Friday 31 May 2013

This is what I did today...

Today Emily and I registered for the Oz M/M Meet 2013, and later on this afternoon when Em gets home from work we will book or accommodation and organise our flights.

Other than that, I've been working like mad on Windblown Kisses: My Knight in Tarnished Armour. I have made it to 46K, which totally blows me away. This re write is going way better than I thought it would and I can tell you I am so over head hopping. As strange as it seems when I originally wrote this story I gave every single character (whether they be a major or a minor) a POV. So the damn thing was jumping all over the place. I'm trying to stay as close to the original story line as possible but inevitably you know as well as I do that with all re writes changes get made.

I'll be away a lot over the next two days so I'm not sure I will have time to blog. (I will be out buying stuff for my office/library extensions & helping with the building). Not to mention I'm trying to buy a Dan England CD. I have one but I want his other one - (purely for research of course - LOL).


Enjoy!

Thursday 30 May 2013

And My Winners Are...

I'm happy to announce the winners of my HAHAT post - a $10 GC and a copy of a book form my back list in any format -are as follows...

ceagles

&

Jack L. Pyke

I will be emailing you both today - with the list of my books.

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Lookee-Lookee at what I have here.

The following are photographs I purchased from the very talented DW Skinner, and then the awesomely wonderful Lex Valentine over at Winterheart Designs turned them into collector-card template for me... Enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think.



Michael Marsden the 1st.

"By dying, I will not fail. Within my lineage, three will come together, and destroy all that you are. You will know them by the colour of their eyes, and come to find just how much I have truly cursed you with the wrath of the lines of Marsden."






Michael Marsden
(The Hands)

"Falls fast, loves forever, & stays true- this is the way of a true Marsden."













Gypsy Marsden
(The Power)

"I'm not bossy, I just make helpful suggestions."














Benj Marsden
(The Heart)

"All things happen for a reason. So keep that in mind."













Christian Risley~Kincaid
(The Drarcaine~Magic)

"I loved you Michael Marsden, but you were never mine."










Doyle Kerwin
(The Loyalty)

"I may just be a little bit in love with you."

Tuesday 28 May 2013

What Have You Missed.

Okay, in the last ten days I still haven't heard who my new editor at MLR is yet... Yes by now we all know how much I hate waiting.

Onto other news: I lost the original copy of The Diamond Rose: Undercover Hearts. I have searched and searched but to no avail. So I just decided - FUCK IT - and started from scratch. I figure I should actually finish this one seeing as Emily has the series name tattooed across her chest.

Winblown Kisses: My Knight in Tarnished Armour (Which I am seriously considering changing to - The Connelly Chronicles: Ray) is at 22K and counting. I am hoping to reach half way over the next couple of days. (By the way the picture of Jonathan Rhys Myers is how I picture Ray Connelly).

The Lines of Marsden: Living in Shadows and finding out about Experimentals: Blessed With A Curse are on hold because I have to wait for my new editor at MLR.

My library/office extension is going great. The hubs and I did all the framework one Sunday May 26th. Next weekend we are doing the actual walls and floors. The weekend after I am hoping for the bookshelves to go in. Then it's painting and stocking it and getting the electrician in to change the light fitting for me. I will add picture soon so you can see the process... well, as soon as Em shows me how to get the pictures from my phone to my computer. Also my greenhouse is getting fuller and fuller can't wait for it to be finished.

Friday 17 May 2013

Hop Against Homophobia & Transphobia


Well as you can see for the next ten days my blog is dedicated to this wonderful hop before I get too carried away I will ad the link to the Home page so you can go and find out who else is participating on this great Hop. I am only doing the one post for the whole ten days so that it doesn't get too confusing and yo don't have to look through past posts etc.


Well today is the International Day Against Homophobia & Transgender - follow their link below to find out more:


MY PRIZES & HOW TO GET THEM: I have on offer a gift certificate to Amazon for the amount of $10 and the choice of a book from my backlist. (Actually this prize is doubled as I have one for a person who just stops by and leaves a comment and if you join my followers list or tell me you're a follower then you go into the second draw as well). 

SO WHAT'S IMPORTANT: 1) I need you to leave a comment. 2) I need you to tell me if you belong to my followers list. 3) Most importantly I need you to leave me your contact details so I know how to get in contact with you should you be the winner.

So now I get to ramble and talk about this topic in my own way... bear with me as I tend to just say whatever comes to mind.

To be honest I think phobia's of this kind are nothing more than another form of bullying. Don't get me wrong some people may have a legitimate phobia, but most are nothing but bullies. How do I feel about this, being a straight married woman I probably see it way different then someone who has to live with this bigotry aimed at them day in and day out. My greatest wish is that one day our children and their descendants will do away with phobia of this kind. I know I won't see it in my life time yet I have the greatest of faith our descendants will one day wake up and realise how wrong it is to hang onto old hatreds of this kind.

There is no need for this kind of behaviour in this day & age.

As a mother I have done what I can by teaching my own child that love is love no matter what form it comes in. Your heart can't help who it chooses to give itself to. I've noticed that even though my child is now 23 years old she is willing to step in and shut people down if they are picking on same sex couples - it's times like that I realise she is the greatest achievement in my life and I couldn't be more prouder of her.

I have great admiration for same sex couple and for transgender people because they have the courage to stand up and be who they are - and I have a message for you all: When you start to think the whole world is against you know there is one person standing in her part of Australia cheering you all on.

If people took the time to actually learn about the situation they are condemning with such hatred they would more than likely walk away with the same respect I have. I believe it is the lack of understanding which keep people seeing same sex love and transgender with such inexcusable fear and hate. My message to you who are unwilling to give up the hate: WAKE THE FUCK UP! Come on people, it's time to get real and see there is a whole lot of different kinds of normal than the narrow minded way you are looking at things.

Okay that is my ramble for the day and I apologise if I've said anything which offends anyone in any way. If you want a chance to claim a prize you know what to do.

I will announce both winners on: May 30th 2013
Australian Time

Thursday 16 May 2013

A Little Piece Of Me...

This is what I got done yesterday - I lasted three & a half hours before I made a complaint and had to put a gold coin donation in the Whinger's Jar. Though Ted did use a different machine on me yesterday and I'm hoping I heal a lot better than I usually do.

Emily is sick = what we thought was a common cold turns out is her throat is closing up each time she coughs = that kid can't do anything by halves. Nothing life threatening just enough to be annoying as hell (for the whole family).

Sadly due to time constraints KB my awesome editor from MLR no longer edits  full time so I am patiently waiting and nervously biting my fingernails awaiting who my new editor will be. Even though it was sad to see KB leave - I am kinda excited and scared all at the same time about getting a new editor - because we will have to learn each others idiosyncrasies. And the new editor will realise just how bad I really am at punctuation - (so I ask for your forgiveness in advance).

Other than that I am doing okay - today I'm pulling out something and I'm just gonna start writing - I don't even care what it is - as long as I'm getting words down in a doc then I'll be happy as...

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Rambling & Then Some


Okay this is just a quickie to let you know - Em is so excited - she finally managed to buy our tickets to see Bon Jovi... So now all she has to do is wait until December 17th 2013. The closer the date gets the more excited she will become and be driving me insane. Luckily between now and then she has our Sydney trip for OZMeet to concentrate on. the just after Bon Jovi we are meeting up with Z on the Gold Coast (PS: Em has been practising her eyebrow raise for you, Z, so expect to get that look).

Yes, I'm about 45 minutes out from getting tattooed by the awesome Ted Saddo at Sink the Ink. But knowing my brother he will be running a tad late so I still have plenty of time - and it so helps I only live 7 minutes away from the shop. In a weird way I'm looking forward to today and in another way I have a deep sigh knowing there is going to be ouchiness for the next week. I may not complain during the tattoo but I'm one of those lucky individuals who has a tendency to bruise afterward. Ted said we are also going to start planning out our next Tattoo - my other sleeve (apparently, at this stage he is doing a heap of Zombies). 

On that Note I am outa here 
Later Gates.

Tuesday 14 May 2013

So Many Things To Do ~ & So Little Time.

It's raining here today and has kind of gotten me in a melancholy mood -  where even though I know I still have so much to do - I just don't wanna do it because there's not enough time to fit every thing in. Mother's Day has come and gone and surprisingly I had a good day my brother (Ted Saddo) and I cooked lunch for everyone - though Miss D made the dessert. (My Present: Em is taking me to see The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie so I have to wait until August).

I'm still waiting to hear back about Experimentals: Blessed With a Curse (yes, yes, we all know how much I don't like the waiting - but wait I will. I am  in the queue and it will be my turns soon enough).

On the bright side I'm getting tattooed again tomorrow - hopefully we will get most of the sleeve done I can't wait for the whole thing to be finished - not so looking forward to getting tattooed up near my armpit (not for the ouch factor - `cause believe me there will be ouch and a whole lot of swearing going on - but more for the fact I'm very ticklish and once I start laughing I can't stop and we all know you can't laugh and stay still all at the same time). This is the piece we will be working on - I think we are up to the filling in the background with bats etc... it's going to look awesome when it's done (oh yeah, almost forgot we have my elbow to go as well - another painful spot on the body - or so I'm told).

I so wanted to go and see The Neon Trees when they were here touring - but apparently they are only doing two shows one in Victoria and one in New South Wales - so I am shit outa luck because I live in Queensland. Went to buy the tickets to Bon Jovi and still was outa luck because the server crashed and so no one got their tickets - we all have to try again today (I somehow get the feeling it will just be a repeat performance of yesterday - I'm waiting for Em to get home from work so she can do it).

Then to add insult to injury Embry was letting me take an early peek at her cover and all I get is a server error thingy coming up so I have to wait until she comes on the computer so she can either resend the link or just send me the pic. With all this going on you can see why I'm getting absolutely no work done. I am so over the taxes and I am up to the last bit and I just can't be stuffed to finish them - (I will get to them eventually but I am taking the freaking day off).


Just a little something to end off with. 
It has a story rattling round in the back of my head.

Monday 13 May 2013

M.A. Church & Julie Lynne Hayes ~ Moonlit Skies: Be My Alien


Blurb:  Reed Hatcher’s life is work, work, work. He owns a successful men’s boutique in New York City, but a love life is out of the question—for many reasons. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and business is brisk. On an unexpected visit to the Empire State Building, a sexy man literally falls into Reed’s lap. His name is Taz and he’s just been dumped by his date. One look and Reed is hooked. He offers to buy Taz some coffee and they leave together.

Reed is attracted to Taz and takes him home to his apartment. But Reed discovers there’s more to Taz than he realized—especially when Taz’s stripes begin to show. And he has a tail? Turns out Taz is not quite like Reed. In fact, he comes from another planet, far far away, and he’s only on Earth for a vacation.

Reed never believed in aliens before, but he’s facing one now, and dear God, what is he going to do? Just when he decides he loves Taz and together they can handle anything, the alien that dumped Taz decides he wants him back and steals him away.

Can Reed live with the memory of what he almost had, and the love he found and lost? How can he ever face the moonlit skies again?

Excerpt:
“Are you okay? Hello?”
Reed dragged his mind away from those sexy green eyes. “Ah, huh? What?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall on top of you like that. You see, it was like this. I was pushed, and you just happened to be there and….” The stranger grinned at Reed. “And down we went.”
Reed shifted under the body lying so contentedly on top of him. Hell’s bells, the guy fit against him perfectly. From the feel of things, they were both close to the same height. Which also meant certain things were… aligned. “Oh yeah, I’m okay. Banged my head a little, but I’m fine.”
The stranger bit his bottom lip, his teeth worrying the tender skin. Reed debated slamming his head against the floor a few more times in the hopes of rattling his brain back to normal as the stranger rolled off him.
“I really am sorry.”
“No harm done.” Reed sat up and looked at the guy once again. Well, not much harm, anyway. His libido just had to pick now to perk up, didn’t it? But damn, this guy was sexy. Reed struggled to his feet and held his hand out to the man still on the floor, looking up at him. The guy took his hand and let Reed pull him up. “Name’s Reed. Are you okay?”
“Hi, Reed!” The guy hopped to his feet in a single, lithe movement, as if it was the most….world. “My name is Taz. Nice to meet you, and yes, I am.”
For a moment there was a flash in the guy’s eyes that belied his statement. “Good, that’s good. Glad to hear it. Well, I guess I’d better be going—”
A forlorn expression crossed Taz’s face and his pretty eyes clouded. “Oh.” 
Reed hesitated. There was something about the guy that pulled at him. When was the last time he’d felt that pull? Way too long ago. Taz was cute, sure. But there was this look of hurt. Dammit, Taz just looked so lost. Insane as it was, he wanted to make it all better.
A word from the authors...
There comes a time when a writer sets a fresh piece of paper in the typewriter and is faced with the age-old question – what shall I write? All right, maybe I’m dating myself a bit here, and no, I haven’t used an actual typewriter in many years. Nor would I want to. My fingers are spoiled by the light touch of the keyboard, and I never wish to go back again. 

But I digress.

First question is often what genre do I wish to dabble in today? I admit that science fiction has not been my first choice when deciding which genre to write in. Granted, I do enjoy science fiction and, at one time, read a lot of it. But it was a different field back then, with writers like Asimov, Clarke, Henlein, Bradbury... I knew I didn’t have the science background to even begin to attempt the things they did. Science fiction today is just not the same as it was then. In fact, I didn’t read it for a long time.

A long time ago, I did begin a sci fi story, which is now long lost in my notes somewhere. It had to do with a time when people entertained themselves by plugging into their TV’s, attaching themselves through electronics in such a way that they could participate in the story. HOPAVI, I called it, short for home participation video. Guess it wasn’t that story’s time.

I began writing a sci fi story with my friend, author Sui Lynn, and we’ve posted snippets of it on our blogs, and we really love it, but real life has derailed that story, at least for now.
In the meantime, my friend and author, M.A. Church and I decided to write something together. What do you want to write, she asked. As it so happened, I had the privilege of editing two of her novels, Nighttime Wishes and Nighttime Dreams, and also The Harvest, which she has subbed and is waiting to hear about. All three novels deal with the romance between an alien and a human, and I am here to tell you these stories are hot, hot, hot! So much so that when she said what do you want to write, I knew the answer. I wanted to write about an alien too. An alien/human romance of our own.

As is usual in collaborations, each author creates a main character, although both should be capable of writing for each of them. Thus Michelle created Reed Hatcher, and I got to make up the alien, whose name is Taz. The result of this first collaboration is Be My Alien, which we subbed to Dreamspinner and which they accepted, and which published May 8th.

Taz is from the planet of Trygos, from somewhere far far away. He comes to Earth on a date with another alien, Vorlod, and is excited about it. It seems that to the other inhabitants of the universe, Earth is not much of a destination, so it’s like going on a cheap date. But Taz is happy, and they’re up in the Empire State Building together when Taz figures out Vorlod’s real reason for being there... when Vorlod dumps him for another alien.

Reed Hatcher is a successful businessman without a love life. He expends all his energies into his shop, A Touch of Class, which specializes in upscale men’s clothing, as well as what is in the naughty backroom. It’s two days until Valentine’s Day, and Reed is about to close up shop and go home to his lonely apartment when a late night call from a good client changes everything, and he agrees to make a last minute delivery to the Empire State Building.

There, Taz falls into Reed’s arms—literally. What happens?  ‘Fraid you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Michelle and I are hard at work on book two of what will probably be a three book series. I have to tell you, it’s been great fun writing with her, and I fully intend to inveigle her into more books after these. With or without aliens? Who knows! Whatever they will be, they will be fun.

What does it take to write about aliens? You are only limited by your imagination. I got to create our alien, since Michelle had two other series and I never did, so I came up with Taz, who has some distinctively feline features. I know, big shock, right?

But more than just what he looks like, I needed a background, and knowledge of his home world, so that means worldbuilding, which I happen to enjoy. And even if all of the details are not revealed in the books, at least they are there to draw on, a firm foundation for making him believable.

If you want to create an alien of our own, let’s assume for the sake of argument, that he is some sort of humanoid. This makes it easier for the audience to see and relate to him. If there are differences, such as the “dreadlocks/tentacles”  of Michelle’s alien in the Nighttime series, then let us see them, and tell us what sets them apart. Or, in Taz’s case, it’s his stripes... and his tail.

Like any other character, your alien needs a background, family, friends, etc. A job or something he does to spend his time while waiting for his human/true love to appear.

See? Basically, underneath the differences are the similarities. The alien is still a man, and he still has dreams, wishes, desires and hopes, among them to love and be loved.

The rest is window dressing and a lot of fun.

So go on, build yourself an alien of your own, and see what I mean!

* * * *
And now, a little information on the authors of Be My Alien.

Author bio:
M.A. Church

M.A. Church lives in the southern United States and spent many years in the elementary education sector. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have two children. Her hobbies are gardening, walking, attending flea markets, watching professional football, racing, and spending time with her family on the lake.

But her most beloved hobby is reading. From an early age, she can remember hunting for books at the library. Later nonhuman and science fiction genres captured her attention and drew her into the worlds the authors had created. But always at the back of her mind was the thought that one day, when the kids were older and she had more time, she would write a book.

By sheer chance she stumbled across a gay male romance story on the web and was hooked. A new world opened up and she fell in love. Thus the journey started. When not writing or researching, she enjoys reading the latest erotic and mainstream romance novels.

My links:
Twitter @nomoretears00

    Publishers:
Romance First Publishing: www.rfppublishing.com

Author Bio:
Julie Lynn Hayes
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 other published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, MuseitUp Publishing and No Boundaries Press, and coming soon with both Extasy Books and Torquere Press. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.  

My links:
Twitter @Shelley_runyon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.l.hayes.7?ref=tn_tnmn

Publishers:
eXtasy Books http://www.extasybooks.com/  (coming soon)
Torquere Press http://torquerepress.com/  (coming soon)

Sunday 12 May 2013

EXCITING NEWS!!!


CONGRATULATIONS ~ EMBRY CARLYSLE
ON GETTING YOUR 1ST CONTRACT
1ST OF MANY YET TO COME.

Saturday 11 May 2013

Right Here Waiting...

Have you ever woken up and thought where the hell am I? I seem to be doing that a lot lately, I look around me and have no clue how I got here or how to find my way back to where I started from. Then there are the days like right now when I actually believe it may be better if I gave up the fight and let the other side win – I just wish I knew who the hell the other side is.

Julian McKenna rested his head back against the dirty wall where he sat. His body still trembled from whatever caused him to end up where he was right now. He could have sworn that last night he went to sleep in his own bed. For fucks sake he’d even begged Davie to tie him to the fucking thing. As uncomfortable as it was he knew deep down that when he closed his eyes he was a place that should have been a comfort to him, yet when he opened his eyes today he was once again bodily in a place he shouldn’t be. Hell, by looking around at his surroundings he wasn’t even completely sure he was even still on Earth. But if he wasn’t on Earth then where the hell was he?

The sound of approaching footsteps had Julian instantly on guard his body alert to whoever was heading in his direction. Usually on these little jaunts he never encountered other people so this was all knew to him and somewhat frightening as well as exhilarating – maybe now he would finally get some answers to whatever was happening to him. Yet a strong part was telling him to tuck tail and run like hell – not ever looking back – because his brain wasn’t going to handle what was to come.

Pity Julian had never ever listened to reason…

The fear mechanism in his brain must have been malfunctioning since birth because when normal people would be running for their lives Julian stood proud and tall and faced everything head on. Whereas Julian thought of it as bravery others proclaimed it was stupidity, and at this moment in time he wasn’t quite sure who was right – it was a pretty even race.

Slowly getting to his feet and making as little noise as possible. Julian pressed his entire body against the grimy wall at his back and waited. Whatever was heading in his direction he had all intentions of meeting it standing on his feet.

The footsteps of the unseen being changed slightly and Julian got the impression that maybe they had just realised they were no longer alone. The strange thing was Julian felt no sense of malice drifting in the atmosphere. Whoever the unseen person was he wasn’t there to harm Julian. Maybe he didn’t know Julian was there at all.

Julian’s heart rate sped up as a shadow appeared at the corner of the building across from him. Whoever was coming was almost upon him and now it was too late to run – even if his brain allowed him to do so.

The being which stepped around the corner was not at all what Julian was expecting. For a moment Julian was dumbfounded as he took in the man from head to toe. His waist length blonde hair fell in a golden shower down his tall and whisper thin body. Skin so pale, yet with just a hint of a golden sheen enthralled Julian who had taken a step toward the man without conscious thought in what he was doing. The man’s age was undetermined. His flawless features drew Julian’s gaze to the shocked and the seemingly innocent crystal clear blue eyes before him.

The man’s clothing was odd and somewhat different from the attire Julian wore. It consisted of tight form fitting trousers and a looser shirt, though the shirt fit snugly around the chest and shoulder’s it fell loosely to mid-thigh, and was the deepest shade of midnight blue, strangely it suited the man perfectly. On closer inspection Julian made out the intricate Celtic looking design done is silver thread around the neckline and base of the tunic.

“You came.” Though shocked at the words Julian found it hard not to note the lyrical tone to the man’s voice. “I never thought my call would be answered.”

With a trembling hand the beautiful man reached out and cupped Julian’s stubbled cheek. Julian’s eyes fluttered closed at the touch, deep inside something told him this was where he was meant to be – this place felt like home.

“Where are we? Who are you?” Julian fought to keep his voice strong as he forced his open and once again locked gazes with the man before him.

Pain or maybe hurt washed over the man’s face before he finally spoke. “My name is Oleander Marris. I’d almost given up all hope of ever having you by my side. As to where we are I would only offer this advice. We are where we need to be and I have always been here. Right here waiting…”

The first thing which flooded Julian’s mind was not the fact that he still had no clue where he was but that the man standing in front of him was named after a poisonous flowering bush. What kind of parents did that to their child?

“Oleander, huh? Do you mind if I call you Olli?” He asked casually. Fear spiked through him momentarily when the sense of more people heading their way. “On second thoughts I think we need to get away from here unless we want more people here with us.”

The slight widening of Olli’s eyes told Julian the other man hadn’t sensed the approach of yet more people. Shock rocketed through him when Olli grabbed his hand, and threaded their fingers together, as he began leading Julian through the narrow and shadow filled streets.

“Who’s following us, Olli?” Julian asked as he followed as closely and as quickly as he could.

A unmistakable shudder ran through Olli’s body. “It’s probably the Fearmac and we do not want to be caught by them.”

“And just who are the Fearmac?” Julian demanded as he pulled Olli to a stop.

“Your family, and we have been running from them for as long as I can remember.”

With that one small revealing sentence it was like the walls inside his mind came crashing down and everything that had once been lost was now open for his perusal again. The first and clearest thing was his name – Jewelian Fearmac. First born son of Lorkian Fearmac, and heir to the throne of Abidan Kapalli.

Wherever the hell that was.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Words Of Wisdom & For The Love Of God - Is It Time For Coffee Yet?

This is the size of the cup of coffee I wish I had sitting beside me. I'm still doing the friggen taxes but I am now seeing a light at the end of that proverbial tunnel.

I just have to separate the receipts now into the three different groups that I need. At least having to do them again I now have everything in the one place and a system set up that works for me - hopefully it will work for the accountant as well.

Other than that I've been trying to organise my books both in my head and on my computer. (well my laptop because my computer bit the dust. The tower fried itself - so I have to organise getting a new one). I have found that while going through notes etc I have a whole file of story ideas... just random bits of paper where I have written down a scene or a persons description - hell, I even have partial conversations that I have over heard and thought - hmmm now that would make an interesting scene. 

Mind you I look at some of the stuff I have and have to think - now why the hell did I think it important to save you? So while I am going through I have a bag full of stuff I can burn and get rid of. Then what's left over I will sort out into Adult and YA. and put the ideas folder somewhere where I can see it all the time so when I'm stuck I can go through it and see what works.

I've also been trying to catch up on my character profiles... These are the most important things ever when you have an ongoing series. Just so you don't screw up the little things and have your readers chew you out because you got it wrong... And with as many series as I have in the works I need all the help I can get.

Okay rambling on here isn't getting my work done or my coffee made... so I am out of here until I stop by and update you all again on the trials and tribulations of the life and times of N.J. Nielsen.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

The Winner Is - Passions Hero: The Alpha King

After the age old way of choosing pulling a name out of the trusty straw hat (I have one of those really cute little pork pie numbers)
The winner is:

Gigi

(I have passed all relevant information onto Vicktor Alexander and you should be hearing from him soon).

Monday 6 May 2013

Ahhhh - Am I Going Insane OR Is This Just Another Story Idea?

Well, the answer to that is: more than likely. I feel like I've been doing taxes for so long that I'm going through withdrawals from not writing - I liken it to something akin to caffeine withdrawals. So to counteract the feeling I've decided to put the taxes aside for the day and just write something.
I don't care whether it's something I already working on or the new idea rattling around inside my brain. I woke up at like 2 am  and wrote this little bit down.

The Soul Guardians: Loving Callum McKenzie

- If the truth be told, Callum McKenzie looked just as good dead as he did when he had been alive. The mere fact that the dead man was now standing in my living room staring at me with big sad eyes should have had me running away screaming. Yet instead, all I could do was open my arms and wait for him to enter my embrace... Is it bad that I'm happy-albeit in a freaked out sort of way-that he sought me out when he could have gone to someone who had actually been his friend in his life? And now that he's here what the hell am I meant to do with him?

I'm not sure if this Callum McKenzie or the guy he runs to, (must think of a name - any suggestions?) Next question is this a zombie book? a vampire book? or something else like alternate universe? & who the hell is Callum Mckenzie?

Sunday 5 May 2013

Vicktor Alexander - Passions Hero: The Alpha King


BLURB:

While on a delivery for the GPA with his adopted sister Josie, Talon "Tal" Versuthion's space shuttle crashes onto Tumaro, the notorious wolf-shifter planet. Tal a Vermithian humanoid, is lucky to be alive, though Josie can't be found. Desperate to find her, Tal meets the Alpha King, Blazell Roughshire, his mate, and his life and the galaxy changes forever. But before the two men can settle into their new relationship, they must deal with  conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and a centuries  old plot to completely eradicate the human race. Can Tal, who has made it a point to never fall in love with anyone, open his heart and let Blaze be Passion's hero?

CONTENT ADVISORY: This book contains scene of rape or near rape.

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Genres: Action/Adventure, BDSM, Comedy, Family & Relationships, Fantasy, Gay, Paranormal/Alternate World, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense/Mystery, Vampires

ISBN: 9781614957300



Passions Hero: The Alpha King.

I was working at Allstate Insurance when I got the idea for Passions' Hero. Dividing my time between offering people insurance quotes and imagining a world or worlds with shape shifters, beautiful humanoids that had been biologically altered after the destruction of the Earth. My mind swirled with images of beautiful people, named Vermithians, and suddenly I saw the golden eyes and sun bleached blond hair of a young man who crashes on the planet Tumaro and finds himself mated to the Alpha. Only this Alpha was more than an Alpha, Blazell Roughshire was the king, the Alpha King.

For the first time I was imagining a story that was about two men. I had been listening to and reading Gay romance for about six months by the time I got the idea for The Alpha King. My first foray into  the world of stories of men loving men was Mary Calmes: Change of Heart that I actually purchase from Audible by accident. You see on the cover Jin looked like a slim woman, her back to the audience, topless. I was drawn to the cover and didn't read the blurb. I was working at Walmart, dealing with the pain of the injuries I'd sustained while serving in the Army and the one I'd sustained while working at the superchain, and I find myself bored out of my ever loving mind while I stocked toys, bags of sugar, household supplies, clothes, and electronics. So I bought an Android phone and downloaded the Audible app. I went on a buying spree and spent almost $100 the first time I ordered audio books. When I listened to Change of Heart I was shocked, intrigued, and yes aroused, when I realised the two main characters were men, gay men.

I had friends who were gay, I had met Angel and Justin my freshman year of high school and between the three of us and our friend Ryan, we were inseparable. I'd attempted to write a short story about Angel and Justin hooking up and after they laughed at my attempt to write gay sex, I'd given up on ever trying again. From Change of Heart I went into Stormy Glenn's: Wolf Creek Pack and Amy Lane's: Promise Rock series and Andrew Grey's: Farm series. I was addicted, I was hooked and then I was writing.

Whenever I had down time at work, which working in Allstate Insurance I had a lot of down time, I would craft and create Tal and Blaze, their families and their world. I though of my favorite countries (Britain, Italy), my favorite periods (Medieval, Regency) and my favorite genres (paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic) and I thought of how I could take pieces of each of those things and put them all into one story. Tal's voice rang loudly in my ear, Blaze's deep rumble haunted my dreams, and before I knew it, my job with Allstate Insurance was over because my doctors had put me in a wheelchair and I was spending my days at home, writing anywhere between 12k-20k words a day on the story that i simply titled: The Alpha King.

I shared the story with a few people and was amazed at how many people loved it and then I pulled a classic Vic and I didn't submit it for publication anywhere. I talked about it but I didn't send it off. Before I knew it I'd written and published the Tate Pack books and The Alpha King was still sitting in my WIP folder. When I was told to submit a book to Silver Publishing, I did so (with trembling hands and butterflies in my stomache). When it was accepted I shouted for joy.

I'm so excited to finally be able to bring Tal and Blaze into the light for public consumption. Tal has a special place in my heart, with his courage, bubbly personality and his desperate need to simultaneously  run from and also find his fated mate, he's unique and memorable. While Blaze is harsh, all Alpha male, with a sweet, creamy center that grips your heart and makes you fall in love with him.

Blaze and Tal are the couple that makes you fall in love with them, both people not just one or the other, and their story is hopefully one that will not only stay with the reader but desperately make them want more of Tumaro, Edifice, the GPA, Passion's Hero, the galaxy, and all of the people who make up Tal and Blaze's world.

** I'm offering a free ebook copy of the book to one person who comments.**

EXCERPT:

 Tal opened his eyes and looked around, wincing at the harsh glare of the light above him. Turning his head slightly, he glanced around the room and realized he lay on a bed, a very soft bed, and the room décor and furnishings had been done in soft golds and greens. Tal instantly felt at ease, not only the colors but, inexplicably, also by the presence of someone in the room, which didn't make any sense because Josie knew not to enter his guest quarters when they were given rooms to sleep in. He sighed and closed his eyes to return to sleep. His brain clicked into gear. He been headed off course towards Tumaro and his shuttle had crashed. Josie had been with him…

 Josie!

 "J-J-Josie?" he croaked.

 Clearing his throat, he raised his voice and tried to sit up in bed, which he seemed incapable of doing. "Josie!"

 The doors to the room flew open and Tal found himself blinking up at the massive, hulking man who'd rushed inside.

 "Are you okay? What's wrong?" the gorgeous man asked.

 Tal's brain effectively shut down again and he let his gaze rove over the man's features. Tall, really tall, gorgeous, with long black hair, a pair of the lightest blue eyes ever. While his skin had a darker shade than Tal's, it still appeared paler than that of other Tumarons.

 Shaking himself out of his reverie, Tal answered, "J-Josie… my sister, where is she? She was with me on the shuttle. Where is she?"

 Reaching out, he grabbed onto the front of the man's gray shirt and held on as tight as he could, which in his weakened state wasn't all that tight. What if Josie hadn't survived? What if she had and tried looking for him? What if the Tumarons had found Josie and made her their slave? Were they about to do the same thing to him? What if he never saw his sister again?

 Tal looked around the room frantically and realized what he'd thought had been a bedroom, actually appeared to be a clinic. He began to panic, his breath coming faster when he imagined all of the horrible things that could have happened to Josie, while he'd been lying in a hospital bed, apparently being taken care of.

 The big man frowned when he sat down on the bed. Tal noticed and appreciated the look of concern on the other man's face but he had to find his sister.

 "There was no woman when we found you, beauty," the stranger said, his voice low and full of confusion.

 Tal's brain paused momentarily at the endearment. The man didn't know him and while Tal found him attractive, he felt too stunned to really appreciate it. Then the other man's words sank in.

"What? No. No. No! No, you have to be wrong! She was sitting in the seat next to mine, she was there! You have to go find her! You have to go and find my sister! Josie! Josie!"

 Frantic, Tal sat up swiftly, swaying a bit and pushing away the hands of the mysterious man who seemed determined to try to make him lay back down in the bed. "Let me go! I have to go and find my sister! Josie!" he screamed and got out of the bed and tried to race for the door, stumbling along the way.

 The solid wood swung open in front of him and he barreled into a very wide, very firm chest.
"Whoa there, where are you running off to?" the man attached to the chest spoke.

 Tal flushed with warmth. He wanted to wrap his arms around the body before him. He wanted to wrap his legs around the bigger man's waist and never let go. Tal raised his eyes up, past the thick, muscled, tanned neck to the square jaw, dusted faintly with a dark, stubbled shadow, to the aquiline nose that spoke of an aristocratic heritage, and finally to a pair of the most gorgeous, dark blue eyes Tal had ever seen. The man's long, black hair that hung to just below his shoulders and his large frame turned him into Tal's walking wet-dream come true.

 Tal quickly reconsidered the crazy notion when the man in question growled low in his chest and clutched Tal fiercely to his chest before burying his face in his neck. Tal squeaked in surprise but amazingly did not pull away. He felt safe in the man's arms, even though he didn't know his name, and he never wanted him to let go.

 Tal's world spun when the man in question quickly jerked him behind him, pressing Tal against the door.

 He growled at the other man in the room, "Mine."

 His voice sounded low and forceful, growly and full of authority and power. He would not be one to be messed with. He ruled in the room at that moment and Tal kind of felt happy the guy seemed to be on his side, even if he didn't exactly know why.

"Blaze? Are you saying that this… humanoid… is your mate?" the first man asked incredulously.

 The man named Blaze turned to look at Tal, his eyes softening rapidly, a slow smile coming to his fac. He inhaled deeply, breathing in Tal's scent, his eyes closing in rapture before he turned back to answer the question.

 "Yes Buck, he's mine… my mate."

 Tal's eyes widened, another squeak escaping at the word mate. His mother's words about how he would feel upon meeting the person destined for him came rushing back. He stepped away from the man called Blaze and backed into the door behind him, his eyes wide and his body quivering in fear. Blaze met his gaze, his eyebrows raised in question

 "Fucking shit balls," Tal breathed. "Hell no." He shook his head quite forcefully before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

About the Author:

Author: Vicktor Alexander


Info: Vicktor Alexander “Vic” wrote his first story at the age of 10 about his youngest sister and her destruction of the world…with her breath. Always one who pushed the edge of convention, it wasn’t long or much of a shock, before he was writing interracial historical romances. However, Vic realized that his heroes seemed much happier when they were hanging out with other guys and that was when he discovered the M/M genre. Vic now enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches his fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex. Vic is a huge fan of the “happily-ever-after” ending, but while his characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love, they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life.  No fluff writer here, Vic’s stories can be slightly gritty, dark and hard hitting, but the reason for that, is that love is sweeter when it’s been fought for and won. Never satisfied with only one genre, every book that Vic writes falls into more than one category and has each main character experiencing more than one orgasm. Out and proud, Vic does not believe that love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid, by sexuality as well.  Vic loves to make people laugh and when he’s not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he’s reading, playing the Sims 3, hanging out with his very supportive adopted family, taling to his adopted daughter Catrina, seeking the man or men who can handle his crazy, stressful, soap opera-esque life and being distracted from his writing by drooling over pictures of John Barrowman and Shemar Moore.