Kate Lowell's Blog, page 46

Tuesday Guest Tickle: Shoes & Ties is Now Available!

Like a little heat in your kitchen? Bring this book with you. A young, passionate chef and a high-powered business executive–a recipe for spice and excitement!

Blurb:

Ashten Brody is a chef fresh out of college. He lands his dream job working as a personal chef to Trent Cole, local luxury hotel owner. As it turns out, Trent is also his dream man.

After working together, the two are unable to deny their attraction. One late night they can’t hold back any longer. Too bad Ashten rushes off soon after.

In the weeks that follow, it appears to Ashten that he has landed his dream man and his dream job. He and Trent appear to be on the path to a serious relationship and life-long happiness. Life seems to be just too perfect…

Links:

Jena Wade’s website

Loose-Id

Amazon

I notice there’s a giveaway for a copy of the book going on…

Giveaway at Kay Berrisford’s Blog

Excerpt:

Ashten Brody smoothed his hands down the front of his suit one more time. He hadn’t expected Trent Cole’s security guards to frisk him at the door. The man ran a luxury hotel in North Carolina. It wasn’t like he was a celebrity. Though he had the appearance of one.

As flustered as he was now, Ashten was confident that he was the right person to be Trent’s new personal chef. He was not confident, however, that Mr. Cole would hire him. He’d only just finished his degree in culinary arts and hospitality management. He was young and green, but he wanted this job and would do anything to get it. Well, that was a slight exaggeration, but he would wear a bland, conservative suit complete with a tie and jacket if it helped him beat out the competition.

The elevator pinged, and he took a deep breath as he stepped out, still in awe that he had gotten an interview. The main office was located on the top floor of the ten-story hotel—convenient if Trent ever worked late and needed to crash at the office.

Finding the secretary easily, Ashten stood next to her desk and patiently waited for her to finish her phone call. The lobby area was comfortable, with decor that matched the rest of the hotel. Doors lined the walls, and a few windows revealed the insides of conference rooms and small offices. Ashten rested his hands on the mahogany horseshoe desk. It was large enough to fill his old apartment.

“May I help you?” Annette, as her nameplate said, asked as she hung up the phone.

“I have an interview scheduled with Mr. Cole. I’m a bit early. My name is Ashten Brody.” His voice sounded calmer than he felt. It was important to make a good impression on the secretary, though; they were the ones who ran the whole office.

The secretary raised her brow. She opened her mouth to speak, but the elevator at the opposite end of the room dinged, and Mr. Cole stepped onto the floor, a deep scowl etched on his handsome face. Ashten’s breath hitched in his throat. He bit his lip, pain stopping any reaction his cock might have had to the man capturing his attention. The pictures he’d found in his Internet search hadn’t done the man justice. Trent Cole oozed confidence. Ashten’s eyes followed him as he crossed the floor. A touch of afternoon stubble shaded his strong jaw, and his tailored suit outlined his broad shoulders perfectly. The open jacket revealed lean hips, which brought Ashten’s tongue out to wet his lips. Trent walked directly past the desk, not bothering to glance at Ashten or Annette. Everyone in the office moved faster and looked busier now that the boss was in the room.

“Annette, please send in the applicants as they arrive. The sooner I get these interviews over with, the sooner I can get back to real work. Thanks.” Without waiting for a reply, he stepped inside his office, leaving the door wide open.

Ashten’s face heated, and his heart pounded. He rolled his shoulders back to try to get ahold of himself.

“Go right in, dear. Good luck.” Annette gave him an encouraging grin.

Ashten flashed a broad smile. “Thank you, ma’am.” He turned and walked toward the open door.

* * * *

Trent rubbed his tired and aching eyes before he reviewed the résumé of the first applicant. “Ashten Brody?” He looked up to see an attractive young man enter the room.

He must not have hidden his surprise well, because alarm flashed across the applicant’s face.

The Ashten Brody approaching his desk was far too young to have obtained two degrees from the University of Chicago.

And far too attractive to work near me every day.

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cole.” Ashten reached his hand out to shake Trent’s.

Trent stared at Ashten, hesitating too long. The raw sex appeal of the man standing before him dulled Trent’s reflexes. His piercing emerald eyes matched his tie, and the suit framed his lean shoulders and hips. Trent eyed the man up and down, unable to stop himself. Ashten dropped his hand to his side, and an awkward tension filled the room. Trent hadn’t even bothered to stand up to greet Ashten.

When he finally regained his composure, he said, “Please sit down. How old are you?” He narrowed his eyes at the younger man, hoping for a truthful response to the question he already knew the answer to.

“Mr. Cole, age is hardly an indication of ability. My résumé shows my capabilities.” Ashten spoke with ease, voice holding steady. “And if I’m not mistaken, you were quite young when you started managing the hotel.”

The man was bold, certainly confident. Confidence could be faked, especially when it came wrapped in such a lovely, tight package. “Résumés can be padded.”

“Considering the amount of paperwork I filled out for your company to run a background check, you should know that my résumé doesn’t lie.”

Trent crossed his arms and studied Ashten, watching for any change in his expression. “I have a hard time believing a man as young as you appear has already received two degrees and has the necessary experience to do this job.”

A blush crept up Ashten’s neck, and he shifted in his seat.

“Maybe I just look good for my age?” He settled back in his chair, hands folded in his lap as he smiled knowingly. “You have the background check. You tell me how old I am.”

“Your age wasn’t what I was looking for in the background check, Mr. Brody,” Trent said.

“Please, call me Ashten.”

“Ashten, I’m a busy man. As the owner of this hotel, I’m very involved in its day-to-day operations. I work long hours and will require you to do the same. Not only will you be my personal chef, providing me with breakfast and dinner each day, but you may be required to bring me lunch or even cater my business meetings. There are times when I’ll need you to work with the kitchen staff to prepare for a large conference. This will be a demanding job. I will not have time for—nor will I tolerate—complaints. I need an adult to do this job, not a kid fresh out of college, still wanting to party more than work.”

Ashten chuckled and shook his head. The deep rumble almost brought a smile out of Trent, despite his attempt to maintain his professionalism.

“Mr. Cole, I don’t complain, and I know a little something about hard work. Despite my age, I’m perfectly capable of doing this job and doing it well. I can handle whatever you throw at me.” Ashten ran his fingers through his golden hair—the movement was mesmerizing.

It was all Trent could do to stop himself from reaching out to comb his own fingers through the yellow locks. Clearing his throat, Trent rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers against his lips. He didn’t trust himself not to open his mouth and tell the boy exactly what he’d like to see him handle. His libido sure picked a hell of a time to return. Last time he’d been interested in another man… He couldn’t remember. Fuck. Must’ve been quite a while.

Ashten stared back at him in that uncomfortable moment of silence, no doubt thinking he’d said something to warrant it.

Trent let him suffer.

Ashten continued, “And excuse me for finding humor in the situation, but I can assure you that clubs aren’t for me.”

Trent believed that Ashten believed he was capable, but that didn’t mean he was. Though a healthy amount of self-assurance went a long way, it didn’t make up for lack of experience. Trent had no reason to trust what Ashten said, other than a gut feeling. He almost wanted to give him the job based on his gumption alone. Ashten Brody piqued his interest in more ways than one.

“I think that I’ve learned all I can about you. I’ll have my secretary call you with my final decision by the end of today.”

Trent stood and extended his hand.

Ashten’s shoulders slumped, though he straightened them quickly.

“Thank you for your time.”

Trent pushed the speaker button on his phone. “Send the next applicant in, Annette. Thank you.”

With a nod, Ashten walked out of Trent’s office.

He had a long afternoon of interviews scheduled, but he was sure his decision had already been made.

Filed under: Guest Releases, Tuesday Tickle Tagged: chef, contemporary, crazy ex, marathon, mm romance

Release the Kraken…uh, Squirrel…

Forgotten Menagerie comes out tomorrow. I’ve already teased you about Nathan’s squirrelly goodness, but did you know that Angelia Sparrow, Alex Whitehall, Cari Z and Avery Vanderlyle also have stories in the anthology?

I know, I’m a nag. Here, have a squirrel:

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: mm romance, weresquirrels

Squirrel Girl is here!

Nathan is not pleased about waiting. We all saw his wrathful countenance yesterday. Well, it seems he’s taking his revenge one step further.

He’s enlisted Squirrel Girl, the new Marvel superhero.

And you can get her character for free, if you want to save your gold or Eternity Splinters, and go to the ingame webstore. Can’t wait? You can buy her with real money, too.

She comes with an Amelia Earhart-style aviator costume!

Unleash the Squirrelpocalypse! *collapses laughing*

There’s still time to pre-order Forgotten Menagerie for 20% off. A glitch at the publisher has delayed release until Tuesday, so if you were on the fence, you’ve still got a few days to decide. Check out the excerpt at Book Reviews and More by Kathy. The giveaway is done, but the post is forever…

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: mm romance, weresquirrels

The Squirrel has been Delayed

Due to some snafu in the process, it will likely be Tuesday before I’ll have my author copies to send out. But I will send them out, for certain!

In the meantime, have another ridiculous squirrel picture…

Yeah, right, Nathan.

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: mm romance, weresquirrels

One More Squirrel…

Obviously, something has been keeping Vince from making it over to the Bulk Mart. I wonder what (or who) that could be?

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: mm romance, weresquirrel

Wednesday Countdown Squirrel

Two more days until the squirrel goes wild!

Sexy squirrel pole dancing…

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: coming soon, mm romance, new release, weresquirrel

Tuesday Tickle: Nuts About You and an Ebook Giveaway!

This is the last Tickle for Nathan and Vince, which is both happy and sad. Sad, because I like teasing people, and these two are cute. Happy, because they’re going to be released into the wild in 3 DAYS!

Don’t forget to check out the Joyfully Jay post, where you can win one of 4 different ebooks. And today I’m at Book Reviews and More by Kathy, talking about squirrels and squirrelly things (like authors).

Nathan ducked around the end of the aisle, pretending to straighten the boxes of tea on the shelves so he could watch Vince scoop birdseed into the little plastic bags they provided at the Bulk Mart. He knew the man’s name was Vince because he’d scoped out the name on his debit card one day about two months ago. It was an awesome name, all high class and kind of ‘rebel with a trust fund’-ish, which was what Nathan thought Vince looked like, too—dark hair and a narrow face on a lanky, well-cared-for body. He watched Vince bend over to drop a sack of niger seed in one of the store’s carry-baskets and imagined what it would feel like to be shoved up against the wall while one of those thighs pushed his legs apart and rubbed against him. Nathan’s blush burned up from his chest, all the way to his hairline, where he could feel it shining through his hair like a beacon.

Settle down, Nathan. You’re going to set off the sprinklers.

Sighing, he made his way to the front of the store, breathing deeply to try to cool his flushed skin. Getting his mind on more appropriate things would be the smart thing to do, so he dug under the counter for extra stock to refill the bins of ‘impulse buy’ candy that covered the front of each register. He was halfway through topping off the bins of ‘Snapping Gummy Turtles’ when he heard the soft thump of filled baggies as they dropped onto the belt at his register.

“Hi, Nathan,” Vince said, grinning the crooked grin that had such a ridiculous effect on Nathan’s hormones.

“Hi,” Nathan croaked back. He skirted the table in front of his register and slipped into place, ever so grateful for the oversized aprons that were the required uniform at the Bulk Mart. That way, Vince couldn’t know that he got hard as a Macadamia nutshell whenever the man walked into the store. He dragged his eyes away from Vince’s wide mouth and reached for the first of the sacks, dragging it onto the scale. Automatically, he punched in the code, waited for the beep, then plucked it off the steel plate and slid it into a plastic bag. As he reached for the next bag, it occurred to him that this was the second time this week he’d seen Vince in buying seed. He stopped and counted the bags. “I thought you just bought a bunch of birdseed. Did you put in some new feeders?”

“No, I’ve got some damned squirrel that’s started raiding the two big feeders, and I can’t keep them full.”

“Oh.” Nathan’s stomach sank and a guilty flush spread across his cheeks. This wasn’t good at all. Because that squirrel that was raiding Vince’s feeders? That was him. “Maybe he’s just hungry?” he suggested hopefully.

Vince snorted and shook his head. “Not likely. He’s fat as a seal and getting fatter. I’ll bet he’s raiding feeders around the whole neighbourhood.”

Nathan’s cheeks heated even more. It wasn’t all the feeders in the neighbourhood—just the two that gave him a perfect view of Vince’s early morning showers and of his living room couch, where Vince liked to lounge in nothing more than his boxer shorts most evenings. And fat? Nathan discreetly sucked in his gut as he rang through the rest of the seed. He knew he’d developed some love handles recently, but he didn’t think it was that bad. He flexed his stomach muscles again, testing. Maybe he should lay off the sunflower seeds for a while. But they were so good. “Everyone’s gotta live,” he said and smiled weakly up at Vince as he swiped Vince’s debit card and punched in the total.

I couldn’t resist another one of these. Nathan at the end of the shower scene.

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You, Tuesday Tickle Tagged: ebook giveaway, funny romance, mm romance, squirrel shifters

Win Ebooks at Joyfully Jay!

Genna, Jena and I are Joyfully Jay giving away BOOKS!!!!! Go check it out!

Filed under: Bite Me Tender, Guest Releases, My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: ebook giveaway, Genna Donaghy, Jena Wade, mm romance

Sunday Squirrel

I’m at Joyfully Jay tomorrow, with my two critique group buddies, Genna Donaghy and Jena Wade, talking about being in a crit group and giving away BOOKS! Drop by to enter for a chance to win one of our four ebooks: Bite Me Tender, Forgotten Menagerie, Touch Me Not and Shoes & Ties.

Nathan’s not that forward, but Vince is pretty good at keeping his feeders full. Of course, there’s a reason he makes those regular trips to the Bulk Mart…

Filed under: My Releases, Nuts About You Tagged: free ebooks, giveaway, mm romance, weresquirrels

Random Weekday Squirrel–Superheroes!

Geekology posted this awesome set of images of a squirrel reimagined as a variety of superheroes. I’m already trying to figure out how to work the idea into a story.

Because, seriously. Captain America Squirrel.

Filed under: Nuts About You, Random Weirdness Tagged: image manipulation for the win, squirrels, Sunday Squirrel, superheroes