Well here we are, my first of two stops on the V-Day Bites Hop!! Thanks to Annie Walls and Contagious Reads for hosting!! Today we are celebrating.... (drumroll please!)
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Interview & Giveaway: Emma Jones, author of The Awakening
The Awakening
Emma Jones
Do you believe in vampires? Ghosts? The supernatural world?
Meet Lauren who instantly clicks with Gavin at a friend’s BBQ. Everything goes well until Lauren starts to experience strange things and hears a weird voice. It seems like a warning but from what? Lauren eventually makes the startling discovery that Gavin is a vampire and it has profound consequences for herself. The arrival of Daniel makes things even more confusing for Lauren as she is warned he is bad news from a ghostly source. Laurens life is turned upside down as things she thought were myths and legends become real and she struggles to cope with everything she has discovered.
Will Lauren and Gavin’s relationship survive and what about the mysterious Daniel?
Hey everyone! I'm glad it's Friday - are you? Today I have an interview with new author Emma Jones. So check it out, check out The Awakening and enter the giveaway!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Playlist Day 2 - A Little Too Much by Lisa Desrochers
A Little Too Much
Lisa Desrochers
In the follow-up to Lisa Desrochers’ explosive New Adult novel A Little too Far, Alessandro Moretti must face the life he escaped and the girl he loved and left behind.
Twenty-two year old Hilary McIntyre would like nothing more than to forget her past. As a teenager abandoned to the system, she faced some pretty dark times. But now that’s all behind her. Hilary has her life on track, and there’s no way she’ll head back down that road again.
Until Alessandro Moretti—the one person who can make her remember—shows up on her doorstep. He’s even more devastatingly gorgeous than before, and he’s much too close for comfort. Worse, he sees right through the walls she’s built over these last eight years, right into her heart and the secrets she’s guarding.
As Hilary finds herself falling back into love with the man who, as a boy both saved and destroyed her, she must decide. Past or future? Truth or lies?
Hey everyone! Welcome to 2014! I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season!
So today I have a playlist post for A Little Too Much by Lisa Desrochers. Hope you like it!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Chat with Sigal Ehrlich, author of Layers (+2 Giveaways!)
Layers
Sigal Erhlich
According to Hayley love is a subject of ridicule, a myth created by hopeless romantics.
When Hayley makes a resolution to declare her loose lifestyle era R.I.P, it’s all good in theory…
That is until she meets Daniel Stark, a well-respected, mid-thirties business man who is known for his short temper, lack of steady relationships as well as his strict preserve of his private life.
Opinionated, sharp tongued Hayley accidently steps into his office leaving Daniel resolved to put Hayley in her place and have her in his bed.
Both Hayley and Daniel can’t avoid the immediate instigation of the attraction between them.
In a unanimously agreed upon verdict by Hayley and her two best friends, Ian the gay self-absorbed, aspiring model and Natasha the witty, borderline neurotic soul mate, Daniel Stark is to be Hayley’s pure physical attraction, emotions aside era closure.
Will it indeed be a closure, or a beginning to something neither Hayley nor Daniel ever bargained for…
A couple weeks ago I reviewed this book (link below) and I absolutely loved it. I gave it a five star rating, actually. The author, Sigal, is such an awesome and nice person that I also consider myself lucky that I got an interview out of her, too! So here is the interview today - along with a giveaway Sigal is offering. There are two prizes, and both are international!! Enjoy the interview, and good luck everyone!
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Julia Sykes gets dark with her guest post about Knight (+Giveaway!)
Knight
Julia Sykes
He wants to know my name. I have to answer, have to obey, but I can’t. I am plaything, a possession. And slaves don’t have names. Why is he tormenting me like this? I need to please him so that I can get my reward. God, I need a fix. I’ll die if I don’t get one.
Lydia Chase has been abducted and broken. Her only escape from the pain is the sweet high of the heroin that her sadistic Master gives her as a reward in order to control her. She is found by FBI agent Smith James, and he is determined to help her heal. But she becomes dangerously dependent on him, and his brand of rescue might just leave her more broken than ever. How can she ever become whole again if she can’t learn to let him go and take control of her own life? Does she have a hope of finding freedom when Smith refuses to release her heart? Or is this new form of captivity just what she needs to survive?
WARNING: Given the nature of this story, this book contains graphic violence and references to sexual assault, which some readers may find upsetting. It also contains sizzling scenes of (consensual) BDSM!
NOTE: Knight is part of the Impossible series, but it can be read as a standalone story without spoiling the other books.
As a lover of dark books, I'm super excited for today's post and giveaway. I can't wait to get started on this series myself, and I hope you will be as interested as I am! Let me know what you think, is this for you or no? Have you read any of the books in this series?
My Twisted Little Heart
Writing Dark Romance
Julia Sykes
Firstly, thanks so much to Liz for inviting me to ramble on her blog! I’ll be sharing some of my experiences and motivations when it comes to writing dark romance.
I’m really in to rescue fantasies. But what fun is a rescue fantasy if you don’t put your characters through horrible, horrible trials first? I’ve always loved erotic romances where the heroine is put in real peril before all is said and done. However, as I amassed more and more of these books over the past several years, I began to wish that the envelope would have been pushed a bit more. I found myself re-envisioning the climax to these stories, only with a much darker twist.
At first, I kept these thoughts carefully guarded, concerned that if people found my private erotic short stories, they would be disturbed. But then I stepped into the world of self-publishing. I was terrified to share my dark stories, but I discovered that other people liked them too. It was incredibly freeing to realize that I wasn’t alone in my messed up fantasies. As I’ve continued writing, I’ve really let my dark flag fly.
My anxiety ratcheted up a notch when I released my new book, Knight (An Impossible Novel), which is my darkest work yet. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t tone down the story. Doing so wouldn’t feel genuine, and I have to be okay with writing what I want to write.
That being said, writing Knight was a more harrowing experience than I expected. Actually putting the words down on the page to give form to the images in my mind was difficult and disturbing at times. As were the results of my research. While my findings often enriched the story in ways I hadn’t imagined, it was all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of the darkest corners of the internet. Finding out more about PTSD, heroin withdrawals, psychological torture, whip scars, and the fact that your Smart TV can spy on you was downright scary.
I also put a lot of myself into this book, which – while upsetting – was extremely cathartic. No, I haven’t experienced anything like what I put my characters through, but a lot of the themes in the story definitely come from a very personal place. The beauty and promise of first love, the indelible grief of losing that love, watching someone close to you die, and the realization that you can’t take responsibility for other people’s happiness were very emotional elements to explore through my writing. I cried quite a bit while working on this story, but in the end, I felt better for it.
The BDSM elements to my work are actually the most positive, hopeful aspects of my stories. BDSM can be incredibly healing, and that is at the heart of all of my books.
While my Heroes often blur the lines of morality, at their core they are all “good” guys. Just as much as my heroines need help dealing with psychological scars, my alpha males need to learn to lean on their women just as much.
Ultimately, my stories are one dark, twisted ride. But in the end, the message is hopeful, even if it’s not completely, perfectly happy. Love can heal even the most flawed, broken people, but it will never erase the past completely. To me, that makes my characters’ love all the more enduring; they need each other on an obsessive level in order to maintain the mental balance that they have achieved through their relationship. And that conclusion holds a darkness of its own.
I used to think pain wasn’t real. At least, not in the sense of being a tangible thing. It was just the result of my primal brain’s in-built response to inform me that damage was being inflicted on my body. If I trusted the person who was giving me pain, then I knew he wasn’t going to damage me. If I understood my pain, it stopped being something to fear and became something… interesting. I could master the hurt and ride the high of the adrenaline that flooded my system. I could enter subspace, that gloriously blank place where nothing existed but the sweet endorphins released by the pain that I embraced.
But then He came along and turned that all on its head. He enjoyed administering pain to torture, not to pleasure. And I couldn’t trust Him not to inflict damage. He claimed He didn’t like it when I forced Him to damage me; He didn’t want to mar his property. But that didn’t mean He wasn’t willing to do so in order to get what He wanted.
I had tried to fight the pain for so long, to hold on to my conviction that it wasn’t real. It couldn’t hurt me if I didn’t let it. But He gave me so much that it overwhelmed me, claiming all of my senses until my whole world was agony. I was perpetually trapped in some twisted, inverted form of subspace where nothing existed but the pain, but it gave me no pleasure.
My only reprieve was the sweet reward that came with the merciful sting of a needle. If I was good, if I obeyed and screamed prettily enough, then He would give me my reward. I lived for it; that was the only time I was alive.
But I had become so dependent on it that now the denial of my reward was just as terrible as the agony He gave me. It had been so long since I had gotten my last fix.
Tonight, Master was testing me. He wanted to see just how obedient I was. He wanted the satisfaction of seeing just how thoroughly He had broken me.
I was broken. And I didn’t even care. All I cared about was my reward. Right now, my need for it was so acute that my insides were twisting and my skin was on fire. I was desperate to give Him whatever He wanted so I could get my fix. If He hadn’t ordered me to stand in the corner quietly and wait for Him to return, then I would have been curled up on the floor sobbing.
But I wasn’t ensconced in the stark loneliness of the pitch black dungeon that had become my home, and I didn’t have the luxury of going to pieces. His order for my silence denied me even the right to voice my agony. He had brought me out in public for the first time, and I recognized the place where He had brought me as a BDSM club. He would be able to torment me here in front of dozens of strangers, and no one would stop Him.
The thought of shouting out a safe word or screaming for help didn’t even cross my mind. All I could think about was when He would come back and doing my best to please Him so that He would grant me my reprieve. He had been gone for so long, and I was starting to panic.
And now a strange man was talking to me, threatening to hurt me if I didn’t tell him my name. But I didn’t have a name. If I did ever have a name, I didn’t remember it now. I was a slave, and slaves don’t have names.
You can find Julia lurking on the internet in the following places:
Or email Julia directly at juliasykes193@gmail.com
Julia Sykes gets dark with her guest post about Knight (+Giveaway!)
Knight
Julia Sykes
He wants to know my name. I have to answer, have to obey, but I can’t. I am plaything, a possession. And slaves don’t have names. Why is he tormenting me like this? I need to please him so that I can get my reward. God, I need a fix. I’ll die if I don’t get one.
Lydia Chase has been abducted and broken. Her only escape from the pain is the sweet high of the heroin that her sadistic Master gives her as a reward in order to control her. She is found by FBI agent Smith James, and he is determined to help her heal. But she becomes dangerously dependent on him, and his brand of rescue might just leave her more broken than ever. How can she ever become whole again if she can’t learn to let him go and take control of her own life? Does she have a hope of finding freedom when Smith refuses to release her heart? Or is this new form of captivity just what she needs to survive?
WARNING: Given the nature of this story, this book contains graphic violence and references to sexual assault, which some readers may find upsetting. It also contains sizzling scenes of (consensual) BDSM!
NOTE: Knight is part of the Impossible series, but it can be read as a standalone story without spoiling the other books.
As a lover of dark books, I'm super excited for today's post and giveaway. I can't wait to get started on this series myself, and I hope you will be as interested as I am! Let me know what you think, is this for you or no? Have you read any of the books in this series?
Monday, December 9, 2013
Review & Giveaway: For Real by Chelsea Cameron
Series: Rules of Love, #1
Author: Chelsea Cameron
Published: November 20, Createspace
Format: Ebook received for review
Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong? When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He's more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly. But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel... not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that's ever felt REAL?
Shannon Travers is a junior in college; a young woman with corporate dreams and living the good life. Also, Shannon is a…. VIRGIN!! *Collective Gasp* While still holding your V Card isn’t a bad thing, Shannon’s friends seem to think she needs to just get on with it already, and their good intentions kind of take on a jerk reaction, and that leads Shannon right into Jett’s arms.
While Shannon is a bit of a bookworm that is sometimes a bit clumsy, she is a thoughtful and caring friend. I really liked her throughout this story, and I felt she was a relatable character. She has a wonderful smart ass inner monologue, to match a drifting though process, and the both of them together had me giggling to see what she was really thinking.
Jett… whew. He’s a wonderful guy. Jett is an Asian hottie, sporting massive dragon tattoos and a mohawk. I’m not sure why, but I think this might be the first romance I’ve read with an Asian male in the lead, and I loved it! It was definitely a treat to change up my view a bit, and Jett was definitely the perfect candidate for that. He is quiet and thoughtful, but at the same time he is extremely playful and caring. He has a protective side, especially when it comes to Shannon. He has an affinity for making origami cranes, is a wiz at graphic design and has a large heart - Yep, I definitely put Jett Nguyen on my “Super Hot” List (that I just made up…)
“And your hip?” he says, his voice low.
Is it possible to die from anticipation? Because I think I just did. Jett crouches down and I swear I’m going to have a seizure if he does what I think he’s going to do.
And then he very carefully places the lightest of kisses on my hipbone and OH MY GOD I SWEAR I CAN FEEL HIS LIPS THROUGH MY JEANS AND I’M GOING TO DIE NOW.
He looks up at me from his crouched position and his face is oh so serious.
“All better,” he says and his voice hitches a little and I realize that if I just turned my body, he would be face-to-face with my downstairs. Well, not like my downstairs has a face. It does have lips though…
The whole of this book wasn’t very dramatic, and not really sexual at all. For me, it is definitely on the younger side of NA. However, it was so much fun and really just enjoyable read, I found myself not caring about the lack of sex. There is a special treat in the form of Jett’s roommate, Javier. Javier isn’t really about first impressions in this book, but once you get to know him, you discover he really just has a wealth of love for Jett, and immediately that raised him, like, ten notches on my “Awesome Character” List (which I also just made up…)
Chelsea Cameron’s writing is really great, with an easy and light feel to it. I didn’t want to put this book down, and I will definitely be looking into reading other books of hers. I found For Real to be the perfect weekend read, and if you are looking for something to read I would definitely recommend it!
Hey, I also featured For Real in this week's Quote-Tastic, so if you want to see TWO more hilarious quotes, check it out! Just click HERE
Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.
Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)
Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, Listen coming out in 2014.
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Review & Giveaway: For Real by Chelsea Cameron
Series: Rules of Love, #1
Author: Chelsea Cameron
Published: November 20, Createspace
Format: Ebook received for review
Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong? When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He's more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly. But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel... not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that's ever felt REAL?
Shannon Travers is a junior in college; a young woman with corporate dreams and living the good life. Also, Shannon is a…. VIRGIN!! *Collective Gasp* While still holding your V Card isn’t a bad thing, Shannon’s friends seem to think she needs to just get on with it already, and their good intentions kind of take on a jerk reaction, and that leads Shannon right into Jett’s arms.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Paperback Giveaway for Brandon's Bride by Lisa Gardner for two US winners!
Brandon's Bride
Lisa Gardner
Life isn't easy for Victoria. She lives on a struggling ranch where she raises her son as a single parent, because his father was addicted to drugs. Along comes Brandon MacNamara, who’s staying at her ranch on temporary business, a man with whom she knows she shouldn't get involved. But her curiosity gets the better of her. And after Brandon begins to let his guard down around her by telling her about the mission that brought him to her ranch—the one to find his absentee father, he wants to become a man worthy of her affection. But Brandon’s search for answers is about to turn dangerous, threatening their growing connection—and their very lives.
Lisa Gardner is the New York Timesbestselling author of fourteen previous novels. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Catch Me, Love You More, and the International Thriller of the Year award–winning novel The Neighbor. Her FBI profiler novels include Say Goodbye, Gone, The Killing Hour, The Next Accident, and The Third Victim. She lives with her family in New England. Connect with Lisa online
Paperback Giveaway for Brandon's Bride by Lisa Gardner for two US winners!
Brandon's Bride
Lisa Gardner
Life isn't easy for Victoria. She lives on a struggling ranch where she raises her son as a single parent, because his father was addicted to drugs. Along comes Brandon MacNamara, who’s staying at her ranch on temporary business, a man with whom she knows she shouldn't get involved. But her curiosity gets the better of her. And after Brandon begins to let his guard down around her by telling her about the mission that brought him to her ranch—the one to find his absentee father, he wants to become a man worthy of her affection. But Brandon’s search for answers is about to turn dangerous, threatening their growing connection—and their very lives.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Debra Doxer stops by for an interview about Keep You From Harm (+ Giveaway!)
Keep You From Harm
Debra Doxer
Secrets…
They weigh you down. I’ve kept a secret all my life. It’s my mother’s secret, too. I inherited it from her along with a unique ability that only we possess. She’s gone now, another victim of addiction. If her death isn’t enough to bring me to my knees, her betrayal flays me to the bone. Because the secret my mother and I have been keeping is just one of many she’d kept. She never told me I have an older brother. And now he’s here, eager to be my guardian.
There is no one else. So I move across the country to live with this stranger, my brother. But experience has taught me that most situations are temporary and forming attachments only leads to hurt in the end. That’s why I’m determined to keep to myself in this new place, struggling to seem aloof while I’m quietly breaking apart.
Then I meet Lucas…
His magnetism is hard to resist, and most girls at school aren’t resisting. I don’t fall so easily though, especially not for guys who use their good looks as a weapon. From the start, our interactions are tense and volatile. I know it’s because I’m denying the unwelcome desire that grips me when he’s near. I think he feels it, too. He looks at me with an intensity that threatens to unhinge my resolve. Soon he’s trying to break through the walls that past hurts have built.
But I’m not what I appear to be, and it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with him. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until a terrible act of violence reveals that Lucas has a secret, too. It’s a secret that links us together and ties us to an evil history I could never have imagined.
Hey everyone! Today I have an interview with author Debra Doxer!! I hope you enjoy it, and add Keep You From Harm on your TBR today! Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom. It is for one prize, and open to both US & International! Thanks for coming by!!
Liz
Hi Debra! So nice to meet you! Pull up a seat and let’s have a chat!
So nice to meet you, too. Thanks for having me here.
So today we are here to talk about Keep You From Harm. Can you tell us a little bit about this book?
It’s a romance with a big dose of mystery and a dash of paranormal thrown in. It includes themes about staying true to yourself and being completely selfless in a world where that trait isn’t always valued. It’s also about overcoming adversity and opening your heart to love.
It sounds great, I can't wait to read it!
As someone who hasn’t read the book yet, what kind of things can I expect to happen in the pages?
You can expect a strong heroine to root for and a love interest that makes you both swoon and grit your teeth in frustration. There is some explosive chemistry between the main characters who are attracted immediately, but resist each other due to the secrets they’re both keeping. As those secrets unravel, it’s hard to tell the bad guys from the good guys. From what I hear from readers so far, the ending packs an unexpected punch.
A little bit of fun – are there any celebrity look-alikes you would pick to play your main characters?I am so out of touch when it comes to celebrities. But based on those I do know, if I had to choose, I’d say Blake Lively and Cam Gigandet. They’re kind of beyond the age range of the main characters who are 17 and 18, but they’d sure be nice to look at.
Um, hell yeah!
Debra, do you have any other upcoming projects you can share with us?
Right now, I’m writing the second book in the Remedy series. This time, the story is being told from dual points of view, both Lucas’s and Raielle’s. I hope readers will be happy with the direction the story takes. The second Remedy book will release in May or June of 2014. I’m also working on a new adult contemporary romance which I’m planning to release next year.
What’s a day in the life of Debra Doxer like?
When I wake up, my servants bring me my breakfast on a silver tray and read me my schedule for the day. Oh wait, that’s Kate Middleton’s day. You mean my day? Well, it’s a bit different from that. I’m a single mom with a full-time job and a three-year-old who thinks she’s the boss. I drop her off at preschool in the morning, and then I fight the traffic all the way to work. I’m at the office all day until the dinner rush starts. In the evening, I try to have some quality time with my daughter before she goes to sleep. Then I borrow on my own sleep to create characters and worlds for them to navigate through. I really love writing at night, when everything is so quiet, and it seems like anything is possible on the page. That’s my time.
I can completely relate!
What is your favorite genre to read? Do you have a “go-to” author?
I have two favorite genres – romance and mystery. Right now, my go-to author is Samantha Young. I’m loving her books. She writes amazing dialog.
If I (or someone else) gave you a million dollars, what’s the first thing you would do?
Put it in the bank. I figure that amount should cover half of my daughter’s college tuition by the time she gets there.
From all of your books, which is your favorite character – and why?
Right now, it’s Raielle from Keep You From Harm. I just love her, and it could be because I’m in her head all the time, but I really admire who she is. She always puts others ahead of herself, and her integrity is unquestionable. I enjoy putting her into situations that test her. So far, she always does the right thing. It’s going to be interesting to conjure up a situation where she makes a selfish choice. Getting her to that place is going to take some tricky maneuvering.
If you could live within any book from any author, which would you choose?
Is it terrible to say my own book – Keep You From Harm? When I was writing it, I was basically living out some fantasies. Who doesn’t want an awesome superpower? Who doesn’t want to meet their soul mate and have adventures with him? So, yeah. I’d love to be in my own book – as long as I could still control everything, of course. But only saying my own book is making me squirm a little, so I’ll also say Pride and Prejudice. Going back in time and meeting Elizabeth and Darcy would be incredible as long as my air-conditioning and my Chuck Taylors could come with me.
How about some favorites?
-Pie – I’m not real big on pie, but I looove chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.Yeah? How about this one??
-Vacation Spot – Cape Cod
-Drink – Diet Pepsi. I drink way too much of it.
-Color - Blue
-TV Show - Homeland
Thanks for stopping by Debra, it’s been fun getting to know you!
Thank you so much for having me. You ask great questions.
Find Debra Doxer Online
Debra Doxer stops by for an interview about Keep You From Harm (+ Giveaway!)
Keep You From Harm
Debra Doxer
Secrets…
They weigh you down. I’ve kept a secret all my life. It’s my mother’s secret, too. I inherited it from her along with a unique ability that only we possess. She’s gone now, another victim of addiction. If her death isn’t enough to bring me to my knees, her betrayal flays me to the bone. Because the secret my mother and I have been keeping is just one of many she’d kept. She never told me I have an older brother. And now he’s here, eager to be my guardian.
There is no one else. So I move across the country to live with this stranger, my brother. But experience has taught me that most situations are temporary and forming attachments only leads to hurt in the end. That’s why I’m determined to keep to myself in this new place, struggling to seem aloof while I’m quietly breaking apart.
Then I meet Lucas…
His magnetism is hard to resist, and most girls at school aren’t resisting. I don’t fall so easily though, especially not for guys who use their good looks as a weapon. From the start, our interactions are tense and volatile. I know it’s because I’m denying the unwelcome desire that grips me when he’s near. I think he feels it, too. He looks at me with an intensity that threatens to unhinge my resolve. Soon he’s trying to break through the walls that past hurts have built.
But I’m not what I appear to be, and it wouldn’t be fair to get involved with him. At least that’s what I tell myself. Until a terrible act of violence reveals that Lucas has a secret, too. It’s a secret that links us together and ties us to an evil history I could never have imagined.
Hey everyone! Today I have an interview with author Debra Doxer!! I hope you enjoy it, and add Keep You From Harm on your TBR today! Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom. It is for one prize, and open to both US & International! Thanks for coming by!!
Liz
Ellis Carrington stops by with a Guest Post and Giveaway for Stripped Clean!
Stripped Clean
Ellis Carrington
Carlos O'Shea is stuck. He knocked up a girl in college after a night of too much drinking and then married her to be honorable. With little money, fewer options, and no degree, he winds up cleaning the floors in a small town gentlemen's club and thinking desperate thoughts about the handsome owner that'll lead to nothing but trouble.
Greg Moorehouse only invested in a nudie bar to help his best buddy out of a financial crisis. Now his drug-dealing ex-boyfriend, his reverend father, and a parade of surgically-enhanced DDs are driving him insane. But what's really stripped him of all good sense is his growing obsession with his married employee, Carlos.
They circle each other in a push-pull of misunderstandings and growing attraction. Carlos needs to get his boss out of his head, and Greg can’t abide cheaters and married men. So what are a strip club owner and the guy who cleans going to do with their undeniable desires?
Please note: This is an adult gay romance, for mature readers only. Contains explicit love-making between two hot-blooded men, angsty dark moments, and cupcake-baking exotic dancers.
Hey everyone! Welcome to Wednesday!! Today I have author Ellis Carrington by to do a guest spot about cheating!! It can definitely be a very controversial subject for a lot of readers! Check it out, see what she has to say. Weigh in with your opinion! And don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom for your chance to win a copy of Stripped Clean! Thanks for coming by!
*Liz
The Drama of Cheating in Romance
Hey everyone! First I wanted to say a huge thank you to Liz for allowing me to guest post today, and for having such a sexy blog! ;)
I felt saucy this morning so I decided to go with a slightly controversial topic for today’s post: cheating.
I know this comes up in mainstream romance once in awhile, but it seems like a real biggie in the genre of gay romance, and I see it more and more as the genre grows. It’s a reality of life that a guy might say, not realize (or not acknowledge) that he’s into men until he’s already in a committed relationship with a woman. In a genre that digs it’s gay for you and related tropes, this makes for a plethora of emotionally intense story premise possibilities. And yes, there’s an ideal solution to said situation that involves patiently waiting until the married guy isn’t anymore, but life isn’t always pretty or perfect.
Personally? I don’t always mind books with cheating. It makes for good drama, and I’m an angst girl. So long as the ending is happy, go ahead and rip my heart out a little. And nothing throws in story complications like a little “Till death do us part.”
I remember reading Sue Brown’s “Nothing Ever Happens” when I was newer to gay romance and finding it to be a really tragic and lovely story. A man struggling to chose between the man he truly loves and the family he believes he should be faithful to, well that’s just something you can feel for. I couldn’t help but root for him to get a happy ending. Jacob Flores’s “3” is a ménage story that stems from cheating that I also enjoyed. The happy ending worked for me. These stories wouldn’t be what they were if the authors had tried to play it safe and leave the married men out of the equation.
I do understand why people find cheating distasteful in romance, and if that’s your moral or personal stance then I respect your belief one-hundred percent. I suppose my thought is this: Characters are supposed to be flawed. If they don’t screw up, if they’re too perfect, they’ll be flat and boring. If they’re not villains or assholes, maybe we can understand and forgive them their indiscretions. It’s up to the author to justify their behavior of course, but that’s another story.
When I wrote STRIPPED CLEAN, I faced the same decision about cheating: I started the story with Carlos married and then started to wonder if maybe I should back off. Maybe he should be separated, or newly divorced. But the story wouldn’t have been the same, and the conflict would have been gone. I believed wholeheartedly that Carlos and Greg are good characters with good hearts and that in the end their love would win the day in spite of that additional challenge.
I hope you agree.
Happy reading,
Find Ellis Online!
Romance requires a hopeful ending and that is why Ellis Carrington is driven to write it. She loves to create original stories that are gritty, witty, and a little unexpected, just like the heroes who inhabit them. Her guyscome in both human and non-human form because spirit guides and vampires deserve love too. Her favorite things are great friends, great music, and books that make her laugh and cry like there’s no tomorrow.
Available at: Amazon | All Romance ebooks |B&N | Kobo| iBooks
Giveaway is International, 18+ only, void where prohibited. Winner has 48 hours to respond to winning notification or a new winner will be chosen.
Ellis Carrington stops by with a Guest Post and Giveaway for Stripped Clean!
Stripped Clean
Ellis Carrington
Carlos O'Shea is stuck. He knocked up a girl in college after a night of too much drinking and then married her to be honorable. With little money, fewer options, and no degree, he winds up cleaning the floors in a small town gentlemen's club and thinking desperate thoughts about the handsome owner that'll lead to nothing but trouble.
Greg Moorehouse only invested in a nudie bar to help his best buddy out of a financial crisis. Now his drug-dealing ex-boyfriend, his reverend father, and a parade of surgically-enhanced DDs are driving him insane. But what's really stripped him of all good sense is his growing obsession with his married employee, Carlos.
They circle each other in a push-pull of misunderstandings and growing attraction. Carlos needs to get his boss out of his head, and Greg can’t abide cheaters and married men. So what are a strip club owner and the guy who cleans going to do with their undeniable desires?
Please note: This is an adult gay romance, for mature readers only. Contains explicit love-making between two hot-blooded men, angsty dark moments, and cupcake-baking exotic dancers.
Hey everyone! Welcome to Wednesday!! Today I have author Ellis Carrington by to do a guest spot about cheating!! It can definitely be a very controversial subject for a lot of readers! Check it out, see what she has to say. Weigh in with your opinion! And don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom for your chance to win a copy of Stripped Clean! Thanks for coming by!
*Liz
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Interview & Giveaway with Kelley York for the Embrace Launch Celebration!
Kelley York
He’s loved her. Killed for her. Yet he may not be able to save her.
Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids. Since then, he’s never stopped trying to shelter her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when skipping from one toxic relationship to another. Archer is always there, reeled in and tossed out, waiting to be noticed.
Then Evan Bishop breezes into town with a warm smile and calming touch, and Archer can’t deny his attraction to him. Evan is the only person who keeps him around without a single string attached. And the harder Archer falls for Evan, the more he sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.
But Viv has her hooks in deep, and once she finds out Archer’s dark secret, she threatens to expose the truth if she doesn’t get what she wants. And what she wants is for him to end his relationship with Evan...permanently.
Wow, pretty haunting cover right? And did you read that blurb? Hushed is most definitely on my TBR list. And recently I got to interview the author, Kelley York. So join us today for the Embrace launch celebration, and check out our interview. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Kelley! Nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by Pull up a chair and sit!
Well, thank you very much!
Can you tell us a bit about Hushed, what can we expect from this book?
What you can expect is a lot of dark, introspective looks into the minds of three individuals--Archer, Vivian, and Evan, and the way they push the plot forward with their actions. It has murder, redemption, psychological trauma, healing, and a little bit of romance.
This book sounds like it has a lot of nail biting action and drama to it! The characters all sound so amazing. Where did you get the inspiration for these characters? Are there any celebrities who might look like them?
I’ve always pictured Elisabeth Harnois as Vivian. She’s an underrated actress, beautiful, and talented, and awesome at playing sweet and dark at the same time. Archer would be Steven R. McQueen, and Evan would be Matt Lanter. I’ve also picture LEea Heady as Archer’s mother.
Do you have any behind the scenes tidbits about Hushed that you could share with us?
Archer Pond correlates to Archer’s Pond, which is a fun little ghost story you should look up. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this in interviews before but in my very, very initial ideas for HUSHED, Evan and Vivian were both innocents who were supposed to fall in love and Archer began to get jealous. Basically, he took on the role Vivian now has. Once I began to write, the characters took on lives of their own and obviously things took a different turn.
So Kelley, what is the best thing about being an author? And the worst?
The best is hearing that my story emotionally moved someone. I don’t even care if they hated the book: the fact that it did something to effect them so strongly that they either hated or loved it is an amazing feeling. Apathy is what I don’t want. The worst? Maybe the self-doubt and the constant thought that I’m not good enough. Alternatively, publishing goes so very slow and that drives me nuts.
Do you have any advice for anyone else who might be thinking of becoming an author?
(1) Keep writing. Don’t get caught up on edits and how crappy something is on the first draft. Alternatively, don’t assume your first draft is perfect and agents/publishers are going to jump for it just because you took the time to fix some spelling errors. I write extremely clean first drafts, and even I have plenty of work to do in edits.
(2) Don’t get caught up in one project. I see people focus on a single book so much for years...and yet they don’t write anything else. While you’re shopping one book, be writing another. If book one isn’t working then don’t feel like it’s going to waste if you set it aside. Not a lot of writers get their first book out there.
Are there any upcoming projects that you can tell us about?
Several, haha. DIRTY LONDON will probably see the light of day the soonest, and is another LGBT story about a gay girl trying to keep it a secret in her conservative school. More than anything, it’s a story about sisters and their relationship, though, so as usual with me, the romance happens around the plot and not the other way around.
Do you have a favorite character, out of all of your books, and why?
Ohh, I hate playing favorites and it’s hard to pick… Out of everything I’ve written, Noel would probably be my favorite, but that book hasn’t been published. Of the published stories, Archer is likely number one even though SUICIDE WATCH is my fave of my books.
Kelley, if you were tv/movie villain – who would you be?
Probably one of the zombies from The Walking Dead...
Would you rather have ten million dollars or ten extra years on your life?
Hard to say. Is that ten years making a difference between 30 to 40? Or, like, 80 to 90? If it’s the latter, I would take the money.
And if you couldn’t be an author, but could have any other job in the world – what would you pick?
I’m really into psychology and I would love to pursue a career into that.
Thanks so much for chatting with me today, it was nice meeting you!
Thank you so much for having me!
Once upon a time, Kelley York was born in central California. And it's there she still resides with her lovely wife, step-daughter, and an abundance of cats, while fantasizing about moving to England or Ireland. She has a fascination with bells and animals, is a lover of video games, Doctor Who, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she’s a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or at least write about them.
Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you wondering and crying. Character development takes center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and the workings of their mind are limitless.
Her first book, HUSHED, was released by Entangled Publishing in December 2011. Her second and third books, HOLLOWED and SUICIDE WATCH, were released in 2012, and her next Entangled book, MADE OF STARS, is slated for October 1st, 2013. Visit Kelley via her
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elixing
HUSHED Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11842962-hushed?from_search=true
EMBRACE…endless possibilities. A new adult imprint from Entangled, launching November 11th! You can follow them and get more information about future titles @EPEmbrace or their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmbraceImprint
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