Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Birthday Bash Day 30 - J.R. Loveless


Now, for my final guest, I'd like to introduce you to another author I first discovered on Aarinfantasy. I fell in love with her stories, and was so happy when she landed her first contract. She has since written several books, and has had great success. And to make it even better, she's a natural Floridian like me :) It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Ms. J.R. Loveless!

First, I want to say thank you and Happy Birthday to Emily Wells! Welcome to the legal side of things, Emily! I hope your birthday brought you many gifts and wonderful memories to treasure! Don't forget to have a drink to celebrate.

I've spent a lot of time over the last few months talking about my latest release His Salvation and I realized I haven't given any love to my beloved characters from previous releases. My latest work in progress is actually the sequel to my third novel, the second Dreamspinner Press release, Chasing Seth.

Purchase Links:

Chasing Seth has been translated into French and Spanish and has also been released as an audio book! It's very exciting to see my words actually transcend languages. I have received emails from all over the world and it's definitely an amazing feeling to know so many have enjoyed the story of Kasey Whitedove and Seth Davies. There's been a huge response to know if there will be a sequel and if Nick and Thayne will have their own happy ending. While I can confirm I am actively working on a sequel, the happy ending remains to be seen. ~.^

During my blog tour for His Salvation, I held a contest to help me name the upcoming novel. I believe the title chosen suits the story best: Forgiving Thayne. Throughout the story Thayne continues to put his foot in his mouth and drive a wedge between himself and his true mate Nick. I don't want to give away too much, of course. ^.^  You'll have to wait and see how the story turns out.

I do not have an estimated date of completion or release on my sequel featuring Kasey's brother Thayne and Seth's friend Nick, but I do have good news for those eagerly awaiting the story. My goal is 80k words and I am pushing 30k at the moment. Some recent life events have stood in the way, but I am hoping to pick up the pace soon. Today I want to share an excerpt from the sequel, raw and unedited, which means you will have to bear with any repetitive words or grammar issues you may see. I hope those awaiting the story will enjoy this excerpt as well as the much anticipated book when it is available for release.


Excerpt:
Nicholas Carlisle would never forget the night he meant his true mate. It was the night he lived and died in a single breath. Visiting his best friend during a crisis in Seth's life, he'd met the one person, one wolf, destined to be his. The same shifter who'd tried to kill him. He'd been raised amongst a pack who believed in the eternal bond between true mates no matter what race or gender their other half turned out to be. To reject a mating bond meant a long life of misery or a short life of pain. Nick wouldn't allow the despair to overtake him. He refused to end his own life over his mate's rejection, but he could almost understand why some did; to escape the never ending ache where their heart should be and the crushing weight pressing down on their soul.

An overwhelming scent of earth and pine slammed into his senses the moment he'd stepped into the bar in small town Senaka. His eyes scanned the dim, slightly crowded establishment, seeking the source of the smell. Not even the sharp tang of dampened the earthy aroma. His cock hardened to a brick and he clenched his jaw, knowing the only reason his body could react that way. His true mate stood amongst the dozen or so men and women littering the bar, several of which were wolf. The only thing saving him from facing a room full of angry wolves was his ability to wrap his scent up in his power as a true wolf. If they knew Nick's real nature, there'd be no doubt in his mind they'd believe him to be a Created One.

Loud country music played from a jukebox in the far off corner of a makeshift dance floor. Nick felt the many eyes turned his way. He'd been in a few small towns before and knew how it worked. Strangers were noticed, especially ones entering a local tavern. He approached the bar, still searching for his true mate, but more discreetly. The bartender lifted an inquisitive eyebrow at him, asking him without words what he wanted. "Whiskey, straight up."

The man placed a snifter on the bar in front of Nick and pulled a bottle from behind the counter to fill it with two fingers of Jack Daniel's. Nick tossed a twenty down and picked up the glass. He took a small sip while studying the other patrons in the mirror. A good percentage of the clientele were Native American with perhaps two or three of Caucasian descent. It reminded him of Kasey Whitedove, Seth's true mate and the local sheriff, and the man's prejudice against white men. Kasey had believed Seth to be a Created One after discovering Seth was his mate.

At the moment though, his focus remained on finding out which one of the locals were actually his true mate. Nothing else mattered except claiming them. "What's a gorgeous guy like you doing in a place like this?"

Nick almost sneezed at the strong smell of a flowery perfume that bombarded his senses. Long red fingernails trailed over his arm and he had to bite back the urge to toss the hand off. He turned on the charm and swiveled on his stool while giving one of his famous 'fake' smiles. The woman, though gorgeous, wouldn't be able to hold his attention for long. Short dark hair feathered lightly around her naturally tanned face accenting the dark eyes devouring his long, lean form. "Just visiting an old friend in town for a few days. Stopped in for a drink or two."

"Oh? And who might your friend be?" she asked, pressing closer to him.

If it weren't for his wolf traits, he may have leaned far enough back on the stool to fall off, but he managed to perch on the edge without ending up on his back. "The veterinarian Seth Davies."

"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Doc's replacement just yet, but I may have to go on over with my Georgia," she purred, leaning in even closer. "You wouldn't want to buy a thirsty girl a drink would you, cowboy?"

Before Nick could think of a polite way to refuse her, the scent of his mate washed over him and he sucked in a breath, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt the person standing behind him was the one person meant to be his. And they were wolf. The scent of it clung to their skin, deep and primal. He lifted his gaze to the mirror and met a pair of eyes so dark they sucked him in. He couldn't look away, couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. His mate was stunning. Tall, taller than Nick by a good two to three inches, beautifully tanned, and well defined muscles bulged beneath the grey t-shirt the man wore. High, strong cheekbones complimented the firm chin and jaw line, one Nick desperately wanted to follow with his lips. He swallowed hard as his eyes slid down the smooth skin of his mate's throat and further still to the hollow at the base. When he brought his gaze back up to the dark eyes watching him closely, the answering lust caused his cock to jump in excitement. He wanted to dominate the man staring at him, to hold him down and mark him for the entire world to see.

"Is there a problem here?" the man rumbled. Nick tensed, wondering if maybe he'd read the man's expression wrong.

"Go away, Thayne," she snapped. "He's not bothering me."

"I wasn't talking to you, Lilianne. I was speaking to him."

Surprise held Nick immobile for a split second before his mate's words sank in and then he had to choke back a laugh at the woman's expression. Murder shone in her eyes and she glared at the man called Thayne. "Don't make me tell your mother how you spoke to me, Thayne."

Thayne snorted at her threat. "Stop bothering the man, Lilianne, and go find some other poor sucker to leech off of."

Huffing in indignation, Lilianne stomped off toward the back of the bar. Nick chuckled under his breath, hiding his grin behind his glass. He froze when Thayne sat down on the stool next to his. "She's been looking for husband number three for a while now. The men here in town know better than to mess around with her. I'm Thayne."

"Nick," he murmured, taking another sip of his whiskey. "You live around here?"

Thayne rested one arm on the bar while taking a long draught of his beer before answering. "Most of my life. Only back for a visit though."

Nick breathed in his mate's scent, dying to ask questions about him but held his tongue, not wanting to scare the man off. "Nice place."

"Not if you've lived here your entire life, it isn't. Everyone knows your name and there are no secrets." Thayne set his empty beer bottle down on the bar. "I heard you tell Lilianne you're visiting the new Doc. He a relative?"

Nick downed the last of his whiskey, savoring the smooth burn of alcohol as it traveled to his belly. "Near enough. Known him a long time."

"How long you in town for?"

"Not too sure. He's going through some problems right now. I'm just here to help until he's okay." Nick sucked in a telltale breath when Thayne swayed in close to him, the tiny hairs all over his body standing on end at the almost contact.

"How about we get out of here?" Thayne growled right next to his ear. His breath whispered over the sensitive skin of Nick's earlobe causing Nick to shiver in need.

Without a word, he nodded at the muscular Native American, desire blazing through him. He wanted nothing more than to taste his mate, to feel his hard cock on his tongue as the man came down his throat. He wondered as he followed Thayne from the bar if the man would react to his being wolf the same way Seth's mate had reacted to Seth. Thayne disrupted his line of thought abruptly, shoving him into the darkness at the side of the building and slamming him against the wall. His lips crashed down on Nick's in a harsh kiss like no other he'd ever experienced.

His tongue eagerly danced with Thayne's, twisting together in a sensual storm sweeping away every thought except the desperate need to feel Thayne's cock buried inside him. His mate's hands slid down his sides, hips, and straight to his ass, cupping it in a strong grip before squeezing lustily. Thayne growled low in his throat when Nick ground his hard flesh into Thayne's lower belly. "I want to fuck you," Thayne rasped close to Nick's ear, his slick tongue flicking over the soft skin.

"Fuck, yes," Nick moaned, latching onto Thayne's neck and sucking deeply. His hands slid beneath the hem of his mate's shirt, palms gliding over the smooth skin of Thayne's back. The desire to feel the man's heated flesh on his ate at him. He yanked the shirt over Thayne's head, breathing in sharply at the well defined muscles of his mate's chest.

Thayne reached for the front of Nick's jeans, tugging at the button and sharply parting the zipper. His big hand sank inside, cupping Nick's already leaking shaft. Nick nearly howled in lust and pleasure, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. Thayne shoved the jeans down to reveal the small black briefs Nick wore and his chest rumbled in a deep growl of approval. He dropped to his knees in front of Nick and buried his face in the fabric.

Nick shuddered at the hot breath seeping through the thin cloth. His fingers trembled as they wove through Thayne's dark locks, sinking into the lush strands, gripping tightly as Thayne sucked at him through his briefs. Nothing prepared him for the moment his mate's tongue circled the tip of his cock peeking through the hem and he gasped, panting in desire. Thayne hooked his thumbs in his briefs and tugged them down, releasing Nick's straining length. It slapped lightly at Thayne's cheek, leaving a smear of pre-cum along the tanned skin. "Beautiful," Thayne breathed.

He wrapped his lips around the tip, teasing Nick with tiny flicks of his tongue along the crown before delving into the small slit to gather the seeping liquid. Nick swore, clenching his jaw to keep from losing control and jamming his cock down Thayne's throat. "Suck me," he snarled almost angrily when Thayne continued licking slowly.

Thayne hummed and slid to the root effortlessly. Nick groaned, uncontrollably thrusting his hips forward. Pulling off and chuckling, Thayne spun Nick around abruptly, pushing his pants down further and gripping his ass cheeks, parting them to bare his tight hole. Nick jerked at the feel of Thayne's tongue swiping over the puckered flesh before spearing inside him. He clenched his hands into fists against the wall, his nails lengthening and digging into his palms to draw blood. "Enough, inside, now."

Standing, Thayne quickly unfastened his jeans, allowing his cock free from the confining fabric and pulled a condom from his back pocket. Nick spun around and snatched the condom from Thayne, ripping it open with his teeth and quickly rolling it down the hard shaft. Thayne felt huge and hot in his palm. He squeezed the bulging prick, stroking for a moment. It disappointed him to have the thin latex between them, knowing neither of them could transmit diseases and wanting nothing more than to feel Thayne's flesh sliding over his.

"Turn around," Thayne ordered, his voice gruff and hoarse.

Nick faced the side of the building once more and shoved his hips back, thrusting his ass at Thayne who eagerly stepped forward to slide his cock along the crease. He nudged at the saliva slickened hole and pushed in, piercing Nick's body, both of them groaning at the sensation. "So fuckin' tight," Thayne moaned in Nick's ear once he was seated deep inside him.

He clenched his muscles around Thayne's cock, milking the throbbing shaft. Thayne's fingers dug into the flesh at his hips as he pulled back until the crown caught just at the tight ring of muscle and shoved back in, expertly nailing Nick's prostate. Nick stifled a loud cry, biting down on his arm as Thayne fucked him, slamming into him over and over, rough and hard just the way he liked it. Their bodies slapped together, the sound echoing in the empty alley. Nick's teeth elongated as he began to near his peak. His cock dripped profusely, drops staining the concrete beneath his feet. "Harder."

Thayne slammed deeper and more violently, breathing heavily. When he felt Nick tense up, getting ready to come, his hips went into overdrive, pile driving deep into his ass. "Oh, yeah, baby. That's it, come on my cock."

Nick splintered. His balls drew tight to his body, his spunk spraying the wall in front of him in thick, creamy spurts. He was dimly aware of Thayne's teeth biting down on his shoulder and the grunts the bigger man made as he came inside Nick, filling the condom with his own essence. They slumped into the wall, bodies shuddering in mutual pleasure.

When Thayne finally moved, he carefully gripped the base of the condom and pulled free from Nick's body. He stripped the condom from his cock, tying it off and tossing it into the nearby dumpster. "Fuck, that was hot."


Grinning weakly, Nick nodded. He watched his mate mentally withdrawing from him now that he'd gotten off. "You're my mate," he blurted out, his wolf desperate to keep from losing his true mate.

Thayne stilled, his eyes piercing Nick. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

He quickly pulled up his pants, fastening them, and ran a hand through his hair. "Shit. I didn't mean to just come out and say it, but... you're my mate."

"How the fuck do you know about mates?" Thayne demanded.

Nick hesitated but he couldn't keep the truth from his mate. "I'm wolf."
Thayne's eyes narrowed at him and he bared his teeth, now elongated slightly. "You're a Created."

"No!" he protested, holding out his hand toward Thayne who instantly backed away as if Nick would taint him. Nick's heart broke as he watched the look of satiation turn to one of hatred. "I was born a wolf!"

Before Nick could say anything else, Thayne shifted and launched himself at Nick. Nick felt time stop. He couldn't hurt his mate. He could only watch and wait for the impact of Thayne in wolf form. Their bodies collided and Nick went down, his back slamming into the unforgiving concrete. He grunted, lifting his arm up to shield his face from the snapping teeth. Pain ripped through his forearm and radiated along every inch of his body. Thayne snarled, wrenching his head from side to side in an effort to tear at Nick's flesh. Nick cried out in agony, hot blood soaking his shirt.

Unable to take it anymore, he used every bit of his strength to shove Thayne away from him. Thayne crashed into the nearby dumpster stunning him long enough for Nick to stand and shift. Thayne struggled to his feet as Nick gave him a sorrow-filled look. His mate paused, watching him intently for a moment until Nick turned and ran. He darted between cars, keeping to the shadows to prevent anyone from spotting him. His chest hurt, a huge gaping hole left where his heart was meant to be. The accelerated healing ability of being wolf left little to no mark when he finally shifted back to human a few blocks from Seth's place.



J.R. is donating one copy of Chasing Seth to the grand prize.

Don't forget, you only have till 11:59 PM to enter the grand prize giveaway, and all the other giveaways ending April 30.


Author Bio:
J.R. Loveless is a native Floridian who spends her days in an office physically but mentally is frolicking between the pages of her imagination. Writing has been a lifelong passion that escaped from her in the midst of life until she discovered yaoi. After following breadcrumbs of the anime style, she discovered a forum dedicated to the world of yaoi. Inspired, she tried her own hand at M/M romances, spending hours building worlds of her own with the newfound support of other forum members. She can never write enough of the electrifying emotions that blaze across the hearts and souls of her characters.

She is a self-confessed Dr. Who addict with a spastic dog and a neurotic cat for companions on her long journey through the many chapters of her life. One day she hopes to visit far off places and have grand adventures like those of the characters in her stories.

You can find her at:
http://www.jrloveless.com
http://www.facebook.com/authorjrloveless
http://jrloveless.blogspot.com

Monday, April 29, 2013

Birthday Bash Day 29 - Stephani Hecht

Stephani, thanks so much for stopping by. So, how did you get started writing?
I was off my day job for surgery and I started writing my first book Archangels. From there, I never stopped. Now I write full-time.


I love the Lost Shifters series. How did you come up with such a big series? I mean, it currently spans over 20 books, with more on the way. How did you do it?
When I first wrote Primal Passions. I never dreamed that it would be such a big series. People just liked it so much and asked for more. As I continued to write, more characters popped up and they were all just begging for their own stories. Even now, twenty-five stories in, I have numerous characters left who have yet to have their stories be told.


Alright, Shane is hands down one of my favorite characters. What was the inspiration behind his character?
I really wish I could tell you. He just popped into my head one day and demanded that I write his story. Since he was so scary I didn't dare tell him no.


What’s the one genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?
I've always wanted to dip my toes into the sci-fiction genre, but have yet to get up the guts to try.


Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?
Historical. Aside from the Lords of Aether blog, which is steampunk, I have yet to write up a straight up historical. Just the thought of all the research I would have to do scares me.


So, what are you working on right now? Got any releases planned, or still writing?
I'm working on two books now, Crimson on the Dance Floor for Resplendence Publishing and Saved by the Hawk with Jackie Nacht. My next release is going to The Angry Dove and the Assassin with eXtasy Books on May 1st and Do You See Me Now with MLR on May 10th.


Alright, one last question. Do you have a favorite memory from your 21st birthday?
I had just had my son Cody on August of that year, so that was my favorite memory. It was one of the best years of my life.



Doc Featherstone’s Return
Sometimes the ones you love the most are the hardest to save.
    
Ever since Hawk Shifter Ash suffered near fatal wounds in a Raven attack, he has slumped into a deep depression. Now unable to walk, let alone shift, he has lost his spark for life. His friends and loved ones fear they will lose him forever. Desperate, they think that the only one who can give him the will to live is Doc Featherstone, the one man that Ash has ever shown any interest in. The problem is Doc Featherstone has returned to his family to recover from his own wounds from the attack.

Bobcat shifter Joshua Featherstone has harbored a secret attraction for the spunky Hawk shifter for a long time. But he has kept his distance, afraid that their age difference would be too big to overcome. Although once he hears that Ash is in dire need of his help, Joshua rushes back to the coalition. Will he make it in time? Or has Ash turned to the darkness forever?


Author Bio:

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book.

Steel Rose NBTM

Sometimes they come back. At least the Kryszka aliens do. Their leader injects captured humans with a drug, turning them into zombies. Yeron escapes the Kryszka colony, hoping to practice medicine on the humans that fear him. Alexis, a patient, is afraid, too, until his seductive attentions arouse her. Despite his experimental drug, severe arthritis leaves her too weak to handle most guns. The Kryszka troops and zombies who break into the hospital are hungry. Very hungry. How will she fight them?

Excerpt:
Shattering glass. Plodding footsteps. IV poles crashed to the floor. Glass shards tinkled, punctuated by low-pitched groaning from the rear elevator, the exit Hoffman had claimed to seal.


“Dear God, help us.” Alexis reached for her gun.

“What are you doing? Guns are forbidden on this floor, and…Oh, my God!” Ms. Grese cupped her hands over her mouth. Her authoritarian demeanor vanished, replaced by horror-stricken pallor. “Where are the officers?”

“You think our visitors give a shit?” Alexis scuttled toward the door, feeling vulnerable. The vest didn’t protect her face or hands, but the intruders wouldn’t care about that either. She shoved Ms. Grese ahead of her, pushing with her mind, Yeron beside her. “Run!” she hollered.

As the creatures poured through the ward, a stench crawled down her throat, the stink of things many days dead. Moaning drowned out the sound of Ms. Grese’s cries, a continual chant of “hungry.”

Skeletal figures in tattered rags skirted around Mark, who fired at any who got too close. Their tendons flashed gray against cold cobwebs of rib and knuckle. The flesh that quivered through widened skin tears had the sheen of rotting meat. The skin resembled cracked leather. Weeds sprouted on some of the figures’ necks and hair, the way they did in her nightmares. They made their way to the desk, where two nurses sat. The two women jumped up, both screaming. One of them opened fire with a Glock.

The armed woman was her mother.



Two of my most Memorable Birthday Moments

My best birthday memory? Let’s talk about my husband Mike. He was very creative and knew how to make birthdays special for me. Each birthday and Christmas, he surprised me with jewelry but not necessarily in a box. When we were engaged, he gave me a microwave oven for Christmas, and when I opened it, I found a wedding ring inside. That was when he proposed to me.

By my 45th birthday, my fascination with Mylar balloons was getting underway but I hadn’t yet purchased a helium tank. A store down our street filled my balloons for me. My count had gotten up to thirty, but Mike had a great sense of humor and drove me to the store with the deflated balloons in his car. We went inside and got them filled. Outside again, Mike told me to get into the backseat. One by one, he floated each balloon into the car until I was buried under a mound of Mylar balloons. I remember hearing him say, “I hope the cops don’t catch me driving with all these balloons.”

Sitting under all those balloons was like being surrounded by soft air cushions. The balloons left room to breathe, and Mylar balloons are forgiving when it comes to retaining helium. That said, Mike later told me that when I spoke, I sounded like a disembodied voice. He pulled up to the house, and one by one, we fished the balloons out…and there on the front seat was my birthday gift – a silver necklace. We still laugh over the memory of my 45th birthday.

****
I enjoyed all my childhood birthdays, but my ninth one provided the granddaddy of embarrassments. My father, God rest his soul, used to smoke Lucky Strike cigarettes, and he often fell asleep on the couch while watching television. Around suppertime, my mother and I were in the kitchen when Dad came running in the kitchen for a bucket of water. He had fallen asleep with a cigarette in his mouth. The water put out the flames, but the fire left a gaping hole in the sofa cushion. My mother dumped the cushion out on the porch, where it continued to smolder and stink for the next two days. People would drive by, and I imagined them laughing and pointing at our house. Thankfully, my father didn’t get hurt, but he never lived that one down. Because we couldn’t yet afford a new sofa, my mother turned the cushion over and continued using what we had. As the years passed, my mother and I had a lot of laughs over it. I’m happy to say shortly after the event, my father quit smoking, and he lived almost to be ninety.


Barbara will award one randomly drawn commenter at every stop a backlist eBook – it could be City of Brotherly Death, Twilight Healer, or one of her Night to Dawn magazines, and one randomly drawn commenter on the tour will receive a $15.00 gift certificate to Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, winner's choice.

February 11:  Andi's Book Reviews
February 18:  It's Raining Books
April 15:  Cabin Goddess


Author Bio and Links:
Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. Her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.

Other books by Barbara include Twilight Healer and City of Brotherly Death. She’s also coauthored Alien Worlds and Starship Invasions with Tom Johnson. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons, and you'll find her.

To contact her, e-mail her at barbaracuster@hotmail.com.

Visit her at:

www.bloodredshadow.com



Sunday, April 28, 2013

Birthday Bash Day 28 - Lisabet Sarai

And now, help me welcome my second guest, Lisabet Sarai! Also, don't forget to check out my first ever guest post on her blog, Beyond Romance!

PuPu Platter
by Lisabet Sarai

Let me begin by wishing my favorite Tiger-Chick a hugely happy twenty first birthday! I love to see someone celebrating in style, and a whole month of guests and prizes certainly falls into that category. And speaking of prizes, I'll be giving away an autographed print book from my back list to one lucky reader who comments on this post.


Emily asked us to share our own twenty first birthday memories, but to be honest, I don't remember anything special at all about the day I turned twenty one.  Cut me some slack, please – that was nearly forty years ago! However, I do recall my eighteenth birthday. My mom took me out to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant and we shared a “PuPu Platter”, washed down with my first legal glass of wine.


Do any of you remember those pseudo-Polynesian appetizer assortments, complete with the fiery wrought-iron cauldron in the middle to heat up all the finger food? Do they still exist? When I went searching for images on my favorite stock photo site, I came up with zero hits. Are PuPu Platters totally passé? Have they gone the way of granny glasses and lava lights?


Indeed, the world has become a good deal more sophisticated from a culinary perspective since I was a teen. Now you can select a Szechuan or Mandarin or Cantonese restaurant – as opposed to simply “Chinese” - as well as Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and maybe other oriental flavors. Furthermore, you're unlikely to find tiki masks decorating the restaurant walls and paper umbrellas in your drinks, the way I did the day I turned eighteen.


Modern concerns with healthy eating have also probably played a role in the platter's demise. It's difficult to imagine a more fat-and-cholesterol intensive repast than the traditional fried wonton, crispy egg rolls, barbecued spareribs, battered giant shrimp, cheese-filled crab puffs, and all the other delicacies that might show up ranged around the flaming Sterno. One PuPu Platter can undo weeks of toil at the gym.

But God, how I loved them, back then! Indeed, looking further back into my past, I recall that on my first real date my companion (with whom I was highly enamored) ordered us one. This may explain my lingering fondness – PuPu Platters are somehow mixed up in my mind with sex. (Not that I had sex on my first date, of course, but a teenager's hormones color everything in her world). And there are some similarities, after
all. A PuPu Platter is decadent, all luscious flavor with little food value. You devour the components with your fingers and lick off the juices afterward. And you can't eat one all by yourself. PuPu Platters are made to be shared.

The final attraction is variety. A taste of this, a hint of that, never enough of any one dish to be bored – that's what I love. Diversity is my ideal in life. I want to sample a wide range of different experiences, rather than being forced to choose one dish, one path, even one person – although I have been married to the same guy for more than thirty years. (He likes variety, too.)

Given my love of diversity, it's not surprising my writing is all over the map, from a genre perspective. I write both romance and erotica, in pretty much every combination of genders. My backlist includes BDSM, suspense, historical, science fiction, steampunk,  paranormal, multicultural and interracial fiction, even a bit of humor. And I've never written a series, because, to be honest, I'm worried that I'll get bored.

I guess you could view my collected work as a PuPu Platter of erotic fiction – though hopefully it's a bit more nourishing than the Polynesian variety!

I could regale you with endless snippets, as varied as the different delights on the platter. However,  since Emily loves M/M books, I settled on sharing a bit from my gay paranormal erotic romance novel Necessary Madness.


Both power and love can lead to madness.

Nineteen year old Kyle sees visions of disasters, visions that tear his world apart. Everyone assumes that he is schizophrenic, but Rob, the cop who picks him up off the street, knows better. Rob's own experience has taught him that psychic powers are real, and potentially devastating.

Since his telepathic sister's brutal murder, Rob wants nothing to do with "gifted" individuals like Kyle. Yet he can't deny his attraction to the beautiful, tortured young man – an attraction that appears to be mutual. When a brilliant, sadistic practitioner of
the black arts lures Kyle into his clutches, Rob faces the possibility that  once again he may lose the person he loves most to the forces of darkness.


Excerpt:
Rob thought he’d go crazy if he had to wait any longer.

First, there had been the hospital, where they were treated for burns, scrapes, cuts, contusions, exposure and possible poisoning. Jez had been admitted for observation. Rob and Kyle were released.

Next came the visit to police headquarters, where they’d made statements and answered endless questions. By unspoken agreement, neither he nor Kyle said anything about psychic powers or magic rituals. Rob handed over the voice recorder, which hopefully had captured Stefan’s gloating about the bank jobs. He also suggested that interrogating Jez, once she recovered, might throw some light on Mary’s brutal murder.

There were phone calls to be made, to Elspeth and to Gina, who had heard that Rob had been kidnapped and was waiting up anxiously for news. And they had to eat something—Kyle had been trembling with hunger by the time the guys at the station had brought in the pizza.

It was all necessary, Rob knew, but it had taken hours. It was past midnight by the time Bill Rausch dropped them off at Rob’s apartment. Rob’s shoulder joints were still too damaged for him to drive safely.

Kyle fished in Rob’s pocket for the door key. “Somebody’s hard,” he teased as he let them in. “Must be the effect of the drugs.”

Rob flattened Kyle against the wall as soon as the door closed. “You’re my drug, baby. I’m completely addicted.” He tore open Kyle’s shirt, scattering buttons, and cupped the slight swell of his breast, flicking the nipple. He played with the taut nub while he devoured Kyle’s mouth, loving the way the boy shuddered under him. “I’ve got to have you or I’ll explode.”

Rob’s fingers travelled down his lover’s chest to his belly then snaked into his trousers to capture the rigid shaft hiding there. Kyle’s cock seemed to leap into his hand, eager for his touch. He stroked it once or twice then grew frustrated with the constraints of clothing. With a growl, he used his other hand to unzip Kyle’s jeans and yank them down to his knees. Kyle’s rod sprang to attention, Rob’s fist clutching its base. Rob sank to the floor and swallowed the whole length.

“Oh, Rob,” the boy breathed, as Rob swept his tongue along the velvety skin. Kyle tangled his fingers in Rob’s hair, holding tight while Rob consumed the cock he’d been imagining all night.

Thanks for joining me on a (greasy) walk down memory lane! Remember to leave a comment if you're interested in winning a book – please include your email address so we can find you!

And once again, a hearty Happy Birthday to you, Emily!


About Lisabet:
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – nearly fifty single author titles, plus dozens of short stories in various erotic anthologies, including the Lambda winner Where the Girls Are and the IPPIE Best Erotic Book of 2011, Carnal Machines. Her gay scifi erotic romance Quarantine won a Rainbow Awards 2012 Honorable Mention.

Lisabet has more degrees than anyone would ever need, from prestigious educational institutions who would no doubt be deeply embarrassed by her chosen genre.  She has traveled widely and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her indulgent husband and two exceptional felines, where she pursue an alternative career that is completely unrelated to her creative writing.

For more information about Lisabet and her writing, visit her website or her blog Beyond Romance.