Guest Host and Giveaway:Roger Kean

Hi everyone! You are in for a treat today!! A few years ago, when I started to become a ‘real author’ I joined a critique group. Along the way, I have met some amazingly talented authors. One of them is none of other than Roger Kean. Roger’s work has always floored me. He might blush, but I honestly believe his work should be on everyone’s shelves.

Roger’s latest piece, Gregory’s Story is now ready for its debut. Without further ado, I leave you in Roger’s capable hands. I hope you enjoy!!

MORE A COMPANION THAN A SEQUEL

Roger M. Kean, author of Goodreads M/M Romance and Queereaders March 1013 Book of the Month “A Life Apart”, plunges again in the burning deserts of the Sudan.

Gregory Hilliard wants to discover his father’s fate, deep in the Sudan, at the hands of Dervishes 15 years before. Attached to General Kitchener’s army in 1897, he goes to defeat the Mahdist fanatics with his friend and lover, the Ja’alin Zaki. Gregory faces a tragic and at the same time life-enhancing mystery with its roots in far away England… and one which might yet rip the two lovers apart.

My new novel, “Gregory’s Story” can be read as a standalone novel, but it’s much richer treated as following on from “A Life Apart.”

I had completed work on “A Life Apart”—the story of Edward and Richard Rainbow—and put it aside to let it rest for a bit before starting final edits. That’s often when you see missed opportunities and do small, perhaps even quite large, rewrites. As it happened I always had the notion of bringing the two Rainbows back for a second outing, but the more I thought about the possible sequel the more I wanted one or two new main characters as the focus, and so Gregory Hilliard sprang to life in my mind, with Edward and Richard as secondary players in the adventure. Gregory, I decided would have a father who had disappeared during the massacre of British officers commanding Egyptian troops in 1883 at the battle of El Obeid, and a mother convinced his father still lived. Gregory had a quest as soon as he was old enough—discover his father’s true fate.

I started to rough out the first few chapters of Gregory’s early life, how he ended up being born and brought up in Egypt, of his first encounters with the Ja’alin Arab boy Zaki and how they came to be lovers… but I needed a link between the two novels. And then it hit me! I went back to when Gregory was about four, worked out the timings, and created a terrible accident where the child would have met his death were it not for the timely intervention of the handsome teenaged Trumpeter Smith, really Edward Rainbow, at the time a runaway from his English family.

Of course, that meant going back to “A Life Apart” at the very last minute and writing the same scene from Edward’s point of view. And that was my link between the two novels; and off went “A Life Apart” for publication.

That incident in the crowded streets of Cairo is crucial to the development of the early plot for “Gregory’s Story,” especially in his affinity for the now much older Edward (they both had somehow “lost” their fathers) and later for Edward’s “brother” Richard. Young Gregory is also drawn toward Edward at a more basic, sexual, level—although he barely acknowledges it—which creates another dynamic in the plot development and which has an important role to play later on.

In “A Life Apart” I explored the endless problems faced by two young men in love with each other in a Victorian-military setting, an era and situation in which homosexuality was a forbidden subject and any men caught in the act, or even accused of it, faced long prison sentences with hard labor. The fate of Oscar Wilde at the time is telling, and it gets a mention in “Gregory’s Story,” but for Gregory and Zaki there is an added complication. Not only must Gregory hide his sexual inclination and his love for Zaki, he must also face the extreme prejudice of his white peers, who regard all Egyptian and Sudanese as an inferior species, and with whom a relationship beyond master and paid servant is impossible, abhorrent, disgusting.

However, what I found fascinating in writing Gregory was that he feels himself more an Egyptian than a stiff upper-lipped Englishman. He strides two countries, two utterly different societies, and that makes his take on life infinitely more interesting. Nevertheless, it strains his relationship with Zaki because the two do have to play-act according to the white rules—Gregory the white officer, Zaki the black servant boy. The only redeeming aspect of this English colonial imperialism is the two boys’ relationship with Edward and Richard Rainbow, two men who know what it is to live a continual lie in order to preserve the purity of their love for each other. And both older men have more than enough experience to know the value of deep friendships with the native people.

So “Gregory’s Story” is often a satire on British imperialism as much as it is an action-adventure set in a very real history as the Anglo-Egyptian army slowly moves up the Nile in 1897–98 to crush the Mahdist rebellion that had brought down General Charles Gordon at Khartoum in 1885, the setting for “A Life Apart.” And ultimately the mystery of the fate of Gregory’s father plunges him into a situation where he must decide whether to accept his station in life and in so doing lose Zaki forever.

EXTRACT

CHAPTER 2

A Cairo Street Arab, September 1896

Gregory envied his friend Zaki’s exile down in Habibah al-Suef’s shady yard below. But his own sentence would soon be commuted when Habibah and his mother finished their gossip and then he could run off to the shooting range for an hour’s practice with pistol and rifle, and then to the exercise yard he and Zaki frequented. Gregory turned his head from the overhanging oriel where he sat cross-legged on the window seat. The sun angling in through the glass panes burned his left thigh below the hem of his khaki shorts. His neat dress, European for the visit instead of the loose and comfortable djellaba he’d rather wear, had begun to cling uncomfortably from sweat forming under its tight confines. Across the wide room his mother spoke in quiet tones with her pupil. In truth Habibah no longer required his mother’s tuition and the regular afternoon visits were expressly for the exchange of gossip, just about every morsel of which bored Gregory. His sharp hearing picked out the familiar words in Habibah’s elegantly accented English.

“He is such a handsome boy, Mistress Anne. How proud you must be.”

Habibah always started this topic in the same manner. The objective was simple: by contrast with Gregory’s esteemed wonderfulness, show up Zaki.

“I never will understand it. A Ja’alin as well. Cairo teems with more suitable companions than…”

She’ll be waving her hands now, lost for words. He switched his gaze and glanced down again. Zaki had stirred and started chatting with the woman who looked after the household laundry. He looked up suddenly. Gregory raised a hand, waved, and received a cheery all-white-teeth-in-black-apple-cheeks grin in return, which caused him to shiver pleasantly. The woman offered Zaki a corner of her musallah. Gregory caught the faint call of the muezzin > from… the Mosque of Ibn Tulun was probably the nearest. As the adhan rang out over the streets, to be joined in a musical wailing wave by other muezzins near and far, Zaki oriented himself and bowed his head to the prayer mat, his tightly coiled hair like the pile of a black Berber carpet. Gregory knew well the tight nap of Zaki’s hair and mentally ran a hand over it with a renewed shiver, and from his eyrie joined his friend in prayer. He was used to performing the rak’ahs which made up the full salah, although he did not pray five times a day as prescribed (and to be honest, neither did Zaki observe all of them).

His mother greatly disapproved of him “aping” the Muslims. “You are a Christian,” she berated him after finding him forehead to a musallah with Zaki. On that occasion Nabila had chased the “nasty Ja’alin heathen” from the house—like Habibah, though eons apart socially, Nabila was a Copt. He found the whole business odd, since his mother also insisted that the god of the Christians (she graciously included the Copts), the Jews, and the Muslims was really the same being. When he interrogated Zaki on this, his expert on Islamic affairs shook his curly-knotted head and said he’d have to ask. A day later he reported what a local imam told him, that both of them were ahl el-kitab, along with any Jews.

“People of the Book,” Gregory translated, no wiser really, but he assumed it matched his mother’s assertion.

Unbidden, his mind side-slipped from the sublime to something baser. He laughed to himself at what Nabila and Habibah al-Suef might think if they knew what he and Zaki got up to when out of sight of censorious adults. Rather a lot more than praying together. While it was the son of a French stockbroker who initiated Gregory into the secrets of sex not so many years before, it was Zaki’s precocious uninhibitedness which transformed the purely mechanical into something wonderful, something which only they shared. At first they pleasured each other by fondling and rubbing, although a deep instinct told Gregory what they were doing should be kept secret from anyone else, especially grown-ups. But as they matured toward adolescence, they soon discovered how to make the strange and wonderful sensations stir in belly and groin and then explode like going for a desperately needed piss only… well, so much stronger a feeling. And the resulting emissions, enjoyed together, cemented their feelings in a way that made Gregory go fuzzy inside whenever he thought of Zaki, and which Zaki returned in all manner of ways: by looks, private touches of shoulder, hip, hands, gently tapped heads, even feet when they sat side by side on a high wall, legs dangling.

Looking down at Zaki in the yard, he grinned and unconsciously squeezed his cock. Loose-limbed but so elegant in his economic movements, just a glimpse of Zaki’s dark smooth-skinned legs whenever he hitched up his djellaba made Gregory feel breathless with a strength of excitement he didn’t know how to express. Yes, French and English snobbishness perfectly mirrored Habibah’s high-born Egyptian disdain, for Gregory’s white peers frowned on his friendship with Zaki and were often as vocal in their disapproval. He simply shook it off.

In fact years ago he’d shaken off several of the expatriate children of his acquaintance after Zaki came into his young life. The Ja’alin boy’s bubbly and irreverent sense of humor appealed to Gregory. It wasn’t long before Zaki mattered to him much more than any of his European friends did. But in that, even as youngsters, Gregory innately understood that his close friendship with a native would never be simple or easy; would never be really accepted by his white acquaintances in whom his mother put such store. But what could he do? The first moment those big, round, dark eyes glinted happily when Nabila introduced them and Gregory initiated the smiling, he was smitten.

His few European friends were all transitory anyway, here one day, moved on with their parents’ important administrative roles the next. And they all hailed from big places like Paris or London or Berlin, cities which meant nothing but which they used to lord it over him by calling him an Egyptian fellahin. Little Gregory shrugged it off and made out that he was proud of being a Cairene—which he was, really… at least when the others used it as a tease. Sometimes, on his own, the taunts stung and he never felt like the tormentors were real friends. Zaki was so different. Within weeks… no, if he thought about it, perhaps only days… of being in each other’s company, Zaki became an essential part of his life, and it thrilled Gregory when Zaki responded as though he felt the same. Were they not always able to win the staring game against Gregory’s itinerant cronies? This English lad, that French boy, none could withstand Zaki’s unblinking gaze and had to break away first with growls of irritation. Gregory could engage Zaki’s dark eyes and they would stare into each other for ages before bumping noses to end the session. Gregory also won the staring game against the European boys as well.

“Kite-eyes,” Zaki labeled themselves. “Able to pin the prey and kill at a distance.”

Even when the others made it plain they didn’t want Zaki to “stick around,” he still hovered and looked out for Gregory. One day, one of the older boys—whose father had come to Egypt for a year in some snooty capacity—teased him for being an Egyptian babu. “I say, Hilliard, what school are you put down for when you grow up?” he’d asked in the nasal accent Gregory associated with all the English gentry in Cairo.

“I don’t know.” The question puzzled him because he learned stuff at home.

The worthy’s face contorted into a mock-incredulous sneer. “You must know what place your pater has booked for you in England, surely?”

“I’m prob’ly staying here.”

The bully shoved his face in Gregory’s and aped his words. “Oh, prob’ly, hey? Can’t even speak proper English, you dirty fellah-heen!”

This conversation ended abruptly when Zaki head-butted the boy in the stomach and sent him sprawling.

The truth, he told himself without any feeling of regret, was that he felt more an Egyptian than he ever did an Englishman. When alone, Gregory and Zaki played on the small lawn in his mother’s shady court, wrestled and fought as boys will, and rolled together on the coarse grass the part-time gardener struggled to tame. Gregory loved to snuffle in the crook of Zaki’s lean neck and breathe in the smell of him—warm, like rice newly cooked in coconut milk and citrus from the fruit he handled every day. They wriggled together and inhaled the different scents of sun-blushed skin.

As they turned thirteen and fourteen Zaki became everything and Gregory’s social life with other whites dwindled. As with the haughty sons of temporarily expatriate fathers, so it was with girls. He began to question his feelings for Zaki. Intense, warm, fuzzy, comfortable. They understood each other at a deep level, heightened by their mutual fluency in the Ja’alin dialect, which excluded others even more than his friendship with a Sudanese boy did. The word love had popped into his mind on several occasions for what they did in private. He wasn’t at all sure whether love described his feelings for Zaki… should it be more, or less? In the few English books his mother deemed suitable for his age, any mention of love suggested the emotion was only appropriate between a boy and a girl. But he knew hardly any girls to challenge this. Egyptians kept their women of any age hidden fast away, and the Europeans weren’t much different. There was, of course, Rose Something-Or-Double-Barreled-Other. He wondered why Europeans always had to have so many names.

“You’ve got two,” Zaki pointed out.

“That’s nothing compared to, to… Sir Charles Frederick Mallord Clifton-Wellbury,” he retorted, naming a luminary of the foreign powers governing Egypt’s fortunes… or lack of them.

“Well, I’m simply Zaki, but the imam who berates me for being a wicked person is Alhajji ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman.”

Gregory had met Rose Something-Or-Other on a few occasions at children’s parties, when she regarded him briefly with a blank face. Once, she poked her tongue out at him when she thought no one was looking. Gregory didn’t know what to make of this, but he was certain he had no feelings for her like he did for Zaki. And now they were all older (she was due to return to England at any time, he overheard his mother saying) he was no clearer. They had passed in the street on a couple of occasions, she under the protection of her governess, he with Zaki. He thought he detected a glint of interest as she sailed serenely and silently by, the slightest hint of polite recognition before turning up her snub nose at his native dress and companion.

His thoughts drifted reluctantly from Zaki to the conversation behind him. Habibah was moving into full steam…

“But, Mistress Hilliard, Anne, I mean… A Ja’alin, a Nilotic native of deepest Nubia!”

Gregory sensed the Egyptian gentle-lady’s shudders. But, as always, his mother’s calm, amused voice cut across.

“Nubian, he may be, but Zaki has his good points, Habibah.”

“Well, I’m sure as Gregory’s mother you know best, but it offends my sensibility to see a… a black native consorting with your handsome son.”

Handsome?

As if allowing us to read his work was not amazing enough, Roger has offered up two copies of Gregory’s Story. To enter for your chance to win, leave a message along with your email address. The contest will run from Sunday July 28 thru Sunday August 4th, 9pm EST. The winners will be chosen randomly. 

Thank you so much Roger, for stopping by and giving everyone a chance to win your work! You are an amazing writer. 

Serving Royalty Blog Tour

Good Morning everyone! Welcome to Summer's Point:) Today we are thrilled to welcome Ana Reese as she continues her blog tour. Without further ado, here is Ana!

Serving Royalty Blog Tour – Being Bossed Around by Your Own Characters

Hello all! First off, huge thanks to Summer Michaels for letting me babble over here today about my first publication, Serving Royalty- Through the Door, the first in a trilogy about a young nobleman, Jonas Hall, forced into servitude and prostitution and finds himself at the center of a rather dangerous royal scandal.

I’ve heard several times that there are writers who plan it and those who pants it. I am a planner. Trouble is, things don’t always go according to said plan. Take trying to give Jonas a man he could fall in love with.

 

When it comes to writing characters the reader will fall head over heels for, it’s a hit or miss. Because everyone has different things they are attracted to, so for myself, I have to put out of my mind what kind of person I would like. Now, my intended person may or may not be Jonas’ ‘type’. His original love interest turned out a bit … differently than I’d expected. And thankfully Noel, our scheming prince of Cor, was there to step in. These are the sorts of things that don’t always show up until after I start writing.

I like to think that outlining/scripting is my strong point. It let’s me quickly work my way through most, if not all, of the story and I can plan chapters, even estimate the length. Until it bites me in the ass and Jonas decides that ‘no I don’t like that man, he’s an idiot. Now, that guy over there? He’s hot.’ And before I know it Jonas is pissing off the wrong people and accidentally seducing someone else. My husband always thinks I sound a bit mad when I start going off about how certain characters won’t do like I want.

“They’re your characters, write them how you want to.”

“But that’s not how it WORKS!”

*sigh*

We are their story tellers. Sometimes I get reminded of that when I hit a groove and am typing along, then BAM! Things are said or done that weren’t in the first outline. All I can do is go along with it, and thankfully, this love interest issue that came up made everything else come together much better than in the original plan.

EXCERPT

"Who is that?"

"Walters is the biggest pain in my ass, and a creepy little man to boot. But, he knows his young fellows like nothing else. Takin' into account his past choices, you'll be snapped up by him right quick."

"Doing what exactly?"

The chef's face closed off quickly, and she took a slow step towards Jonas. "Would it matter? You're looking for good paying work, you'll have it. One o'the hardest jobs here too. Not that you'll get any real respect for it."

Jonas stared down into her beady dark blue eyes, his stomach playing host to a flurry of butterflies. "I can't leave. I need something."

"Anything will do?"

He hesitated, but nodded in grudging acceptance. "Yes."

Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a free copy of Through the Door then follow the link and drop a comment!

Through the Door is also available for purchase at LT3.

Thank you all for stopping by! Thanks again to Summer for having me!

~Ana

Thank you so  much Ana for stopping by! Good luck with the rest of the blog tour and congratulations on your latest release!

Be sure to stop by Ana's blog for your chance to win!

Have a great day everyone!

Summer Michaels

Interviewing Isabella

Welcome to Summer's Point! I'm always thrilled when I get the chance to interview other authors. I love hearing what inspires them and what inspires them. Today I'm grateful to bring you Isabella Carter! This talented author will need to be on your To Read shelf quickly. Without further babbling from me, here is Isabella Carter. 

About You: The Person

Where do you call home?

I've lived in Maryland around the Baltimore-Metropolitan area all my life apart from the four years I went to school on the eastern shore.

Do you have any siblings?

I have one older brother who lives on the other side of the country. We're complete opposites so it's strange when we get together. He serves in the military currently, like the rest of my family has at some point. I'm the odd person out since I've never served.

Favorite place traveled?

In college, I went to Japan for four months for study abroad. It was my first time away from home, so it was terrifying, but it was so much fun. I went to Jpop concerts and to a hot spring. The best part though was the complete immersion in another culture. And I think it's better when you get the change to travel to another culture to experience it rather than just hearing it. Because when you hear about it, you only hear the good parts, the idealized parts. But being there, you have a chance to learn all the bad parts and fall in love with them as well.

Besides writing, what do you do in your free time?

I spend a lot of time reading of course, romance and a large amount of young adult fiction (more than I'm comfortable admitting). Last year, I learned how to knit with the help of a coworker. I make a lot of scarves since I'm too scared to try anything harder. I love RPGs, so whenever one comes out, I play like mad. I'm also an online gamer. I started on Final Fantasy XI, went through a World of Warcraft phase, did a bit of Guild Wars, and right now I occasionally play Star Wars while waiting for FFXIV to come out. My father encourages the gaming the same way my mother encouraged my reading so I always have a partner in crime, which makes gaming all the more fun. (My dad encourages a lot of my bad habits actually)

I also work with computers for both fun and profit. I was lucky enough to find a day job in something I like doing.

About You: The Author

What was the first book you ever published?

My first story accepted for publishing was a story for Less Than Three's serialized anthology Something Happened on the Way to Heaven which came out on the same day as Shadow (Feb 20^th). My first ebook however was a part of the Kiss me Quick Collection, a cute little story about a clerk that's had enough of his rude neighbor.

What made you decide to write in the MM genre?

When I was younger, I read every romance novel I could find and after a while, I tired of the dynamics in them. I discovered yaoi fanfiction and spent hours reading. When I started writing again, it seemed only natural that I'd write MM. I still write hetero as well, and I love writing F/F when the urge hits me.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

A lot of my inspiration began in tabletop gaming. My drug of choice was World of Darkness and between tabletop and Live Action, I've played nearly all the games. I used to run them as well, which seriously tested my creativity. In a story, you have some reasonable ability to predict what your characters will do, but you can never guess what the dice will roll and of course, what your players will do. More than once, I had players ignore critical plot evidence, or take the game down a completely different track. I had to be ready to roll with the punches. And with live action, there were the costumes of course, and the props. You'd be surprised what we could do in a night with fifty dollars and the dollar store.

I love listening to music as well, and when I'm running on empty, sometimes a picture (Like the one I found for Phoenix Knight) inspires an entire story in my head. And sometimes, it's just the things I see. When I first started writing Shadow in the Winter of 2011, I had just adopted the cat I hadn't planned to adopt (It was a two for one special). His behaviors amused me so much I wanted to write a character that utterly baffled his human with that same behavior.

Who or what influences your writing?

Of all the things I've given up and been terrible at, there's always been one aspect I'm luck in, and that's picking good friends. I have one friend in particular who pulled me into gaming, then showed me the long stories she wrote about her characters and talked me into writing my own. After college, she challenged me to write small dirty fanfiction drabbles with her (That will never see the light of day). For her birthday, I wrote her a silly fairytale that she loved and I kept going. Most times, if I'm writing, I bounce my ideas off of her. She's the one who bullied me into submitting my first story as well as the one who yelled at me when I considered not submitting Shadow.

What current WIP are you working on?

Right now, I'm about to get into a new project about a witch and a demon. I'd say more about it, but these stories never end up where I plan them, so we'll see where this one goes. So far though, there's a dead body in an alley, and that's good enough for me.

I just finished writing The Dragon Slayer which is contracted with Less than Three. It's one of my favorite types of stories actually, about a prince that finds his courage. Also, it has dragons, so that's hard to beat. It's a sequel to The Phoenix Knight, but it's pretty easy to read without ever having read that story. (Since I know how some people feel about the female parts even though I, as its author, think it's an awesome story)

A Bell Jar Moment you will never forget as an author?

Originally, I went to college with dreams of being a writer. I took part in a freshman creative writing seminar and I thought it would be the best thing for my writing. It was and it wasn't. My teacher told me in far kinder words that I wasn't suited to be an author. As this had been my dream for years, I was understandably broken. I didn't write again for nearly four years.

But as bad as that experience was, it taught me a valuable lesson about dealing with criticism. And it taught me that sometimes, you really can't please everyone.

 ~*~

Giveaway

There's also a giveaway! You can enter a giveaway for an ebook copy of Shadow of a Dream at my blog. The giveaway runs until midnight, February 28th.

Blurb:

Solving a murder is never an easy matter, even when circumstances are ideal. For Basil, circumstances are far from ideal. Because the murder is far more complicated than at first it seems, and before he can even begin to solve it Basil must contend with a council that refuses to listen to him, a partner he despises, and a thief who is a temptation that Basil cannot seem to resist …

Stop by Less Than Three Press, All Romance Ebooks, and Amazon to purchase your copy of Shadow of a Dream. 

Isabella has been gracious to give us a small preview of Shadow of a Dream! Enjoy!!

 Excerpt:

The Duke of Rutland was shorter than Basil had expected, but there was something about him that demanded obedience. He also looked quite young for his age, his hair full and dark with nary a line on his face. Rutland stood there and studied the both of them. For a moment, Basil thought he might have decided they weren't enough to investigate his robbery, but then Rutland nodded politely at the both of them and stepped fully into the room.

Two men entered behind him:  only one of them resembled the Duke so much that Basil immediately knew he was the Duke's son. He wore his dark hair as short of his father's, though his gaze wasn't anywhere near as intuitive. However, Basil was far more intrigued by the other man who stood next to the Duke.

Whereas the Duke and his son were dressed in the muted colors that were common among the nobility in St. Michaels, the other man's dress made it obvious that he was from Augustine. His pants and coat were a deep purple and his waistcoat was light blue. The handkerchief and tie were an amethyst that matched the earring dangling from his ear. His coat hung past his waist, the sleeves wide and edged with lace.

But it was the hat that made Basil stare in a mix of wonder and horror. The wide-brimmed hat covered his eyes from sight and matched the purple of his earring. A lily sat daintily on the side. The Duke was speaking, but Basil couldn't tear his eyes away from the hat. He'd heard such objects were completely normal in Augustine, but he'd never seen such an article of clothing before. He half wanted to reach out to see if the flower was real.

As if sensing Basil's stare, the man shifted and now Basil could see his face. He was pretty, though his features were far too fine to make him handsome. He was trouble. Basil could see that in the slight smile on his face, the kind that looked as though he were laughing at a private joke no one else would understand. His eyes danced with mischief, and he winked at Basil before turning his attention back to the Duke.

"—my son has taken an interest in the affairs of late and thus will be joining us." The Duke was saying, "This is Mirza Delano from the Royal Academy in Augustine." He gestured to the pretty man in the hat. "My nephew."

Delano's mouth spread into a full smile as he held out his hand to a startled Alexander. "How lovely to meet you." Alexander didn't respond as he shook Delano's hand. He seemed to be just as distracted by the hat, and at least Basil wasn't alone in that. He held his hand out to Basil and Basil took it tentatively. "You may call me Mirza."

"Mirza? That's an odd name." Up close, Basil could smell the lily, which meant it was definitely real, but how had Delano gotten it onto his hat? And why had he done so?

"I was named for a friend my parents met on one of their adventures." The handshake was over and still Delano had not let go. His thumb brushed over the sensitive skin on the back of Basil's hand, turning the simple handshake into a caress that seemed far too intimate. Basil wanted to yank his hand back, but he found himself enjoying the warmth of human contact. Especially the way Delano's touch made him exceedingly aware of his body's reaction. Delano's eyes met Basil's once more, and Basil could see the answering interest. "And your name is?"

"Mirza!" Rutland scolded before Basil could decide whether or not to answer.

Delano released his hand with a quick laugh, "My apologies, Uncle. You were being far too slow with the introductions."

Rutland's smile was tolerant, "Please excuse my nephew. He was raised in the wilds."

"My parents would not appreciate that sentiment. They spent quite the fortune to tame me."

"All of it wasted." Rutland shook his head sadly and Delano laughed, the delighted sound filled with a magic all its own. 

As always, thank you all for stopping by! A special thanks to Isabella Carter for opening up and allowing us to enter her world. Don't forget to enter your chance to win Shadow of a Dream! 

Meeting Mell

Good Morning everyone! Today, I would like to welcome Mell Eight for a feature in our Author Spotlight! 

Before I start answering all of Summer Michaels' questions, I wanted to thank her for giving me this opportunity to share some fun facts about myself and about my writing.  I really appreciate Summer giving me a plug in her blog and giving Stealing the Dragon a bit of extra spotlight.  It means a lot to me to have others in the m/m genre compliment my work. 

About You: The Person

Where do you call home?

I currently live in Upstate New York.  It's a whopping five degrees outside right now (without wind-chill) so I'm questioning the intelligence of continuing to live here, but it's home so I can't complain too much.  

Do you have any siblings?

Yes, I have two younger sisters and the cutest puppy ever! 

Favorite place traveled?

This is a hard question.  I've visited so many awesome places on five of the seven continents.  I'm going to have to choose Israel, although Egypt and Italy are very close seconds. 

Besides writing, what do you do in your free time?

I am taking an amazing martial art called Krav Maga.  It's the same martial art Israel uses in their army, so it's intense, but very gratifying.  A warning for any males looking to take the course, the rumors are true: I have so far learned about 500 different ways to make a man cry and I'm only in level two.  

About You: The Author

What was the first book you ever published?

Purchase Here

The first book I ever published was Finding the Wolf, the first book of the Dragon's Hoard Series. 

What made you decide to write in the MM genre?

You shouldn't even have to ask!  Boys are smexy.  Two boys just doubles the fun!  Now I can put my own wicked imaginings onto paper to share with everyone! 

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Most of the ideas for my books come to me when I'm in the shower.  There's something soothing about letting your mind go and only focusing on the mundane act of bathing that really lets the ideas flow.  It's not so good for my computer, though, because wet hands and dripping hair on a keyboard don't really work out well in the end. 

I do a heck of a lot of research to back up those ideas.  The Dragon's Hoard Series, for example, required that I look up a lot of information on dragons so my characters would be realistic.  Stealing the Dragon, book three, required research on medieval marketplaces, armies, and basic shop keeping.  You can never have a good book if you don't have the research to back up what you're writing, so I try my best to be factual even in the most fantastical of books. 

Who or what influences your writing?

My likes and dislikes influence my writing a lot!  I love dragons and werewolves, so Finding the Wolf had both creatures.  My educational background is in counter-terrorism and homeland security, so I've written a couple stories focused there too.  I also spend much of my time reading fantasy and paranormal stories written by amazing authors.  I know my writing can't compare, but I enjoy the challenge to reach their level. 

What current WIP are you working on?

I've found that it's impossible for me to work solely on just one story.  I think it's the ADHD or something, but I spend my writing time hopscotching between stories, writing a little here and a little there before moving on.  Therefore, I am currently working on at least three separate, tentatively titled, stories:

The Oracle's Flame is for LT3's If You're Reading This call.  It's about missing princes, pirates, and saving the world.  I'm still fleshing out the story, but I'm hoping it turns out all right!

The Red Apple Spell is for LT3's Fairytales serial.  That's a very tentative title, since I don’t think there will be a poisoned red apple in the story.  It's a mix of a bunch of different fairytales.  Hansel and Gretel and Snow White are the two I've introduced so far, but there are at least two more I'm planning to incorporate as well. 

Road to Home is the sequel to Road to Revenge, which will arrive in stores July 3^rd.  Road to Revenge is a spy thriller fighting terrorism in Israel.  Road to Home will also be fighting against terrorists, but it will be set in Venice and Cairo.  I've a lot of work still to do on this story. 

A Bell Jar Moment you will never forget as an author?

My Bell Jar Moment would probably be the very first time I had a story rejected by a publisher.  It hurt and it really, really sucked, but the trade off in learning was so large that I try to remember what I felt and how I grew as a person and as a writer because of it.  You can get a little arrogant or complacent about your work if you haven't had to struggle even the littlest bit to get your stories published, so I really appreciate the experience. 

Mell's next release is Stealing the Dragon which will be released by Less Than Three Press. Mell has been kind enough to bring an excerpt along with her!! Here's a taste of Stealing the Dragon!!

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Jerney looked down at what An'tatori was holding and gasped. It was a silver necklace with a delicate blue teardrop topaz hanging suspended in an intricate silver net. The topaz itself was such a clear light blue color that Jerney could see An'tatori's hand through the stone. It was beautiful.

"I can't accept this," Jerney said with a shake of his head. "It's beautiful, but I don't want to take a part of your hoard."

An'tatori held up the gem near Jerney's face. "It matches your eyes," the dragon said softly. "I want you to have it because I want you to be my friend."

"Your friend?" Jerney asked, incredulous. An'tatori wanted to be his friend after his spells had allowed for the hatching gem to be stolen? Jerney was a thief and a witch, which wasn't exactly friend material for a baby dragon.

"My big brother Nyle is friends with a wolf, so why can't I be friends with a witch?"

Jerney swallowed at the casual reminder that lovers Dragon Lord An'nanyle and Prince Leon were related to An'tatori. He thought An'tatori's logic was a bit off, but he was insistent.

"My name is Tori and I want you to be my friend," An'tatori said firmly, holding the necklace out again.

"My name is Jerney," he said softly as he reached out and took the necklace from Tori, "and I would be honored to be your friend."

"Good," Tori said with a happy smile. "Now put the spells on that necklace so you won't lose it!" Tori grabbed Jerney's hands and led him over to his bed. Jerney sat down across from Tori and set the necklace onto the blanket in front of them.

Tori was watching the necklace intently, one hand still clutching the ruby gem around his neck, as Jerney studied how serious the dragon really was. There was no indication that Tori was at all upset about how the night had gone—the tear tracks had all vanished from his cheeks and his gold eyes glinted with a child-like excitement that reminded Jerney again of his siblings when they were young and had found some new and exciting toy.

Jerney reminded himself that children could be fickle. There was every possibility that in a few days Tori would be at his door asking for the necklace back. But at that moment, Tori wanted his new friend to have it, so Jerney would oblige Tori for as long as the excitement would last.

Jerney prepared the spells in his mind, envisioning clearly the potion ingredients and the steps to brew it. Once he had a picture of the bottled potion in his mind, he lifted his hand and passed it over the necklace. A glance up at the dragon showed that Tori was biting his lip and wiggling in place in excitement, so Jerney added some sparkle and a flash of light to his spell.

The dragon jumped and giggled before reaching out to touch the necklace. "No one will steal it from you now?" he asked as he pushed the necklace towards Jerney.

"No one," Jerney affirmed. He picked the necklace up and clasped it around his neck. It settled there comfortably, with the teardrop landing just below the hollow of his throat.

"Good," Tori said with a nod. Tori yawned and shook his head. "We'll have to play more later," he said as Jerney got up off his bed. 

Want your chance to win Stealing the Dragon? Hop on over to Mell's blog and enter her giveaway! You can also win a copy of Finding the Wolf. You don't want to miss out! 

Thank you so much Mell for stopping by! I can't wait to explore the world of Dragon's Hoard. 

Thanks again to Summer Michaels for giving me a few moments on her blog!  Stealing the Dragon arrived in stores on February 6^th.  Please go check it out!  

Talking with Talya

Good Monday morning everyone! Today I sit with Talya Andor down for a little Q&A. If you haven't read anything by this author, then start saving up! Talya has only just begun!

About you: The Person

Where do you call home?

Salem (not that Salem), Oregon in the lush green Willamette Valley of the Pacific Northwest.

Do you have any siblings?

I don't! I was the one, the only. I credit that fact, in part, for my early development of a vivid imagination. I was world-building and story-telling for my own entertainment from a very young age.

Favorite place traveled?

I've been to a lot of amazing places, from the ruins of a French castle to the shores of a lake rumored to contain a legendary monster. My favorite so far is probably Half-Moon Cay in the Bahamas; it was so peaceful and gorgeous.

Besides writing, what do you do in your free time?

Many things! There's never enough time for it all. I enjoy snuggling up on the love seat with my girlfriend, and our kitty Pepper, who we spoil outrageously. She is the cutest cat in the world. I'm working on getting fit, and am currently doing the Insanity Workout with a friend - we buddy up for eating habits and workout resolve. I've lost 23% of my starting weight and I have further to go, but fitness is the focus. I used to get nail polish as a workout reward, then it took off and became its own full-blown habit, I mean hobby, and I keep a nail polish tumblr updated with my manicures as well as other pretty manicures I find. 

In between writing and editing, I try to sneak in a fair bit of reading - I'm a fiction fan, primarily fantasy and sci-fi, with a fair bit of contemporary when the summary or author hooks me. I also enjoy playing video games and my girlfriend and I are movie geeks and regularly see first-run films in the theatre.

As a cooking enthusiast, I have seen pretty much every show there is to do with cooking: I collect Top Chef, I'm a huge fan of Masterchef Australia, Masterchef New Zealand, and even Masterchef U.S.; I've seen Gordon Ramsay's F Word, Hell's Kitchen, the Next Food Network Star, and probably more I've forgotten. I follow several food blogs, though I don't have one of my own, and I do a fair bit of cooking and experimenting at home. I love making healthy lunches to bring to work every week.

Music fuels a lot of my writing and I have a seriously eclectic collection. I listen to whatever strikes my fancy, or what my BFF, who is even more eclectic than I, force-feeds me in the name of exposure to new music. My iPod probably has about nine different languages represented on its playlists, maybe more.

About you: The Author

What was the first book you ever published?

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Signal to Noise was my first published novel. I'm so proud of it! It's very niche and not for everyone, being sci-fi horror with a pairing that wouldn't be to everyone's taste, but I'm happy that it's getting good reception from the folks who are reading. 

What made you decide to write in the MM genre?

I got hooked through fandom, initially. I started in the anime fandom back in college, and I was lured into yaoi after a brief stint writing gen humor. After reading a ton of yaoi, everything I could get my hands on, it sparked ideas. I'd always loved to write, so I became an enthusiastic and prolific yaoi writer. The dynamic of m/m hooked me in a way that hetero romance had never managed. Writing in fandom, and writing a ton, really helped me find my style and confidence. In time, I turned to writing original fiction, and learned to plot and follow through with novel-length ideas through Nanowrimo.

Throughout all that, my passion has been m/m fiction, both reading and writing, with some forays into f/f narratives. I can't get enough good gay fiction, and I'm really enjoying the proliferation into multiple genres that has happened over the years. When I started out reading m/m, finding it in published fiction was a treasure hunt. Now, we're becoming spoilt for choice with so many amazing independent presses.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

My inspiration comes from a number of different sources; I probably wouldn't even be able to pin them all down. Music, a lyric, a picture, a prompt that gets me thinking about what would be my take on it ... as a writer, I'm constantly filtering my impressions of everything that I take in. My series Appetite, coming out this year, sprang from my love of all things foodie as well as an idea that I had for competitive chefs whetting their blades to better themselves, and each other, and falling for each other in the process. A story that I wrote last year, Fireborn, came from a concept that I'd daydreamed of a young god and his willing sacrifice where death wasn't the end; it was the happy beginning. And an outline I jotted down the other day came initially from a short comic that I saw online, which was the jumping-off point to a fairytale-style fantasy of a lady knight and a monster who turns out not to be so monstrous after all.

Sorry, that turned out to be a very long way of saying "all kinds of things."

Who or what influences your writing?

When I was younger, I looked up to authors such as Roald Dahl, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, David Eddings, and Robert Heinlein. I think Mr. Heinlein and his views on writing had a lot of influence on me during my formative years as a writer. He projected an image of someone who loved and loathed writing, yet was inextricably bound to it and unable to do anything but produce it, try as he might. I think that's a relationship with writing that many authors can identify with. Some of his books in my collection became so tattered and pet-mauled, I had to buy new ones!

What current WIP are you working on?

Right now I'm working on The Fall Guide, in which a young male beauty blogger experiences failure to launch, and relies on the help of a smooth producer who happens to treat him better than his boyfriend does. I'm also outlining a sequel for Signal to Noise, which is tentatively titled Klaxon at the Core, and I guess I have to count Appetite: Surfeit for the Senses, because I may end up doing a bit of writing for the final draft I'll send to the editor. I also have a story I'm working on for a submission call titled The More Plausible Evil.

A Bell Jar Moment you will never forget as an author?

Probably the very first novel I finished as a wee kidlet. It started out as a hand-written mess in a series of notebooks, and ended up as a couple hundred word-processed pages, but I wrote a fantasy novel, revising and finishing it in my early teens. That first novel is lost to time and many moves and computer upgrades now, and it was most likely terrible, but I loved writing it and sharing and having friends tell me they loved it. The entire process of creation, and sharing, and feedback, was so thrilling that I knew I wanted to be a writer. From the moment I finished printing that stack with its neatly-lettered title and my name under it, my dream job--what I wanted to be when I grew up--was "author."

Talya's next release, A Cut Above the Rest will be published by Less Than Three Press.

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Alex always had it easy growing up, indulged by loving, but busy parents as he flitted from one interest to another without settling. Then he discovered the world of fine dining and became determined to be a chef capable of producing such magnificent meals. Despite the doubts of a father who limited his funds, and the difficulties of leaving Germany to live in the United States, Alex stuck to his new goal and graduated the Culinary Institute of America. 

Fresh out of school, he is eager to begin work at the restaurant owned by a good friend of his father's, a restaurant well known for the beautiful, innovative meals its chefs create. He is primed to join the ranks of those masterful chefs—until the day he starts, and learns that he is nothing more than kitchen lackey, lower in rank than even the dishwashers. 

Worse, his boss is none other than Nik, the beautiful, infuriating, highly talented classmate that Alex could never best—or resist. 

Talya is currently running a bundle giveaway over on her blog. Be sure and sign up for your chance to win! Don't let the chance of getting to know this author pass you by! 

I want to say a special thank you to Talya Andor for allowing me to interview her! It has been a pleasure getting to know more about you and your work!

K-lee Klein

When I got the chance to interview this next author, I didn't hesitate. I first met K-lee Klein on the M/M Romance threads as a fellow book lover. I was just starting to discover what the world of male to male romance had to offer and K-lee had an endless supply of recommendations. It has been a honor to watch K-lee transcend from avid reader to stunning author. So sit back, relax, and get to know the lovely K-lee Klein. 


How did you discover your talent for writing?

Ummm. First of all I have trouble saying I have talent at all but I've always wanted to write. I have a degree in Communication Arts and Journalism, not helpful for fiction I'm afraid. My first experience with sharing my fiction to anyone as an adult was writing slash fanfiction. It was sort of like rediscovering how much I loved to write and the fact people responded in a positive way gave me a little boost to keep doing it.

As a writer, how do you stay organized or keep your to-do list in order?

Despite not being a plotter, I'm a big list-maker.  I have a calendar (pretty kittens), one of those big poster-sized Post-It pads on my wall and a pink wipe-off board that I carry around with me all over the house, and when I travel.

How do you come up with your story ideas? Are you a plotter or a write as you go author?

I try to be a plotter but I'm really not in the least. "Hello, my name is K-lee and I'm a pantser". I have ideas and try to organize them but generally my stories start with one scene or two characters that just have to be together and then I just write. I usually know where I want the story to go but generally not how it's going to get there.

Writing spot? Do you have a go to writing spot? 

Since I write on my laptop, it just goes wherever I go, along with my iPhone and my iPad. Lol. Yeah, I haul them all around so it's easier to look things up if need be. My bedroom is my writing cave I guess – it's my biggest comfort zone.

Will you be attending GRL this year? Will you be hosting any events?

I will be going to GRL – I went as a reader last year and this year as a (gulps) author. J Not hosting anything but I'll be doing one of the Q & A events and be part of the book signings, AND I've been busy making K-lee Klein swag. J

As a regular visitor of your blog, you can’t help but notice your love of music and travel. What are a few of your favorite music groups? What is your favorite vacation spot? 

Wow – okay. Thank you for visiting my blog. Yes, I love to travel and I love music and putting the two together is absolutely awesome. In 2010, I traveled to about 13 concerts in Canada and the U.S. – all the same band.J That band was Thirty Seconds to Mars and some other faves are Seether, Great Big Sea, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goo Goo Dolls, Hedley – there are just too many to consider. 

As for travel, I love Europe – we did a couple of cruises to different places and I think my favorite was Barcelona and Spain in general. Spanish men, siestas and paella – what's not to love? Ireland is a close second. J

K-lee is also a Song Pop genus! She has slaughtered me more times than I care to think about. What is your favorite song pop genre?

Favorite songpop genre has to be 80's Collection (I still love my hair bands) then anything to do with Rock.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

T.A. Chase was one of my first m/m authors and I love her work ethic. She's prolific, regimented, branches out into different genres and is very fan-friendly. Shhh and she's adorable in RL, too.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished Z.A. Maxfield's "GASP!" (awesome, by the way) and right now I have Jet Mykles "Champion" and Megan Derr's "Treasure" – both very different but good books.

What books have most influenced your life?

One of the first books that ever made a big impact on me was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I was in high school and I still remember the first time I read it. It was emotional and gritty and I fell instantly in love with most of the characters. And to think she was only in her teens when she wrote it sort of blows my mind. It might have influenced my later years of m/m, too, because I think even then I thought Sodapop and Dally should have been together.  Of course when they brought out the movie I was even more sure they'd make an awesome couple, though Dally and Johnny did have this great sub/dom chemistry. Hmmm… maybe I should rethink that. ;)

Cover art! One of my all-time favorite covers has to be Countdown to Daddies!  Did you have any input for the cover?

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Lol. Not a lot. Because it was a collection call we got to pick out of a few different covers. My editor actually wanted me to pick one with a different baby but I knew that baby and the tattooed daddy were perfect for my daddies. I love that cover, too.

K-lee's latest story, Domestic Relations was just released by Less Than 3 Publishing! Here's a sneak peek into the workings of Riley and Josh. Or as much as I could pull from K-lee! 

What can you tell us about Josh and Riley?

Josh and Riley are lawyers-very beautiful, talented lawyers. That's all I can say for now J  

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How did this story come to you?

I originally wrote it for a submission call for lawyer stories but somehow I lost my vision so I let the call slip by. Less Than Three Press was nice enough to give Riley and Josh a chance and now it has become my second novel-sized book (in print, too. Yay!)

Who spoke to you first, Josh or Riley?

Riley spoke to me first. He was the emotional, distraught voice in my head and he was quite insistent about what he wanted to say – insistent but a little scattered. Josh came a little later, more of a voice of reason and more the fact people responded in a positive way gave me a little boost to keep doing it.

Thank you K-lee for taking the time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions and allowing us to get to know you a little better.

Thanks for having me, Summer. I'd like to offer a giveaway if that's okay with you – something from my backlist - winner's choice of book and format.  Smooches

<3

K-lee

You heard the lady! To enter a chance to win a story from K-lee Klein's backlist, just leave a comment below with your name and email address. The contest will close September 16th at 8pm EST. Good luck everyone! 

Follow K-lee on her website, twitter, or Goodreads.