2nd Birthday Bash Kick-Off with Tara Lain!

Hi y’all! So, some of you may remember that this time last year, I had a birthday bash celebrating my 21st birthday. I had such a fun time doing it last year, I decided to do it again! So welcome to my 2nd birthday bash! All month long, I will be having some of my favorite authors visit, offering their thoughts as well as giveaways for you! And to top it off, I’m offering not one, but two $22 Amazon GCs as a grand prize! To enter the grand prize and for links to all the posts, click on the birthday bash tab at the top of the page.  So come and join the celebration!

Now to kick things off the second year in a row, here’s Ms. Tara Lain!

Watching the Angels Fly!

I’m so delighted to be here celebrating Emily’s birthday bash!! I’m Tara Lain and I write The Beautiful Boys of Romance. Emily asked us to share a favorite birthday memory. Mine comes from one of those big round number years! My husband and my business partner ganged up to plan a surprise party for me at a favorite casual restaurant. My honey got me there easily since it was a favorite place of mine to eat so I never thought anything about it. Just walked into the back room and BAM! About 50 people yelling Happppy Birthday.

I was totally surprised, but that was just the beginning. My husband had told me I needed to pack a bag for a short trip. I had no idea where. After the party, he took me to the airport and we flew to San Francisco where he’d made reservations at the W Hotel. Talk about romantic! We had wonderful food, and walked all over the town, and, of course, hotel sex is the best. But the most memorable moment happened by accident. We boarded the harbor ferry for a trip to Sausalito across the bay to have lunch. It happened to be Fleet Week in SF, and at the moment we were crossing the water, the famous Blue Angels precision flying team gave a show in honor of Fleet Week -- directly above our heads! We felt like we could reach up and touch them.

I’ve had a lot of memorable birthdays in my life -- from getting beautiful Austrian dolls as presents in Vienna when I was four to attending the Metropolitan Opera and seeing Madam Butterfly when I was much older

-- but standing on that boat deck with the love of my life watching the angels soar is a prime memory.

Also in Emily’s honor, I’d like to share a nibble from my upcoming release, Wolf in Gucci Loafers. This book releases on April 16th and is available now for pre-order! It will also be coming out in a two-book print anthology with The Pack or the Panther on that same day!

PRIZE! -- To celebrate the birthday, I’d like to give one person who comments an ecopy of The Pack or the Panther, the first book in Tales of the Harker Pack. (You don’t have to read The Pack or the Panther to enjoy Wolf in Gucci Loafers, but it’s an introduction to my werewolf world.) TO WIN, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST! YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE BIRTHDAY BASH TO WIN!

Here’s Wolf in Gucci Loafers!

Socialite Lindsey Vanessen wants someone to love who will love him back—an impossibility for a gay, half-human, half-werewolf. Too aggressive for humans, too gay for wolves, and needing to protect the pack from human discovery, Lindsey tries to content himself with life as a successful businessman. But when someone starts kidnapping members of wealthy families, Lindsey meets tough cop Seth Zakowsy—the hunky embodiment of everything Lindsey wants but can't have.

Seth has never been attracted to flamboyant men. What would the guys in the department think of Lindsey? But intrigue turns to lust when he discovers Lindsey’s biting, snarling passion more than matches his dominant side. It might mean a chance at love for a cop in black leather and a wolf in Gucci loafers.

Excerpt:

Available for Pre-Order at Dreamspinner Press

“Lindsey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, sir. I’m doing well.”

“Come talk to me.” His grandfather turned and walked into the living room.

Did he want to talk? He’d have to be careful, but yes. Pop-Pop was a smart man. He walked down the stairs and into the large, comfortable room. His grandfather sat on a love seat at one end of the room, so he took the identical seat across from him. He leaned back and crossed his legs. Look relaxed.

Pop-Pop sat forward. “Romantic troubles?”

Wow. The old man had a way of diving to the truth. “Not exactly.”

“I heard you had a date with the Westerberg son. Your mother’s doing, I believe.” The old man could have been talking about a date with a girl, he was so comfortable with it.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you like him?”

“Well enough.”

“Ah, so he’s not the issue.”

Lindsey grinned. His grandfather was enjoying the guessing game.

“So if it’s not exactly romantic troubles, what exactly is it?”

“I guess you could call it unrequited romantic interest.”

He rubbed his hands together. “Now this is interesting. I’ve seen you with many men over the years since you returned from school, but none of them lasted more than a few dates, and none of them ever sparked what I would call romantic interest. How odd that you should affix your affection on one who doesn’t care about you. Have you considered it might be a form of self-protection? Only wanting the ones you can’t have has a way of keeping you single.”

Lindsey grinned. “I guess that’s possible sometimes, but not in this case. He’s just highly inappropriate. A tough cop I met while helping Dave with the kidnapping issue. Dave asked if I would take him to the polo match to give him a chance to investigate among people we know without being too obvious. So I did it.” Lindsey shrugged.

“And got caught in your own trap.”

He smiled, but it hurt around the edges. “Yes, I guess. I found him attractive from the start but assumed he was straight, so it was just a harmless flirtation. After the match, I found out he’s gay, so that made the vast expanse between us more real.”

Pop-Pop frowned. “It’s not like you to discriminate based on class.”

“Nothing like that, sir. He’s the one discriminating, I’m sure. I’m simply not at all his type. A bit too lavender silk for his black leather,

shall we say.”

His grandfather steepled his fingers and stared over them. “You’re not just one thing, Lindsey. I’ve know many men in my life and you’re one of the very best. Smart, decisive, action-oriented, kind, and basically good. Unlike your father, I might add. You need a man who sees that. But you’ve got good judgment, so if you think this cop is romance-worthy, then my bet is there’s something there worth pursuing. Ride him down, son!” He laughed that big robust sound that had comforted Lindsey since the day he was born.

Author Bio:

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 21. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does orkshops on both author promotion and writing craft.  She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books.  Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara HERE:

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