M.A. Church's Blog, page 145

Print giveaway for the Nighttime series!

The Nighttime series is a M/M scifi tentacle story. The tentacles resemble dreads. But be aware this *is* a tentacle series.


Okay guys, I'm going to run a print giveaway for the Nighttime series. :) It's for the US only, but I plan to do a giveaway for the Nighttime series eBooks next month. I'll give more info on that later. :)

In a year, I get my rights back, and the series will be off the market then. I have plans for it, of course. That means what I'm giving away now will end up being first editions. :)

So, what do you have to do? Not much lol. Ya'll know I'm not big on making you jump through hoops. Just comment and make sure to leave me an email addy. I'll contact the winner for their snail mail later. The winner has 72 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, I'll pick a new winner.

Good luck! This giveaway is going to run until August 17th so everyone has time to enter. :)





Nighttime Wishes

And so it starts...
Through the darkness of space and the barriers of Time an alien warrior is driven. The need to claim the one who will be his mate sends him back to Earth for the final time after many years of watching, and waiting. Ziang, warrior from the planet Maz’Rar, has come to claim his most precious prize and start a new life.

But an unforeseen accident results in a crash landing in a desolate wood. His plans for a quick removable of his mate is now laying in a twisted ruin at his feet, much like his space craft. And his arrival has not gone unnoticed by the United States government.

Shawn, disowned by his parents for being gay, has returned to his family home to find his father dying from a stroke and his mother unable to cope with the family business. When the dust settles he finds his mother moving away leaving him with the family home and business in a small town he swore he never wanted to see again.


Unsure what he wants, the decision is taken from him by a fiery crash in the woods near his home and an alien that has come to claim him as his mate. The very same alien that has been observing him since age six when he made a wish upon a shooting star in the middle of the night.


Tensions mount as they are forced to hide Ziang while he waits three days for rescue. Will Shawn go with this being from another world? Will he be given a choice? Or will Ziang be captured by the military never to be seen from again; just another UFO myth in a long line of many?






Nighttime Dreams

Bryan, a simple country sheriff, is ready to shoot someone and hide the body. One particular homophobic FBI agent is really pressing his buttons. 
Along with that he finds himself in the middle of an FBI investigation revolving around a recent UFO crash landing, is questioned about a missing friend targeted by the FBI, and makes first contact with the very alien the FBI is hunting.

Daroshi, Ma’Rairan warrior, has fulfilled his obligation to his species, and is ready to mate. As second in command he monitored the rescue of his captain who crashed on Earth while collecting his mate, and witnessed the confrontation between a country sheriff name Bryan and his captain. 
Impressed by how courageously the brawny human male handled meeting a fully armed alien warrior, Daroshi asks permission to take Bryan as a mate.

Neither male is ready for the problems that come with Daroshi’s decision, nor the passion that explodes between them.





Nighttime Promises

Be careful what you wish for...

The first time Daroshi spotted Bryan, the Maz’Rarian warrior knew he wanted the small town sheriff as his mate. Things have been going downhill since. Daroshi doesn’t have experience dealing with humans, especially a very unhappy human male who’s just had his well-planned life jerked out from under him. 
Little does Daroshi know the changes Bryan will insist be made to help him adjust. But he also never dreamed someone would actually try to kill his mate.

The shocks just keep coming for Sheriff Bryan Coltrane. Finding out aliens exist was bad enough. Finding himself mated to one was definitely not on his to-do list. Wait, what? 
Did someone say tentacles? And if that’s not enough, a killer tried to poison him. Added to his misery, now he’s on his way to another planet—a planet that he hates on sight. How’s he supposed to survive in such a cold, ugly industrialized world? Can you take the country out of the boy without killing his spirit?

As Bryan struggles to adapt, a killer plots to end his new life... before it even begins.






GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!~M

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday Bloghop - Priceless

Happy Saturday and welcome to My Sexy Saturday ! For this hop you post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words. It can be from a WIP or something published.For this week, I thought I’d do something from my Dreamspinner release, Priceless. It’s book one in the Gods series, and is about to be released in French on Aug. 5th.

Blurb: Sparks ignite when Cupid takes aim at two mortals in Las Vegas: Randy Jones, an average guy on a company vacation, looks into Garrett’s eyes at a craps table and time stands still. Throwing aside everything he believes, Randy engages in a torrid two-night affair with Garrett—only to panic when he realizes he’s fallen in love. Cynical billionaire Garrett Shiffler has everything money can buy, and most of his dates can’t see past the dollar signs. Life has taught him that innocence and love are figments of the imagination. But when Randy disappears, taking with him feelings Garrett thought he’d never know, Garrett wages the most important battle of his life to win Randy's love—but this time he fights with his heart, not his bank account. Meanwhile, Cupid wonders what happened. His golden arrows never fail unless the Fates interfere. If Garrett wants to win Randy back, he’s going to have to do it on his own, because the Fates have other plans for Cupid. Excerpt: They stepped closer and Randy’s body was as tense as a drawn bow. What would a suave, sophisticated guy do in this situation? Suave, right. Randy just hoped he didn’t make an idiot out of himself. Randy’s breathing increased as he chewed his lip. His heart sped up as Garrett leaned into him. Would the kiss be hard and brutal, his mouth claimed by an onslaught of passion that would leave him breathless and bruised? He moaned in surprise as Garrett’s mouth sweetly moved on his.From one heartbeat to the next, pleasure exploded in Randy’s mind. He hadn’t expected such gentleness. Throwing caution to the wind, he grasped Garrett’s hips and pulled him closer. Garrett’s tongue explored his mouth, that sinful goatee tickling his chin. When Garrett nudged his head to the side and nibbled a path down Randy’s neck, he willingly bared his throat. And moaned again when Garrett sucked hard on the tender skin near his collarbone.Randy, squirming from the sensations, rubbed his leg up and down Garrett’s thigh. One of Garrett’s hands drifted down and lifted Randy’s leg higher, palming his ass as he kneaded the firm flesh. The electricity that jumped between them had Randy shaking.“Garrett,” Randy gasped as Garrett found a particularly good spot, “there’s gotta be cameras in here.”Garrett held Randy tightly for a moment, their bodies crushed together, before he released him and moved away. He mumbled under his breath about how could Randy think, much less clearly, at that moment. Randy leaned against the elevator wall, eyes closed, and tried to bring his rampaging body under control. The elevator dinged and lurched to a stop, causing Randy to stumble into Garrett.He slid his arm around Randy to steady him and didn’t let go when the doors parted. Garrett pulled Randy toward his suite, throwing the door open. Once inside he slammed the door shut, spun Randy around, and trapped him against the back of the door. He slammed his mouth over Randy’s, picking up where he left off in the elevator until Randy was gasping for air.
“Let me be very clear,” Garrett panted into his mouth. “I want you in my bed. I want you desperate, wild, and begging.”

Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3095French translation link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5340

Pride Promotion Presents Designated Bottoms Anthology by Katey Hawthorne, Kiernan Kelly, Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, BA Tortuga, KC Wells, Shannon West and a Giveaway

Book Name: Designated BottomsAuthor Name: Katey Hawthorne, Kiernan Kelly, Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, BA Tortuga, KC Wells, Shannon WestAuthor Bio: ContributorsBA Tortuga: Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing porn sites in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia Talbot, her best friend, Sean Michael, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to hard-core cowboys to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which was raised in Northeast Texas, but has responded to the call of the high desert mountains. With books ranging from hard-hitting GLBT romance, to fiery menages, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon- holed by anyone but the voices in her head. Find her at www.batortuga.com
Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Find Katey at http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/
Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex.A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Ellora's Cave, and Changeling Press. She believes that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter, or at www.juliatalbot.com
Sean Michael: Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.Sean's available for interviews, by the way. He can always be talked into, well talking about himself. Find Sean at www.seanmichaelwrites.com
Shannon West: Shannon West currently lives in the South with her husband and family. A lover and avid reader of M/M romances, she began writing them a few years ago and now has over forty short stories, novellas,and novels to her credit. Her series about wolf shifters, the Dark Hollows Series and the sci fi series, Love Slaves of the Alphas, produced sixteen bestsellers with four of them going to number one on the third party sites. She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013, a nominee for best sci fi series in the Love Romances Café and very honored to be named an All Romance ebooks top ten author for 2013. She writes BDSM and some ménage as well. She loves men and everything about them, and believes that love is love, no matter the gender. She mostly spends her days at the keyboard, trying to elude housework, which stalks her relentlessly.Links: www.shannonwestbooks.comTwitter: @shannonwest8Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Shannon-West/e/B006M4L976/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1378053402& mp;sr=8-2-entFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.west.399
Kiernan Kelly: Kiernan Kelly lives in the wilds of the alligator-infested U.S. Southeast, slathered in SPF 45, drinking colorful tropical, hi-octane concoctions served by thong-clad cabana boys.All right, the truth is that she spends her time locked in the dark recesses of her office, writing gay erotic romance while chained to a temperamental laptop, drinking coffee, and dreaming of thong-clad cabana boys.Sigh.To date, Kiernan has over a dozen novels in print and ebook, and a plethora of short stories in both formats.Links:www.KiernanKelly.com KiernanKelly@KiernanKelly.comhttps://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly
KC Wells: Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – writing about men in love was even hotter...K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career.The laptop still has no idea of what hit it... it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.K.C. can be reached via email (k.c.wells@btinternet.com), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld) or through comments at the K.C. Wells website (www.kcwellsworld.com) K.C. loves to hear from readers.
Blurb: So, what happens when you get a bunch of m/m writers together on a panel at a steamy little convention called Authors After Dark in Savannah?In this case, we all sat around with the readers who came to our panel and chattered and laughed like idiots, and we talked about what we liked to read and write. There was a lot of smutty puns, and it was all fun and games until someone uttered the fateful phrase, “Right, and every story has to have a designated bottom.”The writer and editor in me both went, “ooooh”. And I said, “Hey, does anyone want in on an anthology for next year with this theme?”Enough of the writers at that panel, and a few who weren’t, said yes, and Designated Bottoms was born. When I sent out the call, this is what I said. You’ve heard about Designated Drivers? Well, what about a Designated Bottom? The theme is open to all m/m stories where one man is a designated bottom boy, Whether self-imposed or by the Dom/lover/alpha of the pack or simply (either true or not) by society. Feel free to play with burly bottoms who surprise the deceptively sweet top, or with the too-smart kid who's the pushy bottom to end all bottoms. BDSM is fine, but not mandatory. A bottom may simply like to catch instead of pitch. The stories I received delighted me. From a first-time cowboy and his new lover to a hardass Sergeant falling for a determined young soldier, from a hot gamer geek who doesn’t date to a sweet young thing on his first visit to a BDSM club, there’s something for everyone. There are princes and paupers, werekitties and strippers, and skinny twink-looking tops and big, gentle bottoms. They all left me fanning my hot cheeks and smiling at how the end result was two men in love, no matter how they got there. The authors in Designated Bottoms have all reminded me why I fell in love with m/m as a genre damned near fifteen years ago, and of why I’m still writing, and publishing those stories today. We’d like to dedicate this book to all the readers at Authors After Dark who thought this collection was a great idea, and to all the readers who keep us going every day by reading our books and letting us know they like them! I hope y’all love these stories as much as I do!XXOO
Twitter: @torquereCover Artist: Anne SquiresPublisher: Torquere Press IncBlurb(s): Some men are bottoms by birth, others by choice. Whatever the reason, a designated bottom is someone who’s happy to surrender, to submit, or just catch instead of pitch!In Czech Me Out, by BA Tortuga, Korde discovers what it’s like to fall for someone when food truck owner Josh takes on the cowboy virgin. Katey Hawthorne’s gamer grad student Paul doesn’t date. He keeps things strictly physical. So why is Sammy so important to him in The Mistell? Kitty shifter and stripper Aleks doesn’t mix business with pleasure, but he thinks Rafe might just be the master for him in Julia Talbot’s Faster Bobcat.Sean Michael’s Peter isn’t sure about the club his friend takes him to, especially when Doms start hitting on him. Experienced Dom Rupert is happy to help, explaining about that Little Square of Cloth. In Sgt. Hardass, by Shannon West, recent ex-Army man Jake meets up with a man he has history with, and Chad isn’t sure he can explain himself and defuse Jake’s anger. In the Prince of Paupers by Kiernan Kelly, Prince Liam and longtime friend Deacon have to go back to Deacon’s Appalachian home, much to the prince’s dismay. And in Switching It Up by KC Wells, Jay knows he looks like a twink, but only hunky Dean understands that looks can be seriously deceptive.
Excerpt: From Czech Me Out by BA Tortuga Josh had texted the fine cowboy as early as he felt comfortable doing it. He’d waited until nine. He figured it was gratifying that he got an immediate response.  “Noon?” he’d sent, and when he got an affirmative, he’d send his address. Then he set about making lunch. He could tear that sweet body up, turn the Marlboro Man inside out and make Korde like it. He would soften the guy up with a few barbecue-filled potato skins... Barbecue, the redneck aphrodisiac. Josh grinned. He’d swayed more than one hot little cowboy with his special sauce and some crispy potatoes. Of course, he’d never asked one to come to his house before, and certainly hadn’t gotten so interested so damned fast. He’d never changed his sheets and made sure he was stocked with lube and rubbers, either. Not on a not-even-a-first-date. Lord. He was hopeful today, for sure. Hopeful, horny and... oh, man, he needed an ‘h’ word... The doorbell rang, saving him from having to be too creative. He told his cock to stay down for a bit and went to answer. Frack and Frick were yapping their damn fool heads off, wagging and bouncing. Silly mutts. “Y’all get down.”  Josh opened the door a few inches. “You’re not afraid of dogs are you?” “Not even a bit.” Korde leaned down and gave scritches, easy as pie. Those two beagle-shepherd monstrosities went nuts, yodeling and wagging and begging.

Tour Dates: 7/30/14 
Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Cate Ashwood, MM Good Book Reviews, Decadent Delights, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Prism Book Alliance, Regular Guys, Hot Romance, Full Moon Dreaming, The Hat Party, Fallen Angel Reviews, Amanda C. Stone, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Love Bytes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Havan Fellows, Jade Crystal, Wicked Wolves and Dreaming Dragons, Iyana Jenna, Boy Meets Boy Reviews



Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway Rafflecopter Prize: $25 Amazon Gift CardSales Links: Designated Bottoms by Katey Hawthorne, Kiernan Kelly, Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, BA Tortuga, KC Wells and Shannon West | Torquere Press Inc.



The Manic Monday REVIEW 4.5 smoking hot stars


Czech Me Out: an Austin Taleby BA Tortuga
Korde is a virgin cowboy new to Austin. Killing time, he investigates the food trucks he’s heard about. There he meets Josh, one of the truck’s owners. Over lunch, Josh finds out Korde knows how to do tile work and things go from there.
There’s the usual humor one expects from BA Tortuga, lol. The dog’s names just killed me! The chemistry between Korde and Josh is instantaneous and so cute. Gawd, Korde is so cute. You just want to hug him. The story is charming with hot sex and a cowboy’s panic after having sex for the first time. I really enjoyed it, lol.

The Mistellby Katey Hawthorne
Peter, an art history gamer grad student, doesn’t date. He keeps things strictly physical because he can’t find what he wants. So when he learns fellow gamer Sam lives close by, they agree to meet. Let the sparks fly, lol. The build up between these two is slow and intense. And there’s a reason the buildup is slow. Then a minor misunderstanding happens and things get derailed.
I had trouble getting into the beginning since I’m not a gamer. The lingo threw me. But I liked Peter, so I stuck with it. I’m glad I did. It’s a wonderful story.

Faster Bobcatby Julia TalbotLynx shifter and stripper Aleks doesn’t mix business with pleasure. He doesn’t mix sex and shifters, either. But Rafe, another cat shifter, just may change his mind. Can he tempt Aleks? Can he be the master Aleks desires?
Okay, yay for cat shifters! And D/s. Already a check in my happy column. Aleks is another sweet bottom who’s a little insecure. Rafe is a smoking hot, strong shifter. Both men have hang-ups they need to work through. I got attached to these two characters quickly. There was a point I wanted to throttle Rafe, lol. This was my favorite of all the stories.
Little Square of Clothby Sean Michael
Thanks to an insensitive friend, Peter learns just what exactly that little square of cloth in his back pocket stands for. Okay, with friends like that, who needs enemies? Gawd! Peter was thrust out of the closet in a major way. He has interest in BDSM, but didn’t realize what he had just got thrust into.
My new favorite word: fuck a doodle doo! I’m in love, lol. This is Sean Michael, so there’s a smoking hot Top and a nervous, sweet bottom. Love me some D/s and oh yeah, spanking! Yes, I’m a Sean Michaels fan, lol. Really like this story.

Sergeant Hardassby Shannon West
Jason, a recent ex-Army man, has been burned by someone. Now, all he’s interested in is some submission in the bedroom with no strings attached. Then Fate steps in and sucker punches Jason. There stands his ex. The history between the two men is explosive and dangerous. Will Chad be able to defuse Jake’s anger before things get too far?
I actually felt sorry for Jason as the story went on. The man’s had a rough time of it, and he’s angry. Can’t really blame him, even if he did act like an ass. I really enjoyed this story too. But then, I’m a Shannon West fan.

Prince of Paupersby Kiernan Kelly

Prince Liam and longtime friend Deacon have to go back to Deacon’s Appalachian home, much to the prince’s dismay. It’s a trip Deacon is dreading. The days of poverty aren’t that far behind him and seeing it all again isn’t easy. In fact, things might even be worse than he remembers.
The prince cracked me up, lol. He was such a… *snort* prince. But his heart is gold, and he’s crazy about his best friend even if they are totally different. There was one character in this story I’d love to have strangled. Seriously. I live in a small town and this happens more than it should. (No, not saying what, lol.)


Switching it Upby KC Wells
Don’t judge a book by its cover. That’s the whole point of this one. Jay is a twink, so of course he must bottom. Right? Then there’s Dean. Big, muscular, tall. So, of course, he must be a top. Right?  Oh, but looks can be deceiving. Jay is the top, and he likes big, strong men. Dean is the big, strong man, but he’s pure bottom.
They meet and sparks fly. A hook-up blows both men minds, but Jay gets cold feet and runs off first thing. Has he made a huge mistake?
This is a cute story I enjoyed. The sex was smoking hot and I really liked both characters. I think this was a good pick to end the anthology.


I have to say, I really liked this anthology as a whole. Usually there’s one or two stories I like and that’s it. That didn’t happen with this one. I enjoyed every story and have reread them already,
~M

Wednesday Briefs - To Touch the Sky #3.2

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Welcome to the Wednesday Briefs flash group (click to go to the site). The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. If interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll tell you how. :)

Prompts this week are:
“I’m trying to help out as much as possible.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“This looks pretty good.”
“I’m good, but not that good.”
“Teach that old dog new tricks!”
“Gotta crawl before you can walk.”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
“Well, that lit a fire under him/her.”
“Trust me.”
or have a character going to a concert
or use: sink, pan, ring
or have a character freaking out
or have a birdbath in your story
or use: cell phone, plants, shampoo
or use: laptop, remote, hat
or use: TV, paint, nail
or “Hey, watch those teeth!”
or “Haha, that’s not a meal, more like an orderve!”
or “You know something? You frighten me.”
or “Don’t look now, but I think something’s on fire...”


To Touch the Sky 3.2
Douglas choked on his beer. “Blunt, aren’t you?”“No point in beating round the bush.”“I heard that. Why don’t we spend some more time here and see if we got anything going on?”Simon nodded his head. “Sounds like a plan.”Simon enjoyed the conversation, and even admitted Douglas was someone he could not only date, but also be friends with since they shared so many interests. He was smart, and the longer they talked, the more Simon relaxed. Hell, if this thing didn’t work out, maybe he’d introduce Chip to Douglas. After they finished their drinks, Douglas invited Simon to play a game of pool. With a devious smile, Simon accepted. He was no pool shark, but he was good. Maybe he could talk Douglas into a little bet to make things interesting. Simon patted Douglas on the ass and winked. From the corner of his eye he caught some guys over at the darts, frowning.“Hey sexy, want to make a little bet on the game?”Douglas beamed. “What do you have in mind?”Simon watched as Douglas racked the balls. The way Douglas handled those smooth, round pool balls gave him hope and tightened his balls. “Um—”“Well hello…” A dark-headed girl suddenly appeared, trailing her fingers across Simon’s shoulders.Simon barely kept from flinching. Where had they come from? Before he could finish his thought, two more girls drifted over to their pool table. They were both pretty, and definitely on the make, but they were barking up the wrong tree. The red-haired one snuggled up to Douglas. Simon could hear Douglas stuttering. He wished he could help, but he was busy removing the dark-headed girl’s red-tipped claws currently trying to twist one of his nipples off. He needed to explain things and quickly. This was why he preferred gay bars. At least the women there knew what was what. Simon caught her hand and held it away from his poor, abused nipple. “Oh, um, look, while I appreciate the nipple massage and all, you see, I’m—”“Hey sweetheart, why don’t you join us? I got what you need right here.” A huge, blonde muscle-bound jock cupped his cock.Simon was about to point out to the girls they’d have more success over there and thank the guy when he heard “fucking fags” from another one of the jocks. Forget thanking the guy. Now he wanted to throw a pool ball at the asshole. Apparently the jocks playing darts took offense that girls were coming on to him and Douglas. The girls sniffed in distaste. Simon raised an eyebrow at the jocks. “Really? Um, have you noticed there are as many gay couples here as straight? Did you somehow miss where you are?”“Ain’t natural,” the third jock snarled. “Jesus, spare me. How did I get so lucky to be singled out by the likes of you? I was minding my own business. Oh wait, I bet I know what the problem is. From what I’ve seen, you guys haven’t been doing so hot with the ladies.”“Ah shit, Simon.” Douglas nervously looked at the jocks. “Don’t—”“What? Don’t what? Stand up for myself? Point out the obvious? Talk to this single-celled organism in a jersey?” Simon tightened his grip on the pool stick. “This is obliviously a gay-friendly bar. If that asshole doesn’t like it, he can leave.”The dark-headed girl piped up, sneering at the jocks. “A friend of mine warned me about you jerks. I’ve heard you’re not packing all that much, anyway.” “Oh damn,” Douglas moaned, eyes wide as he frantically looked around. “Oh damn, damn, damn.”She looked at Simon. “This guy though, he looks like he has plenty. Maybe he just needs the right kind of girl to show him what he’s missing.”“Ah crap, it doesn’t work that way, honey.” Simon peeled her fingers off his body yet again. There were always those who thought all gay guys needed was the right girl to fuck, then they’d be cured. “Fucking fag!”“Shit!” Simon jerked away from the troublemaking girl, nearly knocking her off her feet.“Hey!” she screeched.“Gonna beat your faggoty ass.” The big, blond jock yelled, pushing his way toward Simon. “Wow, you sure know the big words, don’t you? College teach you that, or did you learn it all on your own?” Simon snarked. Another shout sounded.“Oh shit.” That might not have been the best idea he’d ever had. When would he learn to keep his mouth shut? Simon gripped the pool cue as any thought of getting laid vanished.
With his luck, he now had a date with the nearest ER.


TBC


Chris T. KatCarol PedrosoJon KeysJim DunawayAverySarah HayesVictoria AdamsJohayanCia NordwellElyzabeth VaLey TC CollinsTali SpencerJC WallaceRavon SilviusJulie Lynn Hayes

Goddess Fish Presents Platonic by Kate Paddington and a Giveaway!

Kate will be awarding a $25 Barnes & Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Barnes & Noble GC and a print edition of Bleeding Heart (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. A free download of an Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack (US ONLY) will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the tour.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/06/virtual-book-tour-platonic-by-kate.html


Platonicby Kate Paddington
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


BLURB:
Mark Savoy and Daniel O’Shea were high school sweethearts who had planned their forevers together. But when Mark goes to college in California rather than following Daniel to New York, he embarks on a decade-long search for independence, sexual confidence and love.
When Mark lands a job in New York and crosses Daniel’s path, they slowly rebuild their fractured friendship through texts and emails. If they finally agree to see each other, will they be able to keep it platonic? Or will the spark of a long-lost love reignite just as Daniel accepts a job overseas?
Platonic is a story of trials, growth, and knowing how to learn lessons from the past to build a future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
"Why did you ask me?” Daniel asks, genuinely curious.   “That’s unfair. I’ve been asking you all night why you came.”   Daniel holds his gaze. “You know that night in the bar, when I ran into you?” Mark tilts his head—he remembers. “You asked me to email you and your eyes were wide and pleading and there was no way I was going to be able to say no to you. I remember wondering if you used the same face on juries, to get your way in court. I guess what I’m saying is that I still don’t know how to say no to you. I still don’t know how anyone does.”   Time stops around them, stutters and then kicks back in when their eyes slip away from each other. Neither one of them knows what this is or what to do with it. Neither of them walked into this dinner tonight thinking “seduction” or “relationship” or “date” or anything like that. They were far too busy not thinking it.   “Did you want to say no?” Mark asks.   “Of course not. I wanted to come. Of course I did, Mark.” And then somehow they’re touching. Without giving it any conscious thought, Daniel has reached across the space between them and caught one of Mark’s hands in his.   The realization that they are touching comes slowly to Mark; his nerves feel sluggish, his brain has trouble processing the simplicity of the touch, just skin on skin, not intimate or unwelcome or leading to anything. But Daniel is touching him—and not briefly, not fleetingly, he’s holding on—and suddenly it all rushes back through Mark and he never, ever wants to let go.   Not ever. This is it. Daniel is it. He always was.    “You broke my heart.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kate Paddington wrote her first work of fan fiction at age 12. Today, at age 26, she has degrees in philosophy and chemistry, and is currently completing a PhD in biophysics. A native of Australia, she has published numerous academic papers as part of her research. Platonic is her first novel.

Links: http://katepaddington.com/  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Paddington/1488275144718727  https://twitter.com/KatePaddington



Buy link: http://store.interludepress.com/products/platonic-by-kate-paddington



Now, for the interview!
What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Not to choose science over my creativity and writing. That advice has kind of shaped my life for the last ten years. It came from my high school English teacher just before I graduated. She wrote me a note in the yearbook telling me that I didn’t have to choose science over the humanities, that I could pursue both. This was quite the counterpoint to what everyone else had been telling me which was to just keep doing science. Because of her I chose to study Philosophy and English as well as Chemistry during my undergraduate. All of which led me to writing fiction as well as making me a much better thinker and communicator. That lesson—that you don’t have to just be one thing, that you should do as much as you can, explore all the different things that make you happy—that was really important thing for me to learn.

Do you plan your stories and, if so, to what extent?
I think I do. I don’t like to start writing until I know exactly what I’m doing and I’m very resistive to officially beginning a big project until it’s all there in my head. Which isn’t to say that the characters don’t take over as soon as I get them where they’re supposed to be on the page. They change the story to suit themselves sometimes. But in general, yes, the plot and the big moments get planned out and then I just hit the keyboard and write until my fingers are numb!

Do you listen to music when you're writing?
Absolutely! I do most of my writing in my office or a lab at the university I work at or in my home and both are busy, loud places so I need something to block it all out with. I tend to listen to a lot of instrumental stuff so the lyrics don’t confuse me. I can go for anything ranging from Vivaldi and Mozart to more modern classical like The Piano Guys and Vitamin String Quartet. Movie soundtracks are also fantastic: anything by Danny Elfman or Hans Zimmer. For Platonic, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata holds a special place and was actually mentioned in a book at one stage of drafting. The build of it and the repetition ring very true to the themes of the story.


If we could see your writing space, what would we see?
I have so many! Platonic actually got written while I was on a fortnight escape driving around Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. I stayed in a lot of little hotels with wonderful views of snow and trees and the sun. I’d just sit in my hotel bed or at the desk and type away. My usual writing areas are either my bed at home or my desks at university. Of course I’m meant to be writing science there but sometimes fiction distracts me. I have a desk in a fairly boring office but then I also have one in a blackout lab, which is where we run a bunch of high power lasers into microscopes and take pictures of the insides of cells. That can be a very cool place to write and pitch-black darkness is actually pretty conducive to focussing. So really, if you could see my writing space, you’d see variety, mess, weird science stuff… I make do.

Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?
I want to say Wicked and Elphaba because I love that musical and I think everyone feels a little bit like Elphaba but having thought about it, my life runs a lot closer to Legally Blonde. The university thing, the academic thing with all the intensity of study and trying to have fun at the same time, plus the kinds of prejudice and sexism in the musical are very familiar to me. I’m not Elle Woods though, no way on earth, I’m the really intense, overly-academic, loudly-opinionated law student Enid Hoopes.

Who are your favorite authors (in your same genre or not) and some of the best books you’ve ever read? What is your favorite book that you remember from childhood?
Neil Gaiman is definitely my favorite author at the moment. Obviously he’s not in the business of romantic erotica but his novels always feel fresh and new, they contain original ideas that I’ve never read or thought about, and that’s key for me picking up a book. Jane Austen is a close second. The first time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I rather hated the whole thing but I studied it in High School and completely changed me mind. As a kid, I had a huge soft spot for Roald Dahl and I still do. I’ll never tire of reading ‘Matilda’ because I always felt like that was how a story was meant to end.

Are you a romantic?
What’s a romantic? I always say no to this because I don’t believe in soul mates (even if both the protagonists in Platonic do!) and I am exceptionally pragmatic and logical. I mean, I’m doing a PhD in biophysics and I’ve got an undergraduate degree in philosophy, the two combine to make me think long and hard about these things. It all becomes math in my head which leaves no room for my being a romantic… That said, then I write the things I write and people tell me I am a romantic because I do believe love, romance and good sex are some of the very best experiences people can have, that these things can feel magical and wonderful and make a life worth living. So perhaps I’m a pragmatic romantic? Something like that? The book is certainly romantic!

Have you ever doubted yourself as a writer and if so, how did you overcome it?
Oh sure! Constantly! Let me take this question broadly and not just be specific to fiction writing though. I kind of got through high school and undergraduate without ever being heavily criticised in my writing. I wrote a lot of short stories and fanfiction during that time and that helped me improve. I read a lot and that also must have helped. When I started writing scientific articles, though, my co-authors (who were really just editors) crucified me. They highlighted massive slabs of text that they didn’t like. I was devastated the first time that happened because I thought I was a good writer—a good communicator—and I was being told my writing was bad. I got over that by realizing they were usually just making trouble and often by the time text had circled through three or four co-authors they’d collectively rewritten it back to what I wrote it as originally. Writing romance and sex is a weird thing to turn to having been doing that ‘professionally’ for four or five years but that whole time I was writing fanfiction and getting criticism on my writing. It makes me doubt myself but I usually just shrug my shoulders and get on with it. I write for me, I want to get better and will take on board anything constructive, but if people don’t like where I’m at they can go and write for themselves.

How do you come up with a title?
Platonic is the first novel I’ve had to title and I came up with it after I wrote the whole story, when I was very eager to share it with the world. I desperately searched my mind for a title and eventually ended up on Wikipedia looking at the entry on ‘soul mates’. This is how I approach difficulties: Wikipedia. Soul mates led me to Plato who was the man who kind of made the soul mates idea popular and I instantly remembered a bunch of Greek Philosophy I had studied. So, long story short, Plato wrote a symposium on love back in 380 B.C. and in it a bunch of old dudes argue about different sorts of love and it contains one of my favourite pieces of writing in Aristophane’s speech which was a bit ridiculous but also stupidly romantic because it was all about soul mates. So Plato and the use of the word ‘platonic’ to mean ‘of plato’ worked there. And of course my protagonists do plan to keep their relationship platonic in the contemporary sense. So… just layers and layers of nerdy, philosophical weirdness to name this novel.

If your “Muse” were an actual flesh and blood person, what would he/she look like?
I hate to admit to this but I suspect he’d look a lot like Patrick. In the book, Patrick is the catalyst for a lot of Mark’s growth and a good friend (and also a good lay). He’s very smart, very sharp, arrogant, selfish, obsessive, demanding—not all the things you’d want in a muse. But physically, he’s achingly attractive, Mark considers Patrick’s physique god-like and he’s not really overselling it. Patrick’s tall and broad in the shoulders, dark skin pulled tight over lean muscles everywhere. He has thick cupid’s bow lips and eyes that shine because he’s mischievous as well. Black short hair, sometimes facial hair, usually not, wonderful hands and well-groomed everything. Just stunning, really. He’d be a good muse to have around, actually, so long as he didn’t talk too much.
Which character caused you the most difficulty to write?
Daniel was the most difficult to write because the first person I let read the book actually sat me down and calmly told me that I shouldn’t write Daniel. What she meant was that the story was Mark’s and that all the writing I had done from Daniel’s point of view wasn’t really as good as it could be… from Mark’s point of view. She was right and while I was dismayed that I had to delete about a third of my words, it didn’t click immediately that not writing Daniel’s point of view would make it very difficult to write Daniel as a character that an audience would love and would want with Mark. Everything the audience sees of Daniel is through Mark’s eyes with the small exception of some email correspondence. So getting across his character, how he has changed in the decade after high school, why he deserves and is deserved by Mark, was very tricky. Luckily Mark does love Daniel and kind of always has and always will so there’s a lot to be learned about Daniel through him.

Where can your readers find you on the web?
You can find me at katepaddington.com, plus all the usual social outlets: Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook and tumblr. And of course, you can find out more about Platonic (and purchase it) at interludepress.com.


Thank you so much for the chance to chat to you guys today! This was really fun and I am super-excited to see what everyone thinks of my debut novel!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Inestimable (Priceless) by M.A. Church French Translation

Oh yes, Priceless has been translated to French! How totally cool is that??? Here's the information for it. :)~M



Buy Link: French translation link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5340
Blurb: Des étincelles jaillissent quand Cupidon vise deux mortels à Las Vegas : Randy Jones, un homme ordinaire, en voyage d’affaires, croise le regard de Garrett Shiffler à une table de craps et le temps s’arrête alors. Rejetant tout ce en quoi il croit, Randy se lance dans une aventure torride de deux nuits avec lui, avant de paniquer en réalisant qu’il est tombé amoureux. 
Le milliardaire cynique Garrett Shiffler a tout ce que l’argent peut acheter, et la plupart des hommes avec qui il sort, n’arrivent pas à voir plus loin que son portefeuille. La vie lui a appris que l’innocence et l’amour ne sont que le fruit d’une imagination collective. Mais quand Randy disparaît, emportant avec lui des sentiments que Garrett n’imaginait même pas avoir, il s’engage dans la bataille la plus importante de sa vie pour gagner son amour. Mais cette fois-ci, il se bat avec son cœur, et non son compte en banque. 
Pendant ce temps, Cupidon se demande ce qui s’est passé. Ses flèches dorées ne ratent jamais leur cible habituellement, sauf quand le Destin intervient. Si Garrett veut récupérer Randy, il va devoir le faire seul, car le Destin a d’autres plans en réserve pour Cupidon .

Excerpt:APRÈS S’ÊTRE encore fait demander sa carte d’identité, l’homme à l’allure juvénile entra dans le casino. Ses yeux brillaient d’une lueur espiègle alors qu’il scrutait la foule de gens. Il écarta quelques mèches blondes et bouclées de son front, cherchant cette fois un certain type d’individu. Il avait maintenant juste besoin d’inspiration pour frapper, et ses flèches loyales étaient prêtes à l’emploi. Se déplaçant dans la foule, il regarda autour de lui. Il avait le choix parmi tant d'hommes solitaires qui avaient besoin d'amour dans leur vie.

Il était connu sous bien des noms, mais il préférait Cupidon, le nom que sa mère lui avait donné. Mythologie grecque, mythologie romaine… Il haussa les épaules. Les humains ne savaient pas à quel point ils avaient massacré le panthéon, non pas que cela importe de toute manière. Il connaissait la vérité, tout comme ceux de son espèce la connaissaient.

Ses yeux scrutèrent à nouveau le casino… là ! Il avait trouvé ce qu’il cherchait. Cet homme. Avec un large sourire, il se fraya un chemin à travers la foule.

GARRETT REGARDAIT la foule du casino ‘Palms’ de Las Vegas d’un air ennuyé et nonchalant, ses yeux ne voyant rien de ce qui se passait autour de lui. Il était agité, et même l’excitation habituelle du jeu n’arrivait pas à piquer son intérêt. Il fit négligemment sauter le dé dans sa main, ne s’intéressant pas aux montants élevés des mises de la partie de craps qu’il était en train de jouer. La foule autour de lui eut le souffle coupé en voyant que sa chance avait tourné, et qu’il venait de perdre plus d’argent en un seul coup de dé que ce que certaines personnes gagnaient en un an. Mais même cela ne parvint pas à le tirer de son humeur morose. Soudain, la chance lui sourit de nouveau avec le coup de dés suivant.

Son corps fut parcouru d’un frisson et ses cheveux se dressèrent sur sa nuque. Quelque chose, un changement dans l’atmosphère peut-être, attira son attention. Une fois encore, il examina la foule autour de la table de craps, cherchant… quelque chose. Il plissa les yeux et se concentra sur l’homme en face de lui, de l’autre côté de la table. Le temps sembla ralentir, et se figer. Le brouhaha agaçant du casino devint un simple bruit de fond jusqu’à ce qu’il n’entende ni ne voie plus rien… à part, lui.

Le cœur de Garrett rata un battement et augmenta rapidement, accélérant soudain, puis prit une courte pause avant de battre à un rythme effréné. Son esprit imagina une série de scènes en Technicolor qui exigeait que l’homme en face de lui prenne la pose, se penche et s’étire dans un nombre de positions érotiques et explicites. Les yeux de Garrett le scrutèrent jusqu’à ce qu’ils rencontrent des prunelles surprises, de couleur gris acier, et un autre frisson traversa rapidement son corps.

Ces yeux brillaient d’une douce lueur innocente comme Garrett en avait rarement vue et qu’il ne croyait pas exister encore aujourd’hui. Son esprit restait incrédule. Personne ne pouvait être aussi innocent, personne. Mais une partie de son âme longuement réprimée chuchota… ‘Et si’ ? Et si cet homme n’était pas un simulateur et qu’il était réellement ce qu’il semblait être ? Surpris par la réaction de son corps, il décida d’en avoir le cœur net. Il fixa l’homme de l’autre côté de la table de son regard glacé. Un petit sourire en coin flotta sur les lèvres de Garrett alors qu’il faisait signe à l’homme de venir à ses côtés.

Cover Reveal by Michael Rupured and a Giveaway!

Thanks, Michelle, for allowing me to show off the cover for my upcoming release from Dreamspinner Press on your blog. By far, the most exciting part of the publishing process—at least for me—is seeing the cover for the first time. For my next novel, to be released August 20th, artist Christy Caughie created a gorgeous cover. To celebrate, I’m conducting a giveaway. Keep reading for details.



Blurb:

Terrence Bottom wants to change the world. A prelaw student at Columbia University majoring in political science, his interests range from opposing the draft and the war in Vietnam, to civil rights for gays, to anything to do with Cameron McKenzie. Terrence notices the rugged blond hanging around the Stonewall Inn, but the handsome man—and rumored Mafia hustler—rebuffs his smiles and winks.

Cameron McKenzie dropped out of college and left tiny Paris, Kentucky after the death of the grandmother who raised him, dreaming of an acting career on Broadway. Although he claims to be straight, he becomes a prostitute to make ends meet. Now the Mafia is using him to entrap men for extortion schemes, he is in way over his head, and he can’t see a way out—at least not a way that doesn’t involve a swim to the bottom of the Hudson in a pair of cement flippers.

Cameron is left with a choice: endanger both their lives by telling Terrence everything or walk away from the only man he ever loved. The Mafia hustler and the student activist want to find a way to stay together, but first they need to find a way to stay alive.



Preorder here:

Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5311

Ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5310


New York City in 1969 is the setting for much of the action in Happy Independence Day. What was the legal environment then for NYC homosexuals?

By the middle of the twentieth century, a relatively large homosexual population had fled to New York City to escape persecution, discrimination, and limited opportunities in rural and small town America. Ironically, New York had more laws on the books targeting homosexuals than just about any place in America. Cross dressers of either gender were arrested unless they wore at least three articles of clothing for the gender listed on his or her birth certificate or driver’s license. The New York State Liquor Authority had determined the mere presence of homosexuals defined a drinking establishment as disorderly, and hence, would evoke the liquor license. Entrapment, extortion, and other crimes were committed against homosexuals with impunity by police, organized crime, and opportunistic thugs. The atmosphere in the summer of 1969 was especially tense because of Mayor John Lindsay’s crack down on vice to clean up the city as part of his campaign for re-election in November.




GIVEAWAY!!!!
To give you a reason to visit the other blogs helping me celebrate my new cover, I’ve come up with a Giveaway and a quiz about the Stonewall Inn and the 1969 uprising that made it famous. Find the answers on the blogs participating in my cover reveal and giveaway (links below). Comment on my post on any of the participating blogs by midnight, July 31, 2014 for a chance to win a signed copy of the prequel, After Christmas Eve (U.S. residents only; ebook available for international winners—one winner per blog).


What is the Stonewall Inn?


Who owned the Stonewall Inn?


What made the Stonewall Inn a magnet for homosexuals?


What happened at the Stonewall Inn on the night of June 28, 1969 to cause the uprising?


Who/what started the Stonewall riots?


How long did the Stonewall Uprising last?

•   Tali Spencer's Brilliant Disguise•   MA Church's Decadent Delights•    Charlie Cochet's Purple Rose Tea House•    Eden Winters' Magnolias and Men•    Shira Anthony•    Chris Koehler•    Prism Book Alliance

Find out what Michael’s up to by visiting his web site (http://rupured.com), following him on Twitter (@crotchetyman), or by email (mrupured@gmail.com).

Wednesday Briefs - To Touch the Sky #3.1

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Welcome to the Wednesday Briefs flash group (click to go to the site). The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. If interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll tell you how. :)

Prompts this week are:“No time like the present.”“Might want to put a ring on it.”“Got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”“Here we go again.”“Don’t say it!”“It’s always a pleasure seeing you.”“Did you say…”“I just wanted to point that out.”“What a mistake that was!” or have a character shoppingor use: pizza, golf ball, boxor have a character dancingor have a motorcycle in your storyor use: bug, orange, penor use: radio, fan, tapeor use: video, pillow, lube or “Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and...”or “Knit me a penis warmer, will you?”or “If I could turn back time, I’d undo our first meeting.”Or “Whistle while you work... it drives your co-workers crazy.”Or “stuck between a cock and a hard place...”

To Touch the Sky #3.1
Simon checked his bobber. Nothing happening there. Kind of like my life. Annoyed, he jerked the line out of the water and packed his fishing gear. Usually he loved to be outdoors, especially if it involved fishing, but the peace he normally felt was missing. Back at his apartment, he put away his gear, then dropped down on the couch. Immediately the mess surrounding him caught his eye. “Man, I need to clean this place up. It’s getting bad in here.”He knew without a doubt Chip would agree, loudly. In private, he could admit he was a little sloppy. He’d make up his mind to shovel out this dump, then get distracted by something… and there went cleaning. Disgusted with that train of thought, he ignored the mess. It was Friday night and damned if he was going to sit around here cleaning. Maybe he’d get Chip to go out with him and they’d score. God knew both their love lives sucked. Pleased with the plans, he called Chip, only to be shot down. Chip had other plans with a few people from his work, which surprised him. He knew things at the global shipping company Chip worked at weren’t good and that Chip was worried. Discouraged but determined, he showered and dressed for a night on the town. A friend from work mentioned this gay friendly bar called Wings he wanted to check out. “No time like the present.” Simon gave himself one last look in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. The simple dark brown T-shirt really made his dark brown eyes stand out, and man, he was having an excellent hair day. His short naturally blond hair was wavy, and he worked hard for that tousled, just-rolled-out-of-bed-I’ve-been-fucked-hard look. He’d hunted down his ‘special’ jeans, the ones washed so many times they were almost white, and had a few strategically placed rips. They hugged his ass like a glove. He looked damn good in them. He finished off the look with his favorite sheer boxer briefs. Yup, he was loaded for bear. Someone was going to get lucky tonight. Smiling at his reflection, he picked up his keys and left.A lifetime later, he wasn’t smiling. “Jesus, who puts a bar way out here in the middle of no-fucking-where?” His friend from work said it was a little out of the way, but this was ridiculous. “Damn, this better be worth it.” The parking lot was full, which was a good thing. He parked and locked his car. The enticing smell of food drifted to him, another positive. As he drew closer to the front door he could hear the band, and they were rocking. The bouncer carded him, of course. Annoying as that was, he was also used to it. But it was nice to see they didn’t let in underage people. The bar resembled dozens others he’d been in, just maybe cleaner. Tables set up for people to eat with strategically placed TV’s for optional viewing pleasure. A long bar took up the back of the place. The table lamps provided enough light to eat, which was nice. He liked to be able to see what he was eating. The dance floor wasn’t huge, and that was a little disappointing. The music wasn’t so loud you couldn’t think, which was good. An area off to the left contained pool tables and a place to play darts. Nice.The crowd was a nice mix. There were several heterosexual couples, along with gay couples. The age range did surprise him, though. There were people in their twenties—his age—then the ages went up to middle forties. Dress included everything from jeans and T-shirts, to business suits, to those that went for the preppy look and on to flannel lumberjack. Hell, there was even leather. A cute ginger passed him and winked. And, oh yeah, there were single folks on the prowl—which was exactly what he was looking for. Maybe this place could be his new hot spot. He’d have to get Chip out here if things went well. He grabbed a table and ordered nachos along with his one, and only, beer. He scanned the crowd. If he was taking someone home tonight, he didn’t plan to get drunk. His food arrived in a timely manner and a quick bite told him the food was going to be good too. As he ate, he scanned the dance floor. He smiled at the sight of guys dancing with guys. The dancing wasn’t as hot as some totally gay bars he’d been in, but there was enough grinding to get his blood up.Once he finished his food, he made his way to the dance floor. Immediately a guy with long dark brown hair and brown eyes joined him. Simon settled his hands on the other man’s hips, bumping and moving against him. Nice. A little taller than me, and seems to be in good shape. After the music was over, they stayed on the floor and danced to several more songs, then the guy nodded at Simon’s table. “Want to take a break and get a drink?”“Sure, I could use something cold.” He followed the guy and sat across from him. As luck would have it, the band was taking a break. Now they could talk. Simon ordered a new drink, a soda this time. No way was he drinking from his beer bottle after being gone from it. The guy ordered a beer.“You’re new here, aren’t you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. My name’s Douglas.”“I’m Simon. It’s nice to meet you. And yeah, this is my first time. I’ve heard good things about this place, and I finally decided to stop by tonight.”“It’s a cool bar.” Douglas paused as the waitress brought their drinks. “Here, I got this round.”“I’ll get the next round then.” Simon sipped his drink, taking note when Douglas glanced at his soda.“Not a drinker?”Simon grinned. Well now, if that’s not an opening, I don’t know what is. “Oh, I like a good cold beer as well as the next guy. I just don’t drink much when I’m looking for a hook-up.”
TBC Tali Spencer Chris T. KatCarol PedrosoShelly SchulzRavon SilviusJon KeysJC WallaceJim DunawayJohayanCia NordwellElyzabeth VaLey TC CollinsJulie Lynn Hayes 

Goddess Fish Presents Bleeding Heart by Melissa Graves and a Giveaway

Melissa will be awarding a $25 Barnes & Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Barnes & Noble GC and a print edition of Bleeding Heart (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. A free download of an Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the tour.

Fllow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/06/virtual-book-tour-bleeding-heart-by.html




BLURB:
While the public struggles to live side-by-side with vampires, medical student Brian Preston has dedicated himself to their care and study by working in a government-run clinic that monitors and feeds the resident vampire population. He has learned to expect the unexpected in his job, but his life takes a surprise turn late one night when a young, struggling vampire named Kyle stumbles into his clinic and his heart.
 As they draw closer, can Brian come to grips with loving the elusive vampire, and can Kyle find the strength to share the secret that can separate them forever?
Bleeding Heart is the story of love, blood, political intrigue and the secrets that can spell the difference between life and death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS:
 “It’s the husband,” Erica says, jabbing a finger at her iPad. “It’s always the husband.”
 “Oh, come on,” Brian replies, laughing at her insistence. “He’s such a nice guy.”
“That is exactly why it’s him,” she counters, tossing up a hand in frustration at his apparent inability to see what is so very obvious to her. “Besides, he slept with her sister.”    “Before they were dating; that doesn’t even count, and it doesn’t make him a murderer. Geez.”    “Lunch at the taco truck says it’s the husband.”    “I see your angle,” Brian replies, smirking. “You’ve got a deal.” He taps the iPad, pausing the television show they’ve been watching. “We should keep an eye on the door.”      She brushes back her glossy black hair. Her almond-shaped eyes and petite frame show a weariness that matches his own. “It’s been a long week. Besides, it’s just past four-thirty; the rush is over.”    Can’t deny that, Brian thinks, and thank goodness. They’d had no less than six unidentifieds, and one volatile who’d done serious damage to the counter and the security doors before the police had arrived with their chemical spray and herded the poor guy off into custody.    Working the graveyard shift at a blood service center in downtown Chicago, Illinois is a job that could never be called boring. It’s not that the vampires can’t go out during the day—the fact that they can is one of the reasons they’ve been able to hide for as long as they have—but that they are stronger at night. They tend to handle their business and socializing between dusk and dawn and getting free blood at the center is often the first stop for many of them.   
Coming on later in the evening means that Brian usually sees the more mature vampires—those who can wait, those who prefer to avoid the younger crowd that shows up as soon as the sun goes down. The downside to this is that he also sees, at times, the unpredictable ones—the ones who aren’t regulars, the ones who wander in at all hours of the night. Between he and Erica, they have plenty of crazy stories to tell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~




How do you come up with a title?
I know that a lot of authors begin with titles, but I end with them—I almost never have a title in mind when I start writing a story.  To me, a title is vitally important, both in the choosing as an author and in the result for the reader.  A title can be such a huge part of the reading experience.  I will typically write a story first, and then take the title from the text itself—either a phrase or a phrase inspired by something central to the story.  I try to make it both compelling and relevant to the story.  I want it to inspire confidence as well as interest in my readers.  Selecting a title, for me, is like waiting to name a child until it's old enough to show you its personality—naming that way can be powerful, under the right circumstances.
Which character caused you the most difficulty to write?
Brian, actually, which is interesting to me because his POV is half the story.  He is so very delightfully human—he cares, so much, and in a lot of ways he is very innocent.  He believes in medicine, compassion, and the system, and then he actually falls for one of the vampires that he is taking care of, and is forced to see a whole other side of the world that they live in, the world that they share, a world that he thought he fully understood.  Kyle's world is not his world.  Brian is an optimist and an idealist and a romantic, and I am definitely not, so his POV required stepping outside of my personal experiences and letting him grow on his own.
When do you do your best writing… morning, afternoon, evening, night?
I have always been a consummate night owl.  Both as a kid and an adult, I could easily sleep through the day and live my life at night.  Something just happens to me around 10 PM, creative insight, communion with whatever characters are in my head at the time, a second wind that screams at me to engage, to write, to do. (Feel free to insert a vampire joke here!)
Do you plan your stories and, if so, to what extent?
Absolutely.  Stories, for me, are like storyboards in my head—except I usually only have a beginning, an end, and milestones (the most pivotal scenes) when I start, and everything else is fuzzy.  I begin with a premise that I find compelling and strong, something that I think might make an impact, whether it's a new fantasy/sci-fi setting, or a combination of fantasy/sci-fi elements that I have never seen before.  I let my characters grow out of that, usually in an attempt to pair up two beings who can teach each other something or take each other somewhere.  After that I figure out where I want them to go, both together and individually, and I set my ending.  Endings are subject to shift but usually not change entirely.  With that done, I figure out what must happen to get my characters from beginning to end in a realistic, interesting, and sexy way.  Pacing is everything to me.  I want people to travel with my characters as they would travel through the same life experience.  I want them to believe in the emotional progression, and feel every moment, every decision, every touch, every discovery.  Those are the pivotal scenes.  Once I have all three of these elements, the rest of the story tends to flesh itself out for me, and it's just a matter of taking the time to do it justice.
How many stories do you work on at any one time?
I prefer to focus on one story at a time, if possible, but sometimes having two going at once can be very helpful.  If one story is drastically different than the other, it can provide a refuge from the other story that is giving me trouble.  Especially if the character's voices are nothing like each other.  I can easily juggle two separate worlds in my head, and switching often jogs my creativity for the one that I'm not writing at that moment.  Sometimes it comes down to wanting to "spend time" with one set of characters that you miss, because you've spent a lot of time with another set, and both sets give you something that you have fallen in love with—they're just different!
Is there anything you’d like to tell? Maybe something in the works you would like to promote? Feel free!
Well, Bleeding Heart is certainly not the end of Brian and Kyle's story, that's for certain!  Our boys are entering a world in which they are new players—and uninitiated ones, at that.  Elisa and Clara have been in business a long time, and are far more invested/involved in the politics of vampire-human relations than even Brian and Kyle realize at the end of Bleeding Heart.  The boys' journey into the underground of their society has only just begun.  They have a lot to offer Elisa and Clara—but do they know what they're getting themselves into? 
What was your favorite character to write, and why?
Elisa was by far my favorite.  She has a back story that is only partially told in Bleeding Heart, but the readers get a good sense of the depths that lie there.  She had a rough childhood, growing up as a lesbian in a time and place that wasn't too thrilled with that.  We never find out how she became a vampire, but it's clear that it wasn't a happy situation.  Her relationship with Clara, at the start, was by no means easy.  They struggled to escape their small town and small-minded families, and then struggled to succeed even when they made it to a big city—but Elisa gets them there.  Her drive and take no prisoners attitude were a pleasure to write.  I like that she works for what she wants and believes in and doesn't compromise.  She has no trouble telling it like it is.  She's an unstoppable advocate and businesswoman, but she also believes in pleasure and enjoying life—what's one without the other?
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Reading and writing have always gone hand and hand for me.  Books were magic to me from the start.  I have a very distinct memory of being a little girl and trying very hard to learn how to read—I struggled, always a year or so behind other kids.  But one day I was sitting there with a book in my hands, and I remember with complete clarity the moment that the words went clear on the page and I understood what they meant.  I remember running to my parents, shouting that I could do it, I could read, and from then on the house was full of whatever book that I wanted.  I remember thinking about how amazing all of these books were—worlds unto themselves, and all I had to do to get there was open them.  That's when I realized I wanted to be a writer...I knew that if I could immerse myself in these amazing worlds, I could create them, too, which was a whole new kind of power.
What part of the writing process do you dread?
The blank document, just before the first sentence is written.
If we could see your writing space, what would we see?
An eight year old $15 desk, held together by Gorilla glue and hope.
A lot of your writing contains non-human elements. What draws you to that?
What would the world be like, if we had another species living alongside of us that was enough like us to communicate in our language, and yet at the same time be able to observe us as something Other?  What would it be like if we were to fall in love or form a friendship or a bond with someone of this species?  How would our lives change if we could have their point of view of the world we shared, of us, on a daily, intimate basis?  Nothing would be the same for us ever again—we would forever have that new perspective of ourselves through them, and we would see things differently, maybe even act differently, maybe even over time become something completely new.  This is why I'm always fascinated by stories where humans and non-humans meet and interact and care about one another—it's easy to write stories about those two groups fighting each other.  But what happens when they matter to one another?  What choices do they make?  Do they pick sides?  Do they have to?  How do they move forward?
You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
My husband (without whom I would become impossibly lost, even on an island), and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (because it is sacred to me, and I could never live happily without it).
What's your guilty pleasure?
There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure!
What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
My husband and I are gamers, so probably an evening spent playing our favorite MMORPG!
What is your favorite meal?
A medium-rare steak and as much Diet Coke as I'm allowed to have.
Name three things that would surprise your fans to know about you?
I'm pansexual.  I have a degree in Anthropology.  I've never dyed my hair.




AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A veteran writer of fan fiction known as MissBeizy to her online readers, Melissa Graves’ stories have thousands of followers. At age 13, she wrote her first work of fan-based fiction, and by age 16, had met her future husband in an online vampire fiction chat room. A fan of science fiction/fantasy, she has a degree in anthropology and a passion for good chocolate, amateur erotica and fan worlds that celebrate diversity. She is mother to two cats.
Follow Melissa Graves and learn more about her work at http://msmelissagraves.com/
Links:
https://twitter.com/msmelissagraves
https://www.goodreads.com/melissagraves



Buy Links:
Interlude Press:
http://store.interludepress.com/products/bleeding-heart-1


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Presents Bleeding Heat by Melissa Graves and a Giveaway

Melissa will be awarding a $25 Barnes & Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Barnes & Noble GC and a print edition of Bleeding Heart (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. A free download of an Interlude Press eBook title or an author/book swag pack will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at each stop during the tour.

Fllow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/06/virtual-book-tour-bleeding-heart-by.html




BLURB:
While the public struggles to live side-by-side with vampires, medical student Brian Preston has dedicated himself to their care and study by working in a government-run clinic that monitors and feeds the resident vampire population. He has learned to expect the unexpected in his job, but his life takes a surprise turn late one night when a young, struggling vampire named Kyle stumbles into his clinic and his heart.
 As they draw closer, can Brian come to grips with loving the elusive vampire, and can Kyle find the strength to share the secret that can separate them forever?
Bleeding Heart is the story of love, blood, political intrigue and the secrets that can spell the difference between life and death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS:
 “It’s the husband,” Erica says, jabbing a finger at her iPad. “It’s always the husband.”
 “Oh, come on,” Brian replies, laughing at her insistence. “He’s such a nice guy.”
“That is exactly why it’s him,” she counters, tossing up a hand in frustration at his apparent inability to see what is so very obvious to her. “Besides, he slept with her sister.”    “Before they were dating; that doesn’t even count, and it doesn’t make him a murderer. Geez.”    “Lunch at the taco truck says it’s the husband.”    “I see your angle,” Brian replies, smirking. “You’ve got a deal.” He taps the iPad, pausing the television show they’ve been watching. “We should keep an eye on the door.”      She brushes back her glossy black hair. Her almond-shaped eyes and petite frame show a weariness that matches his own. “It’s been a long week. Besides, it’s just past four-thirty; the rush is over.”    Can’t deny that, Brian thinks, and thank goodness. They’d had no less than six unidentifieds, and one volatile who’d done serious damage to the counter and the security doors before the police had arrived with their chemical spray and herded the poor guy off into custody.    Working the graveyard shift at a blood service center in downtown Chicago, Illinois is a job that could never be called boring. It’s not that the vampires can’t go out during the day—the fact that they can is one of the reasons they’ve been able to hide for as long as they have—but that they are stronger at night. They tend to handle their business and socializing between dusk and dawn and getting free blood at the center is often the first stop for many of them.   
Coming on later in the evening means that Brian usually sees the more mature vampires—those who can wait, those who prefer to avoid the younger crowd that shows up as soon as the sun goes down. The downside to this is that he also sees, at times, the unpredictable ones—the ones who aren’t regulars, the ones who wander in at all hours of the night. Between he and Erica, they have plenty of crazy stories to tell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



How do you come up with a title?
I know that a lot of authors begin with titles, but I end with them—I almost never have a title in mind when I start writing a story.  To me, a title is vitally important, both in the choosing as an author and in the result for the reader.  A title can be such a huge part of the reading experience.  I will typically write a story first, and then take the title from the text itself—either a phrase or a phrase inspired by something central to the story.  I try to make it both compelling and relevant to the story.  I want it to inspire confidence as well as interest in my readers.  Selecting a title, for me, is like waiting to name a child until it's old enough to show you its personality—naming that way can be powerful, under the right circumstances.
Which character caused you the most difficulty to write?
Brian, actually, which is interesting to me because his POV is half the story.  He is so very delightfully human—he cares, so much, and in a lot of ways he is very innocent.  He believes in medicine, compassion, and the system, and then he actually falls for one of the vampires that he is taking care of, and is forced to see a whole other side of the world that they live in, the world that they share, a world that he thought he fully understood.  Kyle's world is not his world.  Brian is an optimist and an idealist and a romantic, and I am definitely not, so his POV required stepping outside of my personal experiences and letting him grow on his own.
When do you do your best writing… morning, afternoon, evening, night?
I have always been a consummate night owl.  Both as a kid and an adult, I could easily sleep through the day and live my life at night.  Something just happens to me around 10 PM, creative insight, communion with whatever characters are in my head at the time, a second wind that screams at me to engage, to write, to do. (Feel free to insert a vampire joke here!)
Do you plan your stories and, if so, to what extent?
Absolutely.  Stories, for me, are like storyboards in my head—except I usually only have a beginning, an end, and milestones (the most pivotal scenes) when I start, and everything else is fuzzy.  I begin with a premise that I find compelling and strong, something that I think might make an impact, whether it's a new fantasy/sci-fi setting, or a combination of fantasy/sci-fi elements that I have never seen before.  I let my characters grow out of that, usually in an attempt to pair up two beings who can teach each other something or take each other somewhere.  After that I figure out where I want them to go, both together and individually, and I set my ending.  Endings are subject to shift but usually not change entirely.  With that done, I figure out what must happen to get my characters from beginning to end in a realistic, interesting, and sexy way.  Pacing is everything to me.  I want people to travel with my characters as they would travel through the same life experience.  I want them to believe in the emotional progression, and feel every moment, every decision, every touch, every discovery.  Those are the pivotal scenes.  Once I have all three of these elements, the rest of the story tends to flesh itself out for me, and it's just a matter of taking the time to do it justice.
How many stories do you work on at any one time?
I prefer to focus on one story at a time, if possible, but sometimes having two going at once can be very helpful.  If one story is drastically different than the other, it can provide a refuge from the other story that is giving me trouble.  Especially if the character's voices are nothing like each other.  I can easily juggle two separate worlds in my head, and switching often jogs my creativity for the one that I'm not writing at that moment.  Sometimes it comes down to wanting to "spend time" with one set of characters that you miss, because you've spent a lot of time with another set, and both sets give you something that you have fallen in love with—they're just different!
Is there anything you’d like to tell? Maybe something in the works you would like to promote? Feel free!
Well, Bleeding Heart is certainly not the end of Brian and Kyle's story, that's for certain!  Our boys are entering a world in which they are new players—and uninitiated ones, at that.  Elisa and Clara have been in business a long time, and are far more invested/involved in the politics of vampire-human relations than even Brian and Kyle realize at the end of Bleeding Heart.  The boys' journey into the underground of their society has only just begun.  They have a lot to offer Elisa and Clara—but do they know what they're getting themselves into? 
What was your favorite character to write, and why?
Elisa was by far my favorite.  She has a back story that is only partially told in Bleeding Heart, but the readers get a good sense of the depths that lie there.  She had a rough childhood, growing up as a lesbian in a time and place that wasn't too thrilled with that.  We never find out how she became a vampire, but it's clear that it wasn't a happy situation.  Her relationship with Clara, at the start, was by no means easy.  They struggled to escape their small town and small-minded families, and then struggled to succeed even when they made it to a big city—but Elisa gets them there.  Her drive and take no prisoners attitude were a pleasure to write.  I like that she works for what she wants and believes in and doesn't compromise.  She has no trouble telling it like it is.  She's an unstoppable advocate and businesswoman, but she also believes in pleasure and enjoying life—what's one without the other?
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Reading and writing have always gone hand and hand for me.  Books were magic to me from the start.  I have a very distinct memory of being a little girl and trying very hard to learn how to read—I struggled, always a year or so behind other kids.  But one day I was sitting there with a book in my hands, and I remember with complete clarity the moment that the words went clear on the page and I understood what they meant.  I remember running to my parents, shouting that I could do it, I could read, and from then on the house was full of whatever book that I wanted.  I remember thinking about how amazing all of these books were—worlds unto themselves, and all I had to do to get there was open them.  That's when I realized I wanted to be a writer...I knew that if I could immerse myself in these amazing worlds, I could create them, too, which was a whole new kind of power.
What part of the writing process do you dread?
The blank document, just before the first sentence is written.
If we could see your writing space, what would we see?
An eight year old $15 desk, held together by Gorilla glue and hope.
A lot of your writing contains non-human elements. What draws you to that?
What would the world be like, if we had another species living alongside of us that was enough like us to communicate in our language, and yet at the same time be able to observe us as something Other?  What would it be like if we were to fall in love or form a friendship or a bond with someone of this species?  How would our lives change if we could have their point of view of the world we shared, of us, on a daily, intimate basis?  Nothing would be the same for us ever again—we would forever have that new perspective of ourselves through them, and we would see things differently, maybe even act differently, maybe even over time become something completely new.  This is why I'm always fascinated by stories where humans and non-humans meet and interact and care about one another—it's easy to write stories about those two groups fighting each other.  But what happens when they matter to one another?  What choices do they make?  Do they pick sides?  Do they have to?  How do they move forward?
You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
My husband (without whom I would become impossibly lost, even on an island), and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (because it is sacred to me, and I could never live happily without it).
What's your guilty pleasure?
There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure!
What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
My husband and I are gamers, so probably an evening spent playing our favorite MMORPG!
What is your favorite meal?
A medium-rare steak and as much Diet Coke as I'm allowed to have.
Name three things that would surprise your fans to know about you?
I'm pansexual.  I have a degree in Anthropology.  I've never dyed my hair.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A veteran writer of fan fiction known as MissBeizy to her online readers, Melissa Graves’ stories have thousands of followers. At age 13, she wrote her first work of fan-based fiction, and by age 16, had met her future husband in an online vampire fiction chat room. A fan of science fiction/fantasy, she has a degree in anthropology and a passion for good chocolate, amateur erotica and fan worlds that celebrate diversity. She is mother to two cats.
Follow Melissa Graves and learn more about her work at http://msmelissagraves.com/
Links:
https://twitter.com/msmelissagraves
https://www.goodreads.com/melissagraves



Buy Links:
Interlude Press:
http://store.interludepress.com/products/bleeding-heart-1


a Rafflecopter giveaway