Blog Archives
Mid Week Tease: Cross Current #MidWeekTease #MWTease
It’s Wednesday? Awesome! Because I have a little teaser for you from Cross Current (Olympic Cove #4). Matt Taber, my divorced history teacher who just wanted to spend a couple of weeks on the beach before school starts, has just learned that he’s living next door to Poseidon and his mates Amphitrite and Griffin, mermen and selkies are real because one of each just showed up on the beach with the Oracle of the Waters, and things are never going to be the same for him again. Muwahahaha…
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
Matt’s tentative knock at the green cottage’s door was met by an unsmiling Griffin. “Hi. Welcome to Greek God Central.”
The repetition of Atropos’s phrase from his dream sent a chill down Matt’s spine. “Hi. Pythia said that I should talk to Amphitrite?”
Griffin moved to the side, letting him in. “Right. She and Poseidon are busy with Donald at the moment. It might be awhile.” He gave Matt a sympathetic smirk. “How are you holding up?”
That was a damned good question. “I kinda feel like I got sucked into an episode of Stranger Things,” Matt admitted. “Apart from that, I seem to be okay.”
“Good on you, mate.” The Englishman took him into the kitchen, where he pulled two brown bottles out of the fridge and handed one over. “This’ll help.”
Matt noted the microbrewery label. “I thought Brits didn’t chill their beers.”
Griffin scoffed. “We do when we’re in Florida. I take it Nick gave you the scoop on what’s been happening here?”
“Crazy goddess trying to destroy Earth, a bunch of gods and other mythological creatures fighting her, yeah, I know.” He twisted off the bottle cap and took a welcome swig. “I’m not involved.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m new to the whole thing myself.” Although the knowledgeable look in the Englishman’s eyes gave lie to his words. “How are your guests doing?”
When Matt had left his cottage, the doctor had been asking the mer about how far they’d swum. “Nick’s treating them, I think. The blond guy’s really a merman?”
“Yep, just like Aidan and Liam. You can probably talk them into going for a swim and showing you their tails.”
“Yeah, no, that’s okay.” He leaned against the counter, rubbing his thumb over the cool, sweating surface of the bottle. “I’m thinking maybe I should go back to Jupiter. If I can’t get my deposit back, I can crash with a buddy until school starts.”
The Englishman folded his arms, leaning against the opposite counter. “If that’s what you think you should do, then do it. Nobody’s going to keep you here against your will.”
Amphitrite picked that moment to appear, looking concerned. “Oh, good, Matt. You’re here. Donald wants to speak with you.”
Matt straightened up. “Donald?”
“The Oracle of the Waters. Tall man, white hair and beard, came out of the water with our other guests?”
A faint wash of dread tingled down his spine. He tried to get his tongue to work properly. “I—why does he want to talk to me?”
“I don’t know,” the goddess said, exasperated. “That’s something you’ll have to discuss with him.”
She gestured towards the hallway she’d just exited. Feeling like he was walking towards a firing squad, Matt reluctantly headed deeper into the cottage. Soft voices were coming through an open doorway and he peeked into what was clearly a guest bedroom
Inside, the old man from the beach had been dried off and tucked into bed, wet clothes piled on a chair next to the bed. Poseidon stood over him, handsome face lined as he listened to the man’s words. He glanced up at Matt’s arrival. “Oh, good, you’re here. Donald needs to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I know.” Matt edged into the room, studying the occupant of the bed. The man looked to be about seventy, with Santa Claus-white hair brushed back from a high forehead and a slightly overgrown beard hiding a craggy face. His eyes, however, were his most notable feature. Pale as sea glass, they seemed to burn in that pale face.
“Ah. Matthew,” the man said, a faint lilt coloring his voice. “You’re quite the difficult man to track down.”
Dunn—no, Poseidon—turned and considered him. “You’re going to want to listen to him, Matt.”
The affable host from last night was gone. Replacing him was a being who radiated power and authority like nothing Matt had ever experienced before. Every rational cell in his body screamed at him to turn around, leave, jump in his car and head north until he was out of reach of the divinity standing in front of him.
Instead, he stepped forward. “Amphitrite said you wanted to talk to me?”
The sea god left, and the old man chuckled wearily. “Poor Poseidon. I don’t think he ever expected me to impose on his hospitality. But if Mohammad won’t come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammad.”
More of the Fates’ words from his dream came back. “Are you talking about my trip to France?”
“Yes. You were supposed to visit Marseilles, you see. While you were there, you would have found your way to my cavern and I would have begun your instruction.”
Another of those cold washes of dread trickled down Matt’s spine. “Whoa, wait. Instruction? For what?”
“To replace me as the Oracle of the Waters.” Another ferocious smile. “I’m not actually immortal, you see. Just very long lived. But even my life is winding to a close, and someone must take over my position and my responsibilities. And out of all the mortals on this planet, I’ve chosen you to do that.”
****
Ten minutes later, Matt slammed back into the cottage and stalked into the kitchen. Grabbing the bottle of Scotch from the counter, he found a glass in one of the cabinets and poured himself a triple. He barely felt the liquor as he swallowed it in two huge gulps.
Nick materialized, pausing in the doorway. “I take it that didn’t go well?”
Matt glared at the doctor. “That’s a fucking understatement, my friend.”
“Okay. Well, it’s never a good idea to day drink alone, so…” Nick pried the bottle out of his hand, then grabbed another glass and poured himself a reasonable single. “You’ve been given your marching orders?”
“Marching orders? Marching orders?” His voice rose to a bellow on the last phrase. “Do you know what that old hippie in the cottage over there just told me? Apparently I’m the new Oracle of the Waters.” He started to pace the length of the kitchen, clutching the Scotch glass like a life preserver. “I’m supposed to give up everything in my life and go live in a fucking cave on the coast of fucking France so that fucking sea creatures can come and get me to consult with the fucking Fates on their problems.”
“Huh. Yeah, that must have come as a surprise.” Nick took a sip of his Scotch. “Is it the cave part that bugs you?”
The sheer laid-backness of the doctor made Matt want to throw the glass at a wall. “What’s bugging me is that I came out here for two weeks to get over my damn divorce before I have to go back into the trenches. And suddenly not only do I get dragged into some sort of weird-ass battle against a crazy goddess, but I’m supposed to become the supernatural world’s version of Dear Prudence. In a cave.”
“So it is the cave part.”
“Gimme that.” Matt snatched the Scotch bottle back and poured himself another double. “How the hell do I get out of it?”
“I don’t think you can. It’s one of those fated things.”
Nick’s matter-of-fact tone made him flinch. “Jesus Christ. I dreamed about them last night,” he said. “The Fates, I mean. We were having beer and hot wings at a sports bar. They told me—” He stopped. “They told me I was about to get a new job. And a new romance. Who the fuck is going to want to date a guy living in a cave?”
Available on Amazon.
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to view this Linky Tools list…
An update, because I know you love those
This has been one fraught week, angels. Last week, Ramón learned that his mom had broken her thigh bone (ironically, it happened in the doctor’s office which she was visiting to determine why her leg hurt). She was taken to the hospital and received multiple scans, after which it was determined that she needed surgery to install a plate on the thigh bone to hold everything in place.
And then a consultant took a closer look at the scans to figure out what was causing the pain in the first place. He discovered a tumor. More were found, and suddenly we went into full “Get Ramón back home to see his mom NOW” mode, which was complicated by work duties and a very welcome house guest who just happened to show up at a difficult time. But the house guest is now on her way, the work duties have been fulfilled, Ramón is packed and I’ll be schlepping him to the airport in a couple of hours, and he’ll be landing in the UK tomorrow. Any good thoughts/prayers/white light/whatever you have directed to a very nice lady in Chesterfield would be quite appreciated at the moment.
In other news, I posted polls on Facebook and Twitter to ask people what series they would like me to work on next. To my surprise and gratification it turned out that Olympic Cove was the clear winner, so I’ve put the Pacifica Rising and Two Thrones books on hold and am back at work on Cross Current (Book 4). I hope to have that off to Evernight by the end of May, so for everyone who’s been waiting for the continuing adventures of the gods, mermen, disciples, and other residents of Olympic Cove and their battle against the Mad Goddess Thetis, you’ve got something good on the way!
Mid Week Tease: Cross Current #MidWeekTease #MWTease
It’s Wednesday? Awesome! Because I have a little teaser for you from the beginning of Cross Current (Olympic Cove #4). No, it’s not very sexy but I haven’t gotten to that point. Yet. Muwahahahaha…
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 pressed into grooves. 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.”
Matt shrugged. “I don’t want anything from her.”
That wasn’t quite true. But it was far too late in any case. And God knew the last thing he wanted from her was money.
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 turned. Nancy stood at the door of the conference room, elegant as always. Today she wore a cream tailored jacket and skirt over a champagne silk blouse that would go straight from a divorce lawyer to her VP office at a major bank without anyone batting an eye.
The regret washed over him again. I loved you, I really did.
I’m sorry.
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 sorry about that. You’re a good person, Matt. You’ll be able to find someone who’s 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, her equivalent of a laugh. “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 marriage. He admired the building, but never felt at home there. It was like living in something out of an issue of Architectural Digest. “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 I appreciate the offer.”
“Okay.” He stared at the woman who, with a handful of signatures, had gone from his wife to a stranger. “Well. Have a good flight.”
“Thanks.” She leaned forward and brushed cool lips across his cheek, then turned and walked away.
Available on Amazon.
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to view this Linky Tools list…
TRR Readers’ Choice Awards
I am VERY happy to say that Breaker Zone (Olympic Cove Book 2) has been chosen to compete in The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Awards in the GLBT – Fantasy Romance category.
A HUGE thank you goes out to my awesome publisher Evernight Publishing and my hardworking editor Karyn who has been helping to shape this series from the first book. I also want to thank my awesome beta readers Ceit, Ang, and Peter, as well as fellow author L.D. Blakeley for keeping me on track and pointing out the places I slip up (and there are a lot of them). Finally, I want to thank each and every one of my readers. You are the reason why I write, and I’m so grateful that you like these crazy stories in my head.
There are a bunch of other terrific Evernight authors in the nomination round and I strongly encourage you to vote for them as well. You will need an account to vote, but it only takes a minute to set up and TRR doesn’t use their mailing list for spam. To vote, go here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php. And thank you SO much for your time and assistance.
Nomination Round: September 11th – 30th
Breaker Zone: http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=18796
Finals Round: October 3rd – 31st
Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Welcome to 2015! And with the new year, here’s a teaser from Book Two of my Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone (now available from Evernight Publishing and other online retailers of fine smut). In this scene, Nick is in mid-foreplay with his now-ex patient Aidan the merman. But I’m afraid something interrupts their happy ending (I’m so mean!).
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.
###
The mer roamed over the dips and ridges of his lower abdomen, finding more spots that made his muscles shiver and clench. Nick focused on his white-knuckled grip on the sofa arm, the only thing anchoring him to obedience. For a moment he wished Aidan had tied his hands together. That way he could writhe freely under the merman’s mouth, unable to get away.
But in a way, this was even better. He had to focus on obeying, force his hands to stay where they were. He had to work to be a good boy, Aidan’s good boy.
And then the mer’s hot, wet mouth dropped onto the head of his cock, sucking hard once before pulling off with a soft pop. Nick clutched at the upholstery, moaning at the sensation of Aidan’s velvet tongue licking round and round his over-sensitized head before dropping down for a long, wet stroke straight up his shaft.
Aidan lingered on the head, delving into Nick’s slit and lapping up drops of pre-cum. “You taste amazing, chuisle,” he said. “Salty and clean. I love it.”
Before Nick could ask what the pet name meant, Aidan took his entire length in, massaging it with his lips and tongue. It was the first time a Dom had sucked him since Aaron, and he fought against thrusting up into that wet heat, desperately wanting more of it. In an embarrassingly short amount of time his orgasm began to build, the charge humming nicely between his cock and balls. “Sir!”
Aidan pulled off with a teasing lick and gave Nick a filthy smile. “Not yet, boy. You don’t come until I tell you to, you understand.”
He writhed, trying to obey despite his need to come. “Yes, sir.”
Aidan came back up, slotting their bodies together again. He winced suddenly, rubbing his injured thigh. “Ow.”
Nick blinked, shaking off the lure of subspace. “You okay?”
“Cramping a little.” Aidan grimaced apologetically. “I don’t think I can stay in this position. Let’s try something else.”
He flipped them, stretching out on the couch and pulling Nick over him in a kneeling position. “Yeah, that’s better,” he said, grinning. “Give me a show, boy. Rub on me.”
Nick sank down, making soft noises as his balls rubbed so sweetly along the mer’s dick. He moved forward a bit, wanting to feel that heat on his perineum. Imagining Aidan sliding along the furrow of his ass, so close—
Hands gripped his hips, holding him in place. “Please!” he begged.
“No,” Aidan said roughly, smacking him on the ass. The stinging pain went straight to his cock, making it burn. “Not yet. Behave yourself, or I’ll send you to bed.”
As long as you come with me, that’ll be just fine. Nick bit his lip but shifted back until his balls settled on top of the mer’s. “Sorry, sir.”
Green eyes narrowed as they studied him, but he could see an echoing need in their depths. “Keep your hands behind your back. You can only touch me with your body.”
Nick did, rolling his hips so that his sack rubbed against Aidan’s. “Like this, sir?”
“Oh, yeah.” Aidan’s hands dug into the muscle of his ass, guiding him. “Just like that, baby.”
It was a beautiful tease, just enough friction and rubbing to keep him rock hard, and not nearly enough to help him come. He looked down, ready to beg to be allowed to worship Aidan’s body with his hands and mouth—
The mer suddenly looked past Nick, eyes widening. “No!”
Something large wrapped around Nick’s throat, squeezing until his eyes bugged. He clawed at the hand, it’s a hand, struggling for air.
The massive hand wrenched him off Aidan’s body and sent him flying. He slammed hard against the wall and slid to the carpeted floor, air exploding from him in a creaking, diaphragm-emptying whoosh. Black and red flowers began to bloom around the edges of his vision.
Dimly, Nick stared up at the very tall, angry stranger now holding a trident at his throat.
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
Well, that just made my Saturday
Just received notification this morning that Breaker Zone is #44 on the Best Seller list at All Romance eBooks, and is currently in the top five position in Multiple Partners and BDSM. Guess I’d better get cracking and finish Deep Water, eh?
Also, my random number generator has selected the winners in the Breaker Zone Book Birthday giveaway, and Eva P. and Dani L. are my winners! I’ve sent you both emails with details — for everyone else, thank you SO much for participating!
Release Day: Breaker Zone (Plus I’m Running a Contest And Giveaway!)
Do I have a last-minute Christmas present for you! Yes, Breaker Zone (Book Two in the Olympic Cove series) is now available from Evernight Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand, and other fine online retailers (if you get it from Evernight’s website you’ll save $1.50 off the cover price. Plus, if I get 25 sales through Evernight it becomes eligible for a print run, which would be awesome).
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 the centaur 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.
And to celebrate my book birthday I’m running a contest. Grand prize is this absolutely beautiful pendant from Belaurient Arts. It’s a freeform azurite/malachite cabochon wrapped with sterling silver wire, and comes with a silky black cord necklace.
The runner up prize is a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. To win, all you have to do is leave a comment on the bottom of this page wishing me a happy book birthday. And since we’re looking down the barrel of Christmas and I know everyone’s busy right now, I’ll run this contest from now until December 26, when I’ll pick the winner.
Good luck and happy reading!
Allow me to flail a bit, here
So Ramón and I were on a eagerly awaited Caribbean cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel last week on the Disney Wonder, courtesy of Disney Cruise Lines. If you’ve ever wanted to take a cruise, I strongly suggest that you go with DCL. Trust me, they’re not just for families and kids — all the ships have adult-only places including a coffee shop, pool, restaurant, and bars — and their food and service is phenomenal. This was our second cruise, and it was just as fabulous as the first.
During our five days at sea I wound up swimming with stingrays and dancing with dolphins at Grand Cayman (have I mentioned how much I love being able to write all of this off on my taxes as research? Also, I may have come up with a stingray shifter story — woohoo!), did some lovely souvenir shopping at Cozumel and accidentally wound up drinking at Hooters, hung out on our stateroom verandah and marveled at the color of the ocean (it really is lapiz lazuli blue), had an amazing dinner at the Wonder’s adults-only restaurant Palo, and generally had a whale of a good time relaxing and hanging out with my honey. And, er, we may have already booked a cruise for next year. Well, you get a 10% discount if you book on board!
Also, the Outlook Cafe on the Wonder is a great place to write because there are outlets everywhere, plus someone checks on you regularly and brings refreshing adult beverages. You don’t even have to get up and make them yourself. And yes, I wrote on my cruise — writers don’t get vacations during NaNoWriMo. In addition to working on Deep Water, my edits for Breaker Zone arrived on Monday while we were at Grand Cayman (I decided to pop for a Connect@Sea internet package which would allow me to check my email).
Oh, and I got my cover.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this one, especially with the almost sculptural look of the guys in back. Once again, the Evernight graphic design team delivers in spades. Now I just have to finish round one of edits and get them back in…
I’m visiting blogs, yes I am
My fellow Planet Alpha author Beth D. Carter has me on today to talk about the influences that went into Assassin and how I develop my character dynamics, so if you want to find out why Zhan is the way he is, head over to http://bethdcarter.blogspot.com/2014/10/planet-alpha-author-nicola-cameron.html.
And to put a cherry on top, Assassin is currently at #20 on the All Romance eBooks Bestseller list, earned a category bestseller silver star, and is on two category bestseller lists over at Amazon. It’s also doing quite well at Bookstrand, and I’m hoping to get some reviews in soon (remember, if you read it, reviews are love!).
Right now, I’m finishing up my anthology entry for Evernight’s uniform fetish call, and then it’s back to work on Iron Cross. And for tomorrow’s Mid Week tease you’re going to get an exclusive scene from Trickster to celebrate Halloween. Woohoo!
So, Planet Alpha: Assassin is out…
And after a weekend of social media promo and talking it up wherever I could, it’s on the All Romance eBooks Romance Bestseller list (currently #28) and on two category bestseller lists at Amazon, all of which makes me very happy (and people teasing me on FB about selling the movie rights and who could play Taric, Zhan, and Duncan is even more delightful. For the record, my dream cast would be Colby Keller as Taric, Paddy O’Brian as Zhan, and Levi Karter as Duncan. Cockyboys and Men.com, take note).
Of course, the annoying thing about being a writer is that you re-read your newly published works and wish to God that you could have one last crack at editing them. Nothing major, just a sentence here and there that makes you think, “Why did I phrase this so clumsily?” or “Aw, crap, I already used that word in this paragraph.” (Apparently this happens to Neil Gaiman of all people, so I don’t feel that bad about it, but still.)
And the funny thing is, almost no readers will ever comment on these little infelicities, or even notice them. It’s just the writer, that OCD perfectionist who wants his or her story polished to a high gleam before it sees the light of day, who spots the occasional smeary fingerprint and winces at it. So I just need to shut up and enjoy my sales, basically.
Nicola Cameron Writes 