For Emily - Just Because I Can.

For Emily

Just A Quickie!!!

Just letting you all know that at the moment I am busily doing edits for my Silver Publishing Christmas story : A Moon-Runner Christmas... which has a tentative release date of December 9th. I can't wait to see the covers for these. The best news is the wordage limit which I swore was 15K is now 25K so I am desperately expanding where the story needs it as I have until October 12th to get it all done.

On another note - I will be able to pick my cover for my MLR Holiday story: Christmastime at Papa Lee's. I think we get to chose from four covers like we did for the Father's Day stories. It is so exciting when we are doing cover - I don't care if it is anthology cover or one of my personal ones this is almost as exciting as getting the initial contract for the story in the first place.

Other than that I am still working on the background info on TLOM... I think I am having more fun doing this than when I actually wrote the stories in the first place. and the more I work on them the more I find I like individual characters who never had much to do with the story before... they all want to have their time in the spotlight.

Reconnecting... With TLOM

Over the last couple of days my area in Australia got hit by violent storms. Not much damage to our place just a few big branches snapped out of out widow makers (silver gum trees). So seeing as I couldn't get on the computer - I did the next best thing. I sat down with all my note books and any loose scraps of paper and started filling clean note books up with everything TLOM.

I started by doing family trees for both the House of Marsden and the House of Kincaid. I went right back to the time of the first Michael Marsden.

For me I jotted down backgrounds on everyone who features in the first six novels - concentrating n the mains characters of course... but I thought I would write background up on how the House of Kincaid come to be part of the Vampiric world and the same for the House of Marsden.

We (I should say - I) learn more about the creature who lives beneath the estate where the Eldren reside. and just who he really is and where he fits into the storyline (Sneaky Peek: he comes into the story fully when the second line of Marsden comes into play - book seven. Mind you he will make appearances throughout the first six as well).

Also in my penning these books of all my TLOM notes I (with the help of Emily) worked on who ends up with who. The matches may not be all MM, but I am keeping the MM ones as the main focus on all the stories the others are all secondary story lines.

The best part about doing this I have thought of a few more changes I want to make and now is my chance to do it all. I am bringing characters more into the story line than they already are' especially for the ones who are in the foreground of the story.

In book 2: Living in Shadows, we will be hearing more of Doyle's tale. As well as discovering more about Christian's past... If I can work out a way to put the Family trees on my blog I will so you can get a feel of who people are and where they fit into Michael and Christian's lives. Or maybe not as that might just give everything away - LOL. I will have to think on that one.

Ariel Tachna (Lang Downs)

Over the last couple of days I needed to read so I randomly chose a book and it happened to be Lang Downs 1: Inherit the Sky by Ariel Tachna - Turns out it is set on an Australian sheep station called Lang Downs. I then had to go and buy the second one Chasing the Stars.  - I fricken loved these two books and hope there will be more to follow.

Lang Downs: Inherit the Sky (BLURB).

Caine Neiheisel is stuck in a dead-end job at the end of a dead-end relationship when the chance of a lifetime falls in his lap. His mother inherits her uncle’s sheep station in New South Wales, Australia, and Caine sees it as the opportunity to start over, out on the range where his stutter won’t hold him back and his willingness to work will surely make up for his lack of knowledge.

Unfortunately, Macklin Armstrong, the foreman of Lang Downs who should be Caine’s biggest ally, alternates between being cool and downright dismissive, and the other hands are more amused by Caine’s American accent than they are moved by his plight… until they find out he’s gay and their amusement turns to scorn. It will take all of Caine’s determination—and an act of cruel sabotage by a hostile neighbor—to bring the men of Lang Downs together and give Caine and Macklin a chance at love.

Lang Downs: Chase the Stars (BLURB)

Twenty-year-old Chris Simms is barely keeping his head above water. After losing his mother and his home, he struggles to provide for himself and his brother. When homophobes attack him, he thinks his life is over, but then he’s rescued by jackaroos from a nearby sheep station. He's as stunned to be offered a job there as he is to discover both the station owner and foreman are gay.

For Chris, Lang Downs is a dream—one that only gets better when Chris realizes the jackaroo he's crushing on, Jesse Harris, is gay and amenable to a fling. Everything goes well until Chris realizes he’s falling for Jesse a lot harder than allowed by their deal.

Jesse is a drifter who moves from station to station, never looking for anything permanent. Convinced Chris is too young and fragile for a real relationship, he sets rules to keep things casual. Watching the station owner and his foreman together makes Jesse wonder if there are benefits to settling down, but when he realizes how Chris feels about him, he panics. He and Chris will have to decide if a try for happiness is worth the risk before the end of the season tears them apart.

Ariel Tachna at Dreamspinner Press LLC Buy Link 

Spotlight on the Something New on the Menu Series ~ Sharita Lira

Good morning. I’m happy to be here to talk about the series from Naughty Nights Press my two muses have worked on as a team. Yes, I know, two sides of me working on different books. I’m sure that makes you wonder just how crazy I am but for me this is an everyday thing.

Back to the series! It’s a collection of manlove romances surrounding food and or beverages. Each book has different settings, characters, and situations but all have a common theme. Men involved in the food industry falling in love.

In my first book under BLMorticia, my protagonist Jimmy works at a burger joint in Chicago and is a homophobe. However, when his boss offers his position to someone else, the new owner and manager Alex teaches him some very valuable lessons.

Next up is Time to Make the Donuts under Rawiya. Christopher spends a lot of time running his uncles donut shop and has no time for romance. That all changes when Andre walks in the door with his winning smile and hot body. Christopher falls for him immediately but Andre has a secret that might get in the way. Will it keep them apart?

Third is Smooth Like Latte, also under Rawiya. Brendan Walsh is the CEO of his dad’s financial company and is in the closet. When he visits the coffee shop in his building, he meets Latte, a smooth talking barista who woos him from the start. Still, he’s afraid to come out to his father but desperately wants to know Latte better. Will he let go his fears for a chance at love?

Fourth is Sugar Daddy, the latest by Rawiya. The setting shifts to Britain where Matthew Davidson wants to be in a relationship. He wants a lover who takes care of him as well. While on the computer, he finds a man who he’d like to get to know better but this hot man holds secrets of his own. What are they and will they prevent them from being a couple?

Finally, the fifth book under BLMorticia is Candyman, due out late 2012. Alain has been given the task to take care of his father’s company Diamond Candies. He has no interest until he meets one of the workers, Ty Washington. They hit it off almost immediately but Ty has hang-ups about being gay. Will they overcome these to become lovers?

There are sequels planned for Latte, Sugar Daddy, and Candyman for the exterior characters as well in 2013. Whew, a lot but I’m very proud how all the stories turned out. If you haven’t checked out my manlove romance series with food, laughs, and hot sex by now, I hope I got you interested!

Thanks for listening.

Something Fresh Served Hot from Something New on the Menu Series Book One

A gay contemporary comedy which features a Chicago homophobe by the name of Jimmy LaCosta who works at a diner called the Greasy Spoon on the Northside of Chicago near Boys Town. While working, Jimmy meets the incoming manager, Alex Seidling, a young British man who his present boss is hiring to take his place as he retires. 

After the initial meeting in which Jimmy feels uncomfortable with Alex's stares, Jimmy cultivates a friendship with Alex which develops into something totally different than he himself expects. This shocks him and he tries to fight it but because of his growing feelings he decides to pursue it despite all of what he has been taught.

Will he do what his body wants? Will Alex accept his advances even though he will soon become Jimmy’s boss?

Click here to read an excerpt

Buylinks - Amazon ARe Smashwords

Time to Make the Donuts Something New on the Menu Series Book Two

Blurb: Andre, a customer, comes in and pays him a visit. The two lock eyes and immediately connect on a personal level. Because of this, Christopher decides to pursue when Andre passes him his card. He wonders what the young man does for a living however, he’s so smitten by him, Chris doesn’t give it much thought.

Little does the shop owner know, Andre actually works for his biggest competitor as a secret shopper and has been told to use any method necessary to find out the secrets of the shop as well as convince him to sell his shop and become part of the national chain.

When Christopher finds out, he has a surprise for Andre and deals with him in a rather humorous way. Will he trust Andre once he finds out this fact? Will he give up his shop under the pressure the well known franchise?

Buylinks  ARe  Smashwords Amazon

Click here to read excerpt

Smooth Like Latte Something New on the Menu Series Book Three

Blurb: Brendan Walsh is an uptight business executive working for his father and missing out on real life due to his relentless drive for success. Fearing his homophobic father’s wrath - and the potential to destroy his financial future - Brendan hides is true orientation and lives a life of boring celibacy.

Upon meeting Davori Jenkins when the hunky barista serves him a latte just the way he likes it, Brendan takes a chance, leaving his number with the tip in the hopes of changing his future love life.

Will Brendan be able to come clean with his father - risking his fortune - or will he take a chance at losing a man who he wants as his future?

Warning: This is an m/m interracial romance. Real romance. Some sappiness is ahead with two very good looking men who are searching for that happy ever after ending.

Amazon, Smashwords, ARe

Click here to read an excerpt

Sugar Daddy Something New on the Menu Series Book Four

Blurb: Matthew Davidson wants a MAN! The setting shifts away from the America’s to Britain where Matthew and his childhood friend, Devon Peartly attend a cooking school to obtain their cooking certificates. The young man wants a partner so badly, he decides he’ll try an online dating service in hopes of finding a black man that can take care of and satisfy him romantically.

He finds that man, Antwon Bantu on an online dating site and is instantly intrigued. Little does Matthew know that Antwon is involved in a “convenient” marriage and is seeking a younger partner so he can finally get on with his life. Instead of confessing the truth, he decides to hide it, fearing he’ll lose the chance with Matthew if he informs him. To complicate things, Antwon’s wife claims to be in love with him. Antwon must choose what’s more important; loving Matthew or saving his impeccable reputation as a top barrister in the London courts? 

Which will he choose?

Click here to read an excerpt

Amazon, Are, Smashwords

BLMorticia is currently a published writer with Naughty Nights Press and Rebel Ink Press. Her first two novellas, My Lieutenant and Something Fresh Served Hot are Silver star recipients on All Romance Ebooks. She writes bi weekly for Red Lipstick Diaries, guest blogs monthly on the Naughty Nights Press blog and a writes column twice a month on Blak Rayne Books. For more info, please visit, Erotica With Snark

RAWIYA is the more sensual erotica writer in the BLRawiya duo. Rawiya's first sole author book, “Time to Make the Donuts” is now available in multiple digital formats through online vendors and her first MMF Living In The Now was released in April from Naughty Nights Press.

Rawiya loves multiracial characters who overcome obstacles other than race. Sweet, sassy, and spicy would be the best way to describe her work. Happily married mother of two, loves music, computers, and travel. She blogs regularly at Wicked Sexy Writers. For more please visit the Rawiya’s blog on Wordpress.

The Literary Triad - http://www.thelitriad.com/#!

Michael Mandrake – http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com

BLMorticia - http://blmorticia.wordpress.com

Rawiya - http://rawiyaerotica.wordpress.com

Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/rawiyamikembl

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TheLiteraryTriad

Kindlegraph - http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/rawiyamikembl

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Update On TLOM 2: Living in Shadows

Last night I had a dream ~ Okay, that sounds pretty weird, but it was a dream that had me rethinking the storyline in The Lines of Marsden: Living in Shadows. We all know Michael is my main focus in the first 6 books. In book two I was thinking of bringing Gypsy joining the family as the main focus, but last night Doyle cracked the shits big time, and so today, I am going back through and making Gypsy a secondary storyline, and stepping Doyle up. So for all of you who are interested; it is gonna take me a bit of time to get this new thought line inter-phased with what I already have in place.

Honestly, I think this may answer some of those questions people have about Doyle... If not it will give you more questions. Living in Shadows is probably the only book that doesn't end in a HEA... but that just can't be helped. I am hoping you will all forgive me in this, but I just can't think of any other way to end it. I promise I am also working on Pools of Amethysts at the same time. So I am hoping there won't be yonks in between books 2 & 3 being released.

If any people had questions I never answered in book one feel free to ask me, and I will try and answer them in the next few books. As you all know my mind works a mile a minute, and I don't want to overlook anything. Lets face it; we all know that is possible with me - seeing as how easy I get distracted.

How Much Sex Is Too Much?

I have spent a lot of time reading and I have to ask - "How much sex is too much?" Whatever happened to the main focus of the book actually being the storyline? I have come to the conclusion that some people believe that gay men & women spend 99% of their time fucking... I am like: Seriously, how is that even possible?

While I am having my mini rant on all things writing. I know people like their HEA in their stories and I put my hand up with them all saying I am just like the rest. But, come on, we all know that real life isn't HEA some of the time - lying/cheating/bullying all of these things happen. (I know we all want to escape from reality for just a bit but then for us writers our wonderful editors  need the stories to have some semblance of realism about them). I have two books where there are instances of cheating in them. I know without a doubt some people will just refuse to read them, and I have to ask: Why? sometimes the cheating is there to make the story better; especially when the story line revolves around the problems they must face and overcome because of it. For those of you who will avoid them like the plague I will forewarn you they are: Windblown Kisses: My knight in Tarnished Armour & Taking Chances: Lie to Me.

I am finally over my rant for now so I will say goodbye and will talk to you all on another day.