Welcome Julie Lynn Hayes

Please welcome my pal Julie Lynn Hayes promoting her next release from Dreamspinner Press

Thanks for having me on your blog! Today I’d like to tell you about my newest release from Dreamspinner Press. Yes, He’s My Ex is a screwball comedy about Sonny and Tim, two fairly ordinary guys who have rather un-ordinary things happen to them. They’re not together. But Sonny tends to forget that, and then... well, I hope you enjoy it!

Blurb: 

Sometimes Sonny Scrignoli forgets he’s Tim Mansfield’s ex. He waltzes in and out of Tim’s apartment like he still lives there, driving Tim crazy. Is it really so hard to remember they’ve broken up? Then again, maybe Tim should quit having sex with him.

When Sonny disappears for two weeks, Tim can’t help but be concerned. A strange phone call and a mysterious cry for help leads Tim on a desperate search for his ex.

Sonny’s in big trouble, and it’s Tim to the rescue! He’s the only one who can save his ex from a fate worse than death. Bumbling gangsters, a thick-headed former boyfriend, and secretive FBI agents lead Tim and Sonny on a merry chase full of laughs and quirks.

Excerpt:

Sonny’s real name is Mario, but he’s been called Sonny since he was a small bambino, as his mother puts it, so Sonny it is. Sonny stands almost six foot tall in his bare feet, which are surprisingly small for a man, almost dainty. He has chocolate brown hair that grows thick but not long, and generally looks tousled; blue eyes so dark that sometimes they look purple in the proper light, framed behind silver wire spectacles; a generous nose and wide sweet lips which have been known to give the most amazing head this side of anywhere. Put that with the body of an Adonis, and you have Sonny.

I had Sonny, but not anymore. He seems not to realize that, though. At least not most of the time. Hence the part where I see him more often than should be considered normal for someone who’s my ex. Which is where I began.

Sometimes I think he forgets that he has indeed attained that past participle ex-boyfriend status. Granted, it’s only been six months. His mother tells me he just needs time to adjust, please don’t be too hard on her boy. Yes, I still see her too. On a rather regular basis, in fact. Hard not to, when she’s my mother’s best friend. Lucky me. Lia’s a nice lady, I love her to death. But she has this deep-seated belief that Sonny and I are going to get back together again, a belief he seems to share. Along with my mother. And most of our friends.

No one seems to listen to me when I say snowballs rolling along the floor of Hell have a better chance of survival than our relationship. Least of all Sonny. I guess that’s why he keeps coming over here, because in some strange deranged naïve corner of his mind, there’s still an us, and he isn’t an ex. So he wanders over whenever he wants. Sometimes he calls, sometimes he doesn’t. Today he called.

Sometimes I just get tired of telling him no. Some days I don’t even get that far. Today, I didn’t want to waste my breath, so I just said, “Fine. As long as you promise to behave.”

By behave, I mean quit assuming we’re going to have sex. Even if sometimes we do. I know, I know, he’s my ex, right?

Sometimes I just don’t know where to draw that fine line, I think. No wonder the boy’s confused.

Meet the author:

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all.  Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, Amber Quill Press, MuseitUp Publishing, Torquere Press, and eXtasy Books, and coming soon to Wayward Ink Publishing and Prizm Publishing. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.  

You can find her on her blog at http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com, and you can contact her at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.

My links:

Blog  http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com

Twitter @Shelley_runyon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.l.hayes.7?ref=tn_tnmn

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3442231.Julie_Lynn_Hayes

Dreamspinner buy link:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4845

Welcome Chris T Kat

Good morning. Please welcome fellow Wednesday briefer, Chris T Kat for an interview to promo her newest book, The Wolf and His Diva. 

How long have you been writing?

I wrote as a kid and young teenager, but dropped this hobby because other things became more important. I picked it up again in 2008.

Before you started, had you done any fanfiction? If so, what fandom?

Yes, I did! That's what got me into writing again. :) I started out in the House MD fandom, then wrote a bit in the Live Free or Die Hard fandom and also in the White Collar fandom. I also wrote one story in The Sentinel fandom and a couple of drabbles for the Manga Fake and the TV show Stargate SG 1. I loved writing fanfiction and would do it again if a show or movie would really catch my interest.

Are you in agreement that writing fanfiction is a great way to practice ones craft, why or why not?

Yes, I am. It was a great way to start, especially because the characters were well-known and the settings/locations too. I could concentrate on the characters or the plot or just write about them having sex. 

;-) Although I admit freely that I didn't belong to those fanfiction writers who view canon as something holy. Most of all I wrote was AU (alternative universes).

What is your favorite subgenre to write?

I enjoy a lot of subgenres and it really depends on my mood. Still, my favorite subgenre to write is the paranormal genre, especially shape-shifters. I love writing about my guys changing into animals. Often I have them change into babies because that increases the cute-factor to the max.

Would you ever write a hetero romance? Why or why not?

I would. I like pretty much everything under the sun. As long as the characters and the setting are interesting, I'm game. If I'd write a hetero romance, I'd probably go for an older woman and a younger man. I haven't had much luck in finding these kind of stories, so if anyone has any recs, please tell me about them. :)

Your first published book?

My first published book is Seizing It. Dreamspinner Press published it in April 2012. In this story, veterinary assistant Nikita (“Kit”) Jenkins meets Dale Miller. Kit suffers from epilepsy, and also from the aftereffects of an abusive relationship. He has a hard time opening up to Dale, even though he falls head over heels in love with him.

What are you working on now?

At the moment, I'm wrapping up my first science fiction story. Honestly, if I'd known I'd have such a blast writing a sci-fi story, I'd have done so a long time ago. Of course that story features aliens, as well as a snarky main character who falls head over heels in love even though he doesn't want to—not at all. There's lots of suspense and action involved, and as soon as I'm done with the first novel, I'll start on the second.

If you write gay romance or erotica, just how descriptive are youin their sex scenes?

I write sex scenes that fade to black, but also explicit scenes. It depends on my mood and the development in the story, which kind of scenes it contains.

Do you believe it’s important for you to know the gender of the author?

Honestly? I don't care at all. I've never cared about the gender of an author. As long as the story grabs me, all is well in my world.

What promotional method works best for you?

I'm really not sure which method works best. My first book did really well and I didn't promote it at all. For other books, I used paid blog tours and some worked very well while others didn't help with sales at all. I'm still trying to find a good way for me. At the moment, it's a combination of guest blogging on other author blogs and review sites (sometimes including giveaways) and occasionally buying ad space on different websites.

Your favorite gay celeb? 

Matt Bomer! He's such a pretty guy, and from everything I've read about him, he seems to be a very nice man too.

Do you feel that celebs who are gay or bi should come out of the closet?

Celebs should be treated with the same courtesy as everyone else. If they want to keep their sexual orientation private, that's fine with me. I think we should always respect a person's privacy.

For the men in your books, commando or underwear?

Most of them wear underwear because it's more fun for me to write about them undressing each other. ;-)

Favorite character in one of your books?

For a long time that has been Riley in Silver Lining. Now I'd have to say it's Billy in The Wolf and His Diva. Both characters are different from each other but they both love their partners above anything else.

Buy links:

Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4765

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thewolfandhisdiva-1447789-145.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-His-Diva-Chris-Kat-ebook/dp/B00IY66WM2

Blurb:

George Owens is comfortable with his life just the way it is. A wolf- and fox-shifter, George leads a reclusive lifestyle with his energetic and diva-ish mate Billy, a fox-and squirrel-shifter.

George has no desire to take over leadership of the pack, despite his father’s wishes. Edward Owens is feeling his age and wants to make sure the pack is in good hands should he not be able to win his next challenge. However, George is adamant that he wants no part of it.

But events rock George from his complacency, and he realizes he has to take a stand and fight for what he cares about. If he remains in the past and cannot change in order to do what he must, he risks losing everything he loves.

Excerpt:

Billy pushed George’s face away and stepped aside. For a moment, George watched him nose the ground and paw at the snowflakes sticking to his snout. George sighed inwardly before turning his gaze back to their house, gauging how long it would take them to clear a path until they could open the front door.

Paytime! Billy squalled.

George jerked his head around, but before he could do anything, Billy had already tackled him to the ground. He oomphed but played along, relieved Billy obviously wasn’t too put out by the prospect of snow shoveling.

They tussled in the snow, enjoying their time together. When Billy’s playful bites became too much for George, he shook him off easily.

It’s not fair that you always win! Billy complained.

But I’m the big bad red fox!

Uh, big bad red fox? You got something wrong there. Isn’t it the big bad wolf?

George growled in response and shifted into his other animal form—a large, dark-gray wolf. It always amused him to see Billy’s reaction—a surprised yelp and a jump backward.

This time Billy’s yelp turned into a helpless gasp. George blinked several times, trying to clear his vision. For whatever reason, shifting from one animal to another played havoc with his eyesight. When he finally had a clear view again, he stared ahead, trying to understand what was happening.

Billy scrabbled for purchase on the frozen ground, his eyes wide in fear. Nothing he did stopped him from sliding down the slope of the hill faster and faster. George gasped when Billy gave up the fight against gravity, curled himself into a tight ball and shot down the steep hillside.

Chris T. Kat

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

Links:

Blog: http://christikat.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/christi_kat

GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/ChrisTKat

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-T.-Kat/e/B008FQQH2Q

Welcome MA Church!

Good morning. Its been a while since I had guests. Please welcome MA Church to the party. 

Wrapped in Leather #5 Love of Leather

Fear can be a potent aphrodisiac.

~ Kele Moon

The distinct smell of leather has many traits. It can evoke memories of the best moments in life. Scent is a well-known trigger for memory. Leather can also be soft, yet exciting. Enticing. The richness of its scent can tease the senses, drawing out primitive reactions. The smell is alluring, beguiling. The strength of leather, the comfort it offers by its proximity to the body, can be reassuring, even while shivers erupt along the skin as it wraps around a wrist, ankle, or neck. Need floods the body as thick cuffs are secured, triggering that sense of helplessness and immobility. Leather can excite… being so natural, and again, so very sensual. Warm.

The scent of leather falls somewhere between masculine and feminine tones. Leather is one of the earliest notes in perfumery, rooted in the tradition of Gantiers Parfumeurs, a guild of Parisian glove makers who made leather gloves for the aristocracy. Scents like oils, musk, ambergris, and civet were used to mask the nauseating smell of dead animal skin. This re-odorized scent is actually what today describes our notion of the smell of leather.

~Photo courtesy of Gregory Anton http://rav-photography.com

Many thanks to the model, Ben. J

Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4567

Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4568

Release date: January 3^rd

Cover Artist: Paul Richmond

 Blurb:To celebrate his decision to take the next step with his boyfriend Ian, Toshi Baylor plans a romantic evening at their favorite steak house. Toshi starts the special weekend with a bang by surprising Ian at home with lunch. There’s a bang all right, but it’s between Ian and another guy. 

Jase Taylor’s auto repair shop and the BDSM club, Wrapped Up, keep him busy while he waits for Mr. Right, instead of Mr. Right Now. He’s a Dom, but playing with the club’s submissives isn’t providing the usual stress release. After a day from hell, he deserves a good meal at his favorite steak house.

Toshi and Jase find a mix-up with their reservations: a table for Baylor, not Taylor. When Toshi invites Jase to dine with him, they discover a mutual affection for leather and a shared belief that trust must be earned.

Before they can explore their common interests, Toshi suffers a series of attacks by vandals. Jase’s protective instincts kick in, but both wonder if it can lead to anything permanent.

Excerpt:

What a day from hell it’d been.

Toshi glanced through his windshield. Storm clouds, thick with rain, rolled across the heavens, rapidly blocking out the sun in their bid for ownership of the skies. Strong winds battered the car, shrieking viciously as they slammed against the small vehicle. Lightning streaked across the sky. The bolt jumped from cloud to cloud as trees swayed, limbs reaching out in morbid submission to the howling winds.

And it looked like hell wasn’t quite through slinging shit, either.

Boy, the weatherman sure missed the mark for today. A small chance of rain had turned into “going to rain its ass off” at any moment. That was the joy of living in the South—if you didn’t like the weather, just wait a moment and it would change.

“Hold off just a little while longer, just a few minutes longer. Please. I just had my car detailed.”

Toshi exited the interstate, heading toward the less populated area of the city where he lived. As city gave away to country, Toshi checked the skies again. When this hit, it was going to be nasty. Which was fitting—nasty weather for a nasty day. He loved spring, but he didn’t love this kind of weather. Frankly, he was ready for some warmer temperatures—and it was only the middle of March. Guess the kids were lucky Spring Break was last week.

Toshi stopped at his mailbox. He stepped out of his small car and grabbed whatever was inside, not bothering to look. The first splatter of raindrops hit him. He jumped back in his car and slammed the door before the wind could tear it off and hurl it away. Toshi pressed on the gas and hurried down the long drive to his house. The garage door creaked its way up, each passing second bringing the threat of rain closer. Just as he pulled in, the skies opened up and the rain came down with a vengeance.

“Ha! And with seconds to spare.” Toshi turned the car off and gathered his stuff. At least he’d managed to avoid getting his car wet. It was a small victory, but after the day he’d had, he’d take what he could get. Toshi let himself in, mail in hand.

“Junk mail, junk mail, bills… and—oh joy—more bills.”

Toshi threw the stack of mail on the kitchen table, along with his briefcase, and loosened his tie. I’m so glad this day’s over. First, he’d had to rush since he’d overslept—meaning he’d only had one cup of coffee before he left the house, which was never a good thing.

The next crisis involved tracking down his keys, then hurrying to work, only to end up behind someone going ten miles under the speed limit. He arrived at the high school parking lot, parked, and clocked in. He'd hurried to his hall, and the first thing he heard was the wave of noise coming from a classroom… his classroom, as it turned out.

Another teacher was standing in the hall, trying to watch his class and hers until he arrived. The temptation to turn around and walk right back out of the building was great. He was only thirty minutes late, but his students were already climbing the walls. After calming the kids down, he started them on their assigned reading and finally managed to sit—only to knock his coffee over some papers he had yet to grade.

That was all before nine in the morning. The day could only get better. Or so he'd thought until another teacher reminded him they had an after-school meeting. He wanted to scream. The meeting, of course, lasted much longer than needed.

Now he was standing in his kitchen trying to figure out what to cook for dinner. Nothing looked good, and he was tired, dammit. Gods, would this day never end?

My links:

Blog http://machurch00.blogspot.com

Twitter @nomoretears00

Facebook: M.A. Church http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Chur...

The Harvest FB fan page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/theharvest00

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141393.M_A_Church

Thursday Spotlight MA Church

Good morning! Please welcome MA Church with a post about her latest book, Perfect. 

To challenge or not to challenge… that is the question.

What happens when a human by the name of Jeff Mayfield inadvertently lays a monster challenge on the God of Love… one that Cupid can’t resist? Jeff is willful, stubborn, and egotistical… and, best of all, doesn’t think love is something he needs in his life.

Can Jeff be…

Perfect

DsP: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3530

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-The-Gods-Series-ebook/dp/B00B4VEWCG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1358975347&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=9781623803131

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-perfect-1047144-140.html

Sequel to Priceless

The Gods: Book Two

http://youtu.be/q50GEjdliWo book trailer for Perfect

Hey! My name is M.A. Church, and my second book with Dreamspinner is due to be released January 23^rd.  In Priceless, we saw Cupid take aim at two mortals, only to run into one problem after another while trying to get his arrows ready for Garrett or Randy.

By the time Cupid had his shot lined up, the mortals had spotted each other and, as they say, the rest was history. Had the Hags of Fate interfered? And if they had, why?

And more importantly, did Cupid really want to know what those three were up to? The last time they got their hands on him he barely escaped with his wings intact, and was wearing a diaper. This, thanks to them, has since become the most widely known image of Cupid. Intrigued by the events unfolding around him, Cupid stays in Los Vegas. Curious as to what the Moirai are up to, he stays to watch what unfolds… and runs across the one that is meant to be his mate. 

Jeff Mayfield, owner of The Palms, is a jaded, cynical billionaire who’s used to what his money and power can buy. Control is everything to him. Jeff was burned badly when Brad, his cheating ex, ran off with a Hollywood producer, and he swore he would never fall in love again. He tells his long-time friends, Garrett and Zygi, that a bachelor way of life is for him. But the Hags of Fate have other plans and Cupid is on his game.

Power and authority are the traits Jeff has built his life on, and now Cam is slowly disassembling the foundation of his life, touch by slow, teasing touch. As Cam takes the more dominant role, Jeff’s long-held control is stripped away. But Jeff isn’t the only one struggling with control. Cam has issues of his own, and losing control could be… deadly. Because the God of Love isn’t all hearts and arrows. Love has a dark side, and Cam finds himself battling his alter-ego, that green-eyed monster Jealousy.

Blurb:

Jaded billionaire Jeff Mayfield loves only what his money and power can buy, but the Fates have plans for him. First a player in Jeff’s casino hits a huge jackpot and things turn hectic. Then, in the middle of the chaos, Jeff lays eyes on the unbelievably sexy Cam Smith—Cupid in his human form.

Seized by lust, Jeff makes a move, only to find himself on the receiving end of a blistering wave of sexual intent. Cam disassembles Jeff’s self-image and puts it back together upside down. But Jeff isn’t the only one struggling with control. Cam’s alter ego is Jealousy, and if he loses his composure, the consequences will be deadly.

Excerpt:

“So, what is he, or who is he? Cam, I mean.”

Mo took a deep breath. “He wanted to be the one to tell you, Jeff. He’s Cupid, God of Love. He’s had his eye on you since he first saw Randy and Garrett. And no, he didn’t make them fall in love, any more than he made you fall in love. He didn’t use his arrows on any of you. You are his mate, his one true love. And believe me, Zeus isn’t happy with this situation, or with him. He’s not happy with either of us, actually.”

“Zeus…? He’s the… the….”

“God of all the gods.”

Jeff rested his head against the steering wheel. “Okay, right, god of all the gods. Can I say I’m a bit over-fucking-whelmed right now?”

“Now would be as good a time as any.”

Jeff sat back in his seat, rubbing his hands. He hadn’t realized what a tight grip he’d had on the wheel. “So, what has Zeus got up his ass about this?”

Mo frowned. “Up his ass? He’s not gay as far as I know, Jeff. But that’s not to say he hasn’t—”

“Oh my sweet baby Jesus.” Jeff had forgotten that Mo took everything literally. “Why is he not happy with this situation?”

“Ah.” Morpheus snorted. “You’re human. The gods don’t care all that much for humans. Plus, you are not immortal. We are.”

“Shit.”

“Nicely put. There’s more, and this is the hardest. Cupid stands for love, right? That’s what the mythology says, and it’s true. He has arrows that can make people fall in love or fall in hate. But what most humans don’t know is that there are two different sides of Cupid. You saw a bit of the other side earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“That there is a dark side of love: obsession and jealousy. The other side of Cupid is Jealousy, the green-eyed monster that drives people to do horrible, destructive things. Jeff, I’ve seen Jealousy once, and he’s scary. You have to believe in your love for Cam. You need to keep talking, keep explaining what happened—while I stand guard.”

“Stand guard?”

“Jealousy truly is a monster.”

M.A. Church

M.A. Church lives in the southern United States and spent many years in the elementary education sector. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children. Her hobbies are gardening, walking, attending flea markets, watching professional football, racing, and spending time with her family on the lake.

But her most beloved hobby is reading. From an early age, she can remember hunting for books at the library. Later nonhuman and science fiction genres captured her attention and drew her into the worlds the authors had created. But always at the back of her mind was the thought that one day, when the kids were older and she had more time, she would write a book.

By sheer chance she stumbled across a gay male romance story on the web and was hooked. A new world opened up and she fell in love. Thus the journey started. When not writing or researching, she enjoys reading the latest erotic and mainstream romance novels.

Links:

Blog http://machurch00.blogspot.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/nomoretears00

Facebook: M.A. Church http://www.facebook.com/pages/MA-Chur...

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5141393.M_A_Church

DSP author page: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_650