30 September 2018

Blast from the Past...Spotlighting "Not Afraid" by Elizabeth Monvey!


Raleigh Hewes has known Augustus Rains his whole life, and for the past year they’ve been lovers. They’ve kept it a secret because Gus is afraid of what people will say. Not only are they a gay couple in a small town but he is black and Raleigh is white. Raleigh wants to be out and proud, but Gus is concerned since both their businesses revolve around the local market.
After an argument, Raleigh has doubts that their love can last because he’s tired of hiding their relationship. When a storm sweeps over his farm, he’s caught in the eye of a tornado, and Gus races frantically to find the man he loves.
The danger has put into perspective his fears and Gus decides not to be afraid anymore. He just hopes it’s not too late to lay claim to Raleigh’s heart.

Q & A

1.       Did you plot this book out or write wherever an idea took you?

I knew where I wanted the story to go, so for this one I did a strong plot outline. I wanted to show that even in today’s modern and civilized world, there is still prejudice between interracial couples. I also wanted to include a tornado, so it was interesting researching how to do that.

2.       Since the publication, what would you say has improved in your writing?

Yes, definitely! A writer should always be learning how to fine tune his or her craft. I constantly read and listen to my editors so I’m constantly refining my craft.

3.       Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

This is one career where a book is definitely judged by its cover! I loved the cover for “Not Afraid”.  I like how the tornado twisting between the two men is the visual division between them.  




EXCERPT  

And then Augustus reached out with his big, beefy hands and pulled him flush against his body to claim his lips in a deep, penetrating kiss. Raleigh reached up to hold on as Gus licked and sucked on his tongue, fusing them in a way that made his dick hard as steel. It was always like this with Gus, always this raw and powerful and hot. Christ, Gus was the sexiest thing on two legs, and Raleigh always sported a boner within two seconds of laying eyes on the man. When Gus tried to break the kiss and come up for air, Raleigh practically attacked him back, throwing himself into the hard, muscled body. Gus’s arms hit the evenly stacked paint cans and knocked all them off their perfectly set row.

“Jesus, Leigh,” Gus muttered as Raleigh pressed kisses over Gus’s jaw.

“Three fucking days, Gus,” he said roughly in between nips and licks. Gus moaned at Raleigh’s attention. “I’ve been jacking off with mental images of you for three days.”

He sank to his knees in front of Gus and worked on getting his jeans undone. He carefully eased the zipper teeth over the straining erection and some white boxer briefs poked out, barely able to contain the large girth pushing against them.

“I’ve dreamed of this cock, of tasting it and sucking it,” he murmured as he yanked the jeans and underwear down far enough to ease out the huge dick. It was a bit darker than Gus’s skin, and the head was bulbous over a long, thick shaft. Gus’s balls hung, large and heavy. Liquid dribbled out of the tip like crazy, and his mouth watered, so he leaned over and licked.

“Holy shit!” Gus panted. His fingers sank into Raleigh’s hair to either hold him in place or direct his movement. Raleigh didn’t actually care. He was too happy sucking on Gus’s cock to really think about anything else. 

WHERE TO BUY 




28 September 2018

Nix Whittaker Chats With Me Today!


Hello Nix!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

It is literally a dream. I have insomnia so one of the tactics to fall asleep is I create elaborate worlds and characters to fall asleep. It has been very helpful in real life as I can have arguments with my boss all in my head without getting into a real confrontation and probably fired.

Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

I can’t help but do series. I like the characters too much and want to keep coming back to them or something else in the world that appeals to me. This series is set on another planet where humans have been adapted to better survive another planet. The different models of humans are divided into four castes. My main character is desperate for a family so she goes the route of artificial insemination but things get complicated when the father of the baby rocks up on her door. He is a Warrior and she is a Serenity so I get to explore how people from different backgrounds can find a middle ground. Of course there is also world domination and xenophobia as well but those get explored in the other books in the series.

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I always think I’ve planned my characters out before I start writing but then when I do write they say and do things that always surprise me. In this case Kaidan turned out a much calmer guy than I expected. He is tough in a quiet way. The brother also was a surprise. I was going to make him very different. You get to see more of him in the next book.

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

I have a few upcoming projects. I’m organizing an Anthology called Well Said O Toothless One. It is something my dad always says and at the moment he is terminally ill and I wanted something to remember him by. So all the stories in there are stories that are amusing and show good guys winning instead of this toxic macho ideal that pervades literature. I’m also starting a new series in my Wyvern Chronicles world. This is more of a mystery and set a little later about 1853. Of course I still have the other books in this series that I’m only half way through writing.

Blurb

K-I-S-S-I-N-G First comes baby ... wait that isn't right. But that is how Aaru has planned it, have a baby even if she can't find the right guy. On a planet where everyone is in a rigid caste system determined by their genetics, Aaru is part of an outcast model of human called Serenities. They had a tendency to go mad so Aaru wants children before that dreaded day appears. She never expected to meet the donor. Unfortunately, her plans change when the Scribe government comes for her and her baby. She would have been taken if the baby daddy hadn't arrived on her doorstep.

Kaidan is a Warrior and protecting people is part of his DNA. The stakes are just higher because Aaru is carrying his child. But to face the power of the Scribe government means he has to give up everything to follow his heart.



Where to Buy…








Excerpt...
“Whatever my brother is paying you I can pay you more.” She couldn’t but she wanted to gauge his depth of loyalty.

He frowned. “Your brother isn’t paying me anything. Is that who you’re hiding from?”

What game was he playing? “Who are you?”

“I’m Kaidan and I’m the father of your child.”

The father? The father was supposed to be sperm in a jar, not a human being standing in front of her. Certainly the father wasn’t supposed to be a man with muscles that bulged against his shirt. She could argue with a jar and fight against a man that didn’t exist to keep her baby. She couldn’t fight another human being let alone a Warrior. Her breath caught in her throat. She coughed but she was already light headed.

Aaru fainted.

She could blame it on the pregnancy but so far she had been robust. She came to lying on the floor with Kaidan holding her in his lap. He rubbed her arm to help revive her. Propped up in his lap she could feel the muscles of his legs as he half crouched under her. His other arm around her kept her head off the floor. Aaru scrambled away from him when she finally came to and he let her. She didn’t fool herself. He was a Warrior. He had reflexes that would put a humming beetle to shame. Aaru watched him studying her.

It was a standoff.

There was no way she could run but she wasn’t about to go along with him either. Then she remembered the last thing he told her before she fainted and said, “That’s impossible. You can’t be the father. The father was some Rustic guy who went to a clinic in Jing. Reduced to a jar of sperm.” Her few years in medical school let her rattle off the word sperm without blushing but the raised eyebrow from the Warrior threatened to have a blush follow the words.

The Warrior tilted his head as he listened to her then carefully spread his arms to show he wasn’t going to hurt her. He slowly got to his feet and offered a hand up off the floor. Aaru wasn’t so pregnant that she couldn’t get up off the floor on her own. She didn’t take his hand but she did stand up. There was no way she would stay huddled on the floor while he stood intimidatingly above her.

She backed up so her back was to the wall as she didn’t like being so exposed. She had no idea if he was alone or not but she didn’t feel safe.

The Warrior didn’t crowd her, instead he stayed by the small table in the middle of the open plan studio. He said, “It wasn’t a Rustic man.”


Author bio: 

Nix Whittaker is a high school teacher in a small rural town tucked away in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. She immigrated to New Zealand when she was a young girl from South Africa and had completely embraced the New Zealand life.



She has been writing from a young age when she read all the books available for people her age and was forced to write her own just to feed her voracious appetite for Literature.

She studied at Auckland University, but opted for a quiet life in the rolling countryside and views of Tongariro National Park. She lives with her dog and her three cats and writes between planning lessons and socialising with friends.

26 September 2018

Kristy Brown Talks About her YA Paranormal Romance...Summer's End!


Hello Kristy!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

I literally did dream my lead male, Alex. I saw him so vividly just before I woke up and knew I had to write him!


Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

Yes, Summer’s End is the first book in the trilogy. It’s a YA Paranormal Romance with a twist! I’ve just finished editing book two.

Q) Can you give a fun or interesting fact about your book?

I don’t think anyone has written this twist on the genre before. Authors have written vampires, angels etc, but I think this is a fresh idea. I hope it is!

Q) What do you think is your strongest asset as a writer? …what is your weakest factor as a writer?

My imagination is my strongest, it never stops working and surprising me. My weakest is procrastination. I need to start book three but keep finding other things to do!

Q) Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Yes, but don’t all writers? It’s a balancing act between both I think.

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Depends. Alex was a gift. I just wrote him. I needed a conflict, and that’s when I wrote Summer.

Q) Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I like a standalone. But these three should be read as you need to see the character arcs and plot over all three books.

 Q) What are your upcoming projects?

Book three! My publisher (Muse It Up Publishing) will be asking for it soon. Also, I’ve just self-published a YA fairy tale retelling CINDERFELLA on Amazon and JUST SAM, a contemporary teen romance.



Blurb

She wakes up in the hospital, badly burned with no identity.

He’s been trained to kill her before she burns the world to ashes.

When they finally meet, will he be able to take her life now that he’s started to feel for her?

His fate is already written.

The prophecy is already set.

Love between them is forbidden.

Buy Links





About Kristy Brown

Kristy Brown lives in England with her husband and two sons. She trained as an actress and has a degree in Contemporary Arts. After her first child was born she began writing a short story whilst he took a nap. That was the beginning of the "Kiera's Quest" teen fantasy series, which is published by 'Muse It Up Publishing.'

Kristy then went on to write "Summer's End," a YA Paranormal romance series, which will also be published with Muse It Up Publishing.

"Just Sam," is a YA/ Teen contemporary romance book set loosely in the world of tennis.
Kristy is currently editing her YA modern retelling of Cinderella, "Cinderfella." She is also writing the third book in the "Summer's End" series and has many more stories in mind, yet not enough time in the day!



24 September 2018

Gemma Snow Visits with her New Release!



Hello Gemma!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) Is this book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

Yes! Wild Flowers is book two in the Triple Diamond series, which is set on the Triple Diamond Ranch in Wolf Creek, Montana. The first book in this series, The Lovin’ Is Easy was actually meant to be a short, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to expand, so it’s now a four book series, with each story set in a different season. This one is fall and let me tell you, Montana is beautiful in the fall. (She says, from having spent too many hours on Pinterest and never having gone…)

I have to say though, living in the modern day is great! When I first started expanding this series, I actually found a real estate website for luxury ranches in Montana. It had these half hour video tours of the grounds and homes – it wasn’t quite as good as going myself, but it was a close second! It’s just been so much fun creating this setting and telling stories there.

Q) What do you think is your strongest asset as a writer? …what is your weakest factor as a writer?

I’d have to say that my strongest asset is probably my ability to just get it done. Programs like National Novel Writing Month or writing sprints/word count goals are really effective for me, because I write fast and once it’s on the page I can fix it. That being said, my weakness is also writing fast. It’s really important for me to write comprehensive synopsis and outlines to follow while I’m writing, or I’ll end up with a full-length book that doesn’t say a whole hell of a lot of anything.  

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I think every character develops as the story unfolds. I come from a background in journalism and it’s been very effective for character creation, with interviews and research and I love going into a story with a strong grasp on my characters. That being said, the characters get tested, they get challenged, they come upon unusual circumstances and, just like people, they change and are changed by those events.

It’s particularly interesting, too, to write romantic character development for ménage romances. The dynamic is going to be very different than a more traditional type of partnership and exploring those unique approaches to communication and trust has been a lot of fun and very educational. 

Q) Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I love writing series! Every time I try to write a stand alone book, it ends up developing into a series. I’ve always loved reading them too, so I think that has a lot to do with it. For me, it’s fun to see characters or places from previous books and to get that sort of outside interaction. It’s easy to accidentally isolate our heroes and heroines because we do want them to be alone together, but we don’t want them to be alone in the world and creating that larger series setting can really help give them a solid place.

So yes! The Triple Diamond series is interconnected between the (what will be) four books in the series. I have a few stand alone short stories, but I think it’s a little different. I have two recently released titles I’ll be republishing and they’re both part of series as well and I’m actually thinking of expanding one across time, so yes, huge series fan!

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

I’m working on such a fun project right now, but I’m quite at the point where I can spill the beans. Suffice to say, it has dukes, friends to lovers tropes and bacchanalian, hedonistic festivities with 1800s circus themes! I have fun.

That’s in early stages though. Right now, Wild Flowers is out this week and book three in the Triple Diamond Series, Most Wanted is coming out early next year. I’m also planning to republish two of my recently unpublished works, so fun things!


Blurb

When it comes to the two very tempting search-and-rescue survivalists, Lily Hollis is all about getting in touch with nature…

Five years have passed since her fiancé’s death and Lily Hollis has had enough. She’s done with the self-pity and the guilt and putting the brakes on her own life. She’s going to visit her sister, Madison, in Wolf Creek, Montana and she’s going to finish her master’s research, finally graduating, like she never did all those years ago.

But Wolf Creek holds temptation, specifically in the form of the very sexy, very dangerous Dec McCormick and Micah Ellison, two search-and-rescue specialists who run a survival camp near her sister’s ranch. When they suggest she stay with them to complete her fieldwork, Lily is shocked to find herself agreeing. After all, she hasn’t wanted a man in a very long time and now she finds herself wanting two.

Which is…complicated. Because, while some of the folks in Wolf Creek don’t mind unorthodox relationships, Dec and Micah are clear from the start that it doesn’t appeal to them. It’s a shame Lily’s fool heart can’t seem to get the idea, because the more time she spends with the two men, the more she finds herself caring—that is, until one damning question could bring everything to a crashing halt.

Lily knows deep down that there’s more to whatever’s between them, but the question is, can she ever get Dec and Micah to believe it—and what might the future hold if they do?




Excerpt


“We’ve got a scent!”

Axel was trying hard not to get too far ahead of Micah to see, and Micah did his best to keep pace, following the large and very determined golden retriever down a steep incline, clenching his thighs and lowering his center of gravity to avoid sliding on the wet, fallen leaves that coated the Clark Mountain Range of Glacier National Park, at the edge of the Montana–Canada border. Axel, on his four legs, was doing a much better job holding his grip on the ground, but Micah had no desire to go sliding off the edge of the mountain and into the depths of the canyons below, so he whistled a command and the dog slowed enough for Micah to catch up.

Still, they kept an admirable pace and quickly came to a plateau of flat ground. High above, at the top of the ridge, Micah heard his partner Dec—Deckard McCormick—approaching with Rosie, Axel’s sister. Rosie kicked up a pile of leaves on the approach, clearly picking up on the same scent Axel had.

“Anything down there?” Dec shouted, the sound catching and echoing off the many flat walls of the mountain range.

“I think I saw a cave,” Micah called back, straining to look around the corner of a large boulder that jutted forth from the ground and mountainside. “Give me a second. I’ll let you know whether or not to come down.”

Dec gave the affirmative then Micah crouched low to peer around the edge of the boulder.

Oh, shit.

That wasn’t just a boulder. That was the edge of the fucking mountain, looking down over a sheer two hundred foot drop to the canyon below. For a fleeting, horrible second, vertigo caught his senses and nearly dragged him to his knees, making the sky and the high trees waver and tilt.

But Micah put a steadying hand on the rock wall and took a deep breath, settling the sky firmly above him and the ground firmly below. He commanded Axel to stay put—not that he needed to. Axel was a damn smart dog and knew better than to go canyon jumping. Then Micah lay flat on his stomach, damn near hanging over the edge of the mountain, to look around the boulder’s protruding side.

There was definitely a cave on the other side, a yawning, darkened mouth, gaping right over the valley. The question was—was there anyone in it?

“Hello,” he called, his breath labored and caught, what with his stomach pressed against the ground. And he was still pressed against the ground. He had to keep reminding himself of that. The stones and wet leaves that rasped against his forearms, giving a slight fall chill in the mountains, were all real. For this moment, at least, he wasn’t plummeting toward certain death below.

"Is there anyone in the cave?” A pause. The silence was weighty, colored by the sounds of raptors flying overhead and wind rippling through the trees that towered high above the ground, giving Micah a very odd sense of perspective as to exactly how far up in the sky he was.

Oh, about ten thousand feet…

But now was just about the worst time to calculate the distance it would take to kill a grown man, so he focused his attention on the solid ground and his mission and called out again. “This is Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue Agent Micah Ellison, I repeat, is there anyone in the cave?”

A sound. It was barely even a real sound and if he hadn’t been trained by the very best to determine the difference between human and nature, he might not have heard it. But there it was, a whimper catching on the wind, the softest, shuddering inhalation of a very terrified child.

Chloe Robinson. Female. African American. Six years old and approximately thirty-nine inches tall. Last seen Tuesday, October Eight. Amber alert issued Wednesday, October Nine.

She’d been gone a week. In the world of search and rescue, a week was no better than a month was no better than a year. It was true what they said about forty-eight hours. Truer still when the Montana mountain ranges, of which there were many, were known for being unforgiving and merciless. Micah knew all about that first-hand.

But there was no denying the signs of life coming from the other side of the boulder. After nearly a decade of doing this job, Micah knew the sound of a frightened child all too well and unless the universe played some pretty hairy tricks, the girl on the other side of that sheer drop down to the valley was Chloe Robinson.

“Chloe,” he called out, hoping the sound would carry and not get lost on the wind, as any calls he made toward Dec and the team undoubtedly would. “Chloe Robinson.”

The sound of her fearful whimpering increased and when he called her name again, this time she answered him. Thank fuck for small victories.

“How do you know my name?”

But that was the way of kids, wasn’t it? Find them hidden in a darkened cave in the middle of a mountain range and they want to know how you know their name.

“Your mom and dad told me,” Micah replied. “See, they’ve been missing you and they sent me and my partner Dec out to see if we could find you with our dogs, Axel and Rosie. Do you like dogs, Chloe?”

A small sniff echoed across the gap, then, “I have a dog…at home. Her name is Daisy.”
Micah sighed in relief. Good, she was talking, which meant she wasn’t too dehydrated to function or too badly injured. He hoped.

“Well, Chloe, I’d really like to get you back home to Daisy, okay?” he said. “Now, I’m going to talk to my partner, but I’ll be right back…”

“No!” she shouted the word before he even finished his sentence. “Stay. Don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Micah nodded and as carefully as he could, reached for the radio on his utility belt.

“Okay, I’m not leaving,” he said. “But I’m going to talk to him over the radio, okay? I just want to let him know that I found you, all right?”

She sniffled but agreed and Micah brought the radio to his mouth, doing his damnedest to think about Chloe, the brave as all hell six-year-old in the cave, and not the freaking mountainous drop right below his face.

“Dec,” he radioed over. “She’s here.” The radio crackled in and out, then cut out completely, plunging the mountain’s edge into silence that suddenly felt a whole hell of a lot colder and lonelier than it had a minute ago.

Or maybe that was just the clouds rolling in overhead. For fuck’s sake.

Okay, okay. He’d dealt with hairier situations than this and he was damn well going to get that girl out of the cave if it was his last act on earth and all that. He sent up a prayer to as many of his gods as he could remember in the moment then called back to the little girl.

“Just you and me now, Chloe, okay?” he said. “Now, I’m going to hook my belaying chord to a tree on this side of the gap then I’m coming over to you. You can talk to me. I can hear you.”

He stood and stepped a foot in from the edge of the cliff, allowing himself one deep breath before walking over to the thick oak tree growing sideways out of the mountain. He tested a branch with his weight, finding it thick and sturdy, before tossing the end of the rope around it and securing the knot that he had been tying since he was about Chloe’s age. He tugged on the end attached to his security belt and, satisfied, returned to the edge of the mountain.

“How did you end up here, Chloe?” Don’t look down, Micah.

“I got lost,” Chloe said, only a slight sniffle to her voice. Christ, this six-year-old little girl has bigger balls than I do. “I hid in the cave and fell asleep then there was a huge lightning storm. I woke up when all the rocks crashed.”

On closer inspection, Micah could tell that a big section of the mountain had broken free, creating the gap between him and the cave where Chloe was hidden. She’d walked into the cave and hadn’t been able to walk out, unless she was some sort of New Age Jesus.

“Well, you’re very brave, Chloe,” he said, testing the rope one more time. “I’m coming over now, okay?” And before she could answer him, he began the slow, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other walk across the large yawning mouth of the valley. He didn’t dare lift his feet, but rather scraped them along the mountain’s edge, making rock and dust crumble, and he gritted his teeth to keep from following their path with his eyes.

He’d been working for Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue Team for nearly six years and he never got over that feeling of being suspended over the incredibly far valley below. Even two decades later, memories still plagued him, very nearly paralyzing a man who was otherwise incredibly good at his job.

But before Micah could give in to any of those fears or panics, his feet touched down on the other side, grounding him against the dirt and mossy leaves, and there he was, at the entrance to the cave.

“Chloe,” he called, his voice soft and gentle. “It’s me, Micah. Do you want to come out of there now?”

She emerged, her movements slow and wary. Her clothes were dirty and her hair had all manner of sticks and leaves tangled in the curls, but she appeared otherwise unharmed, and Micah let out a low breath of relief. “You did a good job hiding here, honey,” he said. “Now, I’d like to bring you home to your mom and dad, okay?”

She nodded and sniffled. “Okay.” It seemed that the bravery that had gotten her so far was just about tapped out. Well, fine, she was allowed to be a kid again. It was no longer her responsibility to get home safely.

“Okay,” he repeated. “Now, I’m going to hook you into this harness, then we’re going to slowly walk across that gap. My dog, Axel, he’s on the other side, waiting to meet you.”

She nodded and, before either of them got the chance to freak the fuck out about trekking across that massive drop again, Micah had her hooked into the front section of the harness built for rescue missions just like this one, and he was scooting them alongside the mountain’s sheer face, shuffling his feet and trying to keep breathing.

Then, mercifully, they were back on solid freaking ground, both inhaling more breath than necessary. Micah slowly, carefully, stood and picked Chloe up, hoisting her onto his hip. He unhooked the harness from the tree and whistled for Axel to follow before beginning the trek back up the hill to where their point camp was located.

It only took a few minutes. Axel kept a good pace and Chloe weighed about as much as a couch cushion, and before he knew it, the blue tent from their rescue rendezvous camp loomed into sight. A brief, weighty silence stretched across the mountain. Then all hell broke loose.

Her mother screamed then both of Chloe’s parents were sprinting toward them, Police Chief Cade Easton and two of his deputies hot on their heels. Mr. Robinson took Chloe from Micah’s arms and both of her parents were hugging her and touching her and making sure she was still in one piece. Micah tried to fade back, but Chloe grabbed the arm of his windbreaker.

“Thank you, Mr. Micah,” she whispered, her bright eyes shining. Her parents both looked up at him with the same glowing adoration.

“Thank you, Micah,” Mrs. Robinson said, as Mr. Robinson stuck out his hand and shook it hard, before bringing Micah in for a bear hug. Then they were gone, carrying Chloe over to the medic tent, and Micah stepped back to watch them walk off into the distance. He should have been relieved.

They hadn’t expected such a happy ending for Chloe and they’d been lucky, more than lucky.

But still, the ache in his chest didn’t dissipate and he knew it was no longer fear that made him feel so heavy and forlorn. Axel whimpered at his side, and Micah dug into one of his pockets to give the dog a treat. He loved Axel and Rosie and the other search dogs they kept at the Black Reef Survival Camp, but dogs were a poor substitute for family, for parents, for children, for people who loved a person unconditionally. Well, dogs were what he was going to get, a truth he’d come to terms with a long time ago. Family wasn’t in the cards for him, not the kind of family Chloe Robinson had. No, Axel and Rosie, they were what he got, so he’d damn well better be happy about it.

“Hey there, Superman,” Dec said, coming up behind him, Rosie hot on his heels. “Or should I say Spider-Man? That was some gravity-defying shit you did down there.”

And Dec McCormick. Of course. He counted as Micah’s business partner, search partner, family and best friend, all rolled into one not-giving-a-damn package of good-old-boy humor and charm. Dec was one of the few people in the world who knew just how much Micah hated heights, but, as with most things, he played to the lighter side of the situation.

“I can’t be out-balled by a six-year-old,” Micah said, suddenly feeling very weary. He followed Dec away from the camp and toward their cabin a little way down the mountain. If Cade needed them to give statements, he knew where to find them.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Dec said. “Come on, let’s get a beer.”

Micah nodded, but glanced back up at the Robinson family one more time. Growing older with a houseful of dogs and their business and Dec McCormick by his side definitely wasn’t the worst life a guy could have.


Author Bio

In her free time, she loves to travel, and spent a semester abroad living in a 14th-century castle in the Netherlands. When not exploring the world, she likes dreaming up stories, eating spicy food, driving fast cars, and talking to strangers. She recently moved to Nashville with a cute redheaded cat and a cute redheaded boy.

Find her on:
Gemma Snow loves high heat, high adventures and high expectations for her heroes! Her stories are set in the past and present, from the glittering streets of Paris to cowboy-rich Triple Diamond Ranch in Wolf Creek, Montana.



23 September 2018

Blast from the Past...Spotlighting "Mason's Mijos" by Jacey Holbrand!


... He’ll do anything for love.
Mason Diaz is shocked when he sees his two ex-boyfriends, Flynn Grayson and Ryker Gemmings, together and at an alien encounters support group. Old feelings for them resurface when they tell Mason they want a threesome relationship. Eager to rekindle the connections, Mason goes up to Flynn’s house in the mountains for the weekend of a lifetime with the two men.

Abductions. Food play. Secrets and confessions about alien origins and shifting.

It’s not exactly what Mason had expected.

Especially the pregnancies.

Can he continue to love each of them while trying to survive the life changing events and all the revelations the weekend has in store?

Be warned: MPREG, m/m sex, menage sex (MMM), food play, rimming, double penetration, voyeurism


Mason’s Mijos by Jacey Holbrand, The Agency series - book 4

Q&A:                                                                  

1.       Did you plot this book out or write wherever an idea took you?

The first story in the series (The Encounter) was meant for an anthology. It wasn’t accepted for that but was requested as a separate story. Breeding Seth is the second book in my “The Agency” series followed by Cooper’s Condition then Mason’s Mijos. Originally this series was supposed to be a bunch of different stories following different peoples’ dealings with paranormal and supernatural activities. But that idea changed with the writing of Breeding Seth. I guess you can say I wrote according to how the storyline unfolded along the way – romantic scifi with male pregnancies. So, the series follows Seth and his dealings with people who interact with The Agency and the conspiracy theory he comes upon. Mason happens works for The Agency and is filling in at a meeting for Seth when the story starts.

2.       What was your hardest scene to write in this book?

The ménage stuff because Mason and Flynn seemed to take front and center and Ryker came off a bit flighty. Trying to get the three of them in one spot took a bit of doing.

3.       Did you hide any secrets or Easter Eggs?

I tried to incorporate the research I did in such a way that it wasn’t blatant, so that might seem secret-like or discovering the info could be like finding an Easter Egg. To that effect, a little-known fact: Abductions are not always about "collecting DNA" or experimenting as many people think. Instead, it's often about creating incredible terror in abductees and harvesting the energy of that terror.(*) Which Zen learns first hand in the first book, The Encounter. (*: http://www.rense.com/general82/unpl.htm)

4.       Any advice you would like to give to your younger self?

Have more faith and confidence in yourself. Contrary to some opinions (which that’s all they are) you are worthy and can do anything you put your mind to.

EXCERPT

“Why did you want to come back?”

Flynn put down his drink and took Mason’s hands in his. “Haven’t I made that clear? I returned for you. I fought to come back because I love you.”

Mason kissed Flynn’s knuckles on one hand then the other. “And I love you. That’s what I decided. Who you are on the inside is what matters. Not where you come from or what you can do. I. Love. You. What can I do to help you with your mission? Find a woman for you to knock up? I’m sure my sister has some friends who’d be interested in you.”

No.” Flynn shook his head. “I don’t want any females. I just want you.”

But if you don’t do what you need to, you’ll be sent home. Right?” Mason couldn’t imagine being without Flynn, never hearing his laugh or seeing his smile. He had to be able to do something to keep the love of his life on Earth.

I know, and the thought of leaving you again just kills me.” Flynn appeared to think for a moment. “You know, I could transform my genitals long enough for you to impregnate me.”

Mason chuckled. A man, changing his boyish bits into girly parts so he could carry a baby? Given to him by his male lover? That’s one for the tabloids. “I gotta hand it to you. It’s an interesting idea, Flynn, but a gestation period will be much longer than a few minutes.”

I realize that. I have a medication to speed up the process, so it’ll only take a few days to a week or so. I believe I can keep the small transformation of my reproductive system going until I deliver.”

I don’t know, Flynn. As much as I always wanted a child with you, I don’t want to put you in danger. And what if it doesn’t work?”

Trust me. I’ll do my best to keep myself safe and make it happen. If I have your child, I’ll have done my duty and given you the best gift in the world. If for some reason it doesn’t work, then I’ll have to bite the bullet and find an Earth woman to procreate with.” He squeezed Mason’s hands. “Please, Mason, say we can do this. Let me have your baby.”

If anyone ever had said he’d be having such a conversation in his life, he would have called them daft. Yet here he was. Talking with his partner about having a baby. Together. Without the medical intervention of surrogacy. Just him, Flynn, and nature taking its bizarre, in this case, course.


21 September 2018

A Chat with Jaqueline Snowe!


Hello Jaqueline!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

Kate and Brody were characters that sort of jumped out at me. They are so obnoxiously proud of who they are, unique, complicated, and fun…it was easy to dive into writing their friendship and the slow progression of blurring that line. I think that’s why this story, Take a Chance on Me, was enjoyable to write. Their banter and exchanges were natural, so when their relationship went from friends to something more, it was easy. I mean, they are both young, attractive, and stuck living together for a couple months. Just throw in some tight clothes, some alcohol, and a dare…it’s really a wonder they didn’t hook up sooner.

Q) Can you give a fun or interesting fact about your book?

What’s kind of interesting—and cool—about the job Kate has in the book is that a lot of my friends (and husband) actually work for a major league baseball team. It was tricky trying to be accurate with Kate’s job as an intern but also vague enough for the team in the story to be fiction. What I can say though, is that they work their asses off.

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I love doing character questionnaires before sitting down and writing the story. I use the same one that has about 30 questions ranging from favorite TV show, to biggest regret, to favorite guilty food. This helps me figure out who they are. I always know how the story begins or ends, but, the quirks and the things they say all are consistent with their persona. Like Kate and how she’s a messy eater and can’t cook or how Brody uses flirting and humor to avoid serious situations or how his only soft spot is worrying about Kate or his mom.

Q) Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I would love to write an entire world of characters, following the lives of couples and their friends. Marie Force does an incredible job doing this with her series and providing little snapshots of previous characters and how they are progressing in their lives.  Kate and Brody are surrounded with friends that scream for their own story. Brody’s teammates, Kate’s co-workers… even the rival Brody has a huge issue with provides the perfect backdrop for a story. My goal is to continue this world as much I can. J

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

I’ve been on a huge Young Adult Romance kick recently. The young love, the excitement, the rollercoaster of emotions after surviving the first heartbreak. The high school setting with all the tropes is so much fun. The fake-dating trope is my favorite to write so my current project focuses on two people totally wrong for each other and how they need to ‘fake date’ for a couple months to avoid a scandal.

Blurb
Kate Zell and Brody Carlson have been best friends since elementary school. Their relationship had always been easy. Both of them loyal to a fault, they had been there for each other through everything: heartbreaks, hangovers, and tragedy. So when Kate needs a place to stay for three months, Brody doesn’t think twice about agreeing. After all, they had known each other forever. Would could go wrong living with his closest and oldest friend?

Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy.

One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.



Except

His biceps must’ve outweighed mine three to one—did he double in size? His shorts displayed strong, ripped legs that would seem too big if they belonged to anyone else. And what’s with that hair style? Buzzed on the sides with a wavy, longer part on top? Anyone else, it would look stupid. But on him, cool. I shook my head, my mood already better. Shit, I’d missed the guy. He saw me, and his face lit up.

“KZ! Get in here!”

He squeezed me tight, the air leaving my body for a quick second. I laughed into his chest, inhaling a subtle, masculine scent, and winced, hoping the lavender deodorant didn’t fail me. “Brody, you’re going to break me.”

“Deal with it. I missed you, punk. It’s good to see you.” His tall frame made me feel about two feet tall. I thought about pinching his side to have him stop, but he set me down.


I pushed him away, my grin taking up half my face. “Hey, stand there for a second and look pretty.”

“What?”

Ah, a look I had seen many, many times. Whenever I confused him or had an asinine idea, those brows joined as one and looked like a caterpillar.

“Just do it.” I pulled out the picture I’d ripped from the magazine. “I’m comparing before I get your autograph and sell it with the description of true to life. Hey, don’t judge me. I have student debt. I need the moolah.”

He glanced at the picture I held up. “God, you’re a dick.”

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Author Info

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the “dry heat” really isn't that bad. She enjoys making lists with colorful sticky notes and sipping on coffee all day. She has been a custodian, waitress, landscaper, coach, and a high school teacher. Her life revolves around 200 high school kids, her two dogs who don't realize they aren't humans, and her wonderful, baseball-loving husband.

Visit http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/ to find out more about the author and her writing. She loves to hear from readers—so don’t be shy, send her a message!

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