Blog Archives

And She Returns…

My goodness, I haven’t posted anything since before RT, have I? Bad romance writer, NO new MacBook Pro!

No, seriously, no new MacBook Pro. I was going to buy one this weekend with my royalties because my existing laptop is 1) over eight years old and 2) was a refurb when I bought it, but as it turns out I need to use my income for other writing-related expenses — namely, a cover (more about that later), sponsorship and attendance for Wild Wicked Weekend, and to pay off my half of an upcoming trip.

So the new laptop will have to wait another month. Which sort of sucks, but that’s adulting for you.

Anyway, back to RT — I decided to drive from Dallas to Vegas instead of flying because I was in the mood for a roadtrip (and er, I had a lot of shit to bring). Said road trip was gorgeous, and I learned that it is geographically noticeable when you cross from Texas into New Mexico and New Mexico into Arizona. At the TX/NM border the landscape immediately changes from flat plains to gorgeously colored mesas, and at the NM/AZ border it immediately turns into scrubby desert with the occasional mountain until you get to Flagstaff, at which point you’re definitely in the mountains. Lovely, and I’d like to do it again with Ramón if possible.

Vegas itself is the neon-lit adult funland that it’s always been, so no real news there. The Rio was perfectly serviceable as a hotel, although I did hear that the route from the hotel rooms to the conference area was referred to as “the Hallway of Doom” due to its distance. Let’s just say that I hit 10K steps on four different days and leave it at that. Much fun was had with the lovely LD Blakeley as my roommate, and we attended some nifty panels, hung out with great folks like Kenna Nauenberg and Alex Gordon, and of course attended the amazing Cirque du Punk party on Friday night.

KennaLDMeRT16

Kenna, LD, and myself. I was yelping, “I have a waist, I have a waist!” when LD was lacing me up.

LadyACloseupRT16

Lady Amphitrite before the nails and corset went on, because those were saved for last, you betcha.

LDMeRT16

Two erotic romance writers loose in Vegas. I’m surprised we didn’t get into more trouble.

Photo courtesy of Michael Patrick Gleason

Competing in the CdP costume contest (picture courtesy of Michael Patrick Gleason). I cannot adequately express how much I love this costume.

The other big event of RT for me was the Book Fair on Saturday. I didn’t sell a lot, but I did get to see sights like this:

CoverModels

My life is so hard.

Sunday was spent tidying up, trying to get everything packed (or in LD’s case cursing UPS for their extortionate charges to ship stuff to Canada), and hanging out with fellow Evernight author Khloe Wren and awesome cover model Michael Gleason:

KhloeLDMeMichaelRT16

After this LD and I looked at each other, said, “Let’s get out of the hotel for a bit,” and went for a cruise up and down the Las Vegas strip during which we spotted many crimes against good taste, what we suspect is a genuine murder hotel, and a gigantic and truly scary gift shop.

The next day I dropped LD off at the airport and headed home (including a white-knuckle drive during a severe thunderstorm in the Texas Panhandle) to get back to work on all the WIPs I need to finish toot sweet. I also tried to finish a short story for Evernight’s Dark Captive anthology, but the damn thing blew up on me and turned into a short novel. So, um, yeah, look for Do No Harm this summer from Belaurient Press!

In other publishing news, I sold the German language translation of Trickster to Me and the Muse Publishing in Germany, I’m currently waiting on a decision from Juno Publishing in France as to whether they want to publish Empress of Storms in French, and a very good friend of mine will be releasing a hot and hilarious new M/M erotic novelette on Tuesday which I will be helping out with on promo (trust me, you want to read this). The current work queue includes (counts on fingers) Cross Current (Olympic Cove #4), Behind the Iron Cross, Prince of Scoundrels (Two Thrones #2), Do No Harm, and Trickster: All In. That should be enough to keep me going for a couple of months, don’t you think?

Mid Week Tease: Trickster: All In #MidWeekTease #MWTease

Mid Week Tease buttonIt’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.”


Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to view this Linky Tools list…

Mid Week Tease: Trickster: All In #MidWeekTease #MWTease

Mid Week Tease buttonIt’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.”


Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to view this Linky Tools list…