tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69337866032354322382024-03-12T17:03:07.133-06:00Hayley B. JamesLove, like murder, is easier in fiction.Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-10559724567485828642014-11-16T21:54:00.000-07:002014-11-22T12:41:47.958-07:00Undercover Addiction Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Undercover Addiction is going on a (late) release tour! There will be prizes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8YB5I-tP2sFEWBOQ0EddWYtqcA98W1gQ-luegM5COAfgruHNF6HcZWLjbdr32-JEmj8MQGd_q06RhlAsHLjU3jqJVG89lK8JiP7cM6f9YJLGyrLo8V5KNh6cypUW2Llgv74M9sgi0OA/s1600/Blog+Tour+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8YB5I-tP2sFEWBOQ0EddWYtqcA98W1gQ-luegM5COAfgruHNF6HcZWLjbdr32-JEmj8MQGd_q06RhlAsHLjU3jqJVG89lK8JiP7cM6f9YJLGyrLo8V5KNh6cypUW2Llgv74M9sgi0OA/s1600/Blog+Tour+Banner.jpg" height="251" width="640" /></a></div>
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Undercover Addiction will be touring through different blogs - the tour schedule is below. Follow the blog tour and comment on my tour posts in order to increase your chances of winning a
marvelous goodie pack! </div>
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The prize pack includes: A paperback copy of Undercover Addiction,
Seattle-themed Mug, Washington state-made truffles and a magnet!</div>
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<strong>Contest Deadline Date: 23rd November, 2014</strong><br />
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<strong><u>Tour Schedule:</u></strong></div>
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17th Nov. - <a href="http://andrewqgordon.com/2014/11/17/new-release-undercover-addiction-by-hayley-b-james/" target="_blank">Andrew Q. Gordon's "The Land of Make Believe"</a></div>
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18th Nov. - <a href="http://www.ggr-review.com/undercover-addiction/" target="_blank">GGR-Reviews</a> & <a href="http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/undercover-addiction-by-hayley-b-james-blog-tour-excerpt-review-giveaway/" target="_blank">MM Good Book Reviews</a></div>
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19th Nov. - <a href="http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/11/haley-b-james-talks-undercover-addiction-blog-tour-excerpt-exclusive-giveaway-interview/" target="_blank">Interview at Prism Book Alliance</a><br />
<a href="http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/11/undercover-sins-by-haley-b-james-book-review-by-brandilyn/" target="_blank">Prism Book Alliance reviews Undercover Sins</a> & <a href="http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/11/undercover-addiction-by-haley-b-james-book-review-by-brandilyn/" target="_blank">Prism Book Alliance reviews Undercover Addiction</a></div>
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20th Nov. - <a href="http://thebloggergirls.com/2014/11/20/honorary-blogger-hayley-b-james-inspiration-from-the-emerald-city-excerpt-giveaway/" target="_blank">The Blogger Girls</a> & <a href="http://sinfullysexybooks.blogspot.in/2014/11/undercover-addiction-by-hayley-b-james.html" target="_blank">Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews</a></div>
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21st Nov. - <a href="http://lovebytesreviews.com/2014/11/21/blog-tour-interview-questions-excerpt-giveaway-hayley-b-james-undercover-addiction/" target="_blank">Love Bytes Reviews</a></div>
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22nd Nov.- <a href="http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2014/11/22/blog-tour-and-giveaway-undercover-addiction-by-hayley-b-james/" target="_blank">The Novel Approach</a><br />
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Check back daily for live links to the tour posts. I'll be tweeting links as well so you can follow me (if you don't already) on <a href="https://twitter.com/HayleyB_James" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. I'm excited about the tour and reading/replying to comments from readers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qAQPuugUO3WF6TwX18dlF08PJP3tr25QwCNMpz8-0Sf-H6TgmFIqcPDGy6DzdLHo0K-hb9dcvZAbyc_0LmQaqkSvAg3A7a2QJw5Npgr8cvssAQzhFx6iCvQelm4srcVOMUEC7xsYDBE/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qAQPuugUO3WF6TwX18dlF08PJP3tr25QwCNMpz8-0Sf-H6TgmFIqcPDGy6DzdLHo0K-hb9dcvZAbyc_0LmQaqkSvAg3A7a2QJw5Npgr8cvssAQzhFx6iCvQelm4srcVOMUEC7xsYDBE/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tour organized by the wonderful:</span></div>
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<a href="mailto:sidlovethewriter@live.in"><img alt="Creative Minds" class="aligncenter size-
full wp-image-52" height="60" src="https://sidlovewrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/creative-minds.jpg" width="468" /></a></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-40643628984094567822014-10-25T12:03:00.001-06:002014-11-18T11:48:58.854-07:00Undercover Addiction release and a sale<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5546" target="_blank">Undercover Addiction is now available</a>! Thank you to those who have already purchased, read, and enjoyed it. Your notes and reviews always make my day! Once my life calms down a bit I'll have a (late) blog tour for the release with prizes probably, but for now it was a quiet release so tell your friends and family ;)</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
“You know, I used to smoke. Too much. Nicotine was my addiction, but I only wanted it a particular way. Patches or gums could never satisfy me.”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“Are you saying I’m nicotine?”</div>
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“You’re the cigarette.”</div>
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Connor licked his bottom lip. “I’m willing to feed your addiction until your office misses you.”</div>
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“Good. I have all day.” </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWr2ugEgmv1cc6CuhnXCk85iCSaRS63nNveL5zjszkLm-t8DYFwGs5AlCLEZfBdSIb-FBJ97gDUQphplRUu_tA2HWUhXvDFFMOk4VYUmffpaY60atjp2iD1l37eXvum43pefvHNT5-KM/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWr2ugEgmv1cc6CuhnXCk85iCSaRS63nNveL5zjszkLm-t8DYFwGs5AlCLEZfBdSIb-FBJ97gDUQphplRUu_tA2HWUhXvDFFMOk4VYUmffpaY60atjp2iD1l37eXvum43pefvHNT5-KM/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>Working Vice for the Seattle PD, Connor Bishop’s favorite part of the job is going undercover. His current assignment is to get close to Riley Drapeau, a human trafficker backed into a corner by the FBI and turned informant. Connor needs to milk him for information on his organization, but while doing so, sees an entirely different Riley than he expected. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Caught off balance, Connor relies heavily on Lucas, his outside man and only link to the real world, but he gets sucked in by Riley and his attempt to clear his name and prove his partners fabricated evidence to frame him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Up to his eyeballs in the dark world of trafficking, Connor finds it easier to believe Riley than what the FBI is saying, especially when a leak is uncovered within the Bureau. The choices Connor has to make become even more difficult when Lucas admits he has feelings for him and promises a safe life far from harm. But Connor can’t deny the only man he wants to be with is Riley. Which forces him to decide if his addiction to the dangerous side of life can include loving a criminal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79N3n5NTLl9JJvmnBggZNpMy3D0yTxH1vEOW3iHGZu83FiREvQ_K7zsRN9SoQCW_K93b3Rmph_WsYGSxpmfoSmDw-qy90emJCf3hsFKsrUZaShnzwIu9N0oAc11wd2VPXE5DZJPj5dRg/s1600/FTone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79N3n5NTLl9JJvmnBggZNpMy3D0yTxH1vEOW3iHGZu83FiREvQ_K7zsRN9SoQCW_K93b3Rmph_WsYGSxpmfoSmDw-qy90emJCf3hsFKsrUZaShnzwIu9N0oAc11wd2VPXE5DZJPj5dRg/s1600/FTone.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div>
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If you you're looking to read Elemental Attraction series<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">—</span>more specifically the second book<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">—</span><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3345" target="_blank">Fire Tango is on sale right now at Dreamspinner Press</a>! As a part of their hidden gem sale, it's 30% off until November 18th! Woo! </div>
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“The foundation of a relationship is not little things from the past, doll.”</div>
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“You’re right. But all those little pieces make you who you are.”</div>
</blockquote>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-53085973955625493762014-09-29T19:46:00.000-06:002014-10-20T12:16:48.088-06:00Cover Reveal: Undercover Addiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0eJQcWcgMnnP9-4J4GgXWY538KfSo7gl9EhTPg6al5N_4oop3EwJ6kMd3sAszzkXVUBSJnUs9LkOu80nbvSERL4QscgXiFjDHaQFnNhlpKOoveBmOLqIldpOHoker8ljFdeHAaIOQWw/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0eJQcWcgMnnP9-4J4GgXWY538KfSo7gl9EhTPg6al5N_4oop3EwJ6kMd3sAszzkXVUBSJnUs9LkOu80nbvSERL4QscgXiFjDHaQFnNhlpKOoveBmOLqIldpOHoker8ljFdeHAaIOQWw/s1600/UndercoverAddictionFS.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Undercover Addiction</span></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A Secret Sins novel</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Working Vice for the Seattle PD, Connor Bishop’s favorite part of the job is going undercover. His current assignment is to get close to Riley Drapeau, a human trafficker backed into a corner by the FBI and turned informant. Connor needs to milk him for information on his organization, but while doing so, sees an entirely different Riley than he expected.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Caught off balance, Connor relies heavily on Lucas, his outside man and only link to the real world, but he gets sucked in by Riley and his attempt to clear his name and prove his partners fabricated evidence to frame him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Up to his eyeballs in the dark world of trafficking, Connor finds it easier to believe Riley than what the FBI is saying, especially when a leak is uncovered within the Bureau. The choices Connor has to make become even more difficult when Lucas admits he has feelings for him and promises a safe life far from harm. But Connor can’t deny the only man he wants to be with is Riley. Which forces him to decide if his addiction to the dangerous side of life can include loving a criminal. </div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5546" target="_blank">Available: October 20, 2014</a><br />
Cover Artist: Paul Richmond </div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-82510233673417395932014-08-16T12:26:00.000-06:002014-08-16T12:26:16.158-06:00Dreamspinner Press free-shipping for GRL AttendeesI might not be attending GRL, but if you are and you want to buy any of my novels in paperback form, Dreamspinner Press has a code for you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL43cmB5YaGs0pdAlQVlYk3v2gC6Blzas_pTo22nByO-jCawecJZeNkMONeTNO7kIvGxf5RVY9WtwgtzAshkctgcxJVrwIqzHQLwmARSEyzwG72Lnz_qgEJJWEsOgWED5LJ1s42DgTpI/s1600/apd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL43cmB5YaGs0pdAlQVlYk3v2gC6Blzas_pTo22nByO-jCawecJZeNkMONeTNO7kIvGxf5RVY9WtwgtzAshkctgcxJVrwIqzHQLwmARSEyzwG72Lnz_qgEJJWEsOgWED5LJ1s42DgTpI/s1600/apd.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Information from the Dreamspinner Press blog:<br />
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If you plan to attend GRL in Chicago this October, you can <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/" target="_blank">preorder paperbacks on our site</a> between now and September 21 to be picked up at the event, and if you use the code GRL2014, you won’t have to pay shipping! Any orders using this code will only be available for pickup at GRL. You can order books from any author, even if the author isn’t attending GRL.<br />The code is valid on all in-stock paperbacks and good for multiple orders, so take advantage of all the specials between now and then. We will have a special GRL preorder sale Sept. 17-21 where ALL paperbacks will be in-stock for preorders, so if something isn’t available now, check back then.</blockquote>
<br />Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-7195236558135423672014-08-14T21:09:00.000-06:002014-08-14T21:09:31.324-06:00the Undercover Sins Sequel has a Blurb<div class="tr_bq">
Undercover Addiction is book two in the Secret Sins series. If you pick up book two without reading book one, you won't be lost. New boys, new city, and a new plot. For readers who enjoyed book one, you'll find familiar faces in book two among the supporting cast.</div>
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I'm super excited for this novel to be released! Once I get a cover and more information on a release date, I'll update again. You can follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HayleyBJames.author" target="_blank">Facebook </a>for faster updates.<br />
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<blockquote>
<b>Undercover Addiction:</b><br />
<br />
Working Vice for the Seattle PD, Connor Bishop’s favorite part of the job is going undercover. His current assignment is to get close to Riley Drapeau, a human trafficker backed into a corner by the FBI and turned informant. Connor needs to milk him for information on his organization, but while doing so, sees an entirely different Riley than he expected.<br />
<br />
Caught off balance, Connor relies heavily on Lucas, his outside man and only link to the real world, but he gets sucked in by Riley and his attempt to clear his name and prove his partners fabricated evidence to frame him.<br />
<br />
Up to his eyeballs in the dark world of trafficking, Connor finds it easier to believe Riley than what the FBI is saying, especially when a leak is uncovered within the Bureau. The choices Connor has to make become even more difficult when Lucas admits he has feelings for him and promises a safe life far from harm. But Connor can’t deny the only man he wants to be with is Riley. Which forces him to decide if his addiction to the dangerous side of life can include loving a criminal. </blockquote>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-6461275197420655312014-04-19T18:57:00.000-06:002016-12-02T17:18:04.663-07:00Favorite Anime #yaoi Ships in 2013<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s almost half way into 2014, but I decided to venture
back into 2013 and talk about my three favorite new anime shows of the year. I wanted
to do this much earlier (like in January) but time got away from me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I’ll be using the term “ship.” Shipping refers to romantically
(or only for the smut aspects) pairing up two (or more) characters who are not
together in the official story. <br />
<br />
I also use the term <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Trope" target="_blank">trope</a>. In this sense i'm using it as a narrative style or a concerpt that has been used before and is well known. (example: opposite personalities fall in love despite their differences)</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Number 3:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Karneval</i> – 13 episodes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.funimation.com/shows/karneval/anime" target="_blank">Available online through Funimation</a>. Licensed by Funimation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EnY4MsBylqURqCCdrw2vkqLXusGpeRXKlxgQZdDV7WtEzD2ae-cna1mpaf8Pa07U9a4GDizbBKj7CPmoHMfMSvIY4TUbKq6X-hc0T9kdt5J_p4bFgnhh6MkiIYOY1qZILKywwzI2wjE/s1600/karneval-official-RESIZED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EnY4MsBylqURqCCdrw2vkqLXusGpeRXKlxgQZdDV7WtEzD2ae-cna1mpaf8Pa07U9a4GDizbBKj7CPmoHMfMSvIY4TUbKq6X-hc0T9kdt5J_p4bFgnhh6MkiIYOY1qZILKywwzI2wjE/s1600/karneval-official-RESIZED.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I read this manga a few years ago but dropped it due to time
restrictions. The anime follows Nai as he searches for someone important to him
who’s missing. Gareki agrees to help Nai in exchange for a bracelet Nai wears.
The two are caught up in some dangerous circumstances and are saved by a security organization
of talented members called Circus. The anime gets Nai to his someone special
and hashes out Gareki’s past along the way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I loved Gareki and Yogi in comic form and I still love them
animated. I was excited to hear about this anime and was satisfied with the
outcome. I can’t remember enough of the early manga chapters to know how close
the anime stuck to it, but the anime itself wrapped up enough by the final
episode to not leave the viewer hanging, but also leaves it open for a second
season. It has enough action to not be stagnant, and enough drama to stay interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u></u></div>
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<u>The Ship</u> – Yogi and Gareki. The “opposite personalities” pair is a weakness of mine. Both have a dark, painful past, but Gareki is a
grump and Yogi would rather mask the pain with smiles and laughter.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdAW4IeuTM63gT41dnUL7WXG7I5-LLSuBA66KE-mMqs1P_OG4YV4s5li5DOgkXPK_qTq_iTSUgTyNRmj1MnwleDsQkcVLkjJTs8n0gORTwWJXHCY7oM_4C26c0VqDJmmKTJx8r487sm0/s1600/karneval-fanart-RESIZED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdAW4IeuTM63gT41dnUL7WXG7I5-LLSuBA66KE-mMqs1P_OG4YV4s5li5DOgkXPK_qTq_iTSUgTyNRmj1MnwleDsQkcVLkjJTs8n0gORTwWJXHCY7oM_4C26c0VqDJmmKTJx8r487sm0/s1600/karneval-fanart-RESIZED.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inma.deviantart.com/art/Karneval-my-OTP-363876829" target="_blank">Fan art by: inma on deviantart</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> - ~ -</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b>Number 2:</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Attack on Titan</i> – 25 episodes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.crunchyroll.com/attack-on-titan" target="_blank">Available online through Crunchyroll</a>. <a href="http://www.funimation.com/shows/attack-on-titan/anime" target="_blank">Licensed byFunimation</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40N6lLl-YWhfIPKaLpezq9fDRozDybpCpCxe8Rt885rpVFA_IXKlC9EqiMgCsXC4RqpxsniaGUFhiip4GBoE5KNXO_NBayVTm6gEJ90GaTk-WrlsdQikT3cTxlpQ0PiVzyoDs_IXfcX8/s1600/eruri+-+fanart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40N6lLl-YWhfIPKaLpezq9fDRozDybpCpCxe8Rt885rpVFA_IXKlC9EqiMgCsXC4RqpxsniaGUFhiip4GBoE5KNXO_NBayVTm6gEJ90GaTk-WrlsdQikT3cTxlpQ0PiVzyoDs_IXfcX8/s1600/eruri+-+fanart.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aileine.tumblr.com/post/65738511376/youre-free-to-go" target="_blank">Fan art by: aileine on tumblr</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When 2013 started I swore to myself I wouldn’t watch any
shows as they aired. (I even put off Karneval until all episodes were out
before watching it.) But this show broke my rule. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you already watch anime you
know how this one seems to do things differently. It’s a welcomed change of
pace. The tropes and plot ploys aren’t entirely unique but some are handled and
set up differently. The hero surviving largely on good luck and an unbreakable spirit is common, but Eren doesn't feel like the typical anime hero. Maybe it's his ability to fail (and fail often) that puts him off from the rest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The characters themselves are for the most part rich in
differences, and they respond (again, for the most part) appropriately to the terrible
world in which they live...and behave differently as well. there isn't a blanket reaction to death for every character. Some cry, some give a corpse mouth to mouth, others suffer in silence. The world building, including the characters, is worth watching for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It
has plenty of action, but boy howdy is there a lot of “previously on” flashbacks. I assume the flashbacks are
out of concern the average viewer will be lost in the world building, but it can get annoying if you're watching more than one episode in one sitting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Ship</u> – Commander Erwin and Corporal Levi. Height difference is
another weakness of mine. But dissecting the two characters (seen more in the
manga) has also given me a laundry list of reasons I pair these two. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwigIg4-_chIzV7HKCNEjvycXOyO05k5_Ms-RRQWuoauoBX7sf9wt2LlgaAeGgxJDz5_bSsD60g7Yv80xKakzYouFVtV9bVDtLLI1K4qAlTjwqot3nPQ86ZTRaEYDapJYJnjGcjm5VHA/s1600/eruri+-+anime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwigIg4-_chIzV7HKCNEjvycXOyO05k5_Ms-RRQWuoauoBX7sf9wt2LlgaAeGgxJDz5_bSsD60g7Yv80xKakzYouFVtV9bVDtLLI1K4qAlTjwqot3nPQ86ZTRaEYDapJYJnjGcjm5VHA/s1600/eruri+-+anime.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi is so short next to Erwin <3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p>- ~ -</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Number 1:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Free! Iwatobi Swim Club</i> – 12 episodes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.crunchyroll.com/free-iwatobi-swim-club" target="_blank">Available online on Crunchyroll</a>. (no license)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierMgrlTOlgvR4gj2NpdLH-_-Z8AcMnaR-9yf3ErVPBFn5gQnIZGIHA7ktwmJbTLlh2a0TL4lB9OPhV8yjOFpD3XZ9Oxb8sxZdZeWbycrBbWiwuqdZdBpiiiSA_HMXpG_eoCQHvf8bWMg/s1600/Free!.official.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierMgrlTOlgvR4gj2NpdLH-_-Z8AcMnaR-9yf3ErVPBFn5gQnIZGIHA7ktwmJbTLlh2a0TL4lB9OPhV8yjOFpD3XZ9Oxb8sxZdZeWbycrBbWiwuqdZdBpiiiSA_HMXpG_eoCQHvf8bWMg/s1600/Free!.official.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This fucking anime. Unless you don’t have internet access, I
don’t know how you lived this past year without hearing about this one.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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All the way back in 2012, Animation DO (property of Kyoto Animation) used a splash
image associated with an untitled project about a boy's swim team. It gained interest online. March 2013, Kyoto released a promotional trailer for the project. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NqRG88E-s8" target="_blank">view it here</a>) That trailer ignited interest among English speaking viewers.<br />
<br />
The fans called it “swimming anime” and petitioned the studio for more. Despite it not being an <i>actual anime</i>, the fans' created fanfic, fanart, and even cosplay of the unnamed characters.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kyoto Animation gifted the world this beautifully animated series in July of 2013.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Adapted from a light novel, the story is about three high
school guys reconciling a friendship with their estranged friend with the help
of their bespectacled team mate. (That’s the plot in very tiny nut shell) It's a friendship
is magic sort of thing. (the light novel takes place when the four are much younger, and before the friendship fell out.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RLXT09cTBXVg9SS8O2D4gHApZC7opAu0iT36OVoEIORoB2fPo_vHLHQ28fIQHTRiRndUXN8qt0xxf88Hq8L1xGLRhxoj81XupTHF9bLCT84PlSo1i-xRomfyRZJ1ndpDmjQQS2ctFTg/s1600/free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RLXT09cTBXVg9SS8O2D4gHApZC7opAu0iT36OVoEIORoB2fPo_vHLHQ28fIQHTRiRndUXN8qt0xxf88Hq8L1xGLRhxoj81XupTHF9bLCT84PlSo1i-xRomfyRZJ1ndpDmjQQS2ctFTg/s1600/free.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=37196291" target="_blank">Fan art by 如月マナミ on pixiv</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While it's a show about friendship and swimming competitions, it appears to be about a swim team
consisting of overly gay men bonding with their estranged friend who’s on his own
swim team of overly gay men. The fan service is aplenty but the plot is
beautiful and the character development is top-notch—especially Haru’s, Rin’s,
and to a lesser extent Makoto. Haru and Rin had a lot of need to grow and
change, so the difference between their episode 1 and episode 12 personalities
really shine. Makoto is a character whose actions don't always portray his thoughts, and it’s nice to
see a more complex design in a show about gay swimmers—I mean friendship. It’s
about friendship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>The Ship</u> – My favorite is Makoto and Haru. The trope of
childhood friends who know each other as well as they know themselves is another
one of my favorites. Makoto will sometimes speak for Haru or “read his mind” when
he stays silent. Makoto dotes on all of his friends, but I mainly ship him with
Haru.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p>- ~ -</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>I have a regular tumblr I reblog men for inspiration (<a href="http://hayleybjames.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Hayley B Jame</a>s) but I also have an anime-centered tumblr as well (<a href="http://otp-tears.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">OTP Tears</a>). Feel free to check out the pretty on both.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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Share your ships below regardless of show or year ~</div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-72351059092855609882014-03-16T11:23:00.001-06:002014-03-16T11:23:55.005-06:00Update: Undercover Sins 2 has Been FinishedI've gone way too long in between updates again, but life has been hectic!<br />
<br />The sequel to Undercover Sins which I wrote in a way where it could stand alone as well has been finished and submitted to the publisher (Dreamspinner Press). Now I wait to see if it'll be accepted for publication.Undercover Sins 2 - Undercover Addiction is set in Seattle, WA instead of Las Vegas, but much like the first book it follows an undercover cop getting dangerously close to a human trafficker. The criminal is of course romanticized and his crimes are downplayed but this is gay romance, not non-fiction. The two leads from the first are no longer the leads, but they do have important secondary roles.<br />
I'll be posting teasers from the book later this month and in April.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOY86rPGn4X1b7dfTUdN1u8-Ev9Zc2JjWk-JkmXuKwDXTQxMhmFWBYpH6XTmr4pZUnBe2eqzxqBZ75leE4hPpZdzZWL_gTGTxyCCO0OLeqEfYS1n5087iEP7ksT0j9iL9zQtTzZe3nHj0/s1600/apdcars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOY86rPGn4X1b7dfTUdN1u8-Ev9Zc2JjWk-JkmXuKwDXTQxMhmFWBYpH6XTmr4pZUnBe2eqzxqBZ75leE4hPpZdzZWL_gTGTxyCCO0OLeqEfYS1n5087iEP7ksT0j9iL9zQtTzZe3nHj0/s1600/apdcars.jpg" height="203" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm also planning out a third book in the ABQ Heat series to delve into Benji's past and his ability to evolve and feel comfortable in a life he had been told he could never have. And of course...more Kyle and Isaac, because they are truly too fun to write.<br />
<br />
<br />Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-71174276330895311082014-01-24T17:35:00.000-07:002014-02-02T10:55:36.039-07:00Polyester Prince Blog Tour Giveaway - How to Enter<b>FACEBOOK CHAT GIVEAWAY:</b><br />
I'll be giving away an ebook copy of Polyester Prince during the author chat on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dreamspinnerpress" target="_blank">Dreamspinner Press Facebook page</a>. Drop by Sunday, January 26 (1-4pm Eastern) and join the discussions to be entered into the drawing. Winners will be selected the following day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>TOUR GIVEAWAY</b><br />
<i>Winner’s prize</i> – A set of paperback copies of Paid Leave and Polyester Prince<br />
A “Paid Leave” coffee mug<br />
<i>Runner Up's prize</i> – An ecopy of Polyester Prince<br />
<br />
<b>Follow this link to enter:<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0f7bf72/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMpqsgAGkOhIZa04unbShIO6yguVybRaYQzhtUzUO1rvz3FtsBTwA_AZUgelizxnKpHkrXJ7FzKk5kkU9FHzFFKb5pC2Xsjymx1tgy6_JbHlIvonJARWl5NQosP9sBOZUG63MHCc6iYc/s1600/PolyesterPrince-Tour+Badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMpqsgAGkOhIZa04unbShIO6yguVybRaYQzhtUzUO1rvz3FtsBTwA_AZUgelizxnKpHkrXJ7FzKk5kkU9FHzFFKb5pC2Xsjymx1tgy6_JbHlIvonJARWl5NQosP9sBOZUG63MHCc6iYc/s1600/PolyesterPrince-Tour+Badge.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
1/24 - <a href="http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4151143.html" target="_blank">Elisa Rolle</a><br />
1/25 - <a href="http://andrewqgordon.com/2014/01/25/guest-author-hayley-b-james-polyester-prince-blog-tour/" target="_blank">Andrew Q Gordon</a><br />
1/26 - <a href="http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/polyster-prince-by-hayley-b-james-blog-stop-giveaway-and-review/" target="_blank">MM Good Book Reviews</a><br />
1/27 - <a href="http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/01/haley-b-james-talks-about-polyester-prince-interview-blog-tour/" target="_blank">Prism Book Alliance</a><br />
1/28 - <a href="http://cupoporn.blogspot.in/2014/01/tuesday-tangent-with-hayley-b-james.html" target="_blank">CupOPorn</a><br />
1/29 - <a href="http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/polyester-prince-by-hayley-b-james/" target="_blank">Fallen Angel Reviews</a><br />
1/30 - <a href="http://sidlove.com/2014/01/30/current-week-review-giveaway-polyester-prince-by-hayley-b-james-blog-tour/" target="_blank">Sid Love</a><br />
1/31 - <a href="http://liveyourlifebuythebook.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/polyester-prince-blog-hop/" target="_blank">Live Life, Buy Books</a><br />
2/1 - <a href="http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2014/01/31/3746/" target="_blank">Book Reviews and More by Kathy</a><br />
2/2 - <a href="http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2014/02/02/did-you-know-hayley-b-james-has-her-own-polyester-prince-she-does-and-she-also-has-a-giveaway/" target="_blank">The Novel Approach</a>Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-59395852880085871892014-01-22T19:46:00.001-07:002014-01-25T10:42:07.464-07:00Polyester Prince Release Event and a Facebook Chat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo95ePus8O2JAK-vpXvOxdvd-9zo869TdQn5VcO6B8-h3wAjTJn8h0UscTdcBu0d8JrQNdZP3gQaasKuspJjhEM82wdGdjZJ0B1Oj-hLvwT0jD7ETJMO56p5MqJZyU2seS3nWt42gLT04/s1600/PolyesterPrince2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo95ePus8O2JAK-vpXvOxdvd-9zo869TdQn5VcO6B8-h3wAjTJn8h0UscTdcBu0d8JrQNdZP3gQaasKuspJjhEM82wdGdjZJ0B1Oj-hLvwT0jD7ETJMO56p5MqJZyU2seS3nWt42gLT04/s1600/PolyesterPrince2.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>
I'll be chatting with readers this Sunday (January 26) on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dreamspinnerpress" target="_blank">Facebook</a>! Please stop by if you have questions for me about Polyester Prince (or my other titles), or you just want to say hello.<br />
**There will also be two chances to <b>WIN </b>an ebook copy of Polyester Prince.<br />
<br />
The chat will be on January 26th at 1 pm until 4 pm Eastern (which is 11 am to 2 pm Mountain...or 10 am to 1pm Pacific time) on the Dreamspinner Press Facebook page. Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/692465490775712" target="_blank">here</a> to join the event and receive a notification when it begins.<br />
You can also like Dreamspinner Press and return to the page on Sunday to chat with me: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dreamspinnerpress" target="_blank">facebook.com/dreamspinnerpress</a><br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
This Friday, <b>Polyester Prince</b> is going on a blog tour to celebrate the release! The schedule is below, and there will be a <i>giveaway</i> at the end of the tour. I'll be blogging about Albuquerque and the boys from Polyester Prince, and sharing some excerpts. Check back this Friday (January 24) when Polyester Prince is released for the beginning of the tour and more information about the giveaway.<br />
<br />
1/24 - <a href="http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/" target="_blank">Elisa Rolle</a><br />
1/25 - <a href="http://andrewqgordon.com/2014/01/25/guest-author-hayley-b-james-polyester-prince-blog-tour/" target="_blank">Andrew Q Gordon</a><br />
1/26 - <a href="http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">MM Good Book Reviews</a><br />
1/27 - <a href="http://www.prismbookalliance.com/" target="_blank">Prism Book Alliance </a><br />
1/28 - <a href="http://cupoporn.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">CupOPorn</a><br />
1/29 - <a href="http://fallenangelreviews.com/" target="_blank">Fallen Angel Reviews</a><br />
1/30 - <a href="http://sidlove.com/" target="_blank">Sid Love</a><br />
1/31 - <a href="http://liveyourlifebuythebook.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Live Life, Buy Books</a><br />
2/1 - <a href="http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/" target="_blank">Book Reviews and More by Kathy</a><br />
2/2 - <a href="http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/" target="_blank">The Novel Approach</a><br />
You can join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/781208731913445/" target="_blank">Facebook event</a> as well.Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-34757545527573985132014-01-03T20:13:00.000-07:002014-01-03T20:23:14.789-07:00Welcoming 2014 with a New Cover!I've returned from an unannounced <strike>and unofficial</strike> hiatus from...almost everything. The end of the year really chewed me up. I also had final edits for Polyester Prince--which went great! The editing team at Dreamspinner Press is amazing and I'm forever grateful for them. I'm so very lucky to have such a great publisher. (I think I'm gushing...I really shouldn't.)<br />
<br />
Anyway! It's now 2014 and time for new plans and fresh starts. To begin 2014, I have Polyester Prince coming out January 24! That's really soon! I also have an author chat on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dreamspinnerpress" target="_blank">Facebook page for Dreamspinner Press on January 26</a>. I'll be sharing excerpts from Polyester Prince and answering your questions.<br />
<br />
Polyester Prince is the sequel to <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Paid Leave</a>. If you haven't read Paid Leave it's okay. Polyester Prince is a self-contained story following Kyle Edington, who is introduced in the first book, as he searches all of Albuquerque for his prince in a polyester blend and what he truly wants his life to become.<br />
<br />
Here's the cover done by the talented Paul Richmond:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDBVlgQEjkvnzL2Hn2DIoY2iKUsCOzr3Hi3k-6j7dml_fn-OkQ4V23jg0nCbxvvH7UsCtI3p5d3hbJ5DT4e_nBYGAJrzLn2hXxkaoKPNGqQGq_yxLBeo4MwScqgkHYpTIBBQbDu9XAQY/s1600/PolyesterPrince2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDBVlgQEjkvnzL2Hn2DIoY2iKUsCOzr3Hi3k-6j7dml_fn-OkQ4V23jg0nCbxvvH7UsCtI3p5d3hbJ5DT4e_nBYGAJrzLn2hXxkaoKPNGqQGq_yxLBeo4MwScqgkHYpTIBBQbDu9XAQY/s640/PolyesterPrince2.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
Kyle Edington built his life around clubs, alcohol, nameless sex, and turning a blind eye to his future, but having front row access to his best friend’s perfect relationship leaves him wanting something he doesn’t understand—the white picket fence. After an ankle injury hinders his plans for PrideFest and puts his day job selling furniture at risk, Kyle attends Pride anyway to cheer himself up. Leaving his crutches at home was a mistake, though, and he’s shoved off balance and hits his head.<br />
<br />
A bike officer keeps him safe until the paramedics arrive. Kyle’s memory of the event is foggy. He doesn’t recall the name or face of his guardian angel, but he definitely remembers the finest polyester-covered ass in all of Albuquerque.<br />
<br />
But when he goes in search of his polyester prince, Kyle realizes relationships take hard work. After he learns the name of that perfect ass, a lifetime of avoiding serious boyfriends leaves Kyle second-guessing himself and making difficult decisions about what he wants for his future.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4633" target="_blank">Available on January 24 through Dreamspinner Press</a><br />
<br />
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---
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<br />
Have a wonderful 2014!</div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-39923769685816750362013-09-07T11:58:00.002-06:002013-09-07T11:59:13.274-06:00Waiting for Summer to Turn and Fall<div class="MsoNormal">
Welcome to September! I’m sorry for my absence in updating
properly. I don’t know what happened to August, but I have a few updates to
share. </div>
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<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilpuwOmdhuTr-mgJlbYZCEH4zGhyphenhyphen0bAWzOEPYXpY97IRyPZvy7yCzQClk6n5OsuPVTZYYl84NmqEvhm2tmj3aR77qcUaFLfXRvZlcXT4N57q35piChbAnYMhwPrlmmECF8mxS015q0t4/s1600/09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilpuwOmdhuTr-mgJlbYZCEH4zGhyphenhyphen0bAWzOEPYXpY97IRyPZvy7yCzQClk6n5OsuPVTZYYl84NmqEvhm2tmj3aR77qcUaFLfXRvZlcXT4N57q35piChbAnYMhwPrlmmECF8mxS015q0t4/s320/09.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>P<b>olyester Prince was accepted by Dreamspinner Press!</b> If you’re
read <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Paid Leave</a> (and you really should) you might remember Kyle. This is his
story immediately following the events in Paid Leave. Kyle falls for a bicycle cop named Isaac he meets during the Pride parade in Albuquerque. The expected release date
is January or February 2014. I’ll update with a specific date at a later time. More information about Polyester Prince can be
found in the <a href="http://www.hayleybjames.com/p/coming-soon.html" target="_blank">coming soon section</a>.</li>
<li>I have a new silhouette image to use in my logo created for me by the wonderful
<a href="http://www.charliecochet.com/%E2%80%8E" target="_blank">Charlie Cochet</a>! It’s in the header above under my name. I adore it. She’s so
talented.</li>
<li>I’ve officially began writing the sequel to <i>Undercover Sins</i>,
tentatively titled Undercover Desires. It takes place a few years after
Undercover Sins and in a new city. The two main characters return, but this
time around they’re part of the supporting cast. I’ll post more about it in the
upcoming months.</li>
<li>I am 100% ready for summer to be over. I want cooler weather! </li>
<li>If you want quicker updates, please <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HayleyBJames.author" target="_blank">friend me on Facebook</a> (I won't bite) or like my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HayleyBJames" target="_blank">author page</a>. I tend to update my Facebook profile more than the page, but I update both with relevant information more often than <a href="https://twitter.com/HayleyB_James" target="_blank">Twitter </a>or <a href="http://hayleybjames.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">tumblr</a>...which are both just silly fun times all the time.</li>
</ul>
That's all I have for today. I know I've made this promise before, but I'll update more regularly. (I hope)<o:p></o:p><br />
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Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-55315632601375697682013-07-04T11:29:00.002-06:002013-07-04T11:33:49.115-06:00The Equal Rights Blog Hop<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://queertownabbey.com/join-the-equal-rights-blog-hop-july-4th-through-7th/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs134Kq4mhmqPQXT88VuDL71vpCDbvx8tsIM7XxcRj3nHAB9moyux9DXu7pP87-L5lg0wrEpGPFI14ZxdZYysaRO1Rs6HrjVhB0DUmAoCzKJx4ilXUTk0EghImfM7Ug6k-4d2S9aWdZC0/s250/equalrightbloghop.png" /></a></div>
The Equal Rights Blog Hop is brought to you by Queer Town Abbey. Click the
banner to see the other participants. :) There are TWO giveaways: One from my
blog and one from Queer Town Abbey. See below for details.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I write gay romance, but that’s not the reason I see myself
as part of the GLBT community. I have many friends who are bi, lesbian, or gay.
My best friend is gay, and when he came out to me during a movie date it didn’t
register on a richter scale. It wasn’t that I had guessed or I already knew,
but it just didn’t matter. He was himself regardless of his orientation. He was
my friend I loved him then as much as I do now. <o:p></o:p><br />
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But even having friends doesn’t make me a part of the
community. I’m a part of the GLBT community because I want my friends and the
millions of strangers out there to have the same freedoms and rights I receive.
I read the news and my heart hurts for the abandoned youth and couples denied
basic human rights.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8V7S2GKluX5itSr35zmOYNC_ZihLKg9TtKSeGZM81TvRaTIByULZ4SopTmL2lD9tZSL2mxRhQ4GE3Z_rZyJU9Y-WlRorAeXVXbNNeXmAsaOsDHTuzFQLWUSTCJDji7ROYPWfDd5jKik/s320/paidleave-cover.jpg" width="213" /></a>My novels are not strictly for naughty entertainment. I don’t
think any political statement made in them could change the world, but there’s
no telling what might open an eye somewhere.<br />
<br />
In my latest release <i><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Paid Leave</a></i> I
built the story around two statements I wanted to make without making it
obvious. The lead struggles against hate for his badge and for his sexual orientation.
Benji is lucky enough to be in a novel where happy endings are expected, but not
everyone lives where they can believe it will get better. <o:p></o:p><br />
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And that’s another reason I’m a part of GLBT community.
Until the world is equal, I’ll be around doing what I can to stop prejudice and
hate. <o:p></o:p><br />
That said, if you ever want to donate to some awesome sources, don't forget <a href="http://www.hrc.org/" target="_blank">HRC</a> and <a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/" target="_blank">It Gets Better</a>. They do the hard work.</div>
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<b>Hayley’s giveaway:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Leave me a comment. One winner will be selected to receive a
<i>Paid Leave</i> coffee mug and coffee from the shop that inspired Beans. (Neal's shop in Paid Leave)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Queer Town Abbey grand prize giveaway:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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To enter, answer this question: Where did my best friend come
out to me?<o:p></o:p><br />
(for more info on the grand prize, and to read the other blogs in the hop, visit <a href="http://queertownabbey.com/join-the-equal-rights-blog-hop-july-4th-through-7th/" target="_blank">Queer Town Abbey</a>.</div>
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Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-91328413162359783362013-06-18T18:59:00.000-06:002013-06-18T18:59:01.275-06:00Paid Leave Receives Positive ReviewsI don't normally like to toot my own horn, but I'm going to right now. <i><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Paid Leave</a></i> has received some great reviews. I can honestly say this is the first of my novels to gain so many stars. I put a lot of love into Paid Leave, so I'm very happy to see readers enjoy it. It also really encourages me to finish the sequel!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">-- Below are a few reviews I've seen and wanted to share --</span><br />
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<b>4.5 Nymphs from <a href="http://literarynymphsreviewsonly.blogspot.com/2013/06/paid-leave.html?zx=e9cd97eab530d133" target="_blank">Literary Nymphs Reviews Only</a>.</b><br />
"Paid Leave is a well written story that slowly brings the readers into Benji’s life and allows them to see how meeting the right person helps him become a stronger person. The personal and professional conflicts the men face help strengthen their relationship. This is a story that will find its way to many keeper piles. Fans of the M/M genre should really give it a try. "<br />
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<b>5 Stars from <a href="http://sean-norris.com/?p=1041" target="_blank">World of Diversity Fiction</a>.</b><br />
"I loved this story! Benji could have been any gay man from any place in the world. He is the man afraid to come out, but will not let the man he loves go without standing up for himself and his relationship. I loved watching him grow as a character."<br />
"I give Paid Leave, 5 stars! If you are looking for a law enforcement story that makes you want to turn the page and ask for more work from the author, then this story is for [you]!"<br />
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<b>5 stars from <a href="http://sidlove.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/pre-release-review-paid-leave-by-hayley-b-james/" target="_blank">Sid Love</a>.</b><br />
"The best thing about this story is that Hayley B James makes these characters so real. I loved that she avoided going down the route that most m/m romances take – making these two guys stereotypically gorgeous hunks with flowery descriptions of model style looks or perfect bodies - No! She gives us perfectly normal, everyday guys and that was what made this story so believable. "Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-15653634382817698322013-05-16T20:30:00.000-06:002013-06-01T11:59:29.363-06:00Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013 #HAHAT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_23q76rYuCG2VTwn45ox7tmKC4caOOFLKHGn6U-6NVrap61QcPwqnv2aCR813o_J8QIY_A4mXgIlcDqd3GLmVf7M9u2dE5JWImXTI5RPGglpStN2S1YOySB1FsZIaU7HyKLuIIIABUE/s1600/hop3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_23q76rYuCG2VTwn45ox7tmKC4caOOFLKHGn6U-6NVrap61QcPwqnv2aCR813o_J8QIY_A4mXgIlcDqd3GLmVf7M9u2dE5JWImXTI5RPGglpStN2S1YOySB1FsZIaU7HyKLuIIIABUE/s1600/hop3.png" /></a></div>
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May 17th is the <a href="http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/" target="_blank">International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia</a><br />
and the <a href="http://hop%20against%20homophobia%202013/" target="_blank">Hop Against Homophobia 2013</a> starts today!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsjoWkG84O4doEMn5m2ZIBFBOXI3MkwuZOWeFIF2fzY7hdZ1euNm0h0cItmqOpHwUHtGL9mD-4KkWDVeAAHG4SS6JKisdVpX9PKyLgLCBbKQzJFRg0yASsfeMtHeiioLz6m4srHbUXYQ/s1600/graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsjoWkG84O4doEMn5m2ZIBFBOXI3MkwuZOWeFIF2fzY7hdZ1euNm0h0cItmqOpHwUHtGL9mD-4KkWDVeAAHG4SS6JKisdVpX9PKyLgLCBbKQzJFRg0yASsfeMtHeiioLz6m4srHbUXYQ/s320/graph.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Even though the world is clearly changing, there's a long way to go before homophobia is seen by the entire population as just as terrible of a thing as racism. I do believe there will be a day when the population as a whole will look into history books and cringe at their past ignorance.<br />
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There's a handy, interactive graph on the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2012/may/08/gay-rights-united-states?CMP=twt_gu" target="_blank">Guardian's website</a> that I highly suggest you poke around on. It was posted May of 2012 and as I write this, it doesn't include Minnesota's newest law change. But it's still a great tool to really <i>see </i>the difference of rights between the communities. It's tangible and clear cut that there's a major difference and that's a major problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eyUO5_VqGIUmIuaR3ZCpd_NE993LDnQ0Z8wK_O-_9oqjSfWqqCZ7g_LeeAM2B7qg30rVOsJGtlYfYE5YXpFIClKaxlpAxfHGEQP8lJbatZUKRSPMG1-_Yhh2uz7SfzYOD-ntnfIhDZk/s1600/tumblr_mmtemw9zpM1qbi1oyo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eyUO5_VqGIUmIuaR3ZCpd_NE993LDnQ0Z8wK_O-_9oqjSfWqqCZ7g_LeeAM2B7qg30rVOsJGtlYfYE5YXpFIClKaxlpAxfHGEQP8lJbatZUKRSPMG1-_Yhh2uz7SfzYOD-ntnfIhDZk/s400/tumblr_mmtemw9zpM1qbi1oyo1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All these changes are coming from the changing mindset of the population. Change will happen. One day grand kids will be ashamed of their anti-gay grandparents just how today grand kids are embarrassed by granny's racist slurs leftover from the 1950s.<br />
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The internet and social sites have really pushed progress forward. It helps get the word out that "Hey! This shit is fucked up. Don't do it. People are people and love is love." Tumblr is a perfect example. The community on tumblr will not hesitate to call you out on anything. (It's a great place for feminism as a whole too)<br />
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<a href="http://hayleybjames.tumblr.com/post/49944386925/edwardspoonhands-ive-been-waiting-for-this-one" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q8f8TXgb-Ct4aWAXL8ReN_sRuPwaZ3EnCRyEzXvDcjOje8DRlTJn8I0JTfnwwYi3QDJXzdfZJrVBF4AlaJ21M6bWcafmNwrDfnEhEnWEVdWx7r8wFJbMjYY3es4tN4-tg6U5RQmyu4Q/s1600/tumbrhan.jpg" /></a></div>
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People are constantly learning and evolving. Someone who was taught homophobia might be on tumblr one day and be called out on using "gay" as an insult, and after hearing the explanation of why it's wrong, that person might just start to change years of narrow thinking. Education and patience (sadly, still patience) is needed just as much as raising hell to get law makers to vote for and sign the right laws.
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Overall I have high hopes for humanity even if sometimes it seems bleak.<br />
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EDIT: the contest is closed now. <strike>I'll be picking a winner and posting it tomorrow. </strike>Thank you for the comments!<br />
EDIT 2: The winner has been selected and contacted via email.<br />
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<b>If you leave a comment on this post, you'll be entered to win an ebook of my latest novel, <i>Paid Leave</i>. </b><i>(the winner will be a randomly chosen comment and will be selected sometime after May 22. I'm actually out of the country right now.)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA-Ehf6AUfSUXoD2Wdt6-M4ZGHKUBEi09_VcXHqzXuUStch7ulkVOLDxRu3M_9xlSdKdnNLSDPfwBeZu5Rw50AJ5IPWhV9nWuY7h6xtWj_qWYSs44_K9DXTBJK0_6Iq-Hx0ZhOm-I-hk/s1600/bloggerpaidleave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA-Ehf6AUfSUXoD2Wdt6-M4ZGHKUBEi09_VcXHqzXuUStch7ulkVOLDxRu3M_9xlSdKdnNLSDPfwBeZu5Rw50AJ5IPWhV9nWuY7h6xtWj_qWYSs44_K9DXTBJK0_6Iq-Hx0ZhOm-I-hk/s200/bloggerpaidleave.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<u>Blurb</u>: Albuquerque police officer Benji Miller made the choice to hide his sexuality and devote his life to his career. He guards his secret carefully, believing he is protecting his job and happiness. Then, during a routine traffic stop gone awry, he shoots a suspect to protect a young girl, and his life spins out of control. A department-mandated paid leave rips away the only distraction he had, and he has to deal with the unsympathetic media who criticize the police department’s every move.<br />
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One day, needing to get out of the house, Benji walks into a café, where he meets Neal McCoy—a gay man living without shame, unafraid to speak his mind or stand up against prejudice. Benji quickly falls for Neal but struggles to combine his new love interest and his career. With the media threatening the careful illusion he’s built around himself, Benji can’t stand the pressure.<br />
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Benji has to decide: sacrifice his happiness in the name of his career and an easy life, or find the courage to give up the lonely existence he knows and take a step into the unknown.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Available from Dreamspinner Press</a>.</div>
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<u>Excerpt</u>:<br />
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“So is my charm winning you over
yet?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What charm?” Benji meant it as a
joke, but Neal didn’t laugh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’m usually very good at reading
men, but you’re sending me mixed signals. I understand if you can’t tell when a
man flirts, but at least tell me I’m not making a fool of myself and giving you
a funny story to tell your girlfriend.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I don’t have a girlfriend.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Are we on the same team, Benji?”
Neal changed his question into a more direct one Benji wasn’t comfortable
answering.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I have a convincing life of a
straight bachelor I would like to maintain.” Benji couldn’t stop himself
despite knowing he was ending chances before he even had a chance. “But that’s
as far as it goes—a lie.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I see.” Neal nodded and watched
Lucky chew a few dried twigs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’m proud of what I am, Benji. If
I could shit rainbows, I would.” Neal tugged on Lucky’s leash to get his attention
and started toward the parking lot. “I like you, but it isn’t my place to
convince you to change what you are.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Benji was lost in a sea of his own
insecurities that had flooded in following the shooting. Things he’d never
challenged before became the only questions he had. “What if I want to be
normal?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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His words froze Neal in his
retreat. He looked over his shoulder, and his brown eyes carried sadness Benji
wouldn’t have believed he was capable of experiencing. “You are normal, Benji.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What if I want more than what I’m
allowed to have?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You struggle through hell to have
what you deserve.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Benji shook his head. “What if I
lose my career?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I can’t answer that one. I don’t
even know what you do.” Neal returned to Benji’s side and touched his arm. “It
sounds like you need a friend more than a date.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I have friends.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yeah. But I have a hunch that you
don’t have friends that understand what it’s like to be gay.” Neal slipped his
arm into Benji’s and started forward on the trail. “Let’s get back to the date.
I know you’re not a coffee connoisseur, so what’s your favorite drink?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Benji forced himself to relax. The
trail was empty, and the birds hardly cared if two men touched. “Coke, I guess.
After water. Most guys drink beer. I pick a cola.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“We can break that bad habit,” Neal
said. His chuckle warned Benji he was teasing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Do you only drink coffee?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Of course not. I also like water.
We have so much in common, Benji.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-34988051422078270992013-05-03T00:00:00.000-06:002013-05-03T08:37:25.894-06:00Available Now: Paid Leave<div style="text-align: center;">
Paid Leave is now available at <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">Dreamspinner Press</a>. You can buy it today!</div>
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<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA-Ehf6AUfSUXoD2Wdt6-M4ZGHKUBEi09_VcXHqzXuUStch7ulkVOLDxRu3M_9xlSdKdnNLSDPfwBeZu5Rw50AJ5IPWhV9nWuY7h6xtWj_qWYSs44_K9DXTBJK0_6Iq-Hx0ZhOm-I-hk/s1600/bloggerpaidleave.jpg" /></a></div>
I'll be starting up promo late on this release. May is a month of vacation and packing the house for a remodel and a possible move. When I return, I'll be hosting a blog tour and giving away coffee from the coffee shop that inspired Beans in <i>Paid Leave</i>, coffee mugs, and of course copies of the book itself.Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-3188657838713483222013-04-29T22:00:00.000-06:002013-04-29T22:00:13.928-06:00Guest: LJ LaBarthe Please welcome guest author LJ LaBarthe! I got to say <i>The Body on The Beach </i>sounds like it needs a home on my Nook.<br />
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Thanks for having me, Hayley! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The "Under the Southern Cross" anthology has
stories from different genres and various Australian experiences, and I think
it's fair to say that one thing the binds us all together, whether we're
Australian or New Zealander or American or British or any other nationality, is
food. Every country has its own 'signature dish(es)' and Australia is no
different.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyone who has lived or visited here knows very well the
deliciousness that is the Tim Tam cookie, which comes in a variety of flavours,
or the tasty candy called Jaffas. We have billy tea, which is tea brewed in a
tin can over an open fire, made popular in Australian folk song and poetry;
damper, which is bread baked in an open fire or the meat pie. There's the pie
floater (a meat pie in the middle of a bowl of green pea soup), or Vegemite (a
spread made from brewer's yeast), or chiko rolls (a deep fried savoury roll
vaguely like a spring roll).<o:p></o:p></div>
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There's also things like lamingtons (vanilla sponge cake
squares coated in chocolate and coconut), fairy bread (buttered bread topped
with hundreds and thousands), sausage rolls (flaky pastry wrapped around minced
meat with herbs and spices, shaped like a long roll), or pavlova, which is a meringue
cake with fruit and cream. There's some dispute about the origin of the
pavlova, as some say it originated in New Zealand and not Australia. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the things I remember from my childhood is ANZAC
biscuits. Originally, they were made as digestive biscuits for soldiers in the
First World War, hence the name ANZAC. (ANZAC – Australia and New Zealand Army
Corps.) Eggs were scarce during war time, so these biscuits are egg-free, which
is great for me, as I'm allergic to eggs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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ANZAC biscuits were—and are—a popular biscuit. The scent of
freshly baked ANZAC biscuits is one that always reminds me of home and family,
and it's part of the Australian and New Zealand heritage. As the anthology and
my story, "The Body on The Beach" are about Australians in Australia,
I want to share this recipe with you and hope that you too will enjoy these
biscuits as much as we do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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ANZAC Biscuits:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup plain flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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3/4 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tablespoons golden syrup (if you don't have golden syrup,
treacle is a close substitute).<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 teaspoon boiling water<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup rolled oats<o:p></o:p></div>
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125 g butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Note: Some recipes call for 2/3 cup of desiccated coconut
as well, but my mum never put that into her biscuits. It's up to you.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mix flour, oats and sugar (and coconut, if using). Melt
butter and golden syrup together. Mix bi-carbonate soda with boiling water and
add to the butter mixture. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Place
spoonfuls of mixture onto greased oven trays, leaving room for them to spread.
Bake at 170o Celsius / 338o Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Put onto a cooling tray
to cool completely before packing away. Makes about 30.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(This recipe is from the East Goulburn Valley Country
Women's Association and was first on the <a href="http://blogs.abc.net.au/victoria/2010/04/cwa-anzac-biscuit-recipe-.html?site=goulburnmurray&program=goulburn_murray_saturday_breakfast">ABC</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9G5_N7WuMpW6q4pLHgWZofAFh30VVDk-IehAnywpf-wRGoplqKgC_kalT13hsAqfs6zwDbROGPrLcdySvk62Naukh4eSf_vZqQ6BlBAYpPEzkl8A-L57FsLegnBSSUyiDZqB7qdvhxo/s1600/Anzac-Biscuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9G5_N7WuMpW6q4pLHgWZofAFh30VVDk-IehAnywpf-wRGoplqKgC_kalT13hsAqfs6zwDbROGPrLcdySvk62Naukh4eSf_vZqQ6BlBAYpPEzkl8A-L57FsLegnBSSUyiDZqB7qdvhxo/s1600/Anzac-Biscuit.jpg" /></a></div>
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"The Body on The Beach" by L. J. LaBarthe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blurb: In 1920, a body is found on Brighton Beach, Adelaide.
Billy Liang has been living a respectable life as the representative of
Adelaide’s Chinese community—with his lover, lawyer Tom Williams, discreetly at
his side. When evidence seems to implicate the people Billy represents, he
steps up to help solve the murder. He and Tom deal with illegal opium dens,
fantan games and gambling, racism, and being shot at. Though Billy’s family
accepts the love he and Tom share, Australia’s laws against sodomy and
homosexuality pose a constant danger. Now, the body on the beach brings a whole
new threat to Billy and Tom’s life in Adelaide. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Buy it: <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3630">ebook</a> and <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3622">paperback anthology collection</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLoI-IbcxgyePhzRnLwPUEa3ibWqYA-qW_o9uOdO3BY4R4S9L9CdfeSp6vK_qALs2cKwW5DATJPvo9W16XrT-NV_d2JWocC_-viwKT5jsqWwa_-lmMhw7EQbYFUZJZ7FX00gsaA3pq7Y/s1600/LJ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLoI-IbcxgyePhzRnLwPUEa3ibWqYA-qW_o9uOdO3BY4R4S9L9CdfeSp6vK_qALs2cKwW5DATJPvo9W16XrT-NV_d2JWocC_-viwKT5jsqWwa_-lmMhw7EQbYFUZJZ7FX00gsaA3pq7Y/s1600/LJ.png" /></a></div>
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You can find L. J. at:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/brbsiberia" target="_blank">@brbsiberia</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Blog: <a href="http://misslj_author.livejournal.com/">http://misslj_author.livejournal.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Web: <a href="http://www.ljlabarthe.com/">http://www.ljlabarthe.com/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lj.labarthe.9">http://www.facebook.com/lj.labarthe.9</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-25848391606955238782013-04-23T21:00:00.000-06:002013-04-23T21:00:02.702-06:00Guest: Anne BarwellMy guest today is <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anne Barwell</span>! She shares her thoughts about urban fantasy and some information on her WIP. Enjoy!<br />
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<u><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Urban Fantasy</span></u><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> - a brief tourists' guide to <i>The Sleepless City</i>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
big "thank you" to Hayley for the invitation to visit her blog today. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why
urban fantasy? When I was growing up,
the term was virtually unheard of, although there were <i>some</i> stories out there set in cities with characters who were
supernatural beings such as werewolves, vampires, ghosts and the like, <i>if </i>you could find them. But then, during
that time it was difficult to find much in the way of fantasy, as science
fiction was more popular. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today
the shelves are full of fantasy, and a large number of those are urban fantasy.
Why the attraction to the genre?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
can't speak for others but I really like the idea of something different
lurking out there amongst the city streets, of there either being another world
amongst the cracks in the concrete or one which co-exists alongside our own
without our knowledge. I'm a big fan of
finding the extra ordinary in the ordinary, and especially of a scenario where
someone wanders into this kind of world and has to adapt to it quickly and
become a part of it themselves, either to survive or if they want to be with
the person they love.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've
always enjoyed a good vampire or werewolf story, and thought why shouldn't
these beings live alongside humans? Urban fantasy explores that, and what it
means to be different. In most stories the supernatural pass themselves off as
humans for the most part, except for when their talents are needed to bring
down what is often referred to as a 'big bad'.
And yes, I am a fan of <i>Buffy the
Vampire Slayer</i>, why do you ask?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
course there's the flip side of it all as being a vampire, a werewolf, or a
ghost does have its downside. What happens when a vampire falls for a human who
is going to age and die while the vampire keeps living physically unchanged,
for centuries? I think that's the real curse, watching everything and everyone
around you change while you don't.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wrote a series of short stories a few years ago about a photographer who fell
for a vampire, the irony of it that he would never be able to capture the man
he loved on film. I really liked these characters, and the scenario and wanted
to do something further with them, so when Elizabeth Noble and I were
discussing vampires one day – as one does -
and she said she had a vampire character she'd like to write more of
too, our series <i>The Sleepless City</i>
was born.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
far we have five books planned, and we're having a lot of fun with it. The
first book is <i>Shades of Sepia</i>, which
is my current WIP, and Elizabeth is writing book two, <i>Electric Candle</i>. The main
characters are vampires, werewolves, ghosts and the photographer I mentioned
before, although his character has morphed a bit since then, as they all have.
We're going for a slightly different take on vampire and werewolf lore, and
it's led to some very interesting conversations.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'll
leave you with the blurb for <i>Shades of
Sepia</i>, and a brief excerpt to whet your appetite. Keep in mind though, that
this is currently a WIP... Stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Blurb</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
serial killer stalks the streets of Flint, Ohio. The victims are always found
in pairs, one human and one vampire.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Simon
Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years and he has never seen
anything like it before. Neither have any of others who make up the team of
supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and
the humans who live in this city.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
meeting with Simon and Ben Leyton finds himself falling for a man he knows is
keeping secrets, but he can't ignore the growing attraction between them. Ben
has only recently arrived in Flint, and finding it very different from his
native New Zealand, but there's something about Simon that makes Ben feel as
though he's found a new home.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
a close friend becomes one of the killer's victims, Simon is torn between
revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away and avoiding the reaction he
fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent is
it already too late to prevent either of them from becoming the next
victim? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ;">+++<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Cool.
I knew you guys were like the Justice League or something."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lucas
laughed. "I was going more for the Legion of Super Heroes actually."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Yeah
but the League has Batman in it," Blair began, "and the Legion
is―" Luckily whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the sound of
a telephone ringing. Once he and Lucas
started on one of their comics' conversations they'd go for what seemed
forever.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Aren't
you going to answer that?" Forge asked Simon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"What?"
Simon glanced around for the source of the ringing. He didn't get telephone
calls, and had presumed the noise was coming from wherever Blair was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"You're
the only one around here who insists on that horrible ringtone," Forge
pointed out, "so it's obviously your phone." He'd complained about it ever since Simon had
explained―quite logically he'd thought― that if he was to carry a telephone it
made sense for it to at least sound like one.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Try
your pockets?" said Lucas helpfully.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Oh
right." Simon fished his telephone out of his pocket. Its screen was
flashing with the name of the caller. Simon stared at it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"You're
supposed to answer it, not stare at it," Forge said. "Or have you
forgotten how to again?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"I
know how to answer it." Simon poked at appropriate button then held the
telephone up to his ear. "Simon speaking. How can I help you?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Forge
snickered. Simon glared at him, thought for a moment about retreating to
somewhere more private then realised it would be a waste of time. Damn vampire
hearing. Not that werewolves and ghosts were much better.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Hey,
Simon. It's Ben."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Perhaps
he was calling to say he'd thought twice about meeting for coffee. But why
would he take the time to do that? Surely if that were the case he'd just not
contact Simon again at all?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Hello,
Ben." Simon took a couple of steps
toward the door, half turning his back on the other occupants of the room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"I
rang to apologise," Ben said, his words tumbling out over each other.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Apologise?"
Simon frowned. "Why?" If anyone should be apologising for the way in
which their conversation had ended, it should be him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"I
obviously upset you, and I'm sorry."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"You
didn't," Simon reassured him. "I overreacted. I do that
sometimes." He reached for his glass of milk and took a long draught.
Feeling a little calmer, he collected his thoughts before breaking the silence.
"Would you still like to meet for coffee?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lucas
and Forge high fiving was something best ignored, as was the smug expression on
both their faces.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Yeah,
sure, that would be great." Ben answered Simon very quickly. "When
and where? I'm working a long shift tomorrow so that won't work but I don't
start until eleven on Thursday."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After
mentally consulting his calendar, Simon nodded. "That would be fine. I
don't have lectures on Thursday mornings. Do you know Hunter's on West 13<sup>th</sup>
Street? We could meet at there at nine."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"I
haven't been there but I'll find it," Ben said. "See you at nine then
on Thursday?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Yes.
Goodbye, Ben."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Bye,
Ben," called out Lucas.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Bye
..." Ben trailed off. "Hey, who is that?" His voice took on a
rather suspicious tone. "Simon, is there someone listening in on us?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Unfortunately,
yes," Simon said. "I share
my... building... with some friends who don't understand the concept of
privacy. That was Lucas. I'll explain on Thursday."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Okay. Bye."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Goodbye,"
Simon said again, this time to a darkened telephone. He shoved it back in his
pocket.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"He
sounds cute," said Lucas. "I like the accent." He grinned.
"Can I come too? I want to hear how you explain me." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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+++</div>
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<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3190&cPath=55_426" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8UA4bb5aENqFxkMwrnnfXAkFHpO2cjbHWj5UFpnkLtHFWV7UVAd_GPkEeJGwLpSp6E6jJR-xaawjzqGWzBcVedN7ZGYvN4LSCMFhGxZCnGAlmQ4TXl4XfGi1_wV8tKBUNvsgQ2oZrAo/s1600/MagicsMuse.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Bio</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Anne
Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand, sharing her home with her twin
daughters, at least during the holidays, when one of them isn't away at
university. Her son has left home and started his own family, although she
claims she is too young to be a grandmother already. Her three cats are
convinced that the house is run to suit them; this is an ongoing
"discussion," and to date it appears as though the cats may be
winning.<br />
<br />
In 2008 she completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor
of Teaching and has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and a
librarian. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction club and plays
piano for her local church and violin for a local orchestra.<br />
<br />
She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too
many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such
thing as "too many." These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent
cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of "spare
time" is really just a myth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Links</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<a href="http://anne-barwell.livejournal.com/" target="_blank">http://anne-barwell.livejournal.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<a href="http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/">http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><a href="http://coffeeunicorns.wordpress.com/">http://coffeeunicorns.wordpress.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_426" target="_blank">http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_426</a></span></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-87939870574225104942013-04-16T21:00:00.000-06:002013-04-16T21:00:00.482-06:00Guest: Skylar M. Cates<br />
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<o:p> Today my guest is Skylar M. Cates! Skylar talks about tropes and repetition authors use. I read a lot of mystery, and the genre follows a formula. But I love a mystery even if I can spot the formula, so I always go back to the genre no matter.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>--</o:p></div>
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<b>You’re My Obsession<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Writers are constantly trying to create something new with
every novel. They like to push the envelope. They like to grow and change and
defy expectation…Don’t they? That is the question that I’m struggling with
today. Do writers repeat? Do readers want that repetition?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think that the answer is yes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When I pick up a Pat Conroy novel, for example, I expect to
see an abusive military type of father and a struggling son. If it is a theme
that Conroy repeats in several books, then it is a theme that resonates with
me. I like it. I might even be disappointed in one of his works that didn’t
have a <i>Great Santini</i> type of father.
Similarly, I expect to have a fun time with a Janet Evanovich story. I don’t
want her to suddenly turn morose. When I am in the mood for heavy reading, I
still turn to a good classic like Dostoevsky’s <i>Crime and Punishment</i>, but I don’t want that in <i>Finger Licking Fifteen</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Recently, I stumbled upon an argument amongst romance writers
who were attempting to clarify how they, “Go beyond mere romance trope.” It
struck me that I <u>love</u> trope. Give me friends-to-lovers, hate-to-love, lovers
reuniting trope. Whenever I pick up the novels of the romance queens like Jayne
Anne Krentz or Nora Roberts, I want trope---repeated, predictable trope--- and
they deliver it. It is the dependability of the trope combined with their
particular writing style that I actually savor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But what about the writers desires? Should they deliberately try and change their
patterns? Isn’t it important to spread their wings and take some risks? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m too new to even know what my patterns are
in my books. I’m sure that over time, readers will let me know. It won’t
surprise me to hear, though, that I unconsciously repeat themes or even images.
We all have obsessions, right? There are some core ideas that float around in
our heads. They come from our childhoods, our lovers, our lives. Even if we
change genres, make a concentrated effort to write something new, I suspect
that these obsessions will still linger, hovering like ghosts. On the other
hand, I do see some value in pushing some limits and trying to slay them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So I’m throwing the question out there to readers and to
writers. For the readers, I am wondering if you like spotting an author’s
obsessions? If so, why do you like it? Or does it bore you? Do you like it when
your most beloved author goes in a completely different direction or do you
resent it? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For my writer friends here, I’m wondering if you try and
escape from your own patterns (whether it is in terms of style, theme, POV, or
plot)? Do you embrace it, or is it an albatross around your neck?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Tell me your obsessions and I’ll tell you mine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMUnGL8M97VSPCCncpRmwDQLVNxUtWLHZMcIoVSR-2dYVqW1QmlaqVi2sXDJUtCdAt3_gO8ozB6qCcV3RzFEoqapxtR4JyMEYYr2V2AVAX4d_Y2UYxIRWIALicn6NCQGxISQSRyp2nOU/s1600/exposedbg.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMUnGL8M97VSPCCncpRmwDQLVNxUtWLHZMcIoVSR-2dYVqW1QmlaqVi2sXDJUtCdAt3_gO8ozB6qCcV3RzFEoqapxtR4JyMEYYr2V2AVAX4d_Y2UYxIRWIALicn6NCQGxISQSRyp2nOU/s320/exposedbg.jpg.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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Skylar’s novel, <i>Exposed</i>,
is available from Dreamspinner Press:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Links</b>:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://skylarmcates.wordpress.com/ <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Buy link and contact link</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/y
links:<o:p></o:p></div>
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skylarmcates@yahoo.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Description</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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After years of running from a traumatic secret, young
journalist Rafe Quintero is making his way in the world alone. Now that he’s
landed a job at a Miami newspaper, he’s hungry for success. His goal? A
blistering exposé on closeted PGA golfer Daniel Andrews. Rafe will stop at
nothing to get the scoop—even if it means going undercover on Daniel’s private
yacht. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Daniel is used to being in the spotlight, but his reputation
for being cold and unfriendly hasn’t made him very popular. Still reeling from
his mother’s death and his ex-boyfriend’s engagement, he hides out on his yacht
to escape the press hounding his every step. His instant attraction to Rafe,
his new crew member, is a problem he can't ignore. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When Rafe and Daniel begin a steamy affair, Rafe knows it’s
only a matter of time before Daniel discovers his betrayal. Now he has to
choose: confess and hope Daniel can swallow his pride and forgive him, or put
his ambition ahead of his heart and follow the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-36987196839686574612013-04-15T21:06:00.000-06:002013-04-15T21:06:09.030-06:00Cover Revealed! Paid Leave
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA-Ehf6AUfSUXoD2Wdt6-M4ZGHKUBEi09_VcXHqzXuUStch7ulkVOLDxRu3M_9xlSdKdnNLSDPfwBeZu5Rw50AJ5IPWhV9nWuY7h6xtWj_qWYSs44_K9DXTBJK0_6Iq-Hx0ZhOm-I-hk/s1600/bloggerpaidleave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLA-Ehf6AUfSUXoD2Wdt6-M4ZGHKUBEi09_VcXHqzXuUStch7ulkVOLDxRu3M_9xlSdKdnNLSDPfwBeZu5Rw50AJ5IPWhV9nWuY7h6xtWj_qWYSs44_K9DXTBJK0_6Iq-Hx0ZhOm-I-hk/s1600/bloggerpaidleave.jpg" /></a></div>
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Albuquerque police officer Benji Miller made the choice to hide his sexuality and devote his life to his career. He guards his secret carefully, believing he is protecting his job and happiness. Then, during a routine traffic stop gone awry, he shoots a suspect to protect a young girl, and his life spins out of control. A department-mandated paid leave rips away the only distraction he had, and he has to deal with the unsympathetic media who criticize the police department’s every move. </div>
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<br /></div>
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One day, needing to get out of the house, Benji walks into a café, where he meets Neal McCoy—a gay man living without shame, unafraid to speak his mind or stand up against prejudice. Benji quickly falls for Neal but struggles to combine his new love interest and his career. With the media threatening the careful illusion he’s built around himself, Benji can’t stand the pressure. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Benji has to decide: sacrifice his happiness in the name of his career and an easy life, or find the courage to give up the lonely existence he knows and take a step into the unknown.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Pre-order today <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3796" target="_blank">from Dreamspinner Press</a></div>
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<br />
Paul Richmond has created another beautiful work of art. I simply can't explain how much I love this cover. <i>Paid Leave</i> comes out on May 3, 2013. I plan to do a little celebrating and have some awesome prizes so mark your calendars!Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-34995323433468334822013-04-10T17:56:00.002-06:002013-04-10T18:02:18.478-06:00Guest: Grace R. DuncanToday my guest is Grace R. Duncan. Comment to be entered into a drawing for a bag of swag and a signed copy of <i>Choices</i>. Good luck!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBw8o_u63KN3pc_T9p-oJYS5G2yLAYBG3PG7AokR8mb7wybgO9GoBFSt01PwTiG5Zqn-MQN1L-qYbs100K67mnrjPNKEvRw9gsmkRx262qOTNklIWvCiCzu4ygNg8bMhWlN98VGGFNmc/s1600/ChoicesLG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBw8o_u63KN3pc_T9p-oJYS5G2yLAYBG3PG7AokR8mb7wybgO9GoBFSt01PwTiG5Zqn-MQN1L-qYbs100K67mnrjPNKEvRw9gsmkRx262qOTNklIWvCiCzu4ygNg8bMhWlN98VGGFNmc/s320/ChoicesLG.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayley B. James is a big fan of this cover </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am fairly new to professional writing. <i>Choices</i>
is my first published novel, my first truly professional endeavor. I’ve self-pubbed one story before but that
was it. The rest of my writing started
out as fanfiction, which I’d been doing for some four years before Choices was
published.<o:p></o:p><br />
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In all that time, I have been writing adult-oriented
fiction. I like sex, I like to write it
and in all the stories I’ve written, only one has prompted someone to tell me
that I had too much sex in there. And I
have gotten some really nasty reviews over my fanfiction. I write BDSM – quite a bit – and I’m not
ashamed of that. Because many of my
stories are BDSM-centric, they also involve a lot of sex. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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So, imagine my surprise when the first negative comments to
come back on <i>Choices</i> was talking
about there being too much sex. Tacked
on to that involved comments about it being the <i>same </i>sex over and over and I have to say that I was <i>really</i> surprised. I had gone to great lengths to keep the sex
scenes fresh. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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My content editor and I went over them many times, did a <i>lot</i> of cutting, moving and refining and
both of us were quite happy with what came out.
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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But that whole thing led me to start wondering – how <i>do</i> you keep sex fresh when writing
erotica? I mean, let’s be real, erotica comes with certain expectations, like a
lot of sex. Most also expect a decent
variety of it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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I was talking to a friend of mine tonight and he agreed,
when you’re talking about vanilla sex, there are only so many ways to write
it. Location, position, things like
that, but unless one of the guys is holding a <i>Kama Sutra</i>, it’s not going to be all that varied. <o:p></o:p><br />
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As a writer of BDSM, that helps. When you bring kink into the picture, things
open up. I can’t begin to imagine that
Choices would have been nearly as erotic if it wasn’t BDSM-focused. But
BDSM gives a lot of options, and I enjoyed using many of them. Bondage, denial, pain, Domination and
submission – many of these things allowed me to keep the sex scenes fresh and
different. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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It’s <i>not </i>easy,
even when there are relatively few sex scenes in a book, to make them different. As I pointed out above, there are really only
so many ways to HAVE vanilla sex, much less write it. Choices will not be, by far, my last novel. I have some 20 different stories running
around in my head. Some of those will be
erotica, some of them won’t. A few of
them may not even <i>have</i> sex in them (I
know, this is shocking to me, too, believe me!). <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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But I think that, perhaps because it’s not easy, I look
forward to the challenge, I look for ways to make it different, both in and out
of kink. Here’s to hoping I manage it.<o:p></o:p><br />
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* * *<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Thank you again to Hayley for hosting me! I am very
appreciative of the opportunity. <b> Do be
sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a bag of swag</b>! I’ll be drawing the name on Monday, April 15<sup>th</sup>,
along with the winner of the signed paperback copy of Choices!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Thank you for stopping by and reading!</div>
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* * *<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Born and raised a gypsy in the late eleventh century, Teman
values freedom over everything. He and his best friend, Jasim, are thieves for
hire—until one night they're caught and their precious freedom is revoked.
Given the choice between the dungeons or palace pleasure slavery, they become
slaves, but Teman vows to escape someday.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bathasar doesn’t want the throne. He supports his brother
instead, which suits their sadistic father, Mukesh. When Teman, the handsome
slave Bathasar has secretly been watching, saves his life, Bathasar requests a
slave for the first time. Before long, Bathasar and Teman fall in love. But all
is not well. One day Mukesh brutalizes Teman before the court, angering the
empress of a neighboring nation. To appease her, he then offers her Jasim as a
gift, and Teman decides to stay with Bathasar for now—despite the abuse he may
suffer. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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The peace doesn’t last. Mukesh plans to invade Jasim's new
country, and Bathasar must find a way to stop the destruction. But if he
succeeds, he'll ascend to the throne and have the power to grant Teman his
liberty. Then Teman will surely leave him. What other choice could a gypsy
make? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Buy link: <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3611">http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3611</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-89512280022461650022013-03-27T17:55:00.002-06:002013-03-30T14:45:39.420-06:00Guest: AntonioToday my guest is first-time published author Antonio! I'm very excited to read <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dueling
Divas(An Avondale Story), and am happy to have Antonio as a guest today.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zo7wG1L1amxw-nv6TDRDlUR949QFywucdr_Kl_7iQTTs96CTbZLii6AmtKIk_U9S2pQH3kHUNfecLLAaKuU50qw99iaa-oRuFSCtEYhKus9ElZNPMt5tYSN5avMmgKnoaqwPl0qBNps/s1600/Dueling+Divas400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zo7wG1L1amxw-nv6TDRDlUR949QFywucdr_Kl_7iQTTs96CTbZLii6AmtKIk_U9S2pQH3kHUNfecLLAaKuU50qw99iaa-oRuFSCtEYhKus9ElZNPMt5tYSN5avMmgKnoaqwPl0qBNps/s320/Dueling+Divas400x600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I’d been writing on and off for years, but never really thought about
getting anything published. The idea of
sitting at a desk and actually typing a story didn’t appeal to me until the
stories started coming to me demanding to be written. It’s at the point where you write— not
because you want to or just feel like it, but because something inside you has
to do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The funny thing is, when I sat down to write, it wasn’t the chore I
thought it would be, but rather more of an organic process. Just the very act of typing and writing
fueled my creativity and the words just seemed to flow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>What’s it like getting my first novel Dueling Divas(An Avondale Story)
published:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I felt very lucky having the first novel I’d ever submitted to
Dreamspinner Press accepted. Getting the
e-mail from them saying they wanted my novel touched me more profoundly and
deeply than I ever would’ve thought it would.
There was such a sense of having achieved something, that was recognized
as being worthwhile, that was unlike anything else I’d ever felt in my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>The nitty-gritty of getting ready to be published:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The editing process can be excruciating for a newbie. My editors were all very nice, but the first
time someone suggested a change in a story or word, I learned just how attached
I was to my work. You learn a lot about
yourself when dealing with criticism and you also learn how much of yourself is
actually in the story. It’s definitely a
growing process and you’re not just a better writer, but a better person by the
end of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It can also be a fun experience. I
thoroughly enjoyed working with cover artist Reese Dante.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>Surprises:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest surprise to me happened during the editing process. My story went through a couple of editors
before I submitted it, and after I submitted it, which meant I was constantly
rereading it. As the writer I thought
for sure there would be a point where I’d start getting tired of reading the
story over and over. Funnily enough, I
never got to that point. There were
times it felt like I was reading a story written by someone else and I’d be
completely drawn into it. One moment I’d
be laughing at something a character said and at times I would feel a tear or
two roll down from my eyes. That’s when
I remembered something we’d discussed in my college literature class years
ago. A good story can be read many times
and each time you read it you can find something new and interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>Things I learned during the writing process:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I learned that a writer collects characters that have surrounded him or
her their entire life. Bits and pieces
of people we know well or those we meet and know for a brief moment in time
combine to add the flavors of real life into our stories. As a writer, the things I’ve seen and felt
passionate about make their way into my stories and because they were
meaningful to me; others have found them meaningful as well. And, I was surprised by the people who came
to me, interested in what I had to say as a writer. It’s never who you think it will be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was another surprising thing I learned during the writing
process. I learned just how fun and
satisfying it can be to play God. You
other writers, know what I mean. It’s
when you realize that a character’s fate lies solely in your hands, and their
happiness or sadness all depends on you.
An editor reading one of the stories I’m currently working on was
shocked by the fate of one of my characters.
The joy I felt in surprising the person, whose opinion I valued, was
immense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having stated the above, I also have to take a step back and say that
sometimes the characters in a story lead you where <i>they</i> want to go. In one
story I decided on a name for a female character but every time I typed it I
would accidentally use a different name.
It was clear she wanted the second name and eventually I gave in to
her. Sounds crazy, I know, but it
happens. In another story I had planned
for one couple to be together at the end, but was actually surprised when one
of the men ended up with someone else.
Sometimes your characters surprise you, even though you’re the writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>My advice for would-be-writers:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Follow your dreams and don’t be afraid to go for it. Before I submitted my novel I submitted two
short stories (thinking that route would be easier) and both were rejected for different
reasons. But I didn’t quit, instead I
realized that my ideas worked better as full-length novels and I decided to
just go for the big one and submit a novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<b>Dueling Divas (an Avondale Story):</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I think it’s a great story and I believe that a writer needs to like
their work and feel good about it before anyone else can. First and foremost, I want my stories to be
about the characters above all else.
There have to be characters for people to root for, who they want to see
succeed and be happy. And like real life
there also have to be the villains or the odd sort that you just don’t like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also like real, life Dueling Divas reflects the joys, sorrows and strange
relationships that exist in our day to day lives. But, it also thrusts people out of their
comfort zones into new worlds to discover new things. Dueling Divas is at times fun and campy, then
at other points tragic and maybe even a little scary and of course sometimes in
the middle of all that —true love rears its head demanding to be heard and
acknowledged.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
An excerpt, exclusive to this blog,
from Dueling Divas (an Avondale story)<o:p></o:p></div>
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In this scene one of the main characters named Bobby is helping take care
of his nephews and niece while his sister Stacey shops for groceries. Then out of nowhere something happens:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<b>Excerpt from Dueling Divas chapter five</b>:<o:p></o:p></div>
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They finished breakfast
and loaded everyone into the van. Stacey
thought about how nice it was having Bobby to keep the children occupied with
his clownish antics. “I swear, Bobby,
sometimes I think you’re just an overgrown kid, but I appreciate you,” Stacey
said.</div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Just because we get
older doesn’t mean we have to act older,” Bobby said. “Just call me Peter Pan.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">Outside of Publix,
Bobby put Meggy and the other kids in one of the large shopping carts made to
look like cars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Not too wild now,”
Stacey said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Oh, come on, sis,”
Bobby said before making car noises with his mouth and speeding off with the
cart and kids into the grocery store.
They went down one aisle and then the other with Bobby swerving and
turning fast with the cart much to the kid’s delight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Faster, Uncle
Bobby! Faster!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Vroom! Vroom!” Bobby said as he picked up speed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">The kids were laughing
as Bobby raced through the store. As
they turned a corner in front of the freezer section, something caught Bobby’s
eye. At the center of the aisle was “the
perfect ass”, belonging to the man who was bent over putting up stock. <i>I’m in
love</i>, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Wow!” Bobby said loud
enough for Meggy to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Wow what, Uncle
Bobby? Wow what?” Meggy said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Don’t worry about it,”
Bobby said as he looked back at that ass and then promptly crashed his cart
into the stocker’s cart in front of him, knocking some of the supplies over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Oops, sorry,” Bobby
said back toward the stocker as he bent over to pick up the boxes of frozen
vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">When Bobby looked up, a
gorgeous Mediterranean-looking man standing over six feet tall and brushing a
dark curl away from his eye was looking down at him. It was all he could do to keep his tongue
from hanging out. Here was the man of
his dreams made flesh. And here he was
running through every clichéd phrase he’d ever known from every cliché romance
ever created. The crazy thing was
suddenly they all made sense to him and felt very real. God, he was even getting weak in the
knees. Seeing the man smiling at him
made him feel like a complete idiot.
Then came his nervous laugh which he hoped didn’t come across more like
a giggle. He tried to regain control of
the situation. The one thing he never
liked was the idea of not being in control.
“Again, so sorry. I’ve got to
watch who… I mean what I’m doing.” He
laughed again embarrassed by his blunder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“That’s alright, Sir.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Wow,” Meggy said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">Stacey had caught up
with them by then. “I had a feeling that crashing sound I heard would have
something to do with you, Bobby,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">The stocker stared at
Stacey for a minute before exclaiming, “You!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“Excuse me,” Stacey
said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">“It’s you,” Nash said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">--</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink"><b>Link to novel Dueling
Divas, (An Avondale Story) by Antonio on Dreamspinner site</b>: </span><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3649">http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3649</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php"></a><span class="WPHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="WPHyperlink"><b>Link to Dueling Divas
e-book by Antonio on Dreamspinner Press site</b>: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="WPHyperlink"><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3648">http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3648</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="WPHyperlink">Thank you and enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="WPHyperlink"> Antonio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="http://antoniosstories.blogspot.com/"><span class="WPHyperlink">http://antoniosstories.blogspot.com/</span></a><span class="WPHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-11309054344061534112013-03-19T21:00:00.000-06:002013-04-06T12:04:16.165-06:00Guest Post: TinneanToday my guest is Tinnean!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--</div>
<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-FbdW1RnwOdig15xbQRY-idTPF-QRS012916kiU9uy6lm0OE49MWvNlRl7Yhbzuwk59zCSCiVR42Ef9z_3t3QelNmnZFAnd6PRK5OPp-uEPlQ_9smlvD688UGPJPTjPwL3559Y3F4kw/s1600/Two+Lips,+Indifferent+Red+400x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-FbdW1RnwOdig15xbQRY-idTPF-QRS012916kiU9uy6lm0OE49MWvNlRl7Yhbzuwk59zCSCiVR42Ef9z_3t3QelNmnZFAnd6PRK5OPp-uEPlQ_9smlvD688UGPJPTjPwL3559Y3F4kw/s320/Two+Lips,+Indifferent+Red+400x600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve talked before of the
necessity for me to have a title before I can comfortably start to write. It
can be as inane as <i>Disclaimers in the
Prologue</i> or as telling as <i>The One Who
Got the Bullet Was Lucky</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This time, it was simple. I was
writing about a couple of men who were getting married, so the title would be <i>Here Comes the Groom</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But then I realized that the crux
of the story was being faithful, so I changed the title to <i>The Wedding Vow</i>. No, wait a second, they’d <i>both</i> be exchanging vows, so: <i>The
Wedding Vow<u>s</u></i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I usually find listening to music
very conducive to writing. (and less distracting than watching TV) WAVV, the
radio station down here in SW Florida, is great for the easy listening sound
that’s my music of choice, but Sonic, the music service offered by DirecTV,
nails it when I want to hear tunes of the ’50s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We were talking about titles, weren’t
we? How did we get to music? Let me tell you about that. ;-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One evening, while I was
listening to <i>Malt Shop Oldies</i> on
Sonic, Chuck Berry’s “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” came on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">All right, the perfect title! <i>Brown-Eyed Handsome Man</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now, Kipp was always going to be
a blue-eyed blond, but Hyde’s coloring was up in the air. Hearing this song
gave me the perfect description for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But wait a second: brown-eyed, as
used in song, usually denotes someone of color. (The Righteous Brothers’
“Brown-Eyed Woman” and Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl”.) Id never written an
interracial romance before. Could I do it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes, I could! I’ve got a great
title, two loveable characters, and I like the route this story is taking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I’m keying my little heart
out, and all of a sudden, Kipp is having a conversation with his Granddad:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I shook my head.
“That clause in the contract…. Why marry me?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Haven’t you
looked into a mirror recently?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Of course.
‘Item, two lips, indifferent red—’”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wait, what? Okay, I go for
offbeat titles (see my first Dreamspinner novel, </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bless Us With Content</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> –emphasis on the second syllable), but this
one... I liked it. I liked it a lot.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I finished the story, sent it off
to Dreamspinner, and signed a contract for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">And that, kiddies, is how </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here Comes the Groom</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> came to be </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two Lips, Indifferent Red</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Although the folder is still
labeled </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Groom</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.) *falls down laughing*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Buy link:</b> </span><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3616" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3616</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Excerpt:</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Charlestown,
Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">May
2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Charlestown,
Pennsylvania was beautiful in May. The trees that lined the streets of the
small university town had leafed out earlier in the month. Flowers bloomed in a
riot of color and scents in front of the stately homes that now served as
dormitories for Charles T. Armand University.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course, I wasn’t able to enjoy that balmy spring day. The semester had come to
an end, and while I’d taken most of my finals, there were two left, and I
intended to do as well on them as I’d done on the others. Scholarships funded
my education at Armand U, and I needed to maintain my GPA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
took a break when my bladder informed me in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t
pay a visit to the john </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">now</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">, things
were going to get ugly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
since I had already interrupted my studying, I decided to go down to the first
floor, where there was a vending machine. I could use the sugar rush, and a bag
of M&Ms would do the trick.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
would take a little while for the sugar to work its magic, so I went out onto
the front porch and leaned against the railing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
air was like warm silk against my face, and I closed my eyes, tipped back my
head, and breathed in the lovely fragrance of the flowers I’d helped plant
earlier in the spring.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, standing
here doesn’t get the studying done. “</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Time to get back to the books,
Llewellyn.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
returned to my room, opened the door, and frowned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hey,
Kipp! I thought you’d fallen in!” My roommate, Andrew Scott, was sprawled
casually on my bed. Of course he wasn’t on his own bed—that was piled high with
the clothes he was packing to go home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
could have lived without him, but I hadn’t been given much choice. I’d learned
early on in life not to make waves, and so I generally wound up with the
roommates no one else wanted: players, partiers, and general pains in the ass.
The room would be mine alone during the summer semester, but hopefully, come
the fall I’d have someone who didn’t get </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">quite</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
as much on my last nerve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kippers</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">! You with me, boy?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
paused for a minute before turning and closing the door behind me. I hated when
people called me Kippers, but I hated being called “boy” even more. Hearing
that always made me look around for my father.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Yes?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Phone
call for you!” He waggled my cell phone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“And
you felt the need to answer it?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hey,
we’re genetically programmed to do that. Besides, that ring tone….”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh?”
My heart felt like it was doing somersaults. “Was it ‘Brown-Eyed Handsome
Man’?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
shrugged. “I didn’t recognize it, but it sounded like elevator music to me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">That
didn’t surprise me. If it wasn’t something like “I Wanna Sex You Up” or “Bust a
Move,” he had no idea what it was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
rarely got phone calls, so I assumed it was a prank he had set up. “Tell
whoever it is that I’m not interested and hang up my phone.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You
sure? She sounds sexy as all hell!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
I was certain it was a prank. Sexy-as-all-hell women didn’t call me. Not that I
minded; I’d much rather have received a call from a guy, and one guy in
particular. He was older, and so sexy,
although that wouldn’t have mattered—I’d have been content with someone who
loved me, no matter what he looked like. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d
learned better than to let a handsome face draw me in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
thought of Daniel, who’d not only made a fool of me in high school, but who’d
broken my heart as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’d
gone to grade school together until second grade. At that time, I was sent to a
boarding school in upstate New York, where no one knew me as Marcus Llewellyn’s
son, and where I was happy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">That
lasted until I was fourteen, when, as abruptly as I’d been sent away, I’d been
ordered to return home and informed that I would start Benjamin Martin High in
the fall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
ran into Daniel when it turned out we had homeroom together. And
embarrassingly, I popped wood. </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Every time
I looked at him</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">, I wound up with an erection, and so I got into the habit
of wearing my shirt untucked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
our senior year, not only was Daniel a jock, he headed the debate team, played
clarinet in the school orchestra, sang in senior chorus, always got the lead
role in drama club, and was president of the student body. Added to that, he
was so handsome there wasn’t a girl in school who’d say no to him. Rumor had it
that included some of the teachers as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-6769264897392580772013-03-12T21:27:00.000-06:002013-03-12T21:28:13.474-06:00Guest Post: JP Barnaby Shares Something Sexy<div style="text-align: center;">
Today I have the wondrous J.P. Barnaby as my guest. She's sharing a yummy one-shot. Thank you, J.P.!<br />
Enjoy!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;">Online</b></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Part One:
Virtually Loved<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
By J. P. Barnaby<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The laptop
shifted on the bed as his back arched against the draw of his impending orgasm.
Seeing the lust in Tom’s digital eyes made Eli ache. Skype was such a beautiful
thing—especially when you lived at the edge of the world. A tinny moan from the
speakers warned him that his virtual lover might beat him to the promise land
if he didn’t get on the ball, so to speak.<o:p></o:p><br />
“Eli, God, I
wish it were your hand on my cock,” the slightly blurred image of Tom called
from thousands of miles away over the impersonal expanse of wires connecting
their computers. The act was so intimate, so personal, but the medium in which
they spoke turned out to be anything but. Eli thought that being able to see
Tom, to hear him, would make the experience better. It only intensified Eli’s
longing to touch the other man. He decided just to play along.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p>
“I wish it
were my mouth on your cock,” Eli said, his Spanish heavier and more pronounced
in the heady arousal. Part of him wanted to keep his eyes open, to watch even
the distorted image of Tom as he jacked off for Eli, but the tingle of his own
hand was impossible to resist. He rested back against the pillows, allowing Tom
a view of his naked skin from the tiny camera pointed up the length of his
torso. When he closed his eyes, a faceless lover pulled Eli’s legs over muscled
forearms and thrust powerful hips forward. Careful of the laptop, Eli rolled to
the side and pulled a small bottle of lube from the drawer next to his bed. Using it sparingly, he drizzled the thick liquid over the toy and ran a slow
finger around his tight hole. Supplementing the lube with spit, he slid one
finger gingerly inside, getting himself ready. He loved the sweet stretch and
burn as another finger joined the first, teasing him open.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
A deep groan
from the computer caught his attention and he opened his eyes. Tom was only
half stroking himself, but watching Eli with great interest. Self-conscious,
Eli let his fingers slip from his body, but his voyeur spoke up in an instant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p>
“You looked
so beautiful. Please don’t stop,” he whispered and even the distance separating
them couldn’t hide the desperate need from Tom’s voice. Eli turned the computer
so that he couldn’t see Tom’s face, but picked up the dildo from where it had
fallen on his chest. The lube stuck lightly to the soft hair on his chest and
his hands shook as he pulled one knee up to his chest, the knee farthest from the
camera as his favorite porn stars would do. His heart raced with the sheer
decadence of fucking himself on camera even before the tip breeched his
opening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p>
The harsh
moan came from his own lips as his body opened to accommodate the thick toy. He
imagined the way the transparent phallus would look if he could see it
splitting him open. The lube caused the flared tip of the dildo to slide in his
fingers as he drove it deeper and felt every inch filling him. A bead of sweat
trickled from his temple as Eli started a slow, deliberate rhythm, fucking
himself with hard, even strokes. A small sigh escaped each time it slid home
and rubbed against that sweet spot inside him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p>
Undulating between
the fake cock in his ass and the tight grip of his fist, Eli lost himself as he
spread his legs wider and drove his hips off the bed. A tingle of excitement
shot through his spine and he remembered the camera. Someone watched him as he
lay spread, wanton across his bed, fucking himself with abandon. Opening his
eyes, he looked right into the camera, incidentally seeing the motion of Tom’s
hand. He bit his lip as the feeling rose up in his groin. For what felt like
hours, but could only have been a few minutes, Eli teetered on the edge of one
of the best orgasms of his life. He loved that he could excite and entice a man
in another part of the world by getting off for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The power
rush made him dizzy and he fell back against the bed as he came in long hot
bursts over his tanned stomach with a succession of short quiet cries. Dimly in
the background, he heard Tom groan and knew that the other man reached his peak
as well. Breathing heavily, he closed the laptop and disconnected the Skype
session. <o:p></o:p>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
He’d
apologize later, but in that moment, Eli felt incredibly alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAr_q_a0c295lucz3ppgKn0U21I58odrcotlQhj5j6M_MpVu7vhFrv0b_brNJAo-hDjp2e4PIxbpuSpFlb5D8wCHi1RTfI6u4jXmzIfMHyIKChhSNvu8DDtrsak8kG4NTprweQTEtC8Y/s1600/JPBarnaby_authorImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAr_q_a0c295lucz3ppgKn0U21I58odrcotlQhj5j6M_MpVu7vhFrv0b_brNJAo-hDjp2e4PIxbpuSpFlb5D8wCHi1RTfI6u4jXmzIfMHyIKChhSNvu8DDtrsak8kG4NTprweQTEtC8Y/s320/JPBarnaby_authorImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Award winning romance novelist, J. P. Barnaby has penned
over a dozen books including the <i>Forbidden
Room</i> series, the <i>Little Boy Lost</i>
series, and <i>Aaron</i>. As a bisexual
woman, J.P. is a proud member of the GLBT community both online and in her
small town on the outskirts of Chicago. A member of Mensa, she is described as
brilliant but troubled, sweet but introverted, and talented but deviant. She
spends her days writing software and her nights writing erotica, which is, of
course, far more interesting. The spare time that she carves out between her
career and her novels is spent reading about the concept of love, which, like
some of her characters, she has never quite figured out for herself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Web site: <a href="http://www.jpbarnaby.com/" target="_blank">http://www.JPBarnaby.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JPBarnaby" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/JPBarnaby</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/JPBarnaby" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/JPBarnaby</a></div>
Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-38591690336063778862013-03-06T19:17:00.001-07:002013-03-06T19:17:58.253-07:00Guest Post: KC WellsToday I have the wonderful KC Wells!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;">
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C.Wells always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.</div>
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K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, where the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings – <i>writing</i> about men in love was even hotter...</div>
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The laptop still has no idea of what hit it... it only knows that it wants a rest, please.</div>
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</div>
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K.C. can be reached via email (<a href="mailto:k.c.wells@btinternet.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">k.c.wells@btinternet.com</a>), on Facebook (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>KCWellsWorld</a>), on Twitter (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/kcwellsworld" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/kcwellsworld</a>) or through comments at the K.C.Wells website (<a href="http://www.kcwellsworld.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.kcwellsworld.com</a> ) K.C. loves to hear from readers.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<u>A second pair of eyes:</u><br />
I’d not been writing long when I notice this phrase being bandied about. Beta reader. What the hell was a beta reader? I didn’t have a clue. So I asked around. Like you do.<br />
<br />
I asked another writer that I’d gotten to know really well. “Do I need a beta reader?” She replied, “How many books have you had accepted so far?” The answer was two, by that point. I’d started writing in February 2012 and we were now in September. I’d just submitted book three in the Learning to Love series.<br />
“Well, if they’ve accepted two books, and no-one’s seen them, maybe you don’t need one.”<br />
<br />
Oh boy. Looking back now, I wish someone had seen them. Because then maybe what followed wouldn’t have been so painful. Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad I went through it, because it started a process which taught me so much. By this point, I’d finally let another author read book three. What had concerned me was that my more... intimate scenes would come across as believable. I’d seen so many posts, blogs, emails, etc, all talking about the same thing: should women write M/M books? I’d begun to worry, so I’d pleaded with a gay friend to please read book three and let me know if I was on the right track. Up until this point, the only thing I’d let anyone read was a short story. Let’s just say his reaction gave my confidence a real boost – and made me blush like fury. Yeah – I wasn’t worried any more. <snicker><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yDLzs8URidmUlhikk7pNflpJiN2WftzJjuVJVHp6qeqZwACEEqywGt-n2hgLc8C5YnRqZBsGzh6tFq7tIuyubFrRHmr2fCx2UR-c12ZE6PyS7Sdie1l2klUnTzp83z-x04N6WaxXhuM/s1600/Michael+and+Sean.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yDLzs8URidmUlhikk7pNflpJiN2WftzJjuVJVHp6qeqZwACEEqywGt-n2hgLc8C5YnRqZBsGzh6tFq7tIuyubFrRHmr2fCx2UR-c12ZE6PyS7Sdie1l2klUnTzp83z-x04N6WaxXhuM/s320/Michael+and+Sean.jpg" /></a>
Book one, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Love-Michael-Sean-ebook/dp/B00ADEPO36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362548693&sr=8-1&keywords=K.C.Wells" target="_blank">Learning to Love: Michael & Sean</a> came through edits relatively painlessly. ‘Yeah, this is easy,’ I thought. Yes, I was that naive. It was due for release in late November and I was ecstatic, even more so when I held a copy for the first time. The day after it released, I submitted the first book of a new series. It was a new departure for me, as it was to be set in a BDSM club in Manchester. By now, other authors had been reading my books. I’ve been so lucky. I’ve met some wonderful people on Facebook; authors, readers, aspiring authors, reviewers... Two people in particular had fallen in love with my characters, Dom Leo Hart and submissive Alex Daniels, from the BDSM book, An Unlocked Heart. When I compared this book to Michael & Sean, I could see the difference. It was better. There was a lot more Show and a whole lot less Tell – but that’s another story – and I felt that the writing had matured. Friends agreed with me. ‘Wow,’ I thought, ‘I’ve really grown up as an author.’ Little did I know the real growing process was just about to begin...<br />
<br />
A really good friend, who is also an author, had asked to read the Learning to Love series. Book two, <a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3644">Evan & Daniel</a>, is due out on March 20th. She read this one, and then proceeded to read the third book in the series, Josh & Chris, which is due for release sometime in May / June. And then the Facebook message arrived...<br />
“I need to talk to you.”<br />
“Fine, what’s up?”<br />
“You can’t put out Josh & Chris as it is now.”<br />
I was surprised. I’d already been sent the contract, so my publishing company obviously liked it. Surely if there was a problem, someone would have said something. When I pressed her as to why, she replied that there was one scene in the book that wouldn’t go down well with the readers. We’d talked a lot about reviews, as I’d already had a couple of readers tell me they’d objected to not being warned that there was a threesome scene in it, a situation which has since been rectified. More than that, they felt that the whole scene was wrong, as it amounted to cheating. This was my first introduction to the concept that sex between consenting adults, when two are in an established relationship, is seen as cheating by a lot of readers. Even if the participants are happy about it.<br />
<br />
My friend was in a real quandary. She didn’t want to say anything for fear of hurting my feelings, but she’d fallen in love with my BDSM novel and she felt that if this came out after book three, no-one would want to read it, which she felt would be a crying shame. So she took her courage in both hands and told me what I needed to hear. “You need to rewrite the book. Get the axe out, honey.”<br />
<br />
Whoa. I didn’t know what to say. My first reaction was as if someone wanted to take a knife to my firstborn. This was my baby. And then I started thinking. Was she right? It didn’t take long for me to answer that one. Oh yes, she was....That whole weekend, all I did was think about what I’d have to do. Because I had to put it right. It also made me ask why my lovely gay friend hadn’t said anything. Had he not thought the same? Turns out, yes, he had – but he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Hoo boy....<br />
<br />
What followed was the long process of rewriting the book. It wasn’t due to go through edits until February/March, I estimated, so there was time to do something about it. So I got out the axe. What emerged was a very different book. I will be forever grateful to Lara Brukz, and I dedicated books two and three to her, amongst others, to say thank you in a small way for what she did. <br />
<br />
And thus began the second part of my growing process – editing. My blog title also refers to the work of one of my editors. I only know her first name, Linda. A few months ago, I read a fantastic BDSM novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Power-Exchange-ebook/dp/B009BIHQM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362551403&sr=1-1&keywords=AJ+Rose" target="_blank">Power Exchange</a>, by AJ Rose. AJ and I became friends via Facebook. AJ asked to read something of mine and I shared a few things. He took book three and edited the first ten pages. Wow. What a difference. The writing was tighter, it had more impact, it was definitely better. It was at this point that I became painfully aware there was a list of words that I used far too much, innocuous words really, but overuse weakened the writing. AJ recommended that when my book started the next editing process, I ask for a particular editor, someone he felt would really help the book along. Evan and Daniel had started to go through this process at Christmas, and as it turned out, the executive editor for the publishing company felt it needed to go through a third round of edits – and gave it to Linda. Because of the length of the book, Evan & Daniel had taken four weeks to go through two rounds, so to be told it needed a further round... Surely there wasn’t that much that needed doing – was there?<br />
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AJ told me that I would either hate Linda or love her – that was the reaction of most authors. Her edits took longer than the first two rounds put together. I’d also rewritten sections to reflect the changes that had taken place in book three. But at the end of it, I had to admit, Evan and Daniel was all the better for it. And yeah, I loved Linda.<br />
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I’m currently involved in two projects. An Unlocked Heart got a contract and is due for release in June/July, and I started planning for the second book in the series. Remember I mentioned two people fell in love with Leo and Alex? The second was someone who was to become one of my closest friends, Will Parkinson. He’s submitted his first ever book, a YA book entitled Pitch, and at the time of writing this post, we are all eagerly awaiting news. Well, all his friends are eager – Will is having kittens. Will and I had several long chats - Skype is a truly marvelous invention, especially when you’re in two different time zones – and he helped me map out the whole of Trusting Thomas, the second book. His alter ego, Parker Williams, has since submitted a couple of stories. When I suggested, jokingly, that if he ever wanted to collaborate on a book, I’d be happy to oblige, I never dreamed for one minute that he’d say yes. But he did – we started writing last week, and so far, I am loving it. I am constantly amazed at how well our writing styles mesh. Will even said at one point that it was hard to tell who’d written which bit. Wow.<br />
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I’ve come through the last few months with a very healthy respect for editors and the editing process. When writing, I am so aware of my trigger words. The thesaurus and I are fast becoming best friends. And I have lots of friends who love what I write – thank you, guys – and some very special friends whose opinion I value immensely. I think it’s safe to say... I’m a very lucky girl.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincx57s1-SH5mQqifflJbmQiSLK5V12KVxjKrQmfXltUjnPMLmvP29qqufGhC9s79EyvDyb0UUOlPjEuQ76RspAYpFEuPvt5ULHSQBNTxwVdICRWEPZZUoNsVVbT7kD73rAXk-zmYqSlc/s1600/Evan+and+Daniel.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincx57s1-SH5mQqifflJbmQiSLK5V12KVxjKrQmfXltUjnPMLmvP29qqufGhC9s79EyvDyb0UUOlPjEuQ76RspAYpFEuPvt5ULHSQBNTxwVdICRWEPZZUoNsVVbT7kD73rAXk-zmYqSlc/s320/Evan+and+Daniel.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3644" target="_blank">Learning to Love: Evan & Daniel</a> is due for release on March 20th:<br />
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Evan Wainwright’s good relationship karma is paying off. After helping his friends, Sean and Michael, discover their sexuality—and each other—Evan meets the love of his life. Their new housemate, Daniel Collier, is everything Evan could want in a boyfriend. Now if Evan can just work out why Daniel panics whenever Evan tries to get close.<br />
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Daniel has finally met his soul mate. Evan is perfect for him—at least, he would be, if Daniel could find the courage to overcome his demons and leave the past behind. But his mental scars prove difficult to heal, and Daniel struggles with his heart, even though it tells him Evan is the one.<br />
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Life in the student house goes on despite the usual interruptions: a wedding, a trial for a hate crime, a gay couple with exhibitionist tendencies. Through it all, Evan and Daniel remind themselves they are meant to be together. But until Daniel trusts Evan with the secret that’s tearing his family apart, “meant to be” is on hold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1SXq2CN6CrYw2i4KUPh-RuV2o3i5GJ2S28csan1z4fnH6VXBwirvcYf3IRiNhnuBcEu5SQjWq0ST2giYsGTxh9tWTs8e9gIt4p7jYQFTzjK5vkciWOIlfy3dM0rHO8kx_z0WXbiSi2I/s1600/LearningtoLove-JoshandChris.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1SXq2CN6CrYw2i4KUPh-RuV2o3i5GJ2S28csan1z4fnH6VXBwirvcYf3IRiNhnuBcEu5SQjWq0ST2giYsGTxh9tWTs8e9gIt4p7jYQFTzjK5vkciWOIlfy3dM0rHO8kx_z0WXbiSi2I/s320/LearningtoLove-JoshandChris.jpg" /></a>
<u>Learning to Love: Josh & Chris</u> is due for release May/June:<br />
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When Chris Andrews gave evidence against the men who manipulated him into taking part in a homophobic assault, Josh Saunders was his rock, and his support gave Chris the courage to come out. Now that Chris finds himself sharing a house with Josh, he wonders where that strong, sexy guy has disappeared to, because Chris wants him back—but he can’t wait forever. <br />
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Josh has been attracted to Chris from the get-go, and the more time they spend together, the stronger the pull grows. But he needs to make sure Chris feels the same attraction, and not just gratitude. Josh bides his time, waiting for the right moment… and misses his chance when Chris starts seeing someone else. <br />
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Somehow Josh has to convince Chris they are perfect together. But first, he needs to figure out who has been sending Chris malicious letters, threatening him over the phone, and writing hateful slogans across their front door—and persuade his own ex, who seems determined to win Josh back, to get lost. In fact, Josh’s life may depend on it.Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933786603235432238.post-53211759938270623862013-02-26T21:18:00.000-07:002013-02-26T21:18:18.092-07:00Guest Post: JR LovelessThis week my guest is the fantastic J.R. Loveless. She's stopping by on her blog tour, and I hear there's a prize at the end of the tour. Continue reading to find out how to enter.<br />
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<b>Show Me My Characters Contest and Week 5 of the His Salvation Blog Tour </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKxPb_RFJh9z2JvBmvS1-WZuJTKrcef_otOo2VaWEJOEVt4L5gIFKUtXTUFy5ygjIm4zgco6-Oya0wgNYD7mLF6MQPzbGNwR_uR7EnrGuxwYdPinyc106pV72Iz6SegXChrx4tc8l96I/s1600/HisSalvation_blogtourbanner_2013.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKxPb_RFJh9z2JvBmvS1-WZuJTKrcef_otOo2VaWEJOEVt4L5gIFKUtXTUFy5ygjIm4zgco6-Oya0wgNYD7mLF6MQPzbGNwR_uR7EnrGuxwYdPinyc106pV72Iz6SegXChrx4tc8l96I/s640/HisSalvation_blogtourbanner_2013.jpg" /></a></div>
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Well we are on week number 5 of my His Salvation Blog Tour and this week's stop is on Hayley B. James's Bee-Hive! Thanks for having me, Hayley. :D </div>
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I think the blog tour has been extremely successful so far. Thank you to everyone who has been participating and remember to keep commenting as each week counts as one new entry into the Grand Prize drawing! This week's contest is going to an easy, but interesting one. The prize? A signed paperback copy of His Salvation! Keep reading to find out how to win. :) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTFS7nefvLbxvnpXvbQVm2uoWzHKE72VGTlKPQ7Xscmry5wrLTO6yXrjdE5XL7rtmDqxndxY0lkb4wz9AsJajMcamTJJ2Az33f53NFM2iN7Bh4Fdscxf7-yPY-yM5w43QV8bL-C3Ok-4/s1600/The+Host.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTFS7nefvLbxvnpXvbQVm2uoWzHKE72VGTlKPQ7Xscmry5wrLTO6yXrjdE5XL7rtmDqxndxY0lkb4wz9AsJajMcamTJJ2Az33f53NFM2iN7Bh4Fdscxf7-yPY-yM5w43QV8bL-C3Ok-4/s200/The+Host.jpg" width="128" /></a>Am I the only one who pictures the characters of a story differently than the way the cover art portrays them? Or what about when a movie is made from one of those books and they cast someone and you can't help but wonder, what the hell were they thinking? When I'm reading a story and the writer describes them a certain way, that forms an image in my mind and it sticks. That's what I see as I read and it usually doesn't match the person on the front cover and a majority of the time it definitely doesn't match who they cast for the film. </div>
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There are a couple of movies made from novels that I was disappointed in who they cast. Twilight being the main one, but I have since seen who they cast for The Host and wanted to rant and rave and throw something at the casting director's head. How can you possibly tell me Melanie looks like that?! Not even close! </div>
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Or the upcoming movie The Mortal Instruments... I loved the books, read the original three she put out, and really enjoyed all of the characters she created. Especially Magnus. ;) But I'm really disappointed in who they cast as Clary and Jace and Simon. I think it's pretty obvious when the casting directors choose the people they do that they have never read the books the movies are being made from. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29FCT4j4iTPbgTl5pVpZjLND4K5mpU7RYZ8SKqiAsqO1xGORptrU2Dfm3M_1OQrEbk-E2LZu4Ln2iPZvXhyxnGLqBrzxq023V8haHyjCorXEacF2eVTAid22iqnvBRvtA-X6pHexgtqY/s1600/The_Mortal_Instruments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29FCT4j4iTPbgTl5pVpZjLND4K5mpU7RYZ8SKqiAsqO1xGORptrU2Dfm3M_1OQrEbk-E2LZu4Ln2iPZvXhyxnGLqBrzxq023V8haHyjCorXEacF2eVTAid22iqnvBRvtA-X6pHexgtqY/s400/The_Mortal_Instruments.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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JK Rowling was smart. She made sure they gave her the choice of who and made sure that they stayed as true to the books as possible. You definitely can't deny that the three main actors looked just like the characters in the novels. Stephenie Meyer should never have given up the right to have a hand in the development of her stories. Granted, it hasn't hurt her bank account any by allowing them to do so since people are still flocking to see the movies, but I do know if I ever have the chance to have one of my books made into a real live feature film, I am going to insist on having a say in who is cast as my characters.</div>
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Well there's my take on it. What's yours? </div>
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The contest this week is to find me pictures on the internet of who YOU think my characters look like when you're reading my books. You can choose any book of mine - Touch Me Gently, Chasing Seth, Swift's Temptation, His Salvation, White Rain or Fragments of a Unicorn's Soul. You can either link to them in your comment or send me a separate email with the pictures in it after you've commented at jrloveless (at) gmail (dot) com. Make sure you DO post your comment if you choose to email the images in order to enter for this week's contest of an autographed paperback copy of His Salvation as well as an entry into the Grand Prize drawing.</div>
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Websites to follow updates on my current works in progress, blog tour posts, events, contests, and upcoming releases: <a href="http://jrloveless.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">jrloveless.blogspot.com</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorjrloveless" target="_blank">facebook.com/authorjrloveless</a></div>
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<u>Blurb</u>: In an attempt to atone for his sins and find some solace, ADA Agent Gabriel Romero helps other Deviants in need. But with threats from both sides—Normals and the Deviants who despise them—he finds it harder and harder to outrun his ghosts, especially after a difficult mission to rescue twin brothers held at an enemy compound, where Gabriel meets Alexander Ryker. Gabriel finds his new charge unexpectedly attractive, and that’s a complication he does not want—one he thinks he doesn't deserve. </div>
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Despite the frosty reception from the stubborn agent who rescued him, sheltered telepath Alex feels an instant connection through the pain he sees in Gabriel's eyes, and he does everything he can to gain his attention. The realities he must face while mastering his ability are hard, but failing to learn to defend himself is not an option. Soon he'll need his newfound strength to convince Gabriel he deserves to live and love again.</div>
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They set a time for after dinner, and Alex accompanied Hayley back into the farmhouse. He trudged upstairs to his bedroom, deciding to take a nap for a little while. He thought back over Lizard’s claim of Bryan assigning Gabriel to train him. Why would the man push Gabriel to spend time with him? Sighing, he shoved open the door to his room and entered, closing it behind him. His eyes downcast, he didn’t notice the small package resting on his pillow until he flopped down on top of the bedspread and it poked him in his cheek.</div>
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He sat up and picked up the little white box. No wrapping, no bows, and no name to indicate who left it there. Alex frowned as he tugged the top of the box off, his eyes widening and his breath catching at the gorgeous silver cross on a sterling silver chain inside. He immediately lifted it out, fingering the simple charm. Who’d left such a beautiful gift for him? The cross measured probably about two inches long and an inch wide. He turned the box over, looking for a name, but didn’t see anything to give him a clue where it came from.</div>
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Alex stood and walked to his mirror, slipping the chain over his head, and studied himself. The chain seemed almost delicate against the tanned skin, the cross glinting as it shifted with each breath he took.</div>
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Smiling softly, he went back to his bed and lay on his back, enjoying the tinkling sound of the cross sliding on the chain. His Grams would have loved the simple cross. Memories of his grandmother reading to them from her Bible every Sunday flitted through his mind as he began to drift off to sleep. The good memories gradually changed, becoming vicious and unbelievably horrifying.</div>
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In the dream he woke to find his twin lying in a pool of blood on the floor of their room. Jason’s bright green eyes stared unseeingly up at the ceiling above them, his face twisted in fear. His heart had been wrenched from his chest and dropped carelessly on the carpet beside him. Alex tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. He stood, stumbling over his brother’s body while rushing to the door. Pulling it open, he found the hallway littered with the bodies of the other inhabitants of the ADA. Jackal lay in such a grotesque way, his limbs seemingly pulled from their sockets, his jaw broken, leaving his mouth gaping wide. Alex gagged, tears streaming down his cheeks.</div>
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“Alex,” a voice called from the end of the hallway. He looked up to see Gabriel standing there, his hands covered in blood, his face twisted and cruel. “I killed them, Alex.”</div>
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“No,” Alex whispered, his hand coming up to cover his mouth while shaking his head furiously.</div>
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“I did. I killed them, Alex, just like I killed my brother.” Gabriel stepped closer, his hand rising up toward Alex.</div>
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Alex flinched backward, his breathing coming fast and furious. “Stop, Gabriel. I know this isn’t you.”</div>
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Gabriel’s power slammed into Alex’s chest, nearly caving in his ribcage and causing him to scream out in pain as he flew backward. His lower back cracked into the nightstand, sending the lamp crashing to the floor. He tumbled to the floor after it, glass from the broken light cutting</div>
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into his palms and forearms. “You’re so pathetic,” Gabriel spat at him, advancing into the room to tower over him. “Do you really think someone as powerful as me could be interested in a weak, sniveling little kid? Your feeble attempts to seduce me actually disgust me.”</div>
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Pain lanced through Alex’s heart, and he struggled to stand, to get away. Gabriel merely laughed maniacally and flicked his fingers at Alex, power surging from the tips to force him back down into the glass. “Did you truly believe I wanted you? As if you were anything but a plaything. A</div>
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toy to amuse me until something better came along.” </div>
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A noise behind Gabriel alerted Alex they were no longer alone. Isaac appeared in the doorway, a sinister gleam shining in his eyes. He smirked and leaned his shoulder on the doorjamb, crossing his arms over his chest. Alex glared at Isaac. “You. What did you do to him?”</div>
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Isaac cocked an eyebrow at him, pushing away from the door to stride to where he lay, and crouched near him. He stroked one finger down Alex’s cheek. “Me? What makes you think I did anything to him, Alex? He speaks the truth. You know it deep inside. Why would a man with Gabriel’s power and sexuality want a gnat such as you? Did you know his cock tastes as spicy as his lips? And when he comes, mmm, the lusty growl he lets out makes me spunk just from hearing it.”</div>
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“No!” Alex shouted, denying what he heard, yet unable to cover his ears or block out the images of Isaac touching Gabriel, of Gabriel fucking the other Deviant. </div>
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Isaac looked up at Gabriel, grinning wickedly, and reached out to open the man’s jeans. Alex sobbed as Isaac lifted Gabriel’s hard shaft free of his clothing, his hand sliding down the length while he leaned forward to swipe his tongue over the weeping tip. Shutting his eyes, Alex tried to block out the sounds. But the reprieve of not having to watch was short lived. “Open your eyes,” Gabriel demanded.</div>
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“No,” Alex pleaded.</div>
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Lightning danced along his skin, and he screamed, trying in vain to fight the inevitable. More electricity crackled through him, this time causing his eyes to fly open wide to the sight of Isaac’s mouth engulfing Gabriel’s prick. Gabriel groaned, his gaze holding Alex’s malevolently.</div>
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His fingers buried in Isaac’s hair, he guided the other Deviant’s movements. Pleasure built on Gabriel’s features, his mouth parting and his breath coming faster. Alex would have given anything in that moment to be able to look away, to stop the awful scene in front of him. A final</div>
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guttural groan issued from Gabriel, signaling his release and shattering Alex’s heart into a thousand pieces. Isaac drank greedily. He gasped for air when he pulled off, but turned to look into Alex’s eyes. “What should we do with him, Gabe?”</div>
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Alex brought his gaze up to Gabriel, praying in his heart the man he loved would wake up and realize what he was doing. The next words Gabriel spoke froze the blood in his veins. “Kill him.” </div>
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He screamed in terror, willing his muscles to move. “Alex. Alex!”</div>
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His brother’s voice came from far away, shouting over and over. A sharp, stinging pain exploded across one cheek, and Alex sat up, still crying out. “Alex, please wake up!”</div>
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Tears poured from Alex’s eyes. Jason shook him, hard. “Alex, it’s a dream. It’s only a dream. Wake up.”</div>
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Blinking furiously, Alex focused on his brother’s face, a look of fear etched into it like in the dream. “Jace?”</div>
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“Oh, thank God,” Jason breathed, gathering him into a tight hug.</div>
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Alex clung to his brother, his face buried in the crook of his neck. He felt Jason smooth his hands up and down his back, and realized he was shaking so bad his teeth practically rattled in his head. He’d never experienced such terror or helplessness before. Not even when they were on the run. There’d always been a way to survive. “Jesus, Alex. When I heard your screams downstairs, my heart nearly stopped. I thought… we all thought you were in danger.”</div>
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Alex registered the sound of others in the room and pulled away from Jason to see several Deviants standing in the doorway. He flushed and glanced away. Surprise jolted him when he saw Gabriel staring intently at him from near the window. “Everyone out,” Gabriel rumbled</div>
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fiercely.</div>
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The door closed behind the others, leaving Jason and Gabriel in the room. Jason ran a shaky hand through Alex’s hair while peering into the identical green eyes. “What happened, Alex?”</div>
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<b><u>Buy His Salvation</u>: </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3366&cPath=55_303%C2%A0" target="_blank">Dreamspinner Press</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/His-Salvation-The-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00AC3PDWU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358993831&sr=8-2&keywords=His+Salvation" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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Also available at other online ebook retailers!</div>
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Hayley B Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617892649295955806noreply@blogger.com10