#MySexySaturday Sexy Saves the Day!

Sexy saves the day! What a great theme! I hope you check out all the blogs this weekend, because there'll be all kinds of heroic action. The list is at the bottom of this post, so check 'em out, okay?

Today's 7-paragraph snippet is from Aqua Follies, my historic m/m romance that'll be published in June. Russell and Skip are both pretty sexy, and in this bit, the gang's gone out to hear a band play but the cops break up the party. Russell's college degree pulls Skip out of the fire...

(Murphy is a cop, and he & Skip have history. This snippet is from Skip's POV.)

Murphy flashed the light around the car again. Skip kept his gaze out the passenger window. The light passed him, then came back.

“Oh, this is good,” Murphy laughed. “Mr., um…” Murphy took another glance at the license, “Mr. Haunreiter, what are you doing with a pervert like Skip Johansen?” Another laugh, meaner, nastier. “And who you got back here? Are you two lezzies?”

“Russell.” Another plaintive cry came from the girl in the back.

“Excuse me, Officer, but as Mr. Johansen’s legal counsel,” Russell spoke with more poise than Skip could ever hope for, “may I remind you slander is a crime, and unless you want to charge us with anything, I suggest you go back to your car and let us go.”

Murphy’s look of surprised dismay made Skip’s lips twitch.

“You really a lawyer?” Murphy clearly didn’t believe what he’d heard.

Russell met his gaze squarely. “Yes sir.”

(He's not, but he will be when the summer's over and he gets a job....lol.)

The 1950s. Postwar exuberance. Conformity. Rock and roll.

Homophobia.

Russell tells himself he’ll marry Susie because it’s the right thing to do. His summer job coaching her water ballet team will give him plenty of opportunity to give her a ring. But on the team’s trip to the annual Aqua Follies, the joyful glide of a trumpet player’s solo hits Russell like a torpedo, blowing apart his carefully constructed plans.

From the orchestra pit, Skip watches Poseidon’s younger brother stalk along the pool deck. It never hurts to smile at a man, because good things might happen, but the timing has to be right. Once the last note has been played, Skip gives it a shot.

The tenuous connection forged by a simple smile leads to events that dismantle both their lives. Has the damage been done, or can they pick up the pieces together?

~*~

That's all for this week. Thanks for checking out my post, and keep your eye on my blog, because the cover reveal and other details are coming right up. Me and my writing partner Irene Preston have a giveaway for a $10 gift card. We're choosing a winner 5/1/17 and you may as well enter, because somebody's gotta win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, don’t forget to check out Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. 

#MySexySaturday My Sexy Warrior

Hey, so I'm happy to be back with a #MySexySaturday post. TBH I went through a fairly long stretch where I wasn't feeling the sexy, but I'm better now. I've been busy, too. I spent a chunk of this week reworking my website. (Jump HERE to see it.) For the first time in years my blog is integrated with my website, and it makes me so happy.

An author's life is wild, y'all.

Irene and I are hard at work on the next novel in our Hours of the Night series. We haven't settled on a title yet, but hopefully it'll come clear soon. This is the fun part, where we're tossing scenes back and forth and the only pressure is how many words you can write in an hour. (The editing part might be slightly less fun, but that won't happen for a couple months.)

And finally, I've made a decision about one of my favorite projects ever. Aqua Follies is an m/m romance set in 1955 Seattle. I'm pretty sure I've teased it before in one of these Sexy Saturday posts, but expect to see more between now and the publication date in June. I'm tremendously excited to be working with a great editor, and to have control over cover art and promotion.

A mid-century romance might not exactly relate to the warrior theme, but I did find one scene that fits. We're in Skip's point of view here. He's got a crush on Russell, and the gang has gone out to see a rock n' roll show. Skip and Russell are in the parking lot, sneaking a sip from Skip's flask when they hear Russell's cousin cry for help. She's been dancing with the wrong boy...

With a click, Ryker opened a switchblade. “Funny how this extends my reach.”

            Swinging the branch, Skip took a step forward. The college boys all shifted back, even the one facing off with Russell. Skip might be slender and a little light in his boots, but anyone who grew up in Pioneer Square knew how to fight. He and Ryker moved into position on either side of Russell, and the college boys backed off.

            “We were just playing anyway.” One of them laughed like it was all a joke.

            “Didn’t sound like that to me,” Russell said. “I think you should apologize to my cousin.”

            “Your cousin’s a slut.”

            Skip wasn’t sure which one said it, but before anyone could respond, Russell took three big steps forward and put his fist into the middle guy’s belly. The boy dropped to his knees, and Russell stood over him. “Anyone else?”

            The other two beat feet, which didn’t surprise Skip. These candyass college boys were all show and no go. Susie ran up to Annette, with Russell right behind her. “I’m going to get the car,” Skip said to Ryker. “We gotta cut out.”

~*~

Thanks for checking out my little teaser! I don't have the cover art yet, but my Pinterest inspiration board will give you a visual. Also, make sure you drop by the other #MySexySaturday posts. There's a lot of fun stuff!

#MySexySaturday - My Sexy Stranger!

Annnnd...I'm back! I hope you all had a lovely holiday break. Me n' the family had some low key, mellow fun, and now we're back to our normal routine.

Which means another week of Sexy Saturday action!

This week's theme is My Sexy Stranger, and the snippet I've chosen is from Change of Heart, my novella that appeared in the NOLA Naughty Nine anthology last summer. The anthology had a limited run, and I'll be releasing Change of Heart in a few weeks. It's set in the same world as Vespers and Bonfire, but it's distant prequel to those stories and historic rather than paranormal.

The romantic pairing is different, too - f/trans-f instead of m/m.

In this snippet, Clara's working as a hat check girl at a nightclub in the French Quarter, and she has a bit of a crush on one of the other waitresses. Vaughn's not exactly a stranger, but they don't know each other nearly as well as Clara would like them to...

~*~

Vaughn, one of the cocktail girls, popped off the main floor. She was tall, with auburn hair and the prettiest collarbones I’d ever seen. When I thought about doing bad things, her lovely face often came to mind.

She’d dolled up her black uniform dress with a jade scarf pinned at her throat by a marcasite brooch, and she carried her drink tray lightly no matter how many high balls were crowded on it. “What’s that?” she asked, tipping her head in the direction of the note.

Teasing myself, and maybe teasing her too, I rubbed the edge of the still-unopened envelope against my lips, marking it with a peony pink stripe. “Don’t know.”

“Open it, you nut.” Vaughn barely had to breathe to make my pulse flutter.

Maybe I should have learned a lesson from falling in love with my best friend, but I wanted to kiss her—especially when she smiled from under her bangs, her lips painted ruby red and her brows arched in perfect curves. Sometimes the way Vaughn’s gaze melted into me gave me the notion she shared my interest. I just didn’t know how to ask her.

I flicked the flap with my fingernail. Who would be sending me something? I pinched my lips to swallow the flutter of nerves. “Someone stuck this one down good.”

“Quick. I gotta get out on the floor.” A smile flickered at the corners of her mouth, and her hazel eyes glowed.

I peeled the flap open and slid out a notecard. On the inside of the card, someone had drawn a lovely, very detailed picture.

A picture of me. “Well, I’ll be.” 

~*~

Thanks so much for checking out my post! If you're intrigued, Change of Heart is available now through the publication date of 3/1/17 at a preorder price of $0.99! Or, if you're so inclined, it'll be on Netgalley in a week or so. Thanks again!

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores

Supersecret Cover Art
will be revealed on 1/18/17!

~*~

Irene and I are running another giveaway, this time to celebrate Change of Heart's cover reveal on the 18th. As long as you're hear, you should totally enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

Also, make sure you check out these other Sexy posts!!

#MySexySaturday - Sexy in Space!

Hey! Happy #MySexySaturday! The theme this week is Sexy in Space, which proved to be difficult for me, because I'm not much for science fiction. However, I do have a sexy m/m historical set in 1955 Seattle called Aqua Follies. And Seattle's known for the Space Needle. So yeah, it's loose, but there's a connection. Also, I was playing with the story this week, so the it's fresh in my mind.

This is kind of a long 7 paragraphs, in which our hero Russell sees the man of his dreams. Unfortunately, his soon-to-be fiance Susie is one of the synchronized swimmers performing at the Aqua Follies, and Russell is the coach. Yeah, there are some potential conflicts....

He pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “Yes, dear.”

Their last hurrah. They had two weeks in Seattle, then another run in Detroit. At some point, Russell would give Susie the diamond ring he had tucked in the bottom of his suitcase. He snugged her closer to his side. He’d start his new job, they’d get hitched, he’d buy the house, and she’d give him babies. More importantly, the wedding would give his parents something to be happy about.

The feeling of dread wedged under his sternum had more to do with nerves than anything else.

The director called for the Night at Club Aqua number and counted off a fast tempo. His baton flashed in the floodlights blazing from the edge of the stage. From the orchestra pit, the band hit the opening bars of In the Mood. Susie took off, diving into action with the other Aqua Dears. They spun through the water in a synchronized display, while the dancing half of their traveling troupe, the Aqua Darlings, took the stage dressed in sparkling blue skirts, white blouses, and low-heeled black shoes.

The big band, a dozen musicians playing brass and strings and percussion, romped through the verses twice, their heads silhouetted in the stage lights. Then a lone musician stood, rising into the glare like Gary Cooper on the screen at a drive-in movie. He was tall and lean and handsome, with a curled pompadour and a five o’clock shadow. Curiosity pinned Russell in place. Then the young man put a trumpet to his lips and Russell had to close his eyes.

The music rang out over the lake and bounced off the rooftops in the surrounding neighborhood. The tone was cool but the solo was hot, hitting Russell with the force of a pick-ax. The horn’s voice turned his insides to jelly, but the man – from the swoop of his hair to the curve of his bicep – swapped that jelly for lava.

He tried to tell himself his damp clothes caused the shivers chasing over his skin, but didn’t come close to believing it. He dug his fingertips into the bands of muscle running up the back of his own neck and dragged his gaze back to the swimmers, breathing slow and deep to force the flush out of his face. He’d just been surprised by the man, and exhausted from travel. He’d be fine. Everything was okay.

Seattle's Space Needle
(See? Space! It ties in!)

Russell's got some work to do before his two weeks in Seattle are over, don't you think? Hopefully I'll soon have some good news about Aqua Follies and you can read it for real. In the meantime, Irene and I have another giveaway running to celebrate the release of Bonfire, our m/m paranormal holiday story. If you want to learn more about Bonfire, jump HERE. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

#MySexySaturday - My Sexy Dreamer

Well hey! Last week, my #MySexySaturday post got lost in the holiday shuffle, but I'm happy to be back. This week's theme is My Sexy Dream, and I pulled seven paragraphs from my work-in-progress. We're in David's point of view, and he's a werewolf, son of the American Alpha. His lover - and bodyguard - Trajan, is a vampire, and they're on the run from miscellaneous bad guys. Also, David's just learned there's a recent ex in the picture. 

(Technically they're not dreaming, though from a certain angle, Trajan is better than anything David could dream up.)

After the shower, I feel slightly more human – or as close as I get. Trajan has emptied my scorched suitcase and spread my clothes all over the room, and I’m the only thing in the space that doesn’t smell like smoke. “What the hell?”

He shrugs. “Gotta air things out.” There’s half an apology in his voice. “You should sleep. The sun’s going to come up in a couple hours, and one of us will need to stay awake.” He rubs his eyes, looking as tired as I feel. “I don’t want to tell anyone, even Sheena, where we are."

The air-conditioned chill battles with the exhaust-heavy air from the doorway. He’s right. I’m going to have to pack a good eight hours between now and sunrise. It’s a physics problem, or something. All the drama has me wired, though. “Not sure I’ll be able to close my eyes.”

He moves, smooth and fast, pushing me back against the saggy mattress. “Let me help you.”

“Wait.

But he doesn’t wait. He tugs on my jeans. They’re so loose they slide right down. Then he slides down too, landing on his knees. I want to protest, but the best I can do is twist my fingers in his hair, holding on while he pulls my hips to the edge of the bed.

His lips trail along my inner thigh, but as my pulse races, I hear soul mate soul mate soul mate with every beat. He tongues my balls, sending shivers up from my belly. He’s been so good. Loyal, protective, kind. And I can’t figure out why.

~*~

Thanks so much for playing along! Since my snippet is from an unpublished story, I'm going to take a minute to pimp my friend J.R.'s newest. The Auction is all about the hot and kinky, and the cover is amazing. Check it out! 

One night changes everything.

Stark is too old to be selling himself, or his services. He’s too set in his ways, too piled in grief, and well...it’s been too long. But when your best friend is a big demanding drag queen, and hosting the event, it’s impossible to say no. It's one night, he convinces himself, and then he can get back to his reclusive life.

Scotty can handle the club for one night. It’s Christmas Eve after all, and the auction is for charity. If she saw her ex she could deal with it, she hoped and it wasn’t like she had to bid on anyone. But when she comes back from the bar she finds her best friend had other plans, and now she has a date with a mysterious dominant.

Amazon     -   ARe      -     Kobo

Thanks again for visiting. Make sure you check out the other fab #MySexySaturday posts, and have a great weekend!
Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

#MySexySaturday - My Sexy Holidays!

Another week, another My Sexy Saturday post! This time the theme is My Sexy Holidays! And though it might be overkill, I'm going to post another teaser from my newly released holiday novella, Bonfire. My co-writer Irene and I have had a great time this release week, and we hope you enjoy this snippet...

Here, we're in Sara's point of view. He and the vampire Thaddeus are out for dinner after shopping for a Christmas tree....

Pinky’s was surprisingly busy for a winter night. A lot of their business came from people who had vacation camps along the Amite. According to Bren, the winter months were slow. It was Friday night, though. The bar, at least, looked hopping with local customers. Sara noticed several faces he had seen in the store before, and Chase sat at the end of the bar nursing a drink. When Bren finally broke away and came to the table, Sara gave her his order and waved her off. “Take care of your other customers. Come talk to me when you get a minute.”

“Might not get a chance. We’ve got a band tonight. I can probably get a few words in if you want to come up to the bar. Otherwise, text me after we close.”

After she left, Sara turned back to his companion. They had never dined out together, he realized. He had always assumed dining in public would be awkward when only one person could eat. Sitting across from him, Thad looked totally relaxed. Not awkward at all.

“Christmas tree shopping and dinner.” Sara grinned across the table. “Thank you, Thaddeus. It’s a proper date.”

A tinge of pink flitted across Thad’s cheekbones, a sign he was both embarrassed and pleased.

Sara decided he had been wrong. Getting Thad out in public was totally worth delaying their tree plans for a few hours. Maybe they could even stay for some of the music. He looked into Thad’s beautiful, stormy-gray eyes and felt his heart expand. He was just an ordinary guy. How had he wound up sitting across from the cutest vampire in the world? Thad’s blush deepened a little, and Sara wished he dared touch his hand on the table. Back in Seattle with any of his past boyfriends, he wouldn’t have hesitated. Thaddeus would be uncomfortable with the gesture, though, just as he had been uncomfortable when Sara had pressed too close to him at the Christmas tree lot.

He searched around for some conversation instead. He didn’t want to think about the lights right now. He wanted to appreciate this moment with Thaddeus.

Silent night, holy hell.

Thaddeus and Sarasija are spending the holidays on the bayou, and while the vampire's idea of Christmas cheer doesn't quite match his assistant's, they're working on a compromise. Before they can get the tree trimmed, they're interrupted by the appearance of the feu follet. The ghostly lights appear in the swamp at random and lead even the locals astray.

When the townsfolk link the phenomenon to the return of their most reclusive neighbor, suspicion falls on Thaddeus. These lights aren't bringing glad tidings, and if Thad and Sara can't find their source, the feu follet might herald a holiday tragedy for the whole town.

This holiday novella can be enjoyed alone or as book 1.5 of the Hours of the Night Series. Bonfiretakes place the December after the events in Vespers.

Amazon | ARe | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores

And don't forget to check out our Giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks very much for stopping by this week. Make sure you check out the other Sexy Holiday posts from the list below, and have a great Thanksgiving!!

Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

#MySexySaturday - Sexy in the Sky!

So here we are, one week later....or two weeks, if you're me. 

Last week I was swept up in the overwhelming business that is getting a blog tour ready. 

This week I've got most of the posts written, and am just waiting till release day.

Release day!

November 15, 2016!

Now, it's still #MySexySaturday and the theme this week is Sexy in the Sky. But, as much as I'd love to share some wild mile-high snippet, I've got a book release! On 11/15/16! So I'm sticking with the vampire Thaddeus Dupont and his young assistant Sarasija Mishra... 

(We're in Thaddeus's POV...)

Our bed.

The bed I would share with him as long as he’d have me. Though at times my inner conflict still raged, Sara was a sin I couldn’t help but commit.

For decades, I’d endeavored to restore my soul through service to the White Monks, and now I regularly engaged in acts that would destroy it. 

I found I didn’t care, or at least not enough to leave off my relationship with Sara. Perhaps having lived so long granted me a new perspective, but the joy he brought now outweighed any future paradise.

We lay in bed, him on his side with me propped against his back. After dozing awhile, he rolled over and squinted at me. “You didn’t come.”

“No.” I rubbed his arm, and he settled under my touch. 

“I think you get off on the self-denial.”

There was no good response to that.

Isn't the cover pretty?!

Silent night, holy hell.

Thaddeus and Sarasija are spending the holidays on the bayou, and while the vampire's idea of Christmas cheer doesn't quite match his assistant's, they're working on a compromise. Before they can get the tree trimmed, they're interrupted by the appearance of the feu follet. The ghostly lights appear in the swamp at random and lead even the locals astray.

When the townsfolk link the phenomenon to the return of their most reclusive neighbor, suspicion falls on Thaddeus. These lights aren't bringing glad tidings, and if Thad and Sara can't find their source, the feu follet might herald a holiday tragedy for the whole town.

This holiday novella can be enjoyed alone or as book 1.5 of the Hours of the Night Series. Bonfiretakes place the December after the events in Vespers.

For a limited time, Bonfire's only $0.99! 

Amazon | ARe | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores

Thanks for checking out my post! Make sure you enter our release-day giveaway to win a $20 gift card, and for sure visit the other sites on the hop list below. Thanks again!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.

#MySexySaturday - My Sexy Adventure!!

And...I'm back and ready for another run of the sexy! 

How have you all been doing? Are you ready for some trick or treating? I figure tonight's going to be all about the Halloween parties, so in keeping with that theme, I pulled another excerpt from Vespers, the m/m paranormal romance I cowrote with Irene Preston.

It's vampire time!

These paragraphs are from the middle of the story. Thaddeus has been the target of a series of demon attacks, which qualifies as adventure, don't you think? Here we're in Thaddeus's point of view. He woke to find his assistant (and lover) Sarasija in bed with him, and Sara is describing some research he's done...

 His sly smile hinted he guessed at the discomfort caused by his body pressed against mine. “First I looked up ways to raise demons, which, what a bunch of crap, you know? Even with Nohea’s access codes, the Church archives are a mess.” He stroked my throat, toying with me, playing.

 When his hand encountered the still-healing scars on my chest, he paused. “Damn vampire.” He grimaced as if something had made him angry, though I didn’t understand why. “Anyway,” he continued, “when I got tired of chasing my tail on the monks’ website, I turned to the Bible.”

His tone still held too much humor for me to take him seriously, but I allowed him to continue.

“Do you believe everything in the Bible?” This time, his voice carried more weight.

Because he didn’t appear to be mocking me, and because I enjoyed the rough burn of his hairy thighs against mine, I answered him perhaps more seriously than I otherwise would have. “I believe the Bible holds the truth, in the abstract if nothing else.”

I let him ponder my statement while marshalling a few arguments. “You see, you could argue the natives who inhabited North America occupied a corner of the Garden of Eden, at least until the arrival of those explorers who had eaten from the tree of knowledge, and brought their weapons and their diseases and their ideas.” The sharp intelligence in his gaze undid me. “You see? Truth, but also fable.”

He scooted closer, and I wrapped my arms around him reflexively.

 “Thaddeus?” He nuzzled my neck. “Is it a sin to eat shrimp?”

Thaddeus Dupont has had over eighty years to forget...

The vampire spends his nights chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and ruthlessly disciplines those unnatural urges he's vowed never again to indulge. He is at the command of the White Monks, who summon him at will to destroy demons. In return, the monks provide for his sustenance and promise the return of his immortal soul.

Sarasija Mishra's most compelling job qualification might be his type O blood...

The 22-year-old college grad just moved across the country to work for some recluse he can't even find on the internet. Sounds sketchy, but the salary is awesome and he can't afford to be picky. On arrival he discovers a few details his contract neglected to mention, like the alligator-infested swamp, the demon attacks, and the nature of his employer's "special diet". A smart guy would leave, but after one look into Dupont's mesmerizing eyes, Sarasija can't seem to walk away. Too bad his boss expected "Sara" to be a girl.

Falling in love is hard at any age...

The vampire can't fight his hungers forever, especially since Sara's brought him light, laughter and a very masculine heat. After yielding to temptation, Thaddeus must make a choice. Killing demons may save his soul, but keeping the faith will cost him his heart.

 (Because you know you need a good vampire story this weekend!)

                          

Amazon     –     Barnes and Noble     –      ARe     –      iBooks     –     Kobo

Also, in honor of HALLOWEEN, Irene & I are running a giveaway for a $10 gift card! Jump HERE to enter!

Thanks for checking out the post! Here's a public service announcement from the blog hop organizers. Don't forget to stop by all the other participating blogs!!

Readers, please visit us at our new Author Central where we’ll be sharing even more from our authors besides Saturday’s snippets. We’d love to have each and every one of you there as we’re starting new things this month with fun and prizes along the way.