Month: June 2017

Today’s player is Aisling Mancy–with a free story!

1. 1. One of your characters comes to you for advice. Who is it, what does he ask, and what do you tell him? I have two characters pelting me with questions at the moment.        Candelario (the wraith) from Aeromancer (WIP with betas), asks: Is it possible for a wraith to love an angel? My answer is: Fear not! We may not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. Sam (the grotesque) from Grotesque (current WIP), asks: Why are humans so emotional? My answer is: Humans react to the world around them, and grotesques are mighty argumentative.
   2. What is your superpower? Imagination. After all, this world is but a canvas to our imaginations. (Henry David Thoreau)               
   3. What food would you only consider eating if you were stranded on a desert isle with nothing else to consume? Oysters.
   4. If your home lost electricity for one week, what would you do to survive?  Ask my neighbor if I could borrow an electrical outlet to extend a 125 foot extension cord to my refrigerator. Can’t be without cold Diet Coke. Js
   5. What is the most useless or frivolous thing you’ve ever bought?  Porcelain parrots. Seriously. I did this.
   6. If you were to become a street performer, what would you do to entertain people and earn some money? I would like have liked to have been Marcel Marceau, so a mime.
   7. What did you have for lunch yesterday? Tacos!
   8. You’ve been invited to a party being held by your boss. Which of your characters will you take with you as your guest? I would bring Christy from the Elpída Series. I know he’d have much to say to Elizabeth.

Book blurb for Grotesque:

Sam is a recluse and makes no secret of his disdain for the company of others. But for his sarcastic butler, Sinclair, Sam sees no one. Cursed by his past, and sworn to protect an ancient codex, his days are spent restoring archaic texts, and his nights are spent cast in stone—literally—for Sam is the grotesque that guards the library that hides the grimoire from primordial creatures who would use its secrets to wreak evil in the human realm.

Zori came to Spain with dreams of attending university and becoming a master philologist. With his scholarship exhausted, and his parents no longer willing to support him, Zori is homeless and now roams the streets of Salamanca in the dead of winter in search of food and warmth. When a stranger saves him from near death, his world changes in ways he never imagined.

When ancient and modern worlds collide, will Sam allow his love for Zori to soften his heart of stone? Will Zori see the beauty within the grotesque?

Book buy links: Read the short story for free here.

Author bio:

Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, award-winning author, Ash Mancy, doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Ash contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Ash can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Ash writes mystery thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. A Solitary Man is a 2016 Rainbow Award Winner and Sleight of Heart is a 2016 Rainbow Award Finalist. You can also find Ash’s award-winning Young Adult novels under C. Kennedy. Writing as C. Kennedy, Ómorphi was a runner up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards for Best LGBT Young Adult Fiction and Slaying Isidore’s Dragons was a finalist in the 2015 Rainbow Awards for Best LGBT Young Adult Fiction.

Find Ash on blog, Twitter @AislingMancy, Facebook, Google+,

Goodreads, Pinterest, Booklikes, Dreamspinner Press Author Page, and Amazon!

Ash does respond to emails because, after all, it is all about you, the reader.

 

Today’s player is A.D. Ellis!

1. You’ve just met an alien from a planet where there’s no such thing as fiction writing. Explain to him/her/it/them why humans read made-up stories. I would have the alien describe to me all of the mundane, painful, and difficult things beings on his planet have to deal with on a daily basis. Then I would offer him the chance to escape, even if just for a few moments, from the negativity. I’d show him how disappearing into a different world can transport and free your heart and mind.
2. Is there a New Year’s resolution you’ve made more than once? Did you keep it? Oh, the usual eat better, exercise more is always there. And I do keep it, but different years have varying results. I made a resolution to floss my teeth everyday about ten years ago, and I’ve stuck with it since then. That’s the only resolution I’ve been completely successful in maintaining.
3. Pick any place in the world to spend the next 6 months. Where is it and why? A beach somewhere. I don’t even care where, as long as the weather is beautiful. Oh, and there needs to be built in staff to care for my children, cook, clean, and provide activities. Electricity and WiFi are a must so I can continue working on stories. Hubby and the kids can come, but I want my own “Me Hut” separate from them for when I need to write.
4. You have just won a lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat. Your response? Mmmm, gotta love the carbohydrate-laden, broth flavored goodness of the iconic San Francisco treat. I haven’t had that stuff forever, but I really do like it. I’d probably be sure to donate some to food pantries. I mean, there’s only so much Rice-A-Roni a person can eat, and I’m one to share the wealth.
5. What is your favorite procrastination method? Facebook, naps, reading…I’m pretty good at it. But, in reality, I don’t like to procrastinate much. If something is due on Friday, I want it done last week.
6. What is your most dreaded household chore? Your favorite? Um, all of them? I sort of suck at the whole domestic goddess role. I hate to cook, hate to clean bathrooms, hate to dust. You get the picture. I hate putting laundry away, but as far as washing and “folding” the laundry, I don’t mind that part.
7. What was your favorite school subject? Least favorite? Favorite was always reading. Least favorite was always math.

Book buy links:

At this time, my books are available on all platforms. I do plan on going to Kindle Unlimited for a while with my Male/Male titles. I’m unsure of whether the MM titles will stay exclusive with KU.

Amazon http://author.to/ADEllisAmazon

iBooks http://bit.ly/ADEllisiBooks

Kobo http://bit.ly/ADEllisKobo

Nook http://bit.ly/ADEllisNook

 

Author bio:

A.D. Ellis spends the majority of her days loving and wrangling two school-aged children and a husband before heading to the inner city of Indiana to teach a challenging group of alternative education students in grades third through sixth. Most days she hits the gym after school in hopes of running and lifting away the stress and headaches of the day before picking up her children and squeezing a whole day’s worth of loving and living into the too-short hours before bed. It’s no wonder Ms. Ellis lives for the slower, easier days she gets to enjoy on breaks from school.

Growing up in a small farming town in southern Indiana, A.D. is grateful to her mother for passing along the love of reading. With her nose constantly stuck in a book, Ms. Ellis became accustomed to friends and acquaintances snickering and shaking their heads at her love of reading.

A.D. never dreamed of being anything but a teacher, although there are certain times of the year when she laments her career choice. Ms. Ellis had a story idea floating in her head for about a year. After persistent prodding from a friend, A.D. put pen to paper and began writing her first story in October 2013. From that moment on, she was hooked. Taking the people and stories from her head and sharing them with readers is a scary, exhausting, rewarding, and fulfilling experience which A.D. plans to continue until there are no more stories banging around in her mind.

A.D. Ellis’ work can be found on both iBooks and Amazon. Please contact her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Author contacts:

Facebook www.facebook.com/adellisauthor Twitter www.twitter.com/ADEllisAuthor Website http://www.adellisauthor.com

Today’s player is Jamie Samms!

1. What is your least favorite thing about California? Its distance from Northern Ontario. A few of my very favourite people live there, and I’d love to be closer to them, if I could.
2. Describe a really bad decision you once made. A lot of bad choices I’ve made over the years center around the wrong shoes for the occasion. Like, “Oh! These are so cute! I won’t be standing too long” or “ There will definitely be chairs.” Or “the DJ will suck, so there won’t be any dancing.” Or, “we won’t be walking that far.”
3. A tourist lands in your town. What should he or she see or do? Go see a car rental place, rent a car, and drive away. Seriously. This is a cultural black hole. Go. Find something interesting in some other city. If you really, really insist on seeing a sight here, drive by the giant Big Nickel on the outskirts of town. It’s about the most exciting thing here.
4. Aside from writing, in what ways are you creative? Well, I did earn a Fine Arts Diploma from the local college. It says I can draw pictures and make things with string. I’m sort of decent at the later, but don’t practice the first enough to be as good as I’d like.
5. If you could choose anyone on the planet to narrate an audio version of your latest book, who would it be? Quite honestly, I’d pick Greg Tremblay to narrate the entire Off Stage series, if that was an option. Why mess with a good thing?

Book blurb:

Kilmer and Jacko’s relationship has been foundering for a long time. With the end in sight and despairing that he might never find a Dom who suits him, Kilmer heads to a local bar to drown his sorrows—and meets country singer Tanner.

Tanner feels oddly protective of the broken man and eventually convinces Kilmer to hire him to help remodel the small, sad house Kilmer once shared with Jacko. As Tanner and Kilmer get to know each other, Kilmer regains his lost independence and Tanner’s dominant streak rises to the surface. But will it be a help or a hindrance to the trust they’re trying to build?

The answer might lie in the music Kilmer gave up not long after he met Jacko. Music always granted him solace, clarity, and an outlet for his emotions, and with Tanner’s encouragement, he picks up where he left off. Playing together eases them into honest communication, and though a happily ever after will still take patience and work, taking a chance on each other sounds sweeter with every note.

 

Book buy links:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/off-stage-beyond-the-footlights-by-jaime-samms-8563-b

Author bio:

Jaime has been writing for various publishers since the fall of 2008, although she’s been writing for herself far longer. Often asked why men—what’s so fascinating about writing stories about men falling in love—she’s never come up with a clear answer. Just that these are the stories that she loves to read, so it seemed to make sense if she was going to write, they would also be the stories she wrote.

These days, you can find plenty of free reading on her website. She also writes for Various Publishers.

Spare time, when it can be found rolled into a ball at the back of the dryer or cavorting with the dust bunnies in the corners, is spent crocheting, drawing, gardening (weather permitting, of course, since she is Canadian!), or watching movies. She has a day job, as well, which she loves, and two kids, but thankfully, also a wonderful husband who shoulders more than his fair share of household and child-care responsibilities.

She graduated some time ago from college with a fine arts diploma, and a major in textile arts, which basically qualifies her to draw pictures and create things with string and fabric. One always needs an official slip of paper to fall back on after all . . .

 

Author contacts:

 

Website: http://jaime-samms.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000982219151&ref=tn_tnmn

Livejournal:http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/

Deviantart: http://dontkickmycane.deviantart.com/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/JaimeSamms

Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/jaimesamms

 

Please welcome Tanya Chris!

1. Paper or plastic? I have reusable bags, but if I’m only buying a couple of items, I’ll get a plastic bag because I use them for scooping kitty poop into when I clean the litter box.
2.  What is your favorite insect? Spiders get a bad rap. They eat flies and mosquitos and other pests and their webs are works of art. They’re industrious and mind their own business.
3. What is your worst phobia? I have an irrational fear of dropping my keys down a sewer grate. If there’s a sewer grate anywhere near my car when I park, I panic.
4.  Warm weather or cold? Warm, definitely. Warm weather might make me lazy but cold weather makes me miserable.
5.  One of your characters has signed up to teach a 1-day workshop. What’s it on? Adam Summers will teach a workshop on investment diversification for financial institutions. Adam is the CIO of Palladium Enterprises, and before Will came into his life, he was a workaholic with a mild case of depression due to isolation. He’s better now, but he still loves his job.
6.  Describe one of your weird or quirky habits. I’m a quota writer. When I hit my word count for the day, I shut down, sometimes even mid-sentence.
7.  Aside from writing, in what ways are you creative? I’m a lighting designer for a local community theater. A lighting designer decides which lights will be on at which times, what color they’ll be and how bright they’ll be, in an attempt to add to the sense of space and time and enhance the director’s vision of the show.
8.  If you were magically transported into one of your own books, which one would you choose and why? Most of my books take place in the real world, except for Omega Reclaimed which is an omegaverse story. Omegaverse is fun to read and write about, but I wouldn’t want to live there!
9.  Pick any place in the world to spend the next 6 months. Where is it and why? I like to travel, but two weeks is plenty before I’m glad to be going home again. I always say that if your home isn’t your favorite place on earth, you should take steps to change that.
10.  Write a haiku poem about your favorite beverage

Will be sewage tomorrow

 

If we acquiesce 

What is life today

Book blurb:

Merge Ahead: Will doesn’t know that his safe but unfulfilling life as a Call Center Supervisor is about to be turned upside down. Or that the man responsible is sitting next to him waiting for the same delayed flight. Adam Summers is confident, successful, gorgeous, and about to sign the contract that will cost Will his job. Corporate policy says they should keep their hands off each other, but they can’t. Is their growing affection worth the risk to Adam’s career? And what will Will’s future look like when their companies, and their lives, have merged?

Omega Reclaimed: Angel, an alpha who’s left the violent, strictly hierarchical rules of his pack to find success in the big city, and Leo, an omega on the run from his abusive alpha, are thrust together to satisfy Leo’s urgent heat-lust. But can a once-hurt omega ever trust an alpha to care for and protect him again? And can an alpha sensitive to social injustice learn to enjoy his naturally dominant nature? Angel and Leo must both face the pasts they ran away from before the two can build a new future together. They may not be able to change the laws of nature, but they can change the language of love.

Book buy links:

Merge Ahead: https://www.amazon.com/Merge-Ahead-Tanya-Chris-ebook/dp/B01GN7W7ZE

Omega Reclaimed: https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Reclaimed-Tanya-Chris-ebook/dp/B01MQ2KDMM

Author bio:

Tanya writes in a variety of romantic and erotic genres, being an avid follower of many of these genres herself. Some of her favorites are M/M romance, MFM threesomes, and BDSM with male submissives. Tanya lives in New England with her boyfriend and her cat and has participated in many of the activities about which she writes, but not all of them. It’s left to the reader to decide which are which.

Author contacts:

• Website: http://www.tanyachris.com
• Blog: http://tanyachris.com/wp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyachrispublishing/
• Twitter: @tanyachrs
• Email: tanya@tanyachris.com
• Other