Monday, September 19, 2011

Welcome back Lavinia Lewis

Good morning!


Welcome to Michael's and on this Monday, I welcome back a good friend and fab author, Lavinia Lewis back to the blog. Today, we're also giving away a copy of the second book in Lavinia's Shifter's Haven series, Cody's Revelation.


First, let's enjoy the post from her.


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There’s always time to stop and smell the flowers...


...if you're a cat.


If however you're a living, breathing human being with a life, a job, a family and responsibilities then sometimes, not so much.

Lately I seem to have been spending every spare moment of the day writing, editing, researching, doing promo, blogging, the list goes on. Now, I'm not complaining, far from it. I spend hours and hours lost in my fantasy worlds and I love every minute of it. But when I hear people say that authors have got it easy, that what we do is not a real job or it's not 'work', that makes me very frustrated. I'm quite sure the majority of us put in more hours writing and doing all the other things that come with being an author, than most people spend at their day job, and many of us hold down day jobs too. I’ve had days in which I write as soon as I get up in the morning and at 4 a.m. the following morning, I’m still at it. Trust me, what we do is work.

However, would we do it if we didn’t enjoy it? Of course we wouldn’t. If we didn’t have a real passion for writing, then we wouldn’t bother. But of course the problem with doing something that we’re passionate about is that it can often take over our lives, and before we realise it, writing is our life.

Recently I’ve been so focused on finishing the next novel in my series, or getting the word count up on a number of other books I started, that I’ve neglected other areas in my life. I don’t read as much as I used to (and for me, that’s a travesty!) I don’t paint. My camera hasn’t seen the light of day in months and I used to be quite the avid photographer. But the real eye opener came just the other day when a close friend came by my house to see if I was still alive because she hadn’t heard from me in two months. Two months? Could it really have been that long? It had. I’d been so caught up in my fantasy worlds that I wasn’t living in the real world.

Writing for a living can be a very lonely existence if we let it be. I need to be completely free from distractions when I write, but that can often mean forgetting to take a break, forgetting that I have other interests, and forgetting that I need to make time to stop and smell the flowers once in a while. I think it’s important to remember that each moment that passes, is time we will never get back, so we have to make the most of every second.

I think I’m learning that the key is finding the correct balance. I can still spend much of my time doing a job I love, but I have to make the time to do other things too. Sometimes that might be easier said than done, but it’s by no means impossible. A good work life balance is something that is important for everyone I feel, not only authors. And maybe not merely important but essential.


For those of you that have read and enjoyed my work, fear not. I have no intention of quitting or slowing down. There are far too many stories in my head that are waiting to be shared. The latest of which – Aaron’s Awakening will be released on October 17th and I’m really very excited about sharing this particular story. But from now on I’m going to remember that there is more to life than ‘work’ and I’m definitely going to stop and make time to smell the flowers. I hope you all do too.




The blurb

Werewolf Aaron Drake is delighted to learn he is finally moving to Texas with his father and father's mate. Aaron is even more excited to meet his mate – Panther shifter Cary - on the very first day in his new home. But Aaron’s happiness is short lived when, upon their first meeting, Cary runs away from him, distraught.

When Panther shifter Cary Lewis discovers Aaron Drake is his mate, he is absolutely terrified. Mate. The word fills him with dread. Cary Spent two years being abused by his mate Gill and the last six months trying to get over his death. The last thing he needs or wants is another mate, especially one who appears to be as aggressive and dominant as Gill had been. But the mating bond is hard to resist and so is Aaron Drake. Just when Cary begins to come to terms with their union a representative from the supernatural council shows up, and Cary learns that cross species mating is strictly forbidden.

Forced to hide their relationship from the council or face dire consequences their bond is further tested when they discover gay shifters in the area are being targeted and killed by a group of local thugs. Are there too many problems for two such young men to overcome or is their blossoming relationship worth taking a chance on?



Excerpt

The closer Aaron got to the stalls, the stronger the smell became. Without warning, his eyes shifted to their wolf form and his incisors tore free from his gums. Shit. That had never happened to him before. Not even when he was a cub. Aaron had always had perfect control over his wolf, as did most alphas.
He entered the barn and walked towards the stalls in an almost trance-like state. Aaron had to get to the source of the smell—it was calling out to him. He reached what he remembered to be Misty’s stall, took a deep breath and immediately regretted doing so. The scent hit him so hard he had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself. Whatever the hell it was made him feel dizzy. He waited for the wooziness to pass then pushed open the stall door.
Misty was stood in the corner, her head turned away from the door. A small man with the finest ass Aaron had ever laid eyes on was bent over, brushing the horse’s front leg. Aaron nearly choked at the sight. His skin prickled and he began to shake. His wolf was howling within him and struggling to break free. Mate. Aaron knew it as surely as he knew his own name. This man was his.
A low growl tore from Aaron‘s throat. He knew he couldn’t have stopped it even if he’d wanted to, because he wasn’t calling the shots anymore…his wolf was. The man jumped when he heard the sound and spun around to face him. Holy mother of God, he was beautiful. Aaron was speechless and he was never at a loss for words.
The man was about five-foot-ten in height. He was slim, bordering on thin, with narrow hips and long, elegant legs. Aaron’s gaze travelled up the lithe body to the man’s face. It too was elegant. He had high cheekbones, a small, delicate nose and full, pink lips that begged to be kissed.
Long, dark lashes framed eyes the colour of rich milk chocolate. Aaron frowned when the man’s fine, dark hair fell forwards, obscuring his mesmerising eyes. He needed to see them up close.
When Aaron quickly moved nearer, the man gasped. His eyes widened and he backed himself into the corner of the stall then slid sideways along the wall. Aaron wanted to tell the man not to run away from him, but how could he say anything when he’d lost the ability of speech? If he ran, Aaron knew without a doubt he wouldn’t be able to contain his wolf. It would happily hunt its mate if it had to. Hunt him down and claim him.
Aaron moved forwards until he was inches away from this gorgeous specimen of a man. He was even more perfect up close. His lips were pink and plump and as Aaron watched, the man’s tongue darted out to wet them. Aaron couldn’t wait a minute more to taste them. He grabbed his mate roughly and pulled him against his body. The man squirmed in his hands. He appeared to be struggling to escape but his eyes told a different story. They were filled with heat. His pupils were dilated, indicating his mate was as aroused as he was. Aaron pinned the smaller man against the wall and covered his mouth with his own.
As soon as their lips touched, Aaron’s entire body responded. Was it possible to come just from kissing someone? Aaron pushed his tongue into the man’s mouth and groaned when he tasted his mate for the very first time. The man tasted every bit as good as he smelt.
When their tongues met, the man’s earlier resistance ceased. He whimpered into Aaron’s mouth, opening his own mouth wider before bringing his tongue out to play. Aaron’s dick was practically jumping for joy when his mate snaked his arms around his neck to hold him in place as he was kissed back with a ferocious intensity.
Aaron pulled away from his mate’s lips and looked down at his crotch. His dick was hard, as hard as Aaron’s own. He reached a hand down and palmed it before ripping open the button of his mate’s tight jeans. The button pinged off and skittered across the stall floor. Aaron barely noticed. He was too focused on the prize in front of him. He needed to feel his mate’s hard cock in his hand with nothing in between. He wanted to know what it felt like not only in his hands but also in his mouth. He had to know what it tasted like.
“No!”
Aaron’s gaze shot up to his mate’s face. His eyes pleaded with Aaron to stop. It was like being doused in a bucket of cold water. Aaron removed his hand and stepped back. What had he done wrong? Why did he want to stop? Didn’t he realise they were mates?
“I don’t want this!”
The man’s firm tone brooked no argument. His words made Aaron’s heart ache with sadness and despair. He stumbled backwards when his mate pushed him away. He watched in agony as the man ran from the barn, tears streaming down his beautiful face.

Aaron’s Awakening will be released on 17th October and will be available for pre-order shortly from Total-E-Bound here:- http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1394

To find out more about me and my current projects visit my website http://lavinialewis.com/


Thanks so much for having me here today Michael. I appreciate all the help and support you’ve given me since I arrived on the scene less than a year ago. You are an inspiration.

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Aw thanks Lav. Really? Me? You already have 4 sole author books out my dear. This muse only has 2. *laughs* Anyway, fabulous blog. Now, we have a copy of book 2 to give away to a lovely commenter today.

Blurb from Goodreads: Werewolf Cody Morgan is summoned home from New York to Texas by his elder brother and alpha Kelan, and immediately knows that visiting alpha Stefan Drake is his soul mate. However, Cody’s newfound happiness is short-lived after he discovers Stefan has a wife and son. Cody’s life becomes further complicated when Stefan’s brother-in-law shows up and challenges Stefan’s position as alpha. Are there too many obstacles to overcome or is true love worth taking a chance on?


Now, please comment on the blog today and win this copy. It's a fab series and one you must pick up. 


Hope you enjoyed the blog today and thanks to Lavinia for being such an awesome guest!


For those of you looking for Menage Monday with Xakara, it's at BLRawiyas today.





7 comments:

mary gresham said...

Oh WOW, I just don't know if I can say anymore than that! This just sounds totally hot, no doubt about it. Can't wait to read it.

Anonymous said...

Wow - that excerpt was great!! I love your writing, the guys are always really hot, and can't wait to read more of this :)

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I was so caught up in the excerpt I forgot to comment on this great blog. I totally agree, keeping a work-life balance is difficult for writers and, as much as I love what I do, it can end up seeming like a bit of a slog when it takes over your life 24/7. Lately, its my reading time that has suffered most, which is *big* shame. So I think I need to follow in your footsteps and make time for other things :)

S.Lira said...

TY so much for visiting everyone. :D

And thanks Lav for stopping by!

LaviniaLewis said...

Hi Mary. Aww thank you! I'm really excited about the release of this book. Thanks for commenting.

Hi Kay thanks for reading and for your comments! Yes I think it is important to make time for other things. It's so easy to get immersed in our writing and that's not a bad thing as long as we remember it's not the 'only' thing there is.

Rawiya. You're welcome honey! Thanks so much for having me! :)

felinewyvern said...

Both those books sound great - guess I better start a new list of books I want (the page is full on the first one :D)

LaviniaLewis said...

Hi ilona! Thanks you! Wow only one page! I have 363 books on my to-read list over on Goodreads and it grows by the day :P Thanks for commenting!