Emily Cale's Blog, page 10

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!

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting fellow Ellora's Cave author Avril Ashton. She's brought with her an incredible cover and a super sexy sounding story.

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l always wanted to have a sexy bio, one to reflect who I am, but after drawing a blank, l could only come up with: I eat cake and I read books…ooh, and I write ‘em too. No one liked it and after massive peer-pressure and pouting, I managed something more…suitable?

 A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril's earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of The Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of '09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril's stories, but there'll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms. Visit: http://www.avrilashton.webs.comhttp://www.avril-ashton.blogspot.comFriend Avril on: http://www.facebook.com/writeravrilashtonhttp://www.twitter.com/#!/AvrilAsh
  NOW FOR AVRIL'S EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL! The trials of an erotic romance writer…putting together an excerpt and every other word is NSFW. I use way too many curse words, blame it on my dirty Brooklyn twang, and I've got a fondness for a word that rhymes with rock…of the male variety. Seriously. Just salty though and through. But, I made it work—moved around some letters, redid a word here and there. It's not completely watered down, so calm those racy nerves. Here is the blurb and an exclusive excerpt from my latest M/M release with Ellora's Cave, Love the Sinner, book one in my Brooklyn Sinners series.

BLURB: A notorious gang leader and an NYPD cop. An unlikely couple, but is it true what they say? Could Gabe hate the sin but love the sinner? Detective Gabriel Ashby has never looked twice at another man, yet the criminal across from him, the man he's interrogating, isn't like any other. Gabe can't deal with the sudden, intense need he has for one of NYPD's Most Wanted. Everyone close to Angelo Pagan ends up dead, with the smug gang leader standing amid the rubble. Gabe would love nothing more than to bust Angelo's ass and lock him up. So why is he seeing the bastard in his dreams at night? Angelo Pagan knows attraction to Gabe is suicide. He's resolute to ignore the chemistry…until a police raid goes wrong. He critically injures Gabe, changing the trajectory of both their lives. Now the two can't get close enough. They settle into a forbidden affair threatened by lies and betrayal, living on different sides of the law with no way of breaching the gap between them. With the authorities looking to make an example of Angelo, Gabe has to decide if it's really worth it to hate the sin but love the sinner.
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EXCERPT:

They sat side by side in silence, Angelo fully clothed, Gabe's lower half bare, eating the food Angelo brought, taking turns sipping on his lukewarm Bud. The silence wrapped around them, light and comforting. He was at ease. They both were.

"So, your mom, huh?" He licked his lips and glanced at Pagan sideways. A smile curved the mouth that destroyed him with pleasure moments before.

 "Yeah. Mi mama, she's cool peeps." Angelo met his eyes, his gold gaze smiling. Warm.

Gabe found himself smiling back, leaning forward to drown deeper in those eyes. "You told her about me? Why?"

"There are very few things I keep from my mother." Angelo grew serious. "You're not someone I will ever hide from her."

 Gabe's heart lurched inside his chest. This man. This man was doing something to him and he didn't want it stopped. "Who else knows you prefer men?" He couldn't imagine many people did, else that would have made its way into Angelo's file at the station. Harsh realities awaited someone like him out there on the streets, so obviously alpha and Hispanic, if many people knew his sexual preference.

Angelo took a long drink of the beer. Gabe couldn't tear his gaze away from the hypnotic slide of his Adam's apple as he swallowed.

 "Two people knew. Not counting you, now only one does." Bitterness laced those words. He referred to his sister. "Let's talk about you." Pagan turned the full heat of his gaze on Gabe. "What happened to the woman you were living with?"

"Trish?" Gabe raised an eyebrow when Angelo nodded. "Do I want to know how you know about her?"

Angelo shrugged. "I hung around the hospital after I shot you. She was always there."

 "I drove her off." Gabe turned away. "She didn't deserve the shit I put her through these last few weeks. She left a week ago, but we were over long before that."

 "Why were you over?" Warm, rough fingers gripped his chin and turned his head.

He met the open curiosity in Angelo's eyes.

 "What shit did you put her through, Gabe?"

"I-I…" Confession time. He wanted to say it out loud, put it out there. "She wanted to make plans for our future. Kids. Marriage. The whole set."

Angelo's eyes flashed. "What did you want?"

 "You."

 Dark lashes dipped then lifted, the same feelings imprinted in Angelo's stare. Gabe dropped his gaze to those lips.

 "Kiss me," he whispered. Because he was addicted. He needed and Angelo was there to supply.

Firm lips covered his, light, brushing. He grabbed Angelo's t-shirt and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss with a growl. Tongues lashed around each other, curling, tasting. There among the food and beer, he found the taste he craved. Uniquely Angelo. Sliding his hand down Angelo's front, he traced the hem of the t-shirt then lifted, knuckles sliding across the tight skin of his stomach.

Angelo's breath hitched and Gabe smiled into the kiss. He couldn't walk away from this if his life depended on it, and it did. He'd never known a need like the one crawling through his blood existed. He'd never experienced a heat like the inferno threatening to engulf him. He wanted to be burned. To go up in flames.

 Because Angelo would be with him.

 He broke the kiss. "Take off your shirt."

Angelo searched his gaze, lust covering his eyes, his cheeks flushed dark. "Amado, you don't—" He swallowed. "You don't have to do this."

A grin spread across Gabe's face as he eyed the erection straining against Angelo's jeans. "But I want to. I need to." He'd never seen another naked man this close and this personal, never wanted to until now. He grabbed Angelo's t-shirt and pulled it up. "Let me see you. I want to touch you."

A muscle flexed in Angelo's jaw as he sat upright and pulled the piece of clothing over his head and threw it to the side.

 Muscles. A warm toasty gold, hard and warm. Gabe stared at the wide expanse of Angelo's chest and gulped. His cock throbbed and stirred, awakening at the sight of all that flesh. Angelo's flesh. He wasn't bulky, but muscular and hard. Tattoos in the Los P colors—green, red and blue—gang symbols and foreign text covered both his arms from shoulder to wrist. Gabe made out the names of Angelo's sister and father along with dates.

His sculpted chest was smooth, his two dark nipples pierced with tiny silver rings. He was sitting, but Gabe licked his lips, gaze sliding over Angelo's six-pack and following the dark hairs of his treasure trail as it disappeared down the front of his jeans.

 "You're…" What word would best describe the beauty of the man before him? "You look really good." Anything else would've made him sound like a girl, a gushing girl. The heat of a blush flashed over his face as Angelo grinned.

"You're quite the looker yourself, cop." He winked.

Gabe brushed the tip of his right index over the left nipple ring. Angelo arched. Sounds rumbled in his chest as his lashes drooped. Gabe grew bolder. Hooking his pinky in the ring, he tugged.

"Ugh, amado." Angelo fisted his hands where they lay on his lap. He opened his eyes. "Touch me, Gabe."

Gabe did. He smoothed his other palm over Angelo's chest and down his stomach, heartbeat frantic, breathing through his mouth as Angelo moved with him, arching into each swipe of his hand, each tug of the nipple ring. Hungry. He moved as if he'd been starved for touch.

Gabe dipped his fingers into the waistband of Angelo's jeans. "When was the last time you had this?"

"I've never had this." Angelo's eyes were closed again.

"You've never been touched like this?" Gabe couldn't hide the incredulity in his voice. "You're Angelo Pagan, if you want to be touched you will be." He squeezed the bulge in his hand.

Angelo looked at him then, eyes heavy-lidded and dark with lust. "Too risky. I go far, far away and even then I don't lie around to be touched." He bucked into Gabe's palm, the hard length of him throbbing and hot. "I fuck then I leave. I don't get fucked or touched."

"I'm fucking you."
----- BUY LINKS~
Ellora's Cave
Amazon: \
WAIT, THERE'S MORE!I'll give a $10 Ellora's Cave gift card to one commenter on this post. Please be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

 Ready to move on? The next stop on the Erotic Romance Scavenger Hunt is... Kerry Freeman! Good luck!

Updates!

I've been a little slow with actually announcing stuff on the blog lately, but that just means I can tell you all the good stuff at once.

First, I've signed a contract with Decadent Publishing for Power Play, the second in Angela S. Stone and I's sexy hockey player trilogy. This one is a m/f/m story and features Natalie, TJ's best friend from Goalie Interference.

Second, Tiffany Reisz put the Table of Contents up last night for the Felt Tips anthology and my name is on it! I'm very excited to be part of this project. All the profits are going to some fantastic charities that help bring supplies to classrooms and help working parents get the  clothes to go to their jobs. The anthology will be out 12-12-12.

Finding Cally (Guest Post and Contest)

Today, I have Kerrianne Coombs on my blog to talk about her new book, Beauty and the Beast.
When I came up with the idea of this book—Beauty and the Beast. I made myself wonder what type of pampered princess would fall in love with a beast? What sort of well-bred, spoiled princess would look past the fact that Beast is well…a beast? 
In the ‘original’ fairy tales—although I love them—they tend to promote beauty as the only reason a man and woman can fall in love. We all know this for crap, but it still made me wonder how exactly I was supposed to get a princess to look past Brigg’s Coughbeastliness, and find the lovely, sexy demon underneath.
My only conclusion was that the princess would have had to have some hefty baggage herself, to be able to do this. 
I found it hard to admit, but sympathy is only bred from understanding, and I think that Cally (Princess Callindra) after what she had been through in her life—and it’s a lot—would most definitely understand.
Cally finds Brigg when she is desperate. Brigg finds Cally when he has given up. Awwwww. ;-)  It was a wonderful journey walking Brigg and Cally through their confusing feeling’s for one another. And even more fun when they actually accepted it! LOL

Beauty and the Beast Blurb:  When Princess Callindra of Tempath, wakes up hog-tied and bruised in the bowels of hell, she realizes that her plan to escape her up-coming marriage has gone horribly wrong. Her only hope of escape comes in the form of Brigg, cursed Rain Demon and bitter, human hating bastard. But beggars can’t be choosers.When Brigg finds himself in possession of a human and a horde of angry demons desperate to get her back, he flees. When he realizes that she is the daughter of the witch that cursed him and his family, he believes that he has finally got the opportunity he has been hoping for. The only thing he must decide now is what is more important to him, the reversal of the curse, or revenge?Neither one are prepared for the flame that ignites between them. But will the spark be enough to break to the curse that holds them apart?
Excerpt:
Brigg walked back to the castle and opened the heavy wooden door. He was utterly shattered. His muscles burned from running but his mind was still filled with Cally. No matter how hard or fast he had run, he couldn’t clear her from his thoughts. He had waited until he was sure she was asleep before he came back.What was he going to do tomorrow? Lust was so heavy in his body, it burned and urged him—even when she was nowhKerrianne has graciously offered a $5 Amazon gift card and a copy of Beauty and the Beast to one lucky commenter. 

Book Spotlight: Touch by Julie Destry

Sometimes, the dark exposes more than it hides...

As a news anchor, Kass needs to show the world her conservative side, but underneath her public persona is a woman who longs for physical connection. When an invitation to visit a sex club arrives in her inbox, she jumps at the chance to indulge herself in an evening of hot, sweaty sex with a stranger—no strings attached. What she finds instead is a man who shows her that secret fantasies can become reality, but only if she’s willing to take a chance.

Finn's a man whose mojo has hit rock bottom. After the crash and burn of his last relationship, an anonymous sexual encounter is just what he needs. Although the goal for the night is simply to give them both pleasure, he discovers that he may be willing to give something more…

Kass is scared to risk revealing her identity to the man who just took her beyond her wildest expectations, no matter how much he tempts her.  But Finn’s determined that their scorching passion has a chance to see the light of day.

Available on Amazon or wherever ebooks are sold!

About Julie Destry:

With most of my childhood lost in story-land, it’s a wonder that it took me until I was almost 30 years old to finally start writing my own stories. I’m in love with the idea of love, and my writing and reading habits reflect that. It’s all about the romance! Nothing’s as satisfying as a Happily Ever After, in my opinion, and the more angst and heat getting there, the better.

I call a little-city-that-feels-big located in the Canadian Maritimes my home, where I fill people’s heads with stuff for an ‘official’ living. I adore shoes and purses, Chai tea, hot guys, reining horses, cupcakes and surrounding myself with bright colors that make my world a happier place.
Most days will find me snugged up in my cozy bungalow with my two cats, one of which may be either too smart for his own good or exceptionally dumb—it's hard to tell the difference sometimes. Their escapades occasionally make it onto my blog.
You can find me on Facebook or, if you're interested in knowing more about me, visit my website.

Guest Blog with Olivia Brynn (GIVEAWAY)

Hey all! Thanks, Emily for letting me take over your blog today. I promise to clean up after myself. I brought Golden Oreo cookies and tea. You'll have to bring your own liquid enhancements, I'm fresh out after a week in Chicago. 
Emily is so kindly allowing me to share more about my newest release. Flipped came out on Saturday! It's my first male/male romance. I thought I'd try a short story to see if I could pull it off. Well, it got published, that's the first test, and now I wait for the reviews to see if it worked.


Flipped is a friends-to-lovers story. I've always wanted to write one (and I might write more) just because although the line between friends and lovers is pretty defined, it's so easy to get swayed over it. Really, would you want to be lovers with someone you couldn't stand in the light of day?

Here's a short excerpt to show a bit of the friendship between Mario Gutierrez and Carter Hope:
***
Mario reached across the table to nudge Carter's elbow. "I'll never forget the time you tried to teach Elaine how to moonwalk."
Carter sprayed out his mouthful of beer before he laughed it back through his nose, the picture of their friend Elaine's wavering attempt at the dance move clear in his mind, though it had been four years ago. "Oh God, that was funny. I never knew anyone could fall on her ass so many times in a row."
"And then she backed over the dog and spilled that… What was she drinking?"
"Everclear and tomato juice."
"That's right. So disgusting." Mario chuckled. "Big-ass red stain on that carpet for months afterward."
"She finally got tired of the blood stain questions, so she threw it out."
Mario laughed harder, a full-bodied guffaw he never tried to smother. The man laughed with every fiber of his being. Just like he did everything else. All or nothing. It was contagious enough that Carter's face started to ache. "We have some weird friends."
"None weirder than you, dude."
"Me? You're the one who sleeps with a body pillow."
"If you thought it was weird, why did you buy it for me?"
Carter finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the edge of the table. "I forgot your birthday and had to find something quickly." He shrugged. "It was on sale. Cheap."
That was a lie. Carter knew how Mario propped six pillows on his bed in order to sleep. The body pillow was a logical choice for a gift. The fact that it came with the Superman seal all over the fabric was a bonus."You're such a liar. You left the damn receipt on the table. I saw that you bought it a week before my birthday. And it wasn't on sale." He flipped up his middle finger. "Admit it. You like me."
"Ugh. You're not my type." Carter snorted. At Mario's playful pout, Carter took a closer look at the guy. If Mario wasn't such a good friend, he'd be just what Carter wanted in a man: dark hair, dark skin, about four inches shorter than his own six feet, but lean and handsome. Great sense of humor. Smart.
Huh. Not bad.

 ***
Have you ever just taken a fresh look at someone you'd known for years? These two just needed me to nudge them in the right direction, and they figured out the rest. One of my favorite friends-to-lovers story is one by Sandra Brown, back when she wrote genre romance. It's titled A Whole New Light. I think I read that thing about fifteen times. 
***Please comment below. I'll randomly draw from the comments to win a copy of either Flipped or one of my backlist books***
Thanks again, Emily for having me over. You can find more information about Flipped on my website. Catch me on the web!

~ Olivia*Flipped* Website * Twitter * Facebook

Updates, RT, and Other Awesome Things

The blog has been a little empty lately.

First important thing is that the 1 Night Stand story I wrote with Angela S. Stone is coming out on April 17th from Decadent Publishing. We got the most amazing cover art for it too.
Second is that I'll be at the Romantic Times Convention (RT) this next week. I'll be signing Dessert First, Public Display of Affection, and Honeymoon Suite at the ebook expo. It's my first ever signing, so please stop by and say hi if you're there, even if you don't want to buy a book (but I won't stop you if you do). While I'm there, I've teamed up with some awesome writers to giveaway a Kindle Fire. Find me to get more details. While you're finding me, I'm carrying around 2 print copies of Indian Summer and giving them away to the first 2 people to ask for them. So find me and ask!

St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop

Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop! If you've never been to my blog before, then welcome! I write contemporary and western erotic romance. If you've been here before, then you know how things around here work. 
Today, I'm offering two prizes, but you have to get to the bottom to find out about them, okay? Good.
I'm half Irish, so I consider St. Patrick's Day to be very important to me. What better way to celebrate than with alcohol. A few years ago, a friend told me about a drink she had called Leprechaun Piss. Obviously, I needed to make this and thought you might too.
Mix together the following: 1 oz. blue curacao 1 oz. triple sec 1 oz peach schnapps Top with orange juiceIt will turn a lovely chemical green color that is very festive for the holiday.

Okay, so I think I said something about prizes. Leave a comment telling me your favorite mixed drink (or, if you don't drink, your favorite drink or dessert) and I'll pick a first place winner to receive a $10 gift card to the ebook retailer of their choice and a second place winner who will get their choice of ebooks from my back list.

Interview with Kerrianne Coombes

Wee! I've got the awesome Kerrianne Coombes here today. Pull up a chair and get ready to hear some great answers. 




Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate, but I love a vanilla latte
Dogs or Cats? Uh, both. I love animals, but I have three cats, so probably if I had to choose, I'd say cats.
Coffee or Tea? Coffee

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere! But mainly with other people. I love to people watch. Sitting in a cafe, and just Seeing how people interact is wonderfully interesting to me. I sit and make up little stories for them. *grins* is that strange? My mum got me on that, and I never stopped. Also music. A good song can whip up inspiration so fast in me. I love That feeling when you get inspired and a story fills your mind--nothing quite like it.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?
PANTSER. I get an idea and write down the basic plot, maybe a few lines.Then after that I just write. Sometimes the characters need wrangling so I can hit the end I want, but other than that, I just go with it.

What’s your favorite of the books you’ve written?

I love Running Home because it is a lovely story, and it is my first ever contracted book, so it is very special to me. But my favorite book that I have written is a paranormal telling of a children's fairy tale. I just love anything paranormal, so that genre is fun for me.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Oh, god! I love so many. But if I had to choose one, it would be Sherrilyn Kenyon. Her books were the first paranormal books that I ever  read, and the moment I picked up her first Dark Hunter book, I was hooked! I also adore Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh and Lora Leigh--just to name a few. I am a BIG reader.

What are your hobbies (reading and writing don’t count)? Do they ever make an appearance in your stories?

As far as hobbies go, I don't know. But I like to do a lot of stuff. I love hiking, horse riding, going to the movies, socialising. I love to be busy. I always try to write about what I know. I write fiction, so I try to make some of it fact for it to be believable. Like places I have been, and sights I have seen. But mainly my brain plants the characters within a situation that I have maybe, sort of been in. In Running Home the book is set  on a rural farm in the English countryside. I worked on farms with horses for a lot of my life, so a farm is an easy place for me to describe.

What is the hardest thing about writing for you? 

Managing my time between my hubby, kids, house and friends. Housework always sits at the bottom of my 'to do' list. So for me, it's the need to get in front of the computer and bang out a scene, and the need to make sure I am doing the best job I can in every other part of my life. It all keeps me busy, but I would have It no other way.

Does your family know what you write?

Yep, and they are all very proud x

What exotic locale would you most like to visit?

I have always wanted to visit New Orleans, and I am actually going there in August for the Authors After Dark convention. So I am so super excited!


Oh and Kerrianne has an amazing cover for her book Running Home. 


Tom Cane, Ex-military man and self professed recluse turned farmer, wants nothing more from life but the chance to wallow in his own pity.  The shrapnel lodged permanently in his leg a daily reminder of his failings during his last tour of duty.  On a cold, rainy, British evening fate delivers a new reason to live in the form of Joanne Sloane, the daughter of a socialite and abused wife of an up and coming businessman.  Desperate and in fear of her life, she flees her home and stumbles onto Tom's land. Together their passions ignite and the need to rescue one another entangles them in a bitter fight for their lives.

Blabbing about Stuff

I'm over at The Rainbow Studio talking about a not-so-inspirational setting that ended up inspiring Public Display of Affection. Stop by and see me.


*Also, I'm giving away a free copy today on Twitter. All you have to do is @ me with whether you prefer a beach or mountain vacation by 8PM Eastern. I'm @EmilyCale.

Guest Post on Plot Mamas

My Public Display of Affection blog tour continues today. I've got a confession to make today over on Plot Mamas. Stop by to check it out.