Stormy Glenn - Her Cowboy Series

Aha!!  Today, I have the great pleasure of introducing a prolific author. If you shop around for a M/M Romance, odds are you will find a great selection with this Lady's name on them.  She's giving away a copy of Cowboy Keeper to a lucky person for commenting. Here's Stormy Glenn!!

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Finding a story for a good 'ol country boy… I never know where a story will come from. It could be a song or a movie, a name, or even something someone mentions. It could even come from a cookie sheet, and has. So, when I was sitting with my husband one night watching reruns of "Dukes of Hazzard" and an idea suddenly hit me, I wasn't surprised. I just grabbed a notepad and started making notes. I wanted to write something about country boys in a small town. Okay, seriously, I wanted to watch that little orange car drive around on dirt roads with a hot guy behind the wheel… writing about Cade Creek was my 2nd best choice.

In my writings, I tend to lean more toward paranormal books for the most part. I like the ability to create anything in my worlds. Writing in a contemporary world where werewolves don't spot their mates on first sniff makes writing a story kind of challenging for me. There's not a single werewolf in this story. Just lots of hot cowboys.

I just knew this… I wanted something in the country involving a large close knit family. I also wanted action and a lot of hot drooly guys working hard, their sweaty bodies glistening in the sunlight, tight jeans encasing muscular thighs, cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and the occasional set of chaps (pants optional).

Whew…um…oh right, the story…um… after deciding I wanted to create a story involving all of the above, then I had to decide exactly what kind of story to go with. I knew I wanted a series. I like writing series. I can bring in my characters from other books into new books, revisit them and see how they are doing.
At this point, I still didn't know what kind of story I was going to write, just that I was going to do a series set on a ranch in the country about characters in a large family. That’s where the Irish names came in. I have a dear friend that is Irish and she sent me to a website that had some wonderful names. It was the 2nd half of the beginning of my series. It gave me names where I could start creating the unique personalities for my characters. With each name, I started to see my characters come to life. Their stories started to form in my mind and on my cheat sheet.

Before long, I had to add the other characters that were not part of the Blaecleah family. To date, I have the stories planned out for four of the books. I know who is falling in love with who. The fifth one is taking a little longer to form in my head. Quiad seems to be a tad fickle about who he's interested in. I'm hoping by the end of the fourth book, he'll let me know.

So, characters have been created and named, location is locked into my head, the basic story ideas have been plotted, and the Blaecleah Brothers are alive and well and living in Cade Creek.

Cowboy Easy (Blaecleah Brothers 1) - Available now!

 

Lachlan Blaecleah never expected to find the love of his life in the middle of a street fight with two other men, but he knew the moment he saw Asa Miller that he wanted to get to know the man better. He jumps into the fight and becomes Asa's knight in slightly tarnished armor. 

Asa Miller is amazed by Lachlan every time he looks at the man. He's a walking talking cowboy fantasy come to life, complete with cowboy hat and boots. After being rescued by him and taken home for a night of debauchery at the hands of the sexy cowboy, Asa isn't sure what to do next. Should he stick around and get to know Lachlan and his large family better or run from the feelings the man invokes in him?

Before Asa can decide, someone else steps in to separate the two men, on a more permanent basis. Asa has to decide if what they have together is worth the heartache he feels when he almost loses the man he loves or should he guard his heart and lose his cowboy forever?

Excerpts: http://www.stormyglenn.com/cowboyeasy.htm

Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/cowboy-easy

This new release is offered at a 10% discount for four weeks.

Cowboy Keeper (Blaecleah Brothers 2) - coming February 1st

Billy Thornton is a known troublemaker. He's spent the better part of his life doing whatever his brother Clem wanted of him from intimidating people to stealing from them. The consequences if he didn't were life threatening. Billy had spent more than one night healing after his brother got pissed at him.

 

The one thing Billy couldn't do was allow Rourke Blaecleah to be hurt. Billy had loved Rourke for as long as he could remember, even though he knew it was wrong. The only way he could deal with it was to do everything in his power to keep Clem away from Rourke, and that meant putting himself in harm's way more than once.

When Rourke corners Billy one night and kisses him, things come to head. Rourke realizes that the man he has been looking for all of his life is right under his nose. Billy finds that he might actually be able to experience what loving Rourke is like in real life and not just his fantasies. And both men realize that what they have found together has put their lives in danger because Clem is coming for them and he's not happy.

Excerpts: http://www.stormyglenn.com/cowboykeeper.htm

Buy Link: not active yet

website: http://www.stormyglenn.com/home.htm

Stormy Glenn
Fanning the Flames of Erotic Romance
Stormy's Website

blog: http://stormyglenn.blogspot.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Stormy-Glenn/1510233687
yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stormyglenn/

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Wow, Stormy! I love the way you think! The first book, Cowboy Easy, came out January 20th. The second book, Cowboy Keeper, comes out February 1st.

Amber Green and her Golden Boys

 I am so happy to host my dear and best friend Amber Green today. She is like a sister to me and I love her dearly.  Without her I would never have grown as a writer. She pushes and shoves and shows me where to fix my work until her words sink in and my brain absorbs it so I don't forget. Please show some love to this very talented Lady!

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Most stories come to me first as a scene, or a fragment of a scene.  The Golden Boys came to me in a completely different way.

Over the course of years, one character and then another has staked out turf in the back of my mind, disappearing for long periods but occasionally coming forward to whisper, "What about me?  When's it going to be my turn?"   Long-suffering editor, Judith David, made some suggestions for reorienting another story.  While playing out the what-ifs, I realized this was exactly the situation Ethan would find himself in.  The plot developed from that kernel.  Part of Ethan’s character was that extended family members were integral parts of his life, but I had only sketched out his mother, his lover, and the relative who was a law enforcement officer.  I couldn't bring the LEO to focus in my head, though.  Worse, every time the LEO spoke or acted, I got the nagging feeling he was too close to an FBI man I'd used in another story.  After a couple of alternative characters refused to work out in that position, I simply replaced the unfocused LEO with my FBI man.  Now that I had Ethan, two crucial relatives, his love, and the core of his plot, the other characters rapidly came out of the mental warehouse, morphing characteristics and developing new ones until they meshed with Ethan's character and his situation.  During that process, they became people I could talk to, people I could clearly see, people I could order lunch for. 

Jell was not initially the love interest in this piece, but the initial love interest kept losing my interest as well as Ethan's.  Meanwhile, this minor background character, Jell, kept kicking pieces of the stage scenery and growling, "What about me, woman?  What about ME?"  So I shot him.  That's when everything fell together in my head.  I backed up, deleted the third young male character, and reworked the story back to front, then front to back. 

I really hope this comes across: Ethan is a genuinely nice guy, a quiet hero.  I can see him going into a disaster zone.  He'd handle everything from washing bedpans to stitching horrific wounds, whatever was needed, and then he'd leave without giving his name.  But this story takes place when he's lost his way, when he's fumbling for a new self image and purpose. 

Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Boys-ebook/dp/B004I8WQ0M/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1296185468&sr=1-9

Publisher's site:  http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/romance/male-male-erotica/golden-boys/prod_309.html

With his easy laugh and knowing eyes, Jell grew up street--while I was raised to be a pillar of society.  Now we're half naked and escaping a psychiatric facility. We're lost, cold, and being shot at. And did I mention half naked?

Jell plopped sprawling in the chair beside the bed and sneered again.  "What happened to med school?  Or did you switch to divinity school?"

"I flunked out."  I pulled the old fashioned blood pressure cuff out of the wall rack, and turned on the conveniently placed miniature spotlight so I could better see what to do with it.  My penlight cast a bluish light that would make his skin look like something dead.  In the spotlight, he was not quite the color of penuche, or pralines.  His skin was fine-grained doeskin, stretched taut over wiry muscles.  He'd lost weight since I'd seen him last.

He sat a moment, while I tried to remember how to wind the cuff around his arm.  When he spoke, his voice had lost its serrated edge.  "Ethan?  For real?  Your parents must've shit."

Metaphorically speaking, yes.  "You might have heard them from wherever you were, but you might've mistaken the noise for sonic booms."

"Did they throw you out?  Hey, you need money?"  He put his hand on my arm.  A study in contrasts.

I'd been the golden boy all the time we were growing up.  He'd had the bright skin, but I'd had the bright future, the parents still married to each other, the certainty I wouldn't just graduate--I was going to be a doc-tor.  I was going to have a three-car garage and a house on the beach so I could watch the waves roll in at night.  Now Jelly Richardson had a beach house and I made my living washing crusted vomit out of people's hair.

And self-pity wasn't going to get me anywhere.  "They didn't throw me out, and I have a job."  I also have a side job, which I have to take on faith won't involve betraying you. My finger fell on the problem, and why I'd blurted out my mission at the first opportunity.  If this job did constitute screwing a friend, there wouldn't be any subterfuge about it.  I'd twist his arm as best I could, but I wouldn't lie to him.

"You can't tell me the folks are down with this shit."

"No.  But they're just giving me those...looks, you know?"  And besides, since Monday they'd been a lot more concerned about my sexual orientation.

"You 'spoze to wrap it with the tube thing coming out right in the crook of the elbow.  If you need a place out from under them, come stay with me.  I have plenty of room."

And plenty of people to share it with.  Including a girlfriend.  "Go from bumming off my folks to bumming off my friends?"

"You could tell your uncle you're keeping an eye on me.  He might pay you for that."

"Why?  What have you been doing to catch the attention of the FBI?"

"Is this place bugged?"

"If it is, they didn't tell me.  And if it were, would they hire me to lure you out of here so they could talk to you?"

--
Amber
Visit www.ShapeshiftersInLust.com tonight!

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Awesome, awesome scene, Amber.  Thanks so much, Love, for stopping by to share a bit of Golden Boys with everyone!

Jade Archer - Behind the scene of Sandpipers' Secrets

I’m really very excited about seeing Sandpipers’ Secrets released into the world this week, so when Jadette contacted me, asking if I’d like to come along and blog about the story behind the story I jumped at the chance. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to explain why an author that writes predominantly science fiction and paranormal tales would suddenly stray into the world of contemporary fiction. And of course the big question, would I do it again?

Prior to sitting down to write Sandpipers’ Secrets I’ve penned stories about unfamiliar worlds and galaxies, aliens, mages, vampire, various species of shifters and everything in between that may or may not choose to go bump in the night. Anything but (*gasp*) the real world, unless it was as a convenient patch of dirt to pop said vampires, mages and shifters. I love putting my imagination to work and dreaming up worlds to put my characters in. I lie awake at night thinking about what characteristics I might be able to give said characters to make them unique and interesting. I adore being able to solve my problems with a quick alien abduction. In all seriousness, I never actually thought there would come a day when I couldn’t find a way to tell any story that came to mind within the seemingly limitless scope of fantasy and science fiction. Then I met Brody, Lark and Zak and their slightly twisted tale.

http://www.jadearcher.com/

Not only are these guys thoroughly normal and completely human, but their story grew from the very human propensity to judge without thought or consideration. To jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts. Their story is about assumptions, deception and the secrets we keep—both out of fear and sometimes with the very best of intentions. Put quite simply, without the framework of ‘the real world’, the complication Brody, Lark and Zak face in this story lost its strength. It just didn’t want to be told outside the real world. What a dilemma, at least it was for me. No alien space crafts, no magic, not even an astral portal or demigod to help me out.

So I shelved the idea. Terribly cowardly of me, and in the end not particularly practical, because Lark, Zak and Brody are very persistent men. They wanted their story told. Finally, encouraged by friends and needing to offload some insistent characters in my head, I sat down and started writing…the second chapter. Then the fifth. Then chapter seven came out. Slowly, the characters personalities, already pretty forceful, started to really take hold and become more and more demanding. The story evolved and so did the setting. At which point I had to get real.

Not only did I have to seriously work at getting the story together into a logical writing sequence with a cohesive plot, but I needed to hit the books. Research. It’s the backbone and key to telling a good tale. But, as I quickly discovered, requires a completely different approach and dedication in contemporary and historical fiction. I’ve found a whole new level of appreciation for the writers of contemporary and historical fiction since writing Sandpipers’ Secrets.

And speaking of appreciation, there are a lot of people to thank for getting this story to the point it is today. They say writing can be a lonely game, and at points that’s true, but so many people helped me on this project. Charles Edward, my friend, fellow author and amazing beta reader made so much difference to this story. There is just not enough words to say thank you. If a beta reader is worth their weight in gold, Charles is solid 24 carat goodness! There is also the Pie In The Sky Critique group to thank, for whipping my writing into shape each week. My brave editor, Andrea Grimm for all the catches and supportive suggestions and Lyn Taylor for the amazing cover I have today. And these are just the people I know were involved in helping me. There’s a myriad people behind the scenes at Total-E-Bound that worked hard to get this story out there. Publishing is such a collaborative effort, there is no way I would be able to release this story without all these people. All are definitely part of the story behind the story of Sandpipers’ Secrets.

So in the end, while there were plenty of late nights and frustrating re-writes involved in writing Sandpipers’ Secrets, I’m very glad I did. I enjoyed telling Brody, Lark and Zak’s tale. And I’m pleased with how it turned out in the end. I’m thrilled that I have the opportunity to publish it. Will I be doing it again? Well, it turns out I will. February 14th there will be a free short story featuring these guys (an one of their little secrets) available on my website. And very soon I’m hoping to start the next book in this series, Raven’s Mark.

If you would like to read an excerpt from Sandpipers’ Secrets you can check out my website at http://www.jadearcher.com/ or follow the link below to go straight there :

Sandpipers' Secret Excerpt

Excerpt for Sandpipers’ Secrets 

Three men, so many secrets. Can Brody, Lark and Zak find their way to love, or will someone put a stop to their chance at happiness forever?

Brody is starting again. He’s moved halfway across the country to a new city, a new life. But it’s hard to stay hopeful when you’re one meal away from starvation and two weeks away from eviction. He needs a job. Fast. And not in his old line of work either or he risks everything. Fortunately, Sandpipers’ restaurant is in need of a kitchen hand and Brody’s desperate enough to do almost anything. But once the pressures off, Brody finds a whole new focus for his attention. Well, two actually! He’s just not sure he can afford to indulge.

Lark and Zak have been partners for years, both in business and in pleasure. They know everything about each other. They know what they have is right. They know…that there’s something missing. Could Brody be the answer? Will the secrets each of the men keep drive them apart? And will they live long enough to enjoy their love once someone decides it’s perverted?

And if you happen to read and enjoy Sandpipers’ Secrets, don’t forget to visit the free reads page on my website on Valentine’s Day!

Happy reading all!
Hugs,
Jade
http://www.jadearcher.com/

Keeping It Real - Gale Stanley

Author, Gale Stanley talks about how keeping it real took her writing in a new direction.

Leave a comment below and Gale will randomly pick a winner for a free copy of her first MM romance, Silent Knights.

Have you ever been in a situation and thought – hey, this would make a great story?

My day job provided me with enough material for a book, a sitcom and a movie. I used to work on a survey party. Not that kind of party, believe me. We worked outside on construction sites. Before any work could begin, our crew staked out the points that told the contractor exactly where everything would be located.

When I was hired, women were a rarity in the field. In an office of fifty, I was one of four women – a secretary, a payroll clerk, a drafter and me. I wore a hardhat and steel-toed boots and worked outside with the guys. Needless to say they weren’t thrilled to have me – at first. Once they figured out, I wasn’t going anywhere, I became one of the guys. They were a fun loving rowdy bunch - an unbelievable cast of characters. I learned a lot about men and I found I enjoyed working with them much more than the women.

Because I’m a dreamer who loves horror, sci-fi and all things supernatural when I went back to writing I started a paranormal series about shape-shifters. By the time I finished the second book, I realized something about myself. I liked writing the male POV much more than the female. And in the back of my mind there was a story simmering about two men. Although that story evolved into Silent Knights, my first MM erotic romance, it wasn’t long before my past history came back to haunt me and I had to write about a surveyor and a CAD technician.

Point of Beginning is the first book in a series revolving around The Gentlemen’s Club, a place where wealthy men can live out their fantasies. Part of the story takes place in an office much like the one I worked in. Jack and Alex are fictional characters who bear no resemblance to anyone I worked with beyond their profession. And trust me, they’re much more believable than any man I worked with. Truth is stranger than fiction after all.

Does my reality influence my writing? For sure. I know some people are surprised that I write MM fiction but it never occurred to me that there was anything strange about it. After all I wrote a series about shape-shifting Lycans and I’m not a werewolf.

POINT OF BEGINNING Gentlemen’s Club: 1 Jack Monroe is bi-curious but after he falls for a certain curly-haired surveyor, he’s ready to admit he’s gay. Too bad Alex James is straight and has a girlfriend who keeps him on a short leash. When Jack has a chance to act out his fantasy at The Gentlemen’s Club with an Alex lookalike, he grabs it. But is Jack setting himself up for deep disappointment or will he figure out that there is no perfect romance until you create it.

You can read an excerpt at Silver Publishing:
http://silverpublishing.info/product_book_info/point-of-beginning-p-165

Also available at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/POB-kindle/

http://galestanley.net/
http://galestanley.blogspot.com/
http://booksblurbs.blogspot.com/

Rick Reed - Dignity Takes a Holiday

Today, I have the great honor of hosting Rick Reed on my blog. He's here today talking about his red hot, brand new release, Dignity Takes a Holiday. Thanks so much for dropping by to give everyone the low down on the book!
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My latest novel, a "romantic comedy" more in the style of John Waters than Neil Simon, Dignity Takes a Holiday releases today. The first twenty people to buy the paperback directly from Dreamspinner Press get an autographed copy.

Now, if you are looking for lofty literary aspirations, good taste, or a serious commentary on the human condition, then go somewhere else. Dignity Takes a Holiday is for those of you who like bawdy and brazen humor about a true underdog looking for love in all the wrong places.

Meet Pete Thickwhistle. Pete doesn’t live what one might call a charmed life. At age forty-seven, he’s a flamboyant gay man who believes no one knows he’s gay, still living at home with his harpy of a mother. Worse, he’s still a virgin, longing to find just the right man to make his life complete. Pete’s an upbeat kind of guy, yet he’s never learned that the answer to his motto “What could possibly go wrong?” is always: “Everything.”

Pete’s road to love and happiness is full of potholes, yet he never tires of searching, despite job losses, weight battles, clothing faux pas, and disastrous vacations, parties, and dating debacles. Pete is the ultimate underdog living a television situation comedy, one named Dignity Takes a Holiday.

Read an excerpt here:

Buy Dignity Takes a Holiday direct from the publisher in paperback here

or e-book here:

Dignity Takes a Holiday will be available soon from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all major digital and print booksellers. Hey, it may already be there!

Excerpt:

Pete spent the next two weeks in a fruitless job search. No one wanted to hire him (“Personally, I can't blame them,” Helen told him). He was feeling particularly tense when he emerged, looking guiltily up and down the street, from L'Amour Adult Playhouse. He wore a trench coat bought at Goodwill, giant sunglasses and a beat-up fedora he had hung on to from the 1960's. Concealed beneath the trench coat was a #36, The Kamikaze, dildo. The dildo was eight inches long and six inches around. Pete both feared and desired the object. He prayed Mother would never discover its existence.

A few days later, Pete was starving as he watched Helen at the stove, stirring a big, steaming pot. He wiped away a line of drool that had formed at the corner of his mouth.

“There ya go!” Helen had done the plate up beautifully: with a sprig of parsley and a pat of butter positioned just so on Pete's heap of corn. Steam rose from the hot dog, hidden beneath its toppings, and Pete breathed it in, savoring the aroma of the warm roll and all the trimmings. “I made it just like at the restaurant. I hope you like it...honey.” Helen was grinning.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Pete picked up the warm bun, opened wide, bit down and found he could not bite through the hot dog. Brushing aside all the trimmings, Pete discovered that there was not a hot dog encased in the bun, but the dildo he had so carefully hidden. There still remained the impression of his teeth in the flesh–colored rubber.

Pete covered his mouth, eyes wide and staring. He suppressed a gag at the back of his throat. And yet again, heat radiated upward from his neck to envelope his face and ears. The heat was not from the steam.

Helen stood at the stove, watching her son and snickering.

“Mother, how could you?”

“I was cleaning your room.”

“You had no right.”

“I had every right. This is my house and I intend to keep it clean.”

Pete was flabbergasted. “I'm entitled to a little privacy, don't you think? I am 47 years old.”

“You're sick. If that's what you need your privacy for, then you're sick.”

“Mother! I'm a grown man and I have my needs.”

Helen waved her son's remarks away. “There are plenty of men around if it's fucking you need.”

“Mother! I never told you I liked men!”

“Well...” Helen snickered, ignoring Pete’s ‘coming out’ remark. He supposed, dejectedly, it hadn’t needed saying. “Where'd you get that thing, anyway?”

Helen was still chuckling to herself as Pete rushed from the room in tears. Helen doubled over in renewed laughter when she heard the slam of her son's bedroom door. She picked up the dildo, shaking her head and staring at it. “Christ Almighty.”

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Oh, wow, this sounds great. Definitely going to have to pick up a copy today. Wishing you the best with this release, Rick!