Thursday, October 31, 2013

Just 2.49! Picked at the Peak on sale until Saturday!

 



Congratulations to all of the winners of the contests I ran for Picked at the Peak, and thank you to everyone who took the time to follow each blog and comment. As a special promotion for all of my followers, I've taken 25% off the price at ARe and Gay Authors. Right now you can pick up Picked at the Peak for just $2.49!
 
 


Gay Halloween Giveaway Winner!

 
 
 
Congratulations to Emily for winning a copy of Pricolici in the Gay Halloween Giveaway!


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wednesday Briefs: Take Flight Part 16

 
It's that time again! For those who don't know, the Wednesday Briefers are a series of authors who use a group of prompts provided by the lovely Julie Hayes to write a flash piece 500 to 1,000 words. I'm so sorry if I don't get back to everyone promptly, I'm stuck in the middle of the edit for The Experiment with DSP and they only gave me 6 days. Yikers! Luckily, I had time to get this done before I began working on the project. I hope you enjoy this week's update with the prompt of: have one of your characters in a costume.

Take Flight Part 16


“I can do that with my glasses! I’m sure I can.”

Vernon frowned. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”

The Alchemist frowned. “What do you think will happen to me? I’m sure the king will bring guards, and you’ll be there.”

“What if we find the source of magic and someone becomes a Darkling? The very person who is supposed to keep you safe might put you in danger.”

Sayer couldn’t order the Alchemist to help him, or Vernon to not voice his very real fears. He had similar concerns for Birch, but growing up in the human realm alongside his beloved had taught him that he couldn’t be there all the time. Birch had to protect himself, and he could from most things.

“Did you hear what the King’s beloved—”

“Birch, please. It’s pretty awkward calling me by that or a title. I’m just a regular human, like you,” he smiled at the Alchemist, “and I’m certainly not used to thinking of Sayer as a king, or being ‘his beloved’.”

Sayer smiled at the other’s gaping faces. He had a feeling Birch was going to change a lot of the protocols his kind had been mired in for hundreds of years.

Not that Birch was anything close to just anything. The pristine wings folded by his back were a prime example of just how not just a human he was anymore.

“Birch,” the Alchemist stumbled over the name but kept going, “not only stopped Jaylon, but freed him from the influence of the pollution. I’d think being near him is the safest place for any of us to be.”

Vernon looked reluctant as he nodded slowly.

“We’ll not use any magic as we track down the source of the contamination,” Sayer assured Vernon. “A cadre of guards will go with us. Croll will remain here, as my second-in-command.”

He didn’t say Croll was staying behind as a precaution in case something went wrong, but he didn’t have to. When Sayer had gone to find Birch, he’d hoped to have more time with his beloved before the crisis the fae realm faced had grown any worse, but it was almost as if bringing him back had made it worse.

That, or his frustration with the constant drains on their time together made him more sensitive to the myriad duties he’d never really wanted. Sayer wanted to curse his parents for ignoring the problem and leaving it for him to clean up.

“How do we begin to track the magic?” Birch asked.

Sayer hadn’t thought about that. “Can you see the flow coming from any one direction?” he asked the Alchemist.

The slender man shook his head. “In the castle I can see it swirling, but there are too many fae using it to find a clear image of the magic. It’s like… rocks in a stream. For every obstacle the power runs against a change is made to its flow. It branches and spreads out, but I’m downstream from it all with no way to see past the splitting forces.”

They sat silent, stymied by the problem. Sayer smacked the arm of his chair with his fist. “Damn it!”

Birch slid his palm over Sayer’s hand, stopping him from slamming it down again. “Stop that. We just have to use our wits. Every problem has a solution.”

The real world didn’t always work that way. Sayer knew that fact, had it hammered home as he watched his parents be manacled and imprisoned, leaving him to bear their burden. Their living death was so much worse than if they’d truly died that Sayer was unable to go near their cages.

A guard standing by the door cleared his throat. “My lord?” He licked his lips.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me, but I’m part nymph. Your water analogy… it gave me an idea. You uh… you need…”

Sayer snapped in frustration. “Spit it out!”

“You need a waterfall,” the guard said in a rush.

Birch’s eyes lit up. “Oh my god, you’re right! That’s perfect.”

Whatever those two understood, Sayer was not on the same page. “Explain what you mean,” he ordered.

“You need a force greater than the pulls on the magic by the rocks, something that will rush the flow of the magic past them to one spot. With a waterfall, that’s gravity. The power will divert around the obstacle of the individual fae, but the draw on it will be so strong that the disturbance will be minimal.”

“To follow the magic, we’ll simply look upstream from the pull on the magic,” Birch finished.

The Alchemist frowned. “That will require an immense amount of power. No one but….” He stared at Sayer.

“No one but me can do it. Take the Alchemist to the roof,” he ordered the guard. Sayer didn’t mention the risk of what he was about to do. They all knew, even Birch from the stricken look on his face. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Birch jumped up and raced after Sayer.

***

Sayer was walking so fast Birch had to nearly sprint to keep up. He stopped dead in his tracks when they passed beyond two guards staring straight ahead, a deep black doorway between them. “What is in there?”

“Darklings.” Sayer was matter-of-fact. He seemed calm, empty of anything but determination. “I’m going to stand outside a cell and draw the magic. The Alchemist will see the flow and then we can track it.”

Birch watched in horror as Sayer began to glow. The vast chamber was revealed. Row after row of iron cages housed Darklings. The crazed beings threw themselves at the bars. Sayer spread his arms wide. His head tipped back as he rose onto his tiptoes, balancing in the air.

How much power would he have to draw? There was no way to know, no way to ask the Alchemist. This plan was too hasty. Birch had to stop him.

“Sayer!”

Too late.

Like a costume settling over his beloved’s face… the darkness took hold.

Okay, now move along to see the rest of the Briefer's updates! Oh, and have a fun and SAFE Halloween. (I know I'll be out in the rain with my kiddos. Joy! 14 days of sun and the rain comes back just in time.)

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Visting Today: Julie L. Hayes with Leonardo diCaprio is a Vampire


I want to welcome Julie to my blog to talk about her latest release, Leonardo diCaprio is a Vampire. Did you know? I sure didn't! LOL
 
I hear voices in my head.
No, I’m not daft or certifiable—at least no more than any other writer, I think. The voices that I hear are not the kind that tell me to do strange things or incite me to desperate acts, rather they belong to my characters, both those I know and those I’ve yet to meet. And I’ve learned something in over forty years of writing—when they speak, I listen!

Carrying paper and pencil or pen is wonderful advice for those moments when your characters begin to speak and you want to capture them for posterity. It’s all well and good to say oh, I’ll remember that, no problem, until you’re sitting in front of your computer screen and your fingers are in place upon the keyboard and suddenly you’ve forgotten every single word you were sure you’d remember forever. As they talk, you should write, that much is just a given.

But sometimes you aren’t in a position to write—for example, while you’re driving, or when you’re showering (bathing isn’t quite so bad, at least you can take the paper and pen into the bathroom and write while you soak), or even when you’re having sex. So what do you do? If it’s just one line, you can keep repeating it to yourself until you’re in a position to write it down, and that can work. But what if it’s more than that?
I have a little trick for those moments. At least it works for me. I get a mental picture of the emotions involved, and capture them visually, imprinting them with the words, almost like a hot key. So that when I’m ready, I “press” the key, and then it comes out where I can capture it. If I let the character ramble before I’m ready, I find that I lose the words. But if I imprint them in this way, then they stay there, waiting for me to access them.

For example, a couple of years ago my daughter and I went to see Inception at the theatre, the Leonardo di Caprio film. I wasn’t even sure at first that I wanted to see it, but she did so I agreed to go. Before we went, I got to thinking about Leo and other films that I’ve seen him in over the years, including Total Eclipse (Leo and David Thewlis – totally hot! Kissing and nakedness, very delicious!), and I heard a voice speak to me.
“Did you know that Leonardo di Caprio is a vampire?”

Sounds like an odd beginning or introduction even for a character. But I thought what the heck, let’s listen. I realized that this was a new character, so I kept the line in my head, all through Inception. Afterwards, I worked on the story, as I drove home. First, I needed character names. In Inception, Cillian Murphy plays a guy named Robert Fisher. He’s an important character, and his name stuck in my head, but I reversed it and changed it slightly. So Robert Fisher became Fisher Roberts. One character down, now for number two (I already knew this would be m/m, so I needed another male name). As I was driving, I scanned everything around me—billboards, businesses, vehicles, whatever—for the mate to Fisher Roberts. I saw an ad for hunting, and suddenly I had it—Hunter, who became Hunter Long.  It wasn’t til long after I began to write that I saw what I had inadvertently done – Fisher and Hunter. It might seem contrived to some, but I swear to you it was totally accidental.

I knew nothing about these two guys, but I began to write, using that first line, and I kept writing until some 35k later, I was done.  Or at least I thought it was. After a brief stint with a publisher who shall remain nameless, I received Leo back into my own hands and then I took the original story and added 5k to it, in the form of Hunter’s POV, and then I sold it to Torquere. And now we have a happy ending, as well as a new cover and more depth to the story of Hunter and Fisher.
This isn’t the only time this has happened to me, far from it. There once was a time when I was researching a non-fiction book, a children’s book about composer Percy Granger, when a voice began to speak, and he told me he was a gay werewolf. I could feel that he was a nice man, so I politely told him to please wait til I was done with the other book.  But he kept talking, so to appease him I thought I would just write down a few notes and hold onto them until I was ready. Those few notes became the first chapter of To The Max. Which became an entire book. And which now has a sequel. All because a voice wanted to be heard. Oh, that other book never got written yet. Guess Percy needs to speak louder, eh?

Another time, it was Judas Iscariot that spoke, and that book became Revelations (for which I’m still seeking a publisher). Sometimes I only get to the first chapter, and then it sits as a WIP until I get back to it. But at least it’s a start.
I hate to think about all of the characters that I have lost or forgotten because I wasn’t able to keep their words in my head. Perhaps they’ll come back again someday, but I’m not holding my breath. That goes for the books I’ve written in my dreams, but forget the moment I wake up. Since I started using my little mnemonic trick, I haven’t lost a thing, and that’s a good feeling. I just hope my readers agree that it was worth it!

Do your characters talk to you? Do you have any tricks you use for getting your characters down onto paper?  I’d love to hear about it!  Thanks for having me, Alicia! Have a great day, everyone!

 

Blurb: Halloween is the night when the veil between the worlds grows thin... Not that Fisher Roberts believes in Halloween or any other holiday. Unlike his roommate and longtime best friend, Hunter Long. The trouble is that Fisher's feelings for Hunter are more than that of a friend, and it's getting harder and harder to hide those feelings from Hunter.
Fisher has promised Hunter to attend a Halloween party with him on All Hallow’s eve, even though he’d really rather not. Things start out badly and then take a decided turn for the strange. Hunter confesses to being a vampire. Not that Fisher believes that, of course—that’s just Hunter’s strange sense of humor. But the kiss in the park... what’s that about? And at the Halloween party from Hell, nothing and no one are what they seem to be... Halloween madness or something more?
Excerpt:  Fisher trembled, an expectant trembling, as if he were waiting for something to happen. He didn't have to wait long. Suddenly those beautiful lips were touching his, and then they were kissing, truly kissing. No, it wasn't Fisher's first kiss, but it was his first with a man. His only kiss with a man. And he was amazed at what a difference there was between this kiss and the others. Not because of gender, but because it was with Hunter. Because Hunter was someone special.
He felt himself giving in to those lips, melting into that touch, with a heat that penetrated his entire body, vibrating in its intensity. Now Hunter was nibbling at his lips, soft tender kisses that shook him to his very foundation. His head was reeling, and he was on the verge of losing all sense of self when he felt the first raindrops splash upon his upturned face.
What the hell. He pulled back at this sudden insertion of reality into a very unreal scene, his mouth forming a large "O" of amazement, his eyes going into saucer-plate mode. But even as he did, Hunter moved forward, sliding his hips until their knees were touching. From this position, luckily, they couldn't get much closer, or Hunter would realize what else he had raised beside's Fisher's blood pressure.
He was going to do it again. Fisher just knew it, he could feel it, and oh God how badly he wanted it, as he felt a whimper rise in his throat, indicating a neediness he wasn't aware he even possessed. But the drops were turning thicker now, more of them, and they were brutally cold. A definite shock to the system. His brain was screaming to him to get out, get out now.
Even though this was what he wanted, exactly what he wanted. So what was the problem? What did he think would happen if he gave in to his feelings? He didn’t know. He was afraid of things that he couldn't even explain to himself.
He practically threw himself backward from the picnic table in his haste to get away, landing on the hard ground that would soon be turning to mud if this downpour kept up. A steady rain it was now, and lightning crackled angrily above their heads.
"Fisher?" Hunter rose hastily, reaching for him. So Fisher did the only logical thing he could do -- he gained his feet and ran, as hard and as fast as he could. He hated himself with every step that he took -- and he knew he had never loved Hunter Long more.

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

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

Link:

Torquere 






My Publishers:



Friday, October 25, 2013

eBook Review: Illumination by Rowan Speedwell

IlluminationIllumination by Rowan Speedwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Illumination was a fascinating eBook. I was worried the subject matter would revolve around the day in and day out of a rock star. While it did matter, quite a bit, Adam wasn't really the focus of this eBook.

Miles is, by far, the driving character behind the story, though we don't meet him first. He is complex, and has a personality behind the personality. I don't want to give away any of the lovely complexities in this story via spoilers... but what you think you know about him gets completely turned around as the story progresses. Rowan's multi-layered character must be acknowledged as a superior example of how to write a person in a story that feels completely real.

I loved the damage the characters have, and the challenges they face, and the strength it takes for them to overcome. There's a lot of external drama, and internal, between Miles and Adam. I dislike the lack of communication being a pivotal point between characters, but in Illumination that was actually a part of their personalities that made perfect sense. It wasn't just to drive the conflict to new heights, there were understandable reasons why the romance devolves.

Now, I won't get more explicit than that. There's angst, and drama, and some heart-break, emotional flaws, anger... and art. I can't forget about the art. I'm in love with the visuals Rowan created for the illuminations Miles did, so much so that I wanted one. I wish the cover could have shown that aspect of the story better. It felt like a color by number marker painting, not an intricate, custom illumination around a page of script.

So, all in all, to sum up... great characters, good drama, and a satisfying ending that I won't spoil, lol.

View all my reviews

Woo hoo, It's Another Contest!

 

Yep, that's right... the eBooks keep coming! This time I talk about kissing. Hmm... one of my favorite parts of a story, to be truthful. Hop on over to Andrew Q. Gordon's blog to check out my author post and try to win another copy of Picked at the Peak!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

5 More Days!! Gay Halloween Giveaway!

As a special treat, I'm taking part in a few fun events this month, as well as running some blog hops for my latest release with non-paranormal themes. Run by the lovely, Kia, this Gay Halloween Giveaway is chock full of special goodies for your trick-or-treat bag!


First, take a peek at the books you could win!

Disturbed Fate by Kia Zi Shiru Disturbed Connections by Kia Zi Shiru Pacifier 6; The Shadows Within by G. Wakeling Birth Rite by X. Aratare The Bodyguard (Book1 of The Artifact) by X. Aratare Bisexual Werewolf Dominance by Jen Harker Gay Vampire Cumslut by Jen Harker Sunday's Child by Lex Valentine Pricolici by Alicia Nordwell Supernature: Paranormal Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games by Sophie Duncan and Natasha Duncan-Drake The Need In Me by Sophie Duncan An Amusement (The Vampire's Concubine #1) by Sophie Duncan The End of The Journey (The Hidden War #1) by Sophie Duncan Forgotten Soul (The Soul Reader #1) by Tasha D-Drake Forbidden Soul (The Soul Reader #2) by Tasha D-Drake Fortunate Soul (The Soul Reader #3) by Tasha D-Drake Chip Off the Old Block? by Tasha D-Drake The Trade by Tasha D-Drake Out of the Frying Pan by Tasha D-Drake Face of the Dead by Tasha D-Drake My Fair Vampire by S. L. Danielson and Julie Lynn Hayes The Cross and the Black 1 by Luwa Wande The Cross and the Black 2 by Luwa Wande
 
Now check out the rafflecopter below to enter to win!! 
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
  
Disclaimer: The Gay Halloween Giveaway ends midnight GMT on the 29th of October.
Open internationally. Warning: some content not suitable for people
under the age of 18. Prizes will be sent electronically via mail.
Winners will be chosen on the 29th of October by randomiser and will
receive an email. Facebook, Twitter and any other social media websites
are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your
information in this form, you are providing your information to me and
me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any
information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.

Another Hop Stop and Chance to Win Picked at the Peak!



How about another blog hop spot and another contest where you could win a copy of Picked at the Peak? That's right... there's more! Check out my author feature on Renee Stevens' blog, Nature of the Heart, and comment for your chance to win. Good luck!


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wednesday Briefs: Take Flight Part 15

 

 
Happy Wednesday and welcome to the weekly update from the Briefers! As always, the authors in our group pick from a mess of prompts, and then we each share an update 500 to 1,000 words in length with readers, and share links to all the other blog authors taking part where you can read free stories too! This week my prompt was the image below... sorta. LOL. Read on to figure out how it inspired me.
Take Flight Part 15


“While we wait for the Alchemist, I thought you might like to try out your wings.”

Birch stumbled against a small table near the fireplace. “What?”

“We’ve been ignoring them because we have bigger problems, but… you have wings, Birch. Flying is the one thing I never thought we’d share. I love the freedom of soaring through the air.”

“I-I don’t know.” Birch licked his lips. “What if I fall?”

Sayer could remember some rough tumbles when he learned to fly. The field wasn’t too hard, but Birch had been injured a lot recently. “How about you try over the bed? That way, if you fall, you’ll bounce.”

Birch took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’ll show me what to do?”

“Of course!” Sayer grinned. He bounced up on the bed. “If I’m going to wear my wings, I’ll usually wear a robe or tunic with slits built in, but I didn’t put one on this morning.” He stripped off his shirt, dropping it onto the floor.

Birch’s gaze roamed all over his chest. Sayer held in a smirk at the heat held in Birch’s eyes. They wouldn’t have enough time to fool around and have a flying lesson though. “You’ll need to take off your shirt.”

“Oh.” Birch turned bright red. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off. “Now what?”

“Close your eyes.” Birch shut his eyes. Sayer relished the trust his beloved showed when he let Sayer tell him what to do. “Now see your wings, feel them behind you, stretching and flexing.” Sayer didn’t have to close his eyes to bring out his wings; he’d been hiding them since he was young, but Birch needed the visual.

Sayer’s back tingled. He shrugged his shoulders and stretched his wings out before folding them down tightly to his back. Birch’s wings took longer to appear, shimmering in the air before the pure white feathers coalesced into reality behind him. They flared wide, creating small draft. Birch didn’t seem to notice he was up on his toes without even trying.

He was going to be a natural, Sayer just knew it.

“Now come up here with me.” Birch climbed up on the bed and Sayer showed him how to flex his wings, using his shoulder positions to change their angle. “Okay. Let’s try flapping them, just once, and leave them out to catch the air.”

Birch licked his lip. “Will you hold onto me?”

Sayer smiled. “Of course.” They clasped hands. “Ready?”

His beloved nodded.

“Okay… flap.” Their wings spread and then whooshed through the air, sending them both into the air several feet. “Wings out, far as you can keep them.”

Birch had a little wrinkle between his eyes but his wings stayed out. They slowly fell toward the bed, bouncing a little. Sayer flexed his knees and steadied them both.

“I did it!” Birch laughed. He squeezed Sayer’s hands. “I did it. I flew!”

Sayer laughed with him. “Well, a little. But that was a great start. You have wonderful control.” Birch tugged him in close, letting go of his hands and hugging Sayer around the waist under his wings.

“I still flew.” He stretched up and captured Sayer’s lips in a heated kiss. His tongue dipped in and touched Sayer’s, coaxing it out and into his mouth.

“Ahem.” The door opened after a rushed knock.

Sayer broke apart from Birch slowly, reluctantly. He looked over the smaller man’s wings.

“You called for the Alchemist?”

Venson, a squat dwarf fae, stood beside the slender human man who was fiddling nervously with his glasses.

“We did.”

Birch was bright red again. He hopped off the bed and reached for his shirt. “Ahh, sorry. We were just—” He stared at his shirt, the wrinkle back between his eyebrows. “Crap. No wing slits.”

“There are a few shirts in the bureau that should work. Get me one too, will you, Birch?”

Sayer stepped off the bed. “We did call for the Alchemist. Thank you for coming so quickly.” He ushered their guests to seats by the open balcony door.

“What can we do for you?” Venson asked.

Sayer pulled on the shirt Birch offered him, then used a breeze to do up the back. He almost stumbled forward into their guests when he misjudged the effort. “Shit.”

The Alchemist’s mouth dropped open. “My lord!”

“You can see it, can’t you?”

Birch sank down into a chair opposite their guests. “What can he see?”

“Power.” The Alchemist pushed his glasses up his nose. “I made these, and with them, I can see the power that the fae use.”

“Really? How?”

“The magic has colors.”

Birch nodded. “Like when Haverlseen told me to find the well of magic inside me, and my colors were different from his colors when he gave me energy.”

“Exactly. With these, I can see the power’s source and how it flows.”

“And that is what we need you for.”

Venson and the Alchemist exchanged looks. “I’m afraid we don’t understand, my lord,” Venson said.

“Your beloved can see the flow of magic. Birch brought up the idea our magic isn’t going wild on its own. He thinks something is causing the surges, and for lack of a better word, polluting the fae.”

“Is that even possible?”

Birch leaned forward in his chair. “In the human world my job was to investigate environments affected by pollution. I tracked the effects, found the cause, and figured out ways to eliminate the problem and help the ecosystem recover from the damage as much as possible, at least. If the magic were a river, flowing through the fae realms, that individuals can dip into and use… when why can’t something ‘upstream’ be causing a problem.”

The Alchemist nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, I see exactly what you mean. It might work! We can find out what’s causing the Darklings!”

Sayer hated to burst their bubble, but… “First we have to be lucky enough to find a source of pollution.”

 TBC
 
Okay, now on to many more stories to enjoy! Please make sure you swing by our Briefers virgin, Jon Keys, and welcome him to the group! LOL
Julie Lynn Hayes
Victoria Adams

 
 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Blog Stop and Your 2nd Chance to Win!



Oooh, how about another chance to win a free eBook? There's been a glitch with my post to Julie's blog (I sent her the wrong file, that's what I get for doing things while sick!) but there's still a contest to win a free eBook. Just shoot on over to Julie's blog and comment for your chance to win!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Blog Hopping and Contest Giving



 
Hi Cia Fans! Want a chance to win a copy of Picked at the Peak? Check out Aislin's character interview on Nephylim's blog and then check out the contest details for your chance to win!
 


Friday, October 18, 2013

eBook Review: Light by Nathan Burgoine

LightLight by Nathan Burgoine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Light surprised me. I was expecting something a bit more intellectual, technical, I guess you might say. The cover was very 80s-esque, but the plot is very much within the current trend toward superhero fiction. The blurb really plays up the story's overall plot, and the style, so I wasn't disappointed, just a little surprised at the contrast between the cover and actual story.

I'm not going to go over the plot. It's covered really well in the blurb. The characters were great. I absolutely loved Kieran's snark when he was judging guys he's dating or 'forced to date' by his meddlesome best friend. The power element seemed to be well described and the author stuck to the 'rules' they'd come up with through the whole story.

So, the best friend is pretty much the cut from the same cloth gay man best friend type of character, but hey... I liked the coffee swilling woman anyway. I wasn't impressed or easily understood the element of the Miracle Woman, other than to explain the 'Hide' part that led to Kieran keeping his secrets hidden.

Sebastian was pretty cool and HOT! He seemed pretty real, and I liked his interactions with Kieran. I love, love, loved his dog. I had the big, dumb dog myself until last year, so I totally got that and the reaction to Kieran was freaking hilarious. 'Play!'

Okay, the bad guy and the bad guy behind the bad guy were completely and totally transparent. So, while I enjoyed the story... they felt way too two dimensional for me to really feel the tension after the first scene during the flag raising at the start of Pride week.

Plot... pretty solid. Ease of reading and dialogue/narration flow was excellent and made this a very easy read. The characters were well described, and I could easily 'see' each of them, which was good because there were enough in the story that it could have been confusing if they weren't so distinctly fleshed out.

Overall, not quite the story I was expecting, but very good nonetheless. Definite recommend if you like contemporary with a bit of 'extra' thrown in. The world was complex enough with some openings for follow ups, so it'll be interesting if the author comes back and writes more psi stories in this world.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wednesday Briefers: Take Flight Part 14

 
 

Wednesday ALREADY? Good lords... so much going on! Picked at the Peak is selling really well, *grins* and I'm taking part in a contest that ends on Oct. 29th where you can win some eBooks for a lovely treat (no tricks, I promise!). Info on that contest is right there on the sidebar. Now... you get more Birch and Sayer in this week's flash update from the Wednesday Briefers!
 
As always, we get a lovely list of prompts from Julie, write a 500 to 1,000 word flash story/chapter update and then share it on Wednesdays. If you're interested in taking part, feel free to message Julie through her blog or shoot me an email and I can help you connect. This week my prompt was the picture below.

 
Take Flight Part 14
 
“Your human has some good ideas.” Croll smirked at Birch.
Sayer flicked his fingers. Croll’s chair toppled over. He sprawled on the ground, staring up at Sayer. Birch started laughing.
“Are you okay?” Sayer jumped up. He held a hand out to Croll. “Let me help you up.”
“What was that?” Croll rubbed his shoulder.
“I have no idea.” Sayer shuddered. Power that usually took energy to channel just… poured out of him. He’d only meant to mess up Croll’s hair, a surefire way to set off the finicky fae.
“What do you mean?” Birch frowned.
“I wasn’t trying to tip over Croll’s chair.”
“Is that bad?”
Sayer nodded slowly. “Darklings are stronger than they were as normal fae.”
“But… you took power from me, right? Maybe you’re just energized.”
Croll righted his chair. “That may be. But if this contamination is really happening as you say, this could be the goal. Right? Sayer doesn’t have an heir. There’s no one to take up the mantle of the king, should he fall.”
Birch paled. “Maybe we should have that doctor take a look at you?”
Sayer shook his head. “No. We need to investigate. We should talk to the Darkling you brought back, find out what he remembers. Then… then we’ll figure this out.”
***
Birch’s mouth dropped open. He spun to face Sayer. “You use shackles? Like real shackles?”
“My lord.” The fae dropped to his knees at Birch’s feet and bowed his head. Birch stepped back. What the hell was the guy doing? Birch shivered and wrapped his arms around his chest.
“Uh….”
“You may rise,” Sayer said.
The fae didn’t rise, but he did look at Birch. “Thank you for my life.”
Birch shook his head. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You told me to be free.” He stared wide-eyed up at Birch.
Birch couldn’t make sense of him. “You’re not free. Those chains look heavy.”
“They are. I cannot raise my hands.”
“Yet, you are free?”
“Yes.”
Sayer leaned forward. “Of what?”
“The magic isn’t wild, my lord. Whatever that was… it was precise, controlled, and very, very powerful.”
Sayer gestured to the two guards flanking the kneeling fae. They lifted him to his feet. “Let’s sit down by the window.”
The fae’s pale green skin turned yellow in the light. “I do not believe that would be safe, my lord.” He tried to move back.
“Why?” Sayer halted. He grabbed Birch, shoving him behind his back. The guards grabbed the fae by his biceps. 
“Oh for the love of Christ.” The fae winced when Birch snapped. “I don’t need you to protect me. Look at the guy! He’s shackled with such heavy chains he couldn’t stand on his own.”
“You might want to ease off on that whole ‘Christ’ thing,” Sayer whispered.
“It’s just a saying!” Birch rolled his eyes.
“And winged fae are just make-believe.” Sayer’s wings sparkled in the air, not quite solid, and then disappeared again.
Birch’s breath caught in his throat. He blinked. “Okay. You have a point. But can we please get back to business? Why are you afraid of the light?” he asked.
“I am not afraid of light, but the heat.”
“Why?” Was that why the room was so cold?
“I was gathering energy for the pool at the veil. The plants there have been suffering. When I went there to heal the plants… something happened. I began to hear it,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “a dissonance. I got hotter and hotter, but I wasn’t able to channel the power or control the intake. It was night in the human realm, I made sure of it. There was no energy for me to harness from the sun. But it filled me up until I was saturated in energy unlike any I’ve ever felt. Then… I was gone, until I heard your beloved’s words.”
“That’s impossible.” Sayer licked his lips. “You cannot gain energy from heat.”
Birch gasped. The memory flashed through his mind of his junior class on ecosystems and thermodynamics. “Energy laws remain constant here?”
Sayer nodded. “We are beside, not apart, from the human world.”
“So we’re talking about something that took over a fae who gathers energy from the sun and can use it to heal plants. Something that can violate the second law of thermodynamics by re-using energy… from heat?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why it is so cold in here.” Birch shivered.
“Did you think the king was punishing me with the chill?” the fae asked. He cocked his head sideways when Birch shrugged uncomfortably. “He’d never do such a thing, my lord.”
It was hard for Birch to admit that he did think that maybe Sayer had done exactly that. He felt so out of his element. Sayer wasn’t what he expected, at all. Trying to face the fact that his childhood best friend, the boy he grew up loving who protected him was something other than human, as well as figuring out what was attempting to destroy the fae world sent his mind in circles. “I....” He flushed.
Sayer turned around. He caressed Birch’s cheek. “Don’t worry about it, beloved. I understand.”
“You have given us a lot of new information. Thank you.”
“Anything I can do to help, my lords. I can never repay you for freeing me.”
“I need you to stay here for me, until we figure this out. I know that being away from the sun is painful for you, but I understand your fear. If it gets to be too much, please tell us and we will try to find a safe way to help you.” Sayer placed a hand on the head of the fae as he bowed.
“We’ll figure this out.”
Birch’s mind raced. There was too much he didn’t know.
“I know the biological rules of the human world,” he said. “But not how they work here with the fae abilities. I need more data.”
Sayer paused at the door to their suite. “We need the Alchemist.”
 
TBC
 
Now check out the other great updates from the other Briefers!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Gay Halloween Giveaway!

As a special treat, I'm taking part in a few fun events this month, as well as running some blog hops for my latest release with non-paranormal themes. Run by the lovely, Kia, this Gay Halloween Giveaway is chock full of special goodies for your trick-or-treat bag!


First, take a peek at the books you could win!

Disturbed Fate by Kia Zi Shiru Disturbed Connections by Kia Zi Shiru Pacifier 6; The Shadows Within by G. Wakeling Birth Rite by X. Aratare The Bodyguard (Book1 of The Artifact) by X. Aratare Bisexual Werewolf Dominance by Jen Harker Gay Vampire Cumslut by Jen Harker Sunday's Child by Lex Valentine Pricolici by Alicia Nordwell Supernature: Paranormal Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games by Sophie Duncan and Natasha Duncan-Drake The Need In Me by Sophie Duncan An Amusement (The Vampire's Concubine #1) by Sophie Duncan The End of The Journey (The Hidden War #1) by Sophie Duncan Forgotten Soul (The Soul Reader #1) by Tasha D-Drake Forbidden Soul (The Soul Reader #2) by Tasha D-Drake Fortunate Soul (The Soul Reader #3) by Tasha D-Drake Chip Off the Old Block? by Tasha D-Drake The Trade by Tasha D-Drake Out of the Frying Pan by Tasha D-Drake Face of the Dead by Tasha D-Drake My Fair Vampire by S. L. Danielson and Julie Lynn Hayes The Cross and the Black 1 by Luwa Wande The Cross and the Black 2 by Luwa Wande
 
Now check out the rafflecopter below to enter to win!! 
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Disclaimer: The Gay Halloween Giveaway ends midnight GMT on the 29th of October.
Open internationally. Warning: some content not suitable for people
under the age of 18. Prizes will be sent electronically via mail.
Winners will be chosen on the 29th of October by randomiser and will
receive an email. Facebook, Twitter and any other social media websites
are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your
information in this form, you are providing your information to me and
me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any
information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.