been this last year with J.X.
I was still thinking about that when he got up and went to his dresser, pulled out socks and underwear, and headed to the walk-in closet to finish dressing.
Nina, J.X.'s ex-wife, was having a Christmas Eve party at her house tonight and then tomorrow, as per family tradition, was the Big Family Dinner at his mother's house.
J.X.'s family was full of traditions and our calendar was filled with events and family get-togethers. There seemed to be a family gathering every couple of weekends and it was kind of nice, actually.
Large families can be difficultI’d even finally managed to acquit myself from the spectacular crash and burn of 'that' Christmas – the Ghost of Christmas-Whatever-the-Hell-Was-I-Thinking – when I'd been sick and bailed in such an inglorious fashion that I still cringe whenever I think of it. But over the course of the past several holidays I'd been forgiven for that trespass, and J.X. and I had even been allowed to host Thanksgiving dinner this year, which had been a great success.
So, even if I did sometimes feel overwhelmed by the size and loudness of the Moriarity clan, they were, for all intents and purposes now, my family, and I never again wanted to do anything that reflected poorly on J.X.
Because I loved him.
Yeah, I really did love him.
“Which one, Kit?” J.X.’s voice broke my reverie and I looked up. He was standing next to my chair wearing nothing but a long-sleeved black Armani shirt – unbuttoned – and white briefs. He held up two ties but I barely noticed them because my eyes were riveted on the bulge in his underwear not two feet away. Directly at eye level. Talk about visions of sugarplums.
“Red or green?” he asked.
“Um, what?”
“Red or...” he broke off with a small chuckle and a sigh. “Kit. Honey. I’m up here.” I sheepishly – and very slowly, I’m not ashamed to add – dragged my gaze upward to find him grinning that crooked smile of his. There were laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and I felt my face redden. Damn, but he was sexy.
“Red or green,” he repeated, waving the ties with emphasis.
“Oh, uh... Green. Definitely green.”
He smiled again and as he turned to go back to the closet, looked over his shoulder and winked. “Keep that thought in mind for later, though,” he said huskily as he disappeared into the closet.
Forget later, I thought, as I rose from my chair and stalked after him, cornering him at the rack that held his shoes.
“Kit,” he gasped in surprise as I spun him around and pushed him against the shelves. “What are you doing?”
My thumb brushed his nipple as my hand slid slowly down his chest and over his abs, stopping They are definitely going to be latebriefly at the waistband of his Calvins. “What do you think I'm doing,” I asked coyly, gently snapping the elastic.

He was flustered and blushing and I found it adorable. “Bu…but the party -”
“Isn’t for another hour,” I said, tweaking his nipple, which elicited another excited gasp. “And I think we can be late.”
“But...”
I grabbed his with both hands as I sank to my knees.
“Kit…” he rasped breathlessly, his fingers in my hair.
I continued what I was doing, smiling when I heard his head hit the shelves with a thunk.
“Oh, Kit!”
Merry Christmas to me!

Advent Calendar Day 10

It wouldn't be the Advent Calendar if I didn't share at least one new cocktail recipe this holiday season.

A Dark 'n Stormy is apparently a tropical drink (it hails from Bermuda) but it was my cocktail of choice while in Montreal (and Toronto and Ottawa) and it really has a very festive, holiday zing to it. Plus, it couldn't be more simple to make.

Now the catch with a drink this simple is you need top shelf ingredients. Just sayin.

Dark 'n Stormy 
1 oz. DARK (not spicy) rum (Gosling's Black Seal Rum is recommended)4 oz. ginger beer (Barrit's Ginger Beer was recommended)a squirt of fresh lime juice (to taste, in other words) tall (high ball) glass
Fill glass with ice. Pour in the ginger beer and leave enough room for the rum. Add the rum. Squirt in some fresh lime juice. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.


Share your favorite holiday beverage recipe below (it doesn't have to be alcoholic) and I'll randomly pick ten people to receive their choice of one ebook from my backlist. 

Advent Calendar Day 9

In keeping with yesterday's lost scene from The Monet Murders , Johanna Ollila contributed today's gorgeous offering.

Advent Calendar Day 8: Missing Scene – The Monet Murders

This is not a coda. Instead, it's a missing scene from The Monet Murders (Book 2 in the Art of Murder series)

**Spoiler alert: this scene takes place after the dramatic events at Camden Castle—and before Jason gets back to Los Angeles.

“Where the hell did you learn to swim like that?” Sam asked. His voice sounded a little thick, a little indistinct. He was slightly stoned from the painkillers, and Jason smiled to himself. It wasn’t often he had Sam at any kind of disadvantage.

“I used to be a lifeguard. Remember?”

“I remember. That wasn’t…that was…” Sam tailed off, wincing. He cautiously touched the neat white bandage on his forehead.

It was about eight in the evening. They were in bed in a motel in Watertown, which sounded more promising than it was. No. Not true. After the afternoon they’d had, having a few quiet minutes with Sam safe and mostly unhurt, was all Jason could ask for—and more than he’d expected. After a cursory examination, Sam had, against medical advice—no surprise there--checked himself out of the hospital. Places to go and bad guys to catch. Although, and this hadbeen a surprise, he had not fought too hard when Jason insisted he not head straight to Cape Vincent to join in the interrogation of Eric Greenleaf.

“Can I get you anything?” Jason asked. Sam looked pale, and lines of pain were etched around his eyes and mouth. All things considered, he looked great. A lot better than he would have had Greenleaf managed to blow his head off.

“Nah,” Sam muttered. “You being here is exactly what I need.”

Okay. That was definitely the pain meds talking. Jason smothered a grin.


Sam, must have heard something in his silence though, because he cocked a bloodshot eye and then put his hand on Jason’s shoulder, drawing him down. Jason settled his head on Sam’s bare chest, closing his eyes and listening to slow, heavy thump of Sam’s heart.

Thank God. Thank God. What if I’d been too slow? What if I hadn’t been able to find him? Thank God.

He said, “I had asthma when I was a kid. The doctors recommended swimming as a way to strengthen my lungs and just, I don’t know, build me up. So from that day on, my parents had me in the water and involved in every possible aquatic activity known to man or fish.” He shrugged. “And I outgrew it. The asthma, I mean. I love the water.”

“Activities known to man or fish, huh?” Sam dipped his head and kissed Jason’s eyebrow.

That was probably a miss, but Jason would take it. He would take every gesture Sam had to offer. They were silent for a time. Jason thought Sam had probably drifted off again, but Sam said suddenly, “Did I even remember to thank you?”

“For what?”

Sam laughed and Jason realized he’d been close to dozing himself. He chuckled drowsily. “Oh that? You’re welcome. My pleasure.”

He did not say any time. He was afraid that there might be other times. In his heart, he knew there would be.