Kay Berrisford: m/m romance.

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Becky Black’s ‘The Company Man’ – out today!

The lovely Becky Black has a new book out today, The Company Man, a stellar sci-fi romance that’s got intrigue, cats, pirates, plotting, whizzy spaceships, sizzling hot sexing, welsh mountains, and love. I should know, ‘cos I was lucky enough to beta read this one (and rarely have I read a more polished manu in a pre-published form. Wow!!)

Red Dragon #1: The Company Man by Becky Black

M/M Science Fiction erotic romance from Loose Id

Cover by Scott Carpenter.

Blurb

The Red Dragon is a ship in trouble. It was once the pride of the Outer Spiral Trading Company’s fleet, but is neglected and fallen from its old glory. It’s a ship in need of love – and a new captain.

Alyn Evans is a man in need of a new challenge. He’s an ex-warship captain and peace has put him out of a job. A man of his experience should have no trouble commanding a merchant ship…he thinks. But of all the challenges he faces on his first trip out, the hardest one is keeping his hands off his gorgeous and fascinating company rep, Jarvez Kashari.

Jarvez Kashari is a man with a plan. He’s determined to make a name as the company’s best trader and thinks reviving the fortunes of the Red Dragon is the perfect opportunity to prove himself. Jarvez travels light, sacrificing personal relationships to focus on his ambitions – until he meets Alyn Evans. Falling in love was not part of the plan.

It’s four months to Earth. Four months for Alyn to juggle passengers, prisoners, suspicious officers, a resentful crew and the intensifying relationship with Jarvez. Four months in space with a traitor aboard…

Read an excerpt Find out more Add it on Goodreads

Buy it now

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 21, 2013 | Categories: books | Tags: becky black, books, cover art, fantasy, literature, m/m romance, new release, new releases, novels, writing | 2 Comments »

From the Ashes – A Cinderfella romance from Kayla Jameth. Interview and prize draw!

This week, I’m delighted to be hosting Kayla Jameth, as part of her blog tour for her amazing new release, From the Ashes (I for one cannot wait to read this book!!) Kayla will be awarding $25 All Romance eBooks GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so remember to comment here to be in with a chance to win You can boost your chances by entering at all of her tour stops – listed here.

Q. Hi Kayla! Please tell us about your exciting new book, From the Ashes (I looooooooooove m/m fairytales!)

From the Ashes is a Cinderfella (a m/m rendition of the classic Cinderella). The story is set roughly in 16^th century France because the original story was French. And I say, roughly in the 16^th century, because fairy godmothers aren’t found in any time period. It is a fairytale and not intended to be taken as historically accurate.

Blurb: Cinder never thought that he could rise from the ashes of his life, but an unexpected encounter with a woman claiming to be his fairy godmother may be just what he needs. Finding himself flung into his very own fairy tale, she sends him off to meet his Prince Charming. But was the gown really necessary?

Q. You’ve written across a variety of genres and time periods—from contemporary settings to Iron Age Greece. Do you have a favourite genre to write in? And what’s the hardest?

I write almost exclusively m/m erotic romance, aside from the odd bit of sci fi in junior high. I started with a slash fanfiction based on the Samurai Champloo anime, but then branched out into some original contemporary works.

My published works to date have either been historical (Alexios’ Fate and 496 BC from the Apollo’s Men series and From the Ashes) or contain historical elements (Legends in the Ad-dick-tions anthology is a faux Roman orgy in a contemporary setting).

I would say that the most difficult subgenre is also the one I enjoy the most: historical. I love ancient history and minored in Classical History. I enjoy the research and would probably finish each piece in half the time if I wasn’t reading all sorts of really cool research. It’s my goal to put enough historical aspects in the story that you can actually picture yourself there.

Q. As a writer, what’s your main source of inspiration?

Almost everything I have written has been “inspired” by a photograph. I have a Facebook group called Inspired Writing. I’ve written something for almost all of the inspiration photos. I enjoy puzzling out what would be necessary for the scene in the photo to take place; the characters, motivations, and situations that conspired to arrive at that scene. Then I wrap it up in a story.

Q. Please tell us about a typical writing day—if there is such a thing—in the life of Kayla Jameth.

Typical writing day? Hmmm… Usually, I do my writing after the kids have gone to bed, unless I have the day off, then I write once I’ve sent them off to school. Otherwise I have to contend with children’s TV and the sounds of Minecraft in my immediate vicinity. Something about “Mom? Mom? Mom!” is not exactly conducive to writing m/m erotic romance. Especially since I don’t want either of them reading it aloud over my shoulder!

Sometimes I sip chai. Sometimes I put on headphones and listen to Niyaz while writing my Greek series, or Vox Vulgaris while writing medieval stories. Sometimes I wait until everyone is in bed and watch Corbin Fisher’s Travis do what he does best. But mostly I just write with my Facebook page open in the background and one or two tabs open to Thesaurus.com.

Q. You’re stuck in a lift for a day with two of your characters. Which two would you choose? And which two would be your least favourite to be stuck with?

I guess I would have to choose Alexios and Galen. They are both good boys with good hearts. Plus all the stories they could tell of ancient Greece and the Greek gods. Halys is a mischievous imp that I’d love to get to know better as well.

Least favourite? Theocritus takes top billing. The man is an absolute asshole. I think Alexios still wants to kill him. And Cyrus’ uncle, the high priest of Apollo. He is an officious prick. Even Apollo can’t stand his stuffy superiority. He’s treading close to hubris.

Q. Any exciting WIPs to tell the fans about?

I’m working on book 2 of Apollo’s Men, Taming Theron/A Spartan Love (in which Andreas discovers that food is the way to a man’s heart, among other things). This story takes place at roughly the same time as Alexios’ Fate, but it is set in Spartan. It is the tale of a helot (a slave similar to medieval serfs) and a kryptes (an elite warrior whose job is to suppress and kill helots). They have to work hard to find some common ground that they can both stand on without putting each other’s life at risk.

Thank you so much, Kayla All your books sound truly splendid!

From the Ashes Excerpt:

Cinder glanced around. Paper lanterns floated in the trees, lined the walks, and graced the gazebo near the reflecting pool, giving the grounds a mystical air. Their warm glow caught the dancing jets of the fountain splashing merrily to his right. The musical, crystalline tones carried on the night wind’s breath. He was reminded of the enchanted gardens in the fairy tales his father had read to him when he was a child. What would happen to him if he dared walk there?

Henri led him toward the gazebo. Soon he would find out.

The cool breeze caressed his uncovered neck. Cinder shivered at the ethereal touch. Henri turned to him, the question clear in his eyes, but he didn’t know how to answer. Instead he breathed in the tangible scent of rich earth and flowing water, hoping to calm his bounding heart.

Henri lightly stroked his arm. Cinder’s breath caught at the silky brush of the other man’s fingers. He drew another shaky breath. Henri may have meant to soothe him; instead his touch set Cinder’s wayward body aflame.

They left the last of the courtiers behind as they entered the dim interior of the fanciful pavilion. Vines climbed its intricately carved posts, perfuming the air within. The music and voices of the aristocrats faded away. Only a single intrepid nightingale could be heard over the cheerful burbling of the fountain. Hidden from the rest of the court, an unworldly sense of peace filled him. Was his very own fairy tale about to come true?

Bespelled and bemused, he could feel the magic in every beat of his heart, in every trembling breath he drew.

Once inside the bower, Henri reached to cup Cinder’s cheek. Unused to being touched, he nearly flinched away but managed to still, heart pounding, before giving himself away. The older man’s thumb slid across his cheekbone and came to rest lightly on his mouth. Why did he want to lean into that caress?

The other man’s warm, slightly musky scent filled his nostrils, drowning his senses.

Henri’s other hand wrapped around his waist and drew him close. He leaned closer while tipping Cinder’s face upwards. Cinder’s breath left him in a rush, stirring the noble’s hair. Henri was all that he could see, his mouth slowly, carefully descending toward Cinder’s. If he allowed this, the other man might discover his deception. He couldn’t risk that, so why then did he ache to feel Henri’s kiss? Their lips brushed, light as thistle down.

Surprisingly, Henri’s mouth was soft and warm upon his own. After a moment, it pressed more firmly against his. Something fluttered in his chest, trying to get out.

Cinder didn’t think to pull away until he felt Henri’s tongue seeking entrance. The hand on his face slipped to his nape and held firm. He froze in shock, not even daring to breathe, as flames rushed through his body. The very beat of his heart betrayed him.

The questing tongue stroked his lips and pushed between them. It slid over his teeth, seeking to enter. When he protested, Henri swept in and began a lazy, sensuous exploration that left him breathless.

Soon he found himself returning the caress. Henri responded to his fledgling attempts by pulling him closer and moaning into his mouth. He had never experienced anything so sensual and erotic. He fed his own needy pleas to the other man one at a time.

Finally they separated slightly, Cinder panting heavily, trying to catch his breath. Was Henri as affected by their kiss as he was? A quick glance confirmed Cinder was not alone in his arousal. Flushed and gasping, Henri gazed at him with eyes full of wonder and something unnamed smoldering in their depths.

Buy it now!

All about Kayla: A bit of a tomboy, Kayla Jameth grew up pretending to be a Native American brave on her family’s farm. Somewhat eclectic, she can weld, make maple syrup, and even earned a knighthood making medieval costumes. Although she is now a veterinarian, her love of all things ancient led her to minor in Classical History. Now she spends her free time writing m/m erotic romance.

Link with Kayla: Facebook Facebook Author Page Twitter Blog Amazon Author Page

Don’t forget to leave a comment and email addy to be in with winning that $25 GC You can boost your chances by entering at all of her tour stops – listed here. Thank you!

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 16, 2013 | Categories: blog hops, books, giveaways, guests | Tags: books, fantasy, gay romance, glbt, literature, m/m romance, new release, new releases, novels, writing | 19 Comments »

Win a paperback copy of Bound to the Beast!

“Sex and magic, bondage and blood…and a love that lasts a thousand lifetimes.”

If you want to bag a shiny paperback copy of Bound to the Beast, my m/m take on the Herne the Hunter legend, head over to Stumbling Over Chaos now! There’s also a chance to win a copy at Goodreads. You can order it on Amazon here and on Amazon.co.uk here

You can find out more about Bound to the Beast here and read an excerpt here And if you’ve read the book and are keen for more Herne action, there’s not long to wait. The sequel, Locking Horns, will be out 25th June, from Loose Id.

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 13, 2013 | Categories: books, bound to the beast, giveaways, the greenwood | Tags: books, bound to the beast, fantasy, giveaway, giveaways, goodreads, m/m romance, new release, new releases, novels, the greenwood, writing | 4 Comments »

From Close Quarter to Slow Waltz! Interview with Anna Zabo plus WIN a $10 GC!

My guest today is Anna Zabo, who’s stunning debut Close Quarter was published last year. Anna’s kindly agreed to answer a few little questions and tell us about Slow Waltz, the sequel to Close Quarter, which you can currently download FREE from Loose Id. If that’s not awesome enough, Anna is giving away a $10 GC to a lucky commenter on her Slow Waltz blog tour

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Q. Hi Anna! Please tell us about your exciting new release.

Hi Kay! Thanks for having me!

My latest release is Slow Waltz, a Spring Fling short story from Loose ID. It continues the adventures of Rhys and Silas from Close Quarter. All the danger that haunted them has passed and they still have a few days before they reach New York City. But now that Rhys is no longer running for his life, he’s beginning to wonder if magic and great sex are enough to build a relationship on…

Here’s the blurb:

New lovers Rhys Matherton and Silas Quint finally have a chance to breath easy and enjoy a well-earned respite on board a transatlantic cruise to New York City. But the lack of danger gives Rhys too much time to think about the enormity of falling in love with a man who isn’t human. He’s not sure love at first sight can last, especially when your lover is fae. Sure, the sex is fantastic, but that’s not enough to hang the rest of your potentially immortal life upon.

To distract himself, Rhys suggests he and Silas take a set of lessons to learn to waltz. The plan backfires when they are paired with two older women—one of whom reminds Rhys of his recently deceased mother. Instead of being able to ignore thinking about his future with Silas, he’s actively questioned about his lover. And it seems the whole boat knows who he’s sleeping with.

As Rhys learns the steps of the waltz, he has to decide if he’ll continue to dance around what he feels for Silas or if he’ll finally learn to trust in his partner’s love for him.

From May 7^th until May 12^th, Slow Waltz is FREE from Loose Id! You can find it in all your favorite e-reader formats here.

Also from May 7^th until May 12^th you can purchase Close Quarter from the Loose Id website for two dollars off the cover price (again, available in all your favorite e-reader formats). Get it here.

Q. Though Close Quarter and Slow Waltz are set in the present day, their world has an interesting history. I LOVED Silas’s backstory. What inspired this rich retelling of Fae myth?

Despite Silas being Roman, belive it or not, the world-building with the fae actually started with Welsh fairy tales!

I’ve always been fascinated by fae/elves/whathave you, but it seems like most of the fantasy or paranormal books I’ve read with fae tend to have two courts: a light and a dark or a summer and a winter…and that’s based mostly on the Scottish fairy mythology. There’s other fairy myths out there, so I started reading some books on Welsh fairies.

And, you know, they’re not exactly benign happy folks. They’re kind of scary. Neutral and apathetic at best; bloodthirsty tricksters at their not-so-best.

And that got me thinking about how fae culture in different countries must be different. I decided that in my paranormal world, there would be many different courts and each would be somewhat different from each other. When I started writing Close Quarter, I wanted an old fae, because I had an old vampire. The Roman Empire seemed a good place to start, so Silas ended up being ancient Roman.

Then, I had fun researching fairy and vampire myths and legends in Rome and also in Eastern Europe because of Vasil, the erstwhile waiter who gets caught up in Rhys and Silas’s story and sees things he shouldn’t. But he’s from a mountain village, so he’s used to the intersection of the mundane and the mysterious…the unexplained still happens where he’s from.

I’ll admit to taking a lot of liberties here and there and creating my own mythology with my fae, but I do try to keep a kernel of the culture from whence they came. There’s glimpses of the not-so-best aspects in Close Quarter when Silas mentions how the courts tend to treat the half-fae. Those elements will play out later.

Then I threw in angels and daemons. And phoenix, but they’re only mentioned briefly.

Q. Do you have any other plans for stories set in this universe?

Oh, do I, yes!

First up will be a novel about what happens to Vasil. He’s off to Istanbul to learn to use his new-found skills from a Turkish half-fae. And because he keeps dreaming of a woman on fire, held against her will between water and earth, in ancient Constantinople…

Then, there will be a novel that follows what happens to Rhys and Silas once they get to New York. They face two courts willing to war over the possession of Rhys and Rhys’s ex-boyfriend. And the only person they can turn to for help is a lawyer…

I also have an Urban Fantasy I’m working on set in the same world. There’s no romance in that one, though…and I’ve brought the setting home to Pittsburgh, with all it’s hills and rivers and interesting secrets, where an exiled Welsh half-fae must hunt for his missing fae niece…without using any of his fae powers, least the Wild Hunt come hunting for him. Again.

Q. Please tell us about a typical writing day—if there is such a thing—in the life of Anna Zabo.

I have a day job as a technical writer during the week. When I write in the evenings, I usually lie on my rather large couch, which is L-shaped, so I have good back support. Then the cats fight over my legs and eventually pin me down for a couple of hours. I used to write at a desk, but then the cats would sit on my lap, and 20 lbs of sleeping cats started to make my knees ache.

If it’s the weekend, I pack up the laptop and head for a local coffee shop called The Coffee Buddha. It’s an entire house, so there’s a big porch to sit at when it’s nice out, and several rooms upstairs where you can hole up and write for hours. And they have some of the best coffee drinks I’ve ever had. It’s become quite the community hangout! Also, you have to ask for the Internet password, which is lovely. It means I can be free of the evil distraction of checking my email and twitter and facebook and chatting with folks and going down the rabbit-hole of research… so when I’m there to write, I write!

Q. As a writer, what’s your ultimate ambition?

I want to give to readers what so many authors gave to me: a wonderful experience between the pages. One that wrung my emotions, made me cry, made me laugh, and made me hope and wonder. And long for all those characters once the pages were closed.

If I can get half that, I’ll feel pretty good.

Q. Any other WIPs you’d like to tell us about?

I’m working on a contemporary m/m where a software engineer has a hot, passionate fling dominating a businessman while on vacation. Two weeks later, the same guy is introduced as his new boss…

No paranormal there. Though, I do think software engineering is a bit of black magic…

I also write fantasy, and I’m working on a secondary world historical fantasy based loosely on the 100-years war period. A mad king, conniving families, a young invading king, a woman warrior, and a herald who lays the dead to rest.

Q. It’s the zombie apocalypse and the only force left to stop the undead is the fae from your books. How will they win?

Well, Rhys and Silas both have swords of silver and diamond, forged in phoenix fire. If they work on vampires, they should work on zombies just fine. And Silas is already proficient at aiming for the head. And there are some other fae out there with better weaponry.

Plus, on actual land, Rhys and Silas are quite the force to be reckoned with, if there’s no qualms about rearranging the landscape. Silas is a forest fae, after all. He’s got pants at his command…

And I’m not sure they’d actually get infected, since fae are generally immune to human disease. So at least the woudn’t have to worry about zombie fae…

So probably enlist the help of trees and vines to stop the zombies, then go on a beheading spree.

***

Anna’s blog tour and giveaway!

I’m holding a giveaway for a $10 (or currency equivalent) gift card to either All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) for folks that comment on any of my itty bitty blog tour. If you comment here or at any of the two other stops on my tour, you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win a gift card. (One entry per blog stop! So if you comment on all three blogs, that’s three entries.)

I’ll be drawing the winner on my blog, AnnaZabo.com on May 13^th.

The dates and stops are:

Tuesday, May 7^th, I’ll be at Jessica Freely’s blog

Thursday, May 9th, I’ll be at Kay Berrisford’s blog. (That’s here!)

Friday May 10th, I’ll be over at Attention is Arbitrary

Saturday, May 11^th, I’ll be at MC Hana’s blog.

Come visit!

***

I don’t know what I’m having more fangirl squee over – more from the Close Quarter universe, or Anna’s mention of the Wild Hunt!! It all sounds amazing

Don’t forget to comment to be in with a chance to winning the $10 GC and head over to Loose Id download your FREE copy of Slow Waltz now Plus, there’s still a chance to win Be My Alien by Julie Lynn Hayes and MA Church here.

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 9, 2013 | Categories: books, guests, Uncategorized | Tags: anna zabo, fantasy, giveaway, giveaways, guests, literature, m/m romance, new release, new releases, novels, writing | 19 Comments »

Be My Alien! Julie Lynn Hayes and M.A.Church interview Reed and Taz.

I’m thrilled to welcome back Julie Lynn Hayes and M.A. Church, who’ve dropped by to have a chat with the characters from their awesome new release from Dreamspinner, Be My Alien! If you’d like to be in with a chance to win a copy, Julie and Michelle are kindly donating one to a lucky commenter, so please join in the fun

***

Thanks so much for having us here today! Oh wait, who are we, I can hear some of you ask? Let me back up a mo and start again.

I’m Julie Lynn Hayes, she’s M.A. Church, heretofore to be known as Michelle. Just call me Julie. We’re here today to talk about our first joint project, Be My Alien, which will be released by Dreamspinner TODAY.

Let’s start at the beginning. I totally blame Michelle for hooking me on aliens.

Michelle: *snort* I corrupted her, or so she says.

Julie: *laughs* That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. It wasn’t until I read your most excellent book, Nighttime Wishes, that I first encountered your fixation on beings from other worlds, and… wait, hold on a second. What are you two doing here?

Reed: Don’t blame me, I was just following Taz. He said we needed to come here, and I guess he’s right. Look, you’re talking about us. That’s a bit cheeky, don’t you think?

Julie: What? Cheeky? Hey, Reed, I was going to say nice things, how does that make us cheeky? Michelle, a little help here?

Michelle: Oh no, don’t drag me into this. Besides, I think you’re doing just fine on your own, Julie.

Julie: Gee, thanks. *sneaks a peek at these two lovely men* Wow, what gorgeous guys we’ve created, I have to admit.

Taz: Reed, I appreciate these two humans and their efforts to talk about us, but I feel that we can handle this ourselves, don’t you?

Reed: Indeed I do. So why don’t you two ladies find something else to do? Maybe go to a strip club or something?

Julie: *look at Michelle, and she shrugs *

Michelle: Well, if they screw this up, it’s on them. I say we go look at pretty men. You’re driving, though.

Julie: *walks out door mumbling under her breath* Don’t I always?

Michelle: *pokes Julie in the back* But you like driving. Am I going to have to listen to this all the way to Atlanta???

Purses are grabbed and a door slams shuts.

Reed: *whispers* Good Lord, are they gone?

Taz: *looks around the corner* Yes, thank the stars. I swear, those two… So… *Taz rubs his hands together, a gleam in his eye* Looks like we got free rein now. You ready to start?”

Reed: Yes, more than ready. They’ve gone about things the wrong way. Did you even hear mention of the title?

Taz: No, not a word.

Reed: *shakes his head* Women!

Taz: *cocks his head and regards Reed* My mother is a woman, Reed.

Reed: *snorts* I know, I met her, remember? So’s mine, by the way, and thanks for asking…

Taz: But I didn’t ask?

Reed: *sighs* It’s just an expression. *mumbles under his breath* Damn, need to get that book. Bad. Hey, babe, where do you think we should start?

Taz: How about like this? *he climbs onto Reed’s lap and lays his head on Reed’s shoulder, purring*

Reed: Oh damn, seriously? *takes a deep breath* I thought we’re here to talk? You know, about us?

Taz: *purrs louder* Go ahead and talk. I can hear you. *begins to rock in Reed’s lap*

Reed: Oh jeez Louise, that’s distracting… *clears throat* Um, okay… we met… we met… oh yeah, it was almost Valentine’s Day. I was working late ‘cause I didn’t have anything better to do. You know how it is when you’re single and it’s been a while… that day means less than nothing.

Taz: It didn’t mean anything to me either.

Reed: Well, to be fair, you never heard of it ‘til you got here.

Taz: Oh yeah, I guess that’s true. *squirms a bit on Reed’s lap* I’m just lucky I was in the right place at the right time.

Reed: I think I’m the lucky one, babe. That’s what they call karma.

Taz: Karma? What has this to do with driving?

Reed: *groans* Later, I’ll explain later. So anyway, I had to meet a customer at the Empire State Building after work, and that’s where I met Taz. He knocked me off my feet, literally.

Taz: What can I say, you caught my attention? My night hadn’t been going very well. I had just been dumped, then I saw you. I really didn’t mean to knock you down, you know.

Reed: Oh, I wasn’t complaining. I ended up on the floor with an arm full of sexy male. *blush* Well, at the time I thought I had an arm full of sexy male. Little did I know just what I was holding.

Taz: *giggle* You should’ve seen the look on your face the first time my stripes showed up! I mean, you freaked out, but still, for a second there… I don’t have the words!

Reed: *shakes head* It was probably the same kind of shocked look I had when that tail of yours put in an appearance.

Taz: *rubs cheek against Reed’s jaw* That reminds me, when are you going to let me—

Reed: Whoa now. Let’s not go there, babe. You give that away, Julie and Michelle will both want to skin you. It’ll be a race to see which one of them gets you.

Taz: Silly women. Neither one of them gets me. I’m all yours… *licks his way up Reed’s neck*

Reed: All mine, you’re right. Um, um…. Oh yeah, the title. Be My Alien. Pretty cute, don’t you think?

Taz: Mmhmmm, you’re very cute.

Reed: Not me, the title *blushes*

Taz: Oh, that’s not bad. Those two earth women seem to be able to put words together rather nicely, don’t they?

Reed: Better than me at times. Oh babe, you gotta quit that, or I might…

Taz: I’m wearing those special—

Reed: Oh lord, from the shop? *groans* Oh yes, my shop. I have my own business, I should mention that. A Touch of Class. Here in New York. I mean there… I mean… Taz, please be careful, you’re right over my—

Taz: I know, Reed… I know… *silences him with a kiss*

Taz: Oh yes. We told them how we met. Did we tell them about ourselves though?

Reed: What do you mean?

Taz: Well, I’m from the planet Trygos, the most important planet in the Trygos galaxy, and only one of two planets capable of sustaining life. The other planet is Haatmiess. When Trygosheans put someone down, they say they’re like a Haatmiess, which is considered a major insult. My full name is Fabrintazo, Taz for short. I’m about 5’11″ in your earth measuresments, and I have a wiry, muscular build. My hair is a mixture of red and orange and brown and it’s long and luxurious, and reaches below my shoulders.

Reed: That’s very true. He often twists it into a braid and lets it flow loose over his back. He’s very acrobatic and he loves heights. Which scared the hell out of me at one point in the book. Taz has cat green eyes and purrs when he’s pleased. *smiles* I make him purr often.

Taz: Yes, you do. Reed’s full name is Reed Hatcher and he’s about my height and build. He has very light brown hair that tends to bleach out in the warmer months and he has the most beautiful hazel eyes. Oh! And he has this cute little dimple in his cheek too. The one on his face, not the other one. Though that’s cute, too.

Reed: *blushes* Babe, too much information.

Taz: *grins* And he’s a business owner, too. A very important man in his world. *nods head* And in his business, he has a back room that sells very special things. I like the back room.

Reed: I actually have a degree in elementary education, but I never taught. My parents moved to Florida and I ended up here in New York.

Taz: Thank the stars you did! *frowns* Should we tell them about Vorlod?

Reed: What’s to tell? The bastard’s no longer here on Earth and can’t bother you anymore.

Taz: Well, he was the reason I was here on Earth to begin with.

Reed: We should save that story, though, don’t you think? Can’t spill all the beans, now can we?

Taz: *glances around the floor* I don’t think we spilled anything.

Reed: *rolls his eyes* You’re right, we didn’t. What was I thinking?

Taz: *eyes him suspiciously* Are you having fun with me?

Reed: Not yet, babe, but I intend to, I promise you.

Taz: *grins even broader, stripes appearing on his neck* Then let’s go now and, how did you put it, avoid the rush hour?

Reed: *tries not to laugh* Close enough. *fastens their lips together, he rises, Taz clinging to him, and they make their way from the room. *

* * * *

Hope y’all enjoyed meeting the characters from Be My Alien!

Blurb: Reed Hatcher’s life is work, work, work. He owns a successful men’s boutique in New York City, but a love life is out of the question—for many reasons. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and business is brisk. On an unexpected visit to the Empire State Building, a sexy man literally falls into Reed’s lap. His name is Taz and he’s just been dumped by his date. One look and Reed is hooked. He offers to buy Taz some coffee and they leave together.

Reed is attracted to Taz and takes him home to his apartment. But Reed discovers there’s more to Taz than he realized—especially when Taz’s stripes begin to show. And he has a tail? Turns out Taz is not quite like Reed. In fact, he comes from another planet, far far away, and he’s only on Earth for a vacation.

Reed never believed in aliens before, but he’s facing one now, and dear God, what is he going to do? Just when he decides he loves Taz and together they can handle anything, the alien that dumped Taz decides he wants him back and steals him away.

Can Reed live with the memory of what he almost had, and the love he found and lost? How can he ever face the moonlit skies again?

Buy it now

Scroll on for an excerpt and a chance to WIN!

Read the rest of this page »

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 7, 2013 | Categories: books, giveaways, guests, Uncategorized | Tags: books, fantasy, giveaway, giveaways, guests, literature, m/m romance, new release, new releases, novels, romance, writing | 12 Comments »

Boywhore Loveliness: Not a How-to Guide by Salome Wilde

My guest blogger this week is Salome Wilde, blogging on the appealing topic of Boywhore Loveliness Over to Salome!

Boywhore Loveliness: Not a How-to Guide

by Salome Wilde

I’ve written a fair amount of short erotica. Pansexual and multiracial, diverse genres and subgenres, comedy and tragedy, HEA and HFN, and even stuff so weirdly exotic it beggars classification (teapot orgasms, for example). Whether it whisks its way into an editor’s heart upon submission, languishes awhile before finding a good home, or ends up shared only among friends, I enjoy each story I write for its own sake. I know what I like and, often, how to get there—particularly when the word count is short, the content is forthrightly erotic, and the style is open to my creative whims.

More recently, I’ve begun to dabble in romance, and 40,000+ word counts. I’ve always loved m/m erotica, but romance is a new challenge. My first co-written novella (with Talon Rihai) was an adventure in going from friends-to-lovers meets hurt-comfort short story into the realm of the novella. With unflagging encouragement from the editors at Storm Moon Press, we accomplished the needed 50,000 words and enjoyed getting there, primarily through slice-of-life chapters featuring our beloved main characters and their friends and family. Reviews for the work have been mostly favorable but definitely mixed, with the harshest (and most useful to a writer) critiques coming from those who don’t like the slice-of-life approach, preferring more tension building and traditionally romantic intensity.

I get that, and my co-author and I will be the first to admit that After the First Taste of Love, volume one of a trilogy, had a bit too much of what we call “info dumping,” otherwise known as telling-not-showing, and we’re learning as we read and write. We know we’ll never please everyone, but as we learn the ropes, we hope to win more hearts—the way we have each and both won wet panties with our short fiction and the way we work what Talon rightly calls the irresistible pleasures of “testosterone and tenderness.”

In addition to the second volume of our trilogy, I’m slowly working on a m/m historical mystery-romance set in NY’s Lower East Side, dealing with diverse ethnic immigrant populations as well as heavy plotting. But in between that, Talon and I have yielded to our most unhistorical weakness for prettyboys in love, and boywhores in particular. It is Kay Berrisford herself who suggested the title for this guest post, and it couldn’t be better.

Early in 2012, I was practicing my mediocre digital art skills, and I drew an image I titled “Pretty Boywhore: Suck It.” It not only pleased Talon and me, but it inspired ample discussion of the hotness of boywhore fantasies. Eventually, it inspired commitment to writing a boywhore novel. For models, we found few. Rentboys, definitely. Dom/sub scenarios in which prostitution was involved, yes. But actual romances among male hookers, not so much. But Talon and I have always enjoyed working without a net, and when we presented the “novel about pretty boywhores in love” to Storm Moon Press, we got a resounding “YES!” and a contract for Turning Trick, forthcoming at the turn of the year (2013/2014).

Creating the characters was a pleasure for us, as Talon built Jen (only one of his multiple pseudonyms), a short, scrappy, tattooed and pierced, mixed-race beauty, the product of a rough childhood and a determinedly happy young adulthood in NY. Into Jen’s life comes my character, Patrick (a.k.a. Trick), a short (but not as short as Jen) pale strawberry-blonde with startling aqua eyes and the bumps and bruises of living on the streets after running away from home. Add to the mix Ko, the six-foot, broken-nosed transhooker with a heart of gold who took Jen in years before and, at the start of the novel, introduces him to Trick, her newest rescue. Jen is determined not to get emotionally involved (with anyone, ever); Trick is inexperienced, insecure, and ready to find a home. Toss in a stalker for plot and tension, and there you have it. The novel asks, Will Jen fall prey to love with Trick or will Trick’s needs drive them apart and into danger for them both?

Within such focus, our task as writers is to plot slowly and carefully, build tension and background as we go, and emerge with a novel full of fiery tempers and hot sex and, eventually, HEA…or at least HFN. But then the question of responsibility comes in. “Boywhore loveliness” is all well and good, but what about all the hurt and abuse in the boys’ backstories? What about the dangers of stereotyping, and of glorifying sex-for-pay at the cost of emotional honesty?

Certainly, as a writer of erotica, I’ve seen plenty of “go for the gold” stories that ignore politics and complexity of character. And I’ve also read tales that do not shirk from responsibility to big issues (e.g. the criminalization of homosexuality in the first half of the twentieth century in Josh Lanyon’s Snowball in Hell). I respect these novels, that blend scorching sexual heat with awareness and sensitivity to the world in which they are written. But, dammit, I want my HEA, however unrealistic, and I want to see pretty boys whoring it up and having the time of their lives.

Hence, for this writer at least, there must be compromise. There will be flashbacks and sharing of abuse from the past, tension and complications in the present. And there will be sex: from Trick learning the ropes to threesomes with johns to genuine lovemaking—however much Jen may try to squirm his way out of it. Ultimately, we hope readers will find moments of emotional truth as well as pleasures of escapism that the concept of “boywhore loveliness” demands.

I thank Kay for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you here, and I welcome conversation in response. What do you want in a m/m romance about “boywhores”? What do you not want? And have I missed any good novels in the “genre”?

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Heh, I never realized I could be so inspiring Thanks for a thought provoking and fun blog, Salome

Hope this inspires an interesting discussion – plus there’s still a chance to WIN one of Lori Toland’s amazing m/m reads. Visit her post here to find out more.

Posted by Kay Berrisford | May 2, 2013 | Categories: guests, Uncategorized | Tags: m/m romance | 7 Comments »

Navy Officers, Spanking, and a Dangerous Submission! Interview and giveaway with Lori Toland.

Welcome to the truly awesome Lori Toland! Lori is the author of a series of m/m hits, including The Long Con, Home for the Holidays, Trust in Me and The Replacement Guitarist. Her latest release, Dangerous Submission is out now from Loose Id, and this month Lori’s also treating fans to her Spring Fling sequel to The Long Con, English Chaps, for free! If that’s not amazing enough, one lucky commenter here today will win their choice of Lori’s books Yay!

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Q. Hi Lori! Please tell us about your exciting new release, Dangerous Submission?

Hi Kay! It’s a pleasure to visit your blog! My exciting new release is a very sexy erotic romance starring Drake Steele, ex-Royal Navy SBS captain and manager at SOCA and Lord Robbie Covington, IT for SOCA and SIS. They are sent on a mission for Robbie to hack into a criminal’s computer. In order to make contact with this bad dude, they have to attend BDSM parties in Prague. Spanking and sex is involved and maybe even… love.

Q. You’ve got a sequel to The Long Con coming out, and Dangerous Submission is all part of the same series. How do the books fit together?

At first, I thought it would be the men of SOCA but instead all the books link together through a club in London called the River Bank, which is a gay BDSM club, which you’ll find out about in Dangerous Submission and my freebie short from LI in May called English Chaps.

Q. Tell us about a typical writing day – if there is such a thing – in the life of Lori Toland?

Usually I’m running around with my hair on fire (or my ass – not sure sometimes). On the average day, I start off my day at my home office desk, and sometimes at a person trying to screw me over (this week it was a hotel billing us extra nights we didn’t stay) and then I start my errands for the business. Some days I pick up Kele Moon on the way and one of our stops is at the natural food market and lunch. Most weeks I have at least one sort of medical visit (probably for a IV treatment) but my nights are spent on the couch. While I’m writing, my hubby is either reading or playing video games. Of course, Chester or Milly (but never both) is usually found at my feet, warming them.

Q. As a writer, what’s your greatest source of inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere. Behind The Long Con and Dangerous Submission was a joke my husband made about the SOCA organization having the Thundercats logo (we were looking at other funny logos online) and I started reading up on them. I find accountants sexy and SOCA is kinda like accountants with full police powers and guns. RAWR! Just add BDSM into the mix and why wouldn’t I write about them?

Q. You share pics of your gorgeous cats on your blog! As a cat lover, I’d love it if you’d share one here. And please tell us about your pets

Absolutely. I think I talked more about my cats at GRL2012 than I did about myself. Right now, Milly is in my lap at my desk as I multitask between filling this blogpost and running my business. But oh, I guess I moved too much because now she’s sitting in my filing box. She’s very sweet and lovey and she’ll lay on me for hours as long as I DON’T MOVE.

Chester (who is littermates with Milly) is absolutely precious and as if he knew I was talking about him, he strolled right in and told me not to tell all his secrets. We have nicknamed him Cheddar and I call him my cuddle bug but he’s huge! When my BFF’s three-year old came over to visit, she loved him but we realized how big he is. She didn’t want to pet him but he was nearly at shoulder level so we realized it would be like a lion strolling toward you. You wouldn’t pet it either.

Q. You’re throwing a dinner party. Which of your characters would you most like to invite—and which the least?

Tony Terranova and Drake Steele, however I think they would feel uncomfortable around each other. But I would love to sit between them (OMG, hell yes) and I would hate to invite Bradley. He irks me so greatly, I can’t even begin to start to rant about him because it would take pages about what his issues are…but I do love writing him.

Q. Any exciting WIPs you’d like to tell us about?

I always have something in the hopper but I hate to promise anything because I never know what is going rush at me and demand to be written and finished RIGHT NOW. I have two stories in the works as sequels to Dangerous Submission. Just like with Dangerous Submission, the stories focus on the romance between the men rather than on the suspense plot, which takes a backstory. I have a couple exciting other stories in the mix, so we’ll see!

Thank you Kay for having me by!

Thanks so much fo0r coming, Lori – *pets moggies*

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Dangerous Submission is out now from Loose Id

Blurb: British Agent Drake Steele never thought when he was hired on at the Serious Organised Crime Agency that his job would involve spanking a co-worker. But when the colleague is Lord Robbie Covington, the sexy red-headed computer hacker for SOCA and MI-6, Drake can’t agree fast enough to pop Robbie’s cherry and pull him into the sensual world of BDSM.Now they are caught up in a web of lies as they pose as members of the jet-setting crowd. Drake and Robbie have to race against the clock to stop a weapons haul that could threaten the safety of all Europe. As their covers begin to fade and danger is closing in, protecting Robbie is Drake’s most important task, but neither man is ready for the moment when their hearts are put on the line.

Read an excerpt

Buy it from All Romance Amazon Loose Id

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If you’d like to win your choice of Lori’s wonderful books (see her blog for complete listings) please leave a comment here, including your email when prompted. Emails won’t be displayed or retained for any other purpose. Comp. closes May 6th. Thank you!

Posted by Kay Berrisford | April 30, 2013 | Categories: books, giveaways, guests | Tags: bdsm, books, giveaway, giveaways, guests, new releases, novels, writing | 12 Comments »

Tortured Heroes: Herne the Hunter versus Robin Hood

This was supposed to be part of the Tortured Hero Blog Hop. It was cancelled, but I blogged anyway

I’ve written books about my two favourite tortured heroes. Lucky me! But who’s the best out of Robin Hood and Herne the Hunter—and I don’t mean who’d win if they got in a fight. Who’s best at the depths-of-his-soul angst and the brooding looks? Let’s see.

Robin Hood

The Legend: If we’re talking tortured in the literal sense of being dumped in a dungeon and tormented, Robin wins hands down. Right from the earliest medieval tales, Robin was prone to being captured by the sheriff, beaten up, etc. But angst? Hmmm. Not so much. Robin tended to know what he wanted—the sheriff’s gold—then head out, fight, and take it, facing dangers on the way without too much soul-searching. Even as late as the 1938 Errol Flynn movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood, he tended to be a fairly happy guy, who tackled adversity with a smile that flashed as bright as his blade.

More recent movie and TV versions, of course, have given Robin plenty to angst about. Many have portrayed him as a knight returned from the crusades—where the trauma of war has scarred him—only to find his lands confiscated, maybe his loved ones slain. And then he usually gets to have love/hate relationship angst with Maid Marian (or, if you’re wearing slash goggles, with his mates.) In other words, modern tastes have made Robin suitable tortured, both physically and in the angsty brooding fashion we love. Hurrah!

My Robin: At the start of Lord of the Forest, I’ve killed off half his friends, and he’s wandering the country a lone warrior, lamenting that he’s never found true love. And then he falls for a guy who looks set on betraying him, a royal spy. Oh yeah, angsty baby.

Find out more about Lord of the Forest.

Herne the Hunter.

Herne the Hunter has been a tortured soul from pretty much the start. The earliest mention of Herne comes in Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor.” We learn he is a ghost who haunts Windsor Park, and is seen walking…

“…round about an oak, with great ragg’d horns;

And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,

And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain

In a most hideous and dreadful manner.”

Hmmm. Not a happy bunny. Then again, few ghosts are. However, Herne’s origins can be traced much further back into history, to the gods of Norse, Teutonic, and Celtic religion—including Woden, whose many incarnations have included a carrier off of the dead, and who was said to have hanged himself on the world tree (Yggdrasil). Several later literary depictions (allegedly based on oral traditions of the myth) also portray Herne as driven to suicide for various reasons, including unrequited love and the violation of his daughter.

Overall, Herne is never smiley, and a haunting, brooding presence in pretty much every story he appears in.

My Herne: At the start of Bound to the Beast, my Herne, an immortal who shifts to sport the antlers of a stag when his blood is stirred, is brooding over a broken heart. Said heart was broken fifteen-hundred years ago. Oh yeah, Herne really knows how to brood.

Then he’s got the Wild Hunt to worry about. There was so much angst to discuss in Herne’s “Legend” section that I never got around to mentioning the Wild Hunt, the army of the dead he leads across England on the eve of great disasters. Although ordered to lead the Wild Hunt by the Mother Goddess, my Herne is haunted by wars and plagues that he feels responsible for, and he wishes to never lead the Hunt again. When he’s summoned back to the Greenwood, and the Hunt are waiting, his soul is in for yet more searching.

However, thanks to some pesky fairies, he’s also been bonded to a village lad, Tam, who might just start healing that ancient, broken heart…

Find out more about Bound to the Beast.

The winner

It’s got to be Herne – but I’m giving extra points to Robin for having the angstiest lover in my book (Cal in Lord of the Forest is way more screwed up than Tam!) But to celebrate, I can announce that the sequel to Bound to the Beast, Locking Horns, which takes up the story of Tam and Herne in 1804 as they head to the Greenwood to investigate the demise of the fairies, is due out this July. Check back for more details soon!

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Fancy a tortured hero story for free? You can now download my (Kay Berrisford’s) m/m fantasy Prisoner of the Mountain Watch for FREE from All Romance and Amazon.

Blurb: Once a great warrior, Ivenhal now leads a lonely existence, banished by his people because he’s lain with other men. When he captures an enemy elf, his life takes an unexpected turn.

Posted by Kay Berrisford | April 25, 2013 | Categories: blog hops, books, bound to the beast, lord of the forest, the greenwood, Uncategorized | Tags: bdsm, books, lord of the forest, m/m romance, novels, prisoner of the mountain watch, robin hood, the greenwood, tortured hero blog hops, writing | 6 Comments »

Stories that steal your heart! Interview and giveaway with Sasha L. Miller.

My guest this week is the lovely Sasha L. Miller Sasha has written a variety of wonderful m/m stories, including Stolen Hearts, With A Touch, Retirement, and Battle of Will. Sasha has kindly popped by to answer a few of my questions — plus one lucky commenter can win either their choice of Sasha’s back catalogue or a three month subscription to Less Than Three Press’s amazing serials. How cool is that?

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Q. Hi Sasha – thanks for popping by. Firstly, please tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been writing?

Hi Kay! Thanks for having me. ^__^ I’m a bit of an odd duck, in that I got a late start writing. I was a voracious reader all the way through high school and into college, but it was only in college that I started writing. One of my professors (who was very religious and thought I was a good, upstanding young woman, seriously, so many people think that and I have no idea why ;3) asked, “do you write? You should, you’d be good at it.” I uh, took that to heart and started writing terrible, horrible, and awful original slash. Thankfully, I’ve gotten better. Or so I like to think. ;3

Writing is both a hobby and a living for me. ^__^ I’m quitting my day job at the end of May to focus full time on LT3 and my writing, but even the day job is writing. Alas, nothing salacious there; I’m a junior technical writer for a software company.

Q. As a writer, what is your greatest inspiration?

Hmm, good question. Music is probably my biggest inspiration. At least half the stories I write were in some way inspired by a song or two. I also have about a dozen songs that I have stories ready to be written for, languishing in my queue. ^__^

For example, Stolen Hearts, one of my very favourite books, was inspired by the Breaking Benjamin song Breath, in a very literal way. There’s a line in the song that goes, ‘you take the breath right out of me / you left a hole where my heart should be,’ which inspired me to literally rip one of the MC’s hearts out and replace it with a charm in the book. /is a jerk

Q. Any exciting new releases/WIPs to tell us about?

Currently, I’m finishing up a currently untitled short story that’s very different from my usual fare. It’s a contemp/paranormal crossover sort of thing, wherein the MC (a vampire) goes on vacation and meets a hedge witch. Shenanigans (of the sexy variety) ensue, and the MC is all upset when his “forget me” tricks don’t work on the hedge witch because of the witch’s magic. That’s aimed for mid-June.

There’s also Battle of Will, which is a novel being run as a serial on Less Than Three Press. It’s a lovely enemies to lovers stories, full of stubborn idiots, magic, politics, war, and lots of violence. The two MCs were on opposite sides of the war, right up until Ackley (MC #1) casts a spell that has the unintended consequence of binding him with Beorn (MC #2). They can’t physical hurt each other without hurting themselves, and can’t go further than a dozen yards or so. Add in Beorn’s a Crown Prince on one side of the war and Ackley was a bodyguard to a prince on the other side, and they’re all sparkles and sunshine about the new situation. ;3

Q. You’ve written across a variety of genres—which is your favourite to write? And which is the hardest?

My favourite is fantasy, far and above all else. I love me some magical shenanigans. They’re my favourite, and I find it helps me concentrate on the story when there are multiple things to balance (characters, plot, magic systems).

Hardest would definitely be contemporary. I know people love reading and writing it, but I always find it incredibly boring to write. I can’t keep focused on it. ^__^;;

Q. Please tell us about a typical writing day—if there is such a thing—in the life of Sasha L. Miller?

I don’t have typical writing days, alas. :3 Mostly it’s cram in a few words here and there on weeknights, with heavy-hitting days on the weekends. Writing typically involves lots of google tabs, shutting off the internet and then cursing because the google tabs don’t work, fixing tea, coffee or alcoholic beverage, and then finally focusing and getting words down.

Q. What did you do to celebrate your first ever release—and how did you celebrate the latest?

I did a lot of terrible dancing. Especially when the paperback arrived; I was happy enough to dance then and there, right in front of the wide open windows facing the occupied bus stop. :3 Now I just flail around the internet, usually with one of my terrible summaries (see question three above for examples) and a beer in hand (I’m a heathen; Corona is my favourite).

Q. You’re trapped in the dungeon of a castle in a faraway fantasy kingdom. Which two of your characters would you most like to be trapped with (and help you escape?) Who would you least like to be there with you?

Hmm, let’s see. The two I’d most like to be there would be Nevi from Retirement and Ackley from Battle of Will. Nevi’s a pretty awesome thief (he lived to see retirement, after all ^__~) and Ackley’s got some pretty versatile magic (though definitely unattached from Beorn, b/c good grief those two are good at distracting each other, for better or ill).

Least likely… probably the boys from With a Touch, Eneko and Lain. They’re awesome peeps, but their skills lie in finding things and telling truth from lies, which are not really conducive for escaping. (I’m totally imagining a big, blow out the walls sort of escape. ;3)

Thanks so much, Sasha I’ll listen out for the massive, magic explosion!!!

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If you’d like to win either your choice of Sasha’s back catalogue or a three month subscription to Less Than Three Press’s amazing serials, please leave a comment here, remembering to include your email when promted. Emails won’t be displayed or stored for any other purpose. Comp. closes 26th April. Thanks for dropping by