Andrew Q. Gordon's Blog, page 31
February 4, 2015
Say Cheese; Say Cheese; by Michael P. Thomas New Release
Say Cheese; by Michael P. Thomas
Blurb:
Grover Shepherd is the only thing Felix Medrano loves more than being the current darling of Hollywood. He throws a star-studded surprise engagement party to declare that love to the world, and itís a smash, save for one detail: Shep is a no-show. Felix knows Shep missed his flight home from New Orleans, but that was fifteen hours ago. What’s the hold up?
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
And so they talked about acting. They talked about television. They talked about movie stars of old, and about how many of them you’d see if you watched The Love Boat on DVD.
“I mean, it wasn’t just Ted Knight and Charo on every episode,” Felix said. “I’m talking about Oscar winners. Olivia DeHavilland and Joan Fontaine, for Heaven’s sake! One day you’re in Gone With the Wind, the next you’re playing Captain Stubing’s Great Aunt Fanny? I wish they’d reboot that show. I’d have someplace to go when I’m yesterday’s news. I could find love with the lounge act, surprise them all: Grampa’s still got it!”
Shep laughed. “Maybe you could spearhead a revival. It can’t be that hard. All you need is a stowaway, a jewel thief, and a case of mistaken identity for each episode.”
“Sounds like you know your Love Boat,” Felix said admiringly. “Maybe that can be your Hollywood dream.”
“Okay, you really want to know my Hollywood dream?” Shep asked.
“I do.”
“More champagne, that’s my Hollywood dream.” He signaled their waiter, and just like that, it came true.
They cracked each other up brainstorming through ever-more elaborate Love Boat plots:
“Naturally, her father doesn’t approve because he’s not the right sort….”
“What he doesn’t approve of is how short his shorts are….”
“I see Raven-Symone as the former Broadway star whose agent books her on the cruise but forgets to tell her it’s unpaid.”
“So she has to cocktail to pay her fare, and Isaac falls in love with her.”
“This shit writes itself.”
Eventually they fell quiet, although they continued to gaze, tittering, into each other’s eyes. Felix reached across the table and took Shep’s hand. “I had a great time last night, Sheppy.”
“Me too,” Shep said with a laugh. He’d lost the battle where the sobriquet ‘Sheppy’ was concerned, although it had eventually been made clear to the rest of The Boyz (and Frieda) at the Clarion that it would only be tolerated when it issued from Felix, and then only with an unwavering eye roll.
“I think I might kinda like you.”
“Forget The New Love Boat,” Shep said. “Your true calling is obviously epic love poetry. Or at least romantic greeting cards.”
“Don’t mock me when I’ve had mimosas.”
About the Author:Michael P. Thomas is a flight attendant whose writing is continually inspired by his work with the flying public, who flatly refuse to be boring. The author of three novel-length gay romances and a number of romantic and erotic shorts, he writes gay fiction because when he was coming out he sure was glad to have it to read. After misspending his youth in San Francisco, he now lives in his native Colorado with his husband.
Social Links
Website: http://misterstewardess.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoReadMichaelPThomas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrStewardess
An Interview with Jess Buffet – Author of – Always Been You
An Interview With Jess Buffet
Welcome Jess, since this is the first time you been on my blog, tell everyone a bit about yourself.
About me? Well, I’m a mum of two, married, a caffine addict. I shamefully admit that though I can’t function without a mug of two of coffee in the morning, I make a terrible one. LOL I am an author and cover artist, and I love reading and writing all things MM.
You write romance in both M/M and M/F genres. Which genre did you start with?
I began with MM, and honestly it is the one I prefer. I’m not really sure why but I always seem to go back to MM.
What made you branch out into M/F?
I suppose I started writing MF because I had MF stories to tell. When I begin a story, quite often my characters don’t have a sex. It’s only as I develop it more that I settle on MM or MF pairing. Sometimes I even change my characters halfway through a story when it becomes obvious I’ve chosen the wrong one. Lol
Your new book is Always Been You. Take a few sentences and tell us about the book.
It’s about two men who grew up together, were in love, yet were afraid of that love. It shows their lives eleven years later, with happiness and tradgedy, and how they are still able feel the love they had as teenagers, but also how it has become more. They also face a few hurdles, but most importantly it’s a story that shows that no matter how much time passes, if it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be.
The main character, Seth, has two children he’s raising. Did you speak to any gay dads about the difficulties of dating and raising children?
Yes, I did. A friend of mine raises his daughter with his partner. They allowed me to ask them questions on how it affected them in the way others treated them, and also the expectations that seemed to be put on them that other parents weren’t so scrutinized over.
What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?
I think the scene where Seth and Jared meet up for the first time since Seth moved back home. The tension, the anger, and some of the humour from other characters was fun to play out. And anything with the character Landon in it. I had a lot of fun writing him. I can’t wait for his book.
What part made you struggle them most?
Probably the scene where Seth admits how Shawn and Jane’s deaths really affected him and the kids. They put on a good show, and for the most part are healing, but I dug pretty deep and personally to try and deliver a scene that was realistic.
Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?
Seth teams up with the local coffee shop to supply baked goods, which gave me the opportunity to introduce some new secondary characters that have and will continue to make things interesting.
Always Been You is the first book in a new series. How mnay more do you plan for this series?
At least two more, but you never know… LOL
You’ve written several other series, do you have a favorite?
This one for sure, but other than that I would probably have to say my Hunter Clan series.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
It’s a toss up between creating the characters and writing THE END. :)
What’s your least favorite?
Any time I have to write a synopsis and/or blurb! lol
Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?
Book 2 of this series, for the time being it is titled Can’t Go Back, and will be about Landon and Tyler.
What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?
I’ve just finished re-reading When Souls Collide, by NJ Nielsen. I love that book. If you haven’t read it and love MM romance, then I recommend it.
If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Right now in person? Stormy Glenn or RJ Scott. If you asked which authors I would want to be like, which authors I admire the most, it would be them.
Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?
I do cover design for a number of companies as well as freelance. I love doing it.
Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.
Always Been You, is the first book I ever finished and the first I ever submitted. While it had a great reaction before, I am hoping people will want embrace my boys again. There is another 30k, more secondary characters, and a whole lot more to the world I had originally created.
Always Been You; by Jess Buffett
Blurb:
After recovering from a shooting that took the lives of his best friends, Seth Hall returns to his hometown for the first time in eleven years with his two children in tow. Intent on setting up a happy, stable life for them, he vows not to allow his past to intervene with their future. That is until Jared, the boy who had broken his heart all those years ago, returns to his life a full grown man who knows exactly what he wants…Seth.
Jared Stewart thought he had lost his only chance to be with Seth after a series of misunderstandings and mistakes. When Seth finally comes home and back into Jared’s life, Jared vows to do anything it takes to keep him there. However, while Jared and Seth grow closer, they discover that not everyone is so happy for them.
Will they be finally able to make a life for themselves together? Or will they be torn apart again, by people they thought they could trust?
Publisher: Reckless Lovers Press
Cover Artist: Jess Buffett
Sales Links:
Keep an eye on her website – http://jessbuffett.wordpress.com for details
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
Walking through the bakery, Seth he proceeded to write his own lists for everything else. He became so involved that he hadn’t heard the chime from the front door. Remembering he needed the measurements for the new sign out front he spun around, and collided with a wall.
“Oh, damn. Sorry,” a deep baritone voice said. Long arms reached out and grabbed his hips before he could land on his ass.
Okay, so not a wall, but darn close. Stepping backward to see what, or more to the point whom he ran into, Seth’s gaze locked onto a pair of striking green eyes. Shards of ice ran down his spine as recognition hit him. God, he remembered those jade orbs that used to make him lose his breath.
Jumping back, Seth struggled for breath as he stared mutely at Jared. He couldn’t believe the guy was actually here. And he was still as gorgeous as ever. Jared stood roughly at six foot three, a few inches taller than Seth’s six foot. He was also wider, all of it muscle, and Seth noticed his blond hair was still cut short with just enough length to style it. The man wore charcoal gray slacks and an emerald-green shirt, that were tailor made.
Seeing Jared looking so good made Seth more than aware of the old Oktoberfest t-shirt he wore, and the jeans and sneakers that had both seen better days. Fiddling with his notes, Seth shuffled from foot to foot, not knowing what to do. Jared was right in front of him looking all yummy, casually leaning against the counter with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, and all Seth wanted to do was run. Taking in a deep breath, Seth snapped his head up when Jared finally spoke.
“Hey, Seth. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, it has.” Apparently not long enough, Seth thought, as he tried to discreetly shift the ever growing bulge in his pants. Now was not the time for a hard-on. Not five seconds ago, he had forgotten how to draw air into his lungs, and now he was going to have a zipper indent. Seriously?
Silence descended, as the two of them just stood there staring at each other. Awkward much?
“So, what is it I can do for you?” Seth asked, trying to ignore the slight tremor in his voice as he walked around the other side of the counter. Hopefully that would hide one of his problems as he tried to regain some composure. Why did he still have to look so good? Wasn’t there some rule stating assholes were meant to look like toads.
“Actually, I’m here on Izzy’s behalf. She was roped into some fundraising thing for the school she works at and asked me to come meet you instead,” Jared replied as he lent forward, resting his forearms on the counter in front. A smirk formed on his handsome face as Seth took a step back.
“Ah, yes. I was told she was a teacher now. Brave of her,” he said, giving an awkward laugh, spreading his hands out onto the flat surface before him in order to support himself. Clearing his throat, he added, “Well, you can just tell her that she can come see me whenever she’s free.”
Jared stood straight, folding his arms across his chest as he studied Seth. “Yeah, she is brave. And no need to rebook, I know what she wants. I’m quite sure we can work something out.”
Why did that sound like an innuendo? This was definitely not going as he had planned. And why did Jared seem to be taking so much pleasure in this? Was this a game to him? Silly little gay boy, isn’t it cute that he still blushes. Well, he’d be damned if history was going to repeat itself. He was a successful businessman and baker. He had two beautiful children, and had survived a fucking bullet.
Straightening his back, he met Jared’s gaze.
“Fine. Let’s take a seat and get this over with, shall we?”
“Is that the way you talk to all of your clients? Cause I have to say, I’m surprised you get much business then,” drawled Jared.
Ignoring the comment, Seth led them to one of the booths. He cast a glance towards the kitchen, but Sal seemed to be preoccupied. Maybe telling the man to just ‘go for it’ hadn’t been a smart move. Something told him things were going to cost more than he thought.
Taking a seat opposite one another on the old scuffed booth with weathered red leather seating, that he absently noted to himself had to be added to the ever growing list of things that needed replacing, Seth launched straight into professional mode. He needed details to come up with something that the future bride wanted and that’s all he was focused on. At no time did he notice how good Jared looked, or how muscular he had gotten. Seth hadn’t even taken note of Jared’s soft pink lips or his large firm hands.
Really.
Not at all.
Dammit.
Author Bio:
Jess Buffett was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. She is a mum of two, married to her high school sweetheart.
Jess is a hopeless romantic who is a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance with a happy ending—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be Shifters, Vampires, Cowboys, or the boy next door.
A caffeine addict who shamefully can’t make a decent cup of coffee to save her life, Jess believes in soul mates, happily ever afters, and in love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third for the brain to catch up.
Author Contact:
Facebook Author Page
Friend on Facebook
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
Click the Rafflecopter Link below for a chance to win an eBook copy of Always Been You’ upon release, and a $10 Gift Card:
Contest Begins: 2nd February, 2015
Contest Ends: 15th February, 2015
a Rafflecopter giveaway
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Week 1
Feb 2nd – The Blogger Girls – Guest Post
Redz World – Book Review
Feb 3rd – Love Bytes Reviews – Guest Post
Feb 4th – MM Good Book Reviews – Promo Spotlight
Feb 5th – Andrew Q. Gordon – Author Interview
Foxylutely Books – Book Review
Feb 6th – The Novel Approach – Guest Post
Wolfie’s Fantasy Book Blog – Promo Spotlight
Week 2
Feb 9th – Prism Book Alliance – Book Review + Author Interview
Feb 10th – Amanda C. Stone – Promo Spotlight
Feb 11th – Diverse Reader – Book Review + Promo Spotlight
Gay.Guy.Reading and Friends – Book Review
Feb 12th – Because Two Men Are Better Than One – Guest Post
PNR Book Lover Reviews – Book Review
Feb 13th – Eric Thornton – Author Interview
This Spotlight is Creative Minds Promotion:
Creative minds
Book & Author Promotions
http://creativemindpromotions.wordpress.com
February 3, 2015
Keep Me In Mind Tour: Pat Henshaw’s What’s in a Name
Keep Me In Mind Tour: Pat Henshaw’s What’s in a Name
Today Pat Henshaw stops by to talk about herself, her writing and her new release What’s in a Name?
Welcome Pat, since this is the first time you been on my blog, tell everyone a bit about yourself.
I’m originally from the United States’ Midwest and have lived on all three coasts—Northern Virginia, Texas, and now California. I started out to be a theatrical costumer, but became a book reviewer when I was hired by the Houston Post. Until I reviewed a book that started with a detailed description of a serial killer flaying a woman in Central Park, I reviewed mysteries. After that, I quickly switched to reviewing romances to get away from the gore. On the family front, my husband and I have two grown daughters and twin grandchildren.
You’ve just started to publish, but before this you’ve been a voracious reader and reviewer, how many books do you read and review a year?
I’m no longer reviewing books for the publications for whom I was working at the first part of this year. In 2013, my last full year of reviewing, I reviewed a little over 150 books for three places: All About Romance, Booklist, and The Romance Reviews. My guess is that I read another 50 or so in my free time. Last year was considerably less because I was writing, and this year will follow last year.
Your new book, What’s in a Name? is your first published work isn’t it?
What’s in a Name? is the first book from an independent publisher. In 2013 I self-published a novel, The Vampire’s Food Chain, in which I mix vampires and gods. It’s the first of three novels in the series. I’m currently writing the second vampire book, Devil’s Food, in which the gods ask the viewpoint vampire to go to hell and make a difference there. Finding hell isn’t as easy as one might think.
What did that feel like when you got the contract?
Breathless. Stunned. When I was actually is granted my childhood wish, there was also a sense of disbelief. It also energized me to keep writing.
Take a few sentences and tell us about the book.
When barista Jimmy Patterson is dumped by his boyfriend on his birthday, who should rescue him but the hunky bar owner of Stonewall’s? Since the barkeep wears a different name badge every night, all Jimmy wants to know is the guy’s name. The bartender nicknamed “Guy” challenges Jimmy to guess his not-for-publication first name. Jimmy quickly accepts the challenge and Guy’s good-ole-boy courtship. As their relationship heats up, someone attacks Jimmy’s coffee shop. As a relative newcomer to the Northern California Sierra community, is Jimmy being targeted as a warning to the Bay Area gays who are moving there?
What made you set this in a coffee shop?
Good question—especially since I’m a tea drinker and really don’t enjoy coffee all that much. Who knows where writers’ inspirations and thoughts come from? I once interviewed Arlo Guthrie who said that he didn’t so much write his songs but pluck them from the songs around him. His theory was that the air is filled with songs and a songwriter only had to be in tune with them. I’m starting to feel the same way about writing. The stories are all around me and I just pluck the one that appeals to me and write it down. This one happened to feature a coffee shop.
What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?
I loved writing the scene at Adam’s mountain restaurant because it reminded me of similar dinners I’ve eaten with my husband. We both like food and cooking, so anytime I get to write about my characters in cafes and restaurants is a good writing day.
What part made you struggle them most?
The scenes with Tommy Thompson, the town enforcer, were a struggle for me because I’m a normally peaceful, live-and-let-live person. A character who is mean or confrontational goes against my grain and therefore is difficult to write without overwriting.
Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?
While each book can be read independently, readers will encounter them in future books too. Not a big surprise, but it needs to be said. Also, the fourth book was going to feature Junior, the son of the Rock Bottom Café’s owners Bud and Lorraine until one reviewer mentioned wanting Adam’s story. That idea took hold, and Adam is the fourth story in the series. Who said reviewers don’t make a difference?
You recently signed a contract for Redesigning Max which is the sequel to What’s In A Name? is this going to be a series?
Yes. Redesigning Max is about interior designer and architect Fredi Zimmer who is Jimmy and Felicity’s friend. The Behr Facts is about Abe Behr, CEO of Behr Construction who works with Fredi and is a friend of bartender Guy.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
I love the imagination part, building a contemporary reality that is plausible. For example, Bud and Lorraine’s Rock Bottom Café doesn’t exist, but I’ve eaten in a lot of cafes that could have been the Rock Bottom. Making a reality from the bits and pieces of my past is fun as far as I’m concerned.
What’s your least favorite?
Does this have to be directly about writing? The least favorite part for me is the weight gain from sitting in front of a computer screen for hours, days, weeks, and months at a time. I also abhor the editing because I’m never sure what I’m taking out isn’t the best part of the scene.
Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?
See above. I switch back and forth between at least two writing projects. I get stuck in one book and go to the other until my thoughts about the first book congeal and I’m ready to go back to writing it.
What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?
The last few books I’ve read are Rick R. Reed’s Blink and B. G. Thomas’ Red. I also reread Blinding Light by Renae Kaye which is a comfort read for me. I’d highly recommend all three books.
If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Well, the authors of the three books I mentioned above, I’d love to meet. I’d also like to meet Will Parkinson, who is promoting my book. All four of them seem to be incredibly interesting people, and ones I could sit and listen to for hours.
Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?
I make quarter inch miniature structures and furnishings. Quarter inch is a scale measurement—one quarter inch = one foot. I make them from scratch and from kits I buy online. I also enjoy photography and participate in a photography group.
Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.
One of the things that got me interested in writing gay romances is that many of the students I taught in junior college were gay men—both younger and older men. The first essay they were assigned to write was an autobiographical one about an incident in their lives that was a defining moment for them. Many of them wrote their coming out story while some wrote about a time when they were bullied, beat up, or suffered as a gay man. Quite a few of them wondered if they were deserving of love, would ever find someone who would love them, and/or might have a partner and children in the future. As their instructor at a state school, I couldn’t comment on these questions, but in my books, I want to reassure them not only is this possible, but it’s also very probable. We all deserve to have our dreams come true.
Blurb:
Barista Jimmy Patterson thinks it’s a good idea to get rip-roaring drunk on his birthday after he’s dumped by his boyfriend. When the burly owner of Stonewall’s Bar rescues Jimmy, the night starts to look up.
Now Jimmy just wants to know the bartender’s first name since he’s worn a different name tag every time Jimmy’s seen him. “Guy” Stone gives Jimmy seven guesses, one for each night he takes Jimmy out on a date.
While Jimmy’s trying to come up with his name, he’s distracted by the destruction of his coffee shop and what looks more and more like a hate crime.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyD
Sales Links:
Dreamspinner Press eBook:
Excerpt:
Stonewall [Saloon] was chaos when I got there. Guy and another bartender were mixing drinks as fast as they could. I squeezed in at the end of the bar near the hatchway and sat on an abandoned stool there.
I didn’t think Guy had seen me come in, so when there was a lull in the frenetic pace and he was nearly within arm’s reach, I called out, “What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink in this place?”
Guy looked up, grinned at me, and yelled back, “Fuck the bartender.”
A slim man sitting next to me perked up, gave Guy the once-over, and yelled, “Okay!”
Guy’s startled gaze met mine, and we broke out laughing.
The man next to me sighed and slumped over his beer. “I knew it was too good to be true,” he mumbled.
I patted him on the shoulder.
“Maybe next time,” I commiserated with him.
“Right,” he answered glumly
About the Author:
Born in the Heartland of Nebraska, Pat Henshaw has made America hers by living in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. She has found joy in visiting Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and relishes trips to Rome, Italy, and Eugene, Oregon, to see family.
Pat has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.
Two of her fondest memories are touching time when she put her hands on the pyramids and experiencing pure whimsy when she interviewed Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch). Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Her supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away writing fiction.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998437.Patois
Book website:
Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
E-mail:
Tumblr: http://phenshaw.tumblr.com/
Tour Dates:
28-Jan
4-Feb
11-Feb
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
18-Feb
25-Feb
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews,
4-Mar
11-Mar
Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
18-Mar
Sales Links:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5965
Giveaway:
Click the Rafflecopter link below for a chance to win One of Two Starbucks Gift Card:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This Forget Me Not Tour is a Pride Promotions event. Click the badge for more information about Pride Promotions:
February 2, 2015
An Interview with Rhys Ford – Black Dog Blues Release Day And Giveaway
First Happy Release Day to Rhys Ford. Black Dog Blues was released today by DSP Publications.
I’ve long been a fan of Rhys’s work since I read Sinner’s Gin, (she signed a copy for me at GRL this year) but this is the first time I’ve gotten a chance to interview her. After she entertains you with her answers, make sure you enter the giveaway. And next week, I’ll be answering the same questions for her on her blog, so check there next week.
An Interview with Rhys Ford:
Welcome Rhys. I can’t believe I’ve never had the chance to interview you. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Thank you for having me! I can’t wait to return the favour!
First, let’s get the fun stuff out of the way…
A Rhys Ford Giveaway!
Comment below and enter to win a prize package of an eCopy of my backlist, and an audio book code and a $10.00 gift card from an eTailer on your choice. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator.
On to the questions.
How long have you been writing? Why types of books?
How long? Can’t even answer that. I’ve been lying…er storytelling…yeah… to other people for decades! I actually wrote my first book when I was twelve. I have no memory of what it was about but I recall the typewriter I wrote it on.
Oh yes, a manual Royal typewriter. I was so retro. So old school. It was my “art”. *grins*
I don’t actually keep to a genre although I do love killing people. I love writing mysteries but I also love a good AU urban fantasy or paranormal.
Your latest book is Black Dog Blues from DSP Publications.This is the start of a new series, isn’t it? Tell us a bit about the book and the series.
Really excited about DSP Publications extending an offer for Black Dog Blues. It’s definitely a straight up urban fantasy with a bit of a twist of a main character, not much romance and definitely laid down in a UF rattle-and-drum writing style.
The main character is an elfin named Kai Gracen who was raised by a mercenary human named Dempsey. Brought up to hunt the creatures roaming about following the Merging of Earth and Underhill, Kai’s asked… or rather ordered… to assist a Sidhe Lord named Ryder in transporting a human woman from up north to San Diego.
Problem is, Kai hates elfin nearly as much as the human who raised him does… but for good reason.
A lot of your work is contemporary MM Romance, is the the start of a new genre for you?
I really only have one contemporary romance, Down and Dirty, which just dropped in January and is a part of the Cole McGinnis series.. The rest of my books are mysteries, suspense thrillers and paranormal romance hybrids. And that’s in no way a detraction from contemporary romance because I’ve discovered that “pure contemporary romance” is a bitch and a half to write. Hats off to those who pull it off successfully each and every time. I’ve discovered I need the blood, guts and gore.
Black Dog Blues is kind of a precursor to my mysteries and really one of my loves. I wanted a gritty, dirty screwed up kind of character in a gritty, dirty, screwed up kind of world. I feel more comfortable with the monsters so I’d say Black Dog Blues isn’t that far off from what wanders through my mind right now.
Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?
The best part about this book was I got to really play with the landscape and the creatures in it. The “Merge” was a disasterous event where planes shifted, smashing our world into the Underhill and vice versa. Chunks of the Underhill shoved its way into ours and parts of Earth disappeared into the breach. With that, brought elfin, monsters and a whole new playing field to mess with.
What book do you wish you could have written?
Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury. I will forever hold that book up as the pinnacle of writing for me. Simply amazed at the use of language, world-building and a simple twist that changes everything I read before.
If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaption of one of your books, which book and who would play your characters?
Hell, that’s a hard one. I have no idea. I can tell you I’d love to have the Cole McGinnis series as a television show. Probably on cable. *grins*
Now for some random questions:
First/Current/Biggest celebrity crush?
Oh so many to choose from. Currently? Probably Chris Hemsworth and Dave Navarro. Benedict Cumberbatch is always nice as is Tom Hiddleston.
A genie gives you one wish, what do you want?
For people to get along and accept one another’s differences without hurting each other.
You travel back in time to give advice to your younger self, what age do you go and what do you tell yourself?
Hell, any age and this would work. Breathe. You’re not broken. Things are just shitty and sometimes, it’s going to be hard but breathe.
The world is going to end but scientist have discovered a means to to send people back in time to live out their lives, what time period do you pick?
Are you kidding? Dinosaurs. *grins* Lack of territorial competition but really shitty food sources. The social and economic environments rather preclude anything I’d want but really dinosaurs.
You’re shopping and a total hot guy wants your advice on underwear. He offers to model the different styles for you. Which one do you ask him to try on first?
A strait jacket because I’d wonder what hospital he’d escaped from. *grins* I’m pretty much a traditionalist. I like boxers or boxer briefs. Thong things look so uncomfortable. French style boy shorts are nice.
You can select one super hero to be, who do you pick and why?
Tony Stark. Dude…. All the money, a cool flying suit and well, Thor. *grins*
Top or Bottom? (interpret it as you like.)
Top. I like eating the toppings off of a pizza then eat the crust. Top always goes first.
Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.
Read. Explore. Have fun. Really. It’s less about my writing but more about the worlds we can all explore. I’m probably more of a reader than I am a writer because I love to get in there and discover new books and new authors as well as keep up with the ones I already hoard.
Thank you so much for letting me have some space here! And can’t wait to see what you bring to the table on the 10th!
Black Dog Blues
Blurb:
Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone’s rescue when something shadowy appears.
It’s a hard life but one Kai likes—filled with bounty, a few friends, and most importantly, no other elfin around to remind him of his past. And killing monsters is easy. Especially since he’s one himself.
But when a sidhe lord named Ryder arrives in San Diego, Kai is conscripted to do a job for Ryder’s fledgling Dawn Court. It’s supposed to be a simple run up the coast during dragon-mating season to retrieve a pregnant human woman seeking sanctuary. Easy, quick, and best of all, profitable. But Kai ends up in the middle of a deadly bloodline feud he has no hope of escaping.
No one ever got rich being a Stalker. But then few of them got old either and it doesn’t look like Kai will be the exception.
Buy Links:
Purchase Black Dog Blues at DSP Publications
Black Dog Blues is also available on Amazon and other fine eTailers.
About Rhys Ford:
Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.
Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.
Social Media Links:
My Blog: http://www.rhysford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford
And at the Starbucks down the street. No really, they’re 24/7. And a drive-thru. It’s like heaven.
My books can be purchased, folded and first chapters read at Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
February 1, 2015
The Next Call; by Sue Brown: New Release Spotlight and Giveaway
The Next Call; by Sue Brown
BLURB:
![NextCall[The]FS](https://andrewqgordon.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/nextcallthefs.jpg)
Mark Grayson volunteers for an LGBT helpline, the same one that helped him through his teenage years. One day he takes a call from “Ricky,” a suicidal man being forced into a marriage he doesn’t want. For weeks Mark talks to Ricky and provides support, but he’s frustrated by the lack of information Ricky provides and the decisions he’s making. In the meantime, Mark starts a relationship with another volunteer. Then tragedy strikes and Mark takes time away from the helpline, but when he comes back, Ricky is waiting. Mark realizes Ricky is stronger than before and their relationship changes, but Mark isn’t sure what their future holds if their relationship is destined to be at the end of the phone.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Christy Caughie
RELEASE DATE: 4th February 2015
Buy Link:
Dreamspinner Press
Excerpt:
“NOT TODAY, please not today. I haven’t got time.” It wasn’t true. Mark Grayson had all the time in the world today as he had a day off from his IT job, but some days he just didn’t want to take on the world’s problems. Today he’d promised himself a drive in the countryside and a pint at a pub.
There was no reason for the man to attract Mark’s attention. It wasn’t unusual to see people staring over the valley, and the view was spectacular—rolling, verdant hills in the foreground bisected by a long, rambling river. The road went over the river and then followed its path on the other side before it reached the next village.
Mark lived on the outskirts of Greater London, but he worked forty miles from home and preferred traveling by the country roads rather than sitting in endless traffic jams on the M25. He used the bridge on his way to work and bypassed tourists nearly every day, sometimes almost knocking over oblivious ones as they stepped back to take photos.
As Mark drove past, the man was standing stock-still, but he wasn’t looking at the view. He had his hood pulled up, so Mark couldn’t see his face, but the man had leaned forward and peered down at the forty-foot drop to the river and jagged rocks below, and that alone made the hairs stand up on the back of Mark’s neck. The temptation just to drive by was strong, to avoid making it his problem, but Mark was never one to pass on the other side. He sighed and parked his car close to the barrier, considerate enough to allow other cars to pass by. He walked back to where the man stood, not wanting to startle him and force him into a hasty decision.
The man didn’t glance up, didn’t acknowledge Mark’s existence until they were five feet apart. “Go away.” His voice was raw and strained. He wasn’t ordering—he was begging.
Mark stayed where he was, but he didn’t retreat. The instinct that had made him stop the car was screaming at him even louder this close to the man. He recognized the slump of the guy’s shoulders, the set resolve in his voice. He sounded so young. Twenty? Twenty-one? Too young to be standing there.
“I don’t think I can do that,” Mark said softly.
“It’s not your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s very much my business.”
“Just drive on and forget you ever saw me.” The man drew in a shaky breath. “In a few minutes, it won’t matter anyway.”
“How long have you been standing there?” Mark asked.
“An hour.”
“That’s a long time to be making a decision.”
“I made it a long time ago.”
Mark shook his head. “I hate to disagree with you, friend, but if you’d really made it, you would have jumped by now.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
The man turned to look at Mark for the first time, but the hood and large sunglasses obscured his face. “I’m going to do it. It’s the only choice I have.”
Mark didn’t bother to argue or tell him he always had options. When you were that far down the road, you really didn’t care. “What is your name?”
“Richard. My name is Richard.”
He still cared enough to have an identity. That was a good sign. Some of the people he dealt with had lost everything, including their souls.
“Richard, I’m not going to stop you jumping.”
“You’re not?”
Mark shook his head. “I’ll stay so I can call the emergency services. It’s not fair that some poor soul has to find what’s left of you.”
“Do you think they’ll find me? Won’t I be washed out to sea?”
“Not this far up.” Mark smiled a little. “Let me take care of you.”
Author Bio
Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn’t following their orders, she can be found plotting at her laptop. In fact she hides so she can plot and has gotten expert at ignoring the orders.
Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she’s made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.
Sue can be found at her:
Website: http://www.suebrownstories.com/
Blog: http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/suebrownstories
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suebrownstories.
Giveaway:
Click the Rafflecopter link for a chance to win one of the following:
First Winner will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card.
Second Winner will get a paperback copy of Stolen Dreams. (The contest is open for everyone and not limited to a specific region!)
First Runner up will get e-copies of The Next Call and Stolen Dreams
Two Second Runners up will win an e-copy of either The Next Call or Stolen Dreams.
Contest Begins: 26th January, 2015
Contest Ends: 28th February, 2015
a Rafflecopter giveaway
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Week 1
Feb 2nd – The Novel Approach – Guest Post
Andrew Q. Gordon – Promo Spotlight
Feb 3rd – Alicia Nordwell – Author Interview
Diverse Reader – Book Review + Author Interview
Feb 4th – Elin Gregory – Promo Spotlight
Sinfully Sexy – Guest Post
Feb 5th – MM Good Book Reviews – Book Review + Promo Spotlight
Elisa: My Reviews and Ramblings – Guest Post
Feb 6th – Molly Lolly – Author Interview
Prism Book Alliance – Guest Post
Week 2
Feb 9th – Because Two Men Are Better Than One – Guest Post
RJ Scott – Book Review
Feb 10th – Nic Starr – Promo Spotlight
Inked Rainbow Reads – Book Review + Author Interview
Feb 11th – Wicked Faeries Tales and Reviews – Book Review + Author Interview
Love Bytes Reviews – Author Interview
Feb 12th – BFD Book Blog – Book Review
Queer Town Abbey – Book Review
Feb 13th – 3 Chicks After Dark – Book Review
Amanda C. Stone – Guest Post
Week 3
Feb 16th – Foxylutely Books –Book Review
Fallen Angel Reviews – Book Review
Feb 17th – L.M. Brown – Guest Post
Crystal’s Many Reviewers – Book Review
Feb 18th – GGR Review – Author Interview
P. Barnaby – Guest Post
Feb 19th – Charlie Cochet – Guest Post
Feb 20th – Bike Book Reviews – Book Review + Author Interview
My Fiction Nook – Book Review
This Spotlight is Creative Minds Promotion:
Creative minds
Book & Author Promotions
http://creativemindpromotions.wordpress.com
January 31, 2015
Strike of the Diamondback; by Jacki Nacht – Book Blast and Giveaway
Strike of the Diamondback; by Jacki Nacht – Book Blast and Giveaway
Blurb:
Two years ago, TL came across his fire ant mate, Rio. Duty kept them apart, and they were only able to love each other from afar.
When Striker escapes the tortures of the anti-venom pack, running into the wild, he didn’t expect to encounter his mate. However, he is a shell of his former self, broken from the abuse done to him.
Rio saved TL once, and when his TL comes to ask for help, Rio finds himself shocked that the venom he’s always loved is holding their mate, a mate they’ll have to heal together.
Authors Note: The first half of this book overlaps in timeline to Pursued by the Wandering Spider. For better reading enjoyment, it is best the series be read in order. Thank you.
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist: Latrisha Waters
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Two years ago
TL was in a fucking load of trouble. This nasty bitch of a viper was giving him one hell of a fight. He swung his arm and landed a punch to her horned nose. She hissed and came back at him with a wicked-looking blade. The viper was completely bald, her entire body covered in snakeskin. She was lean and sleek, but TL knew firsthand, she was very fucking lethal. He jumped back as she swung, and he went for his hunting knife.
The snake had already gotten a piece of one of his wings, making it completely impossible for him to fly his way out of this situation.
The viper female She was strong, and he was in her territory. Why the hell hadn’t he waited for Boone? TL sliced the knife through the air, causing a deep gash to her chest but not enough to bring her down. She charged him, crazed, fangs leaking the venom TL wanted nothing to do with. He kicked out and missed. She tackled him to the ground, sinking her blade deep in his side.
“Ahhh!” TL screamed out in utter agony. The white-hot pain caused him to fall back, completely defenseless as his enemy straddled him.
With the last of his strength, he pushed up, slicing the viper under the arm. She screamed, hissed, wriggling around, more snake than human, much like the venom she presented right on top of him. TL attempted to get out from underneath, still bleeding like crazy. He managed to break free, and try to gain as much distance as he could while unable to get off his damn hands and knees.
She came back, maddened and enraged, and TL held up his arms, waiting for his end. She slithered toward him at a speed only venom of superior strength could match.
A boot shot out in front of him, connecting with her face, just a mere feet from his own body. He glanced up to see a man standing above him with a ball mace in his hand and enough other weapons on his body for a small army. The muscular man pulled a machete and went after the female. TL’s head fell back. He didn’t even have enough strength in him to see who won. Closing his eyes, he let the darkness take him.
About the Author:
Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a long way.
That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.
Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights Jackie stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.jackienacht.com
Blog: www.jackienacht.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieNacht
Tour Dates: February 1, 2015
Tour Stops:
Parker Williams, BFD Book Blog, Bayou Book Junkie, Decadent Delights, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Tara Lain, Love Bytes, Andrew Q. Gordon, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, The Blogger Girls, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Queer Town Abbey, MM Good Book Reviews, Hearts on Fire, The Hat Party, Velvet Panic, Carly’s Book Reviews, Charley Descoteaux, Fallen Angel Reviews, My Fiction Nook
Sales Links:
http://www.extasybooks.com/jackie-nacht/Strike-of-the-Diamondback/
Giveaway:
Click the Rafflecopter link below for a chance to win an a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This Book Blast is a Pride Promotions event. Click the badge for more information about Pride Promotions:
January 27, 2015
Elizabeth Noble – Barlow Lens Blog Tour – Guest Interview and Giveaway
Elizabeth Noble – A Barlow Lens Book Tour and Giveaway
![BarlowLens[A]_headerbanner](https://andrewqgordon.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/barlowlensa_headerbanner.jpg)
Welcome back Elizabeth. You’ve been busy since last we chatted so let’s catch up and have you tell everyone a bit about yourself.
Hello, Andrew and thank you for having me here again!
I’m an author with Dreamspinner Press. I like to say I write mystery/suspense, scifi and urban fantasy spiced with romance. My home town is Cleveland, Ohio and I have used it as the backdrop for A Barlow Lens.
Your latest book is A Barlow Lens which is book two in the Circles series, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. However, it’s a different sort of mystery than took place in Run for the Roses. This time we’re not in the world of Thoroughbred horses but diving back in time to solve a cold-case murder.
What’s the common theme of all the Circles Books.
They are all contemporary mystery/suspense. Sometimes there is murder and at other times a different type of crime. In each book one of the main characters is in a branch of law enforcement. I focus on a different branch in each book. Since A Barlow Lens is really two stories told in two time lines the ICE division of Homeland Security and the Cleveland Police are the featured branches.
Coming in book three (Jewel Cave) is the US Marshals and in book four a Park Ranger is the star.
In each book we meet one or both of the main characters coming in the next book.
Let’s talk about A Barlow Lens now. First, what is a barlow lens?
Barlow lenses are, simply put, a special lens used on a telescope to enhance its magnification. It helps you see farther. Starlight travels many hundreds of years to reach us, so when you look at the stars you look back in time.
Talk a bit about the book itself.
![BarlowLens[A]FS](https://andrewqgordon.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/barlowlensafs.jpg)
A Barlow Lens, as I’ve already mentioned is really two books rolled into one. There is a contemporary part of the story and there is a part that takes place ninety years ago. Val and Wyatt are in the present and they ‘look back’ at events in the past in order to solve not one, but several crimes that include arson and murder.
What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?
I had to do quite a bit of research into the area I live in and that was loads of fun, especially looking at old photos.
What part made you struggle them most?
Writing mystery/suspense is fun, but it’s very exacting and detailed. The hard part of the job is making sure the mystery works. All the twisty turny plot parts must fit together and come to a conclusion with all the loose ends tied up.
Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?
The dogs mentioned in the book, and they are in the next book in the series as well, are based off my dogs.
You’ve written a number of other books, talk about some of your other works.
I have an urban fantasy series—The Sleepless City—that’s vampires, werewolves and humans which is written with Anne Barwell.
My first published book was is part of a scifi/post apocalypse series. That series, Sentries, has five books and will be completed with the release of book six next year.
In addition, you’re writing a series with another author, Anne Barwell. What’s it like sharing your ideas that closely with another writer?
Anne and I wrote The Sleepless City series. Anne wrote books #1 (Shades of Sepia) and #3. I wrote #2 (Electric Candle) and book #4. The third and fourth books will be released Sept/October-ish I believe.
We opted to write separate books instead of co-writing all the books.
Anne is a lovely person and we had a great time plotting and planning the series. Sharing ideas about a book before all the details are worked out can be scary and fun all at the same time. There is a lot of give and take. Our main concern was upholding series continuity. It’s much different than writing a book alone. While writing I’ll often get an idea that might work better/is more interesting and alter my manuscript accordingly. Writing with someone I couldn’t exactly do that. When either of us wanted to change the basic plot we had to discuss it and come to an agreement on how we should proceed.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
I think my favorite part is the brainstorming/plotting.
What’s your least favorite?
Waiting on the contract and publication date.
Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the editing for Jewel Cave, that is due to be released by Dreamspinner Press in April.
I have also begun a solo series with a few of the guys from The Sleepless City. Anne and I are each working on spin-off series. The series is called Akhkharu Nasaru (The Vampire Guard). It’s secret societies and espionage.
I’ll be finishing the Sentries series later this year and writing the fourth in the Circles series.
What have you read lately that most people haven’t read but should?
I’ve been reading the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Delsyn’s Blues by Lou Sylvre and Protector of the Alpha by Parker Williams. If you haven’t read them you should.
If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Michio Kaku. He’s amazing. He takes difficult subject matter and makes it intersing and fun. He’s one of the reason I love science and scifi.
Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?
I have all sorts of hobbies. I love astronomy, both viewing and reading technical journals and books on the subject. In the warmer months I do a lot of flower gardening and might start branching out to fruit bushes. I love making my house my special corner of the world. Most of my walls have been faux painted and I’ve taken some old furniture off tree lawns and refinished and repurposed them for a new life.
Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.
I truly love being able to interact with my readers via chats or blogs. One of my biggest joys in life is knowing the stories I tell gives others a bit of enjoyment.![BarlowLens[A]_FBbanner_DSP](https://andrewqgordon.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/barlowlensa_fbbanner_dsp.jpg)
A Barlow Lens; by Elizabeth Noble
Book Two of the Circle series. Can be read alone, but best read as a series.
Blurb:
While planning a future with his partner, Val, Wyatt’s past refuses to be forgotten. Wyatt’s old friend asks him to look into the mysterious death of her uncle in a fire back in 1927, when men were silent, tough, and did not love other men—except when they did. Working with Val, Wyatt digs up clues uncovering the truth behind the tragic school fire and the one responsible. The story of Tom and Philip slowly reveals itself, and Wyatt and Val realize nothing is as simple as they originally believed. As their trail heats up, an old enemy of Wyatt’s decides he’s waited long enough for revenge. If Wyatt can’t tie everything together, history might repeat itself.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: TL Bland
Excerpt:
Once they were back at their hotel, Wyatt ushered Val into their room, not bothering with the light. They were high enough up there was no need to close the drapes, and light from the city cast a soft glow over them.
As Val unbuttoned his suit jacket, Wyatt stepped up behind him, placing his palms on Val’s shoulders, then rubbing lightly up and down his arms a few times. “Let me give you a hand.” Wyatt eased the jacket off and kissed the side of Val’s neck, nudging his head to the side as he did so. A low moan rumbled out of Val’s chest. Wyatt dropped the jacket on a chair and slipped his hands under Val’s shirt, caressing Val’s skin with his fingertips.
When he reached Val’s tightening nipples, he rubbed small circles until Val’s hips jerked. Val shuddered and pulled in a quick, shaky breath, making Wyatt smile. Val’s tie and shirt joined his jacket. Wyatt ran his hands over Val’s torso before returning them to Val’s shoulders. He lightly traced the scars on Val’s shoulder with first his finger, then his tongue.
Val’s surgery to repair the damage done in the course of stopping some seriously dangerous people who had been trying to force jockeys to throw races, had left several scars. They weren’t red, raised, and angry anymore. Val never complained about them hurting, but the marks were still puckered and darker than the surrounding skin.
“You know,” Val whispered between dragging in a breath and panting it out again. “That first time we went out to dinner, I was so worried you’d think I was some uncouth, country hick because I don’t know about wine and art. And that I was too young to bother with.”
“Hmm, do you know what I worried about when I was thirty?” Wyatt scraped his teeth across Val’s shoulder blades.
“N-no. What?”
“Getting a sweet piece of hot ass,” Wyatt said in a low voice.
Val laughed. “Well, you’re sort of slow. Took you long enough. Worth the wait?”
“Oh, hell, yes.” Wyatt maneuvered Val to the bed.
Author Bio:
Elizabeth Noble started telling stories before she actually knew how to write, and her family was very happy when she learned to put words on a page. Those words turned into fan fiction that turned into a genuine love of M/M romance fiction. Being able to share her works with Dreamspinner is really a dream come true. She has a real love for a good mystery complete with murder and twisty plots as well as all things sci-fi, futuristic, and supernatural and a bit of an unnatural interest in a super-volcano in Wyoming.
Elizabeth has three grown children and is now happily owned by an adorable mixed breed canine princess named Rosie, and two cats, Murphy and Yeti. She lives in her native northeast Ohio, the perfect place for gardening, winter and summer sports (go Tribe!). When she’s not writing she’s working as a veterinary nurse, so don’t be surprised to see her men with a pet or three who are a very big part of their lives.
Two of Elizabeth’s books have received Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards.
Social Media Links:
Website http://www.elizabeth-noble.com
Circles website: http://elizabeth-noble-circles.weebly.com/
Dreamspinner page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/elizabeth-noble
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Noble/e/B0052JEZVY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.noble.77
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Noble/120757231345733
Google+ pages: https://plus.google.com/110207268360224371489/posts https://plus.google.com/b/106536309910672083581/106536309910672083581/posts/p/pub
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com@elizabethnoble1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elizabethnoble1
Tour Dates and Stops:
14-Jan
21-Jan
28-Jan
4-Feb
11-Feb
18-Feb
25-Feb
4-Mar
Sales Links:
Dreamspinner Press:
Amazon:
Click the Rafflecopter Code below for a chance to with an eBook copy of the A Barlow Lens
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Release Day – First Love – A Free Prequel To The Last Grand Master
First Love has been released and is now for free download! This is a short free prequel (or frequel as I call it) to The Last Grand Master. You can get it for free from DSP Publications and OmniLit, the non-romance side of Are or you can download a PDF copy from my site here: Download First Love
In something of a quirk, if you want to get it from Amazon, they won’t let us list it for free, so you’ll have to pay .99 cents. Kindle readers need not worry, however as you can get it in .mobi format from the other two sites.
In addition, as you can see from the banner above, I’ll be doing a tour for the book. Part of the tour is going to be a giving readers a bit of a glimpse into secondary characters that are talked about often, but are never seen. There is also going to be a giveaway of a gift card and books by other DSP Publication Authors. Details on tour dates, sites and prizes are below. (I should add that because Sid Love at Creative Minds Promotions is trying to kill me for some reason, there will also a separate tour for the re-release of The Last Grand Master starting on February 10, 2015)
First Love; by Andrew Q. Gordon:
A Champion of the Gods Story – Prequel to The Last Grand Master.
On a visit to Yar-del with Grand Master Heminaltose to celebrate his age of majority birthday, Farrell catches the eye of Lieutenant Cameron, a handsome young officer in the Queenʼs Guard. But having spent most of his life cooped up at Heminaltoseʼs school for wizards, Farrell is clueless as to palace intrigue. He is unaware that his access to the queen is something others would greatly prize. When the queen points out that his suitor is the son of a social climbing minor noble, Farrell must decide whether to heed the warning or meet with Cameron anyway.
“Buy” Links:
DSP Publications:
ARe:
Amazon:
Tour Dates and Sites:
January, 27th:
Charley Descoteaux:
AJ Llewellyn:
Janurary, 28th:
Anne Barwell:
January, 29th:
Kim Fielding:
January, 30th:
Cheryl Headford:
Silvia Violet:
February 2nd:
Amy Rae Durreson:
February 3rd:
Rebecca Cohen:
February 4th:
Draven St. James:
February 5th:
Nic Starr:
February 6th:
Chris T. Kat:
February 9th:
Amanda C. Stone:
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
Click the Rafflecopter code below for a chance to win the following gift pack:
$15 DSP Gift Card
An E-copy of “Third Eye” by Rick R. Reed
An E-copy of “Ghost” by Carole Cummings
An E-copy of “Greenwoode” by J. Tullos Hennig
Contest Runs from January 27 thru February 9th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 26, 2015
An Interview with Rick R. Reed & Giveaway
Author Interview – Rick R. Reed:
Welcome Rick. I’m sure most people know you, but for the few who aren’t familiar with your work, tell us a bit about yourself.
Thanks, Andrew. I’m a writer who’s been around for more than two decades now, writing romance, suspense, thrillers, and horror. I love to tell a good story! You can find out more about me than you ever wanted to know at my website www.rickrreed.com
You’ve been writing a long time, what was your first book?
My first book was Obsessed (http://www.amazon.com/Obsessed-Rick-R-Reed-ebook/dp/B00580JWMO/ ), which was published by Dell way back in 1991 under its revolutionary horror line called Abyss. It’s about a serial killer who believes he’s a vampire and he gets a sexual kick from blood. Quite different from what I’m mostly writing now! Here’s the blurb:
I kill, therefore I am…
Voices slam through the corridor of his wounded mind. The words of his dead sister cry out. His parents’ taunts fill the silent room where he sits and waits–waits for the murderous rage, filling him with strength, driving him to kill, to touch the cold flesh, taste the warm blood–to feel alive again… A witness has seen him, but his killing only turns her on and now she wants to protect him. His wife suspects him, but the private detective she hired cannot stop him. Joe MacAree fears nothing–except that he may no longer be human. The thirst that drives him is relentless, moving deeper and deeper into his own shattering, private realm, where each murder is a delicious new gift of life, where revulsion is beauty, and the obsession will never let him go.
I know you’ve written several different sub-genres, which ones do you like the most?
Right now, I’m all about telling compelling and touching love stories. I think it’s a reflection of the good place I’m in in my own life. But I still have an urge to explore the dark side, so that’s not neglected completely. One of my latest releases, a psychic thriller called Third Eye (http://www.amazon.com/Third-Eye-Rick-R-Reed-ebook/dp/B00OWMY0CG/ ) bears testimony to that. Here’s the blurb for Third Eye:
Who knew that a summer thunderstorm and his lost little boy would conspire to change single dad Cayce D’Amico’s life in an instant? With Luke missing, Cayce ventures into the woods near their house to find his son, only to have lightning strike a tree near him, sending a branch down on his head. When he awakens the next day in the hospital, he discovers he has been blessed or cursed—he isn’t sure which—with psychic ability. Along with unfathomable glimpses into the lives of those around him, he’s getting visions of a missing teenage girl.
When a second girl disappears soon after the first, Cayce realizes his visions are leading him to their grisly fates. Cayce wants to help, but no one believes him. The police are suspicious. The press wants to exploit him. And the girls’ parents have mixed feelings about the young man with the “third eye.”
Cayce turns to local reporter Dave Newton and, while searching for clues to the string of disappearances and possible murders, a spark ignites between the two. Little do they know that nearby, another couple—dark and murderous—are plotting more crimes and wondering how to silence the man who knows too much about them.
You’re latest book, Blink came out a few days ago. Tell us about Blink.
Blink (http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Rick-R-Reed-ebook/dp/B00SIBTYI2/ ) is my latest contemporary romance and it’s really about second chances and love lasting the passage of time. It’s the touching story of two men who meet in 1981, but whose lives are too complicated for them to forge a lasting bond. That’s the first half, which is no secret is very autobiographical. The second half is in present day and is all about the two men finding one another again. Can they make love work after all that’s passed? It was a question I wanted to pursue and I think the results are funny, poignant, and, I hope, real.
How much of your own life did you put into Blink?
As I said above the first part of the book, which takes place in 1981, was pretty much my story. I did meet a gorgeous Cuban man named Carlos on the L in Chicago and I was unable to pursue the relationship because I was too ashamed and far back in the closet to do it. Plus there was the fact that I was engaged to my female college sweetheart, whom I loved very much in spite of the orientation I refused to accept back then. It was interesting for me to go back to that time in my head and revisit that naïve and innocent boy.
What part of the book was the most fun to write and why?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific part. I enjoyed going back in time to Chicago of the early 80s and exploring the music and popular culture of that time. It was fun to ride the old L trains (if only in my head) as I did so frequently in my 20s. It was also fun to write present day, about two older gay male characters and their thwarted search for love…bad first dates are always fun to write about.
What part made you struggle them most?
I think facing again the shame and guilt I felt as a young man over being gay. I couldn’t accept it and truly believed it was something I could change. Writing about the young Andy brought back all those memories and the difficulty of living a life wearing a mask, where no one who loves you loves you for who you really are.
Many of your books put a face to important issues to the LGBT community. Caregiver for example, dealt with the effect AIDs had on survivors. How hard a book was that to write?Like Blink, Caregiver (http://www.amazon.com/Caregiver-Rick-R-Reed-ebook/dp/B005YVAJG0/ ) was somewhat autobiographical in that I modeled the character, Adam, who is dying from AIDS, after my own AIDS buddy, Jim, that I had through the Tampa AIDS Network back in the early 90s. This was before there was much effective treatment for the virus and I saw Jim through the horror of his demise. He was a brilliant guy, funny, artistic, and very witty. To watch him perish was heart-wrenching, but at the same time, a real gift. I wrote the book as a tribute to him…and I only hope I did him justice.
Legally Wed deals with Gay Marriage, another significant topic for the community. I know you were married shortly after Washington State passed the law allowing gay marriage. Did that have a role in writing this book?Oh yeah. When the book opens and our main character is seeing on the news about gay marriage being made legal in Washington State and all the hoopla at City Hall, which was open all night to accommodate all those who could at last marry, that was drawn from my own experience. My husband Bruce and I were one of those many couples who stood in line in the wee hours of the morning to get our marriage license at City Hall. It was a day I thought would never come. So, that’s how I opened the book and with Duncan wanting to marry his boyfriend….
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
You know the first thing that popped into my head was writing, “The End”. Dorothy Parker said, “I hate writing; I love having written.” I get that. But I also have to say that it’s bittersweet. I mean, the characters I create become very real people to me. So saying goodbye to them is often as difficult as saying goodbye to loved ones in real life.
What’s your least favorite?
Getting started every day. I can find a million things to do that simply must be done before I sit down to write another page, chapter, whatever. I don’t know why that is (fear of failure?) but I can procrastinate with the best of them when it comes to my work.
Since there is always another story to tell, what are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on a romantic suspense novel called The Couple Next Door, about a young man falling for one of the two men who move into the apartment next door. The couple is not what they seem! And how the mystery, and the romance, unravel, is what I hope will keep the reader turning the pages.
If you could meet any writer, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Probably Ruth Rendell, the British mystery/psychological suspense author who is simply amazing…prolific and, I think, one of the finest voices in contemporary English language literature. I’d like to ask her how she so consistently turns out such gripping and high-quality work.
Besides reading and writing, what else do you enjoy?
I love to cook and eat! I do all the cooking at our house and I love to experiment with food and delight my chief taster (my husband, Bruce). Cooking is a chore for some, but for me it’s a joy—relaxing and creative. To offset weight gain, one of my other passions is running. I usually run around 20 miles per week and consider myself fortunate to have such beauty to look at here in Seattle while I log my miles. Last, and certainly not least, I love to read—I am never not reading something.
Thanks for having me, Andrew! Below is information on Blink—my newest release—and ways to get in touch with me. For those who comment, I’ll let Andrew pick a winner at random who will get a digital copy of my novel Caregiver.
Blink; By Rick R. Reed
Life can change in the blink of an eye. That’s a truth Andy Slater learns as a young man in 1982, taking the Chicago ‘L’ to work every morning. Andy’s life is laid out before him: a good job, marriage to his female college sweetheart, and the white picket fence existence he believes in. But when he sees Carlos Castillo for the first time, Carlos’s dark eyes and Latin appeal mesmerize him. Fate continues to throw them together until the two finally agree to meet up. At Andy’s apartment, the pent-up passion of both young men is ignited, but is snuffed out by an inopportune and poorly-timed phone call.
Flash forward to present day. Andy is alone, having married, divorced, and become the father of a gay son. He’s comfortable but alone and has never forgotten the powerful pull of Carlos’s gaze on the ‘L’ train. He vows to find him once more, hoping for a second chance. If life can change in the blink of an eye, what will the passage of thirty years do? To find out, Andy begins a search that might lead to heartache and disappointment or a love that will last forever….
Buy Links:
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Amazon Kindle:
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Author Bio:
Photo by Madison Parker
Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). Raining Men and Caregiver have both won the Rainbow Award for gay fiction. Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.” Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”
Social Media Links:
Web: http://www.rickrreed.com
Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rickrreed
E-mail: jimmyfels@gmail.com
Giveaway:Rick is giving away an eCopy of his book Caregiver to one lucky person who leaves a comment on this post. A winner will be selected at random from the comments left by midnight January 31, 2015.
Here For You; by Skylar M. Cates: Cover Reveal And Give Away
Here For You; by Skylar M. Cates: Cover Reveal
SERIES: Sunshine and Happiness #1
AUTHOR: Skylar M. Cates
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG
BLURB:
Life is a thread connecting us. One pull and it all unravels.Cole Gannon arrives in the seaside town of Ocean Vista to work as a bartender and finally find a place to belong. Determined to make a home for himself, Cole lives happily with his four colorful roommates, whom he considers brothers. The only problem is Cole’s attraction to Ian Stark—a guy all wrong for him. He wishes he didn’t keep running into the sexy lawyer.
Ian knows Cole is attracted to him, but the younger man keeps him at arm’s length. It only makes Ian more determined to be with Cole and learn all his secrets. But while Ian has built a successful law practice, he hasn’t done too well with relationships.
When a sudden and devastating tragedy occurs, it shatters Cole’s world and throws Cole and Ian together in unexpected ways. In an instant, everything between them changes forever.
Release Date: 27th February, 2015
PRE-ORDER LINK:
Dreamspinner Press:
AUTHOR BIO:
Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is quite happy to drink some coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Most days, however, Skylar is chasing after her husband, her kids, and her giant dog, Wasabi.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/skylar.cates
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SkylarMCates
Blog – http://skylarmcates.wordpress.com/
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