Sunday, January 3, 2016

10th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight: Amy Lane



Author Bio:
Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her website or blog, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.



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EMAIL:  amylane@greenshill.com




Winter Ball
Summary:
Through a miserable adolescence and a lonely adulthood, Skipper Keith has dreamed of nothing but family. The closest he gets is the rec league soccer team he coaches after work—and his star player and best friend, Richie Scoggins.

One brisk night in late October, a postpractice convo in Richie’s car turns into a sexual encounter neither of them expected—nor want to forget. Soon Skip and Richie are living for the weekends and their winter league soccer games—and the games they enjoy off the field. Through broken noses, holiday decorating, and the killer flu, they learn more about each other than they ever dreamed possible. Every new discovery takes them further beyond the boundaries of the soccer field and into the infinite possibilities of the best relationship of Skipper’s life.

Skipper can’t dream of a better family than Richie—but Richie’s got real family entanglements he can’t shake off. Skipper needs to convince Richie to stay with him beyond winter ball so the relationship they started on the field might become their happy future in real life!


The Locker Room
Summary:
Xander Karcek has only wanted two things in his life: Christian Edwards and basketball—the man he loves and the game that let him escape a childhood he’d rather forget. His two obsessions have served him well. He and Chris beat the odds and stayed together through high school, college, and right on to the NBA.

But life under fame’s microscope isn’t easy, especially when two men are pretending to be frat-buddies so the world doesn’t know they’re the next best thing to married. Their relationship survives the sacrifices they make and the lies they tell to stay together, but when their secret is exposed, the fallout might destroy them when nothing else could.

Chris and basketball are the two things holding Xander together. Now the world is asking Xander to make a choice. Is there an option that includes a future with the man he loves?


Bewitched by Bella's Brother
Summary:
Sebastian Craig and Isabella Bryne have been best friends for five years in the Neverland of academia, and that's where they're planning to stay. So when Bella's brother, Asa, offers them a rent-free summer in his gorgeous home before they move to their next college and degree, they jump at the chance. It looks like a good deal at first... but there's more to Asa than meets the eye, and Sebastian finds himself suddenly hip-deep in complicated, grown-up problems and the frightening, bemusing prospect of having a family that will miss him when he's gone.

When the best summer of his life finally ends, Sebastian has to make a difficult decision between staying in perpetual childhood forever, and facing adulthood—with all of its joys and fears. It seems that when Sebastian and Bella came up with a master plan for the future, they didn't count on Sebastian being bewitched by Bella's brother.


Keeping Promise Rock #1
Summary:
Carrick Francis has spent most of his life jumping into trouble with both feet. The only thing saving him from prison or worse is his absolute devotion to Deacon Winters. Deacon was Crick's sanity and salvation during a miserable, abusive childhood, and Crick would do anything to stay with him forever. So when Deacon's father dies, Crick puts his college plans on hold to help Deacon as Deacon has helped him.

Deacon's greatest wish is to see Crick escape his memories and the town they grew up in so Crick can enjoy a shining future. But after two years of growing feelings and temptation, the painfully shy Deacon finally succumbs to Crick's determined advances and admits he sees himself as part of Crick's life.

It nearly destroys Deacon when he discovers Crick has been waiting for him to push him away, just like Crick's family did in the past. When Crick's knack for volatile decisions lands him far away from home, Deacon is left, shell-shocked and alone, struggling to reforge his heart in a world where love with Crick is a promise, but by no means a certainty.


Making Promises #2
Summary:
All Shane Perkins ever wanted to be was a hero. But after a career-shattering decision to go down fighting, Shane comes home from the hospital to four empty walls, a pile of money, and a burning desire for someone to miss him the next time he gets hurt in the line of duty. He ends up an officer in the small town of Levee Oaks, and, addicted to the promise of family, he makes an effort to reconcile with his flighty, troubled sister. Kimmy makes her living as a dancer, and her partner steals Shane's breath at first sight. Mikhail Vasilyovitch Bayul dances like an angel, but his past is less than heavenly. Since he left Russia, he's made only two promises: to stay off the streets and stay clean, and to take his mother someplace beautiful before she dies. Making promises to anybody else is completely out of the question-but then, Mikhail has never met anybody like Shane. Earnest, brave, and self-deprecating, Shane seems to speak Mikhail's language, and no one is more surprised than Mikhail to find that keeping promises is Shane's best talent of all.


Living Promises #3
Summary:
Six years ago, Jeff Beachum comforted a frightened teenager outside an HIV treatment clinic, and Collin Waters has remembered his kindness ever since. Now, after six years of crushing on the kind, brown-eyed sweetheart of his dreams, Collin is feeling adult and together enough to make his move. Too bad fate, which has never been kind to Jeff, has something else in mind. 

Jeff's life had fallen completely apart before that long-ago day, and it isn't much better now. Jeff has toughened up, become self-reliant, been the funny guy his friends turn to, the one who gives advice and comfort when needed. But every phantom from Jeff's past is about to come out to haunt him, and the family Jeff has staked his future on isn't in such great shape either. Collin is more than a starry-eyed kid, and it's a good thing, because Jeff's going to need all the help he can get. No one knows better than Jeff that life can be too short to turn your back on honest love, and that living happily is the best promise of all.


Forever Promises #4
Summary:
Crick has been home from Iraq for five years, Jeff and Collin are finally married, and Shane and Mikhail are quietly making lives better for the dispossessed teenagers who come their way. Everything is right in Deacon's world, but nothing ever stays the same.

When Deacon's best friends, Jon and Amy, answer the call of an opportunity in Washington, DC, Deacon figures that’s life. You love people, and they leave you, and you survive. Even Benny, Crick’s little sister, is close to grown and ready to start her own future. But Benny loves Deacon, and she owes him—she may move beyond The Pulpit and Levee Oaks one day, but not without leaving something of herself behind. And so she offers Deacon and Crick an amazing gift… and a terrifying decision.

Benny’s offer forces Deacon and Crick to dredge up every past mistake and offer of redemption. And not just the two of them—everybody is forced to examine the chances they've been given and the promises they've made. In a real family, a child is a promise, and to the men and women of Promise Rock, keeping that promise will change their lives forever.

Shiny!
Summary:
Will Lafferty and Kenny Scalia are both having sort of a day. Will gets fired for letting fifth graders read Harry Potter, and Kenny finds his boyfriend and his sex toys in bed with a complete stranger. When Will knocks over Kenny's trash can—and strews Kenny's personal business all over the street—it feels like the perfect craptastic climax to the sewage of suckage that has rained down on them both.

But ever-friendly, ever-kind Will asks snarky Kenny out for a beer—God knows they both need one—and two amazing things occur: Kenny discovers talking to Will might be the best form of intercourse ever, and Will discovers he's gay.

Their unlikely friendship seems like the perfect platonic match until Will reveals how very much more he’s been feeling for Kenny almost since the beginning. But Kenny’s worried. Will’s new-found sexuality is bright and glittery and shiny, but what happens when that wears off? Is Will's infatuation with Kenny strong enough to stay real?


Beneath the Stain: Complete Novel
Summary:
In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers-- and their penchant for making good music when they weren't getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams--made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind. 

Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he's hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn't flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that's not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav's help--but Trav's not sure he's going to survive falling in love with Mackey. 

Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn't do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey's past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.


Under the Rushes
Summary:
Ten years after Dorjan trusted a boy’s word over his superior officer’s, he and his best friend, Areau, are still living the aftermath—and trying to stop the man responsible. Locked in a careful dance to bring down a corrupt government, Dorjan struggles to balance his grief with Areau’s anger. Just when Dorjan reaches the end of his rope, he sees a familiar face in the shadows, and the boy he trusted a decade before offers him unexpected kindness.

Taern remembers the soldier who found him under the rushes and listened to his pleas to save his family. When Dorjan reappears in his life, Taern is both captured by his commitment to justice and terrified by the risks he takes. All Taern wants to do is fix him, but the oncoming destruction has been ten years in the making, and Dorjan doesn’t want his help. Not if it puts Taern at risk.

Powers clash and a world's fate dangles between Areau's madness and Dorjan's nobility. While Dorjan fights to save the world, Taern joins the battle simply to save Dorjan, knowing everything hinges on the heart of a man in armor and the strength of the man who loves him. 

The Bells of Times Square
Summary:
Every New Year’s Eve since 1946, Nate Meyer has ventured alone to Times Square to listen for the ghostly church bells he and his long-lost wartime lover vowed to hear together. This year, however, his grandson Blaine is pushing Nate through the Manhattan streets, revealing his secrets to his silent, stroke-stricken grandfather.

When Blaine introduces his boyfriend to his beloved grandfather, he has no idea that Nate holds a similar secret. As they endure the chilly death of the old year, Nate is drawn back in memory to a much earlier time . . . and to Walter.

Long before, in a peace carefully crafted in the heart of wartime tumult, Nate and Walter forged a loving home in the midst of violence and chaos. But nothing in war is permanent, and now all Nate has is memories of a man his family never knew existed. And a hope that he’ll finally hear the church bells that will unite everybody—including the lovers who hid the best and most sacred parts of their hearts.


Immortal
Summary:
When Teyth was but a child, a cruel prince took over his village, building a great granite tower to rule over the folk. Greedy and capricious, the man will be the bane of Teyth’s existence as an adult, but as a boy, Teyth is too busy escaping his stepfather to worry about his ruler.

Sold into apprenticeship to the local blacksmith, Teyth finds that what was meant as a punishment is actually his salvation. Cairsten, the smith, and Diarmuid, his adopted son, are kind, and the smithy is the prosperous heart of a thriving village. As Teyth grows in the craft of metalwork, he also grows in love for Diarmuid, the gentle, clever young man who introduces him to smithing.

Their prince wants Diarmuid too. As the tyrant inflicts loss upon loss on Teyth and Diarmuid, Teyth's passion for his craft twists into obsession. By the time Teyth resurfaces from his quest to create immortality, he’s nearly lost the love that makes being human worth the pain. Teyth was born to sculpt his emotion into metal, and Diarmuid was born to lead. Together, can they keep their village safe and sustain the love that will make them immortal?

Sunday's Safe Word Shelf: The Biker's Pup by Sean Michael


The Biker's Pup #1
Summary:
Whip came to the Gay Riders Carnival fundraiser weekend looking for a good time, but what he found was infinitely better.

Whip always has a good time at the Gay Riders Carnival, and this year he’s hoping to meet up with some studs and top last year’s festivities. The last thing he expects when he walks into his cabin is to be nearly bowled over by a skinny lad with a bruised jaw.

Nick came to the Carnival with his so-called Master Dirk, but instead of having a good time, things moved quickly from bad to worse and Dirk responded to his safeword with a punch. Running away and hiding was Nick’s only option.

Broke, alone and not entirely sure how he’s going to get home, Nick thinks Whip is a dream come to life and he’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop. For his part, Whip is drawn to the sweet pup and falls hard for Nick over the course of the long weekend.

But what’s going to happen when the weekend is over?

The Biker's Dom #2
Summary:
Trig isn’t looking for something special when he comes to the Gay Riders’ Carnival this year, but it just might have come looking for him.

It’s Trig’s fourth year at the Gay Riders’ Carnival and this year he’s not sure if he’s looking for more than a few nights of camping, checking out the booths and listening to the music. He’s been dumped a lot in the last year and is looking more to lick his wounds and just relax.

It’s the first time at the Carnival for Tarzan and he doesn’t know exactly what to expect. When he lays eyes on Trig, though, he knows what he wants. Trig claims he’s not a bottom, but he’s tripping all of Tarzan’s instincts.

Can these two men find a middle ground, or will their attraction last only as long as the Carnival itself?


The Biker's Pup #1
Whip pulled up into the parking lot of the campground, grinning as he looked around. Bikes from one end of the parking area to the other. He did fucking love the Gay Riders Carnival fundraiser weekend. Bikes, leather, men as far as the eye could see. There were harnesses and collars, chaps and jock straps. It was like the horny man playground of joy.

Bring it on.

Grabbing his saddle bags, he put them over his shoulder and made his way to registration. He wasn’t too into fucking in tents, or sleeping in them really, so he’d made a reservation at one of the cabins on the property. He took his time getting to the front desk, admiring bikes and asses alike. God damn, there were some hot motherfuckers here—handlebars and leather daddies, cowboys and inked guys.

His cock was nice and hard in no time, pushing against his leathers like it wanted out. He didn’t worry about it, this was family here this weekend and people would be flattered, not offended. In fact, he got more than one nod, a grin.

Fucking A. He knew he looked good. At six foot seven and three hundred pounds, he was pure muscle and leather. In fact, he was going out for Mr. Leatherman 2014 this year. He’d been more or less dared to do it, so here he was, competing.

He got his key, and headed to the group of little cabins toward the back of the campgrounds. This was the farthest from the carnival itself and it was quieter back here, the woods heavier. He liked the back cabins. Out here he could make someone scream. He could tie someone up and drive them to the moon.

A big bruiser in head-to-toe leather walked by him, nearly as tall as he was. Yeah, someone like that would look good tied to his bed. The thought had Whip grinning as he opened up his cabin door.

A soft sound surprised him almost as much as the sight of someone running for the door, trying to get by him. His hand shot out automatically, wrapping around one arm.

Huge blue eyes stared up at him from under a shock of jet black hair that had to go as far as the guy’s ass. “Let me go!”

“I don’t fucking think so. You’re squatting in my cabin.” Why was the real question.

“I…” The guy was whip-cord lean and sported a huge bruise on his angled jaw.

Whip nodded at that mark. “Did you deserve that?”

The skinny pup shook his head. “I’ll go. I was just… I’m sorry, man. Please. I’m in way over my head.”

“And you think letting you back out in biker central with a sweet body like yours is the shallow end?” Whip shook his head. There were enough guys who would eat this pup alive… “Answer the question. Did you deserve the shot to your jaw?”

“No! No, I didn’t. I safeworded. I promise.”

That made him growl, loud and deep. “And he didn’t stop. Is he here?” It wouldn’t be the first ass he’d kicked and it wouldn’t be the last.

“Please. Just let me go, man.”

No. No way he was letting this wee pup loose with the lions and bears. He needed to check that jaw, make sure it was just bruised and not broken.

“That ship sailed, kid.” He walked the guy back to the bed and sat him on it, taking a close look at the jaw. Touching it gingerly, he tested for swelling. It wasn’t broken, he didn’t think. “Looks to just be a bruise. Don’t suppose there’s anything in the freezer.” A bit of cold would go a long way.

“There’s a freezer?”

“A teeny one. In the little fridge.” There should be anyway. “So who did this to you?”

The pup shook his head. “Not a snitch.”

Whip crossed his arms. “You got a name, pup?”

“Nicky. Nick.”

“Well, Nicky Nick, I guess you’d better stay for now.” This pup would get eaten alive out there.

The Biker's Dom #2
Trig Magnussen drove onto the Gay Riders’ Carnival campgrounds, pulling his camping trailer. He’d decided not to ride his Hog in. The weather was fucking awful, one huge storm after another for the last few days and forecast for the entire weekend. There was no reason to miss the festival, though. He fucking loved this party, but damn, he intended to be comfortable, especially at night.

The place was already pretty packed, lots of folks with their camping gear. Looked like he wasn’t the only one determined not to miss the gay bikers’ biggest weekend of the year. He got himself a spot and backed the trailer into it, opening it up into his home for the next few days.

It took him about an hour to set everything up the way he liked it—the lawn chairs out facing the stage, the citronella candles for the bugs. He’d put in some groceries, but not too many, knowing that he’d be sampling some of the food there. At least it wasn’t raining at the moment, which made setup much smoother and less grumpy-making.

He knew if Whip and Nicky made it, they’d be staying at the cabins. They were still in their honeymoon phase, even after a damn year, and needed a good solid bed underneath them. Hey, at least someone was happy, right?

No bringing yourself down. Just because you’ve gone through no less than six subs in the last twelve months… One of them had even lasted four months.

He shook himself and double checked that everything was set up to his liking. Then he headed out into the carnival. He was dressed in his leathers, hair pulled back and bound in a braid, tight T-shirt on. He looked good.

He decided he wasn’t searching for a boy this time out. He was looking for a good time. He had friends here and he was sure if he struck out altogether with picking anyone up, one of them would be happy to roll in the trailer with him. Still, that didn’t stop him from admiring.

The booths and vendors were still in prep mode, but no one seemed to mind him being nosy. He was drawn to the leather booth, loving the smell of it. To him it always meant sex—kinky, toppy sex. Trig loved the clothes, the heaviness of a bracelet. Hell, he was into the workmanship. Leatherwork was a different skill from woodwork, but he loved the care that went into it.

He touched everything, his fingers lingering over the butter-soft leather jackets and the harder sensation of the thick leather saddlebags. One of these would go perfectly on his Hog. Maybe that would be his splurge this year.

“Anything I can help you with?” asked the vendor, the man wearing his own gear and looking fine. That was the best advertising.

“How much for the saddlebags? They’re gorgeous.”

“Three hundred and fifty apiece.”

Which wasn’t bad at all for good-sized bags. An excellent price, if you considered they were hand-crafted.

He nodded. “Sounds more than fair. I’ll have to look at everything before I blow my load, but I’ll be back.”

“Fair deal. Feel free to browse around. I’ll be here all weekend. If you’d like me to hold one back…”

“Oh, that would rock. Thanks, I appreciate it.” Trig gave the guy his name and shook the man’s hand before checking out the rest of the goods in the tent.

Man, look at the chaps. He didn’t need them, but he loved the look—on a big, hard body, with a tight, full ass. It made him groan and begin to fill the front of his own leather pants, making them just the right amount of uncomfortable.

God, he needed to get laid.

Author Bio:
Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.


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EMAIL: seanmichaelwrites@gmail.com



The Biker's Pup #1
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The Biker's Dom #2(Available January 5, 2016)
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Nerida by KR Thompson

Title: Nerida
Author: KR Thompson
Series: The Untold Stories of Neverland #3
Genre: Fairytale
\Release Date: December 26, 2015
Cover Design: Alchemy Book Covers
Summary:
Thespa, queen of the water sprites, has brought her own Lost Ones to Neverland. As the mermaids and mermen arrive, the magic returns once again to the Never Sea.

But with these newest inhabitants, something darker and more dangerous than the crocodile lies in wait below the surface.

Discover the untold story of the mermaid destined to become Neverland's sea witch.


THESPA, QUEEN OF the water sprites, and ruler of all the Never Sea, returned to the human world with a profound sense of dread. As the leader of the watery half of Neverland, not much worried her.

At least, it hadn’t until the humans began forgetting about magic and the sprites began dying.

This trip back to the human world wasn’t one she had made out of choice—necessity brought her here. She’d come to find someone to believe in her, possibly several someones, depending upon how successful her quest proved to be. Then, she’d bring them back with her as a sort of insurance so she’d never have to come to this wretched place again.

Fish won’t do, she decided, staring at the wide-set eyes of one particularly ugly pufferfish. She stood on a wide piece of coral, deep beneath the waves of this warm human ocean, and looked around. More unintelligent fish, crabs, and other sea creatures milled about, none looking particularly pleased or excited to see her. The only ones who showed any interest in her at all were the ones who stopped just long enough to see if she was a small, sparkly bit of food.

This could take forever. Her wings dipped down in dejection. I wonder how long it took the pixie to find that flying Peter-boy?

One of the golden pixies, Tink, had been the first to bring someone to Neverland. When that proved successful, she’d brought a handful more. Her Lost Ones, the pixie had named them. They were, Tink explained, the ones the human world wouldn’t miss.

Thespa crinkled her nose in disgust. As a creature of the sea, she didn’t care for humans. Though they resembled water sprites and had legs to walk about on, they lacked a graceful set of wings that could take them through both water and air. And they most certainly didn’t have any magic. Humans were meant to be above the sea, not below it. Still, the idea of taking someone or something to Neverland that wouldn’t be missed did appeal to Thespa. She sighed, wondering how long it took Tink to find her Lost Ones.

She started to fly from her perch and try a new place when something stopped her. Literally.

Thespa looked down and scowled, kicking the errant strand of seaweed that had twisted itself around her foot. The bit of green plant gave way at her vicious kick, but left a long green streak of slime down the length of her leg as a parting gift. This, of course, did absolutely nothing to improve her mood.

She was so aggravated that something extremely important had escaped her notice—the gaping jaws of an eel headed directly at her. Her anger disappeared in a fleeting second, but it was too late to move.

A hand wrapped around her an instant before the monster’s teeth snapped.

Nonplussed at missing its small, sparkly appetizer, the eel swam off in search of another easy, unsuspecting meal.

Once the hand opened, Thespa let out an uneasy breath and looked up into a pair of wide, silver eyes, framed by long locks of blond hair.

At first, she thought she’d been saved by a human, but then she spotted his long tail and realized he was as much a creature of the sea as she—and he was exactly who she’d been searching for.

Author Bio:
K.R. Thompson writes paranormal stories with a bite and fairytales with a twist. An avid reader and firm believer in the magic of books, she spends her nights either reading an adventure or writing one.

She still watches for evidence of Bigfoot in the mud of Wolf Creek.





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