Category Archives: Evernight Publishing
So I’m sitting here crying
I’m of an age where seeing my work in print is still very important to me. I love and am very grateful for e-publishing, don’t get me wrong — it’s a totally awesome publication avenue, and I take advantage of it all the time. That being said, as a writer born in the 1960s there’s still a part of me that wants to see a book in my hot little hands with my name on it in order to feel fully validated. When my first shared novel came out, I wanted to dance around Dallas in utter glee, waving it over my head like a flag, and immediately added it to my book shelf that held various anthologies with my short stories.
So when I published my first standalone novel Storm Season with Evernight last year, I was immensely proud. But there was also a tiny twinge that it would never be tangible, printed words on a page with my writing name on the cover that I could put on my bookshelf. Oh, I knew there was a chance that Evernight might add it to their print collection if it sold well enough, but it was my freshman novel, no one really knew me, and so I put it out of my mind and just concentrated on writing more stories and becoming the best damn writer I could be.
And then, this morning, I opened my email and saw something from Evernight with PRINT in the Subject line. I tell you, I felt like my heart stopped for a moment. Part of me was scared to open it, thinking that it couldn’t be what I thought it was. I was scared to hope, silly as that sounds.
But I opened it. And started crying when I read, “Your book Storm Season is now available in our print store…”
So, yeah, Storm Season is now a print book. It’s currently available directly from Evernight via CreateSpace, but will be available at Amazon in a week and other online booksellers in 6-8 weeks. I’m not saying this so that anyone feels like they have to buy it — I figure anyone who enjoys this particular genre already bought it as an ebook.
But damn. My first novel is now in print. And so, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go flail like a Muppet around the house for the next hour or so.
Reviews are coming in for Trickster
It seems to be scoring mainly 4 stars from the big review sites, which is heartening. The general upshot seems to be, “We like it, the whole ‘fated mates’ thing is getting a little thin but it works here, Delaney and Mark are fun, why the hell is it so short?”
Yeah, upon reflection I probably could have extended it by at least another 10K (I do gloss over two weeks’ worth of character development and possible humpa humpa, bad writer, no new laptop). The problem was, it started life as a short story, and when I couldn’t finish it in time for Evernight’s alpha shifter antho call I tried to turn it into a Romance on the Go™ story. Then it got too big for that, and I knew it was going to be a standalone.
While I was working on it, however, I had put Two to Tango on the back burner, and I knew I had Breaker Zone and Behind the Iron Cross backed up even further, so yeah, I may have given Trickster a bit more short shrift than I should have, and I apologize for that. If it’s of any consolation, I want to do two more stories in that universe, and those will be much longer. Of course, the stories I want to do center around the CEO Scott and his mate Carmen, and Aimee the receptionist, and I don’t have the best track record with M/F stories.
I dunno, maybe I’ll do another Delaney and Mark story first to establish the universe a bit more. I have to admit, I really, REALLY want to do a straight up bantering romcom with those two, maybe send them off to an IT convention in Vegas where an old shifter fling of Delaney’s tries to muscle in him and Mark. As for Mark, I’m thinking something appropriately fan-oriented. Maybe there’s a Creation Con going on in the same hotel and his geek heart is torn between snarling at Delaney’s ex-girlfriend and finally, FINALLY getting an autograph from his all time favorite actor. Must muse on this a bit.
My poor book
The publishing world can be a mystery at times. Let’s say you write something that you’re rather proud of. You submit it to a publishing company, and they like it enough to purchase and print it. It makes its way out into the world, and garners good reviews.
But the sales suck. So you purchase the same promotion that you did with your other books, the ones that sold well. You talk it up on social media, you do the round of blog tours, you do everything you can to get people to buy your new baby.
And still, the sales suck. And you just don’t know why. So you plump for the graphics, .MOV files and soundtrack necessary to make a nice, eye-catching book trailer, and put that up pretty much everywhere in the universe.
And still, the sales suck. Since you’re a pro and know when to cut your losses and move on to the next project, you’re left with checking the book’s stats on NovelRank every so often, seeing the sales number remain at 0 for months on end and wondering what you did wrong.
This, by the way, is what happened with my Romance on the Go™ story Grading the Curve. I had rather high hopes for this story, seeing as it was my first M/F contemporary erotic romance and the subject matter was near and dear to my heart. So you can understand why I was more than a bit perturbed when it sank like a lead-lined stone. I don’t know if it’s because people are used to me writing M/M paranormal romance and didn’t want to read a contemporary M/F story by me, or something about the cover didn’t work, or what. I don’t think the story’s bad at all — it’s a little dense, yeah (I really should have expanded it to 15-20K), but the pro reviewers all seemed to enjoy it and it’s gotten good notices on Goodreads. In fact, Grading the Curve’s GR rating is a hell of a lot better than Trickster’s, and Lord knows that book is doing extremely well.
To quote Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love, “I don’t know — it’s a mystery.” But I still feel bad for my poor bald-headed stepchild of a book. If you ever want to see how I handle a hetero erotic romance, I do ask that you give it a try.
We have a personal winner for the Evernight blog hop!
My personal contest winner for the Evernight Love Scenes Blog Hop is Tammy Ramey! Tammy, your chosen prize is on its way — thanks for participating, and good luck to you and everyone else in the Grand Prize drawing.
If you were jonesing for swag from me, however, never fear — I’m still running my Trickster Release Day giveaway featuring a gorgeous OOAK bracelet from Belaurient Arts. The contest runs until midnight on 2/16, so there’s still time to enter and win — just go to the post and leave a comment, and you’re automatically entered.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to add “Snow Day” to the Free Reads tab.
Happy Valentine’s Day/Trickster Release Day/Giveaway!
Let’s start off with the first section of that title — happy Valentine’s Day! No matter how you’re spending the day, remember that you — yes, YOU right there, and wipe that smear of chocolate off your lip, sweetie — are my Valentine.
Section the second — it’s Trickster release day! (Which was actually yesterday, but I had to delay this post in order to take receipt of an item for section three) Yes, my new M/M shifter erotic romance Trickster is now loose in the wild and available from Evernight, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Bookstrand, to name but a few purveyors of fine erotica. It already has a Bestseller Silver Star on All Romance eBooks and cracked the Top 100 Genre Bestsellers on Amazon less than 24 hours after release, so I am one happy writer!
And because I’m a happy writer, I want to give something back in return. From now until midnight on Sunday, I’m running a special Trickster release day giveaway. Belaurient Arts has been kind enough to create a custom bracelet for me, shown below; it combines polished river rock, natural mother of pearl, tiger’s eye and garnet beads into a tawny combination reminiscent of a coyote’s pelt. Finished with a solid bronze toggle clasp, it will go with anything from work outfits to a little black dress.
For a chance to win the bracelet, all you have to do is leave a comment in the Comments section below with your email address and I’ll choose the winner on Sunday. Good luck!
Fabulous Friday Reads: Killian’s Claim
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Let’s kick off this lovely holiday weekend with the thrilling new M/M shifter novel Killian’s Claim from Tyler Robbins, now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance. Here’s a little background from Tyler:
Thank you so much for having me!!
It’s been a while since I’ve had a full length book to release, and I’m thrilled that Killian’s Claim is finally here.
Most of my books have been M/M military themed, so my new series, Call of the Wolf, is a fresh and exciting new sub-genre I can’t seem to get enough of.
The first book, The Becoming, is featured in the Alpha’s Claim Manlove Anthology from Evernight. The story intrigued my muse and opened up a whole new world full of sexy, paranormal wolf-shifters.
The Call of the Wolf series follows the lives of several wolf packs across the state of Texas and a few other southern states.
Their species lives by a strict code, and heed the call of the spirit wolf in all things, including matters of the heart. Not an easy undertaking when you’ve been told your sexuality goes against the laws of nature … or does it?
Change is coming, and each pack will inevitably have to make choices that will either strengthen or destroy their way of life.
The characters in Killian’s Claim, face these problems as well, but they have so much more than wolf spirits to deal with.
Here’s a little taste of what I’m talking about…
Six years ago, Quinn Kelly barely escaped the brutal murder of his parents. Now the lone wolf is searching for a place to belong. Well aware of his proclivity for men, his nomadic life hasn’t allowed him to find anyone to call his own, until now.
Wolf-shifter and future alpha of his own pack, Killian Masters wants nothing more than his father’s approval. After meeting Quinn, he’s more determined than ever to make his father see who he is and how deeply he loves.
Captivated by their growing passion, the young lovers have a rude awakening when the vengeful alpha who murdered Quinn’s parents finds him, and vows to destroy anyone who gets in his way.
Some say the battle between good and evil is determined by which power is fed the most, but in nature, no power compares to that of an alpha’s claim.
Story Excerpt
He stood frozen in place, fists balled tight and his cock throbbing with ungodly need. He’d never been balls deep inside another man before, but the longer he stood there, the more he wanted it.
Killian kissed the curve of Quinn’s neck then began to suckle.
Quinn squeezed his eyes shut. How much more could he possibly take? Chills skittered across his skin causing ripples of goose-bumps to coat his tingling flesh. A sensual moan vibrated in his chest as he shuddered from the thrill of Killian’s touch.
Killian pulled away and looked him in the eye. “Follow your instincts.”
Quinn took a deep breath then clutched the back of Killian’s neck. “Like this?” No longer able to hold back, he lunged forward, engulfing Killian’s mouth with his while pushing him back toward the sofa.
Killian tripped over his own feet, and toppled onto the couch.
Quinn stood over him. His engorged cock jerked as Killian’s hungry gaze zeroed in. He slowly unzipped his jeans, taking his time. He then reached in, squeezed his prick and winced from the ache. His experience with blowjobs had been limited to quickies here and there, and even those were awkward, and over before he’d had time to savor the moment. Getting sucked off by some guy he’d never see again was much different from what was happening now.
Killian sat up, licking his lips, his gaze still fixated on Quinn’s crotch.
Courage he hadn’t expected suddenly engulfed Quinn as he offered his cock to Killian. “Take it.”
A devious grin spread across Killian’s face.
Quinn’s eyes rolled back, and his hips naturally bucked as Killian removed his cock from his jeans. Warm hands gripped it firmly, but not too hard. Quinn sucked air in through his teeth, shuddering as Killian began to stroke him. Slow and easy. Up and down.
He jolted when Killian took him in his mouth, hot and wet. “Fuck.” Never had anything felt so good. He peered down, then twisted the back of Killian’s hair into his fist, guiding his head back and forth as Killian took more and more of his cock into his mouth.
Killian gripped the base of Quinn’s shaft, quickening his pace, sucking and stroking simultaneously.
Quinn’s knees buckled, and he grabbed Killian’s shoulders to steady himself as heat flooded his groin. His cock pulsed, and he struggled to hold off as long as he could. He wanted so badly to lose his load in Killian’s mouth, but doing that would end the pleasure far too soon.
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Where to find Tyler Robbins
Guess what’s coming on 2/13?
(Aren’t you glad I refrained from the obvious joke about coming on 2/14?) I just got word from Evernight that Trickster will be released this Thursday, February 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Oh, I’m gonna have happy pants all week…
Wicked Wednesday Reads: Next To You
It’s time once again to help you over your Hump Day and spice up your week with a tasty Romance on the Go entry from Evernight Publishing. This week, Rebecca Brochu’s Next To You is a yummy treat about sleepy (and sexy) strangers. Check out the excerpt below for a teaser!
Understaffed, overworked and generally exhausted contractor Ricci DeAngelo still has to contend with a long subway ride at the end of each day. The last thing he expects is to fall head long into a relationship while dozing on the train. But that’s exactly what happens when a sexy and equally exhausted stranger falls asleep on his shoulder one night.
Ricci’s nap partner ends up being Layton Callis, an equally overworked pâtissier who looks and smells good enough to eat. When they unexpectedly fall into a routine of napping together on the late train Ricci finds himself in a unique position. He can continue only seeing Layton during the week and spending his weekends in a sleepless mess. Or Ricci can step up and see if he can get Layton to agree to wake up next to him on a more permanent basis.
Story Excerpt
“I’m going to kiss you now.” Ricci blurted it out and watched Layton’s eyes go wide and then soft and hot. He reached out and put the empty mug on the bedside table beside Layton’s.
“If that’s how you react to coffee, I’m definitely going to have to cook breakfast…” Layton’s teasing was drowned out as Ricci pushed forward and kissed him.
It started slow, just like the kiss from the night before. Ricci teased the seam of Layton’s lips with his tongue, licked at the corners of his mouth leisurely for a moment before he swept inside. He chased the taste of coffee around Layton’s mouth, learned the curve of his teeth and the wet, hot strength of his tongue all over again. It was good, better than any kiss Ricci could remember at the moment. It only improved when Layton pressed closer until Ricci was forced to lean back completely against the headboard so Layton could crawl forward onto his lap.
They broke the kiss slowly and stayed where they were for a moment, faces pressed close as they both panted for air. Layton moved first. He slid his hands up the wide expanse of Ricci’s chest and then down over the curve of his shoulders as he ducked his head so he could place nipping kisses on the base of Ricci’s neck.
Ricci groaned and tipped his head back to give Layton better access while he clenched one hand in the sheet beside him and trailed the tips of the fingers on his other hand down Layton’s bare back until he could palm the curve of his ass.
Layton whined, a sweet high-pitched sound, when Ricci squeezed his ass lightly and then he set his teeth to Ricci’s skin harder in response.
Ricci bucked his hips upwards as he hissed at the sting. They both groaned low and long when the rapidly hardening jut of his cock pressed against Layton’s through the thin fabric of their sleep pants.
“You said I could touch you.” Ricci’s pulled Layton closer to him with the hand on his ass and finally untangled his other from where it had begun to claw at his bed sheets. “I really hope you meant it.”
“I meant it.” Layton’s words were broken by the way he panted against the curve of Ricci’s neck. “I definitely meant it.”
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Where to find Rebecca Brochu
Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone
Happy Hump Day! Let’s celebrate it with the first Mid Week Tease of 2014, courtesy of the lovely and talented Sandra Bunino. This week, I’ll be sharing a teaser from the second book in the Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
When Dr. Nick Gardiner goes on the run from a psychotic ex and ends up at Olympic Cove, the last thing he expects to find is his friend Ian living with two redheaded demigods and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. As it turns out, the handsome mer and his partner Liam have other plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in the battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
Nick woke up to slanting sunlight coming through the window blinds. Rubbing gummy eyes, he rolled over and checked the alarm clock. 8:12 AM.
After a moment, he realized the sunlight wasn’t what had woken him up. A rhythmic creaking noise came from overhead, combined with muffled words and the occasional moan.
Ian, you sex god, you. The creaking picked up a notch, and he distinctly heard the blond beg someone to go deeper. Fuck, he bottoms? Oh, God, that’s so hot.
Smiling sleepily, Nick slid his hand under his boxers and loosely stroked his cock, already half-hard. He felt a flicker of guilt about masturbating to the sound of his friend and two gorgeous redheads fucking their brains out overhead, but the twinge quickly disappeared as the creaking sped up.
He tried to imagine how they were positioned. He could hear Ian’s voice, so the blond wasn’t sucking off the other twin. Maybe he’s fucking one of them while the other one fucks him?
The image popped into his mind; the three of them on their sides, pumping in unison as Aphros fucked Ian from behind, and Ian drove into the other twin. Nick imagined all three bodies lightly sheened in sweat as they flexed and thrust, hard shafts driving deeply into muscled flesh. He stroked his own cock more roughly now, picturing Ian’s hand reaching around and jacking off the twin he was fucking while he rocked on Aphros’s cock, taking the blue-eyed twin deep and loving it.
The fantasy morphed; and now he was in the other twin’s place, Ian’s hand massaging his cock while he plowed Nick’s ass. The other twin moved lower on the bed, warm mouth closing around Nick’s shaft as Ian’s hand dropped away. Nick moaned, imagining a head of auburn curls bobbing greedily at his groin as Ian thrust into him with a jackhammer pace.
Pleasure sizzled down his spine and into his groin, and his climax came to a quick head. For a moment he regretted not pulling his boxers down, then gave in as his balls tightened and warm semen spurted over his hand. Overhead, it sounded as if things were also coming to a head, judging from the hoarse cries and one low, loud roar.
Panting softly, Nick pulled his hand out of his boxers and wiped the translucent stickiness covering his fingers on his t-shirt. The creaking noises stopped, and all he could hear now was muffled voices talking and soft laughter. His afterglow disappeared like a blown-out candle flame. His last few boyfriends hadn’t been big on apre-sex talking or cuddling. Bannon usually sent him straight to the bathroom after they finished scening or fucking, and his idea of aftercare was a pat on the ass and a casually tossed lap blanket. That should have been a big neon stop sign right there.
He remembered what it was like to be with someone who laughed and pulled him back to bed after sex. Someone who would hold him and keep him warm after an intense scene, letting him come down gently from the high of subspace. Someone who just wanted to be with him, full stop.
To get that in duplicate…
Considering your taste in boyfriends, you might as well wish for a couple of hot mermen. That’s about as likely to happen as you finding a pair of perfect Doms. Just be happy for Ian, and leave it at that.
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Cover Reveal: Trickster
Just got the final cover for Trickster from Evernight, and man, I adore working with a publisher who listens to your feedback and works with you on cover art instead of leaving you completely out of the loop. Ain’t it purty? As soon as I get a release date, I’ll be announcing it here, so stay tuned!
And just because I’m feeling really pumped about this, here’s another little snippet to whet your appetite. Enjoy!
“Kiss me,” Delaney repeated. “Just a plain old kiss, no tongues or anything. If you’re not my mate, then you won’t feel a damned thing. And if that happens, then I’ll leave you alone. You won’t even see me for the rest of your contract with Trickster.”
Mark looked torn. “And if I feel … something?”
Delaney shrugged. “Then you give me a chance. Go on a date with me, get to know me, let me get to know you. I swear to God, I’m actually pretty personable when my dick isn’t trying to drain all the blood from my body.”
That dragged Mark’s attention downward, and his eyes widened. “Jesus. You’re–”
“Hard. Yeah, I know.” Delaney looked down at his throbbing cock and sighed. “If I can ignore it, so can you. Just kiss me once, and we can get this all over with.”
“This is insane.” But he could already hear Mark’s heartbeat speed up. “One kiss. And no tongues.”
“Shifter’s honor.”
Mark muttered something under his breath, then nervously licked his lips before puckering them in a perfect duckface.
Delaney grinned. “Really? That’s how you kiss someone? No wonder you haven’t gotten to first base with Whatsername.”
Nicola Cameron Writes 