Erica Pike's Blog, page 3

Black Hurricane for Only $5.59

We interrupt this blog with a quick announcement:
All Romance eBooks is having a Labor Day sale with 30% off all titles. That means:
Black Hurricane: $5.59Absolutely Eric: $5.59A Life Without You: $4.89

The College Fun and Gays individual books are $2.09 and the anthologies are $2.79 each.
Go splurge! This discount doesn't only apply to my books. I've already spent a small fortune.

Black Hurricane Blog Tour (3): $50 Amazon GC and Three Signed Paperbacks.

Today is the third stop during the Black Hurricane tour. Technically, it's the third and fourth stop, since there are two today, but I'm calling it the third stop. Please visit Hearts on Fire Reviews if you're curious about what might have happened if Jazz had refused to perform, while M/M Good Book Reviews has an excerpt for you.
I'm offering a nice prize for one (international) winner. A $50 Amazon gift card, a signed paperback of A Life Without You (novel), Hot Hands (novelette), The Walls Have Ears (short novella). I don't care if you live in a science camp on the North Pole, you'll get your package if you win.

What do you have to do for a chance to win? Do the Rafflecopter on the tour stops. The more stops you do it from, the more chance you have of winning. 
Here's the tour schedule. You can go back to the old dates to increase your chances:
August 11: Because Two Men Are Better Than OneAugust 18: Full Moon DreamingAugust 25: MM Good Book Reviews - Hearts on Fire (Two stops) Sept 1: Velvet Panic - Fallen Angel Reviews - Havan Fellows (Three stops)Sept 8: Decadent DelightsSept 15: Up All Night, Read All Day - Love Bytes (Two stops)Sept 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words - Smoocher's Voice (Two stops)Sept 29: Prism Book Alliance Oct 6: 

Black Hurricane Blog Tour (2): $50 Amazon GC and Three Signed Paperbacks.

It's time for my second stop on the Black Hurricane blog tour, that was organized by Pride Promotions. Today it's Full Mooon Dreaming.

I'm offering a nice prize for one (international) winner. A $50 Amazon gift card, a signed paperback of A Life Without You (novel), Hot Hands (novelette), The Walls Have Ears (short novella). I don't care if you live in a science camp on the North Pole, you'll get your package if you win.


Now, what do you have to do for a chance to win? Do the Rafflecopter on the tour stops. The more stops you do it from, the more chance you have of winning. 
Here's the tour schedule. You can go back to the old dates to increase your chances:
August 11: Because Two Men Are Better Than OneAugust 18: Full Moon DreamingAugust 25: MM Good Book Reviews - Hearts on Fire (Two stops) Sept 1: Velvet Panic - Fallen Angel Reviews - Havan Fellows (Three stops)Sept 8: Decadent DelightsSept 15: Up All Night, Read All Day - Love Bytes (Two stops)Sept 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words - Smoocher's Voice (Two stops)Sept 29: Prism Book Alliance Oct 6: 
Nov 24: Amanda C. Stone

GayRomLit 2014 SWAG

Last year, I brought around 50 copies of Hot Hands and put them on my SWAG table. They ran out like hotcakes and I was immediately sold on the idea that it was great and keepable SWAG. I'm bringing another 50 copies this year. It doubles as original art by Zathyn Priest, and since he'll be there too as an author you could try to bribe him to sign it as well.

For the book signing event, I will have free copies of The Walls Have Ears. I might even throw in a little something extra for a super fan or three (first super fans come, first super fans get!). Additionally, I'm looking into bookplate stickers for those who have my paperbacks at home. Just come see me at the book signing and I'll sign one for you.

I'm still undecided if I'm going to bring any books to sell, but if I do, it'll only be of Black Hurricane and it'll cost $14.50 (with sales tax). This is because all sales will have to go through an on-site vendor that charges 25% commission for every sale.

This doesn't mean you can't get Black Hurricane and my other books at the usual GRL-discounted price. I get my books cheaper from my publisher and I'm happy to sell them to you through the pre-order form below. Once I receive your payment through PayPal, I will set aside a book for you and deliver it to you at the conference.


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If you're having problem seeing the form, here's a direct link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NsQcpjQFwKWPl36-NuMGIEMTVNqNTjIbXCqiagYUJv0/viewform?usp=send_form

As for other SWAG, I'm bringing postcards, character cards and bookmarks:

Postcards
Bad quality in photo, sorry.

Second GRL Tour Stop: Giveaway

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It's time for my second GayRomLit 2014 tour stop and this time it's at Love Bytes Reviews. I wrote about the different kinds of excitement I've had before each three times I will have attended after this year's retreat. Having dinner with Alexandr Voinvo and L.A. Witt, dancing with Rick R. Reed, and cuddling B.G. Thomas. Meeting Zathyn Priest this year. 

Anyway, there's a giveaway. Just do the rafflecopter on Love Bytes Reviews to take part. You could win an eCopy of A Life Without You ^.^
Blurb:
Jesse's like a bar of soap: the tighter Adam holds on, the faster Jesse slips away. Or that's how it feels to Adam. It doesn't help that Jesse has a girlfriend back home and claims to be straight, but there's no way with all the sparks and physical intimacy flying between the two roommates.
When Adam believes he has reached his ultimate happiness, the bedroom walls come crashing down with a visit from Jesse's girlfriend.
Now Jesse has to decide if he can come to terms with his sexuality, while Adam has to learn to accept that Jesse might never be able to crawl out of the closet.

Black Hurricane Blog Tour: $50 Amazon GC and Three Signed Paperbacks.

We're on! That is, the Black Hurricane blog tour that Pride Promotion has been organizing. It will be a mixture of excerpts, guest posts and interviews over the next four months with 25 stops along the way. I've never done anything like this before, so despite the countless (or 20ish) guest posts and interviews I have to do, it's exciting.
To top it off, I'm offering a nice prize for one (international) winner. A $50 Amazon gift card, a signed paperback of A Life Without You (novel), Hot Hands (short novella), The Walls Have Ears (short novella). I don't care if you live in a science camp on the North Pole, you'll get your package if you win.

Now, what do you have to do for a chance to win? Do the Rafflecopter on the tour stops. The more stops you do it from, the more chance you have of winning. 
Here's the tour schedule (man, do I feel like a rock star, going on a tour and all!):
August 11: Because Two Men Are Better Than OneAugust 18: Full Moon DreamingAugust 25: MM Good Book Reviews - Hearts on Fire (Two stops) Sept 1: Velvet Panic - Fallen Angel Reviews - Havan Fellows (Three stops)Sept 8: Decadent DelightsSept 15: Up All Night, Read All Day - Love Bytes (Two stops)Sept 22: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words - Smoocher's Voice (Two stops)Sept 29: Prism Book Alliance Oct 6: 
As you can see, Because Two Men Are Better Than One is the stop for today, so head on over and check it out ^.^

Douglas Black: The Bucket List

My buddy, Douglas Black, is back on my blog to give you a glimpse into his new novella. Take it away, Doug!
Hi Erica,
Thanks so much for having me back on your blog. It’s certainly been a while, but in my absence I haven’t been idle. Funnily enough, I've been busy writing and for once I can say that and provide proof because I have a new release out!
My new novella is called The Bucket List. It falls, as you would expect, into the MM erotic romance category and the story follows Kade, a young man whose friends write him a bucket list to help him break out of the rut he has found himself in after a recent break-up.
When I was in my early twenties, I wrote a bucket list for myself. I put pen to paper shortly after I had finished my Masters degree. By that point, I had spent five years in higher education and for all of that time, my life revolved around studying. That had been my choice and I didn't regret it, but by the end of my Masters I was definitely suffering from a severe case of burn-out. I had one long summer ahead of me and, instead of spending it preparing for another four years in academia, I decided to redress the balance in my life by going out into the world and having some fun.
I remember walking in to a little café in the west end of Glasgow - it was probably April or May, but it was one of those dreich days Scotland does so well so I remember keeping my coat on even as I sat inside. I took a seat by the window and drank my overpriced coffee while watching the world go by. Gradually, I started to jot down a list of things I wanted to do, not just that summer, but as I went forward in life.
I still have that bucket list. Over the years it’s transitioned from hand-scrawled notes on loose sheets of paper, to a neat draft in a posh notebook, to a saved file on my computer. Lots of things have been added, far more than have been checked off, and it continues to do what it first did that day in that little coffee shop in Glasgow. It inspires me to keep moving forwards. It convinces me that there’s not much to be gained from just standing still.
My bucket list differs from my character Kade’s in a few ways.
Firstly, I actually wrote mine so all the things I put on it were things I really wanted to do. Kade is forced into going along with his bucket list ‘for his own good’.
Secondly, unlike Kade I wanted to make changes. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and experience something new. Kade, at the start of the novella especially, is perfectly happy in his comfort zone, thank you very much.
Thirdly, my bucket list didn't turn my world upside down! Don’t get me wrong, in it’s own way it really did. It changed the way I thought about my work-play balance, it changed the way I spent my leisure time, and it changed the way I thought about how much money I was spending and what I was spending it on. But, it didn't lead to me meeting a hot Australian surfer-guy with a burning desire to take my life to pieces and give it a good shake, before rebuilding it with him in a starring role. More’s the pity.
No, that didn't happen to me, but that does happen to Kade. It could happen to you too, though, if you were to write a bucket list of your own, or dust down that old one still kicking about from the time when you decided you needed to make a change in your life. After all, they say life is out there and if that’s true you’re not going to experience it by sitting inside, reading this! Although please, do stay until the end.
If nothing else lists like this help you concentrate your thinking. They make you realize how much there is to do in life, how much is out there just waiting to be explored, and they help you to focus your attention on the future you want and how to achieve it, rather than on the little details that so often hold us all back. They help you look at the broader picture.
In my story, that’s exactly what Kade’s bucket list helps him to do, and that’s why I love this story so much. You get to watch a character change from a nervous, downtrodden man who is uncertain of himself into a man who, despite still going through some very tough times, is able to find a new path in life with that hot Australian surfer-guy I was on about before. Those things happen because Kade follows his bucket list, no matter how reluctantly. And if that’s not a pretty good reason to try your hand at writing one of your own, then I don’t know what is!



Blurb Kade goes with Blake into the Scottish highlands, but just as he is beginning to get used to life with his very own Mr. Australia, reality comes knocking. Kade’s newfound happiness falls apart when his abusive ex demands they meet. Blake senses something is wrong and he wants to help, but Kade knows he can’t confide in Blake.
After all, Kade hasn't exactly been honest. He might feel like a different man when he’s with Blake, but Kade knows he’s still just an accountant from Glasgow with slight obsessive compulsions and a bucket list that someone else wrote. He knows Blake won’t hang around, let alone help, when he finds out the truth.
Or will he?
Excerpt
Kade assumed that, even given the circumstances, it was still acceptable to start with, “Hello.”Blake turned his head, and Kade felt that warmth he had felt with his back to the fish tanks in the Asian supermarket. “Hi,” Blake said, his voice deep enough to carry against the music.He turned, opening up his body and inviting Kade to step closer. Kade did. He wanted to, wanted to see if that strange connection he had felt earlier was still there between them.“Who’s your friend?” Kade asked.Blake just shrugged. “Don’t know. Just some kid. Art student, apparently. He was a good dancer, though.”“Not a good kisser?”Blake looked Kade up and down, taking his time doing so. Kade had always thought the idea that someone could undress you with their eyes was a concept fit only for the cheap romance novels his mum used to read, but he couldn't think of a better way to describe what Blake’s eyes had just done to him. The words needed to describe how that made Kade feel wouldn't be fit for polite company. Not that Kade was really in polite company.“I wouldn't know. Didn't want to kiss him.” Blake reached out and stroked his hand down Kade’s right arm, from his shoulder to his wrist. He left it there for a few moments, holding tight, and then he pulled Kade’s wrist toward him. Kade’s hand landed on Blake’s hip, his thumb teasing Blake’s tight, strong stomach muscles. When Blake let go, Kade didn't move his hand away.“Why didn't you want to?” Kade couldn't stop staring into those bright blue eyes.Blake shrugged and wrapped the hand that had been around Kade’s wrist around Kade’s neck. “He’s not my type. And I was hoping I would meet someone else here tonight. I thought it was a long shot, but I didn't want to take the risk and ruin my chances.”Despite his recent drink, Kade’s throat felt dry. He didn't even care if that was a lie. Blake’s strong fingers rubbed Kade’s neck just below his hairline.“Who were you hoping to meet?” Kade asked.Blake tugged him in close so their bodies were pressing together. Kade’s hand slipped around to Blake’s back, holding on tight as Blake put his lips to the side of Kade’s neck.“You,” Blake whispered. They were so close to the loudspeakers that the word should have been lost, but Kade heard that loaded syllable and felt it translate like heat through his body, like he had just stepped into a hot bath.“Are you here with somebody?”Kade shook his head. He felt Blake spread his legs. There was barely any distance left between them.“Then would you mind if I did this?”Kade turned his head to find Blake’s lips less than an inch away from his own. He smiled and tried for one of those winks he was so not used to giving, and then let Blake close the distance between them.
Buy Links Loose-IDAmazon UKAmazon.com
Author Biography Welcome to your fantasy.
Author Links Blog Amazon Facebook Author Page Twitter: @DBlackErotica

Discounted Paperbacks for GayRomLit 2014

I won't sell books at GayRomLit this year due to complicated tax matters, but I've created this order form in case you'd like to buy some paperbacks beforehand. I would then deliver them to you at the event. The paperbacks cost between $11.70 and $13.45 from online retailers, so here's your chance to get them cheaper. Payments will have to be made through PayPal before the event starts. 
As you can see on the form, I'm making a new anthology version for the College Fun and Gays series and I'm calling it a Six Pack. It'll be all six stories in one binding. This version isn't out yet, but it will be before the event starts. 
So, if you'd like to order your paperbacks, here's the order form:
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If you're having problem seeing this, here's a link to the order form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NsQcpjQFwKWPl36-NuMGIEMTVNqNTjIbXCqiagYUJv0/viewform?usp=send_form

Black Hurricane: Giveaway

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Hi guys :) 
I'm currently on a trip around Iceland and just made it to the hotel. Of course, the first thing I did was log onto the internet >.< 
The first stop on my GRL blog tour is today and the beautiful Lisa is hosting me on The Novel Approach. Leave a comment over there (not here, though it's always nice to hear from you guys) for a chance to win a copy of Black Hurricane. You have until midnight on July 31st to throw your name into the hat.

New Release: The Shopping Mall Massacre (Zombies!!)

Sooo, I have a new release today. However, it won't be available for download on Amazon or the other places. The reason is that I'm expanding the short story into a novel that I'll be publishing it under the YA name Erica Archer. I've finished about 72% of the novel (which will probably be titled The Crazies), and I'm hoping it'll be out before the end of the year. If you have a Goodreads account (which is free), you can read the short story (about 15k words) here: M/M Romance Group.
The name of the story is The Shopping Mall Massacre and here's the blurb:
A day trip to the mall turns deadly for Bastian when zombie knockoffs storm the doors and start eating shoppers. Luckily, his college buddy Oliver is on hand to pull him to safety. Hunkered down in a toy store full of traumatized people with no help coming from an equally beleaguered outside world, Bastian and Oliver must find a way to keep their group alive and avoid the infected stalking the mall's hallways when they make their bid for freedom. It won't be easy to get out and stay safe while tiptoeing around the strong feelings the two young men have for one another.