B.A. Tortuga's Blog, page 26
January 19, 2016
Guest Post: Julia Talbot's Alpha in Sheep's Clothing
Always so much fun when I get to sweep in and take over BA’s blog for the day. It’s so comfy, kinda like sitting next to her in the office in our recliners. Yeah, we have desks, but that’s not where we write. We just do taxes and stuff there.
So I have to tell y’all about my latest release. It’s the first in a new series, and while it’s a pretty short tale, it was such a fun one to write, combining my love of some mild bdsm with pack politics in a shifter setting.
Tate is a big, strong guy. Thing is, he’s totally omega. He just can’t help his little pack overthrow the asshole alpha they have. Then Rand walks into a bar in Tate’s pack’s territory and does what Tate’s people have been trying to do for years with one punch.
I had a ball exploring the dynamic there, and the surprising fact that Tate wanted to be a full time sub. I admit, I didn’t get to fully explore that in book one, but I hope to as time goes on.
Here’s a wee bit from the story:“I don’t want any trouble,” Rand murmured, knowing that his words bounced off utter futility. He never wanted trouble, but he got it the moment he walked into a bar and ordered a beer. Something about his lumberjack chic self called to all testosterone-ridden assholes on a cellular level, he supposed.Tonight’s particular butthead had blond hair, an ugly glint in his eye, and the smell of too much whiskey on his breath. “We don’t like your kind here,” the guy said, reaching out to poke Rand’s chest with one pointed finger.“What kind would that be?” Rand asked politely, trying to decide whether to break the finger or just tap the guy on his obviously glass jaw.“Know-it-all jerks who have no business being in our town. I can smell you, fucker. You want our pack. Well, you can’t have it.”Pack. Rand glanced around at the suddenly still men in the room, all staring down at their beer. The one female, a leather-bustier clad bartender, disappeared through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, clearly ducking out of the line of fire.“Out of all the bars in all the world,” he said, trying for ironic. Clearly this one was not a Casablanca fan, judging from the way the man’s scowl deepened.“Yeah. This is our territory. You need to leave. Now.”Hmm. Rand could do that, especially since he was just passing through on his way up to Montana. He didn’t want trouble, either, especially not with a pack of werewolves who took exception to a lone wolf.Then again, he totally hated this posturing bullshit. Rand hadn’t even noticed these folks were like him because the bar had a sour, sort of rotting wood smell that disguised anything wolflike. They could have let him have his drink and move on, with him never even knowing they were there.“I paid for this piss poor beer, buddy,” Rand said. “I think I’ll hang out.”“What did you say?” The guy got all teeth-gritty and fist-clenchy, growling at him in a way that really put his back up.“Let me put it in simple terms.” Rand looked the guy right in the eye and smiled. “Fuck off.”He heard a kind of sigh rip through the barroom, and time slowed down as it always did when someone threw a punch at him. Rand had what his dad would call slow motion perception. Warrior reflex. Silly, since he was a damned forestry expert, not some pack enforcer.The punch was drunken and clumsy and missed by a mile. The return one Rand threw had neither problem. He hit the jerk right on the chin, and something cracked under his knuckles when he connected.The guy’s graceful swan dive to the floor ended in a thud that shook the glassware.A hush reigned in the room for a long moment, the only sound the big screen TV with some sort of sports game going on. The crowd on the TV cheered while everyone in the bar stared at him. Then the weirdest echo happened, the men in the room clapping and screaming as loud as any rabid fans.An older gent with a giant gray beard strode right up to Rand and grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down. “Welcome stranger. Welcome to the pack! And congratulations.”“Congratulations?” Rand said. “Why?”The man beamed, his beard splitting in half. “You won the fight fair and square. You just became the new pack alpha.”
You can find the book on ARE here: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-analphainsheep039sclothing-1949340-145.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Sheeps-Clothing-Julia-Talbot-ebook/dp/B019BY9TGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453250506&sr=8-1&keywords=an+alpha+in+sheep%27s+clothing
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebo...
XXOOJulia
January 18, 2016
What I'm Working on this Week
The New Normal
So, I’ve been on chemo for two weeks.
Yeah, this is a whole new normal if by normal you mean, OMGWHATTHEOVERLOVINGFUCKISTHIS?
*grins*
New normal. That’s going to be my motto. Can’t chew apples? New normal. Black pepper makes me gag? New normal.
I have always thought I was tired as all get out. You know, someone would ask how I was and I’d say, “Tired, but fine."
Yeah.
Tired but fine can sit up at a desk. Tired but fine can get a drink or watch a television show from beginning to end. Tired but fine can get dressed.
The day after chemo? No.
Just no.
Like totally, do not call or talk to me or ask me to function or breathe or move out of the bed on Wednesdays. There are no discussions, no phone calls, no coherent sentences or sitting upright or...
Okay, honestly y'all? Wednesdays I don’t eat — partially because CHEMO, but mostly because I don’t want to have to manage walking to the bathroom. New normal
Yeah, that’s me. Classy as fuck. Sue me. So far the number of classy moments with chemo equal zero.
Much love, y’all.
BA
January 14, 2016
January 13, 2016
January 12, 2016
Guest Post -- Sean Michael, the Iron Eagle Gym and a Cover Reveal!
Thank you BA, for letting me invade your blog today.
I have a new BDSM series on the go. This one is called Iron Eagle Gym and the stories are all set in and around a BDSM gym started by several masters. There’s a floor that’s set up pretty much like any gym. Then a second floor where anything goes, including naked working out, punishments and rewards and making out on the equipment. Please wipe down the apparatus post-use in deference to other patrons ;) There is a floor with beds for those who need a place to stay. There’s a floor that’s Dom’s only. The whole thing is built with BDSM relationships in mind.
I do love this kind of series, where there’s a common place that connects all the characters to each other, but where each book can explore a different relationship, with the possibility of guest appearances or cameos from characters from previous books. I like being able to stay in the same ‘community’ to write. The place itself almost becomes a character and I think makes the books richer.
The first story in the series is already out. The New Boy introduces a pair of the founding members of the Gym – Masters Tide and Tyrone, best friends and workout buddies, along with their boys – brand new to the lifestyle Lance and old pro Bran. In fact, Lance and Tide meet in The New Boy and the book is really their story. (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7131)
The second story in the series is The Perfect Sub. The Perfect Sub follows on The New Boy and features Tyrone and Bran a little more heavily, but also continues to explore Tide and Lance’s newly formed relationship. Both subs and masters still have plenty to learn, whether they’re in a new relationship, or along-established one.
The Perfect Sub will be out at the end of March and here is the first look at the cover for it!
The next book in the series is The Luckiest Master and it explores a new pairing. Like my Hammer Club series, most of the Iron Eagle Gym stories will be stand alone, with cameos by characters from the previous books. Both Bran and Tyrone can be seen in The Luckiest Master which features two of the Gym’s employees.
I’m hard at work on the fourth book, this one featuring a member and the club’s new janitor. I’m having a blast writing it. Though I do have to say that’s it’s a bit of a mind-fuck to have a new book in a series out, a second in edits, a third having just been accepted and a fourth being written. I suppose that’s the way things go with a series, though.
I’m sure there will be lots more than just the four books, too. The Iron Eagle Gym has so much potential – between all the people who work there and the folks who are members, the possibilities are endless!
Comment below for a chance to win a copy of The New Boy, the first in the series!
So, I hope you’ll join the Iron Eagle Gym with me!
Sean Michael
smut fixes everything
January 11, 2016
What I'm Reading
What I’m reading right now? Bazaar of Dreams by Stephen King. I maintain that King is one of the best short fiction writers of all time. So. Happy.
January 2016
Dom of Las Vegas by Tricia Owens — On the good, the sex was hot, the main character was interesting. On the not so good, the main character had detailed on-screen sex with a number of other characters and, in a romance, that’s not for me. The writing style was fine and I quite liked the secondary characters.
Nightmare House by Douglas Clegg — I’m usually a HUGE Clegg fan, but I did not enjoy this one. I found it neither scare nor atmospheric. I was disappointed.
A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles — took me about 1/4 of the book to get into this one, but once I did, I found it clever and charming and I actually had a couple LOL moments.
Much love, y’all.
BA
January 4, 2016
What I'm Reading
So, here I go with the listing of the books every week again. Let’s see if I can keep up with it. If you’re doing the same and would like me to link to your list so we can share recs, just comment and I’ll add you. :D
What I’m reading right now? A Fashionable Indulgence by KJ Charles. KJ Charles is one of my favorite mm authors and I’m ready to slurp this one up.
January 2016
Dom of Las Vegas by Tricia Owens — On the good, the sex was hot, the main character was interesting. On the not so good, the main character had detailed on-screen sex with a number of other characters and, in a romance, that’s not for me. The writing style was fine and I quite liked the secondary characters.
Nightmare House by Douglas Clegg — I’m usually a HUGE Clegg fan, but I did not enjoy this one. I found it neither scare nor atmospheric. I was disappointed.
Much love, y’all.
BA
January 1, 2016
Resolutions. What? I Make Them!
So, it’s 2016 and I have to admit, I’m a resolution maker. Weirdly enough, I almost always keep the ones I make — I sometimes blow the goal, but I grab the habit, you know what I mean?
This year I have a couple of major goals that are amorphous, but they’re also tied together. This year I intend to focus on being healthy and happy, to living the fullest life I can. I say the goal’s amorphous, because I don’t know what my medical challenges will be in 2016, so I don’t know how to address them, what needs doing.
I know that one of the things I need to do is excise the things in my life that are toxic — the people and habits that are stealing from me, whether it’s money, time, joy, energy, etc. I don’t have time to deal with that shit and god knows I hate the drama. So, out the door with that.
On a basic, practical level? Reading and yoga. I need more of both. I intend to use all the time I spent following weird drama reading and practicing.
On a business level? I don’t think I’ll ever get better at marketing, so I’ll just keep plugging along. I’m not a salesman. I’m a happy writer with lots of voices and more love than I know what to do with. So, I’ll keep writing my books and telling my stories and loving my wife and my dogs. That’s not going to change.
*grins*
Also, I want my arm to work again so I can knit. I miss yarn.
Much love, y’all.
BA
