Taking the Plunge Book Blitz

Synopsis:

Jane “CK” Monterrey is an inexperienced Cincinnati private eye whose world is flipped when local millionaire George Halberran plunges to his death outside her office window. Hired by George’s eccentric mother, Vucktoria, to investigate her son’s death, Jane has no idea how messy things can get. With the help of sexy Officer Brad Hyatt, her nosy mother and all sorts of quirky new friends—from little numismatics to a monkey that dances to Michael Jackson’s Thriller—Jane stumbles along trying to find out if George really was murdered without getting hurt herself. 

Torquere Press Buy Link

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Ever since Scott’s mother denied naming him Scott Fitzgerald Kramer, writing has been in his blood. He watched his grandfather use an old-fashioned typewriter to compose memories about his grandmother. Finding out quickly that typewriters didn’t like him, Scott began carrying a scrap of paper and a pencil. Word processing changed his fate.

Scott lives in Cincinnati with his beautiful wife and two adorable little girls. During the day, Scott as Mr. Kramer terrorizes sixth grade students, forcing them to read and write. Slowly, they come to realize that reading is fun and writing is something they have to do to pass his class.

Taking the Plunge is Scott’s first novel in the Jane Monterrey Mystery Series. The second book Trouble Comes in Pairs will be published. You can visit Scott at http://scottjkramer.wordpress.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Independence Daze Book Blitz

Synopsis:

Paul and Hamish are at it and at each other, again in the third installment of A.J. Llewellyn and D.J. Manly’s best-selling BDSM Voyages series.

Paul and Hamish may be married but that doesn’t mean their sex life has to be a snore fest. These guys always give each other exactly what they need when they can find time in their busy lives. In between feeding Hamish’s ravenous, pregnant sister, and negotiating relationships with deadbeat, rock star fathers, the lovers are always looking for ways to spice things up.

This time, overworked Paul is in for it when Hamish decides to take him on a special retreat that involves a yurt, a Peruvian shaman, and some noxious liquid that wipes out all limits to the imagination. Independence Day never saw anything like this coming!

Add to Goodreads

Excerpt:

I walked out of the plant at two in the morning. It was at this point that I permitted myself to feel it. I was dead tired and it was chilly. I regretted not bringing a jacket but then I hadn’t expected it to take so damn long, or for the night to turn cold. I had to keep reminding myself that for a coastal state, California was desert. Outside, I put up the top of the convertible and texted the office with a reminder to bill the plant and also make a report in the morning.

When I pulled up into our driveway, I turned off the engine and closed my eyes. I almost fell asleep there. I think I would have if not for who I knew was waiting for me inside. Although, I was pretty sure Hamish had conked out at this hour. With all the energy I had left, I walked up to the door and put the key in the lock. Thankfully, Hamish had left the alarm off.

I walked inside, locked the door and set the alarm. As I climbed the stairs I noticed a light on in the master bedroom. Hamish sometimes fell asleep reading so I tried to be quiet anyway as I crept in. I paused, my brow wrinkling as I heard a low buzzing sound coming from the bed. My eyes widened when I saw Hamish lying flat on his back with his slave collar on. He’d attached the collar’s chain to the bed post. Two other chains with nipple clamps lay on his chest. I guess he expected me to do the honors by installing those.

I smiled as I came around to the bottom of the bed. Both his legs were raised and spread wide in the air, resting on leather stirrups we’d attached overhead. A rather large vibrating butt plug protruded from his ass, and his cock was strapped nicely with a studded leather cuff.

“Your hands are free,” I said, my cock stiffening as I slowly ran my gaze over him.

He smiled. “I can fight if you try anything I don’t like.”

Hamish used to be a boxer. No one messed with him unless he wanted it. Right now, he wanted it…badly. “So you’ve been busy.”

“You told me to stay awake, remember?”

“All this for me,” I said, straddling his waist and grabbing both wrists. He was breathing hard as he looked up at me. I wasn’t so tired anymore. I reached over to get the padded cuffs we had tucked behind the bed. I brought up one and attached his wrist. Hamish made quite a show of struggling.

I attached the other cuff and leaned back. “My, my, all mine to play with.”

“I’ll scream,” he threatened with that gleam in his eyes. “A stranger coming into my house to have his way with me. If I make a lot of noise,” Hamish explained, “the police will come.”

“Not if they can’t hear you, they won’t,” I whispered.

Torquere Press Purchase Link

Meet the Authors:

A.J. Llewellyn

A.J. Llewellyn’s obsession with myth, magic, love, and romance might have led to serious stalking charges had it not been for the ability to write. Thanks to the existence of some very patient publishers, A.J.’s days are spent writing, reading and dreaming up new worlds. A.J. has definitely stopped Google-searching former boyfriends and given up all ambition to taste test every cupcake in the universe to produce over 200 published gay erotic romance novels.

A.J. wants you to read them all. A.J. can be found lurking on Facebook and Twitter—part-time class clown being another occupation. When not writing or reading, A.J.’s other passions include juggling, kite-boarding, and spending a fortune buying upgrade apps for Pearl’s Peril and Farm Heroes Saga.

Amazon    |    Facebook    |    Twitter    |    Pinterest    |    Website

D.J. Manly

I write not only for my own pleasure, but for the pleasure of my readers. I can't remember a time in my life when I haven't written and told stories. When I'm not writing, I'm dreaming about writing. Eroticism between consenting adults, in all its many forms is the icing on the cake of life but one does not live by sex alone. The story of how two people find love in spite of the odds is what really turns me on.

Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Website

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nate and the New Yorker Review Tour

Blurb:

Cameron has it all. He’s rich, lives in Manhattan, and even has a cross-dressing butler. But then he meets Nate, an Australian who’s bitter about love. Cameron is determined to turn this realist into a dreamer by sharing his world of classy restaurants, Broadway shows and fabulous parties. And while Nate’s friends see the makings of a fantasy romance, it’s Nate who has to learn that in order to open his heart, he has to face a painful secret.

Excerpt:

“I think Prague is for lovers,” said Ben. He’d just complained about how milky the coffee was in the Czech Republic, and now this. “Yeah. Prague is the place you take your one true love.”

“Then what’s Paris?” I asked.

“That’s easy,” replied Lucy. “Paris is where you have a steamy affair.”

“Then I guess Amsterdam is for singles to get up to mischief,” I added.

My friends stared into space as if they were pondering the meaning of life, while their goulash was getting cold. I looked at my food. The enticing mix of hearty cuisine slopped on my plate had me slobbering like a mutt. My knife cracked the surface of my deep fried potato rosti, and as my fork made its way to my lips, it had to stop so I could take in the odor of this salty indulgence.

“Really, Nathan!” Lucy glared at me as if she was watching some kinky sex act even she’d disapprove of. “Just eat the bloody thing. I swear sex and food stimulate the same part of your brain.”

I crunched hard, making sure my grin reached both ears. She rolled her eyes and shoved a huge chunk of carrot and beef in her mouth before smirking. Strange violin music came from above. As I glanced up at the tinny speaker, the middle-aged waitress who looked as if she should cut down on sampling the food, sidled up to me.

“You like?”

She pointed to the speaker. I wanted to say it sounded like someone was murdering that musical instrument, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

“My son. He practice music. Good, eh?” The three of us nodded. “I make louder.” She marched away proudly.

“Eat quickly,” said Ben. “That music sounds like someone is strangling a cat.”

“I never pictured a woman her age wearing lilac,” stated Lucy.

“Well, we are away from the tourist spots,” I said. “You have to expect local charm when we eat in this district.”

My Review:

3 stars

This was definitely an interesting read for me, one which left me with mixed feelings about this book. First, the story required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, which I wasn’t really expecting to have to do since I thought this was a contemporary romance. For example, I definitely wasn’t expecting a ghost to randomly join the story when there was absolutely no mention or hint of it coming. Second, the writing style threw me a bit. While I enjoyed some of the banter between Cameron and Nate, at other times it just threw me or made me roll my eyes. This kind of prose worked in other stories Klehr’s written, but it just didn’t really work for me in this one. There was also times where I became confused over who was speaking, which drew me out of the story.

On the other hand, once I did suspend my disbelief, it was a zany ride through this fairy tale romance. The secondary characters were interesting and engaging (Roger/Rowena are my personal favorites), the romance plentiful, and there were few sexual scenes, which actually worked well with the story and gave it more of a fairy tale feel. Plus like I said, some of the banter between the charactrers made me laugh, and helped add to the zany ride. All in all, my issues with the book aside, I still enjoyed reading it, the same way I enjoy watching those corny yet lovable B-movies. If you’re looking for a fun summer read and you enjoy those B-movies, I would recommend picking up Nate and the New Yorker.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

June 1: The Reading Addict
June 8: Romantic Fanatic
June 15: Natural Bri
June 22: Up Against a Wall
June 22: Liz Gavin's Blog
June 22: Sharing Links and Wisdom

 

Author Bio and Links:

Kevin lives with his long-term partner in their humble apartment (affectionately named Sabrina), in Australia's own 'Emerald City,' Sydney.

He has penned two novels, Drama Queens with Love Scenes and Drama Queens and Adult Themes and the ebook novella Nate and the New Yorker.

His short story, Conversations with an Angel, is part of Jerry L. Wheeler’s Men In Love anthology released through Bold Stroke Books.

Buy Links
Amazon     |     Wilde City

Website     |     Twitter     |     Facebook

Blood Lines Mini Tour

Synopsis:

Mark Thomas owns his own “New York”-themed bar on an off-world colony.

Nate Fox is an ex-con gone straight.

He’s also Mark’s best friend and brother-in-law.

Mark has feelings for Nate. Nate has feelings for Mark.

But neither man is prepared to compromise their friendship or Mark’s relationship with Danny.

Blood Lines is a story about fidelity, trust, and respect. It’s a story about honesty and learning from mistakes.

And it’s a story about second chances.

Buy Links

Don’t miss the release discounts at all retailers and get your copy up to 48 hours after release.

WIP     |     Amazon US     |     Amazon UK
Amazon DE     |     Amazon AU     |     ARe

Change the Play – Nate from Blood Lines

When I was a kid, sure I got into trouble. We all did back then. The Colony was still new and lawless. Those trying to make a life here had to put up with Earth’s rejects and it didn’t run smooth like they planned. I guess I was one of those rejects stirring up trouble. And a kid out in the Colony in the early days naturally found trouble. I wasn’t the only one. I certainly wasn’t the last. But I took my punishment for the thefts, served my time, and moved on.

Maybe I got lucky. Straight after prison I got a job – a good job. The hours were long, the work was hard, but it was honest. It was simple. There’s a camaraderie on the docks, working with men carrying similar histories. And when the day is done you can sit together, share a beer, watch some Earth sports. Honest, simple life. That’s all I wanted.

My brother, Danny, never got that. He was too young when he got sent down and found himself playing too many games in prison with dangerous people. He made trouble for himself and used the only smarts he had to get out of it. Jumping from mistake to mistake, I thought he was never going to get out of that place. But he did. And as his big brother, it was my job to keep him from going back.

If he’d wanted to stay clean it might have worked. But Danny didn’t. Honesty, simplicity – neither suited him. And with the Colony now established there were too many ways to extort trouble. I thought he might change, that a couple of months in the real world would settle him down. I thought that marrying Mark would ground him. It didn’t.

He met Mark through me. The barman – my best friend – and brother hit it off straight away. It didn’t matter that Mark was a polar opposite – he was a legitimate business owner, a simple guy after a quiet life. Somehow their differences worked – at least at the start. But Danny wouldn’t change and his common sense was starting to fail him. He dragged Mark into his mess. And he dragged me in afterwards.

Mark has always deserved something better. I know Danny’s my brother, I know that I should love him whatever and I do. But it’s obvious to everyone how damaging he is to his husband. It’s painful to watch a man as good Mark try to make a failing relationship work. But who am I to judge? I stand on the side lines like a bad coach, watching the match fall apart, unwilling to make a change from the play I’ve made. I want to. I want to change the players. I want to change the formation. I want it to be me out there. I want him to be with me.

My Review

4 stars

While this is my first A.L. Bates book, it won’t be my last. This is a great novella that I loved. The characters are amazingly developed, the plot is fast moving and interesting, and overall, Blood Lines is a fun read.

One of the surprising elements that worked for this story was the switching between different characters’ perspectives. We see the story through both Mark’s and Nate’s POV, as well as several of the secondary characters. While this doesn’t always work in books, it works here. The author used these character switches to both develop these characters into vivid, real characters, something that can be hard to do in a novella, as well as building tension and keeping the plot moving along.

For example, I understand what and why Danny did what he did a little more now after seeing a few chapters through his eyes. In fact, the story starts out through Danny’s POV, which definitely made me like him a bit more than if the story had started out with everything hitting the fan. It allowed a slower build in and allowed me to form a very different opinion about a character that could have just been written off as a one-dimensional screw-up. While there were a few awkward parts where the switching perspectives became a little confusing, the fact that the author tried to provide backgrounds and information on all of the characters, even the minor ones, really made this novella work for me as I actually cared about what and why the characters were doing what they did.

And while the plot starts off with a slow build, the action keeps off quickly and draws the reader in, refusing to let up until the end. I felt like I was on the run with Mark and Nate, experiencing everything with them. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down, and ended up staying up late because I had to know what happened next.

My only big complaint about the story was that the sci-fi aspect is played down in it. Aside from mentioning that they were on Mars and describing some differences between Mars and Earth, it didn’t really play a part in the story. The story could be moved and set on Earth and it wouldn’t really affect the story at all. So for me, an avid sci-fi fan, I was a bit disappointed by this because I would have loved a lot more world-building.

Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would love to see more of Mark and Nate and the world they live in. How do they move on from what happened here? Is everything really over for them? These were some of the questions I had left at the end of the book, and I would love to see them answered in a sequel. I highly recommend Blood Lines as it’s not only a great read, but an awesome novella from an author I can’t wait to see more from.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

A.L. BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid writer, Deep is the first published novella by A.L. Bates.

A.L. Bates can be found on Facebook.

The Last Great Race VBT

Blurb:

This story is based around the life of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic sportsmen of his era, Achille Varzi: multiple race winner, twice Racing Champion of Italy and a hero to his many followers.  Told partly through the eyes of Varzi and partly by fictional Italian-Australian racing journalist Paul Bassi, we follow the many triumphs and tragedies of Varzi's life: his passionate love affair with Ilse, his tragic morphine addiction, his recovery from his addictions, his marriage to Norma and his re-signing to race for Alfa Romeo.

Only war intervenes, and Paul and his wife Pia leave Achille to spy for the British at the naval base in Naples.  Paul and Pia endure hundreds of Allied air-raids, they join the partisans who fought off the German army until the Allies could rescue them, and then they survive in a near-ruined city as best they can.

By 1946 Italy is still shattered but life is returning to normal, and no more normal is Achille Varzi winning the Grand Prix of Italy that year.  Over the next two seasons Achille Varzi scores more successes, until he makes his only ever driving mistake and is killed in Switzerland in 1948.  Even though he died too young, Paul and Pia know that Achille Varzi would never have lived in his life in any other way.

Excerpt:

“Achille crashed,” she said and drank some more.  “I have never seen anything like it.  He was the only driver taking the banked curve at the end of the straight flat-out.  Each lap I heard the exhaust note of his car never wavering as he took that curve with his typical, stylish precision.  And then on lap fourteen a sudden gust of wind came in from the desert, blowing dust and debris.  I held my hat and glanced at the Englishman nearby, just as the wind caught the front of Achille's car and lifted the front wheels from the track.  The car rose higher and higher like an aeroplane, flying away from the track until the rear of the car hit the ground and then the front, and it rolled over and over with the most terrible noise.  Over and over until it stopped on its wheels in the middle of an orchard.  There were Arab men dressed in robes and they ran to the car.  I was on the wrong side of the circuit and checked that nobody was coming before I ran to it as well, and so did the Englishman.”  She drank more water.  “I thought he must be dead, nobody could survive a crash like that, but he climbed out of the wrecked car and brushed dirt from his overalls.  He looked around and saw me but I don’t think it registered.”

“Is he alright?” Paul asked, worried.

“He’s fine although shaken.  He didn’t even light a cigarette, and then he fainted. The Englishman Raymond Mays helped him, and he drove us back here.”

Paul contemplated what he heard, and that would have been a terrible thing to see.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Pia repeated and Paul hoped that Achille really was alright.  If he was taking that curve flat-out he must have been doing about 300.

Mark, thanks so much for stopping by. So, tell us a little about yourself.
I am in my fifties and I have been writing for about 10 years now.  In real life I am an information technology analyst and have been now for many, many years.  My hobbies include writing of course, travel and motorcycle riding.  My philosophy for life is to do it now because you never know what the future may bring.

How did you get started writing?
I have always liked reading good books, and one day I went to the local library to borrow a book, but I couldn't find one. Particularly the books by male authors had stereotyped, cliche characters, the loner who eventually rights all wrongs but never finds love or companionship.  I thought I could do better than that, which became the inspiration for my first novel, The Red Sun Will Come.

What was the inspiration for your book?
I have followed Formula One car racing since the early 1970s, and through that I was aware of the story of Achille Varzi, a good driver of the 1930s, until his private life got in the way of his racing career.  When I looked into the facts about Varzi I didn't realise that he was the best racer in a legendary era, certainly one of the best of all time, and that his love affair with Ilse was so passionate and ultimately so destructive.  I thought that passionate love, the tragedy that came out of it, and his recovery with the help of Norma who came back into his life, made a great story.  Norma Colombo was a woman against the odds.  She lived with Achille Varzi unmarried when women didn't do that, and when Achille broke up with Ilse she came back to him.  That was just as amazing as anything that happened between Achille and Ilse.  One man and two women who adored him completely, totally and absolutely.

What’s the one genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?
I have written one crime novel, one mystery and four historical fiction novels.  I can't think of other genres at the moment, but maybe one day I will get a bolt of inspiration.

Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?
I don't read or write fantasy.

What are you up to right now? Do you have any releases planned, or are you still writing?
I am writing a story set in Renaissance Venice, loosely based on a real-life scandal that happened in the fifteenth century.

Alright, now for some totally random, fun questions. Favorite color?
My favourite colour is blue.

Favorite movie?
My favourite move is Apocalypse Now which is a great re-telling of Hearts of Darkness, or a journey up a river into insanity.

Book that inspired you to become an author?
All those terrible books by authors who I won't mention, but who just don't know how to develop their characters and character relationships.

You have one superpower. What is it?
To take away the pain I have to endure from an illness many decades ago.

You can have dinner with any 3 people, dead, alive, fictitious, etc. Who are they?
I would pick Achille Varzi as one, and as I speak Italian that would be possible.  Former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Shakespeare

Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?
The fictional journalist Paul Bassi is a little like me, with his dry sense of humour, and his adoration for the special woman in his life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

June 20: Sharing Links and Wisdom
June 21: Rogue's Angels
June 22: Room With Books
June 23: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
June 24: Liz Gavin's Blog - review
June 24: fundinmental
June 27: HarmonyKent
June 28: BooksChatter
June 29: LibriAmoriMiei - review
June 30: The Avid Reader
July 1: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
July 11: Long and Short Reviews
July 12: Readeropolis
July 13: T's Stuff
July 14: Deal Sharing Aunt
July 15: It's Raining Books

Author Bio and Links:

Writing technical documentation and advertising material formed a large part of my career for many decades.  Writing a novel didn’t cross my mind until relatively recently, where the combination of too many years writing dry, technical documents and a visit to the local library where I couldn’t find a book that interested me led me consider a new pastime. Write a book. That book may never be published, but I felt my follow-up cross-cultural crime with romance hybrid set in Russia had more potential. So much so that I wrote a sequel that took those characters on a journey to a very dark place.

Once those books were published by Club Lighthouse and garnered good reviews I wrote in a very different place and time.  My two novels set in Victorian Britain were published by Wings ePress in July and August of 2014. These have been followed by a story set against the background of Australia's involvement on the Western Front, published in August 2015. Australia's contribution to the battles on the Western Front and to ultimate victory is a story not well known, but should be better known.

Staying within the realm of historical fiction, one of the most successful sportsmen of the 1930s, Achille Varzi, lived a dramatic and tumultuous life.  It is a wonder his story hasn't been told before, beyond non fiction written in Italian.  The Last Great Race follows the highs and lows of Varzi's motor racing career, and stays in fascist Italy during the dark days of World War Two.

Blog     |     Twitter

Snare Book Blitz

Blurb:

When Elliot Iverson, a municipal employee responsible for paperwork pertaining to New York City's vampire population, knocks on the door of the Gramercy warren, he wants only to resolve a clerical error. But a sudden snowstorm, a new friendship, and an ill-advised threesome force Elliot to make some big choices about his own life and death.

Excerpt:

When Matthew pulls open the door, a blast of wind and snow swirls in. The snow is piled up on the stoop, and as they watch some of it crumbles onto the carpet of the foyer. The street is drifted with white and all Eli can see is billowing white globes of snow around each of the streetlamps.

“Okay, there’s no way you’re leaving,” Matthew declares, pushing the door shut again and cutting off the frigid stream of air. Eli’s glasses fog up again, but only briefly, and once they’re clear he sees Matthew turn to regard him thoughtfully. “Even if the subway’s still open it’s going to take you forever to get home. Do you want to stay for dinner?”

As he asks, he leans forward and puts his hand over Eli’s where he’s gripping the strap of his bag.

All at once, Eli realizes that he is in a house with Dead people and vampires; that if the trains are down he has effectively no way to get home; and that he’s being propositioned.

“Oh my god,” he says. This is entirely the thing his mom had fretted about, at length, when he announced his intention to move to New York. Because con-artists, homosexuals, anarchists, and vampires. It’s her worst nightmare. Maybe there are drug dealers here too.

Matthew tips his head curiously.

“Oh my god,” Eli says, more frantically. “Oh my god. I can’t get home.”

“Yeah?” Matthew asks, nonplussed.

“Horror stories start like this!”

Torquere Press Buy Link     |     Add to Goodreads

My Review:

2 stars

I was very conflicted over this story. The blurb sounded amazing and I’ve read other books by these authors, so I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it didn’t come through. To start, I didn’t really like any of the characters in this book. Eli acted too much like a whiny brat (though I can understand where he’s coming from), Matthew seemed like an abused partner, and Richard was an overall dick. I spent most of the book not liking Richard. He did crappy/horrible things without absolutely no explanation about why he did so, so I kept questioning why he was doing this and allowed to get away with it. I still don’t know what Matthew and Eli see in him. This felt more like a study in Stockholm Syndrome then a romance.

(Potential spoiler warnings in this paragraph)

A large part of this I feel is due to the fact that a lot of stuff was either hinted at or talked about, but never actually shown. So I never got the chance to really know, care about, or like the characters. For example, Matthew kept saying Richard was a nice guy, but we didn’t really get examples of this until the end of the book (which was set 11 months after the start of the book). So Eli spent over 6 months afraid/disliking Richard, and only started getting along with him because he was desperate to be accepted into the warren. Then after over 10 months of not really liking Richard, there’s going to be a romance? Yeah, no. That’s called Stockholm Syndrome.

(End of spoilers)

The most interesting part and saving grace of the story was the worldbuilding. While there were elements of traditional vampires, these vamps were unique and interesting as well. I found myself wanting to know more and more about this world, which was both good and bad. It was good in that it helped draw me in to the story and keep me reading until the end; however, it was bad because I felt like the worldbuilding was missing information. I was left with questions, such as how had things stayed this way for so long? If vamps were so influential in building New York City, then why are they locked away on an island still? Are these the only vampires in the whole world? Why haven’t they outgrown the space they’ve been allotted for decades? Because of this, aspects of the world didn’t seem to be totally thought out or make sense. Plus, there were other parts of this world hinted at but not fully explored, making me wonder if this is supposed to be the start of a series.

Overall, I’m not a huge fan of the book. If there was a sequel, I would potentially read it in order to learn more about this world and to hopefully see my issues in this novella addressed. I like these authors, but this story was just not for me.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

About the Authors:

Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese write the LGBTQ Hollywood romance series Love in Los Angeles (Torquere Press) and the theater-based Love’s Labours series (Dreamspinner Press). Their work has also been published with Cleis Press and Supposed Crimes.

Erin is a writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Toronto, and a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University where she studied the role of social media in the Arab Spring.

Racheline’s fiction, non-fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous outlets. She is also a producer and writer on Serial Box Publishing’s Tremontaine (available in print from Simon & Schuster’s Saga Press).

Together, they write stories and scripts about the intersection of private lives, fame, and desire.

Facebook  |  Erin's Twitter  |  Racheline's Twitter  |  Erin's Goodreads
Racheline's Goodreads  |  Erin's Amazon  |  Racheline's Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time of Your Life Anthology Book Blitz

Blurb:

The Time of Your Life might slip away if you don’t watch out! Tales from deep space, the open road, reality television, fantasy-academia, and contemporary life are brought together in this collection.

In Jessica Payseur’s Orbits, longtime friends-with-benefits meet unexpectedly on a space station and finally sync their technology.

Warren’s Peace by Emjay Haze, Duet by Megan McFerren and Val Prozorova, and A Change is Gonna Come by Rob Rosen take the reader on the road—via a Caribbean cruise ship, the railway system of France, and the California Interstate, respectively.

A happy home is the goal, but when Chad Brian Henry gives two happily married men constant drooling and barking in the form of A Problem Called Travis, they unhappily realize their aim may not be as true as they thought.

Two authors invite us to weddings! Erzabet Bishop and Lynn Townsend each use humor and surprise, found in the commonplace, to lead newlywed wives in First Night and two grooms-to-be in Wedding March toward discovering and remembering why they went to all this trouble in the first place.

The Color of Magic, by Charles Payseur, lets us watch and learn with three university students, who challenge authority to secure the future. In a more typical college setting, a shy roommate and an outgoing roommate delight each other with A Taste of What’s to Come, written by Samantha Luce.

Straight off the small screen, Food Play Extreme, by Janelle Reston, serves a platter of competition and confidence to three top chefs. And in D.C. Juris’ A Good Bargain, age and experience is indeed a good match for youth and beauty.

Don’t ignore the ticking of that clock—it’s the time of your life!

Add to Goodreads

Excerpt from A Problem Called Travis:

Travis barked. It was a high-pitched yip that grated on Brian’s nerves. The honeymoon was over. The dog was pissing him off.

“No!” Brian screamed and stomped off to the kitchen. Travis followed, prancing at his heels and barking in frustration. He set the plate on the counter a little harder than he meant to, too angry to bother eating while standing at the counter like a fool because a pushy, stubborn ten-pound lump of fur wasn’t satisfied with his own food. Leaving Travis to harass the kitchen island, Brian sat back on the couch colorfully mumbling to himself. He only had one day a week off from the shop most of the time, and he just wanted to enjoy a little me time without having to constantly monitor the brat.

It wasn’t just the food. It was the accumulation of tiny frustrations that built up until Brian wanted to shove the mongrel into a sack full of rocks and toss it in the lake. Housebreaking the dog so far had been a bust. The carpet was starting to reek despite scrubbing it after every accident. They couldn’t keep the trashcan by the sink where it was convenient. Instead it had to be hidden in the pantry, away from persistent claws. And walking the mutt was a nightmare. As affectionate as Travis was around people, he became a terror around other dogs. Snarling and pulling at the leash with a strength that bordered on supernatural any time another dog wandered into view. Brian hadn’t realized how many fucking people owned dogs until he constantly found himself hiding out in crevices between buildings or repeatedly crossing the street to avoid another barkopolypse.

Just let them sniff each other!

He’s just shy!

You need to let him socialize more!

He was sick of the glib advice from people with dogs who knew how good they had it and appreciated a life of constant attention and free food. How the hell was he supposed to socialize the dog if Travis wanted to eat any furry face he saw?

Torquere Press Buy Link

a Rafflecopter giveaway