Month: October 2017

Please welcome E. E. Montgomery!

1. Who would win in a fight – A monkey with a jet pack or a dog with Hitler’s brain? While monkeys fight viciously when they fight, they are flexible and fast, and they do strategize to an extent, I’d have to say the dog would win. In his early years of power, Hitler was a brilliant strategist and absolutely ruthless. Combined with a dog’s strength and dominance (assuming it’s a large, dominant dog), the dog would be able to effectively use local resources to disable the jet pack and bring the monkey down.
2. Make up a new word you really wish would catch on. What is it and what does it mean? I spend a lot of my time every day fighting against bullying, harassment and discrimination, so it would have to be something that encompasses what I want to achieve. Pasumbral: Under the umbrella of peace and equal acceptance.
3. If you could be granted instant virtuosity on a musical instrument you don’t now play, which one would it be, and why? Alto Sax. I love jazz and the concept of impromptu jam sessions. I’d love to be able to be part of something like that.
4. Describe one time someone surprised you. I don’t really like surprises. My experience has shown me that other peoples’ surprises usually end up with me having to clean up some sort of mess (physical or emotional), or having to fix whatever problem the ‘surprise’ created/covered up. I’d rather have everyone’s cards on the table so I can plan for contingencies and life continues as smoothly as possible.
5. What’s your writing style—slow and steady or full speed ahead? Sporadic would be the best word to describe my current writing style although I have gone through stages where I’ve written steadily and consistently. I type quickly but I don’t plot anywhere near that fast. I need to have a scene fully-formed in my head before I can write it. If I get thinking time, that happens almost daily. At the moment I have a lot of family things happening that need my attention so my thinking time is very spotty, therefore so is my writing time.
6. What is your most dreaded household chore? Your favorite? My most dreaded household chore? Where do I begin? I strongly dislike all of it. The one I look at and feel immediately overwhelmed by is tidying/cleaning my desk and my office. I’m really bad with paper, or perhaps it’s horizontal surfaces I can’t deal with. I look at papers and think ‘yes, I’ll action that soon’, then put it aside on the nearest horizontal surface. By the end of the month, there’s a pile of papers I have to move to make room for working space (everything has been actioned online). The same with books. When I’m doing research, I have piles of books and notes all around. Once I’ve completed the research and written what I need, I leave it there in case I need it again when I’m editing. By the time editing is complete, I’ve moved onto another topic and all those papers and books get shuffled toward the walls and a new lot is brought out. I recently spent 27 hours finding the floor in my office. It took four hours to shred sensitive material. I’ve thought about looking at just one book/journal at a time, but I have a ‘shiny’ mentality when it comes to information. *oh, look, there’s another interesting article*
7. If you could choose anyone on the planet to narrate an audio version of your latest book, who would it be? Robert Downey Jnr. I love the resonance of his voice and the way his flippancy in the Marvel series covers hard-working genius.

Warrior Pledge

Book blurb:

When the two moons of Thalazar cross orbits, the Warrior Pledge must be completed or the cat-shifting Mafdeti nation will face annihilation. There are four who can save the people and their land: the Silver Shining from Rock, the Great Heart Farseeing, the Changeling, and the Pure. They must find each other before time runs out.

Silver-eyed Checa is Captain of the Guard for the Mafdeti. Thanks to the friendship and loyalty of Heath, son of the Mafdeti Matriarch, Checa has survived and thrived after a childhood of horrific abuse. He knows Heath is his Bond-Mate but refuses to bond with the younger man because he feels he isn’t worthy. Nor does Heath’s mother approve of her son bonding with a lowborn warrior.

Together they face deadly wing-strikes from carnivorous birds, earthquake, betrayal, ambush, and an enemy invasion, only to be confronted with the possibility that the Warrior Pledge will bond Checa and Heath to others. If Checa is to complete the Warrior Pledge, he must overcome the belief that he doesn’t deserve Heath’s love, and fight for the one man who can make him whole.

 

Book buy links:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

 

Author bio:

E E Montgomery wants the world to be a better place, with equality and acceptance for all. Her philosophy is: We can’t change the world but we can change our small part of it and, in that way, influence the whole. Writing stories that show people finding their own ‘better place’ is part of E E Montgomery’s own small contribution.

Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of inspiration for stories that show people growing in their acceptance and love of themselves and others. A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news, there’ll be a story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere.

 

Author contacts:

Web, blog and free short stories: www.eemontgomery.com

Email: eemontgomery11@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewynelaine.montgomery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EEMontgomery1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5347023.E_E_Montgomery

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/E-E-Montgomery/e/B008LO3SBA/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eemontgomery11/

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/e-e-montgomery

Escape Publishing: http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/author/ee-Montgomery

 

Rick R. Reed takes his turn at the wheel!

 

Which (living) celebrity would you most want to have dinner with?

So it has to be a living celebrity? I can’t eat with a dead one, and hold my nose? Gee, I was hoping to have matzo ball soup with Bea Arthur and ask her about the Golden Girls. Okay, if I have to pick a living celebrity, I suppose it would be someone who’s gonna make me something decent for dinner. So, I’m thinking Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, because I know she loves her some gay boys and she knows how to make a nice brisket. We could chat about the best way to poach an egg, roast a chicken, and if she needs a houseboy for her home in the Hamptons.

List your three favorite forms of escapism when procrastinating (to meet a deadline).

1. Spider Solitaire
2. Facebook
3. Eating…anything, but especially junk. Things like chips and Pop Tarts (brown sugar cinnamon) become so appealing when a deadline looms.

Write a haiku poem about your favorite beverage.

Uh-uh. Ricky doesn’t do the haiku. Here’s why:

Haikus are simple
But oft times they make no sense
Gatorade

Which holiday is your favorite and why?

Once upon a time, I would have said Christmas, but then I realized I’m much happier after New Year’s when the gifts are exchanged or relegated to drawers or bookshelves, and all the decorations are packed up and I feel like I can breathe again and just get back to normal life. So, that’s out. Then, upon another time, I would have said Halloween, but when I was in my thirties, I spent Halloween in New Orleans, parading around the French Quarter in a ‘costume’ of a leather jock strap and combat boots, and, well, no other Halloween can hold a candle to that one. I guess I’d have to say my favorite holiday would be my birthday, because without it, no other holidays would exist.

Which of your characters would send you screaming out into the blizzard before a week was up?

Timothy Bright, the serial killer of gay men in IM. I think he’d send most of us screaming into a blizzard if he approached us with one of his knives.

What is the most useless or frivolous thing you’ve ever bought?

The Egg Wave microwave egg cooker. There used to be infomercials on TV about these and I fell for it. Stupid device. Much easier—and more reliable—to make my own in a pot or a pan.

What is your favorite footwear?

I do have a fondness for Converse and probably wear those the most often. Right now I have two pairs of low-tops in black and gray and three pairs of high tops—an Andy Warhol Brillo soap pad design, a black-speckled rainbow Pride design, and calf-skin leopard skin specially designed for the Mr. Porter men’s fashion site.

 

M4M Blurb

Finding and keeping love can be a challenge in the modern world of blogging, social media, and online dating, as one man will learn in this trilogy.

VGL Male Seeks Same

Poor Ethan Schwartz. At forty-two, he’s alone, his bed is empty, and his HDTV is overworked. He’s tried bars and other places where gay men are supposed to find each other, but it never works out. Maybe he should get a cat?

But his life is about to change…

NEG UB2

Poor Ethan. He’s received the most shocking news a gay man can get—he’s HIV positive. Until today his life was perfect, with a job he loves and Brian, who could be “the one.” The one to complete him and fill his lonely life with laughter, hot sex, and romance.

But Ethan’s in for another shock. Could Brian have infected him?

STATUS UPDATES

Alone again, Ethan wonders if life is worth living, even with a cat. When an old nemesis sends a Facebook friend request, Ethan is suspicious but intrigued. It seems this old acquaintance has turned his life around, and the changes might hold the key to Ethan getting a new lease on life… and love.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Two days later, a Sunday morning, Ethan would have laughed at himself if he wasn’t so concerned about his sanity and his inability to let things go. He called Jan at a little after eight. He felt comfortable in doing so, because she complained endlessly about how her cats woke her at the crack of dawn, starving, as though the poor things hadn’t eaten for days instead of hours, and she never got to sleep in. Ethan suspected she secretly enjoyed the early mornings—not to mention being in such yowling and crying demand.

She answered on the second ring. “This better be good.”

“Don’t tell me you were sleeping. Lying on the Lord’s day is a compounded sin.”

“What’s a compounded sin? Is that like a mortal sin?”

“Not quite. It’s venial, kicked up a notch, as Emeril would say.”

Jan laughed, and it was good for Ethan to hear her chuckles. “So, brunch?”

“Well, that sounds good. There’s a place near me I hear serves pork belly congee….”

“What’s that?” Jan asked, intrigued.

“Like a warm bowl of hug, with bacon flavor.”

“Let me get my hat!” Jan laughed.

“But seriously, I was calling because—” Ethan lost his train of thought, or at least it derailed when he considered how to ask Jan what he really wanted to—and it was not for brunch, although they could certainly do that afterward.

Dead air for several seconds. Ethan’s mental clock clicked in his head as second after second after second passed. He finally blurted out what was on his mind. “Would you be up for going to church with me this morning?”

Jan simply laughed and laughed, her laughter sounding musical, melodious, and mocking.

“What?” Ethan asked, feeling his scalp prickle in embarrassment.

“You? In a church? When the hell did you ever do that? Besides being an altar boy when you were nine, down at Our Lady of Perpetual Agony.” He heard Jan running water and then the whoosh of a gas flame. She was probably making tea. Could he take that as a no? Could he take her mockery as a no? Should he simply hang up the phone?

Ethan blurted, “We can still do brunch. After.” He paced his living room, phone held too tightly to his ear. He watched as Cat jumped up on the sill of the picture window to observe the goings-on on Eastwood Avenue. Maybe he’d heard there’d be pigeons or squirrels. “And it’s not really a church. It’s a, uh, what do you call it? A spiritual center.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Jan very reasonably asked.

“Long ago,” Ethan replied, thinking but not saying how losing Brian had put him firmly over the edge. “So, you’ll go?”

He was fully prepared for her to say no, to tell him to see a shrink, but what she said was, “You’ll pick me up?”

Ethan glanced at the clock on the DVD player. “In about ninety minutes.”

Jan sighed. “That should give me enough time to run a comb through my hair and put some lipstick on.”

“Me too,” Ethan said. “I’ll see you at nine thirty. Look sharp.”

“I always do.”

“And Jan?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks. This means a lot to me.” Ethan really did doubt his sanity, because for no reason he could fathom, he suddenly felt near tears.

“Sure thing, hon. Anything for you. Even church. Or a center. Whatever. See you.” And she clicked off.

Ethan plopped down on the couch, weak in the knees. Cat turned his head, noticing, and came over to sit beside him. Absently, Ethan stroked him. The emotions stirred up by the plan were strange and foreign. He had no idea where they were coming from, only that he experienced them deep in his heart.

Going to this spiritual center wasn’t something he simply wanted to do. It wasn’t necessarily about satisfying his curiosity. No, it was something he needed to do….

BUY

Ebook: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/m4m-by-rick-r-reed-8647-b

Paperback:  https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/m4m-by-rick-r-reed-8648-b

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/M4M-Rick-R-Reed-ebook/dp/B0732LXD95

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/M4M-Rick-R-Reed/dp/1635335418

 

BIO

Real Men. True Love.

Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” You can find him at www.rickrreed.com or www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband and their Boston terrier.

 

FIND RICK ONLINE

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/rickrreed

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RickReedWRITER

Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/

Website: www.rickrreed.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rick-r-reed

Email: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com

 

 

Today’s player is Grace Kilian Delaney!

 

1. Describe a beloved item of clothing owned by one of your characters.

Devon’s black thigh high boots, only because it drives his boyfriend, Stone, wild.

2. What food would you only consider eating if you were stranded on a desert isle with nothing else to consume? I’d hope for coconuts, but desperation might call for eating bugs… dipped in coconut milk.
3. Describe one time someone surprised you.

My husband and I went to a particular coffee shop every morning, and that morning had been no different. I’d been depressed, and hated that he rushed me out the door. I wanted to linger and be lazy, but no, we had to go. When we got there, my husband pointed to an old man wearing a baseball cap and asked me, “Do you know him?” The man turned around and it was my father. He’d flown across the country to visit me. I hadn’t seen my father in so long that I started to cry, I was so happy.

4. If you could be granted instant virtuosity on a musical instrument you don’t now play, which one would it be, and why? Cello. Who wouldn’t want something that vibrated between your legs that made beautiful music?
5. Is there a New Year’s resolution you’ve made more than once? Did you keep it?

Not to be so hard on myself. No. I’m stubborn and hate myself for not keeping it.

6. You have just won a lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat. Your response?

“Thank you! Let’s donate this to food banks across the nation.”

SEVEN MINUTES

Heavy metal singer Stone Manson never acknowledged his attraction to men. But when he meets sexy cross-dresser Devon at a party and spends Seven Minutes in Heaven with him, he can’t deny his reaction. His confusion leads him to mess up—big time—with Devon, but after some soul-searching, Stone decides to do whatever it takes to show Devon he’s worth the risk.

Devon’s got a thing for hot, tattooed rock stars—just not the sexually conflicted and closeted ones. Stone’s persistence has Devon warming up to the idea of the singer in his bed, and maybe even in his life, until a threat emerges from Devon’s past. Now it’s Devon’s turn to trust Stone or both their lives could be in jeopardy.

Book buy links:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Minutes-Grace-Kilian-Delaney-ebook/dp/B01MSMW2K4

Dreamspinner:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/seven-minutes-by-grace-kilian-delaney-7854-b

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seven-minutes-grace-kilian-delaney/1125150656?type=eBook

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/seven-minutes-2

iBooks:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/seven-minutes/id1192345695?mt=11

 

Author bio:

Grace Kilian Delaney lives somewhere in paradise—mentally. She grew up near Witch City then moved to the Southwest and now resides in flammable Southern California. In the wee hours of the morning, and with an audience of a dog and two cats, she writes about hot and horny men. Thankfully the animals don’t care if she talks to herself, which she does albeit quietly as to not wake her husband. Grace’s alter ego composes music for television and film, sings and plays the piano, and is one of those annoying people who practices yoga and loves working out at the gym.

 

Author contacts:

• Blog https://gracekiliandelaney.wordpress.com/
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GraceKilianD
• Twitter https://twitter.com/GraceKilianD
• Email gracekiliandelaney@gmail.com

 

Felicitas Ivey spins the wheel today!

1. What food would you only consider eating if you were stranded on a desert isle with nothing else to consume? Granola, if it could come in different flavors. If not, then any kind of Dal dish. I like Indian food a lot.
2. Pick any place in the world to spend the next 6 months. Where is it and why? I’ve been there twice and loved it. There is so much more of the country I want to explore, since I’ve only been to Tokyo and Kyoto, and the area surrounding both cities. I want to really get to know the place I write about a lot.
3. You’re walking down the street when a spaceship lands in front of you and a half dozen aliens pile out. What do you do? See if they are friendly or hostile :-). Hostile, get the heck out of their way and then tell the police, anonymously, where they are. Friendly and we can communicate? Out to dinner, see if they need directions or any other help.
4. One of your characters just won a prize for doing something really well. Who is it and what prize did he or she win? Marcus and Ralph from ‘Tell the Bees, I’m Sorry’ took First Place in a New England Mead contest. They finally perfected a sweet, carbonated mead.
5. Are you a nerd and/or a geek? Provide evidence to support your answer. After looking at both definitions, a geek. While both geeks and nerds lack social skills, I’m more of a multitasker with my obsessions. Books, gaming books, yarn, and too many DVDs/Blurays for one persons. But actually, I’m more of an old school Otaku, fascinated and filling my house with too much anime stuff, on top of the regular books and movies.
6. If you were to become a street performer, what would you do to entertain people and earn some money? I’d be a belly dancer. I like dancing and had taken lessons when I was younger.
7. Describe one of your characters’ dream vehicles. Kobbi from ‘And to All a Good Night’ secretly wants an early 80s Pontiac Firebird. One of the ones with the pop up headlights and the firebird on the hood. It’s low slung, terrible on gas and does not go in the snow, but he still occasionally thinks about getting one as a summer car.
8. What’s the longest road trip you’ve been on? I don’t drive places much, I either fly or take the train. But when I was younger, I did lot of drives from Boston to Baltimore for conventions. On the way back from Bucconeer, the ’98 Science Fiction World Con, my friend and I spent three hours wandering around Philly to ‘gift’ someone with two six foot tall paper-marche flamingos. This was a time before google maps, we were using the Philly map Book, but the street signage and names down there are worse then in Boston, so we were lost for a lot of it. Plus we were also driving a twenty foot panel truck. After a week of little sleep and a lot of parties, the strangest things seem sane.
9. Which of your characters should run for US President? I don’t think any one of them should run. If they have the ambition to do so, most of my novel characters are non US citizens and so can’t. But if it would be any of them, it would be Wahka from the Dreamlands series. After wrangling the cats and his priests, the House and the Senate would be no challenge.

***

Book blurb: Dreamspun Desires #46

A billionaire and a Bedouin girl—each with a shocking secret.

Billionaire Fathi al-Murzim is a workaholic businessman, too busy running the family’s companies to even think about marriage. Too bad he never told his grandfather he’s gay, because Grandfather just announced a childhood betrothal—to a Bedouin girl Fathi never heard about before.

Ikraam din Abdel was raised as a woman by his avaricious and abusive older sister, who didn’t want him to be their father’s heir. He’d never thought to be married either, and is surprised when his sister informs him of his betrothal.

When Fathi and Ikraam meet, they are drawn to each other in a manner neither of them expected. As the plans for their wedding progress, they both realize they need to tell the other the truth. But can they, with both cultural taboos and family pressures to deal with?

 

Book buy links: out November 15, 2017

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-secret-of-the-sheikhs-betrothed-by-felicitas-ivey-8954-b

 

Author bio:

Felicitas is a frazzle help desk tech at a university in Boston, who wishes people wouldn’t argue with her when she’s troubleshooting what’s wrong with their computer. She lives with three cats want her to pay more attention to them, and not sitting at a computer pounding the keyboard. Her house is also home to Angenor the Minotaur, who thinks there aren’t enough labyrinths in the house, even with all the stacks of books.

Felicitas writes urban fantasy with a side of horror of a Lovecraftian nature, with monsters beyond space and time that think that humans are the tastiest things in the multiverse. Her short stories for her most part are firmly routed in the real world. Which one that is, she’s not too sure. Occasionally there’s a romance or two involved in her novels.

Felicitas knits and hoards yarn, firmly believing the one with the most yarn wins. She also is sitting on hoards of manga, doujinshi, and books, which still threaten to take over her house, even with ebooks. Between writing and knitting, she brews beer, wine, mead and flavoured liqueurs.

Felicitas also bakes, and makes cakes whenever she needs to work out an issue in her novels. Sometimes, this leads to a lot of cakes. Her co-workers appreciate them, as well as the starving student workers she attempts to herd.

Author contacts:

• Website www.felicitasivey.com
• Facebook: felicitasivey
• Twitter: @felicitasivey
• Email: felicitas.ivey@gmail.com

Victoria Sue plays today!

1. Due to a magical curse, for the rest of your life you can read only one genre of books. Which genre will it be?

Paranormal definitely. I love shifters especially and every time I try to write a contemporary it seems to grow four legs and a tail.

2. What is your least favorite thing about California?

Never having been? Oh no – wait I did once. GRL in San Diego – but I only saw the airport and the hotel so not sure that counts.

3. 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.

Because most of the current world we live on is crap so we have to make stuff up. Seriously, Alien – turn your ship around and get the hell out of here.

4. If your home lost electricity for one week, what would you do to survive?

Well, living in Florida—hurricanes and the like—I’ve done five days where we existed on snacks and batteries. So long as I’ve got batteries for my kindle it’s all good.

5. One of your books is being made into a movie. Who would you cast for the major roles?

THOR! Sorry, I mean Chris Hemsworth. I mean, he’s a god anyway. I think the book would be Five Minutes Longer and Thor, whoops—Chris Hemsworth—would be Talon. The team leader of my super-hero FBI team. His sidekick—Finn—would be Chris Pine.

6. If you were to write fanfic (or maybe you already have!) which fandom(s) would it be?

Star Trek—not the original though. I need Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto to “boldly go” somewhere together…

***

Book blurb: The Askaran desert can no longer sustain the secret hybrid population of wolves bred from those sent there to die for their crimes. Justice knows the time has come to lead his wolves to a new life, but soon realizes his pack could never be governed by nor swear fealty to the cruel and despotic Alpha of Solonara—Darius—so he hatches a plan to fight and ultimately kill the Alpha, his heir, and take over the territory.
Cashel should not exist. It was unheard of for an Alpha-heir to be born an omega, and Darius has made every day a torment for his son. After spending years failing to breed another heir, and desperate not to have to give his territory away to another pack, he finally turns his attention back to Cashel and a whole new nightmare begins.
Justice’s whole life has been about righting a wrong and delivering the very thing he was named for. Meeting Cashel, and finding out he is his true mate, sends his carefully constructed plans and promises up in flames. When he discovers Darius’s cruelty runs deeper than any of them imagined, he is faced with a last desperate choice between his love for Cashel or his loyalty to his people.

 

Book buy links: The Alpha Prince https://goo.gl/QuqJxE (Amazon and KU)

 

Author bio: Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but when she ran out of library books she decided to write her own. Loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—especially with a paranormal twist—but always with a happy ending. Is an English northern lass currently serving twenty to life in Florida—unfortunately, she spends more time chained to her computer than on a beach.
Loves to hear from her readers and can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

 

Author contacts:

• Website http://victoriasue.com/
• Blog http://victoriasue.com/
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor/
• Twitter https://twitter.com/Vickysuewrites
• Email victoriasueauthor@gmail.com

Xenia Melzer joins us today!

 

1. Are you a nervous cleaner? (And if you are, will you come hang out at my house?)

Sorry, I have to disappoint. I’m not a nervous cleaner. I’m a ‘oh my God those dust bunnies are big enough to kill somebody I HAVE to do something’-cleaner. I once had, for a brief six months, a cleaning lady who came once a week and that was heaven. She even cleaned my windows. Windows! I usually wait until my husband breaks and cleans them in a fit of ‘I want to see the garden through the glass again’. To make a long – and sad story – short, I don’t like cleaning. Household chores are my least favorite. That said, I have two children and a cat. So I clean as much as I have to and turn a blind eye to the rest. (A certain amount of dirt is supposed to be good for children’s health. That way, they’re less prone to allergies. That’s my story and I stick to it!)

2. One of your characters has a guilty favorite TV show. Tell us about it.

Not a TV-Show. Leeland, one of the characters in my Club Whisper series, is a known Burton fan. He denies it has anything to do with Johnny Depp (yeah, we all believe that right away, don’t we?) and everything with Burton’s genius. His friends don’t deny the genius part, though some of them think the most genius thing Burton does is casting Johnny Depp…

3. Describe one of your characters’ dream vehicles.

In ‘A Dom and his Artist’ (coming April 2018), Collin drives an ancient truck covered in paintings of salamanders and geckos. I think Collin’s dream vehicle is one that he has painted himself, but isn’t as old as his own and has doors that actually open when you pull them. His dream vehicle comes with Martin, his Dom, as the driver, and a full set of sketch pads, pencils, and pastel colors in case the muse strikes him.

4. If you could become a full-time university student without worrying about future career prospects, what would you major in?

Ups, I already kind of did that. I studied American, English and German Literature. My father’s comment? ‘As long as you’re happy…’ I am happy, so thank you, Dad! If I could do it again, I would add Literary History and Philosophy to the mix. No money to be made there, I know, but that’s what rich husbands are for 😉. (Still have to find one, until then, I keep the one I already got…)

5. If you were to write fanfic (or maybe you already have!) which fandom(s) would it be?

Fanfic? Oh my gosh, you got me there. I have to admit, I never did that and was never interested in it. I only found out about it after my first book, ‘Casto’, was out. But if I had to choose, I’d do Buffy and Angel. I always wanted to hook up Spike with some good-looking demon boy. Could be fun…

6. What are you wearing right now?

So it’s shame Xenia time now, isn’t it? Well, you wanted to know – I’m wearing pink and white striped leisure trousers (fancy name for pajama pants) and a bright blue T-Shirt with the face of the Cookie Monster on it. Actually, the T-Shirt IS the Cookie Monster. What can I say, I’m a fan.

Book blurb: Life is perfect for Richard and Dean. Richard is a wealthy and successful businessman who also owns a BDSM club, and Dean is a bestselling author and sub to Richard. They’re young, happy, and in love. The future is bright….

Until tragedy strikes and an accident claims Dean’s beloved sister. Dean also finds himself the guardian of a three-month-old infant, and soon he’s trading in his leather fetish gear for diapers and drool bibs. But little Emily is all that remains of his family, so how can he abandon her?

It’s not what Richard signed up for. As much as he tries to be supportive, he never wanted kids and misses having his partner to himself. Suddenly the life he imagined for them is gone, and he’s not sure their relationship can survive the upheaval. But fate isn’t through with Dean, and when misfortune strikes again, will he be able to turn to the man he loves? A final crisis will determine if they can pull together as a family or they must face facts and part ways.

 

Book buy links: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/upcoming-releases-c

 

Author bio: Xenia Melzer is a mother of two who enjoys riding and running when she’s not writing stories. She doesn’t like beer but is easily tempted by a Virgin Mojito. Or chocolate. Truffles are especially cherished, even though she doesn’t discriminate. As a true chocoholic, she welcomes any kind of cocoa-based delight.

 

Author contacts:

• xeniamelzer.com
• facebook.com/xeniamelzer
• info@xeniamelzer.com

Today’s player–and birthday girl!–is Bru Baker.

 

1. Somebody gives you $10,000 with the proviso that you can’t save it and you can’t spend it on anything altruistic or practical. What do you do?

 

Take my kids to Europe! My 10-year-old son is a huge history buff and has been asking me to take him for years. It would be great to show them where I lived in London when I studied politics at the London School of Economics and expose them to how amazing it is to travel from country to country via Eurorail. My first trip to Europe as a teenager was overwhelming and wonderful and I’d love to experience that through the eyes of my kids.

 

2. Which house did the sorting hat put you in?

Ravenclaw, but I desperately want to be a Slytherin. Can I be a Slytherclaw? Because books, but also deviousness.

3. What is your favorite appliance?

Is this a trick question? My coffeemaker, hands down. Any coffeemaker, really. I have a Keurig and I love using my refillable pods with fresh-ground coffee, but I don’t coffee shame—all coffee is good coffee, and all coffeemakers are worthy of praise and devotion.

4. What’s the worst disaster that ever happened to you (or one of your characters) while traveling?

Well, I have an entire book set on the premise of the main character being denied entrance to a country at the border because his visa is about to expire, and then being threatened with jail if he steps back into the country he’d originally been visiting. So that’s pretty disastrous! I came up with the premise for Tall, Dark, and Deported while I was at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, plotting how to get to Indianapolis after my flight was cancelled. It was nearly midnight and I had a construction crew coming at 7 a.m. to tear down my (completely unpacked) kitchen to start a remodel, so waiting for a flight out the next day wasn’t an option. I started chatting up the people near me and ended up falling in with a businessman from Alabama traveling to an important meeting and a German exchange student who needed to IU before classes started. We had absolutely nothing in common aside from our desire to get to Indianapolis and a mutual hope that none of us were serial killers. In the end, I rented a car by myself, but the conversations we shared sparked a book that I absolutely loved writing.

5. What is your favorite footwear?

That depends heavily on the season. In the spring and summer I live in flats and open-toed heels, and in the winter I’m usually in ankle-length or knee-high boots. But in terms of brands, the one I go back to again and again because of comfort is Blowfish.

6. What is your worst habit? Your best one?

They’re kind of related. I am a serial procrastinator, which is definitely my worst habit. I will always, always put tasks off until later. Always. You sent me these questions months ago and I’m doing them a few days before they’re due. So, always.

I’m also a champion to-do list maker, so I’m extremely organized and excel at planning and details. So everything I procrastinate on gets put on a list, usually with the absolute drop-dead moment it has to be done, and somehow even though I’m an absolute ostrich about deadlines things don’t fall through the cracks. Imagine it like Harry Potter and Voldemort dueling in the graveyard…neither force can beat the other, so there’s this constant back and forth in the battle for supremacy between procrastination and über planning.

7. Which (living) celebrity would you most want to have dinner with?

I’m listening to Amy Poehler’s Yes Please during my commute to work and she is so inspirational. I find myself sitting in my car in the garage just to finish a chapter on the way home. I expected it to be funny and entertaining, which it is, but I didn’t expect it to be so motivational and affirming. I loved her on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Rec (I’m from Indiana and back in my journalism days I covered the parks board for a small town…the show is so spot on it’s scary sometimes!) and I love, love, love the work she does empowering young girls. I’d jump at the chance to have dinner with her!

8. You have just been crowned leader of a small island nation. What’s your first official act?

Forging trade and immigration agreements with as many nations as possible, and then opening our borders to refugees who need a bridge between their home countries and where they’d like to be. We could be a sort of halfway house where refugees could apprentice to learn marketable job skills and build language skills before immigrating to one of the countries under our umbrella of partnerships. I would also outlaw cilantro. Because yuck.

9. Which of your characters is going to Vegas with you and why?

Well, the characters from my Dropping Anchor series would probably be the most fun. Ethan and Niall (Island House) would know how to do Vegas in style—I imagine they’d fly us there on a chartered jet. Clare would spend her time picketing strip clubs and interviewing women to make sure they weren’t being mistreated. I’d have fun watching Luke (Finding Home) keep a tight leash on reformed playboy Ian, and I’d probably hang out most with Warner and Frank (Playing House) because they’re the most grounded of all the couples and would totally be on board with eating our way through all of Vegas’s foodie restaurants together.

10. What are you wearing right now?

Anyone who has met me won’t be surprised to hear that I’m wearing a dress and heels. It’s not just for conferences—that’s Bru in her natural habitat, too! I’m at work and I’m wearing a burgundy wrap dress, navy tights, and brown knee-high boots because fall has finally fallen in Indiana—it’s the beginning of October and we’re finally saying goodbye to the high 90s. That called for a boot day.

But the day this posts? I’ll likely be wearing jeans, a superhero T-shirt under a cozy sweater, and whatever ridiculous, glitter-and-sticker-covered paper hat my daughter has gifted me with for my birthday dinner because while the calendar mandates I turn 38 on Oct. 10, it can’t make me do it with dignity. *g*

***

Book blurb:

Moonmates exist, but getting together is going to be a beast.

When Adrian skipped his “werewolf puberty,” he assumed he was—somehow—human. But he was wrong, and he’s about to go through his Turn with a country between him and his pack, scared, alone—and eight years too late.

Dr. Tate Lewis’s werewolf supremacist father made his Turn miserable, and now Tate works for Camp H.O.W.L to ease the transition for young werewolves. He isn’t expecting to offer guidance to a grown man—or find his moonmate in Adrian. Tate doesn’t even believe in the legendary bond; after all, his polygamist father claimed five. But it’s clear Adrian needs him, and if Tate can let his guard down, he might discover he needs Adrian too.

A moonmate is a wolf’s missing piece, and Tate is missing a lot of pieces. But Adrian is up to the challenge.

Book buy links:

Preorder from Dreamspinner: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/camp-howl-by-bru-baker-8876-b

Author bio:

Bru Baker has been writing for Dreamspinner Press since December 2012. She believes in Happily Ever Afters but she almost always makes her characters work to get there. She and her husband live in the Midwest with their two young children, whose antics make finding time to write difficult but never let life get boring. Most of her books are written from the sidelines of their various sports practices.

Author contacts:

• Website: www.bru-baker.com
• Blog: www.bru-baker.blogspot.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bru.baker79
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/bru_baker
• Email: bru@bru-baker.com

 

 

1. Describe a hobby one of your characters likes to engage in.

Hobbies play a big role in my Godsbane Prince series, where the love interests Jem and Ilyas learn about each other through their hobbies. As the next king, Ilyas lives in constant scrutiny with his younger brothers always chomping at the bit to take him down. His whole life is a carefully orchestrated persona – and so he needed to find something he could do alone. That’s where yoga comes in.

Jem, on the other hand, has been forced to live a solitary existence. Even his own family is afraid of him. He walks through life like a ghost, trying to avoid anything pleasurable enough to hold him to life – and the only luxury he allows himself is a game of Go, where he plays both sides.

2. Flood waters are coming. You can grab only three things from your home before fleeing—what do you choose?

My two cats, obviously. And if I was a bit more organized, a bug-out bag, so I can feed myself, my spouse and the cats. Since I don’t have a bug-out bag, I’d probably take my kindle. (I assume that my spouse can save himself.)

3. Is there a fiction genre you would write only if forced to at gunpoint?

I’m the type of person who generally finds something interesting in all the work I do, so I’d probably find a joy in any kind of genre. But I would rather not write hetero romance. It holds no allure for me.

4. Which of your characters should run for US President?

I’m going to dodge this question by stating that none of my characters are American, and so wouldn’t be eligible.

5. Describe one time someone surprised you.

In the spring, I got obsessed with reading letters. I picked up a ton of books from the library and on kindle – More Letters of Note compiled by Shaun Usher, Signed Sealed Delivered by Nina Sankovitch, and others, and talked obsessively to my spouse about writing letters to my representatives and finding a penpal… and maybe, just maybe, splurging on a fountain pen. A fountain pen has been on my wish list for years, but I could never justify the expense.

At the same time, I went through a rough patch emotionally. One day, my spouse came home with a big brown paper bag from the local stationery shop.
Happy Anniversary. Here’s some beautiful stationary and two fountain pens for you.

O.O!

Um, wait, we were supposed to give each other presents? (We’d never given gifts, and we’d decided to celebrate our anniversary with a belated trip.)

No, he just wanted to cheer me up.

Aww. Now I regret saying I’d assume he could save himself from the flood.

6. Name two of your pet peeves.

Most of my pet peeves revolve around people acting inconsiderate. The downstairs neighbor that pounds up and down the steps after midnight because they assume they’re the only people who live in the house. People who put in really loud engines or mufflers, or blast music out their windows because only they matter. People who protest things that have nothing to do with them at all, and would have a positive impact on others.

I’d also say when authors try to set up two characters with no chemistry whatsoever (and have been completely platonic up to this point) in a non-romantic because it’s “expected”. He’s a man and she’s a woman, and so therefore they must be together. Um, no. Not everyone is straight. Few people develop a burning passion out of nothing for someone overnight, after not seeing them for months. That’s not how it works.

7. Which of your characters would send you screaming out into the blizzard before the week was up?

One of the characters in my current work in progress. He’s a cleric/doctor who buys the line that if the sick and disabled simply renounced their sins and followed the One God’s commandments, they’d get better. But really, that’s just to justify his sociopathic/serial killer-esque treatment of them. Would you even want to be in the same room as him?

8. What’s one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

My favourite mantra is the joy is in the process.

This means many things to me, and generally when I’m having mindset problems, I discover a new facet to this mantra.

When you’re writing, focus on writing. When you’re not writing, focus on whatever you’re doing. I find it’s generally when I’m not focused on what I’m doing at the moment – and thinking about my novel – is when anxiety and fear sneak up on me. Will this sell? Is this good enough?

And writing (even editing) is the fun part. It’s the all-absorbing part where your book is all important. Once you publish, the relationship changes. It’s done and out, there is no process. The book becomes less important, and you sweep yourself up into a new project.

So if the writing isn’t enjoyable, ask yourself: how can I make this more enjoyable? Because it’s not going to be any more fun afterward. (Another handy law of the universe – you get better at everything when you relax. Irritating, but true.)

***

Book blurb:

Embracing his inner darkness could be his only chance to save the man he loves…

Ilyas refuses to give up his power. Not in the negotiations with his kingdom’s old enemy, and not in his relationship with the man he loves. To keep the possibility of victory all to himself, Ilyas shuts Jem out of the talks and puts their love at incredible risk…

Jem can no longer trust his own mind. While Ilyas has helped keep his inner demons at bay, the vessel of the Dark God senses the void growing between them. When the shadowmancer arrives at the negotiations, Jem keeps a close eye on a foe who seems to have won over everyone but him…

As Jem uncovers the shadowmancer’s true purpose, nobody believes him, including Ilyas. Before a dormant, deadly menace is released, Jem’s only chance to save the peninsula and his soulmate is to embrace the monster he was made to be…

Shadowmancer is the riveting final installment in a trilogy of LGBT dark fantasy novels. If you like gay romance against all odds, action-packed adventures, and far-away fantasy worlds, then you’ll love Olivia Helling’s engaging tale.

Buy Shadowmancer to conclude the fantastical love story today!

Book buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shadowmancer-Dark-Fantasy-Godsbane-Prince-ebook/dp/B0753W8L7H/

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/shadowmancer-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1275324464

Everywhere else: http://books2read.com/Shadowmancer

Author bio:

Olivia Helling doesn’t believe in love at first sight… but maybe, just maybe, it blossoms along a few books. That is, after all, how she fell in love with her husband.

Olivia writes about the darkness and flaws from within, the struggle with self-confidence, self-perception and fear of failure, and fantasy and historical worlds that refuse to allow love between men. So be warned: happily ever after is not guaranteed.

The protagonist and love interest don’t always end up together by the end of one book. But when they finally come together, their love will be a thing of beauty.

Author contacts:

• Website: oliviahelling.com
• Blog: oliviahelling.com/blog
• Facebook facebook.com/oliviahelling
• Twitter twitter.com/katsubite
• Email olivia@oliviahelling.com