Sex and Strawberries: guesting over at Raine Delight’s
The Bound to the Beast blog tour continues!
“My new release, Bound to the Beast, doesn’t have a warning for ‘sex with the weather,’ but it might just contain a scene along those lines, as well as some creative use of apples and ginger, and, err, antler porn.”
Read more over at the wonderful Raine Delight’s blog…
Another chance to win Bound to the Beast!
I’m guest author today over at Love Romances and More! Leave a comment or question and bag a free copy of Bound to the Beast.
Guesting at Dawn’s Reading Nook
The Bound to the Beast blog tour continues! Today, I’m chatting and sharing a sizzling excerpt over at Dawn’s Reading Nook.
Plus, there’s a chance to bag a FREE copy over at The Romance Studio. The draw only runs for 24 hours, so go enter now!
Wild in the woods with Anna Mayle
I’m thrilled to welcome Anna Mayle, author of the Stolen Child series, a deliciously dark tale of fae and changelings that feels very close to my heart. And there’s many good reasons the wild worlds of her books are so authentic, and her prose so vivid…
Q. Anna, you “grew up in the woods and wild, in a place almost forgotten by time…” Sounds amazing. Tell us a little more about where you come from and how this informs your writing?
I was born in Petosky, in the upper peninsula of Michigan (that piece above the mitten that looks kind of like a cross between a dragon and a fish on the map), but we lived on Drummond Island. I’ve heard it’s changed a lot since we left, but when I was little it was all green and growing. The trees went on forever. We had a clearing around the house and a saw mill. Mom cut the boards and built the house with her family and her bare hands. Before that she’d lived in a loft in our sugar shack where she made syrup from the sap of the maple trees in the forest. When she realized that I was on the way, she and my granddad agreed that plumbing and a wood stove to heat the place would make baby care easier. We had goats (one slept in my bed with me, no matter how many times mom put her outside, she’d find her way in), and dogs and cats we rescued, and bats we could never quite chase out of the porch.
We used to have rendezvous in the summer. In a clearing deep in the woods we would live in a teepee with a fire pit cut out and dug in the center of it. Mom made that too, and decorated it with tribal animals pictures like a turtle and a deer, and a moon and star (she was the moon, I was the star, we added another star for each of my brothers and my sister as they were born). Trappers, traders and craftsmen would gather to live in a communal setting for a while, to keep in touch with simpler times. There were shooting contests and hatchet throwing, music, and games for us kids like searching for pennies in huge sawdust piles and scavenger hunts. My mom made me a black powder musket and I could shoot before most kids could read and read before many could talk. According to my mom I was born with a head full of hair and eyes wide open, she says a turned my head and looked up at the doctor and he almost dropped me in surprise. From there on, every day was about nature and life and adventures and what could be learned from the three of them. There was a small town, a group of close friends and family, water and wildlife all around us and through it all was love.
When we moved to the mainland I had culture shock. I’d thought everyone lived like we did! ^_^
All in all, I was a very lucky kid.
Q. As a fan of fairies and folklore, your first story, Bedtime Story for a Stolen Child, completely blew me away. What inspired you explore the very darkest side of the fae?
Bound to the Beast released for Nook (at kickass discount!)
Just found out Bound to the Beast has finally made it onto Barnes and Noble, who’re selling it at a kickass 17% discount. You can grab a copy here
Don’t forget, there’s also still discounts on the title at Loose Id and Amazon.com, but not sure for how long…
Sex, flirting, and antler porn!
It’s my blog day at Flirty Author Bitches! Pop by to find out why I love writing sex scenes and to read a sizzling excerpt from Bound to the Beast.
4.5 star review of Bound to the Beast!
Bound to the Beast has gained an amazing 4.5 star review over at M/M good book reviews!
Pixie writes: “So…a story filled with world building, delightful and disgusting characters, incredible detail, more wonderful lore, passionate, primal, primitive sex with a touch of BDSM and some very happy characters with a wonderful ending…
…get this book and let it take you on a journey.”
Also, don’t forget, you can still buy Bound to the Beast on 10% discount from Loose Id this weekend! Read an excerpt and buy it there now.
The Wild Ones Get Saucy!
The Bound to the Beast blog tour continues! Today, I’m over at Melanie Tushmore’s Cocktales and Hot Sauce blog (awesome title!)
“Ah yes, the Wild Hunt. A pack of the undead who maraud across the land, terrorizing the natives and sucking blood! Ghosts! Zombies! The evil dead, with their eyes drooling from their sockets and their flesh hanging off! That’s going to be fun to write, huh?”
Read more and an exclusive excerpt from Bound to the Beast over at Melanie’s blog…
Win Bound to the Beast
Today, I’m over at the lovely Tara Lain’s blog. Drop by and leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning an e-book copy of Bound to the Beast!
Bound to the Beast: Excerpt and discount
Just found Loose Id have posted an excerpt from Bound to the Beast on their LJ comm! It’s not the very opening of the book (the prologue) but is a lengthy part of chapter one. You can read it here
There’s a 10% discount on the title at the Loose Id store this weekend! It doesn’t mention it on the site, but if you put the book in your shopping cart, the reduction will show up then. Honest!
Thank you so much, Megan! I’ve been working my way through her amazing back catalogue of m/m romance and fantasy over the past few months, and loving every one! You can find out more about Megan and her writing here.Horny Vikings and Iron Age Gods!
Today, I’m chatting about the legend and history of Herne the Hunter, over at the lovely Elin Gregory’s blog.
Today in The Comfy Chair – Kay Berrisford.
Guest interview with Alex Beecroft
I’m thrilled to welcome Alex Beecroft. Author of epic Age of Sail novels, False Colors, Captain’s Surrender, and By Honor Betrayed, Alex is just as home in the world of fantasy as she is in writing beautifully researched historicals. Her two forthcoming releases Under the Hill: Bombers Moon and Under the Hill: Dogfighters promise us time travel, World War II, UFO hunters and the fairies at the bottom of the garden. I, for one, cannot wait to get my hands on them!
Bound to the Beast – out now!
Bound to the Beast (A Greenwood novel) by Kay Berrisford. Published by Loose Id., 10th April, 2012.
Genres: m/m, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, BDSM.
The Greenwood, 1588. When a ritual goes wrong, Tam is bonded to legendary warrior, Herne the Hunter. As Herne’s mastery awakens Tam’s darkest sexual fantasies, will Tam beg for his freedom or to be bound to the beast forever?
Riding with the living dead: The Wild Hunt
Every good hero has a dark side. Herne the Hunter, hero of my new novel Bound to the Beast, possesses one murkier than most. In recent centuries, Herne has been associated with the Wild Hunt, a band of undead ghouls, fairies, and hellhounds, who sweep across England on the eve of great disasters, bringing horror to all who see them and spreading destruction in their wake. Not the most peaceful of hobbies, then.
However, Herne is not the only figure associated with the Wild Hunt, and indeed, their origins are obscure. Different visions of the Wild Hunt can be discerned in the folklore of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Germany, France, Scandinavia, and beyond.
One of the first descriptions of a Wild Hunt is attributed to the Roman historian Tacitus (who conjured many exotic images of the ‘wild’ and ‘untamed’ peoples of the northern European forests, underlining the Roman imperialist project). Writing in the 1st century AD, he describes the Harii, a Germanic tribe as
“….a fierce people who enhance their natural savageness by art and the choice of time. Their shields are black, their bodies painted black, and they choose black nights for battles and produce terror by the mere appearance, terrifying and shadowy, of a ghostly army. No enemy can withstand a vision that is strange and, so to speak, diabolical; for in all battles, the eyes are overcome first.”
Early figures associated with the Wild Hunt include mythical Anglo-Saxon king, Herla, and the god, Odin/Woden (namesake of Wednesday, Woden’s Day.)
A depiction of Odin found on a warrior’s helmet, from Sweden, 7th Century AD.
Although primarily a northern European phenomena, the Wild Hunt captured the attention of Italian renaissance artist, Agostino Musi.
Musi’s ‘Vision of the Wild Hunt,’ 1515.
Many of the most powerful evocations of the Wild Hunt come from Norse mythology (especially its (re)invention among 19th and 20th century romantics.) This early 19th century Norwegian poem described the Wild Hunt of Asgard led by the god, Thor.
Thor, the strong one, his hammer high,
Stands tall in his rig, in front of the pack.
He strikes his shield and hot red flames
Light up the nightly raid at the scene.
Horns blow, and an awesome noise
From bells and riding gear resounds.
Then the pack roars loudly and people listen
With rising fear in their quaking homes.
The Wild Hunt of Asgard raids the county
Whilst fall and winter at stormy nights.
But it favors to travel at Yuletide…
They feast with trolls and giants;
they closely ride by meadow and path
And pass the fearful nation.
Then, – take care farmer! Keep all in order!
As the wild hunt of Asgard may visit your home!
Read the rest of the poem here.
Thor and his giants in an illustration from H.A.Guerber’s ‘Myths of the Norsemen,’ 1909.
One of the most famous descriptions of the Wild Hunt is ‘The Hosting of the Sidhe’ by the Irish poet and romantic nationalist, W.B.Yeats, in ‘The Celtic Twilight’ (1893), a collection inspired by Gaelic faerie lore.
The host is riding from Knocknarea
And over the grave of Clooth-na-Bare;
Caoilte tossing his burning hair,
And Niamh calling Away, come away:
Empty your heart of its mortal dream.
The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,
Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,
Our breasts are heaving our eyes are agleam,
Our arms are waving our lips are apart;
And if any gaze on our rushing band,
We come between him and the deed of his hand,
We come between him and the hope of his heart.
The host is rushing ‘twixt night and day,
And where is there hope or deed as fair?
Caoilte tossing his burning hair,
And Niamh calling Away, come away.
Wodan’s Wilde Jagd, by F.W. Heine, 1882.
Dark indeed! In recent years, the Wild Hunt have turned up in various books, comics, and video games, and there was even a film by that name, made as recently as 2009. Anybody seen it?
So from the mists of folklore to the present age. All that we can be certain of is that the Wild Hunt rides on.
This is a companion blog to The Horned One.
The Wild Hunt feature my forthcoming novel Bound to the Beast, published tomorrow.
Win an e-book copy of Bound to the Beast.
Pop over to the awesome Stumbling Over Chaos blog now, to win a copy of my forthcoming release from Loose Id, Bound to the Beast.
Bound to the Beast (A Greenwood novel) by Kay Berrisford. Published by Loose Id., 10th April, 2012.
Genres: m/m, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, BDSM.
The Greenwood, 1588. When a ritual goes wrong, Tam is bonded to legendary warrior, Herne the Hunter. As Herne’s mastery awakens Tam’s darkest sexual fantasies, will Tam beg for his freedom or to be bound to the beast forever?
Guest interview with Charlie Cochrane
I’m thrilled to welcome Charlie Cochrane! I’ve been a massive fan of Charlie since I discovered her Cambridge Fellow Mysteries, and Lessons in Love was one of the first m/stories series I ever read. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to meet Charlie several times, and she’s a lovely, lovely person to boot! As well as her hugely successful series, Charlie has written oodles of fantastic historical, contemporary, and paranormal fiction. Her latest release, Dreams of a Hero, has a very sexy Greek setting.
Q. I’m very excited about the new novella. What was the inspiration behind Dreams of a Hero?
A song called ‘Boeotia’ by Matt Alber. It tells about the Theban Band standing up to Alexander and his father on the plains of Chaeronea. I couldn’t possibly write a story set back in those times (way out of my comfort/knowledge zone) and so I cheated a bit by putting the Classical scenes in the context of dreams and having them affect the modern day action.
Q. Was the Greek setting inspired by your own travels?
Not mine, but my daughter’s. She’s done all the key sites several times over and is really good to go to places like the British Museum with. Very knowledgeable and better than an official guide for giving you the lowdown on Nemean lion hunts (but then, she’s taking a degree on the subject!)
Q. Who’s it about — and why will we fall in love with them?
It’s about two very English blokes, Miles and Roger, who are in a civil partnership. Miles is an accountant, quite shy and mild mannered, while Roger is a writer of murder mysteries and much more outgoing. When they find themselves in a dangerous situation, the unexpected hero emerges. If you like your men handsome, well spoken, beautifully mannered and dead sexy, they’re your boys.
Q. I have to ask this question, because the fans want to know. Is there any chance of more Cambridge Fellows Mysteries or was All Lessons Learned the last we’re going to hear from Jonty and Orlando? *sniff*!
Oh yes indeed. Lessons for Survivors goes into edits next month and should be out (e-book and print) this summer, from Cheyenne. It’s set in 1919 and sees the boys back on the trail of a murderer again. Orlando gets a promotion to Professor, so there’s plenty of scope for angst about inaugural lectures.
Yay!
Q. I believe you’re a bit of a rugby fangirl, and I love the rugby scenes in the Cambridge Fellows books. Have you ever been inspired by any ‘real life’ heroes when writing your books, sporting or otherwise?
Absolutely, all the time. In fact, at least 80% of my characters are named after my sporting heroes (like the policemen Wilson and Cohen, who are straight out of the 1966 cup winning team). I have some of my fave actors/sportsmen in mind as my mental images for characters and I have to admit to being a bit naughty at times and putting in little clues to the inspirations. (A certain actor is the physical basis for Jonty and I occasionally put in tiny references to some of the roles he’s played.)
Q. You’ve set books in a variety of historical periods, as well as writing contemporary. What is your favorite period to write?
I do like early twentieth century, partly because many of the books/poetry I’ve loved to read through my life date to that time. Conan Doyle, Wilfred Owen and Jerome K Jerome, for example – who could want for better models and who could resist the era they depict? Having said that, my favourite era does tend to be whichever one I’m writing at the moment, in which case it would be contemporary, until I start the Lessons for Survivors edits, when it will be just post WWI!
Q. Which is your favorite of your own stories, and why?
Can’t answer that. It’s like asking which of my daughters is the favourite. I do love Jonty and Orlando, so any of the Cambridge stories has a special place in my heart, although I also like my terribly well bred werewolves in Wolves of the West and the Dreams of a Hero boys. Shall shut up now before I name the lot.
Q. What’s next from the prolific pen of Charlie Cochrane?
The next release is Tumble Turn from MLR. It’s set around the 2012 Paralympics and tells the story of an S9 swimmer who finds that winning isn’t everything…except when everything rides on being first.
Blurb: Ben Edwards is the rising star of British Paralympic swimming, with a medal at London 2012 firmly in his sights. Love isn’t going to be allowed to get in the way – until he meets Nick, who proves to be a big distraction from training. With his times sliding, and a family illness, to worry him, it looks like Ben’s Olympic dreams are in tatters. Until Nick comes up with the most outrageous incentive for winning.
Sounds fantastic! Thanks to Charlie for dropping by, and keep reading for an excerpt from Dreams of a Hero.
Blurb: Mild-mannered and unassuming, Miles is on a journey he never expected. After a visit to Greece with his partner, Roger, he begins to experience vivid dreams in which he travels back in history and takes on the role of avenging hero.
Roger notices Miles’s newfound bravery during his waking hours and is concerned that his lover is changing into someone he doesn’t recognize.
When they discover a gay-friendly café is being plagued by violent thugs, Miles is uncharacteristically determined to take action, no matter the cost. Roger argues it would be both dangerous and pointless to intervene, but Miles insists he’s been called to fight an army, and now he’s found one.
Excerpt:
The shield was tall and heavy, but the bearer was taller still. This gave little advantage when it meant he could get such a clear view of the advancing lines of troops. Miles adjusted his stance for comfort, staring oncoming death in the eye. “Which one is he?”
“The small one, that’s what they say.” Roger held the spear straight, never wavering even in the heat of impending battle. “Word is he’ll be leading the cavalry, away from where his father’s stationed.”
“Can’t have two firebrands together in case the whole world catches flame?” Miles managed a rueful smile. “They say he’s handsome, the son.”
“And spoken for.” The smile was returned.
“I only said he was rumoured to be handsome, not that I wanted him to carry me off to his tent.” Miles adjusted his stance again, eliminating any chink in the shield wall.
“You might be grateful if that were your fate, come nightfall.” Roger shivered. “I pray we’ll survive to joke about this. Now comes the deluge.”
“Deluge? Don’t you mean the conflagration, with the son of fire at its head? And with Hades’ gates wide open in his wake.”
The company turned slightly, as the horses came charging over the plain of Chaeronea.
Miles woke with a start.
