Category Archives: Books
83K Or Bust: Day Five
As you may know (Bob), I also write science fiction and was invited to attend a local SF convention this weekend as a panelist. Deadlines do not stop for cons, however, so in between panels I plunked my butt down in the hotel’s breakfast room (I love how most hotels now have tall tables with outlets and comfy stools for people who have to work on laptops) and chunked out 2K, then added the final 1K when I got home.
Things I learned — writing sex scenes in a public place while people are walking behind me or coming up to give me a hugs is…challenging. Yes, let’s call it challenging. That being said, I wrote over 2,000 words and I didn’t even have a margarita. I RULE.
Today’s stats:
Started With: 15,102 words
Wrote: 3,019 words
Total word count: 18,109 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: cat chores, attended two panels, limped around a hotel a lot, held an adorable two-year-old on my lap, and stopped off at the drugstore for hair dye.
Writing Tips: Listening to music while writing can be hella useful — it helps you set the emotional tone of the section and can inspire anything from a super hot love scene to a ginormous battle scene straight out of 300 (yes, I put battle scenes in my erotic romance. I’m just that kind of writer). I know writers who can listen to vocal music when they write, but I find it extremely distracting so I tend to listen to soundtracks or other types of instrumental music when I’m working. Some of my favorite writing soundtracks are Sherlock Holmes (from the Downey Jr. movie) and Stage Beauty, and a lot of the fight scenes in the Olympic Cove books were written to the Pacific Rim soundtrack. Right now much of Empress is being written while listening to the soundtrack from Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V because it’s giving me the right temporal feel (I have a separate playlist for sex scenes).
And now, your faithful narrator needs to haul her butt off to bed. I think I’m reading the opening chapter of Empress of Storms tomorrow at my reading. This should be fun.
83K Or Bust: Day Four
When you make a mistake in knitting and need to undo stitches until you reach the mistake and can correct it, it’s called frogging. That’s because as you’re tearing back your work you’re usually muttering “rippit, rippit” under your breath.
Well, knitters think it’s funny. Today was another day of tearing back words and writing new ones to take their place. This is fairly common, especially in the early stages of a story, but it’s also a little frustrating because it means that if you’re on a deadline like I am you have to write past your daily word quota to make up for lost wordage.
To make things a little easier I decided to leave the wedding night naughtiness more blocked in than completely finished, and did the same thing to another scene in chapter three. Yes, sometimes I have problems writing sex scenes. I usually have to punch them up on the second or third edit once I have a better feel for what my characters would do during bouncy bouncy fun time. So I skipped ahead to an important scene where we find out Matthias has suffered from bizarre migraines since the death of his first wife and the commander of the Ypresian cavalry baits Danäe into examining the king’s chambers with her mage skills to rule out evil hexes (Bardahlson’s just that kind of guy). Today’s stats:
Started With: 12,279 words
Wrote: 3,823 words
Total word count: 15,102 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: bills paid, new jewelry commissions taken, cat chores done, food (both human and cat) shopping, and some very necessary yoga to unkink
Also, typing with one hand because you have a grey tabby nestled into the crook of your other arm plays merry hell with your shoulder. Just saying.
83K Or Bust: Day Three
After spending much of the night staring up at the ceiling and really, really hating that wedding night scene, I realized what I did wrong. I fell back on a commonly used fictional trope to create tension; namely, I have two people who are not communicating properly with each other and thus have the wrong idea about the other. Matthias thinks that Danäe is appalled by the idea of bedding a guy old enough to be her father, and Danäe thinks that if she tells Matthias that she was never in love with his son (but was in love with him) she would look fickle, if not actually whorish.
Ya know what? I reeeeeeeeally don’t like that trope. It’s annoying. And they’re going to have enough shit to deal with later on in the story that they don’t need additional miscommunications on their wedding night. So I’m going to go back and tear all that out, and write what should have happened — Danäe stops Matthias’s deliberately truncated foreplay after he assures her he’ll make it fast, asks what he’s doing, winkles out the real reason, and sets him straight. And then they have still kinda awkward but MUCH hotter sex because Hellenes have rational views on physical intimacy and godsdammit, Danäe wants to get off. Heh.
Started With: 9,285 words
Wrote: 3,012 words
Total word count: 12,279 words (yes, I know this doesn’t add up correctly but I deleted a scene so I was at a deficit when I started).
What else did you do today, Nicola: due to a bad night not nearly as much as I wanted to get done. But I did manage to get the living room vacuumed, checkbook balanced, and cat chores done, plus one hell of a leg session at the gym (oh, Lord, I have to start going more regularly because this business of not going for weeks and then going back hurts like a mother) and a shower.
Oh, I told Ramón about this challenge today. His response: “Because you have a rod for your own back that you haven’t used recently, I assume?” He understands my little foibles so well.
83K Or Bust: Day Two
Okay, it’s late and I still have to post a Mid Week Tease so I’m going to make this quick. Here are the day’s stats:
Started With: 6,223 words
Wrote: 3,062 words
Total word count: 9,285 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: performed cat chores, made a necklace for a friend, went for a drive when I got stuck on a plot point, attended my local writer’s critique group, fended off humorous suggestions that I add a God of Chairs and a God of Dysentery to the book, did the food shopping, grunted through my knee PT, and took a shower.
Today the words did not flow easily. I basically bulled through it, going back and tweaking some things in Chapter One, and told myself screw it, I do NOT need a pantheon in this story. It’s not like the gods make an appearance anyway. And may I say that I have just written what may well be the most cheerless wedding night scene in literary history. A couple of kisses, a fondle here and there, and then straight to the main event? Matthias had better get his shit in order or I will have Danäe smack some common sense into him with a paddle handle.
83K Or Bust: Day One
Let’s do a little recap, shall we? As you know, (Bob), an indie author recently kicked off a kerfluffle by putting up a GoFundMe fund in order to write full-time, and revealed herself to have a totally unrealistic worldview on professional writing. After receiving both even-tempered remonstrating and plain old ridicule, she lashed out at her critics with, among other things, the following:
“I’d like to challenge each and every one of these wonderful women to a writing contest. How about an 80K (that’s 80,000 words people, not dollars!) novel. It needs to be fully edited, proofed and a professional cover designed for it. Oh, and they have only 6 months to do all this. Ok, go.”
You know me, I can’t pass up a challenge. I announced that I would go one better and finish an 83K novel (because I was already 3K into that crazy MF high fantasy erotic romance novel that wouldn’t let go), have it fully edited, proofed, and provided with a professional cover in six weeks, and release it as an ebook and trade paperback on November 1.
Let me take this moment to point out that every writer has their own speed. Some write fast, some write slow. Any speed you write at is fine. You do you, baby. But taking an 80K novel from zero to “Whoops, it’s on Amazon” within six m/o/n/t/h/s/ weeks is just not as impossible as some people seem to think. Part of this challenge is to show that it’s possible to do this without sacrificing quality, and while still maintaining something of a life.
So yeah, today was the official start of 83K or Bust, and Empress of Storms is now officially underway. Here’s my working blurb:
When widower King Matthias IV of Ypres has to fulfill a treaty with the neighboring country of Hellas and provide a royal consort for young Queen Danäe, the only Ypresian royal available for marriage is himself. Can he overcome his grief for his late wife and risk letting a blue-haired witch queen into his heart? And can Danäe, only half-trained as a water mage, root out a magical threat against Matthias before it kills the man she’s loved since childhood?
I’m pleased to report that it got off to a robust start. Here are the day’s stats:
Started With: 3,000 words
Wrote: 3,223 words
Total word count: 6,223 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: recorded, edited and released a podcast episode, signed up for RT, made a necklace and two sets of earrings for the Etsy store so that I could pay for RT (I’ve got some really cool Dia de los Muertos/Halloween jewelry up, just saying), ran errands, performed cat chores (feeding, watering cleaning cat boxes, breaking up cat fights), did two loads of laundry, cursed through my knee PT workout, fetched Ramon a Starbucks because I’m a nice wife, and took a shower.
At this rate I should be finishing the book on October 17th or so, which will give me two weeks to edit, proof, and put the ebook and print book together. I’ve contracted with the amazing Jay Aheer to design the cover (could have done it myself but the challenge stipulates “a professional cover” and I don’t want anyone to think I’m cheating), and I think it’s going to be absolutely gorgeous.
As for the writing, it’s not really much of a stretch at this point. I’ve introduced all the major players and am about to write Matthias and Danäe’s hot mess of a wedding (the treaty originally stipulated that Danäe was supposed to marry Matthias’s son Lukas, but the supposedly grief-stricken Ypresian heir disappeared after his mother’s death. So now she’s marrying the man who was supposed to be her father-in-law. Can you say awkward? I knew you could).
And I keep hearing Dawn French in my head whenever I write Flavia, Queen Danäe’s personal body servant, so that’s fun.
Mid Week Tease: Cross Current #MidWeekTease #MWTease
It’s Wednesday? Well, we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time to tease you with a snippet from one of my WIPs. So, how would you like to see the (unedited) opening of Cross Current (Olympic Cove Book Four)? Of course you would!
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
“If you’ll sign here, please.”
Matt Taber wrote his signature on the indicated line.
“And here.”
Another line, another signature.
“And one last time.”
The same slightly scrawled name, black ballpoint ink standing out on the paper. Matt noticed the lawyer’s office printed out their documents on the nice heavy paper made for laser printers, not the thin general purpose stuff.
Nothing but the best for the death of a marriage.
“That should do it,” his lawyer said. He exchanged a nod with the other lawyer, their steps done in this particular dance.
Across the table, Matt’s now-ex-wife Nancy sat with her hands neatly folded, a politely blank expression on her face. After ten years of living with her, he still couldn’t read it.
Then again, he didn’t have to try anymore. Giving her a brusque nod, he stood and followed his lawyer out of the conference room.
“That went pretty well, I’d say,” the lawyer said. “Although I still think we should have held out for community property. You know you’re dropping back down into a pretty sad tax bracket, right?”
“I know.” Matt shrugged. “That’s fine. I don’t want anything from her.”
That wasn’t quite true. But the only thing he’d ever wanted from Nancy was the one thing she didn’t want to give. And he couldn’t even really blame her for that.
He nodded through the rest of the lawyer’s litany, agreeing to stop by the office for the final payment. And then he was alone in the granite-clad hallway, surrounded by expensive air and time that was counted in billable hours.
“Matt.”
He started, turning. Nancy stood at the door of the conference room, flawlessly dressed as usual. Today she wore a cream tailored jacket and skirt over a champagne silk blouse that would go straight from a divorce lawyer to her office at a major bank without anyone batting an eye.
The hurt washed over him again, followed almost immediately by relief. I loved you, I really did. In a way, I still do.
She pursed her mouth as if hearing his thoughts. “I’m not going to give you some ridiculous platitude about how this is the best thing for both of us,” she said, kind and blunt at the same time. “I wasn’t happy, and I wanted out, simple as that. But I also know you’re hurting right now, and I’m truly sorry about that. You’re a nice guy. You’ll be able to find someone who’ll be a better fit for you.”
Matt let a slow breath roll out. “I thought you weren’t going to give me some ridiculous platitude.”
One black eyebrow rose in an elegant curve. “You have a point. I’ll be back from Hong Kong in a month. Will that be enough time for you?”
“Yeah, plenty.” The house on Chinook Lane had been hers before their married. He admired the building, but had never felt at home there. It was like living in something out of an Architectural Digest article. “I can swing by and check the mail every couple of days if you like.”
“No, I already put a hold on it at the post office. But thank you.”
He stared at the woman who, with a handful of signatures, had gone from his wife to a stranger. “Have a good flight,” he finally said.
“Thanks.” She leaned over and brushed cool lips across his cheek, then turned and walked away.
#
“And that was that.”
“Damn.” Chris Wilson shook his head. “That’s cold, man.”
After walking out of the lawyer’s office into the bright Florida sunshine, Matt’s first instinct had been to go back to the extended stay hotel room he’d been renting since Nancy announced she wanted a divorce and lick his wounds. A text from Chris, his coworker and chemistry teacher at McAuliffe Senior High School, summoning him to their favorite sports bar for a post-divorce beer had changed his plans.
He rolled the bottom of his bottle on the tabletop, painting a ring of condensation on the sealed wood. “That’s Nancy,” he pointed out. “It’s not like she was going to fall into my arms crying and begging me to take her back.”
“Yeah, but come on,” Chris said, gesturing with his own bottle. “You didn’t ask for a damn thing from her, and you could have. The least she could have done was give you some breakup booty.”
Matt grimaced. “The last thing I want from her is pity sex.”
Chris blew out a breath. “Yeah, suppose I can’t blame you there. Banging an ice queen must be like freeze-drying your dick.”
“She wasn’t that bad.”
Chris gave him a look that clearly said are you shitting me?
Matt’s lips twitched. “Okay, maybe she was that bad. We had some fun, though.”
“If you say so. Me, I like my women a little more human.” The chemistry teacher tapped the table with one long finger. “So, what about the rest of your stuff? I can help you move it out this weekend.”
“Nah, that’s okay. I’m putting most of it in storage anyway. I’ll figure out what I want to do with it after school starts.”
“I’d think ‘look for an apartment’ would be kinda high on the list,” Chris pointed out. “You can’t stay in that hotel room forever.”
“I’m not. I’m moving out tomorrow.”
“Whoa. You already got a place?”
“Sort of.” For the first time that day, Matt felt like smiling. “We were supposed to go to France in a couple of weeks for our anniversary. Obviously that’s not happening now. She said she didn’t care what I did with the reservations, so I cashed everything in. It was more than enough to let me rent a cottage on the beach for the rest of the summer. Until school starts I’m just going to sit on my ass, drink beer, and get a tan.”
Chris saluted him with the beer bottle. “Now that sounds like a plan to me. And you know, if you get overrun with those hot little beach bunnies I’m more than happy to come on over and help out.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Matt drained the last of his beer. “Look, it’s been a long day and I still have some packing to do. Mind if I take off?”
“No problem, I got the tab. We still on for the game this weekend?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. Talk to you later.”
He was halfway to the door when he heard Chris yell, “Hey, where is this cottage anyway?”
Matt grinned. Less than a minute. He’s getting smarter. “About twenty miles south of here,” he shouted back over the bar din. “Some place called Olympic Cove.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Me, neither. Should be nice and quiet.”
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Mid Week Tease: Trickster: All In #MidWeekTease #MWTease
It’s Wednesday? Awesome! Because I have a little teaser for you from Trickster: All In. In fact, it’s the very first scene. Don’t say I never give.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
“Nice,” Mark Fellows said, sipping the tiny glass (and it was real glass, he noted, not some flimsy plastic cup) of champagne the smiling flight attendant had brought him before takeoff. “I could get used to flying business class.”
“Good, because I don’t fly coach,” Delaney Smith said. “Where I go, you go.”
“I knew there were hidden perks to being your mate.”
The coyote shifter narrowed his eyes. “You mean having a house big enough to display all your action figures, an indoor hot tub, a gaming setup that would have Wil Wheaton creaming, and hours of amazing sex aren’t enough?” he asked.
Mark waggled his free hand. “Meh.”
“Oh, really?” Delaney leaned closer until his lips brushed Mark’s ear. “Well, then, how about when we get to the hotel I make sure you’re naked, hard, and flat on your back thirty seconds after we walk into the room?” he whispered.
Soft as they were, the words seemed to go directly to Mark’s dick, making him rock hard in seconds. “Dammit–”
“You started it, babe. Speaking of that, I think I’ll start at the top and work my way down, biting and kissing every inch of skin I can find,” Delaney continued in a sweet, filthy murmur. “I plan on paying a great deal of attention to those pretty little nipples and that delicious dick of yours, mainly because I love the noises you make when I go down on you. I’ll even lick your balls just the way you like while I’m working a finger into you, getting you ready for my cock. And just when I’ve got you moaning my name and begging me to fuck you—“
Mark’s mouth had gone dry at the litany of delights awaiting him when they landed. “Yeah?”
He felt Delaney’s lips curve against his ear. “I’m going to finish the paperwork for the trade show.”
Mark shuddered. “You bastard,” he said, heartfelt.
“Other side of the coin, babe.” Still grinning, Delaney sat back in his seat, taking a sip of champagne. “This is a business trip, after all.”
“I know.” Grimacing, Mark tried to circumspectly adjust his trousers. He’d heard of WestTech before, of course, and was looking forward to attending the technology trade show. But he also wanted to spend some quality naked time with Delaney. The last month had been insane, what with the new security contracts being snapped up by Trickster Technologies, and between his own work load and Delaney’s he’d barely seen his boyfriend/boss/mate. “Never mind. It’s fine.”
He meant it, but Delaney glanced at him with a flicker of not-quite-concern. “Hey, it’s not going to be all work and no play,” the shifter said. “This is Vegas, after all.”
“I know. Seriously, don’t worry about it. I know we’ll get some time together.”
Delaney picked his hand up from the armrest and brushed lips across his knuckles. “Damn skippy we will. You’re not the only one with blue balls here, babe.”
Oddly, that made Mark feel better. “You can’t be hurting more than me. I’ve barely had enough time to take a leak, much less beat off.”
“You get to piss by yourself?” Whiskey brown eyes widened in surprise. “Man, some people get all the luck. I have to have Eileen come in and hold it for me while I’m on yet another frigging conference call.”
Mark imagined Delaney’s hypercompetent assistant briskly manipulating his junk into an empty water bottle while Delaney smooth-talked a client’s security department on speakerphone. “Be grateful she didn’t just stick a catheter in.”
Delaney shuddered. “Yii. Erection all gone. Thanks, babe.”
“I live to serve.”
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Nicola’s Sunday Shoutout: Bad Alpha @evernightpub #badalpha #eroticromance
Bad Alpha and Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition feature a select collection of stories with shifters so ruthless they will stop at nothing to protect their pack. These aren’t sugar-and-spice heroes. Our alphas are feared, inked, and don’t ask questions first. They take what they want, never give in to their enemies, and think love is for the weak—until they meet their mate. Are you ready to learn how to tame a savage heart?
Hey folks, Nicola here! I am extremely delighted to host both of Evernight Publishing’s newest anthologies today (and not just because I have a story in one of them). I asked some of the authors to tell me what inspired their stories about bad alphas and the mates who love them.
Doris O’Connor
From the minute the submission call for the Bad Alpha Anthology went up, I knew I would have to write something. I love shifters and bad boys. Combine the two…yes, I could not resist that, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when I woke up one morning with bear shifter Zayden growling in my ear.
He was a sought after assassin, and he came to me mid kill of his latest assignment. Cynical, deadly, this killer for hire has no time for tender feelings, let alone a mate, so when he finds out that the Alpha he’s been hired to kill, is his mate.
In his words…
Quinton Thorn was his fucking mate. The universe was having a great big laugh at his fucking expense. He’d come here to kill his mate. His bear roared at the mere thought, and Zayden shook his head. He could no more kill the man than he could have killed his own mother. He wasn’t a complete fucking animal, but the new tender feelings that had coursed through him when he’d shaken Quinton’s hand meant he felt like a fish out of water. He knew how to kill and fuck, but he had no idea what to do about these emotions.
Such a delicious conflict. What would Quinton do when he finds out that his mate is a killer?
L.D. Blakeley
When the call for submissions was announced for Bad Alpha: Manlove, I mulled it over for approximately 10 seconds before deciding, “Yep! It’s time to throw your hat into the horror/supernatural ring.” Later that evening, while picking out a movie to watch, my husband mentioned that the myth behind the 2001 French movie Le pacte des loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf) might be fun to somehow incorporate into a story. So off I went, down the Google rabbit hole. There is a ton of info out there with regard to the Beast of Gévaudan. And with so much actual fact mixed up nicely with the fiction, the idea became all that more appealing. My story, “Destined”, didn’t take long to work its way onto paper (especially with Joe Manganiello and Gaspard Ulliel taking shape in my head as Marick and Caleb, respectively!)
Where to Buy
Bad Alpha
Evernight | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand
Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition
Evernight | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand
Bad Alpha
“For Blood” by J.R. Gray
The only way to end the war and stop the bloodshed is to marry the enemy. Every fiber of Roman wants to hate Victoria, but the more he sees, the more he craves her. Can he fight their past demons to be with her?
“Destiny Realized” by Khloe Wren
Leonardo has been the clan’s alpha for 300 years. Ruling his people has always been his one and only priority. Until he, along with his brother and sister, stop at a broken down car near their home in the Flinders Ranges on the edge of Outback Australia. The woman they rescue turns both Leo and, his brother, Valentino’s lives upside down. A mate was the last thing Leo wanted, and everything Val had ever hoped for.
Felicia is on the run. Again. Her baby’s daddy broke her daughter’s arm the last time he caught up with them so she’s desperate to stay ahead of him. But her car breaks down and trouble finds her. A killer takes advantage of her failing vehicle and she fears all is lost for her and her little girl, until another car stops and she finds herself in a whole new world where she may just have found the future she’s always wanted but never dreamed she’d have.
“Exiled Alpha” by Amber Morgan
Rachel Jacobs is a wolf on a mission. To save her pack from destruction, she’s turning to the werewolf who nearly destroyed it once before. Arkady Gusev is everything her father ever warned her against – so why does she find him so irresistible?
Arkady Gusev isn’t looking for a pack or a woman. But when Rachel walks through his door, she throws down a challenge he can’t resist. Is this exiled alpha about to come home?
“Drakon’s Prize” by Moira Callahan
Being the Alpha of a misfit clan of Dragons comes with its share of troubles. When the supernatural Council comes to Drakon Blackwood with yet another false claim against his clan he knows it’s time to make someone pay. Preferably with their life.
Allegra Hanson doesn’t work for the Council, and yet she’s been roped into assisting them in their investigation into the Blackwood clan’s supposed activities. Against her better judgment she goes to the clan’s lands to do what she can. What she never planned on was her visceral reaction to the Alpha.
The Blackwood clan land is valuable. Not for its location, but for what lies beneath the earth’s surface. Many will do anything to get it, one will stop at nothing, and is willing to kill Drakon’s woman to get it. Allegra is his, and there’s no way Drakon will lose the most precious prize of all.
“Tiger’s Mate” by April Zyon
Streak politics, and differences in opinions forced Kurt Owens to choose his own path. While it may be outside of the law in many regards he sees it as ensuring justice for the true victims of crimes when the system fails them. It’s his way of seeing the guilty pay, and keeping his own inner beast in check with the violence, and blood it craves.
Everyone thinks having a super power would be great. Alexa Harold would beg to differ. She’s been cursed to see ghosts, the dead not yet having gone to their final resting place, or judgment, or wherever they belong. They track her down, and harass her until she’s ready to go mad. Learning early in life what she needs to avoid has been the only saving grace in keeping her sanity intact.
Kurt never thought he’d find his mate outside of the streak, or streak functions. While those of a supernatural inclination aren’t exactly rare, they have had to be careful and keep their population down. Alexa is the woman for him the only one he could ever want or need. And when her life is put in danger by his own past Kurt won’t stop until everyone understands to get to this tiger’s mate, they’ll have to get through him.
“Dark Heart” by Elyzabeth M. VaLey
Ten years ago, Daryl Jones lost his pack to a group of demon vampires. Since then, he not only lost his will to battle for good, his life has become a spiral of drinking, fighting and fucking anything in sight. In his opinion, a pretty perfect existence. Until, he meets the new SOA representative sent to convince him to go back to the lab. With mile long legs, a tight little ass and a smile to kill for, when she offers him a bargain, how can he possibly refuse?
Silvia Adams, has one mission: convince Daryl Jones to work for SOA again. The agency needs him to get back into the lab and help develop a serum to neutralize the growing number of vampires. She knew it wouldn’t be easy task, but with her job on the line, she’ll do anything it takes, including, bargaining with the shifter and surrendering to her deepest desires. Only problem is, she might have bartered for more than she can handle.
“Resisting His Mate” by Lynn Burke
Warrick Keaton eludes a forced pairing with one of his kind. No one is going to choose his mate for him, not when he wants nothing to do with being tied down to a woman. He never expects fate to intervene in the form of a freezing, barely alive female. With his independence in jeopardy, Warrick fights his inner hawk’s desire to stake a claim on her.
Clare Byron longs to escape her domineering ex-husband, a jealous bear shifter determined to keep her prisoner. She seizes the opportunity to run and lands in the arms of another alpha—exactly what she doesn’t want or need.
For Warrick, Clare is everything he’s ever wanted in a mate and all that he’s run from. For Clare, Warrick is freedom in a way she never dreamed possible—the one man who will own her heart yet give her wings to fly.
“Alpha’s Vixen” by Jocelyn Dex
Dax is overwhelmed by desire when he catches the white fox trespassing on his land, and that totally pisses him off. He refuses to mate, no matter how much the fox inside him wants it, Dax definitely does not.
Opal is instantly enamored with the menacing black fox, but isn’t surprised when he chases her away—no one ever wants her, the freak-of-nature albino.
When theft and violence bring them together again, will they give in to passion, or will their hang-ups force them apart?
“Always Midnight” by Ashlynn Monroe
Taryne Michael is all her younger brother Travys has ever had for stability. When fifteen-year-old Trav doesn’t come home after he fights with her she spends the next week searching for him. He finally comes home he’s not the same boy who slammed the door the night he left. Something is very wrong and when she discovers he’s been transformed into a werewolf she’s at a loss as to what to do. The violent, angry boy isn’t the little brother she knows how to deal with. Teenage hormones are nothing compared to the animalistic young man emerging from the boy she’d raised.
Ax Greyson is a lone wolf, an alpha without a pack. He enforces laws non-shifters don’t know about. Celo Valley, is a place where two species co-reside. The werewolves keep the humans blind to their existence by being careful. Someone isn’t following the rules. Someone is killing, with no regard for secrets. When killing the woman seems like the only way to keep his people’s secret until Ax’s instincts find another way.
Mate…the word is the only thing that can scare a man like Ax.
“Becoming His Mate” by Harper Shaddock
After escaping an abusive ex, lone-wolf Brenna is looking for a fresh start. She never expected to stumble across a pack’s territory, or that the Alpha would claim her for a mate. Remy had enough on his plate dealing with a rival pack, but it was love at first howl and he’s not about to lose his mate…even if it means fighting her past her fears.
Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition
“Bully Boys” by Nicola Cameron
When Victorian solicitor Arthur Finter is forced to cut down a dangerous London alley after work, he stumbles upon pit bull shifter Alpha Gunner Jones in the middle of a dogfight with a rival shifter pack. The hard-nosed bully boy scents Arthur and recognizes him as his mate, but will events orchestrated by the other pack separate them before Gunner can lay final claim?
“The Alpha’s Assassin” by Doris O’Connor
Bear shifter Zayden Reid makes his living doing what he does best—killing people. The sought after assassin doesn’t have to think twice when he’s offered a lot of money to kill the Alpha of a wolf pack, until he scents his mate.
As the Alpha of his pack Quinton Thorn is used to giving orders. He may be gay, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak, and he’ll squash any challenge to his leadership with ruthless efficiency. When the threat comes from a source he trusts, however, can he afford to give into his feelings for his mate, knowing that he’ll endanger everyone under his protection?
The mating bond cannot be denied, no matter what the consequences, and they might well kill.
“Discarded Pup” by Angelique Voisen
Betrayed by his beta and abandoned by his pack, Cole Reyes wasted the last ten years of his life rotting behind bars. A cage is no place for a wolf, and wounds left open, fester. Cole has zero tolerance for mercy. The time Cole spent in prison didn’t just bleed out all the decency he once possessed. It broke him. Made him hard and unforgiving. Cole’s vengeance starts now, beginning with his beta’s new toy.
“Yellow Eyes” by Gale Stanley
The brutal war between shifters and humans is over, but each side still sees the other as a threat. The only thing they can agree on, is that they can’t agree. Humans live east of the bridge, shifters live west. Camden is a halfbreed, the product of a rape that happened during the war. Neither side wants him, but he lives with his human mother. The night she dies, Camden goes west looking for revenge. He knows he won’t find his father, and he’ll probably get himself killed, but he doesn’t care. As long as he takes a shifter with him, he’ll die happy.
Wyat is alpha of the pack living in the west. He’s a warrior who believes in separation of the races. Then on the night of the full moon, he discovers a half-breed hiding in the alley. The man’s scent makes him burn with lust, and against his better judgement, he takes him home—and discovers that sleeping with the enemy might just lead to a better future.
“Destined” by L.D. Blakeley
Caleb Stokes has had a shit night. Too bad catching his boyfriend in flagrante delicto with the club DJ isn’t the worst thing he’ll witness before the night is through. Marick Gevrees has no time for romance. He has even less time for a tipsy twink looking for a man to fill some Daddy fetish. But what the hell is he supposed to do when said twink wanders headlong into the middle of a bloody vendetta that could result in the exposure of his clan?
“Trouble” by James Cox
Tremarc is sleeping his way through the entire Bear Shifter Clan. He’s sent to the moon, under the colonized dome to stay out of trouble. When he meets sexy alpha Lyon and his mated human, Quinn his life takes a sharp turn that may just find him his happy ending or get him kicked out of yet another bear shifter clan.
“Outlaw Wolf” by Elizabeth Monvey
Dekker ran away from his pack in an order to protect his lover and Alpha, Grey, when he overheard two higher ranked wolves talk about killing him.
When Grey finds him six months later, Dekker tries to convince the man he loves to go away. But Grey won’t take no and as the two talk it out, their mutual attraction overwhelms them.
In desperation, Dekker renounces Grey as his Alpha. But when another force tries to punish Dekker by silencing him forever, Grey must choose which stand he’ll take…being the alpha for all his pack, or being the man Dekker needs, even if it means breaking the rules.
Mid Week Tease: Trickster: All In #MidWeekTease #MWTease
It’s Wednesday? Awesome! Because I have a little teaser for you from my new WIP, something I’m calling…Trickster: All In. Yes, it’s a sequel to Trickster, and yes it stars Delaney and Mark, but this scene focuses on another coyote shifter and how he kinda sorta cutes his way into his human mate’s tent during a rainstorm.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
Finishing his toilette by flashlight, Simon finally stripped down to a t-shirt and underwear and slid into his sleeping bag. He didn’t bother zipping it up, preferring to keep one foot out to regulate his body temperature. The rain drummed down on the tent fabric overhead but nothing dripped in, which was all he could ask for, really.
No. What I could ask for is someone to share my sleeping bag with. He’d eyed the other campers earlier, knowing they were doing the same to him, but none of them seemed to click. He resigned himself to a quick fantasy about Carlos the tour guide and was sliding his hand under his briefs waistband when something scratched at the tent’s zippered entrance.
Simon yanked his hand free and sat up. No, it can’t be. I’m not that lucky.
“Who’s there?” he called.
Another quick scratch. He fumbled for the flashlight and clicked it on, pointing the beam at the tent flap. Now he could see the fabric bulge gently as someone or something poked at it.
If it was another camper, they’d say something, wouldn’t they? Or are they—is he—trying to be discreet?
Feeling a flicker of hope, Simon scrambled out of his bag and crawled to the tent flap. Yanking the zipper up, he peered into the night. “Carlos?”
A whine answered him. He moved the flashlight beam, catching a glimpse of bedraggled fur. The creature flinched from the light but stayed where it was.
Simon stared out at the—yes, it was a coyote. What the hell was it doing pawing at his tent? And now that he’d opened the damned flap why wasn’t it attacking? More to the point, why was he just kneeling there staring at it?
The coyote just stood there, drenched by the downpour. It cocked its head to the side and whimpered.
“Shoo!” Simon hissed, waving a hand at it. “Go away.”
It whimpered again, then shivered. It looked, in a word, pitiful.
Oh, no. No, you are not going to be an idiot and do what I think you’re going to do. That’s a wild animal and perfectly capable of taking care of itself. You are not going to open the damned flap even wider and—
He lurched back just in time to avoid being drenched as the coyote shimmied, dispersing the rain from its coat. Only then did it slink into the tent. He could have sworn that the damned animal sighed in relief. All right, so it’s a courteous coyote. You’re still an idiot.
It was a popular campground, he reasoned fiercely as he dug around for his discarded clothes. Campers probably fed the local wildlife all the time, semi-domesticating them. The coyote simply wanted to get in from out of the rain. It wouldn’t hurt him.
He hoped.
Pushing the discarded clothes into a rough oval shape, he reluctantly laid his spare towel over it. “There. That should keep you warm,” he muttered. “Just don’t bite me, all right?”
The coyote climbed into the nest, turning around a few times in canine fashion before settling down in a curl, nose tucked under a bottle brush tail. It sighed again, then relaxed. All right, then. It’s going to sleep, which is what you should be doing as well. I’m sure it’ll wake you up when it wants to go out in the morning. If it doesn’t rip your throat out in your sleep, that is.
Cautiously, Simon slid back into his sleeping bag and curled on his side, watching the coyote. Yes, definitely an idiot.
****
The rain was still pattering on the tent canvas when Simon woke with a warm body wrapped around him. It stirred and muttered something unintelligible, shifting against him.
Something hard and warm poked his thigh. Still mostly asleep, he ran his hand up and over a muscled flank, sliding inwards. The cock wasn’t overlong, but nicely thick and veiny from the feel of things. The man in his arms moaned as he teased the silky flesh, stroking it in a loose grip.
He was about to try shifting onto his side so that he could bring his own cock into play when the other man stiffened, jerking away. That woke him up fully, and Simon found himself staring at a stranger.
An absolutely adorable stranger, with green eyes, kissable lips, and tangled dark hair that made him look like a sleepy cherub if a cherub could have morning stubble. A stranger that he would have immediately gravitated to if he’d seen him on the bus. How in God’s name did I miss him?
“Oh,” Simon said, momentarily nonplussed. “Um…good morning?”
The man gaped at him, then did the most extraordinary thing. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose.
Green eyes popped open again, frantic. “Oh, God, I was right,” the man moaned. “Oh, shit!”
Simon didn’t think he smelled too badly. “Is there a problem?”
The man stared at him. “Is there a problem?” he croaked. “Is there a problem? Oh, Jesus Hashimoto Christ, this can’t be happening.”
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Release Day – Bad Alpha: Manlove Edition #MM #BadAlphaAntho @evernightpub #shifter
Woohoo! The Bad Alpha anthologies are now available from Evernight and Amazon, and these books are absolutely smouldering!
A little bit of background about “Bully Boys” — I had just finished the BBC’s NORTH AND SOUTH when I saw the call for the antho, so I kinda had Richard Armitage in full Victorian fig lodged in my head when I sat down to come up with a story. Since I was already thinking Victorian, I figured, “Okay, let’s set it in Victorian London. Now what kind of shifter species would you expect to find in the Smoke way back then?”
Which is how I settled on bull terrier shifters. Personally I happen to adore pitties, but they’re tough dogs when threatened. I could see RA being able to shift into a Black Staffordshire bull terrier and leading a rough-and-tumble shifter pack in the slums of London.
Of course, then I had to come up with Gunner’s mate. *dimples* Let’s just say that I’m a fan of Peter Jackson’s latest trilogy and leave it at that.
When Victorian solicitor Arthur Finter is forced to cut down a dangerous London alley after work, he stumbles upon pit bull shifter Alpha Gunner Jones in the middle of a dogfight with a rival shifter pack. The hardnosed bully boy scents Arthur and recognizes him as his mate, but will events orchestrated by the other pack separate them before Gunner can lay final claim?
When Arthur awoke, he was in bed. The awful scene in the alley drifted through his memory, dim now from sleep. It was just a nightmare. Oh, thank goodness.
He tried to turn over, and couldn’t. Looking up, he saw that a length of hemp rope had been tied around his right wrist and woven with very little slack through an unfamiliar brass headboard. The other end of the rope had been attached to his left wrist, effectively pinning his arms wide.
Lifting his head as high as possible, he stared around his prison. It appeared to be a small bedroom, lit only by a coal fire in a blackened grate. A row of hooks on the far wall held various items of clothing, and an armoire hulked in the corner. A plain wooden table stood next to the bed, bare of anything except a candlestick with an unlit candle.
He flexed his feet and found that his legs were bound as well, with the same amount of slack given to his arms. To make matters worse, someone had removed his clothes before tying him to the bed and covering him with a thin blanket.
Panic set in, making his heart lurch. “Help!” he shouted. “Please, I need help!”
The door opened and his hopes were dashed as the handsome werebeast sauntered in, carrying a wash bowl and water jug. He’d taken the time to rinse the blood from his face and slick his hair back, and an old, threadbare towel hung casually over one shoulder.
“Someone’s up, I see,” he said in an East-End accent.
Arthur fought down his fear and gave the man his best glower. “Untie me immediately, sir!”
“Can’t do that. At least, not just yet.” The man approached the bed, giving him an appreciative look. Arthur belatedly remembered his nude state, and cringed under the cheap blanket that protected his modesty. “I suppose you want to know why you’re here, then.”
“Indeed I do,” Arthur said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt. “I am a solicitor, sir, and if you do not untie me this moment, you will find yourself in grave trouble with the law.”
The man shrugged. “Won’t be the first time. Doubt it’ll be the last.” He moved to the bedside table and deposited the jug and bowl on it, then sat down on the mattress. That blue gaze trailed over him dispassionately, but there was a flicker of something else as well, something that tugged at Arthur’s senses and caused his breath to come faster.
The man grabbed the edge of the blanket, dragging it down to just below Arthur’s waist. The solicitor flinched as the cool air of the room hit his skin, causing it to break out in embarrassing gooseflesh.
“You’re trim. I like that in a bloke,” the man said conversationally. “Don’t spend all of your time on your arse, do you?”
Arthur gaped at him. “I—how—that’s none of your business!”
“Oh, but it is my business.” His captor sounded amused about that. “Everything about you, Mr. Arthur Finter, is my business. Now that we’re to be mates and all.”
The bizarre comment would have made Arthur laugh in other circumstances. “If you mean we’re to be friends, sir, I can assure you that I feel no such friendship with anyone who ties me to a bed and terrorizes me in such a manner!”
The man tilted his head to one side, and Arthur was forcibly reminded of his other shape. “You’re tied to my bed to make sure you don’t run away,” he said. “I know you saw what happened in the alley, and I’ll explain it in good time. As for terrorizing you, it wasn’t what I had in mind for us tonight.”
He reached out and touched one of the tiny nubs on Arthur’s chest, tracing a circle on it. The caress caused Arthur to gasp, an indecent zing of pleasure arrowing down to his groin.
“Thought so,” his captor said in satisfaction. “You long for the touch of a man, Mr. Finter. I’ll be that man for you tonight and ever after. We’re mates, you and me.”
Nicola Cameron Writes 