The Hero Sandwich
Karyn Gerrard
&
Gayl Taylor
A wild night of meaningless sex is all best friends Connie Hollingsway and Nicci Sullivan have in mind when they approach a beyond handsome, younger man in 'The Cougar Cave' bar. They soon realize they have taken on more than they bargained for.
Barrett Michaels just found out he was cut from the Double A baseball team he played for. To drown his sorrows and ease his pain, he goes to 'The Cougar Cave' looking for a one-night stand with an experienced, older woman. Imagine his surprise when not one, but two women suggest a night of mind-blowing, sensual pleasure, with no strings attached.
Can three lonely people keep pain, bitterness, and grief at bay or will emotional fireworks tear down the walls surrounding their hearts?
M/F, F/M/F. cougar/contemporary erotic romance
***Excerpt***
As far as Connie Hollingsway was concerned, she'd just found the meat filling for her hero sandwich. She cast a quick glance to her best friend, Nicole Sullivan, and amended her statement to our hero sandwich. Bass from inane techno music reverberated off the wood-paneled walls of the club called the Cougar Cave that she and Nicci were at tonight. Connie's gaze slid back to the man sitting alone in a booth directly across from them and further down the wall. The man, in a word, was perfect. Ascertaining his age was difficult under the flashing strobe lights, plus he sat directly underneath a neon sign for Budweiser, which cast a reddish glow over a stunningly rugged, handsome face. The layered and tousled hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. Milk chocolate would be the way she'd describe the color. Like all young guys, he had a scruff of facial hair, but Connie's keen eye could make out the sexy cleft in his perfectly shaped chin. There were six empty beer bottles in front of him, and he'd just waved his arm to the waiter for more. A sly smile curved about Connie's mouth. If man-meat was drunk enough, he may be open and willing to consider her suggestion.
Leaning toward Nicci to talk about her idea, the words died in her throat when man-meat stood, shook off his leather jacket, and hung it on the coat rack attached to the back of the bench seat. He was taller than she first imagined, a few inches over six feet to be sure. A skin tight black T-shirt hugged every valley and plane of his powerful physique. Man-meat was cut, chiseled, honed, and sharpened into hardened precision, enough to rival those marble statues of Greek gods. The T-shirt, tucked into a pair of incredibly tight blue jeans, showed his torso to sculpted perfection. Fabric strained across rock hard thighs, a muscular ass and—Connie's held breath whooshed out in a moan—showed off his impressive package to perfection.
She had to get a closer look.
While his build and his aura evoked a certain maturity, there were no telltale lines fanning out from the eyes to show he may be in his thirties, nor were there heavily cut lines around his mouth. Damn, how young was he? Who cared? He was getting drunk at the Cougar Cave so naturally the man would be interested in an older woman.
Wonder how he would feel about two women?
Leaning toward Nicci to talk about her idea, the words died in her throat when man-meat stood, shook off his leather jacket, and hung it on the coat rack attached to the back of the bench seat. He was taller than she first imagined, a few inches over six feet to be sure. A skin tight black T-shirt hugged every valley and plane of his powerful physique. Man-meat was cut, chiseled, honed, and sharpened into hardened precision, enough to rival those marble statues of Greek gods. The T-shirt, tucked into a pair of incredibly tight blue jeans, showed his torso to sculpted perfection. Fabric strained across rock hard thighs, a muscular ass and—Connie's held breath whooshed out in a moan—showed off his impressive package to perfection.
She had to get a closer look.
While his build and his aura evoked a certain maturity, there were no telltale lines fanning out from the eyes to show he may be in his thirties, nor were there heavily cut lines around his mouth. Damn, how young was he? Who cared? He was getting drunk at the Cougar Cave so naturally the man would be interested in an older woman.
Wonder how he would feel about two women?
Thanks for stopping by today! Above you have the excerpt to The Hero Sandwich, make sure you check it out. And now below I have an author on author interview with Karyn Gerrard and Gayl Taylor! After you check that out, be sure to check out the giveaway below!
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Gayl’s questions to Karyn
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Since we both share a love for baseball, and our hero is a baseball player, tell me who your “All Star” line up of baseball heartthrobs are and why?
I’d start with a young Lou Gehrig. This man was built; ever see that old B and W footage of him with his shirt off? Plus he was handsome and a decent guy. So very sad he was cut down in his prime with ALS. I can’t watch the Lou Gehrig speech either by Lou himself or Gary Cooper doing it in ‘Pride of the Yankees’, without tearing up. I even forgive Lou for being a Yankee!
Being a Red Sox fan, I will also have to add in a young Ted Williams. He was a big, good looking guy with a flawless swing. Also a war hero (flyer in WW II and Korean War) Ted was not a perfect man, but his passion for the game and his killer smile melted a lot of hearts. Young Ted was movie-star handsome!
As for today’s players? I don’t watch much baseball except for the Red Sox, but I thought Scott Podsednik (Sox) was cute as the dickens. Also Seth Smith from the Oakland A’s is a fine looking man! I also crushed on Mike Aviles (SS Red Sox) but dang, he’s been traded!
If you were going to cast yourself in the role of one of your heroines, which would it be?
Deanna from My Vampire Cover Model (Decadent Pub) In fact, she is me in a lot of ways. Just an ordinary girl working in a department store. That was me some years back; I even gave Deanna my job as price co-ordinator. Many a day during my dull tasks at work did I daydream of a handsome guy walking in and rescuing me from the doldrums. How wonderful I was able to bring this fantasy to life on the written page~
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I wish I could come up with more for the time travels. When I wrote Timeless Heart, I had no intention to make it a series. I wrote a second book and now have no idea what to do next. Looks as though there will be no more in this series. I learned a lesson. Do not write a sequel to a book unless you have an end game. One idea I would love to try is delve deeper into the shape-shifter world. Some day!
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Hmmm. I guess that my grammar and punctuation were less than stellar, but I am striving to improve. The best compliment? That my characters seem real. That means a lot.
Which of your characters would you like to spend the day with?
I’d love to spend the day with all of them! I think I will pick Cailin Thorburn from the upcoming MY HIGHLANDER COVER MODEL (Decadent Pub). He is from the past and has a killer, sexy accent (Yes, I did another time travel!) Cailin is also smart, funny and entertaining. Spending the day with him would be cool. I would insist he wear the kilt. Shirtless. And hold a big sword. Yeah.
If you could have a romantic fling with one of your heroes (with no consequences, of course), which would it be and why?
I had to think about that one. I love tortured bad boys, so I will have to say Deegan Black, the hero in my upcoming January release, BLACK HEART from Evernight Publishing, I have a thing for vamps who have loved and lost and carry heartache with them, plus the fact he is Irish and was a pirate in a previous life also appeals!
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Karyn’s questions to Gayl
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What cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?
As strange as this will sound, Wile E. Coyote, not because he's a bad guy per se but because no matter how many times he falls off a cliff or ends up with a piano crashing down on him, he perseveres. I know what it's like to chase a dream and have it just out of reach. Although my dreams and goals aren't necessarily as nefarious as Wiley's, it's still hard to be so close and then have that anvil fall hard on top of you. Despite that, you keep going. Hmm, maybe I should have said Energizer Bunny...
Not everyone can co-write with another author. How was the experience and would you do it again with someone?
This was a wonderful experience and I would jump at the chance to collaborate again with Karyn. I think we were both surprised at how quickly we completed the first draft and how seamless it was. If I'm not mistaken, we finished it in three weeks. I wish I could do that with all my works in progress!
In The Hero Sandwich, we each took the POV of one of the women and both contributed to Barrett's storyline. Where the lines crossed is very difficult to tell. We maintained a consistent voice throughout the process, which is difficult in my opinion. It takes trust and the ability to set aside egos in order to do this so it isn't for everyone.
Tell us how you and Karyn ‘met’ cyber-wise~
Karyn and I 'met' several years ago when we were involved in the Sims community. We both used the Sims for storyboarding and posting online. It was a great way to learn and grow with regard to writing and the feedback you get can be valuable. A friendship developed and grew from there. Karyn was one of the few people who encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a published writer. We have become critique partners and I have learned so much from her publishing journey as well. I can safely say that while we have never met in person, she is someone I am proud to consider a good friend. And I adore her sense of humor as well as the man candy she finds to help spark one's creativity!
You have 3 releases (Ride a Cock Horse and The Hero Sandwich~Breathless Press and 1 free read, Lady Luck, Breathless Press) What are you working on now?
I currently have 4 stories 'in development'. The first one, The Sweet Spot, is a manuscript that is about two thirds complete but I am revamping it. When I first started writing it, I was all over the place. Too many tangents, too many unnecessary characters, and too many plot points that just didn't work. I've streamlined it a great deal and hope to have it finished soon. The second is another naughty nursery rhyme called (at the moment) Web of Desire. This one is still very much in the development stages but I like where it's going so far and I love the premise I'm using. This one is about a rock star. Then I have another old WIP about a Navy SEAL that needs a total rewrite (and a title) one of these days and another story about a romance author with a twist called The Write Kind of Love.
Tell me what romance genre interests you the most (reading or writing or both) and why~
This is a tough one to answer because I love reading all genres. As long as it transports me out of reality and entertains, I'm there. One genre that stands out for me is paranormal romance. To me that is fantasy at its finest. Vampires, angels, shape shifters - you can really let your imagination run wild with characters like these. Heroes who are *ahem* larger than life, who love deeply - I can't get enough.
As for what I like to write, it is definitely contemporary romance. I'm a 'write what you know' sort of girl and basically lazy. The idea of researching to write Regency or historical boggles my mind. Or coming up with a mythos for a fantasy world or other-worldly character - yeah, like I said, lazy.
You are at the bar, The Cougar Cave. What men would you like to see saunter through the doors and come sit at your table?
I'm glad you said 'men' because it would be so hard to pick just one. Without question, I would choose Michael David Barre, model and muse for Barrett in The Sweet Spot. This man has fueled more than one naughty fantasy. Those abs, those pecs, those biceps, those hip bones...
I'd also add Mike Matheny, former major league baseball catcher and current Cardinals manager to the list. I've had a crush on him for ages and he was the inspiration for Tate in The Sweet Spot. I'd pick Chad Kroeger from Nickelback, not because he is hot but because that voice of his could melt the socks (and a few other articles of clothing) off me. Rounding out the group would be Ian Somerhalder and Ryan Reynolds.
I do get to take them home right?
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So, here’s our question to you! Let’s say you are in the bar, The Cougar Cave, what man would you like to see saunter in and sit at your table? Sure, he can be younger or older, or maybe you would like two or more to take a seat! Go with the fantasy! A random commenter will win a PDF copy of THE HERO SANDWICH~
