Category Archives: Guest Post
A Visit from Ravan McAllan and “A Dom’s Decision” #Erotic #Romance #TeamAthol #BDSM
Welcome to the Book Nook, folks. Always nice to have you come by.
Today I have a special guest with me — fellow Sexy Siren, Raven McAllan, who is here to talk about her newest Evernight release, A DOM’S DECISION.
Take it away, Raven!
When I started to write Athol’s story, I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Stubborn, opinionate and ohh my, yeah a Dom. Oh what a Dom…
He helped Anna in Master, and showed us just a little bit of himself. But it wasn’t just me who thought his story should be told. It was people who read Master, and loved Athol. In fact for ages this story was just called Athol’s Story.
Then he went all quiet on me. I said he sulked he said no not at all. I was being bratty and not listening to him. (Me? Bratty? Never. Lmao)
(From this you’ll guess I’m a character driven pantster, not a plotter.)
I put the story aside and left him to glower. Until one day I realized he was shouting so loud, I had to finish his story. And I did. The rest just flew.
A Dom’s Decision, Athol’s Story ( Dommisimma book 2) is the result…
* * * *
When is a Dom not a Dom? When it stops him from being with the man he loves…
Athol Donaldson lost many people in his life, his lover, his family, his twin. The latter loss seems hardly worth morning over. Affric caused nothing but trouble when alive, and now, he seems intent on causing trouble from beyond the grave.
It forces Athol to seek out the one man he’s never forgotten.
Eden Murdoch has no intention of letting Athol slip through his fingers again. He’s lost him once, and as they’re forced to pull together to unravel the mystery surrounding the parentage of a teenage girl, their love for each other blossoms.
Surely, being Doms doesn’t mean they can’t compromise? Will they be able to work out their differences, and find lasting happiness, or will this blast from the past prove to be their final undoing?
Here’s a wee tease…
Athol and Edan are together again after far too many years apart…
* * * *
(Mature Audiences Only)
“Bratty Dom.” Edan gasped the words as his fingers fumbled with the hem of Athol’s T-shirt. “Fuck, what’s this stuck on?” He held Athol’s T-shirt away from his torso.
“Hold on.” Athol inched the material up and over his nipples. Edan’s moan sent his cock into overdrive and his heart thudding. “Ah, you like?”
“Oh, I like.” Edan ran his finger over the silver ring through Athol’s right nipple. “How long have you had this?” He dipped his head and Athol about exploded as Edan circled the ring with his tongue and then tugged gently on it.
“Sh … er god, three, four, ah fuck, enough already. Let’s do more. Condoms?”
“Con … Fuck, shit, and bollocks.” Edan rolled onto his back and groaned. His dick stood up long, hard and slicked with his pre-cum. “No, I’ve been celibate for so long they’d have shriveled up. You?”
Athol echoed the groan, and laughed softly. What he really wanted to do was cry and rail. Talk about serendipity—not. Was this his punishment for what happened all those years ago? Why on earth would he have thought he’d need rubbers? He’d been more concerned he might need a box to protect himself from a kick or a punch. “Don’t talk daft. I’d forgotten what one looks like. Shit. Ah, well. Sixty-nine always was my favorite number. We’re clean, and I trust you.”
* * * *
How does it go? Ah well you’ll need to read the book to find out…
Available from http://www.evernightpublishing.com/a-doms-decision-by-raven-mcallan
About the Author: A multi-published author of erotic romance, Raven lives in Scotland, along with her husband and their two cats—their children having flown the nest—surrounded by beautiful scenery, which inspires a lot of the settings in her books.
She is used to sharing her life with the occasional deer, red squirrel, and lost tourist, to say nothing of the scourge of Scotland—the midge. As once she is writing she is oblivious to everything else, her lovely long-suffering husband is learning to love the dust bunnies, work the Aga, and be on stand-by with a glass of wine.
http://www.ravenmcallan.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/rmcallan (my page)
https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan (author page)
https://twitter.com/RavenMcAllan
Happy Reading,
Love R x
Guest Post: Does Love Still Exist? #LoveComesLater #Romance
Does Love Still Exist?
By Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar author of Love Comes Later
St. Valentine may be horrified by the cherubs touting candy, flowers or jewelry. The overemphasis of eros, or romantic love, may have merged out of rampant marketeering. Between Christmas and Easter, after all, is a lot of retail silence. In modern society, with women marrying later, and partners divorcing earlier – not waiting for children to grow up – does love still exist?
I had a great idea in 2009; I would write a book about how a modern person with traditional values would find love. I didn’t think this would be so difficult. After all, I’d managed to resist the pressures of my own South Asian culture until the spinsterly age of 26, when, as my father put it, “to find a good man who would make a commitment to me” even if he wasn’t Indian.
Fresh from an unlikely, whirlwind romance in the desert, I sat down to explore in fiction the difficult choices facing young Qatari men and women amongst the myriad dilemmas of love, choice, honor, and duty.
The Qatari characters were based on a meld of dozens of stories I knew of real people; but the insertion of a South Asian girl into the love triangle was all my own.
I put Abdulla, the male protagonist, and Sangita, the unexpected loved interest, in a small London apartment. And waited for sparks to fly. In a Disneyesque-romantic genre, move, they were on a countdown; three days.
But nothing was happening. There they were; young, attractive, in close proximity, and I couldn’t believe that they were falling in love. All the elements were there but the emotions were missing.
I started asking everyone: “How do people fall in love?”
My older Indian friends were surprised.
“Didn’t you have a love marriage?” They asked me, products of the arranged marriage system. “Don’t you know?”
“Seems so long ago,” I muttered, well out of earshot of my husband.
“I loved your book,” another friend said. “I’ve never known what love is…” she said, with a dreamy look in her, having been arranged to her husband.
“It’s all the same after a while,” I said to her dryly, watching our husbands on their mobile phones while we mothers ran after our children.
“But how can they fall in love,” I asked my Qatari friends, growing desperate for realism as the book entered a seemingly endless cycle of revisions.
“She has to be hot,” one of my male beta readers said, in all honesty.
Chemistry. Right. I forgot that part, somehow, settling into comfortable domesticity.
Abdulla and Sangita did eventually find their way in the story. The sequel to the book is in progress and explores an equally murky area: what happens after the spark? Are the chances for survival of ‘falling into’ love greater?
I grew up with the idea that no, falling in love did not guarantee romantic success; making allegiances between well researched partners was stacking the cards in your favor. My parents’ anti-falling in love argument was the 50% divorce rate in America.
We’ll see what happens for Abdulla and Sangita as they try to grow their spark into a fire to heat their home.
What do you think? Do you fall in and out of love? Or do you choose to love?
Love Comes Later
By Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
Winner of Best Indie Book Award, Romance, 2013
Semi Finalist, Best Novel, eFestival of Words, 2013
Finalist, New Talent Award, Festival of Romance, 2013
“…a deliciously tangled plot and insight into life on the Persian Gulf.”
Kirkus Review
Blurb: When newlywed Abdulla loses his wife and unborn child in a car accident, the world seems to crumble beneath his feet. Thrust back into living in the family compound, he goes through the motions—work, eat, sleep, repeat. Blaming himself for their deaths, he decides to never marry again but knows that culturally, this is not an option. Three years later, he’s faced with an arranged marriage to his cousin Hind, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Hard-pressed to find a way out, he consents to a yearlong engagement and tries to find a way to end it. What he doesn’t count on, and is unaware of, is Hind’s own reluctance to marry.
Longing for independence, she insists on being allowed to complete a master’s degree in England, a condition Abdulla readily accepts. When she finds an unlikely friend in Indian-American Sangita, she starts down a path that will ultimately place her future in jeopardy.
The greatest success of Rajakumar’s novel is the emotional journey the reader takes via her rich characters. One cannot help but feel the pressure of the culturally mandated marriage set before Hind and Abdulla. He’s not a real Muslim man if he remains single, and she will never be allowed freedoms without the bondage of a potentially loveless marriage. It’s an impossible situation dictated by a culture that they still deeply respect.
Rajakumar pulls back the veil on life in Qatar to reveal a glimpse of Muslim life rarely seen by Westerners.
About the Author: Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways since this is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition from writing as a hobby to a full time passion. She has since published seven e-books including a mom-ior for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me, a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies, a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories, and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.
Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar. From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London. The Dohmestics is an inside look into compound life, the day to day dynamics between housemaids and their employers.
After she joined the e-book revolution, Mohana dreams in plotlines. Learn more about her work on her website at www.mohanalakshmi.com or follow her latest on Twitter: @moha_doha.
LINKS:
Author Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mohanalakshmi-Rajakumar/e/B002PMRI1U
Author website: http://www.mohanalakshmi.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@moha_doha
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themohadoha
Youtube:www.youtube.com/themohadoha
Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/mohadoha
Happy Release Day to “Old Flame” by Annabelle Blume (@annabelleblume) #Romance #NewAdult
For a good friend of mine, the day all writers love– release day–has come.
*cue fanfare and confetti*
A big fat congratulations to Annabelle Blume for her latest release, OLD FLAME–a New Adult Contemporary Romance with Roane Publishing.
As part of the release day festivities, I have wrangled Ms. Blume into stopping by the blog for a visit. (Go me.)
In her novella, the main character, Hannah, has a bit of an unhealthy obsession with her ex, James — so I thought it would be fun to pick the authors brain a bit about that aspect of Hannah’s personality.
Here’s what she had to say:
I was in college before the advent of social media. The internet had just started to take hold in mainstream American life. I was actually annoyed freshman year because professor demanded we sign up and use our free university-hosted email accounts to contact him. I’m pretty sure I muttered something to the effect of, “Like I’m ever going to use that.” Only rich old dudes had cellular phones. They were the size of Rhode Island and could only make and receive calls, usually for the hefty sum of $2 per minute. Chat rooms existed online, but not a lot of people I knew were participating. Oh, and you had to plug your computer modem into a phone jack to access the internet. Yes, really. Imagine how that went when you shared one phone line in a house with 5 other people.
It was a simpler time. (I’m not old, shut up!) There were a few instances where I made a mix tape for a guy I had a crush on, or what have you, but nothing extreme. We cried, we lamented, we mourned when our relationships went bust. Pints of ice cream were devoured and Sarah McLaughlin sold millions of albums. But without modern technology at our fingertips, no way to see where your ex was “checking in” or profiles to follow, it took a very, um, special, kind of person to keep tabs on their ex. I was not one of those kinds of ex-girlfriends. When we were done, we were DONE. I never got back together with a single ex, not that there were many, but you get my point.
That’s why it was so much fun, and slightly scary, to write Hannah. Imagining what it would be like to date today, with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and so on… is mind-boggling. Frankly, it’s a miracle more young people don’t get lost in obsessive behavior when it comes to their ex. Or do they?
Sounds like the idea for another story to me 😛
Here are all the details on Old Flame, the first in Annabelle’s Hearts Aflame Files series.
Old Flame
by Annabelle Blume
Genre: New Adult Romance (Contemporary)
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Keywords: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Novella, Series
Blurb: Hannah Sullivan has spent the past three months stalking her ex-boyfriend, lurking in the bushes and hiding behind fake social media personas, convinced she can eventually rekindle the love they once shared. But when she meets Marc, who is everything James never wanted to be and more, she begins to wonder if she’s got it all wrong.
Hannah must come to terms with her own demons before she can decipher between her delusional mission the man of her dreams.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Amazon (UK)
Barnes and Noble
KOBO
All Romance eBooks
Smashwords
About the Author: Annabelle is a best-selling Romance and New Adult author, that is, when she’s not checking homework or begrudgingly cooking dinner. Wife, mother, and creator of alternate worlds, Annabelle has a penchant for that which is outside the norm.
Her degree in Sociology has given her the ability to construct worlds that exist only in her head and translate them passionately to the page. The time spent studying individuals, interpersonal relationships, and particularly, women, within the constraints of our society led to Annabelle’s unabashed ability to talk about sex as it fits into our modern lives.
She’s also the author/personality of The Bombshell Mommy at Vitacost.com where she helps modern Bombshells and their families live “green”.
Talking Wine Pairings and Erotic Romance with Eileen Griffin #Romance #RotG @Evernightpub
Welcome back, readers.
Today I have a special treat for you all. Fellow Evernight Publishing author, Eileen Griffin has agreed to stop in and share her wine knowledge with us. I can tell you all quite honestly, despite years as a bartender, I am completely hopeless when it comes to wine and wine pairings, so I am quite chuffed to have Eileen over today.
Here she is….
A huge thanks to Rebecca for hosting me on her blog today 🙂
Although Tony and Sonia only get to enjoy a little bit of their wine and dinner in my newest release, Dinner For Two, it would have been a travesty for me not to include them sharing a glass of a good red wine after a frantic day in Tony’s kitchen. A glass of wine at night is integral to helping me unwind after a particularly stressful day.
I’m not an oenophile, just a lover of wines. I have to admit that when I was younger and in college, the extent of my wine knowledge basically began and ended with White Zinfandel. I cannot tell you how much that makes me shudder thinking back on it today. Not because I’m a wine snob (really, I’m not!) but because I’ve discovered that there are so many other amazing wines out there that have so much more to offer than just a simple wine that’s easy to drink. I was introduced to “real” wine during my first backpacking trip across Europe in a small café in Avignon, France. Avignon is a region known for their Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, which are WAY out of my price range but Oh-So-Delicious! The wine I had that day was local (to this day I have no idea what it was) and it was delicious. This one meal started me on my journey of seeking out new wines and trying to discover what I could about the different varietals.
So even though I’m not a certified oenophile, here are some suggestions I have to make a newbie’s introduction into the world of wine (past White Zinfandel) with some of the recipes I’ve blogged about this week for an easier transition:
Wine and Food Pairings:
Puttanesca or any spicy dish: To hold up against the spiciness, you need a wine that’s not going to overpower the flavor of the spices. I highly recommend either a Pinor Noir (which is only lightly fruity and usually allows the spices of a dish to come through) or a Sangiovese blend (I recommend a blend because for me, a true Sangiovese is too harsh and dry).
Italian Wedding Soup: Because this is made with white meat (chicken or turkey), I’d suggest a lighter, crisper white wine. My personal favorite is Sauvignon Blanc rather than a Chardonnay, only because a Chardonnay tends to be more “buttery” and heavy and can easily overpower the subtle flavors of the soup. This soup can also be served with a Pinot Noir since it’s one of the lighter, fruitier red wines.
Pasta Salad: This salad screams for Sauvignon Blanc but can also easily be served with a Chardonnay.
Cheeses or my Baked Brie: For me, fancy cheese is a personal preference and should be served with whatever the person’s personal choice of wine is. I love drinking a heavier red wine like Zinfandel with cheeses because I feel like the cheese helps bring out the smokiness and berry undertones of the wine.
However, the bottom line for any wine lover is this: Drink what you love whenever you enjoy good food. It’s your palate and your dining experience. No one has a better idea what you’ll enjoy than you do! Salute 🙂
~Eileen
Now that we all know a bit more about wines (or at least I do, which is really what matters :P), let’s have a closer look at Eileen’s latest release:
Dinner For Two
by: Eileen Griffin
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Romance On The Go – Short Story
Published: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
BLURB: Sonia Davenport has dreams of coordinating and planning special events. When she’s given the opportunity to plan a dinner for her boss and his shareholders, she jumps at the chance to make everything perfect. Helping her plan the special night is the head chef of the restaurant, Tony Mancinni, who is not only charming but goes out of his way to make Sonia feel special during the entire planning process.
The dinner party almost turns disastrous when an employee mixes up the orders and sets out the wrong food. In a mad rush to save the dinner, Sonia and Tony realize their attraction to each other when things heat up in the kitchen. However, Tony has to convince Sonia that he wants more than just an extra set of hands in his restaurant – he wants her to stay the night so he can convince her to stay for good.
* * * *
EXCERPT:
Tony gently rubbed his finger along her bottom lip. “I had hoped everything would be perfect tonight because I wanted to impress you. When you came in for brunch that first Sunday and laid out your plans, not only were you beautiful, but you had a detailed description of what you wanted. On the catering side of things, you have no idea how attractive that is. Then, when you came in for your tasting, I didn’t think I was going to make it through the afternoon without asking you out. But I have a strict rule: Don’t date the clients until after the function is over. So I waited. Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait?”
Sonia shook her head slightly, then let her lips part. Instead of replying to him, she slid her tongue out to meet his finger, gently caressing the tip. He hissed in a breath, his eyes fixated on her tongue and lips. Feeling emboldened by his words, she leaned closer and drew his finger deeper inside her mouth, wrapping her lips around it as she laved it with her tongue.
“Sonia,” he whispered. “You’re so beautiful. But I didn’t ask you up here for this.”
She leaned back, his finger sliding out of her mouth. All the nerves and doubts she’d felt earlier were replaced by a heat that was coursing through her. She’d felt it all night in the kitchen with him and it was stronger now that she knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
“I’m glad you asked me up here, Tony. But if we’re being honest with each other, I think dinner can wait. You see, I’ve lost my appetite. For food, that is.”
BUY LINKS:
EILEEN GRIFFIN BIO:
Eileen Griffin lives in the Southwest but loves to travel and has spent many summers crossing Europe with nothing but a backpack on her back. She enjoys TexMex, lives for good wine, and has a certain penchant for purple unicorns. She loves reading all genres of books, but her current obsession is writing M/M with lots of boykissing.
Blog: http://www.eileengriffin.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eileengriffin77 @eileengriffin77
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eileen.griffin
Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/eileen-griffin/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7231778.Eileen_Griffin
A Visit with Jewel Quinlan and Rock Star Ex (plus a #Giveaway) #erotic #romance @evernightpub
Welcome back, all. Nice to have you here again.
Today’s treat, as if the post title doesn’t tell you, is a visit from erotic romance author, Jewel Quinlan. Jewel is going to talk about her new release, ROCK STAR EX, and if that isn’t cool enough, she is also offering one lucky commenter a $10 Starbucks gift card. (See below for details on that).
Without further ado, here’s Jewel 🙂
Hello Everyone! Thanks Bex for having me on your blog 🙂 By the way, I just checked out #WickedWednesday and there are some naughty things out there! LOL
Ok, so here’s the scoop about some of the settings in Rock Star Ex.
When I set out to write this story I had no idea how much research I would have to do. I only knew that I had to write it. One of the main settings is Arsenal’s tour bus (that’s the name of the band in the novella). Having never been inside a tour bus, or even and RV really, I set out to gather more information from my pal Google. (I swear the Internet can answer pretty much anything!) And wouldn’t you know it, all kinds of things popped up! There were lots of really great pictures of tour buses that I printed out and – Ta-Da!- a whole show created by HGTV called Celebrity Motor Homes where they go inside ‘em. So cool! I watched several episodes as part of my research. Yes, the life of an author can be rough sometimes. My favorite episodes were the ones featuring Bret Michael and Zac Brown (you can find them on YouTube). After all that I even drew a blue print of the layout of Arsenal’s tour bus so I would have it clear in my mind.
One of the other settings I had to research was Denver. There were several questions I had to get answered. What was the name of the arena? What area was close to the arena where people hung out? Where would they go to dinner that wasn’t to far away from questions one and two? Lucky for me, all these things can be answered with a few taps on my keyboard. There is a nice website for the Pepsi Center and plenty of tourist websites explaining what there was to see and do. From there all I had to do was check out places to dine and plug everything into my other good buddy, you guessed it, Google Maps. Google Maps and I are very close. I love that you can zoom right down to street level and turn in a 360 degree circle to look around. It’s like you are really there!
Aaaahhh…Cyber Travel, so easy and relaxing. I love being an author in this day and time. I can do everything from the comfort of my couch and not miss a single episode of The Walking Dead.
Now, on to details of Rock Star Ex which is currently available…
Blurb:
Social media consultant, Eve Everett, is less than thrilled when her business partner hooks them up with a job covering celebrity rock band Arsenal. Their new lead singer, Devon Quinn, is the man who broke her heart five years ago. But there’s no way Eve can turn down the assignment. It’s the big break their fledgling company needs.
To boost Arsenal’s social media presence the band’s manager wants intimate coverage, especially of Devon, which means traveling with the band in their tour bus while they promote their new album. It’s not long before Devon tries to rehash the past but Eve would rather leave it buried where it is.
When Eve is asked to be part of a music video, she decides it’s a great opportunity to reap some revenge by showing Devon what he’s missing. But soon she’s the one losing control. Will Devon once again claim her heart as well as her body?
Excerpt:
“It’s good to see you again, Eve,” he said softly so the others wouldn’t pick up on it. He knew she wouldn’t want to hear it. It couldn’t be helped, but it just had to be said.
Her head snapped up, eyes wide.
“That’s what I wanted to say the other night, but you didn’t give me a chance.”
Big mistake.
Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t give you a chance? Then I’d say we’re even.”
“Look, Eve, things didn’t happen the way you’re thinking. It wasn’t like that.” He set the bottom of Tommy’s guitar on the floor, his hand on the neck, and leaned closer in to talk to her.
“The way I’m thinking?” she repeated. Standing up straight, she stuck one foot out to the side and said in a low hiss, “Look, Devon, the facts are the facts. You left and I never heard from you again. Not once. It has nothing to do with the way I’m thinking.”
He tensed. It was happening again. She was misunderstanding him. “No, look, that’s not what I mean, okay?”
“Oh, then what do you mean?” She cocked her head at him and waited.
“It’s…it was hard on the road, to keep in touch with anyone, for a lot of reasons. You don’t know what it was like. I mean we were bouncing around from place to place, driving for long periods of time and then having to work until really late at night. It was pretty much impossible to communicate. Besides, you had no answering machine back then, remember?”
She visibly puffed up. “I see, so it’s my fault you couldn’t communicate with me?”
“I’m not saying it was anyone’s fault, Eve. Just that there was no way to call.” He felt relieved. He had finally been able to tell her, to explain. Maybe now she would understand. Well, when she calmed down at least.
“And you couldn’t write a letter?” She spoke quietly but the words dripped acid.
She had him there. Even though she was several inches shorter he suddenly felt very small. He looked down and stuck a hand in his pocket, not knowing what to say. That was an even more complicated topic.
Her cold eyes were on him. The silence stretched on for another moment. Before he could gather any other words to try to explain she turned and headed back up front, her ponytail slapping him in the face as she went.
Where you can buy it:
Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/rock-star-ex-by-jewel-quinlan/
All Romance e-Books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-rockstarex-1315938-149.html
BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/rock-star-ex-mf
Author Bio
From a young age, Jewel Quinlan had an abundant imagination and strong desire to write novels. She particularly enjoys writing paranormal and fantasy romance. An avid traveler, she has visited fifteen countries so far (which she enjoys using as settings in her novels) and has plans to see more of the world. She has a particular fondness for Bavaria and studies the German language as one of her hobbies. During the day, she works as a pharmaceutical sales representative and, at night, she writes romance. She currently lives in Orange County, California with her two dogs; Shimmer and Penny.
For more information visit www.jewelquinlan.com or you can follow her on Facebook (Author Jewel Quinlan) and Twitter (@JewelQuinlan).
So, would you like to win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card?
All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog
telling us what your band name is. How do you do that? Simple.
Color of Your Pants + The Last Thing You Ate = Your Band Name
A winner will be drawn at the end of the day from those who post.
Have Fun!
A Visit from a Special Guest: Terri Rochenski (@terrirochenski) Talks About #Writing #Fantasy #EotS
I cannot begin to tell you all how excited I am about today’s post. Not only do I have a fantastic guest for the day, but she is here to celebrate the release of her debut novel, Eye of the Soul, a story I can say I saw in the birthing stages, and have been watching grow, and rooting for ever since.
*happy dance*
Big congratulations to Terri for reaching the Release Day milestone. Looking forward to many more. She really is a fantastic author, and you can see my 4.5 Star review of Eye of the Soul on Goodreads HERE.
*collects herself*
Now that I’ve had my fangirl moment, here is Terri to talk about why she writes fantasy (my favorite genre) in the first place. Take it away, Terri!
Any stay-at-home mother of three little ones knows the importance—the NEED—to escape. For some, it’s through paranormal or romance novel which I do thoroughly enjoy reading. When it comes to writing, though, I want a true escape into the recesses of my imagination, the worlds made up of fairy tales, dreams, and magic.
It all started when I was a child and picked up Chronicles of Narnia. To a farm girl with three brothers who lived twenty miles from civilization, the idea that a magical world with talking animals lay beyond a wardrobe door filled me with wonder—and curiosity.
Needless to say, I checked every closet I could find. Reaching toward the back, I wished and prayed for my hand to encounter snow. Unfortunately, I never found that magical world beyond our own.
Some time in my teens I realized fairy tales are just that. Make Believe. I decided they might not be real life, but that wouldn’t stop me from day dreaming and putting those dreams onto paper to share with others.
So why fantasy? For me, because it instills a childhood sense of wonder that all too easily falls to the wayside in the everyday trials of true life. And, don’t we all need a little taste of long-lost wonder every once in a while? I know I do.
How about you? Where does your escape lie?
About Terri:
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand.
Her Links: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
* * * * *
Let’s take a moment to have a look at Terri’s fantasy novel, the first in the Pool of Souls series, EYE OF THE SOUL.
EYE OF THE SOUL
by Terri Rochenski
Series: Pool of Souls #1
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Book Blurb: Escape.
That should be Hyla’s first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason.
Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls—home to the one man who can save her people.
Or so she believes.
Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon—a human male and fierce King’s warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin—one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents.
Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on.
Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost.
Forever.
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BUY LINKS:
Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
As part of the Blog Tour, Ms. Rochenski and J. Taylor Publishing are hosting a big Rafflecopter giveaway.
To get in on that, just visit this link, since I can’t host Rafflecopter on wordpress. RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
A HUGE thank you to Terri for coming by for a visit today. Make sure you all go grab a copy of her novel! It really is a MUST READ.
Happy Release Day to Raven McAllan and Nash’s Niche #GuestPost #Historical #Romance #erotic
I’m happy to have the chance to share a new release with you today. New, is in TODAY! So, first off, big congrats to the author, Raven McAllan on the release of her latest historical with Evernight Publishing, NASH’S NICHE. Even as busy as she is with all the new release buzz, Raven has been kind enough to swing by today to tell you a little bit about the story.
So without further ado, here’s Raven:
Thanks so much for inviting me over. Oh you invited Raven not me? Ah, then please accept my apologies. When Raven told me this opportunity was on the cards, I decided to hijack this and give you an insight about me. After all I know me better than anyone. Even Raven, and she’s privy to most of my secrets.
Oh I forgot, you don’t know who I am. I’m Nash Gretton, third son of The Earl of Brigstock, and the hero *blush* of Nash’s niche. Well *reflective* I hope I’m the hero, however that’s up to you to judge.
So where was I? Oh yes, little known or unknown facts about Nash. Well I never ever admitted it, not with a sister like Cecilia, but how I never threw up when she waved worms in my face I don’t know. I hate them, horrible, wriggly, slimy, Argh. *Shudder* And don’t think I mean only when we were children. She’s still not adverse to playing tricks like that. Mind you I do have my ways of getting back at her. Sadly, Felicity is all for women’s rights and individuality, and says it’s my sister role in life to keep me grounded and not to get too big for my boots. But you know with a woman like Felicity in my life not to feel I’m the luckiest man alive is very difficult.
And let’s see? Oh yes I can touch my nose with my tongue. So useful *laugh*, I hate eggs, love homemade hedgerow jam and can beat Perry at Croquet. Randall can drink me under the table, and Harry was put on this earth to make me worry.
How’s that?
Oh and without Felicity my life would be an empty shell. It wasn’t an easy courtship or well, no. No more. Here’s Raven’s blurb for our story, and a little excerpt for you.
Nash’s Niche
by Raven McAllan
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Historical Erotic Romance
Blurb:
A chance meeting at a masked ball leads to explosive and unforgettable sex for both Nash and Felicity.
Reunited under dangerous circumstances, they realize they may have to fight for their love, especially when Felicity is promised to Nash’s brother.
With the future of the country at stake and unsure who to trust, can there be a future for the star stuck lovers?
And a wee tease… (Mature Audiences Only)
He wriggled his nose. The chair was all fine and dandy, but he needed his bed. With a sigh Nash toed his house shoes off, and looked at his pantaloons. They were knitted and stretched to fit the contours of his body. Therefore in theory they should pull down even over his still hard cock. It was no good; once he was able to rest in comfort he would have to take himself in hand. However, before then…
He struggled to his feet and with one hand to anchor him steady, he used his other to pull the garment over his cock and arse and thence down his legs. Once they gathered around his ankles, Nash used his feet to tug the pantaloons off and stepped over them. His shirt could stay. That was one effort too much. He measured the distance to the bed. Two strides should do it.
The first stride worked. The second was slightly longer and had him wobbling, but it brought him to the edge of the mattress. He let his body fall forward.
Not onto the mattress, on to…
A body? He tried to see clearly. Two bodies? Surely not, not in his bed. He squinted, put his hand into the direction of where he thought one of the bodies could be, and patted flesh. Soft warm female flesh. His vision wavered and cleared enough to know it was one body…
It stirred. Nash levered himself to stand on the floor one more, loath to leave the soft comfort he’d found, but aware enough to know he needed to. He let his hand move to the left and drift up what he decided was a damn curvaceous thigh. If only he could see clearly just who had offered herself as his plaything. It would be best to have a face on the body he was about to fuck.
The body jerked as his fingers circled damp curls and he nipped her soft nub until it hardened in a beautiful mimicry of his cock. Then he let his fingers delve into the warm channel under them. The body tried to pull back even as a soft mewl showed him his ministrations were appreciated. Then he heard a scream, one that most certainly wasn’t a sound of pleasure.
“Do not move,” he said in a rough voice. He felt it only fair to warn whoever he was now filling with his fingers, and who he noted was writhing in time to his thrusts, that, “I have a weapon, and I will use it.”
* * * * *
Nash’s Niche is available from www.evernighpublishing.com
Amazon, All Romance EBooks, and Bookstrand (links to come soon)
If you want to know more about Raven, here’s her nosy links,
Raven lives in Scotland, along with her husband and their two cats—their children having flown the nest—surrounded by beautiful scenery, which inspires a lot of the settings in her books.
She is used to sharing her life with the occasional deer, red squirrel, and lost tourist, to say nothing of the scourge of Scotland—the midge.
A lover of reading, she appreciates the history inside a book, and the chance to peek into the lives of those from years ago. Raven admits that she enjoys the research for her books almost as much as the writing; so much so, that sometimes she realizes she’s strayed way past the information she needs to know, and not a paragraph has been added to her WIP.
Her lovely long-suffering husband is learning to love the dust bunnies, work the Aga, and be on stand-by with a glass of wine.
You can find out more about Raven here…
http:/ /www.ravenmcallan.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/rmcallan (my page)
https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan (author page)
A Visit from Iyana Jenna: Let’s Talk POV. What works for you? #writing #GuestPost
TodayI have a special treat for you all. I have fenagled a visit and guest post from fellow Evernight author, Iyana Jenna. She’s going to talk a bit about Point of View in a story, as well as give you a peak at her latest release, RELEASE ME.
Without further ado, here’s Iyana 🙂
* * * * *
Hi everyone! First off, I would like to thank Rebecca for the chance to do a guest post on her blog. Today I want to talk a bit about he and I.
No, no. It’s not a mistake that should have read him and me. 🙂 What I want to talk about is point in views in stories, third person (he) or first person (I).
So far I like third person better, whether to read or write. Reading a story in the first person sometimes makes me difficult to remember who I am, which character it is supposed to be. And writing with third person style makes me feel freer to develop the characters. Besides those reasons, as I perused the publishing websites, most of them prefer third person stories.
Having said that, now I began to falter. Lately the stories that I read and that are considered to be favorites among the readers and become bestsellers are the ones with first person point of view. It makes me wonder and I begin to re-think the way I write. Are first person stories better than the third person? Do they make readers feel closer to the characters? I still find it a bit confusing to read in the first person but in writing, I’m willing to try out any styles. If it makes me improve, why not?
How about you, do you prefer first person or third person?
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Release Me
by Iyana Jenna
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: M/M Erotic Romance
Blurb:
Taking a break from dealing with his father’s clients on legal matters, Nicholas Haynes went out to the sea on his yacht—only to find a man floating in the water. The man was still alive, much to Nicholas’s relief.
Gregory Phillips was a private investigator and his last job almost turned him into fish food if not for Nicholas. Little did he know that the main suspect in his case was one of Nicholas’ father’s clients. When Nicholas insisted on taking care of Gregory after the incident that almost killed him, can he trust Nicholas enough with his life?
Be Warned: M/M Sex
Excerpt (Mature Audiences Only):
Stanley Haynes threw the newspaper, and it landed with a slap on Nicholas’s plate. The headlines blared at Nicholas as though his father had shouted at him.
Heir to US Banking Chain Wedded?
“You ever plan to tell us about this, Nicholas?”
Nicholas glanced briefly at his mother sitting across from him, but she kept stirring the cooling coffee in her cup. Nicholas could see a smile flicker in her eyes. He shrugged.
“Come on, Dad. You know it was impossible for me to talk about it before everything was done.”
“Are you saying you don’t trust me, or your mom—” Stanley threw a glance at his wife, and his eyes widened. “You knew about this?”
She threw her hands up.
“God, no, honey. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“All right, all right.” Stanley took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Is it that Phillips guy?”
“Of course. Who else?” Nicholas grinned.
His mother went back to stirring her coffee. Her voice was calm when she asked, “When was it, Nicholas? How come both of us didn’t know anything about it?”
“A moment after Greg was released from the hospital.”
“Wow. That fast?”
Nicholas chuckled. “Yeah. Now you can’t accuse me of being a playboy anymore.”
“That’s good, dear.” His mother took his hand, and Nicholas squeezed hers gently. “So those journalists—they just found out the other day?”
“They’ve just seen this ring, that’s all.” Nicholas lifted his left hand and eyed the simple platinum band around his ring finger. Gregory had exactly the same kind of ring around his finger.
****
A month earlier
It was the lulling sounds of the waves and the gentle breeze above the vast, boundless ocean that Nicholas loved most. He could spend days, even weeks, drifting seemingly without any course and purpose on his boat, all by himself. After months dealing with his father’s clients about legal matters, he was always desperate for some time alone. Sometimes he just couldn’t understand why he had to work twice as hard as the other employees in his father’s bank when he was his only son. However, most of the time, he just couldn’t see it any other way. His father was not the type to want to spoil his family. Everyone had to earn what life had given to them. Nobody was allowed to simply ask and receive.
Today, though, he ended up not alone.
BUY LINKS:
Evernight Publishing Amazon All Romance E-books Bookstrand
About the Author: Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.
Iyana loves kitties. Right now she has five of them. Their names are Larva, Nyil, Cil, Mermood, and Horus. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.
Iyana loves teaching. She teaches English and her students range from elementary school kids to college students to employees. She enjoys working with them all. Teaching is so much fun for her.
Her Links:
Support your Sister~ R. Brennan tells us what sister means to her!
Because this needs to be on my blog, too. Man, I freaking LOVE my girls.
Stone Chameleon Blog Tour: Find out what author, Jocelyn Adams (@JocelynAdams) would chose as her special talent. #UF
Worth a share. One of my favorite UF authors.
Welcome to the blog and my stop on the STONE CHAMELEON Blog Tour. I am beyond excited to be able to share the start of my good friend, Jocelyn Adams’ newest Urban Fantasy series about the Ironhill Jinn.
If you are a regular follower of the blog, you know how much I loved Ms. Adams first UF series, The Lila Gray novels. As a matter of fact, I am not sure I am over the end of that one yet, having just read the ARC for the final installment of that trilogy, due out in June of this year (you are going to love that one, too!).
But, today we are all about the new series, and based on the ARC I finished a few weeks ago, you are all if for another treat. If you liked Lila, wait till you meet Lou. *grins*
Anyway, for my stop on the…
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Bex Book Nook 