Archive for September, 2010

I will confess I totally love cats. I have two, wish I could have more but juggling all my children along with the cats can be a challenge. When I bought my second house, hubby knew I totally adored Abyssinian cats and he hunted down a local breeder, which is very hard to find. I went over to purchase one cat and came home with two adorable female kittens. Unfortunately, the breeder didn’t mention to me that sometimes female cats once they mature become very territorial. We ended up giving away the very feisty cat to a lovely person and kept one. Last year one of my animal loving children convinced me to get a kitten, a cute adorable gray tabby. He’s a male so we hoped for the best. It hasn’t been that bad more comical than anything.

While working on my new erotic series featuring a number of paranormal beings I was contemplating adding a werewolf but the antics of my two cats convinced me I had to create a wily, strong-willed, adorable male werecat. Why, because seriously every time I started to write the werewolf the little tabby growled and meowed. Yes, he really did. He still does and it’s totally strange and odd. When I read the parts out loud, like I always do, he actually hissed his displeasure. And where was my Abby in all of this. Sitting at my feet, staring at me with the most knowing look I have ever seen. It was almost like she was saying, “Hey, what the heck are we? We are super extra special you dimwit!” So yes, I changed it.

My cats give me inspiration. My Abby totally adores our oldest son and drags his shirts up from the basement (since turning into a strong-willed teen I have officially moved him to the downstairs bedroom – because I need to go to bed now before he does) to the living room. She then rolls her entire body all over his shirts. For months, before I figured this out, I yelled at my son, telling him to stop leaving his shirts on the floor. Yes, he said it wasn’t him, but honestly, I didn’t believe him. Then to top that off the little tabby, who is now a big tabby, likes to walk around the house with socks. Yes socks. If not a sock, he will dig in the Lego box for a small piece to flip out with his paw so he can bat it around. I do pick them up but they are both indoor cats so they deserve to be able to amuse themselves.

So if you are a pet owner, what do your pets do? Tell me. The person with the strangest tale (must be true or else my werecat powers will go wonky) will win a free copy of one of my e-books. I’ll let you pick which one from my website at www.reneefield.com

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So, because I was talking about werecats here is an excerpt of my second book in my Darklander Lovers series called Be My Werecat Tonight.

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Hank Bowman was thrilled to be allowed inside the woman’s house. The fact she let him in meant she trusted and wanted him. He planned to use her lust to his advantage. The sizzle of sex and unspoken desires stroked the air around them. Shutting the door behind him, Hank followed her straight toward the living room.

“Unbutton the dress.” Hank knew his stride was confident and sexy. He also knew she liked what she saw.

Her hands were hesitant and shaky, but he didn’t dare help. She had to do this on her own. The woman wearing the old-fashioned nurse’s uniform was his perfect fantasy come true. And beneath those layers is a wild feline waiting to be unleashed. She just doesn’t know it.

“That’s good. Now I do believe I should check your heart for any unusual palpitations.” Hank wore a formal black suit, a prerequisite from his buddy Lance’s sister, the same woman who had talked him, a Darklander werecat, into participating in a foolish blind date charity auction. Hank had wanted to say no but when his buddies Lance and Mitch agreed, he had to follow. All for a good cause but the werecat he was didn’t like the restrictive clothing. He had, however, thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to preen on stage. Taking another look at the luscious woman in front of him, Hank felt the urge to get down on his knees and thank the Goddess Sakhmet for sending him to that ridiculous auction. Or maybe he should thank his warlock buddy’s sister, Sasha, who had created a safe haven for Darklanders needing to vent off a little steam.

Hank resisted the urge to rip off his tight-fitting suit. Normally he wore doctor’s scrubs when in human mode. The restriction of clothing always made his tiger side itchy and his mountain lion side cranky. He moved closer to the exotic beauty sitting quietly but breathing heavily on the hard wooden stool he’d purposely posed her on. After the basics of introductions had been made they had quickly dispensed with chit chat.

Absent-mindedly he fingered the black Zorro mask he wore. Hank felt comforted knowing she couldn’t identify him and that she had no idea of the true identity of the man who planned to fuck her senseless.  His hand grasped the stethoscope. He held it poised over her heaving chest, noting with pleasure the pink hue of her fair, freckled skin. The traditional nurse’s cap she wore on her head had tilted slightly to the right, making her appear more perfect. She licked those red rosy lips of hers and a deep hunger to plunder them sailed through him. He felt his hair ripple and fought the beastly urge to charge and claim her.

“Is everything okay, doctor?”

Her voice, a husky cadence, a lullaby purr, sent seductive healing notes of warmth spiraling through his body.

“It’s serious. I will need to thoroughly check you out.” He grinned, noting her posture immediately relax with his teasing. She flashed a smile at him and his cock jumped to life under her direct gaze.

Purchase This title from the publisher HERE: http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-8545-405-be-my-werecat-tonight.aspx

Hello Naughty Readers!

I am very excited to welcome author Janey Chapel to the Backseat.
Janey Chapel:  Thanks for having me, Terry! I have to admit, this Backseat is pretty darn comfortable.
Terry Kate:  So Janey, you have a hot new release coming out today from Dreamspinner Press, tell us a little about it?  I know it takes place in a bar filled with ex-cons.  Then in enters a cop… That seems like ready made drama!
JC:  The new release is titled “Get What You Need,” and it’s about a cop (Patrick) who finds something he didn’t even know he was looking for in an ex-con bartender named Jay.

TK:  Oh my, so are we talking ex-con redeemed or wrongfully accused?  How did you approach the idea of ex-con as hero?

JC:  We’re talking about an ex-con who’s learned a lot about acceptance in his young life, so he’s able to offer the same to others. I like guys who are tough on the outside and tender on the inside, and that describes Jay.

TK:  So tell us a little more, where did Jay come from for you?  Do you know some ex-cons?

JC:  Well, since you asked… I do know some ex-cons, from an interesting perspective. When I was a kid, my parents were heavily involved in prison reform, and I grew up with prisoners visiting our house in six-hour stints, part of an effort to keep them in touch with the outside world. I saw that people could make mistakes and learn from them, and that doing something bad didn’t necessarily make you a bad person. Simple lessons, for a kid, but they stuck.

TK:  Wow, and what about the cop end of your duo?  You know some of them too?

JC:  I have to admit the cop is a figment of my heated imagination. Let’s put it this way: Patrick’s what I would like a cop to be.  Rugged. Discerning. Protective. Smart.

TK:  So opposites attract or are they truly opposites?

JC:  Ahh, you’ve hit on one of the critical points! At first, they seem like opposites, but it becomes clear pretty quickly that they share some common traits, including the protective quality I noted earlier. You know how sometimes you meet someone new, and you just click with that person? It can’t be explained, but somehow you just know? Without giving too much away, that’s kind of what happens with Patrick and Jay. Call it chemistry, magnetism, mutual need, whatever applies.

TK:  Is this going to be our first trip to Bryan’s Bar or is this a setting you might go back to again as an author?

JC:  It’s the introduction to Bryan’s Bar. As a setting, it’s ripe for other opportunities, and there’s certainly room to tell even more of Patrick and Jay’s story in the future. I wish I could tell you for certain that I’ll be revisiting the setting and characters, but I just never know. The inspiration is there; finding the time to explore it is a whole ‘nother thing! One thing I can tell you: in my mind, my characters find ways to be happy together. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no obstacle too large for a strong couple to overcome. I have a series of two novellas featuring active Navy SEALs, which would certainly face any number of hurdles to leap in order to find lasting happiness. A couple of readers have expressed concern over whether something awful might happen to them, given the weight gays in the military currently carry. My answer is that I see romance not as a mirror of real life, but as a reflection of what could be, what I hope can be. So that’s a long-winded way to say that my characters will always find their way to a contented, together place.

TK:  Oh Yea!  I like the Happily Ever After!  Janey, thank you so much for sharing your world with us here, bars in Atlanta sound a bit more interesting now.   Readers, you can check out our review of Get What You Need here tomorrow so it is two days of fun at the bar.

JC:  Thank you, Terry! I’ve enjoyed my time here in the Backseat!

Terry Kate:  I know I know, I am great Backseat company.  It has been great meeting you and give us the linky links where we can find you on the web, I confess I always like to visit sites and such!

Janey Chapel:  Sure! Here’s my blog: http://janeychapel.livejournal.com/ and I’m on Facebook as Janey Chapel. You can also find all of my Dreamspinner books here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_89.

The Mighty Flynn

By: Sierra Dafoe

Heat Level: SCORCHING
Published By: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.

Is Geena just getting cold feet, or is she about to make the biggest mistake of her life? Her fiancé, Russ, is everything a girl could ask for: handsome, caring, and financially secure. In bed, though, he’s so gently considerate that Geena’s about to go mad with sexual frustration. How can she tell Russ that she fantasizes about being tied up and made love to, hard–and preferably by two men at once?
She can’t. Not, at least, until Flynn Davies shows up. With his haughty, dominating manner and darkly dangerous good looks, Russ’s best man ignites a fire in Geena that she can’t ignore.
But why is he so hostile toward her? Convinced that he’s trying to derail their marriage, Geena masquerades as a stripper at Russ’s stag party to uncover the truth about Flynn’s designs. When she’s caught, who knows what delectable punishments Flynn will devise?
A Siren Erotic Romance
[Ménage & More: Erotic Contemporary Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/F with M/M Play]

The Mighty Flynn by Sierra Dafoe Book Review

Review by Armenia
4.75/5 Whips

Geena and Russ are deeply in love and are engaged to be married in a matter of days.  Except, Geena has doubts about their sexual compatibility.  She is not quite sure what she wants, but  yearns for more fireworks beyond his gentle lovemaking.  Afraid of hurting his feelings, Geena finds it difficult to broach the sensitive subject with Russ.
When she finally meets Russ’s old college buddy, Flynn, she can’t help but feel the sexual tension. This man just drips sexual energy and knows he’s a dangerous male whose capable of filling her every sexual fantasy.
Although Flynn is the best man at their wedding, Geena decides his hostile behavior is an attempt to possibly breakup the wedding.  Flynn throws a stag party at a strip club run by her roommate, Michelle.  Concerned Flynn has deceitful motives, Michelle helps Geena dress as a stripper to expose his plan. What unfolds after Geena’s titillating stage performance was absolutely wicked and delicious.  The scene in the kitchen of the strip club with Flynn, Russ and Geena was breathtakingly seductive and mesmerizing.  You can say the guys helped her find her inner bad girl.
For a novella this story packs a punch that was both fun and exciting to read.  Sierra Dafoe delivered one hot, sexy story with The Mighty Flynn that did not disappoint.  I’ll be looking forward to reading Flynn’s story and the woman that finally tames him.

Find out more about Sierra Dafoe and her work at http://www.sierradafoe.com/

My debut release, Runes, is a paranormal ménage a trois featuring an immortal man who, when he finds his girlfriend’s sister overdosed on the bathroom floor, shares his blood with her and Makes her immortal too. So, what spawned this idea?

After attending an Open Mic Night at the local coffee shop, I dreamed of having enough guts to get up there with my acoustic guitar and loose my voice upon the crowd. I hail from a long line of musicians, but I am a closet performer, playing only for myself and my close family. But in that instant, a heroine was born.

Evangeline Mayer is a songwriter with the soft, gritty tones of Jewel and Pat Benatar’s love child. A mixture of hard and soft. Punk meets free spirit. A scene rose in my mind of Evangeline onstage, performing at a Chicago club, when in drifts the man she can’t stop thinking about, the man who has become her new addiction. And though I ultimately cut this scene from the final draft of Runes, the connection between the hero and heroine lives on.

Now I’ll bet my readers are wondering what they missed. So following this blog entry, I’ve included this scene, which no one has ever laid eyes on before. Not even my editor.

I hope you’ll also visit my website and read the opening chapter of Runes at http://www.empetrova.com. And please leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Runes, which will be released in October! Be sure to let me know how I did on my first ever blog entry (don’t hold back), and leave your email address so I can be in touch with the winner. Thanks to Terry Kate for having me and for allowing me to share my work.

And without further ado…

Never before seen excerpt from Runes:

Night was approaching. Will stood in the cold beneath the hissing street lamp, waiting for Evangeline to emerge like the creature of the night she resembled. He watched the frost grow upon the windshield of his rental car, stamping his frozen feet and wondering what the hell he was doing here.
The front door of the small Chicago home cracked open and Evangeline materialized. She looked left, then right, but didn’t leave the front stoop. She held a long object that Will was stunned to see was a guitar case. His heart pulsed heavily in his chest, his muscles burning, urging him to spring out of the darkness and reveal himself.
Another minute passed and a taxi pulled up. She awkwardly shoved the guitar into the backseat and climbed in behind it. Will jumped behind the wheel of his car and flicked on the windshield wipers to try and scrape away the film of ice.
His eyes locked on the taillights of the taxi. He couldn’t lose sight of it. It was carrying the woman who shared his blood. The woman he was swiftly growing infatuated with.
He trailed the cab through the busy streets, wondering what the hell he was doing. He’d returned to Chicago to see if she was all right, not stalk her.
When the taxi drifted to a halt before the night club, Evangeline scrambled out, struggling with her guitar, which had wedged itself in the door. He watched her black-clad form disappear through a side entrance.
Inside, he circled the club, searching for her, humming with fear and anticipation. He pictured her in a back room, hovering over a line of cocaine on a mirror. No, he thought, swinging toward the exit. She’s not for me.
A microphone clicked on and a low voice sound throughout the club, silencing everyone as the bar manager announced it was Open Mic Night.
Will eased onto a bar stool, barely tearing his eyes off the spotlighted stage long enough to order a beer. The atmosphere of this club was different from the one he’d frequented with Evangeline’s sister Jessa, the club where he had first glimpsed Evangeline passed out on a table, drunk and high. Jessa had pulled him away urgently, saying, “Pay no attention. She doesn’t need help. It’s just my sister, Evangeline.”
That club had been young and wild, pulsating to a bass that thrummed in the bones.  It was punk and body piercings. This place was laid-back and artsy. The crowd was older, and judging from the conversation going on beside him, more educated.  Will wondered again at Evangeline coming here.
When her petite body appeared in the spotlight, a surge of need flitted through him.
She dragged the lone stool up to the microphone, and looped the strap of her acoustic guitar over her neck.
She was tinier than he remembered from the Making. He had seen her only a total of four times, and two of those she’d been face down, so he took a moment to study her. Her pixie-short black hair had a bold streak of purple at the front.

Instead of distracting from her appearance, it curiously enhanced it. The color made her immortal skin glow. She wore two skirts, one layered over the other. The one beneath was lacy and black and looked to be a slip. Her top was simply cut and the neckline revealed the immortal tattoo where it curled from her right shoulder and climbed her throat. Long, dangling earrings and black motorcycle boots completed the look. It was perfect for her. She was perfect. But not for him.
She nervously fingered the microphone. Her voice was soft and raised the hair on Will’s body with its utter femininity. “Hello, I’m Evangeline. The song I’ve written is about a young girl’s struggles to find herself.”
Will sat riveted as her fingers struck the first chords. He felt the heat of desire spread through his veins as her throaty tones wrenched his soul.
Without realizing it, he had woven through the crowd until he lingered in the shadows to the side of the stage, watching her lips move. Lips of the palest pink.
As the final notes of Evangeline’s song unfurled through the club, the crowd exploded in applause. She looked straight into Will’s eyes, shocking him anew. She took a hasty step forward. “Will–” she began, but he turned and fled, telling himself that club was not for him, that city was not for him, that girl was not for him.

Em Petrova’s RUNE Book Trailer

Find out more about Em Petrova – She is all over an Naughty in the Backseat is honored to have her on our site!  I can not wait to read this one myself.

http://www.empetrova.com

http://twitter.com/empetrova

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/profile.php?id=100001140802024

Everlong

by Hailey Edwards

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Synopsis:

Madelyn’s life is far from fairytale perfect. She is second in line for the throne of a corrupt, brutal monarchy. Or at least she was until her dark guardian sacrificed his life to hide her safely in a realm of infinite possibilities.

For years she’s lived among a colony of escaped slaves as her guardian’s widow. Even in this simple life, though, nothing is as it seems. Her hero kept a secret—a younger brother named Clayton Delaney. Warrior, winged demon…and the man who now wants to lay claim to her heart.

No longer cast in his brother’s shadow, Clayton meets all obstacles head on, including one named Maddie. His infatuation with her reaches the breaking point when she undergoes a royal rite of passage, going into heat and pushing them both over the edge.

Just as Maddie learns that some risks are worth taking, she discovers that her guardian may be alive. And she’s forced to make a choice between the man she’d thought she loved, and the demon willing to lend her his wings.

Warning: This book contains virginal angst, a hero who’s too nice for his own good, wings, claws, and convenient use of glamour. It contains heartbreaking loss, conversation with a woodland creature, and sweet, sweet demon loving.

Everlong by Hailey Edwards

Review by Pepper

Everlong by Hailey Edwards is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Edwards has created a complex world filled with danger and intrigue. Her characters are complicated and well developed. The pace is fairly fast for most of the book, and even when it slowed a bit, the characters and their world were enough to hold my interest. And the touches of humor only add to the appeal.

Everlong is told from the point of view of Maddie, the demon princess with her tragically amputated wings, who is thrust into a new life in a strange place, where her royal blood is more of a handicap than an asset. In this earth-like world, where coffee is addictive —the demons’ drug of choice—our hero, Clayton Delaney runs a settlement for demon who have escaped the slavery enforced by the queen, Maddie’s mother. When Maddie ends up in his settlement, she blames her attraction to Clayton on his resemblance to his brother Harper, Maddie’s long-lost first love. She tries to resist Clayton, but he refuses to be denied. Gotta love a demon that just won’t give up!

One of the things I particularly liked about Edwards is that she wasn’t afraid to have Maddie fall for someone other than Clayton prior to their first meeting. So many times in romantic fiction, the hero and heroine come together never having loved anyone before each other. Which to my mind, isn’t the way the real world works. In Everlong, Maddie comes to Clayton, not only still harboring feelings for her first love, but thinking that first love is dead. That makes him almost a legend in her mind, so Clayton has a great deal to overcome.
Maddie’s life is no picnic either, especially with all the complications of being a demon about to come into her first heat. Still, with all the luscious demons she had to choose from, I’d put up with all the problems just to be Maddie’s situation myself. Too bad things like this only happen in fiction.

Maddie’s story is told in first person, which I normally don’t care for, but Edwards handled it well-enough I could lose myself in Everlong despite my obvious bias. Read it and see if you don’t agree.

See More of Hailey Edwards Books at her Site: http://haileyedwards.net/

Hello my awesome readers!

I just got a notice from the great people over at Torquere Press that they are doing a massive giveaway to celebrate their 7th Anniversary.  You guys are a pleasure to work with and I am more then happy to share the opportunity to win FREE stuff with my readers…

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Torquere Press Celebrates 7^th Anniversary!

Seven years?! No, we can hardly believe it either. Seven years of bringing readers the best, the sexiest, the most romantic GLBT fiction. And to celebrate, we’re giving away prizes — great themed gift baskets, gift certificates for free books every day, and a scavenger hunt that will give readers a chance to collect a deck of cards that will win big – -a Nook from Barnes & Noble!

Readers will get the chance to “collect cards” by visiting each participating author’s website, blog, or Facebook page. By collecting all the cards and filling in the form, players have the chance to  win free books daily, a gift basket once each week, (including BDSM, werewolf and ménage themed baskets), and be entered in the grand prize drawing for the Nook.

We’ll also be having random sales via our blog, GLBT Romance, Facebook, and Twitter:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1182167880&ref=ts

http://twitter.com/Torquere

http://glbtromance.blogspot.com/

With bestselling GLBT romance authors like Chris Owen, Tory Temple, Kiernan Kelly, P.D.Singer, Sean Michael, and B.A. Tortuga, you’ll have a blast playing along. Just log onto Torquere Press website http://www.torquerepress.com/contest/index.html

Check out the contest page, and start hunting!

So, ya feel lucky, dude? Let’s play!

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Here is what I will do.  Hunt down those giveaways and tell me about it here for your chance to win a fabulous print book.  I will let you choose the title from the stack of new books over running my bedroom.  So let me know!

-Terry Kate

Night Ranger’s Moon

by Tara Nina

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

ISBN: 1-60154-800-1

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Synopsis:

Weylin Anthropos is a Lykoian with anger issues and a demon in his past that haunts his soul.  He’s a Night Ranger, one of the elite protector’s of the Lykoian clans. Without the backing of the council, Weylin sets out to find his brother. The trail leads him to Mississippi and a village that many Lykoians would rather forget.
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Ghosts of the past linger on these hallowed grounds but are disturbed by an intruder…an enemy from his ancestry. One he must face and defeat if he is to survive and find his brother.
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Long and lethal, a charcoal gray wolf from an unfamiliar clan interferes in his surveillance. Her presence toys with his mind, body, and soul. Where did she come from? How did she find him?  And most of all, what did she want?

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Night Ranger’s Moon by Tara Nina

Book Review by Pepper

3.6/5 Whips
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Night Rangers Moon gives a different slant on the wolf-shifter genre, bringing together two Lykoians who are both an elite type of wolf cop. One a rogue and the other by the book, they are forced to work together to complete their missions. It’s an interesting premise, and Tara Nina handles the plot well, giving us lots of twists and turns, suspense and excitement, and hot steamy sex.
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I had only one problem with Night Ranger’s Moon. While I enjoyed the sex scenes, after the first one I didn’t really feel they moved the story along like they should have. It was almost as if they were inserted to fill space. That said, the plot was really first class, and the villain more than a match for the hero and heroine. There were enough twists and turns and interesting characters to make Night Ranger’s Moon worth reading.

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Find out more about Tara Nina’s other titles on her website – http://www.taranina.com/

READ AN EXCERPT:

Excerpt:

An unusual, erotic scent filled his nose as he caught the surprised and angry heat in a set of sexy cobalt blue eyes staring back at him. He paused and suddenly knew he couldn’t snap the creature’s life vein even if he wanted. The knowledge of who lived within this wolf’s flesh washed over him. Pure need filtered through his system causing him to harden. Intense animal urges thrashed through his veins yet he refused to bow. Never had he taken a female in wolf form, and he wasn’t about to do so now. To do that mated him for life, and he wanted no mate.

Not now, not ever.

On an angry growl, Weylin released the death grip he held to her throat and backed away. He shook his entire being and returned to human form. Naked, he stood before the female wolf and knew he stared at the woman he followed through the village.

She sat upright on hind haunches, held her chin in a regal tilt, and returned his steady gaze. The dilation of her pupils gave the only indication that his naked form affected her in any way. He read defiance in those hot cobalt blues. Good, he decided. It seemed to him, she battled nature’s demands and wanted no mate either.

Though, according to an antiquated Lykoian law, he’d won the right to take her as his own. He’d beaten her. In the ancient culture, that meant he could mount her and mate her if he chose, and she could not resist. But he didn’t believe in the archaic testaments of the old tribal ways. With a sister of his own to protect, he was a true believer in the freedom of choice when it came to a mate. His lip curled as he stared at the beautiful wolf. Desire roared through him urging him to claim his right.

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Tara Nina’s other titles with The Wild Rose Press

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Blue Moon Rising

by Tara Nina

ISBN 1-60154-058-2

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Missing children, werewolves and a mysterious castle in the swamps of South Carolina test Rae Richardson’s version of reality. Strange things happen around her convincing her that maybe werewolves do exist. The sight of a large black wolf in the swamp only fuels her overactive imagination. Crossing paths with a handsome man ignites a fire in her soul she refuses to acknowledge. Something about this stranger raises her suspicions. Did he have a hand in the children’s disappearance? Or was it the over-powering need in her gut to be near him the reason for her mistrust?

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Nick Anthropos is on a quest, one that does not include saving children or meeting the woman of his dreams, his Lykoian soul mate. Her scent teases his senses and keeps him on edge. It’s obvious to him she doesn’t know her true self. But can he teach her to be the wolf he knows lies within her soul and save her from the very creature he set out to destroy? If he fails she would be lost forever.

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Lykoian’s get one chance in life to bond with their soul mate forever. Failure is not an option.

I want to Welcome Victor J. Banis the author of the Deadly Mystery Series available from MLR Press.  Today he shares a little about himself and a fun little free read from the first book in the series Deadly Nightshade.  Thanks Victor!  – Terry Kate

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MLR Press Author Victor J. Banis

I started out to tell you about myself, but really, you can learn everything you want to know at http://www.vjbanis.com.  And if you still want to know more, pick up The Golden Age of Gay Fiction, edited by Drewey Wayne Gunn, and available from www.mlrpress.com . I’m in there, too.

But, really, a writer is all about the writing, which is to say, the best way to introduce myself to you is to share a few excerpts from some of my books. There are a lot of them, but most recently I’ve done a series of mysteries for MLR – Deadly Nightshade, Deadly Wrong, Deadly Dreams, Deadly Slumber and Deadly Silence. Though they are mysteries, the books really focus on the ongoing relationship between the two leads, Tom Danzel and Stanley Korski – or, as the blurb puts it, – Straight Cop, Gay Cop.  Readers tell me they enjoy the books because they find the characters and their ongoing and difficult (aren’t they all?) relationship intriguing.

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I started writing the first book, Deadly Nightshade, the same way I start writing every book—the same way, really, every writer starts writing a book, to learn what he knows. I wanted to learn what I know about men, about love, about relationships—but the funny thing, if you’re doing it right, at some point, the book goes right past you. It ends up knowing more than you do.
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Here is an excerpt from that first book in the series, Deadly Nightshade by Victor J. Banis, available in print and e-format at www.mlrpress.com. I’m still sorting out what it knows that I don’t.

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Straight cop, gay cop, and a woman who “isn’t real.” Tom and Stanley are on the trail of a drag queen serial killer, and along the way, they find themselves engaged in a more intimate pursuit, trying to resolve another mystery: their unexpected attraction to one another.

Excerpt:

“‘A little silver slipper of a moon,’” Stanley said.

“What?”

“Oh, just a line from a play.”

Tom looked searchingly at him. “You really like all that stuff, don’t you?”

“Stuff?”

“Plays, poetry—I’ll bet you like to hang out at art galleries.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Stanley’s smile was a little embarrassed. “Too fruity for you, I guess.”

They passed the joint back and forth. Tom considered Stanley’s remark for a moment. “No,” he said finally, actually looking up at the moon. “I don’t know any of that shit.  I’m just a dumb cop. It’s kind of nice, to tell you the truth, knowing someone who does. I guess I could learn stuff from you.”

“You’re not dumb,” Stanley said. Tom only grunted again.

The sun was almost up now, hurrying before the night changed its mind, the gray sky enameled with streaks of bronze and amber, the famous skyline silhouetted against them. The ocean was dark gray and green, like the verdigris one sees on old brass, and the headlands in the distance were smoke purple, flecked here and there with a dusty gold, as if a painter had just
daubed at them with his brush. There were those little flecks of gold everywhere, really—gold gray, gold green, gold purple. A pair of early rising gulls called to one another, celebrating the day to come, or maybe jeering their lay-a-bed cousins.

Stanley had seen all this many times, but never before at this time, at this late night, early morning hour, and not from the bridge. It was a spectacular sight.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

“I never get tired of it.” Tom flicked the roach over the railing, a wink of red as it disappeared, and did the one-handed thing with a stick of gum. “The bridge, the hills, all of it. I come here when I need to quiet my mind down. I guess it’s my kind of poetry.”

Headlights brushed over them. A lone car, its windows down, went by headed for Marin, leaving little flecks of ‘Pretty Woman’ in its wake

Stanley glanced at Tom then, and he had a sudden, almost frightened realization of Tom’s beauty. Oh, he’d known all along that he was good looking, sexy, hot—he just had not until now thought of the word “beauty” in connection with him.

But he was, though, as beautiful as any museum statue or great painting. Not just handsome, which all at once Stanley found too inadequate a word for that dark nest of curls that was his hair, for those brown eyes that glinted sometimes with gold and could turn as dark as thunderclouds in an instant; for the full-lipped mouth—how he had loved kissing that, more than he would have dared admit—and the high cheekbones as if carved of marble. He felt his knees grow weak, and was unaware that he was staring until Tom glanced back at him, his expression puzzled.

“What?” he said, chewing.

Stanley felt something inside himself stir. He wanted to fling his arms about Tom, but he knew that he did not dare. He was afraid to speak, even, to shatter the spell. He took a tiny step closer, not quite close enough to touch, but close enough that he was sure he could feel the warmth of Tom’s body. It made his breath quicken, and he had to cough into his hand to disguise his arousal. He opened his mouth, fully meaning to say, “I love you.”

What came out instead was, “I saw a flying saucer once. When I was twelve.”

—–

Again, read about me at http://www.vjbanis.com and check out all the great reading
available at www.mlrpress.com

Hola, I’m James Buchanan and I’m here playing today. If you read my official bio I’ve apparently written over a dozen novels and single author anthologies (I had to stop and count them on the shelf above my desk). I have a guy, we have kids and we often pick them up from school on the Harleys. My evil day job is as an attorney – I’ve been known to wear leather
frock coats and boots to court.

A lot of what I write are Mystery/Thriller type Romances and often they feature BDSM. Recently, I gave a writing BDSM workshop with Joey Hill for Romance Divas and I’ve participated on panels for the Popular Culture Association on both gay romance and BDSM power dynamics in gay romance. My novel, Hard Fall, took the honorable mention in the National Leather Association – International’s novel category this year.

I base my BDSM/Kink books on the theory that this is not just something the characters DO it is who they ARE. Submission, in my view, is about being comforted, swaddled up in this big warm blanket of safety – except the blanket is made of leather or rope or expectation. It is a secure place to be. It is a loving place to be. The submissive is unconditionally accepted for who they are. They are safe, loved and adored in that condition of submission. Submissives need it, they crave it. Domination, on the other hand, is not about getting your way or pushing people around. While they may get off on inflicting pain, discipline or punishment, Dominants are not abusive jerks. It is the thrill of making “it” happen: the turn on, the moment of connection, the second absolute trust is given over, that drives their Dominant leanings.

Because I write the characters that way, I think people connect with my BDSM books – I humanize it, not fetishize it.

~James

Website: www.James-Buchanan.com

Blog: www.James-Buchanan.com/blog

Twitter: http://twitter.com/James_Buchanan

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/James-Buchanan/56144477499?ref=ts

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Hard Fall

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http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=HARDFALL

There ain’t much complicated about Joe Peterson….

He’s a Utah Sheriff’s Deputy.  He’s Mormon.  He heads up the local Search and Rescue…and he’s gay.   So far Joe’s managed to keep that one part hidden down deep.  Then Kabe, and ex-con and adrenaline junkie climber, lands in town on parole.  When a German tourist falls off the mountain, Joe finds he needs Kabe’s help with the case.  Accident or murder?  As Joe weaves the evidence together the strands of his life fray to breaking.  Will Kabe be the guy who tears Joe apart?  Or is it that Joe needs to fall hard before he can start living?

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Personal Demons

http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=PDEMONS1

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Hunting a notorious hit man, FBI Agent Chase Nozick and LAPD Det. Enrique Rios Ocha delve into the inner worlds of Santeria, Voodoo and Palo Mayumbe. A missing informant, her murdered brother and a ghost from Chase’s past send them on a hunt through mystics and psychic surgeons to find their witness before it’s too late. Can he rely on leads from a child possessed by Orishas? Do cards hold stronger clues than blood? Chase must conquer his own personal demons to bring the killer of his partner to justice and find the strength to take a chance on Enrique.

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The Good Thief

eBook: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=GOODTH02

print: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=GOODTH01

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What if the wrong guy, turns out to be the right guy for you? Caesar Serrano thought he screwed up when he landed in the bed of LAPD Officer Nathan Reilly. But when Caesar breaks into the wrong house and stumbles upon a heinous crime, implicating a high ranking LAPD officer, Nate is the only person he knows to turn to. The resulting investigation throws the Blue Brigade into panic. Now he’s running for his life and Nate is his only hope for survival. Can two men, on opposite sides of the law, come together to bring a monster to justice?

MLR Press Publisher Feature with S.J. Frost

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As an author at MLR Press, love, romance, and passion between men are the themes I work in. In the past few months, my muse has kept me writing mainly contemporary erotic romance with my Conquest series, which follow a rock band and those who are connected to them. The first book in the series, Conquest, was what pushed me toward wanting to have my work published. Even though I’d written for years, when the main character of the first two books, Jesse Alexander, came to me, I knew I wanted to share his story with readers.
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Jesse wasn’t the first gay character I’d written, but his story was the first romance, and when I wrote it, I felt as though I was truly writing something I believed in, how love is the inherent right of all individuals. It’s a sad truth in the world today not all people share this belief, so for me, to write a story portraying a relationship between two men as loving, strong, and positive was very important. And it set the tone for how all my works to date have been.
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Now with having three books in the Conquest series published, for my next work I thought I’d try something different; vampires. It’s also m/m erotic romance in a contemporary setting, and while it’s still in the works, I can honestly say I’ve had a blast writing it. Though, how I jumped from writing about rocks stars to vampires, I’m not sure. I just go where my muse leads me, and I do enjoy trying my hand at new genres. Back in the day, I used to write sword and sorcery fantasy (unpublished) and even now, I have an m/m samurai historical on the back burner.
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Yet no matter the genre, there are consistencies with my stories in that threads of love and passion between the characters run throughout. I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, and to be able to bring two characters together, from the first kiss, through struggles and trials as they work to have a happy ending together, is like a dream come true. And what makes it the ultimate dream come true is how my work has found the perfect home at MLR Press.

But now, I’ll share my last things, a little bit about each of my current releases at MLR Press and a huge thank you to Terry and everyone who has taken the time to read about me and my work!

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Conquest: Book 1 in the Conquest series

As the vocally gifted lead singer of his band, Conquest, Jesse Alexander refuses to
let anything hold him back from achieving his dream of becoming one of the greatest
performers to ever hit a stage. Evan Arden was thought of as a musical genius when at
the height of his career, he vanished from the spotlight. Together, their relationship is
just as intense as their music careers, but with the pressures of success and fame pushing
down on them, Jesse must decide what’s more important to him, his life of music, or his
life with Evan.
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No Fear: Book 2 in the Conquest series

After touring for more than a year with his band, Conquest, singer Jesse Alexander is
ready to head home for a long rest with his partner, superstar vocalist, Evan Arden.
When it’s time to hit the studio again, there’s competition from two new bands and
tensions reach a breaking point that threaten not only Conquest’s future, but Jesse’s
relationship with Evan. As he faces challenges unlike any he’s ever known, Jesse must
somehow keep it together to duplicate Conquest’s success and reach his ultimate goal:
showing NO FEAR and announcing his love of Evan publicly.

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Keys to Love: Book 3 in the Conquest series

For two years, Julian Forrester’s been playing keyboards and piano for Conquest.
Having left behind a classical career, he’s reached a level of fame like he’s never
dreamed. But fame and fortune can’t bring him the one thing he wants most; love.
Morgan Chandler spent years teaching students to love music until budget cuts
forced him out of a job. With family debts rising, Morgan accepts a job as a roadie
for Conquest. He thinks he’ll hate it with one exception – he’ll be close to Julian.
Can the two find the right music together that will lead them to the Keys to Love?

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See More about S.J. Frost on Naughty Boys in the Backseat.  Read all her Dark Secrets HERE.