New Release!

I'm thrilled that Ascending Hearts is now available from Ellora's Cave! It's the next in my Tempting Tales series with Leta Blake, and is inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk. 

Rumors of treasure have long sent fortune hunters clambering up a magic beanstalk to a mysterious castle in the clouds. Survivors told of an evil giant who guards the gold with savage strength. No sane man would dare risk the climb—but Jack has nothing left to lose. Shunned for his evil red hair and abandoned by his cruel lover, he’s desperate to escape his life.

Rion isn’t a giant, only a man bearing the burden of protecting his family’s legacy. It’s a lonely existence, but he’s duty bound. Then Jack appears, and Rion’s world changes. After a blazing confrontation, undeniable lust sparks. Isolated in the clouds, Jack and Rion give in to their desire and growing connection. Soon they must protect the treasure—and each other—from a new threat. And they have everything to lose.

*

Also available at:

All Romance Ebooks
Amazon

Let's Get It On

I was in the mood to talk about some of the romantic scenes I've seen in movies lately, but I'll tell you, I don't know. Maybe my idea of what constitutes a good love scene is weird. The times I find myself breathless in movies, the times I've had to fan myself recently while watching television don't seem to be times when I'm expected to feel that way. There are a log of graphic, explicit movies, and I've watched my share of porn. I like porn, it's cool. It enables me to get the geography straight when I'm writing a sex scene and it's good for those days when you just can seem to drink enough coffee to stay awake. *nods off*

But romance, now. That's different. For romance I've got to have my head and my heart involved. It's got to wake up my whole body.

My gut positively clenched when I was watching this Sing Off group, Pentatonics cover Marvin Gay. Likewise, my heart fluttered like mad with slashy yearning when White Collar hottie Neil Caffrey tied Agent Peter Burke's tie. (Although sadly, I couldn't find a video clip.)

One of my favorite romantic scenes ever takes place on the dance floor in Baz Luhrmann's film Strictly Ballroom, when the DJ cues up a Paso Doble and our hero Scott slides across the floor to a newly energized, newly confident Fran and winds up on his knees at her feet. ZOMG.

My heart burst from my chest the first time I ever saw that, then went up in FLAMES.



And who could forget Brian and Justin's Prom Dance. I won't. Nor will I ever, ever forget what came after, even though this clip doesn't include it. Damn you QAF. My heart can't stand the strain.



When I write there are times when I hold back. Either the characters are naturally reticent, or they're reluctant to be emotional around intimacy. Some people are like that and I write about them too. They recognize who they are, and they often write to tell me how I hit all the right notes for them. Still others clamor for more overt demonstrations of love from the same characters.

What moves me is when there's an intense emotional bond driving the physical connection between bodies. Not every character in my books is going to have that. I daresay there are plenty of characters in real life who are simply enjoying their libidos while they're waiting for their hearts to engage.

Lately it seems like I've written a lot of guys who are intimidated by romance or who are afraid to show their soft underbellies to the men they love. To that end, I've written two shamelessly romantic holiday stories. One for Christmas, and one with a Hanukkah theme.

I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. They represent my very best and brightest hopes for lovers everywhere. Find your special someone, and get out there and snog like there's no tomorrow.

Since I thought I'd give myself a quick refresher regarding what romance means to me I wanted to share it here, with you...And this, wow. The best screen kiss I've seen in a long time. (and lucky me, I watched a ton of them.) Hold on to your socks, because they're about to be blown off.

Probably my favorite screen kiss ever:



If you need me... I'll be at my computer.

Now for Pre-Order: GPS (ARe 28 Days of Heart)

Everybody needs a nudge in the right direction sometimes. For a guy like Cale Durbin, alone and not looking forward to burning off a birthday with a blind date, the Bat Signal shining down on the home of the man of his dreams would be a big help. Instead, he's gifted with a quirky GPS device with a mind (?) of its own. Where is Cale going? You can find out on February 21 when GPS releases through the All Romance 28 Days of Heart celebration. GPS is an erotic romance featuring explicit male on male lovin'. ;-)

Proceeds from the sale of GPS are donated to the American Heart Association in conjunction with their Wear RED campaign to raise awareness of heart disease among women. Usually when we think of women and overcoming illness, the discussion turns toward breast or ovarian cancer. Perhaps sometimes we lose focus and don't realize that good heart health is equally important. We only have one, after all, and we should take care of it. :)

Heart disease awareness is a cause close to my, er, heart as well. Both of my parents lost their fathers to heart attacks, and in both instances neither man lived to see 60. Granted, on my father's side there had been a history of heart problems among the men (up through his line, several men succumbed in their 50s and 60s to heart trouble), yet it's because of associations like the AHA that we learn things that break these cycles brought on by genetic patterns. As I head into my 40s, I don't want to worry about having my life cut short by something that could have been prevented.

For just two dollars (maybe more if you check out the other titles available at ARe), you can help a great cause and read a hot story that gets your heart pumping. Hope you enjoy it!

GPS - Never Get Lost Again

I am pleased to announce that my M/M short for All Romance eBook's 28 Days of Heart, GPS, is now available for pre-order! Proceeds from sales of this title are donated to the American Heart Association, along with the 27 other titles under this banner. GPS was a fun little story to write - it's been a while since I sat down to write a magical romantic comedy. I don't know if this would classify as contemporary fantasy, because there are elements in the story that may make a reader scratch her/his head and wonder. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

While we're waiting on that, I have a sneak preview of my upcoming Enter Sandman, the first in my unofficially named Metallarotica (heh) trilogy for Phaze Books.

Struck by insomnia, Len Crocker is desparate to try anything to get to sleep, even obtain the services of a mysterious living god, and probable huckster, known simply as The Sandman. When the object of Len's desires, Andrew Gibbons, springs for the nighttime session, Len is amazed by The Sandman's effectiveness...and pleasantly surprised with what he finds in his bed the next morning.

Enter Sandman is a contemporary short with urban fantasy elements, and is also coming in February with GPS. Enjoy the preview!

“Hello?” called a deep, very male voice, and Len’s heart stopped. “Anybody here?”

“Come on back, Crane,” Gibb called from behind Len, startling him further. Len watched a shadow fall across the bedroom doorway and in stepped the personification of any gay boy’s dream. Tall and broad-shouldered, Crane wore a curly mess of short blond hair over two arched, inquisitive brows. A strong jaw twitched, as though the man deeply assessed his new surroundings and planned his next move. He wore white, loose-fitting pants and a skin-tight, light blue tank that nicely set off defined muscles and lean arms, one of which flexed as he lifted a black leather bag.

“Can I put this here?” Crane pointed one end of the doctor-style satchel to a small table that held spare change and a boring science fiction novel Len had tried as a sleep aid.

Len shrugged, then nodded, all the while swearing to himself that he had locked the door earlier. He stood to lean forward a bit, which would have given him a straight line of vision toward the front of the house, but Crane blocked his view.

“I’m Crane. Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a large hand that engulfed Len’s in a warm, constricting handshake. “Gibb tells me you’re having trouble sleeping.”

“Th-that’s right, yes.” If the man wasn’t a doctor, he seemed to do a good job with the masquerade. Len wondered if he should at least ask the man for some credentials, then worried Gibb might take the question as uncertainty toward his referral of the guy.

“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.” Down went the bag, and a loud zip filled the silence between chatter. “Do you have any specific allergies, Len?” Crane asked as he extracted a number of brown apothecary bottles from the open flaps.

“Not that I’m aware of.” Len turned to Gibb, as though seeking confirmation, and he noticed his friend appeared a bit anxious. He watched Gibb watch Crane, curious to know to what extent their relationship ran. Crane had helped cure Gibb’s insomnia—that much he knew—but the way Gibb licked his lips and shifted his stance told Len quite a bit more must have happened.

Or, perhaps Gibb wanted more from Crane. Len’s heart sank at the thought. Story of my life.

“Good enough,” Crane murmured. “How about nightmares, night sweats?”

Len shook his head. “You gotta be asleep for that kind of thing.”

“True. Well, I think, since we’re probably looking for a good weekend of rest, we’ll try my extra strength formula.” Crane showed Len a bottle bearing a handmade label. “Rosewood with oil of valerian to knock you out, and…do you have any snoring issues?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Yeah, as if. Surely one of my myriad of bed partners would have complained by now.

Could he be any more pathetic?

Crane palmed a smaller vial topped with a dropper cap. “Okay. If you find that you do, and your snoring wakes you, I’ll leave this thyme oil. Rub a bit on your feet, and that should take care of it.”

“Sure.” What the hell? “Uh, so I guess you’re basically a masseuse?”

Crane flashed him a dark glare, and Len wanted to take back the question. A more foolish man might have asked a Bostonian if he favored the Yankees this season. To Len’s relief, however, Crane offered up a response in a pleasant voice.

“I prefer to call my line of work sleep aromatherapy,” he explained. “I am a licensed massage therapist, yes, and I’m trained in sports medicine and cranial sacral osteopathy. However, I find what I do here more rewarding. I’ve been in your shoes, too, and I can truly sympathize.”

Len nodded and relaxed a bit, yet suspicion continued to nag at him. Long soliloquies in the movies usually resulted in somebody receiving a frying pan to the head. He’d lost track of Gibb while watching Crane make himself at home. The man only needed a few seconds to dip into Len’s adjoining bathroom for a razor and a spare shoestring to use as a garrote.

He turned around and noticed Gibb emerged from there instead holding two folded bath towels. “These should be big enough, I think,” he said, setting them on the foot of the bed.

“For what?” Len asked.

“For you, Len,” Crane said, and pulled out a small MP3 player with a detachable speaker. “I need one towel for the bed so we don’t stain your sheets with the oil.”

Len nodded. That sounded reasonable. “And the other?”

Crane’s smile touched his ears. “Please undress, and you’ll find out.”

Happy Sexy Cover Funtime...and a Giveaway

How would you like to win two free downloads from my backlist? Just leave a comment here and a random winner will be drawn!

Amanda Kelsey of Razzle Dazzle Design just sent me my cover for GPS, the M/M short I wrote for All Romance eBooks' 28 Days of Heart. Looking at it alone is sure to send hearts pumping.



Blurbage: When Cale Durbin receives a GPS system for his birthday, he tests it out on the drive to meet a blind date. The blasted device gets him lost, but Cale doesn't mind so much when he ends up at the door of a hunk named Mike who shares many of his interests.

After the setup date fails, Cale discovers the GPS possesses a unique feature - it leads him right to Mike again! Can true happiness be found through a global positioning device, or is Cale headed in the wrong direction?

Proceeds from sales of GPS go to the American Heart Association, and it will be my third charity piece. You can still get All You Need... at ARe to benefit WHY, and in January I have a piece in the next Coming Together volume with Phaze Books!