Amara's Place

Birthday Giveaway Winners!

2012-03-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for coming to play blog birthday with me. You guys were all awesome.

Tis time to pick winners :D :D I love that part of giveaways.

The winner of the 5 book package of Voinov, Etzweiler, Haimowitz, Addams and Speed awesomeness is...

~Kassandra~

The winner of the swag pack of awesome is...

~BarkLessWagMore~

Happy Blog Birthday to me! W00T It’s a party!

2012-03-01T00:00:00.001-08:00

Happy Blog Birthday to me! W00T It’s a party!

I am 2 now. 2 whole years old. And I’m having a party. Par-tay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andthe best part… all my faves have come to my party and brought gifts of theawesome to play with.

That.Rocks.

Aleksandr Voinov and Rachel Haimowitz and Chris Hawkinsfrom Riptide, and Rhi Etzweiler and Brita Addams and…and.. uh… oh! And Ayden. MahAyden, he came too. You know him, right? Of course you do. Mah Ayden, from Counterpoint.I love him. Rachel brought him. She said I could borrow him me for mah birfdai.

:D :D

I am a lucky lucky blog grrl.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Wait,no… a gazillion times I think.

My.Faves.Rock.

heehee, mah sock rockers. W00T!

It’s a gianormous Amara’s Place Blog Birthday Giveaway.HUGEAMOUS even.

This <------------------- O -------------------> big! (those are my arms. In case you weren’t sure)

There are 2 giveaways of gianormous awesome going on for my blog birthday this year. Lots of books, and swag too. It looks like this...

First prize of awesome…All fantabulous ‘first in series’ books.

Yep, all of those. Ebook copies of...

Dark Soul vol. 1 by Aleksandr Voinov

Master Class by Rachel Haimowitz

Pretty Monsters by Andrea Speed

Dark Edge of Honor by Rhi Etzweiler & Aleksandr Voinov

Free Me by Brita Addams

Cool, yeah? Yeah. And yes, Dark Edge of Honor counts as a first in series cuz someday those two will make another book of awesome that goes with that. I have faith. I'm just sayin'. *wink*

Second prize of awesome… Rockin’ swag package.

~ Riptide swag pack of coolness that includes calandars, and tshirts, and, and, and… stuff of rockin’ awesome.

~ A Dark Edge of Honor cover flat, one of my personal faves dueto that oh so lickable neck of Sergei. *looks to the one that hangs on my wall* Mmmmm. NomNom.

~And a Brita Addams swag package filled with yummy awesomeness.

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. *does the happy birthday to me snoopy dance*

To enter the giveaways, just leave a comment on this post saying you want in.Easy Peasy. I’ll leave the giveaway open until next Thursday, 3/8/11. I'll pick winners on the 9th. Ebook giveaway is international. Swag giveawayhowever is domestic only.

While you guys are doing that, I’m going to go play with mahAyden. Cuz, well, ya know. Rachel said I could.

Thanks Rhi, Aleks, Rachel, Chris and Brita. All mah sockrockers, I heart you.

Ok, that’s all for me, for now. *looks over at Ayden* come hither you nummy elf you…

*grins*

Later taters!

New Release Excerpt: Dark Soul vol 4 by Aleksandr Voinov

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Dark Soul vol 4 by Aleksandr Voinov

eBook release: Feb 27 2012

Word count: 16,500

Page count: 68

Heat Wave: 5 - Very explicit love scenes

Erotic Frequency: 3 - Moderate

Type: Part of a Series

In “Dark Rival I,” the noose tightens aroundStefano Marino’s neck. While Silvio and Franco are off taking care of theRussian problem, mutiny brews in Stefano’s crime family. It soon becomes clearhe can trust only one man in his life, but whether he can hold on to Silvio—andwhat it might cost his marriage—are questions for which he has noanswers.

In “Dark Rival II,” Silvio returns from his mission. Job done, threat gone,Stefano knows Silvio has no reason to stay. Or so he thought, anyway, untilSilvio makes his move. It seems Silvio wants only sex, but Stefano is wellaware there’s much, much more on the line. Including Donata, whose suspicionsof a mistress in Stefano’s life are uncomfortably close to an even moreuncomfortable truth.

Hopeless and helpless as his life crumbles down around his head, Stefano givesin to his desires in “Dark Temptation.” He isn’t any closer to understandingSilvio—and he’s farther from Donata than he’s ever been—but at least he’s cometo understand his own needs. Now if only he could figure out how to be himselfwithout hurting the ones he loves the most.

Amara's Place Review ~ 5/5 stars from Volya Zukov

Excerpt

DarkRival I

“So, this sicario ofyours,” Augusto asked, “what’s he going to do in all this? Is he gettinginvolved?”

Theothers fell silent—all seven capos of thefamily; some looked up from the pool table, others from the TV screen. As riskyas it was, the meeting at his villa had been necessary to induct two newmembers and discuss their strategy for dealing with the Russians.

The capos wereusually pleasant enough. But of course, Silvio’s presence and involvement satbadly with them. He was an outsider, a loose gun with an unorthodox reputation. Still, that Augusto dared challenge him over Silvio in front of the capos madethe back of his neck crawl.

“TheBarracuda has been involved for weeks,” Stefano said, choosing a tone exactlybetween “don’t be so dumb” and “what, you didn’t know?”

Thenarrowing of Augusto’s eyes told him he’d caught that just fine. Stefano smiledand leaned back on the couch, spreading his arms out along the cushions, eventhough it stretched his bruised ribcage. Dominance posture. Just because he wasstill on painkillers didn’t mean he couldn’t play that particular game.

“Sowhat’s he up to?” Augusto demanded.

“He’sout there fighting the war.” Stefano kept his smile in place. Yougotta be the shark in the piranha swarm, his father had said. Thebiggest motherfucker in the ocean. Were barracudas solitary? Sharks were. Heshook his head and leaned forward again. “You guys do what you do.”

“Andif he gets in the way?”

“Hewon’t.” Surely Silvio wouldn’t stoop so low as to hit a Russian tea room whilethe enforcers of his various capos unloadedinto those Russian bastards. Silvio knew better.

Andhis brother Franco . . . Stefano summoned up that face without problem. A moremasculine version of Silvio, prematurely aged under exposure to heat and windthat had sharpened acne scars sustained during an especially savage puberty.Dark greenish eyes that, like Silvio’s, saw too much. Had seen too much. Gaunt,even haggard, long-legged, but broad-shouldered. Nothing ambiguous about him atall.

Yet,seeing Franco, watching him, had sent a tingle across his skin, which answeredthat one question, at least. It wasn’t just Silvio who could have that effecton him. Or he was rapidly becoming addicted to Spadaro men.

Inany case, he’d never act on it. Silvio had breached his armor, but there wasenough of it left to protect him from Franco. And if he’d learned anything inhigh school when he’d dated two sisters at the same time, that was notsomething he wanted to get himself into again.

Dating?Really? A killer and amercenary?

Shit,he wasn’t even dating Silvio. He shook his head and stared at Augusto. “I gotSpadaro from Falchi as a completely deniable asset. Over time, the cops willtake a bigger interest in what’s ramping up the body count in this city, andthe more we can dazzle them with bullshit, the better.”

“Wecan take care of our own problems,” Augusto said.

“Youtake care of them on your level—in your businesses, on your turf. The Barracudais going after the head of the snake.

Weneed to attack them from all sides, not leaving them a single moment tobreathe.” Stefano smiled. “Unless, of course, you feel that the strategy isn’tsound.”

Droppinga pin now would have been the equivalent of helicopters playing the “Ride ofthe Valkyries.”

Stefanoforced himself to breathe slowly. In, out. In, out, again. Four times. Still noprotest. “I thought so.”

Hewas about to get up and turn away when Augusto cleared his throat. “I don’tknow why you’ve got such a hard-on for this guy.”

Damnif the bottom of his stomach didn’t just fall out, right down onto his shoes.Augusto took a half a step back and mumbled “With all due respect, boss,” butthat didn’t put his stomach back where it belonged.

“Ifwe had a sicario of thatcaliber, I wouldn’t have had to draw in outside help.” Stefano stood and turnedto give each of his capos a hardstare. “Falchi always worked with the best.”

“Sowhat did you give Falchi to get his head of security?” Augusto asked.

Nowthis was really starting to piss him off. He stepped close to Augusto, but thebastard stood his ground.

Potbellied,hair getting thin on top, your average early-fifties Italian who belongedbehind the counter of a greasy spoon somewhere downtown. His father’s oldbuddy-in-arms, though, and Stefano assumed his father had ensured that Augustohadn’t made his move to become boss sooner. Maybe he’d promised. Maybe they’dhad a deal going. But it seemed Augusto felt that now was the time to break hisword. Cocksucker.

“Alate sixteenth century painting, actually.” Stefano gave a grim, thin-lipped,smile. “Falchi’s out, growing roses.”

Augusto’s brown eyesmet his without fear. Which could be good or bad news. Scared men turnedviolent. But so did men who were more determined to get their due than theywere afraid of the consequences. “You don’t know what happened back when Falchiwas still active. With Carbone and Spadaro and the others.”

Paolo Spadaro, not Silvio.Even though, for a moment, Stefano’d thought it’d been Silvio. Silvio had thatquality about him, like a ghost, or a demon—a revenant moving through time andspace. Stefano scoffed. “That was in the eighties. Times have moved on since then.”

“Youcan’t trust Spadaro blood. That’s all I’m sayin’, boss.”

Stefanolifted an eyebrow, but he noted the last word and that, this time, at least,Augusto was deferring. They could play this as an underling’s justifiedconcern. He wasn’t a tyrant. He was listening to his underboss. Especiallysince he didn’t have a consigliere. He was struggling toappoint a new one. There wasn’t a man in the organization he wanted in the job,so Augusto was wearing both hats. It was a lot of power for an underboss—bringingthe men’s grievances to him as well as running operations and heading the capos.Too much power, really, but taking it back was difficult, and not wise whileunder siege from an external enemy.

“Spadarois strictly here as a freelancer to take some heat off.” He patted Augusto’sshoulder and squeezed it, even managed another smile. The capos relaxed,exchanged murmurs, looked around the room. Test passed. No weakness in hisleadership as yet.

Butdamn if he didn’t want to know what exactly had happened back in the eighties,and whether Silvio was indeed the son of a traitor as the rumors had it.

Youcan’t trust Spadaro blood.

** *

Stefanosat on what he’d come to think off as Silvio’s couch, imagining Silvio was justin the other room. That he had, like other things of darkness, simply bled intoshadows of his bungalow, and would reassemble himself and take that familiar,maddening shape when the whim struck him.

Stefanowas only stopping by to check, he told himself, even though the housekeeper hadalready thrown out the milk and other perishables from the fridge. Oddly, thelandline was disconnected. The bed was made, and nothing lingered, no smell hecould have picked up, no sense or taste of the man living here. Only a numberof his suits hanging in the wardrobe suggested that Silvio would return at all.

Goneoff with his brother, yet another cypher. Both men in one room was almost toomuch, more than anybody could take.

One ofthem is too much for you.

Hisphone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out. Silvio’s number. Speak of thedevil.

“Howare you doing,” Stefano asked when he’d tapped the green button on the screen.

“Doinggood.” Silvio sounded languid, slightly breathy. “How are you?”

“Stillsleeping a lot.” Thinking of you. Wondering about you and yourbrother. What you’re up to over there.

“Sleepis good, means you’re healing. Where are you?”

“Checkingin your place. The phone’s disconnected.”

“Yeah,pulled the plug.”

“Why?”

“Don’tlike distractions.”

“Becauseso many people call you,” Stefano chided.

“Onewrong call is all it takes.” Silvio sounded a touch tense there. Why was that?

Timeto change the topic. “How’s Franco?”

Abreathy laugh. “He’s doing well. We’re shooting a lot of bullets, all forpractice. It’s hard to distract him.”

“Yes,he struck me as that type. Do you know what he wants in return? I don’t want touse his skills without giving anything back.”

Pause,possibly thoughtful. “He doesn’t like the family much, but he needs a job whenwe’re done here.”

“Ican place him with one of my companies.” Which would mean Franco would stayaround. Another potentially big problem. Stefano had a nice collection of thoseby now. “Or, if he’s too proud, I can get him an interview.” Rig the gamesomewhat less openly, for appearances’ sake. “Can’t waste a good guy.”

“He’llnever join, you know.”

“Ibelieve I have the best Spadaro already.”

Silviolaughed. “Good save. I’ll let him know.”

Silenceagain, stretching out. Stefano wanted to reach across the digital divide andtouch Silvio. Just smell and taste him. Odd that the most primal of senses werehungering the most for the killer. Touch, smell, and taste.

“It’sgood to hear your voice.”

“You’rein some mood,” Silvio said, but his tone was soft. God damn all this, thekiller sounded positively innocent, even touched.

“Hasanybody ever told you it’s easy to get used to you?”

Silviochuckled. “No. Means I’m boring?”

“No!No. It means that you leave . . . an absence when you’re not there. Unlikeother people, who leave nothing.” He sounded like an idiot, didn’t he. Yep, hedid. Donata found that romantic, would have kissed him now, but there was onlysilence from Silvio.

Stefanocleared his throat. “So, what’s the strategy?” War was easier to talk about.

“Francoand I will stay away while we hunt the Russians. Don’t want them to be able totrack us anywhere. Real outlaw-style.” Silvio yawned. “They won’t connect us toyou. We’ll concentrate on the boss.”

“Myguys are ready to fight, too.”

“Yeah.Hopefully what’s left will turn and run.” It didn’t sound like a hope—more likea prediction. Half-bored, as if the alternative was to kill them all, andkilling itself was boring and mundane and mildly annoying. It was so Silviothat Stefano couldn’t help but smile.

“Howlong will you be gone?”

“Acouple weeks.”

Willyou call me at least every now and then?

Stefanoclosed his eyes, fought down a wave of fear and worry. Not for himself but forthe two Spadaros. Two. God help him. “Give me an update when anything happens.”Easier to phrase it as an order when the alternative was begging.

“How’sVince?”

“He’sstill very weak. Bullet messed up some things in his chest, grazed the spine.”

“Musthave been a pretty good shot. Or lucky.”

Tapthe cocksucker.

Stefanoshuddered. “Right now, I’m making sure his family’s going to be okay and thebills are covered. I guess that’s the one thing that makes the family betterthan corporate America.” No wiggling out of responsibility for one’s men. Partof the loyalty that bound them all together, knowing that if one went to prisonor the grave, their family would be all right.

“Manyreasons, really,” Silvio said. “I can’t imagine getting a ‘real job.’”

Notthat he ever had to, as long as Gianbattista kept him as his heir. Maybe somepeople couldn’t function anywhere but in the jet set or the underworld.

Theworld out there’s a mug’s game. His father had saidthat often. And being a mug was being a loser, an idiot, somebody ready for thetaking. “In a real job, you wouldn‘t have to worry about getting shot.”

Silvioscoffed. “I’m not worried about getting shot.”

“What are youworried about?”

“Nothing.Nobody can take me.” Silvio didn’t wait for a protest. “I’ll be in touch. Takecare, Stefano.”

Thecall ended; Silvio cut him off before it got too personal. There had to befears, worries, there had to be things moving in that darkness; thoseinscrutable eyes were hiding more than the thoughts of a sphinx. But just whydid Stefano want to delve deeper into Silvio’s darkness when his own wasbeginning to overwhelm him?

Review: Dark Soul 4 by Aleksandr Voinov

2012-02-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

I've been dancing and flailing about over Aleksandr Voinov's books for... oh...a couple years now, and here we are again...a new release is coming out. Actually it's already out for pre-order early downloadable awesomeness. Mah Silvio is back in Dark Soul vol. 4. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Silvio W00T!

Tis time.

For this release however, instead of me and what by now has to be my no big surprise 'whoowhoo Aleksandr Voinov rocks' blog post, I have a guest reviewer to tell you their thoughts on this one.

A sooper sekrit guest reviewer. :D :D

That rocks too.

So...I hold my flail this time, and with a big welcome to my blog, I give the Place over to... Volya Zukov.

Volya... take it away!

Dark Soul vol. 4 by Aleksandr Voinov

Pre-order available now

eBook release: Feb 27 2012

Word count: 16,500

Page count: 68

Heat Wave: 5 - Very explicit love scenes

Erotic Frequency: 3 - Moderate

Type: Part of a Series

In “Dark Rival I,” the noose tightens aroundStefano Marino’s neck. While Silvio and Franco are off taking care of theRussian problem, mutiny brews in Stefano’s crime family. It soon becomes clearhe can trust only one man in his life, but whether he can hold on to Silvio—andwhat it might cost his marriage—are questions for which he has no answers.

In “Dark Rival II,” Silvio returns from his mission. Job done, threat gone,Stefano knows Silvio has no reason to stay. Or so he thought, anyway, untilSilvio makes his move. It seems Silvio wants only sex, but Stefano is wellaware there’s much, much more on the line. Including Donata, whose suspicionsof a mistress in Stefano’s life are uncomfortably close to an even moreuncomfortable truth.

Hopeless and helpless as his life crumbles down around his head, Stefano givesin to his desires in “Dark Temptation.” He isn’t any closer to understandingSilvio—and he’s farther from Donata than he’s ever been—but at least he’s cometo understand his own needs. Now if only he could figure out how to be himselfwithout hurting the ones he loves the most.

Review by Volya Zukov

5/5 stars

I got the privilege to read this while it was beingwritten, and Aleks dropped hints along nicely so I was, even though still onthe edge, pretty aware of what was going to happen next. Still, reading thefinished story, it felt so intense as if I was reading it for the first time,and having no clue where I was being taken. It's rare talent, to write sostrongly that no matter how many times you read the book, it'll always leaveyou mind-blown, and utterly speechless. Breathless, even.

This seriously is a series you can't miss. After I hadread vol.1, I was sure he can't top it off. But then came vol. 2, and afterthat vol. 3. I remember even telling Aleks something along the lines of “it'simpossible to top vol.3. You're fucked”. I was wrong. Painfully wrong, and Idid see it coming all along. DS3 is still my personal favourite, but if I go toobjective-mode, I know I should admit this kicks last volumes arse. Big time.

At this point, I really have no strength left to dancefor this story. To make you -whoever you are reading my ramblings- to want topick up this series. Because it's just so out of this world. It simply isimpossible to try and describe a story where you can't really tell what themagic is. Why it's just so good.

Therefore, I won't even try.

I'll just take off my imaginary hat, and bow deeply forVoinov. 4 down, 1 to go. And I know, it'll be one hell of a run to thefinish-line.

Character Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway with Storm Grant

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am so very excited about my blog visitor today. I've been waiting and waiting and WAITING to have a chance to play with the fantabulous Storm Grant again, she was so much fun last time she was here, and yaaaay, finally... today is the day.

W00T!

Storm's come back and brought Blake with her; he's the main character of her new book Few Are Chosen. They're going to sit and chat, then she's brought an excerpt to share, and she tops it all off with a giveaway.

Nothin' but fun!

Storm's visits rock. Hard.

'k. Now I shush up, and give the Place over to Storm. Welcome back m'dear. :D

*enter Storm & Blake*...

So Blake. Iunderstand you’re the Chosen One. Is thatcorrect?

Well, duh. I’m Blake St. Blake. Raised by the Order of theKeep to be the true soldier of good. I protect the innocent without them everknowing.

Without them knowing?That must be hard on you. You risking your life and never getting therecognition or rewards.

Yeah, dude. I would like the props, but that’s the jobdescription. I keep the world safe.

I understand you wentup against your first demon recently. Tell us a little about that.

My mentor, I mean Hadley, told me where to find it. Therewere, like, portals and signs, you know. So I went to the cemetery to meet it.It was way slimy and creepy, but I knew no fear in my heart of hearts. Iapproached it, giving it fair warning I was going to slay its hairy ass: “Fearme, oh spawn of Satan. For I am Blake St. Blake and I have come to return you to Hell!”

That’s quite a longspeech. It stood still for that?

I had to slow my charge down to a trot to get all that inbefore I actually got to the demon.

And I understand,also, that you discovered you weren’t the only ChosenOne. In fact, there are Chosen Ones of different types all over the world.

Yeah, but I’m the only Chosen Warrior in this neck of thewoods. I defend my assigned territory. And let me tell you downtown Detroit is a heck of aterritory to defend.

What about the otherlocal Chosen One? I hear he got in your wayand prevented you from killing the demon.

Well, yeah, at first. But then I got to know Shadow and he’scool. Since he’s a Chosen One Wizardand I’m a Chosen One Warrior, weactually work pretty well together. We complicate each other.

I think you meancomplement, Blake.

Well, he is pretty cute.

No, not compliment…never mind. You and Shadow get along okay.

Why? Who told you? We were just stuck in the crypt tillShadow recouped his powers and blasted us out of there. See, that’s what I meanabout complimenting each other. Complementing. Whatev. So, like, nothinghappened between us, okay?

Okay. Okay. Me thinkthou doth protest too much, but never mind. Next question. So you don’t resentworking with Shadow?

Resent? OMG, no way, dude. Shadow is awesome. He’s smart andfunny, and has these great spells. And his lips are soft and his hands knowjust what to do and… Wait. What was the question again?

Didn’t you used totalk in flowery, high-fantasy speech full of thees and thines?

Yeah, well. I might have watched Lord of the Rings a few too many times. But that’s what happenswhen you’re raised in a protected environment. It’s not like Jefferson Highoffered Swordsmanship 101 or anything. Besides, this is how Shadow talks andit’s for reals, dog. Or is that cat? Anyway, he’s cool.

I think that’s all wehave time for today, Blake. Thanks so much for stepping out of your story worldto be with us here today at Amara’s Place.

No problem. Anytime. Next time, I’ll bring Shadow, too. It’sa date.

Buy link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/few-are-chosen

-- - - - - - - -

Storm Grant Bio: Storm Grant is a writerof short and long tales, her work spanning both genres and genders. Storm'sstories offer titillation and merriment, and in a few cases, horror. In thelast few years, she’s published with MLR, Torquere, Phaze, Blood Bound Books,eXessica, Amber Quill, and Riptide Publishing.

StormGrant (also writing as Gina X. Grant)

Email / Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

---------------

FEW ARE CHOSEN by Storm Grant

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-937551-22-3

eBook release: Feb 20 2012

eBook formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub

Word count: ~12,000

Page count: ~40

Heat Wave: On-screen, mildly explicit love scenes

Type: Standalone

eBook $2.99

BLURB: Sparks flybetween virgin teenage demon hunters when the Chosen One turns out to be… the Chosen Two?

Apprentice warrior Blake St. Blake is the Chosen One, raisedby an ancient order to defend the world against evil. Well, maybe not the wholeworld, but at least his neighborhood in downtown Detroit.

When a dreaded reflux demon is sighted in a local cemetery,Blake is sent off to his very first battle, armed with his sword, hissuper-senses, his black leather duster, and a few well-rehearsed one-liners.
But another Chosen One gets in Blake’s way—an apprenticewizard named Shadow. While the boys argue about who’s the more chosen of thetwo, the demon escapes.
Blake wants to be angry, but it turns out he and Shadow havea lot in common. Besides, Shadow’s pretty cute, and Blake can’t help but thinkthat the wizard’s skills (and hands and lips and other bits) might make theperfect complement to his. Blake and Shadow are brave enough to challenge thereflux demon in a second battle, but will they have the courage to tell eachother how they feel?

Excerpt

Crouching low, I followed the noise toward the hugemausoleum in the middle of the graveyard. A massive demon stood before thecrypt. It was like no demon I’d ever seen before. Okay, I’d never seen one alivebefore. The tomes and scrolls I’d studied did not do justice to my evil foe inthe flesh.

Its eyes bulged from its toad-like head, which swiveledabout, searching for prey. I stepped further back into the shadows. It sniffedat the air, its noseless nostrils hairy and moist. Where its bare flesh pokedout of its clothing, its pink skin rippled as if walnut-sized parasites roamedbeneath it. It raised a giant ax. For a moment I thought the ax was its hand,until the clouds drifted aside and moonlight illuminated filthy clawed fingerswrapped around the ax handle.

An awful grating sound echoed from the depths of its flabbybelly, sending a wave of flame and noxious fumes on its putrid breath. I triednot to cough, reining in my enhanced sense of smell. It pursed its puffy redlips and horked. Where the spit landed, the earth sizzled. Only one type ofdemon belched fire and spit acid: the dreaded reflux demon!

According to my studies, the reflux was a crafty son of abitch. It’d be no easy prize to be won with a few sword strokes and a witty one-liner.

I felt my phone buzz against my hip, but chose to ignore it.I knew it’d be Hadley calling to remind me not to engage.

But how could I not? Who knew when I’d get another chance?Or how much damage the reflux would do before I could dispatch it?

I rose from my half-crouch, a war cry gathering in mythroat. My balls once again surged upward. Ignoring my scaredy-cat testicles, Itook a deep breath, raised my sword, and rushed at it.

“Fear me, oh spawn of Satan. For I am Blake St. Blake and Ihave come to return you to Hell!”

I had to slow my run a bit to get that all out before Iarrived.

A flicker of movement caught my eye, but it was too late forme to stop my charge.

Another creature sprang from the darkness, weapon at theready, crying, “Yo, asswipe. I’m gonna rip off your head and spit down yourthroat!”

I ground to a halt in front of the confused demon. Andhonestly, I was as confused as it was. I didn’t know which one to smite: theax-wielding, acid-spitting, fire-belching demon, or this other thing, cloakedin dark cloth and brandishing a glowing stick.

Contest:

Play The Name Gamefor FEWIS CHOSEN and win a copy of ALL THREE of these entertaining booksfrom Storm Grant’s backlist: GymDandy, ShiftHappens, and Tartand Soul. (Two full-length novels and a novella!)

1. What is Shadow’s real first name? ___ ___ ___ ___

2. What is Shadow’s mentor’s first name? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

3. What is the name of the Order that raised and trainedBlake? The Order of the ___ ___ ___ ___

How to enter: DONOT POST YOUR ANSWERS! Instead, to qualify:

1. Email your answersto the three questions, above, to storm.grant@gmail.com.

2. Then post acomment to this blog stating that you’ve emailed your entry.

You may enter once for each stop on the blog tour, therebyincreasing your chances of being the grand prize winner!

One grand prize winner will be selected March 5^th.

Blog tour, detailshere.

'embrace the rainbow' Website Launch!

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, last November, AleksandrVoinov, Kris at Kris N Goodbooks and myself started the ‘embrace the rainbow’campaign.

We are now extremely excited to announcethe launch of our website www.embracetherainbow.com!

The main objective of the site and blog, asKris put it best, is…

‘embrace the rainbow’ is a challenge to usall, particularly to those within the m/m romance and broader book bloggingcommunities to:

- become more aware of the issuesfacing trans*, gender queer and questioning people;

- increase understanding througheducation and open discussion/s; and,

- pay it forward, by encouragingacceptance and support in others.

‘embrace the rainbow’ provides a safe spacefor all readers, writers and publishers; whoever ‘they’ might be at aparticular moment and whoever ‘they’ might be in different moments in thefuture.

Be open to the full spectrum ofpossibilities.

Please show your support by subscribing tothe site, by adding our button or badge to your blog to identify it as asafe space, or by contributing to our blog.

Through the blog, we hope to be able tobring you fortnightly posts which will encompass a variety of GLBTQQ topics; fromsharing life experiences, to associated books written or read which haveresonated with you, or just general thoughts on issues, news, etc.

If you would be interested in being a guestblogger, we would love to hear from you by emailing us at contact ATembracetherainbow DOT com.

Will you accept the challenge?

'embrace the rainbow' can also be found on Twitter & Facebook :D

WTFery Running Amuck

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

There are days I just wonder… WTF is wrong with people? I’ve had a few of those days lately. More over the last year than I care to count.

Granted, I’ve only been out here online for almost 2 years, so in the grand scheme of things it’s all pretty new to me, so maybe it’s normal, but some of the shit I have seen, watched friends deal with and had to deal with myself often leads me to wonder… yeah… WTF is wrong with people?

WTF-ery runs amuck. Amuck amuck amuck.

Too often I have whack that just seems to gravitate to me. It’s like I’m a friggin’ whack magnet some days. Seriously. Why hassle me? What is the point? What kind of self gratifying bullshit is it?

I have been hassled for everything from having a favorite author, liking a particular book, not liking a particular book and writing reviews the wrong way. Hassled because I didn't blog dance or I blog danced too much. I'm also a big meanie. My blog offends some people, I bother some people, my spelling bothers some people, my word choice bothers some people, my sense of humor bother some people, hell, even not embracing the‘blessings of my menstrual cycle’ bothers some people. And on, and on, and on.

What the fuck.

Honestly… I don’t lose all that much sleep over it. I'm not here to win popularity contests and could give a flying fuck what these people think. But it does leave me with one question. Ok, that’s a lie; it leaves me with several questions, but one BIG one…

Why, in /the/fuck/, do these people keep coming to read my oh so offensive blog? Written by my oh so offensive horrible self? Who is forcing them? Is someone tying them up in some dark dank basement and forcing them to be subjected to that horrible Amara?

Why do they keep coming? Over and over and over.

Ok. That's more than one question. But still. What the hell is up with that?

I have some Amara haters that troll quietly in the background, come to read my blog, all my blogs, multiple times a week, every week and then go hide away and whisper to anyone that will listen how awful I am. I have others that like to apparently read my blog so they can bitch loud and proud about me, insult me, offend me, call me names and spew their hate all over me... in my own Places. And, well... *sigh* ...the list goes on.

What.The.Fuck. Is there a point to these people and their games?

WTFery runs amuck out here. I don't get it. But... I guess I wouldn't. Apparently I’m just a sub-literate tool who has the audacity to like those awful M/M books, write an offensive blog and be the meanest Mamba in the whole wide world. Oh, and who doesn't properly embrace her period. Let us not forget that one.

For shame be upon me.

For SHAME!

As shameful and awful as I am ...I'm not going anywhere, people of suck or not, soooo... here’s to many more offensive blog posts and pissing off more people.

Cheers!

A Valentine...

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

From me to all of you...

Happy Valentine's Day my lovelies :)

Kindle Fire ~ My Review

2012-02-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

May I just say…I love my Kindle 3. love Love LOVE mahKindle.

Back in December, I bought daughter a Kindle Fire forChristmas. I played with it for the weeks leading up to the big day, I’veplayed with it off and on since.

May I just say… I hate the Kindle Fire. Seriously. I am beyond frustrated with this jewel.

I’m bummed about that. I really wanted to like it. I wantedto get myself a new shiny to upgrade to. After all the playing I’ve done on it,I’m so glad I never did.

My thoughts on the Fire.

What’s good about it…

I’m totally not sure. Every time I find something good aboutit, it’s over ridden with things that frustrate me. I guess in the “what’s goodabout it” column would be…. The free games she has are sort of cool. Aaaaaand…Youtube video’s look good on it. Past that… I got nuthin’.

What I don’t like about it….

In a nutshell… pretty much everything. Breaking the nutshellapart, I would have to say…

Glitchy. This little unit is vera vera glitchy. Vera VeraVERA!

The touch screen is cool. However, it glitches out quite abit. Instead of a touch type thing going on, it’s a triple, quadruple touchtype thing quite a bit of the time. Very annoying.

Wifi. Wifi is cool. It’s got great graphics, and it workspretty well surfing the internet… IF you can connect. Sometimes it willconnect, sometimes, like right now as I’m typing this, it will most definitelyNOT connect. Had the same problem last night, only then it glitched out SO badit wouldn’t even bring up the wi-fi options or password dialog box. I keepthinking maybe it needs some kind of patch or software update to fix theglitches, but I can’t connect to even try. ANNOYING!

Reading: Reading does not seem to be the primary thingto do with this little jewel. Personally I can’t read on it. The screen hurtsmy eyes. It’s like reading on a computer, which I can only do for so long. WhenI dial up a book on this baby, I’m good for about 20 mins only before my eyeswonk out. I’ve adjusted all the settings, type fonts, background color… youname it. My eyes are not a fan and would very much like me to stick with my olde-ink screen.

I also can’t read on it outside or in direct light, as theglare is just to much. Again, I’ll stick to my old e-ink screen which has zero problemswith glare.

The newest problem falls under the reading category as well.Or at least a book category. Not at all sure what is going on with it, but…they keep disappearing. Download a book, begin reading it and all seems well.Go to another location, or turn it off, and that book may or may NOT be therewhen you return. Currently it seems to be doing the NOT thing quite a bit.There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which book it will do this with.Others are there. Unsyncable, but there. Hopping on Amazon to see if this was just this unit and what did I find... this is apparently a common problem.

FAIL.

Bottom line: I am NOT a fan. Not even a little. I am so gladI decided to stick to my good ol’ Kindle 3. That baby I love. No color fancystuff, no flying unicorns, just a plain old e-reader. That I can actually readon. I consider that a big bonus.

What about you? Do you have a Kindle Fire? If so, what doyou think about it? If not, what do you use?

Interview & Giveaway: Anne Brooke

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ohmy, I am so vera excited. Vera vera! Today is my blog stop day for AnneBrooke’s The Heart’s Greater Silence Blog tour, which I might add was… ahhh-mazing.Bitterly fantastic story of awesome. That’s what that is.

Um…right. As I was saying, it’s my my blog stop day which means I get to hang outwith her. W00T! It’s her first time at mah Place, and she’s brought a vera coolgiveaway too. Don’t forget to check that out at the end of the interview.Giveaway’s rock! More with the W00T!! :D

Sowith a big warm welcome, I say… ready, set…let’s play! :D :D

Amara: Hi Anne!Welcome to my Place, make yourself comfortable. I’m sooooo excited that you’rehere. *smiles* Thanks for coming to sit and chat with me. *gets out theinterviewer notebook of awesome questions and flips thru to find some goodones* To start, if you don’t mind, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Anne: I’m a slightlyodd redhead with an abiding love for snowglobes and pens in the shape of fluffybirds, the bigger the better. Well, I like to maintain a professional image atthe local university where I work part-time in student support – I just don’tquite know when I saw it last … Much to my shame, I can neither ride a bicyclenor swim, but I’m hoping I’ll be okay just as long as I keep away from wheelsand water. Hmm, could be tricky. I was born in the countryside, got lost in thecity in my twenties but have somehow found my way back to rural life insouthern England just in time to hit 50 – in about two years’ time, if you’reasking. However I only admit to 39, as long as the light’s behind me.

Amara: OMG, Ilove snowglobes! Love Love LOVE. And pens? Don’t /even/ get me started on mypen thing. Uh… I’m getting off track. Let’s talk books. Tell me about yourcurrent book.*smiles*

Anne: The Heart’sGreater Silenceis the story of Mark, who is torn between his relationships between two verydifferent men. When his secret life is discovered, he is forced to make atraumatic choice, but what is his heart reallytelling him?

Here'sthe blurb:

Mark isn’t sure he believes inlove, especially when he finds himself torn between two very different men: hisreliable boyfriend, Craig, and his illicit lover and priest, Richard.

Mark knows what he should do, buthe can’t bring himself to give Richard up. The sex with Richard is unlikeanything he’s ever known with Craig, and he hungers for it as much as—if notmore than—the truer intimacy he finds in his boyfriend’s arms.

When Craig discovers his betrayal,Mark is forced to look at his life more closely, but the path to self-knowledgeis never an easy one. Richard seeks the way back to God, but Mark finds nosolace there. Can he ever discover the truth of his own soul, or is he tooafraid of what he will—or won’t—find inside his heart?

Amara: What agreat story it was too! *leans in and whispers* I heart it. *grins* So tell me,how has it been working with Riptide?

Anne: It’s beeninspirational and hard work, both of which I love. Working so closely with theRiptide editorial team has helped sharpen and deepen the story a great deal andI’m incredibly grateful. I’ve also found they’re very supportive and easy tocontact and deal with, which is marvelous. Plus the marketing planning andsupport is absolutely second to none.

Amara: *nods* Awesome. I keep hearing so many great things. I love themfrom reader end, that’s for sure. Now… please tell us in one sentence only, whywe should read your book.

Anne: It’s a sensuous and erotictale about sex, love and decisions.

Amara: *smiles and nods* Good reason. Have any other books in theworks? Goals for future projects?

Anne: I’m currently working on the fifth book of the m/m/m Delaneys series,called The Delaneys At Home, for Amber Allure Press.I’m also writing a gay fantasy novella called The Taming of The Hawk, which I’m hoping to submit to Riptide either later this year orearly next. At the same time, I’m planning a sequel to gay BDSM story, ForOne Night Only, so I think it’s going to be busy …

Amara: Busyindeed! Awesome. I have to check out the Delaneys series. I don’t think I havethose. *scribbles note* So Anne, The Hearts Greater Silence was really good, I’mcurious, what inspired it?

Anne: I’ve been aChristian for nearly thirty years now, and I’ve always wanted to combineaspects of my distinctly Anglican version of faith with my love of reading andwriting m/m fiction. When I began writing TheHeart’s Greater Silence, I realized the “other man” in Mark’s life was infact a Church of England priest, which gave me the chance to set a large partof the action in a church. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely combinethe two elements again – goodness knows why I haven’t before! I’m also verymuch inspired by the twin themes of love and obsession, and have used them inearlier stories, such as A Dangerous Manand Brady’sChoice. So in many ways, this particular book was both familiar andunfamiliar territory.

Amara: Awesome. I can’t wait to check out ADangerous Man, that one is already loaded on mah Kindle. *smiles* Now, hm…*pondersnext question*… What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Anne: A writing friendof mine once told me that the key aspects to a book were allowing the reader(a) to develop intimacy with the characters by seeing, feeling, hearing,tasting and touching what they do; and (b) to experience the setting as a kindof character in itself. I’ve tried to remember that whilst I’m writing,especially Point (b) as it doesn’t always come naturally so I have to reallyconcentrate on it.

Amara: Soundslike vera good advice. Alright, lets do some ‘about Anne’ questions. Tell me… *flipsthru notes*… Oh, I know… with whom in history do you mostidentify? *nods in satisfaction*Yeah, that’s a good one. *smiles*

Anne: Thisis going to be a wildcard answer and I’m sorry as I know it will upset some,but I actually do have a lot of time for Oliver Cromwell. He was from East Anglia,like me, so I know something about the environment he grew up in. He also had adeep religious faith and could, from what I gather, become very obsessed aboutissues, as well as having a strong sense of justice. I also admire what a greatand innovative master of military tactics he was (though I have no experiencethere myself!) and I also like the fact he on the whole treated thoseimmediately below him in the hierarchy with fairness and compassion. Yes, hehad many faults and he was, after all, very much a man of his time with theprejudices and instincts which come with that, but there’s just something abouthim that draws me.

Amara:Interesting. If you were an animal, which one would you be? Why?

Anne: I’d love to bea tiger. I think they’re beautiful and dangerous, and I love that combinationof attributes! The hair colour is similar to mine too so I wouldn’t have to dyeit JThey’re definitely sexier than lions anyway … Still I suspect I’d probably endup being a ginger guinea pig or something which, though cute, doesn’t quitehave the pizzazz.

Amara: *laughs* I wanna be a Tiger. Tiger’s are awesome! Alright, let’ssay you have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you wouldbuy?

Anne: I’d buy land. My fatheralways said you couldn’t go wrong with land, and these days I think he wasright. Can you buy an island for a million dollars?? Alternatively a secondhome would be nice, preferably somewhere warm (says she, writing this in themiddle of an English winter …). And art. I’d buy paintings too – I’ve alwayswanted to be a collector JIf only, eh … As you can see, I’m married to an accountant as all three of my“first” choices are investments – something of my husband’s wisdom must berubbing off on me at last then!

Amara: Nice. I want to come visit you on yourisland. I used to sell art, I will help you with your collection. Or at least…admire it with you :D :D That would rock. *smiles*That was fun. Thanks so much for coming over and chatting with me. I hope weget to do this again.

More of Anne online…

Emailaddress: albrooke@me.com

Giveaway…Anne's contest andprizes:1. I have one contest per stop - with theprize being a backlist ebook giveaway for one commenter. 2. I alsohave a cumulative competition throughout the blog tour involving answering 3questions from HGS - with the prize being 3 backlist ebooks for one commenterfrom the tour as a whole. The questions are
(a) What item of his trade is Richard wearing when Mark sees him in church?
(b) When Craig discovers Mark and Richard together, what does he do just before leaving?
(c) What action does Mark take at the end of the story?
3. One signed cover flat and magnet for onecommenter per stop - with this NOT being the winner of Item 1 (see above)4. One gift certificate to be drawn at the end ofthe tour - with this NOT being the winner of Item 2 (see above).

Oooooo!Backlist book! And…*tries to control the grabby hands* …mmmmm, signed coverflat! I heart those. :D

'k, ready, set... time to play giveaway! Comments away!!! :D :D

Books and jewelry and chainmail, oh my!

2012-02-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

My poor Place here. So neglected. Sheesh. If I don't start coming over here and blogging more I'm going to be clearing out cobwebs.

I'm still off making mah jewel-er-ies. My new hobby of fantasma is keeping me rather busy. I goobered myself up a bit last week so the jewel-er-ies slowed down for a minute. Actually gave me some reading time over the weekend. Sat down and read Anne Brooke's new story, The Heart's Greater Silence, wow, that's one bitterly fantastic story! I've been meaning to check out Anne's books for a good while now, the TBR pile has a few in it but reading has gotten off track at mah Place. I'm so glad I picked that one up. Anne just catapulted to the top of the TBR mountain. She'll also be cruisin' over tomorrow to play blog and chit-chat a bit, bringing a contest with her too. Yaaaaaay! I can't wait to play blog with Anne. Sweet as can be, plus story of awesome... makes me all happy dance like. :D Now I'm back to reading Break and Enter by Aleksandr Voinov & Rachel Haimowitz. That thing rocks fer sure. It's good to get back to some reading. Reading rocks and I hear it's... fundamental. ;)

Past that, I'm slowly getting back to making stuff. Learned a tiny bit of chainmail weaving last night. Chainmail W00T! I need to update Tiger Swan with mah new goodies.

I made some 'Helm weave' with silver and brass. It was hard. Maybe I'll make a bracelet or choker or something next. Break out the sterling wire and go for broke.

Made some new Valentine's Day hearts too. They were fun.

Managed to get those ones listed in the Etsy store. I kinda want to keep 'em. Don't make money that way thou. Can't be keeping everything, need to recoup some cash. Besides, seems keeping the goods is Swan's job. Can't get that girl to list her goodies no matter what I do. Silly Swangrrl.

Now I'm off to get ready for Anne's visit. I need to dust or something. This place is a mess. ;)

Later taters!

Win a Nook preloaded w/Rachel Haimowitz books!

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

W00T!

Came across this little tidbit of awesome last night andtotally had to share. Who rocks? Rachel Haimowitz rocks, that’s who. Why? Well, just cuz usually, but this time it’s because she will be giving away aclassic Nook, pre-loaded with all her titles, on Valentine's Day.

Um…a Nook. Loaded up with ALL her titles. Nook. Books. Yeah, she rocks. She rocksfriggin’ tough.

Ripped straight from her blog…

"...How do you enter? Simple! All you have todo is leave a review on any one or more of my books on Amazon, Barnes &Noble, or All Romance Ebooks, then email me at metarachel (at) gmail (dot) comwith the subject "Nook Review Contest" and the URL of your review orreviews. Each review earns you an entry into the contest, so yes, leaving thesame review at all three stores will earn you three entries. (Please rememberto be logged in at B&N when you leave your review so I know who to givecredit!) If you've already reviewed a title, even if it was months ago, thatcounts too! Just email me the URL so I know to throw your name in the hat. Youcan find my Amazon titles here, my B&N titles here, and my ARe titles here.

Now for some fine print. The contest will close at midnight EST onFebruary 14, and I'll do the drawing no later than February 18 (it may take afew days to collate and confirm all the entries). Free titles are excluded fromthe contest. Please respect the loving spirit of the contest and do notsend me links to 1- or 2-star reviews. ARe does not allow you to leavereviews on titles you did not purchase there. Don't forget the subject line inyour email or I may not see it. I will ship worldwide, so if your localAmazon shop is not Amazon.com, please feel free to leave a review on .uk or .deor .fr or the like, and those entries will count."

Full.of.wow. Told you Rachel rocks.

I never lie.

Now... Ready...Set...

Go enter! You know you want that jewel.

Now I have to go catch up on my Haimowitz reviews. Cuz I'm behind, aaaand I know /I/ want that jewel. :-p

Later taters!

Place Happenings...

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there are some... I just don't know what they are exactly.

It's been quite a week over here. Done went and caught me a nasty flu bug or something. Been all kinds of sick and ick going on. I've been doing a little bit of reading, a little bit of jewelry making, not a lot of blog playing.

Reading stuff will be blogged... in time. Most of my jewelry adventures are happening over at the Tiger Swan website. I spend a lot of time there these days, when I'm not coughing up a lung that is. I've just added an Etsy page here at the Place too. All my new goodies that make it to the shop can be had here now too. Link will live up there on the main menu at the top of the blog.

Jewel-er-ies by Amara W00T!

I heart making jewel-er-ies. :D :D

Speaking of...

I'm having a Happy Valentine's Day Sale in the Etsy shop...

10% off with the coupon code VDAYSALE2012

Iz mah vera first coupon code evah. :D I've never had a sale before. Look at me go :D :D

Tossing around the idea of a Valentine's Day giveaway too. Guess I should get on that, being February and all. Not sure thou...

Would you guys wanna play a jewelry giveaway with me? Maybe some earrings or pendant or...something.

What say you?

Let me know, and if the answer is yay... I shall do one.

For now... I'm taking my coughing self to bed.

Later taters!

Finely Friday: Andrej Pejic

2012-01-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a long while since I've done a Finely Friday. I thought this week, since Black has been hangin' out, a Finely Friday with Andrej Pejic was just perfect.

Ready, set...

Andrej.

NOM.

Hope everyone has a fantabulous Friday.

Big thanks to Rhi for hangin' out with me and playing blog all week. And big thanks to Oleg for coming to play with me too.

Later taters!

Review: Blacker Than Black by Rhi Etzweiler

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I have the awesome privilege of having my very first... guest reviewer.

*does the I have a guest reviewer happy dance* W00T!! That rocks.

So...with a very warm welcome, a strong cup of java *passes* and a huge thank you, I give the blog over to... Oleg. *whispers* you rock mah socks. :D

ps: I approve this message because I totally heart this book. :D :D 'k, I'll hush now.

Blacker Than Black by Rhi Etzweiler

Blurb: Apparently, my twin and I are two of York’s mostnotorious criminals. We’ve been Nightwalkers in the blue-light district sincethe vamps took over the world. Don’t know how many years it’s been. Long enoughthat a stream of fellow ’walkers have come and gone. Most don’t last longselling their chi. End up face-down in the gutter, or worse.

For us, one night and one sale changeeverything.

Monsieur Garthelle is the first john to hunt me down. Hecalls me a chi thief in one breath and offers absolution—servitude—in thenext. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I like living and breathing. Strange that such apowerful vamp would show leniency to a mere human. And something’s not rightwith the chi I took from him. It won’t go away.

Neither will he, and he’s forcing us to spy on his peers.Then a vamp turns up dead, and we go from playing eyes and ears toinvestigating a murder. This isn’t what I signed up for. All I ever wanted wasto sell a little chi, maybe steal some in return. I should’ve kept my damnhands to myself.This is mystory. Look through my eyes.

Review:

Last weekend, I read the awesomeness that is Blacker thanBlack, by Rhi Etzweiler. And then to double that, The equally proestawesomeness Amara asked me to guest-review it! Thing is, I can't. When it comesto this book, my brain activity is reduced to “OMGZWHUTHOLYSOMETHINGWHOA”. Yup,I hardly doubt that counts as coherent thought.

However, I'll try to cover few points.

First, the doubts regarding first person POV. I know manypeople do not like it (yours truly

included), but when the writing is of this quality, Ihardly notice it. I got so into Blacks head, and didn't want to leave.

Secondly, vampires. This is not your sparkly, horrendouscliché, we're talking about something else completely. Trust me, greatnessensues.

And finally, the plot. You'll love it. Really. It's hardnot to. And you'll absolutely, completely, fall in love with Garthelle. Unfortunatefor me, as I'm working on getting this character all to myself. Amara tries tofight me on this. (She won't win though. I know this.)

So in the end, the review is, as follows: THIS IS AMAZINGPLEASE READ IT AND JOIN IN THE OMGZWHUTHOLYWHOA-reaction with me. It's worthit!

Thanks Rhi for sharing this story with us, and thanksAmara for having me.

I'm done stealing away this place now. Hopefully I get tocome by again and go to another readergasm-spree, it's more fun than I thought!

(And if you didn't run to read this book now, I can bribeyou with unicorn-cookies. Seriously. They go great with vampires.)

*laughs* Oleg, you rock. I told you it would be fun! Ialso told you…*glares*... Garthelle is mine. :-P

That’s all for me, and Oleg. For now.

Later taters!

Interview & Giveaway: Rhi Etzweiler talks Blacker Than Black

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Rhi is here, Rhi is here W00T!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Rhi! Welcome backto the Place. Come in, come in, make yourself comfortable.

Rhi: Hello again,Amara. *looks around* You’ve been busy, I see. I love the Tree of Life in thewindow, there. Absolutely gorgeous vibes, it’s always a pleasure to come visityou.

Amara: I havebeen busy. Vera vera. I’m so glad you like my Tree! Thanks! *huge grin* I madeit mah-self. Now, before we get started...we need caffeine. What canI get you?

Rhi: I’ll take adouble-shot of espresso with a healthy dose of Amaretto, if you would? Mywinter has been a hectic one thus far, I can use all the heat and energy I canget.

Amara: Ha, Iknew you’d say that. I’ve already gotyou covered. *passes uber goods*

So, let’s talkwriting and books. I’ve seen you say you write genderfuck. Um… what does thatmean?

Rhi: It means thegender scale has more than two settings, and none of them have labels. It meansI set out to challenge the false dichotomy of biological determinism thatsociety and culture embrace. It’s a fallacy—a deeply ingrained and pervasiveone, but a fallacy nonetheless.

Or,to be all polite and politically correct and use smaller words and quoteWikipedia for a moment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genderfuck), it refers to “aconscious effort to mock or ‘fuck with’ traditional notions of gender identity,gender roles, and gender presentation.” The term actually dates back to thelate ‘70’s, so it’s not a new concept – though it’s younger than the term“feminism,” for example. The more modern definition of genderfuck encompasses apractice of bending gender appearances and mannerisms, resulting in a mixtureof masculinity and femininity for a seamless, androgynous result thatchallenges the ability to confine or label within a gender binary.

Crap,still lots of big words in there. Well, for something simplistic, we’d have togo back to what I initially offered: a gender scale with more than twosettings, and no labels.

Amara: Love it. Andwhy genderfuck?

Rhi: Why not, right?Why the concept, or why the term?

Forthe first: because it needed written, in a fashion that would ease readers intochallenging how their assumptions color their perceptions. And also because thedefinition or label of one’s sexuality—be it homo, het, or bi—is completelydependent on this aspect of how an individual identifies.

Iwanted to explore the divergence between self-identity and perception, todemonstrate how an individual’s self-perception would conflict with how areader elected to—consciously or subconsciously—label the same individual. Mystory, therefore, has a fluid subgenre (paranormal (het) romance, m/m romance,gay romance, f/f romance) label based on the perceptions of the individualreader. How whacked is that?

Andwhen it’s put that way, I hope that some will begin to grasp just howinappropriate the labels are.

Forthe second: because the gender binary is as offensive, in its restrictions andexclusions, to some people as the concept of genderfuck is to heteronormativeand/or some cis-sex or cis-gendered persons. There’s another reason why Iprefer this term, though.

Andwell, I wrote this really longthesis-looking thing on the subject a couple weeks ago, it’s over on my blog andwebsite (http://www.rhianonetzweiler.com/uploads/7/8/3/4/7834840/feminism__gender_neutrality.pdf),but I’ll sum it up real quick. Because “feminism” would seem to fit the concept,right? It began as a focus on women’s issues of rights and freedoms back in thelate 1800’s, but has grown to alsoseek gender equality. Frankly, I find the term “feminism” slightly offensiveand inappropriate—genderfuck isn’t about gender equality, it’s about gender neutrality, and engaging a term/labelthat adheres to a gender binary labeling structure is counterintuitive. As awriter, I put heavy weight on selecting the optimal word in any given scenario,and for this perspective and perception, feminism is far from the correct fit.

Thosewith more refined sensibilities might take offense to a term that requires theydrop the f-bomb to utter it, but to be honest, if that’s offensive then theyare highly advised not to crack open anything I write. Fuck is a word. I use itas such rather often in my writing. Sometimes it’s the only word that fits themoment.

Amara: You rock.Just sayin. Also just sayin… your really long thesis looking thing…fan-friggin-tabulous. Seriously.

Ok, now tell meabout your new release. Ya know, the Riptide one with the fantabulous cover!

Rhi: Oh yes, theRiptide release with the genius for a cover artist. “Blacker Than Black” is amildly dystopian futuristic urban fantasy murder mystery. Black is the narratorthroughout the course of the story, and it starts out with a chi-sale gone badand a very irate energy vampire of a john.

Amara: I lovethe world you created for this one, and I love LOVE your chi vamps. Veraoriginal. What inspired this jewel?

Rhi: Well, for that Ihave go back about five years. I was trying to devise a short-story idea afterreading a submission call for an anthology. The theme was “red light district”and I guess you can imagine what that was supposed to focus on, right? I tookthe cliché streetwalker and twisted it into something completely unique. Theidea of “energy vampires” has been around for a while, actually, but I don’tthink anyone ever considered taking it to this level of development. I mean,I’ve seen Stephen King play with auras in one of his books, and every deviationof “vampire” imaginable has been done. But this takes the concept and twists itinto a few corkscrews and barrel rolls. Which is always fun.

AndI promise, my vampires don’t sparkle in the sunlight.

Amara: *laughs*Non-sparkley Vamps FTW! That rocks.

What do you hopepeople take away from Black after reading it?

Rhi: Hope. Such small word, a fragile concept,and a powerful force.

Mostly,I hope that people look twice at their assumptions and perceptions. I’m not outto rock anyone’s world, and this book isn’t some nonfiction rant where I standon a soapbox and chew on the proverbial ear of the reader.

Ifit makes someone hesitate before using the term “flamer” or “bull” or “butch”or “freak” in derogatory or denigrating reference, I’ll take it as a win. If ithelps someone see more clearly the shades of grey in the spectrum, then I’llconsider the past five years of muse slavery well worth the effort, and spendthe rest of my life being thankful that I didn’t hit the delete button that oneday.

Amara: I hope so too. And for the record, I’malready glad you didn’t hit the delete button that one day. Black rocks.

Now, tell meabout the cover. *pets the beautimus cover* It’s fabulous. Did the artist comeup with Black, or was there inspiration behind that beautimusness?

Rhi: I owe RachelHaimowitz my firstborn in my next life. Or something. She found the perfectartist to pair with this story when she convinced Cerulean to take on acommission for this work. When Riptide first contracted it, they sent me acover art form to fill out, and it wasn’t until then that I realized Blackdidn’t have a “face.”

Forfive years, Black as the narrator never once fell into the trap of looking in amirror for the reader. Not even for me, the writer. To be perfectly honest, itnever even occurred to me to wonder what Black looked like. And so I wentlooking for a model that would give the artist an idea. I figured – as thedescription isn’t in the story anywhere, the likeness in the cover art shouldfeed that need for the reader. That way they don’t come after me with torchesand pitchforks because I never give a physical description beyond the vaguestof references.

Iremember going on a Google hunt. I typed in, “androgynous model” and hit the“image search” option.

Iwas scrolling through pictures when the face jumped out at me. Or maybe it wasjust Black, reaching through me and deciding who the avatar would be.

Itended up being Andrej Pejic, and I don’t believe in coincidences.

Perhapsthe readers won’t believe it really happened that way, but I think once theyread the story, they may not put much stock in coincidences, either.

BecauseAndrej Pejic, for those that don’t know, is an internationalrunway model who walks the catwalk for both men’s and women’s fashion, on bothsides of the Atlantic—and Pacific. When askedin an interview how he identifies in terms of gender—whether he considershimself male or female—he answered with, “If someone can define for me what itmeans to be male or to be female, perhaps then I can answer the question”

WhenChang asked what Andrej saw in the mirror, Andrej responded with, “I seemyself.”

It’snot Andrej’s likeness on the cover—it’s Black’s. But Andrej’s image gave theartist an idea of what the character resembled, the type of androgynous conceptI’d envisioned. Cerulean commented that it was actually liberating to not haveto worry about whether the character’s features were “too pretty” while workingon it. That comment made me so very happy on a number of different levels—thatthe work felt liberating to the artist. It was a liberating story to write, aliberating character to create, so it was only fitting that the rendering ofthe cover art be the same.

Amara: Very cool. So, do you think you’ll berevisiting this world? Gonna give us any sequels?

Rhi: Absolutely. I’vegot the sequel in the works right now, though it’s far from complete. It’stitled “Blood Red” and it’s from the point of view of Jhez, Black’s sibling. Iexpect I’ll explore this same world with other characters and storylines, aswell – there’s so much to play with, so much potential.

Amara: *leans in and whispers* I heart Jhez. *smiles and leans back*Ok…please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Rhi: CanI use a grammatically torturous run-on sentence?

Amara: Um… no.

Rhi: Oh,alright. No need to give me a hairy eyeball, it’s common knowledge that I suckat following directions.

*clears throat and inhales deeply*

Since I’ve every intention of making “Blacker ThanBlack” the “shot heard round the world” – make sure you read it, so you knowwhy the hell everyone’s in an uproar.

Ha! Uproar W00T! Go Rhi, Go Rhi!

Next stop on the promo tour will be http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/Top 2 Bottom reviews, tomorrow! Be sure to stop by for the next excerpt from“Blacker Than Black.”

For more info on Rhi’s writings:

Email address: RhiAnon.Etzweiler@gmail.com

Website: http://www.RhiAnonEtzweiler.com

Blog: http://RhiAnonEtzweiler.blogspot.com

Twitter: @musefodder

Facebook Profile: here

Goodreads Profile: here

Amazon Author Page: here

Google+ Profile: here

Get “Dark Edge of Honor” here

Get “Blacker Than Black” here

GR Q&A group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/58149

Two giveaways...
Individual:One randomly selected commenter at each stop will receive a signed cover cardand magnet. Open to all, regardless of location (winner selected from allcomments posted to blog at 11:59pm EST).

Tour:Two winners to be selected at random from drawing of all comments on tour(entry ending Feb. 2^nd, 11:59pm EST – comments with date/time stampsafter this time will not be counted). Restricted to mainland US and Canadaonly, for shipping purposes. First winner will receive an autographed tote bagand pen, signed cover flat, and large magnet. Second winner will receive at-shirt (size XL), pen, signed cover flat, and small magnet.

Flight of the Elementals: Deleted Scene from Blacker Than Black by Rhi Etzweiler

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

As promised, Rhi is here today to share some goodies from Blacker Than Black. Today, a deleted scene called Flight of the Elementals.

Instead of blabbing on and on, I'll just step aside and give the blog over to Rhi.

Welcome back Rhi! :D *waves and whispers* Hi Black :D

*****

Flight of the Elementals Scene 2 of 4

One of the storyaspects in “Blacker Than Black” is a mystery. Working that facet of the plot arcto a proper and satisfying climax and resolution at the end of the book was achallenge for me as a writer. This is because Black’s story is not one that wasplot-outlined in advance. Its development was entirely organic, which createdsome challenges. One of those was determining what sort of ending best suitedboth the story arc and the nature of the characters as explored thus far in thestory. I worked a number of different scenes, exploring possible actions anddecisions; this is one of those.

###

“The councilis arriving, monsieur.” Garthelle's butler drones from the doorway,sounding marginally bored. When I glance over, he winks at me.

Garthelleeases up from the couch, movements deliberately slow as he steps toward me.Surely he isn’t concerned with spooking me, not after the way we met.Ridiculous.

His yellowgaze plays over my face, studying my expression, reading my emotions.

Maybe he'sgoing to try and make me stay here.

Not that Ihave any desire to witness a repeat of that first evening here in Dragulhaven.

Lines ofstrain bracket the corners of his eyes. A muscle twitches in his cheek, and thefaint sound of grinding whispers through the silence.

Makes me wantto laugh, but I squelch it. The sound would probably have an uncontrollableedge of hysteria in it. Not good for my image. To say nothing of my safety.

Predators gethigh on the scent of fear.

His nostrilsflare and he takes a step back. Extends his hand toward me, palm up.

“It's time tomeet my family, mon noire. Turnabout's fair play?”

I spare aglance for the bedroom door. When I look back at him, the lyche’s lipsare curved into a sly grin.

“Well, if youinsist.” I intend the words to sound sarcastic, but my voice is too low. Husky.

Garthelle'seyes flash, body stiffening visibly as I step toward him and take his hand.

He grunts andtugs me after him in the butler's wake, the tattoo of his footsteps evenmanaging to, somehow, sound curt and impatient. His aura is pulled tightagainst his skin, reminding me of the way a nervous person crosses their arms andhugs themself. Defense mechanisms.

Understandable,but I'd much rather feel the reassuring brush of his warm energy invading mypersonal space.

Does that makeme needy? Shadows flicker over his profile as the light fixtures pass us,silent markers of our progress toward the foyer.

Strong bones,flat planes. Smooth, ivory skin.

Don't thinkabout tasting it again. I feelmy face flush anyways, a tide of tingling heat up my neck into my cheeks.

Garthelleglances at me, smiles and shifts his fingers, threading them through mine. Hisaura expands, engulfing me so swiftly that I gasp. Chills race up my spine,heat pooling in my gut.

Damn him.

When we stepinto the excessive space of the foyer, he doesn't pull away. Doesn't retracthis aura. I bump my shoulder into his, grateful. The energy bleeds around melike a warm blanket on a cold winter day, easing the chill of tension from mymuscles. I feel myself relax into him, legs going limp. The desire to curl upin a ball inside that sensation is intense. I have to make a conscious effortto push away slightly. Remind myself who's about to walk through those heavywooden doors that the butler is pushing open.

With mypathetically inadequate knowledge of lyche society and culture, I'm notcertain what I expect to see. My heart slams against my ribs, adrenalinespiking through my veins.

The tap ofsteel on stone whispers into the foyer on a breeze of warm summer air; cadencefirm but wrong.

No echo offootsteps accompanies the entourage as it spills into the chandelier-lit space.

There are nineof them.

One, slightlyto the front, the others arrowed behind him, flanking four to each side.

He holds acane, its tip flashing the glint of metal as he grounds it against the tiled marbleflooring.

Skin-huggingdenim and a thigh-length jacket tailored from calfskin are the last things Iexpected. Brown. Everything about him is brown. His skin is the hue of rawcedar, worn dark and smooth with age. His hair is like stained wood, cutcrosswise to the grain. Shades of mahogany, oak, white pine, walnut. His bodyis lean and lithe like a willow tree, despite the gimp in his right leg. It'snot twisted – not a birth defect. A young sapling, its main branch damaged in awindstorm one season too soon.

“Bienremplies, Garthelle. I only wish the circumstances were more pleasant.”

If not for theembrace of Garthelle's aura, I'm certain this lyche’s mere presencewould have slapped me to my knees. As it is, his gaze flicks toward me for abrief moment and the air seems to lose all trace of heat.

Even thebreeze blowing in doesn't ease the chill.

“As do I, leHaut.” Garthelle steps forward, his grip on my hand a vise, giving noquarter. No possibility of parole. I sneak a glance at him as he stops barely afoot away from the brown man. A smile curves his lips, an easy twist ofpleasure and delight. “I truly did not expect you to attend this ... issue inperson.”

The brownman's movement is so swift, I flinch. And feel weak with relief – and stupid –when his hand clasps the back of Garthelle's neck. Garthelle returns thegesture, leaning in to touch his forehead against his fellow lyche.

Their aurasbleed together, cautiously. Entwining at the spot where their skin touches. Apolite exchange. A demonstration of trust, fidelity, solidarity.

I am so out ofmy depth, I feel like I'm trying to cross the Pacific Ocean. Via breaststroke.

The brown manstraightens, hand dropping back to his side. His gaze drifts my direction,slowly. The gravitas in his dark chocolate gaze almost drowns me.

“My ...mamoitie. Black.” His palm feels damp against my skin. “Black, this is the Hautof Modere Circle. Monsieur Delaterre.”

“Votre ...moitie? I really must hear this story,” the man says, glancing at Garthelle.His tone is heavy, undeniably thick, but beyond my ability to read. Then helifts his hand, reaching for my neck.

Every musclein my body tenses. Garthelle's grip tightens on my hand, his aura doing thesame against my skin.

“Etre doux, je vous supplie,” Garthellewhispers, gaze boring into his superior.

His foreheadbumps mine, palm cool and dry against my nape like soil between the roots of atree, his fingers gripping firm and relentless into my tense muscles. Icouldn't pull away if I tried, but the fear surging through me rules out thatoption. I couldn't move if a nuclear warhead detonated in my back pocket.

Confusionwarring with an edge of panic, I clench my free hand in a fist against my thighand stare into his eyes, chocolate with flecks of amber, streaks of midnight.His aura swims around my temples, a gust of wind stirring my hair along my jaw.Chills run down my spine in anticipation of pain.

Black is here, Black is here, BLACK IS HERE W00T!

2012-01-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Black is here, Black is here, BLACK IS HERE W00T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if that's not got me excited enough... Rhi is coming to visit this week!

Rhi is coming, Rhi is coming W00T!!!!!!!!!

Um... what I mean is... Blacker than Black is out today, and I've got all kinds of goodies this week. Black's tour stop is Wednesday, Rhi will be visiting with me that day and bringing a giveaway of uber cool. I've also got a special deleted scene and mah first guest reviewer coming to play too.

A week of Black. YAAAAAY!

*whispers* Ok, what I really REALLY mean is...

Black is here, Black is here, BLACK IS HERE W00T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blurb: Apparently, my twin and I are two of York’s most notoriouscriminals. We’ve been Nightwalkers in the blue-light district since the vampstook over the world. Don’t know how many years it’s been. Long enough that astream of fellow ’walkers have come and gone. Most don’t last long sellingtheir chi. End up face-down in the gutter, or worse.

For us, one night and one sale change everything.

Monsieur Garthelle is the first john to hunt me down. Hecalls me a chi thief in one breath and offers absolution—servitude—in the next.Maybe I’m a sucker, but I like living and breathing. Strange that such apowerful vamp would show leniency to a mere human. And something’s not rightwith the chi I took from him. It won’t go away.

Neither will he, and he’s forcing us to spy on his peers.Then a vamp turns up dead, and we go from playing eyes and ears toinvestigating a murder. This isn’t what I signed up for. All I ever wanted wasto sell a little chi, maybe steal some in return. I should’ve kept my damnhands to myself.

This is my story. Look through my eyes.

ps: Black is here. *does the Black is here happy dance*

My Buck Angel Interview, part 2 & Reader Questions Too!

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today, part 2 of my interview with Buck Angel. I got to talk to him a little bit about his films and the best part of the interview... Buck answers questions sent to me by friends.

Is he just the coolest dude ever or what.

Before I get to it, I just wanted to apologize for my blog's comment fail on the first part of the interview. Several people told me they had tried but the darn thing wasn't cooperating. Big BOOOOOOOO on that! I removed the Disqus form in hopes that maybe it would work better for everyone, here's hoping it will play nice today. Sorry guys. :(

'k. Interview, part 2. Ready, set... go!

Films…

Amara: Why and/orhow did you start doing adult films?

Buck: Istarted doing films in 2003 because I saw a complete lack of FTMs in the adultindustry. I had been working with trans women (MTF) adult stars when the ideacame. I saw how they were treated and the names they were called. I saw thatthey had little or no control over their product. That is when Buck Angel was created.

Amara: Tell meabout your new documentary film “Sexing the Transman”.

Buck: I reallywanted to do a documentary on how hormones have affected transmen and theirbodies, identities, and sexualities, because I noticed so many guys becominggay after they began their transitions. That was fascinating to me, and that iswhere the idea came from. So I just started interviewing guys when I traveled.I also interviewed lovers of transmen, asking them how they have been affected.Anyway, with that I also produced my new adult film Sexing The Transman XXXwhich has been nominated for Best Educational Release and also Best TranssexualRelease at the Adult (AVN) Awards this year.

Amara: What made youdecide to make “Sexing the Transman”? What do you hope to accomplish with it?

Buck: I hadnever seen anything like it, and I wanted to bring more awareness andacceptance of transmen and their sexuality.

Amara: Will youcontinue making adult films? Or are you going to be doing more documentary typefilms?

Buck: I willcontinue in the adult field for sure, but more behind the camera—hopefullymaking new FTM stars. My recent film, “Sexing The Transman XXX” has been sowell received that I am now filming the second one with hopes that it willbecome a long running series showcasing all kinds of trans people.

Amara: What areyou working on now? What’s next for Buck Angel?

Buck: Now I amfocusing on my public speaking, which has really taken off. I’ve been speakingat different events, and at colleges and universities. I love doing it and Ican see the impact it makes on so many of the students.

Reader questions…

I received several questions from my readers, the one Ireceived the most was best put by “a transman”, but the heart of the questionwas the same, “how do you deal with the haters?”, I’ll pose that one first, butI’ll let him ask it as he expands upon it…

From a transman…

When I first thought about coming out as transgendered, Iwas worried about the crap I'd face. Would co-workers shun me? Would I lose myjob? Would family hate me? Would love ones suddenly find themselves unable tolove me? Would I become a victim of hate crime? Would my gay friends still likeme or would they cry foul, like some do! Would my lesbian friends find me nowrepulsive? Would my own kids think me a freak? I worked through my fears anddoubts, and decided, I was willingly to pay the costs my coming out would incurin order to be ME. Surprisingly, I've ended up facing mostly tolerance andquite a bit of acceptance. I have had the occasional sneer or shudder when Iget too near to some, but I try not to let it bother me. I guess my questionis, what do you say to the haters, thosewho refuse to be openminded enough to even consider another's point of view? Doyou just walk away? Fight? Argue? What? I've seen instances on some sites whereassholes harass you and it really pisses me off. What's the best way, in youropinion, to deal with the would be oppressors?

Buck: Thanks for the great question. You know, I had to realizethat it was not really about me. That the hate that was coming from them is allabout the negativity and fear they have inside. Once you realize that, you canjust feel sorry for them. Now, I will admit that sometimes it is hard to ignorethem and when I do write back, I confront them on their crap. Lately there hasbeen a big anti-Buck campaign on Tumblr from some crazy so-called “trans activists.”They’ve been calling me all kinds of names from classist and racist to sexist!It is quite funny because if they did their homework about me they wouldrealize that they have no idea how far that all is from the truth. I think thebest approach is usually to just walk away and pay no attention, because attentionis exactly what they want.

Do you think it’snormal to feel the need to prove yourself?

Buck: Prove yourself to whom—to yourself or to someone else? I guess if it was tosomeone else then no, because it is all about knowing who you are; that is allthat matters.

How does oneacquire a thicker skin to deal with not only the haters but also those who haveincessant questions?

Buck: Over time my friend over time.J Follow your true path, and beconfident in yourself and the rest won’t matter. If the questions are reallycoming from a place of curiosity and interest, then it is good to answer them.But if they’re just coming from a place of hate and negativity, then walk on by.

Is it worth livingthrough personal hell in order to "come out" and be yourself? (ormaybe it's not hell to you, I don't know, but life feels like it to mesometimes. Maybe this goes back to the thicker skin question?)

Buck: It is totally worth it if it makes your life better! Thewhole point is to love yourself and live a happier life. What kind of qualityof life is it if you aren’t really living as yourself?! There’s no way I couldhave NOT transitioned. I would have died. So, my personal hell was mostly aboutliving as female. There have been some tough times along the way in mytransition, especially at first, but it was completely worth it for me. Alongthe way people may resent you, hate you, and not understand you. If you knowthis and are prepared for it, then things might go more smoothly.

What's yourworkout schedule like?

Buck: I try to workout at least 5 days a week for at least 45minutes. This last year I completely changed my workout routine. I no longerjust go to the gym and pump weights. I starting doing a more well-roundedworkout for my whole body that gives me cardio and has cut my body fat tremendously.It is more like the P90X workouts. They are amazing and have made me strongerand leaner. I feel better mentally as well as physically. I started with theworkouts from Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper and moved to P90X. They helped toget me ready. You can check out more on my bodybuilding website www.buckangelbodybuilding.com

Also remember diet plays a huge factor in how your bodyresponds, looks, and feels.

Jambrea would like to know…

If you could tellan individual who was uncomfortable in their own skin and someone who thinksthey were born in the wrong body one thing--what would it be?

Buck: You can be whomever or whatever you want to be. There isno right or wrong way to be. Just figure out what you want and go get it.

Is it difficult being married and doing porn?Or is it easy to separate the two?

Buck: Because my wife is super supportive and even starred in acouple of my films, it is totally easy for us. We have good boundaries aroundmy adult work and she knows it is just business. I have no emotionalattachments to my co-stars. Also, we are both very open-minded around sex. Thebottom line though is that if she ever had any problems with what I do I wouldquit. My relationship with her is the most important thing in the world to me.

What was yourbest experience as a public speaker/educator?

Buck: That’s a hard one! The first thing that comes to mind ismy IdeaCity10 talk in Toronto. (Here is the Youtube link to thevideo-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIaKb1Xx3Pc) It was so amazing connectingwith people who had no idea who I was. After my speech many people said I made ahuge impact on them. Just recently I spoke at St. Mary’s College in Marylandand I received a standing ovation. It was such a surprise and so rewarding. Ihave also spoken at Yale where they had a Master’s Tea for me and I spoke inthe Master’s home to about 50 students, and the list goes on. It is just soamazing that schools and organizations have been opening their doors to have mecome and share my experience in hopes of helping others.

Rhi asks…

How do you feelabout being seen or as assumed to be a gay man?

Buck: I don’t care at all. Who wouldn’t want to be a gay man—theyare hot! But really, I don’t care because my sexuality is so fluid that one dayI can say I am a gay man and the next day I can say I’m straight! Mostly I justsay I’m “sexual” because that is a better description of how I really feel.

How many call youan imposter?

Buck: I’m not sure I understand this question. Imposter aboutwhat? Being a man? If that is the question, then I’d have to say it doesn’treally matter to me what other people think. I know I’m a man and I am totallyconfident in that. So if someone thinks I’m not a man just because I have avagina, whatever. It doesn’t really affect me.

How do you explainto gendernormative people, just how a trans sees things?

Buck: I can’t really answer that because I do not identify as atrans for one, and also I don’t think all trans people see things the same way—orat least I hope not.

Anonymous asks…

Your activism ispart of why you inspire me. If there was one thing people could do for thetrans* community, what would it be?'

Buck: Thank you. I think first the trans community needs to dofor itself. They tend to fight among themselves, which causes a lot distressand this is harmful to the cause. If they want people to respect and hear them,they need to stop fighting with each other. There is strength in numbers. Oncethey get that resloved I think people will start to listen.

From Tracy, (whowill kick my ass for asking you, or rather including this, to which I say,bring it >;P )…

…then, maybe thatshould be my question -- stance on baked goods? favorites? LOL

Buck: OMG I am a big cookie and bread freak, which of course Ihave to watch out for because I’m trying to stay in shape. But I just found anawesome recipe for vegan peanut butter cookies. So now they are my favorite andI bake them to take with me on tour to have as a snack. I am also a big fan ofbrownies though I have not found a great recipe for those yet. If you have agreat recipe send it my way!

Amara: Well *sheepishgrin* that really didn’t end up being a quick interview did it. I have about10000 more questions, but… I’ll end there. Thanks so very much for allowing meto bombard you with all of our questions. That was fun. *Grins*

Buck: Thanks Amara.

*****

Was that awesome or what?! Buck Angel at my little ol' blog. Blows my mind. I'm still just grinning like a loon. :D

Be sure to check Buck out for all his awesomeness. You can find him online here...

http://buckangel.com/

http://twitter.com/BuckAngel

http://facebook.com/officialbuckangel

http://linkedin.com/in/buckangel

http://buckangelentertainment.com/

Thanks everyone who sent in questions, who came by to check it out, and most of all, uber thanks to Buck. You rock mah socks.

That's all for me, for now.

Later taters!!

My Interview with Buck Angel (part 1)

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Okey, dokey. Tis time. Time to play blog with… BuckAngel. Um, yeah… Buck Angel. OMGOMGOMGOMG… Buck.Angel. Yeah, I’m kinda freakin’out. I was freakin’ out when I first talked to him back in November, and, well…I’m still kinda freakin’ out.

Dude rocks mah socks.

'k. *mumbles* Interview Amara. Interview.

*clears throat* As previously mentioned, the interview is kinda... long. Too long for one blog post. I had a hard time trying to decide how to break it up. In the end, I decided to just break it in half; I'll post part 1 today, part 2 on Thursday. I do hope you'll all come back.

Now, with a big giant “thank you”, and a huge “Welcometo my blog”, I am please to bring you all…

*drum roll*… Buck Angel.

Amara: Hi Buck,thank you soooo much for agreeing to let me interview you. I’ll try reeeealhard not to do it all starry-eyed, which is… easier said than done. *smiles* Ifyou would please, let’s start with telling me a little bit about yourself. Whois Buck Angel?

Buck: I amactually just a normal guy. People think because I have a vagina that makes medifferent from other men in general, but I don’t really think I am. There’s amistaken assumption because I work in the adult business that I must be a bigparty animal and go out every night. Not true. Though I am definitely a manwith a mission; and that is a mission to educate about gender and sexuality, tohelp open people’s minds and change the world.

On that, you may notice that I stick with the originalterms I used starting when I began my change about 20 years ago—the ordinarylanguage like “bio” “sex change” and “transsexual” as they are easy foreveryone to understand and I often speak to groups who might be confused by thenewer jargon.

To learn more about me, visit my websites: buckangel.com,buckangelentertainment.com, and buckangelbodybuilding.com (Well, I guess I am abit of an entrepreneur, too).

Amara: *laughs* Yeah, I’d say ‘a bit of anentrepreneur’ seems accurate.

So, when did you first realize you fell outsidethe traditional gender roles society places us in?

Buck: Everything was fine when I was a kidbecause I was raised like a boy, my parents called me “Buck” and I playedsports with the guys—it all seemed normal. Then I hit puberty and my breastsstarted to develop and then I began menstruating. It was a total nightmare forme until I finally started my sex change.

Amara: What does a typical day in the life of BuckAngel look like?

Buck: Hahhaayou’re gonna crack up! Ok, if I am at home and not on the road, I get up and havecoffee and read the news on my iPad. Then I workout for an hour, eat breakfast,shower, and start my day in the office. I work pretty much all day on theInternet (and eat 3 more meals). Then I have dinner with my wife and we watchsome kind of TV series on NetFlix. Then we go to bed and start all over again…Iknow, boring—huh?

Amara: *laughs*Sounds nice to me. Who is the one person that has played the most significant rolein your life and why?

Buck: Hands down it is my wife, Elayne Angel,who is also my best friend. She did not start out with me on my sex changejourney (I met her after that), but she has been the most supportive and alsothe one who has encouraged me to do my work as “Buck Angel.” She said to mewhen I had the idea to put myself out there, “You have to do it; you willchange the world.” I thought that was so funny then, but she was right. She is justan all around great person: she is grounded and also has her own career tofocus on. So we help each other and support each other’s work. I think thatmakes us a stronger couple because we each have our own identity and career. Iam for sure a very lucky man to have her by my side.

Amara: That’s soawesome. I love that.

When we firsttalked about doing this interview, I opened my blog to my readers who wanted toask you questions of their own, one of the questions I received the most was,how do you self identify? And how long have you identified as such?

Buck: Iidentify as a man. I have always identified that way even before I started myhormone treatment. For me it was all about transitioning from female to male.That was the end goal for me. Today things are a bit more fluid for people. Thetrans movement of today is totally different than when I transitioned. It is moreabout trans as an identity, but for me it was about becoming a man.

Amara: Which community do you identify with most?

Buck: That’s a hard question for me because Ido not actually identify with any community. Though if I had to pick, I wouldsay my community is the LGBT, just because that is where I came from, and whereI and feel my message helps the most. But with that said I admit that I am nota big fan of any community, as they always try to put people into boxes. Theymake people feel they have to abide by certain rules they put in place tellingus how to be gay, or how to be a trans person. My message is all about not fitting in the box. Especially inthose communities—I don’t know why they would want to do that to people whohave suffered with trying to fit in, and when they finally discover themselvesand go to these communities for love and support, they get pounced on if theydon’t follow the rules.

Amara: What are your thoughts on “coming out” asrelates to trans* vs gay people. Is there a difference? If so, why?

Well, whether trans or gay, there are different circumstancesto coming out (or not)—to someone you’re dating vs. family vs. an employer.They are certainly the same in the sense that whoever you’re disclosing to maynot be accepting of what you’re telling them. For me it was much easier to comeout as a transsexual to my family than it ever was to come as a gay woman. Theywere far more accepting of me being their son than their lesbian daughter. Every situation is different.

Amara: *nods* Very true.

Last November whenwe first spoke, the LGBTQ erotica/romance book genre (in which I usually blog)was going thru a controversy that led to people wanting to more accuratelylabel the authors as male/female and lgbtq. It has led to all kinds of painfulthings, including transgender authors “outing” themselves before they were“forcibly outed” so to speak. How do you feel about people’s attempt atlabeling and trying to put people in a black/white kind of box?

Buck: I think I answered this in one of theother questions. That is what my work is all about: not putting us in boxes. Forcibly outing someone is totally wrongand I do not understand why anyone would think they have the right to do this?Shame on them. I obviously have squashed that “male” box by putting myself outthere as a man with a vagina. People have a super hard time with this becausethey need boxes to make them feel safe. They do not understand when somethingis different from them, and we have to open people’s eyes up to how “normal” wereally are.

Amara: How do weovercome this “need” to label people?

Buck: With lots of hard work. By not conformingto what society tells us we have to be and by changing the rules. When I firststarted my work people freaked out on me, especially in the adult entertainmentbusiness. Now I have won awards and I am a very well respected part of thatindustry. I changed the way they view people like me. All of us who feel we donot fit in the box need to band together and make the world see that we arenormal.

Amara: I read anarticle on your thoughts on the use of pseudonyms. I blog mainly about authors andbooks, you make films, although they aren’t the same the basic principles ofnames and privacy are similar in my thinking. How important do you feel the useof pseudonyms are? Why?

Buck: I feel it is extremely important and it aright that we should all have. For meit was about keeping my private life separate from my public life. I knew thatI was going to do something that was going to push buttons and even make peoplevery upset or angry. So I wanted to keep people in my private world safe. It ismuch safer for me to use a pseudonym and to keep my personal life separate frommy work life.

Amara: What types of privacy or safety concerns haveyou faced? How did you deal with them?

Buck: I havereceived many threatening emails throughout my career, including death threats.I would say that they have somewhat chilled out a bit, but I still get them. Inthe beginning of my career, it was mostly from the trans male community. Theywere bitching at me about how I was representing them all wrong and that I wasmaking it look like FTMs could only be porn stars (yes they actually said that)!

But as I got more in the mainstream it starting coming from bio men. They justcould not deal with my message: “It’s not what’s between your legs that definesyou.” They freaked out because for many men, that IS entirely what definesthem. For the most part I just ignore them. I stash the messages away in a“hate mail” file to use at some point in the future. Sometimes I write back andif I feel really angry about what they said, I’ll post their message on my blogor facebook with their email address.

Amara: What do you believe has been your biggestrole or accomplishment that has benefited the transgendered community?

Buck: Helping people come to terms with theirbodies. I think being transgendered is really hard. I know many people withinthe community (and also outside of it) who have found inspiration in the factthat I’ve been able to accept and become comfortable with my body and havelearned to love it. I get a lot of positive feedback that I’ve helped othertranspeople to become comfortable with their bodies too.

Ok. I think that's an ok place to break. On Thursday I'll post the rest of the interview; questions about Buck's movies, about his film Sexing the Transman and his answers to reader submitted questions.

That's all for us, for now.

Later taters!!

The Buck Angel Interviews

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not remember, back in November I stumbled upon the opportunity to interview the fantabulous Buck Angel. Now, many months later… tis time to play blog.

This week I’ll be posting the interview, breaking it up into pieces over a few days since I kinda threw questions-a-plenty at him AND sent him several others sent to me when I opened the blog to share this fab opportunity, and… well… it’s rather long.

I guess that makes this… Buck Angel week. :D W00T!

If you don’t know who this Buck is of which I speak, you can find him at www.buckangel.com. Check him out. You totally want to. The guy is fantabulousness of the uber awesome kind. And the nicest, coolest dude evah. Which only adds to the fantab uber awesome thing.

And he’s comin’ to my lil’ blog.

1000x W00T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buck Angel Week at Amara’s Place. I’m … kind of excited. By like… uber lots!!

Happy Monday all :D

Later taters!

Andrea Speed and Josh of the Damned

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Andrea Speed is back with her Josh of the Damned stories, excerpts, and a grand prize giveaway. W00T!

Enjoy some teasers, check out Peek-A-Boo, and answer the question at the bottom of the post to be entered to win the entire Infected series.

Ready, set, go!

Excerpt for Pretty Monsters (Josh of the Damned #1)

The first time the hell vortex opened in the Quick-Mart parking lot, Josh very seriously considered quitting his job. But all that came out of it was a lizard guy, and all it did was amble inside, buy a bag of chips, and leave. All the monsters, while ugly, seemed nicer than his late-night human customers, and Mr. Kwon offered him hazard pay, so he stayed on.

Besides, it wasn’t all bad on the night shift. For instance, right now he was looking forward to the return of Hot Guy.

Of course it was a super hot night, still eighty degrees around midnight, and the air conditioner had to pick now to die. Josh peeled off his polyester work smock and put his nametag on his t-shirt, hoping Mr. Kwon wouldn’t suddenly show up and demand he put it back on. It breathed like a trash bag.

His latest customer was an obviously stoned guy buying a wheelbarrow full of snacks. Not only were his eyes glassy and red, but he reeked of pot smoke, making Josh wonder if he’d spilled the bong water. Pot Guy left and someone else came in. Josh leaned over the checkout counter, hopeful, but it wasn’t Hot Guy, just a lizard guy.

“Guy” in a generic, gender free sense of the word, of course, because Josh had no idea how to tell if they were male or female. Maybe they didn’t even have genders. He didn’t know how to ask without being a rude bastard, and there was a chance he wouldn’t understand the answer anyway.

The lizard guys were all tall, and this one was no exception, at least six foot five and so broad across the shoulders it could barely fit in the aisle. They had all your basic equipment—two arms, two legs, a recognizable face—but their mouths were huge, they had no nose, and their scaled skin ranged in color from moss green to primer gray. This one was a kind of greenish-gray, like his roommate that time he got food poisoning.

Like all lizard guys, this one had a weird gait because its feet were huge, with six long toes that almost looked like fingers . . . which was extra weird because their hands were always small and had just four stubby fingers. They looked like they’d been put together by a five year old with a bad sense of proportion.

They also made such a racket you could hear them all the way from the back room. It reminded him of his first Craigslist roommate, Barry, who couldn’t do anything, even open the damn curtains, without making several decibels of needless noise. For the brief time they’d shared a place, Josh had been convinced Barry was hiding a megaphone to fart into just for effect.

Thwak-thwak-thwak echoed in the shop as Lizard Guy waddle-stomped down the aisle, making a beeline for the Fritos display. It grabbed two bags and turned back, waddle-stomping to the register.

Purchase Pretty Monsters here.

Peek-a-Boo (Josh of the Damned #2)

eBook release: Jan 9 2012

Word count: 3,600

Page count: 15

Heat Wave: 2 - Kisses and touches, no love scenes

Erotic Frequency: 2 - Not many

Type: Part of a Series

Blurb: As night-shift clerk at the go-to Quik-Mart formonsters with the munchies, Josh Caplan believes he’s seen it all. Battlinglizard men, werewolves chasing cars in the parking lot . . . nothing fazes Joshanymore.

Or so hethinks, at least, until a yeti with poor communication skills drops a deadskunk on the checkout counter. Josh can’t figure what a living, breathing shagcarpet wants with him, or why it won’t leave him alone no matter how hard heignores it. But hey, at least it seems harmless . . . if perhaps a little slowon the draw.

ButSasquatch is plenty fast when two of Josh’s human customers try to out-monsterthe monsters. Times are strange when creatures from the hell portal save theday, but in the protective hands of a lovesick yeti and a sexy vampireboyfriend, Josh realizes that maybe his new normal isn’t so bad after all.

Excerpt from Peek-A-Boo

Josh’s first impulse was to scream, but he bit his bottom lip instead. It seemed like a slightly less girly response to the bloody animal corpse on the counter. “Um . . . yeah.” He pointed up at the sign above the cash register while looking up at the seven-foot-tall monster in front of his check stand. It was covered head to foot in shaggy white hair, with two dark holes for eyes peering out from the fur, and a black-lipped mouth full of jagged ivory fangs. It was oddly adorable and oddly frightening at the same time, though it smelled like a wet yak that had been frolicking in a pool of Axe.

The sign on the wall behind him read American dollars only. It said it in English, Spanish, what might have been Chinese, and several languages that looked like graffiti, a child’s scribbling, and precisely-thrown monkey poo. In fact, Josh was fairly certain Mr. Kwon had put up that sign solely to fuck with him. But now that Albino Bigfoot had slapped a dead skunk on the counter, he didn’t know what to think.

Josh shook his head, and his stomach roiled as he caught the stench of dead animal mixed with the weirdly sweet stink of skunk musk. “We don’t accept that. That’s not currency to us.”

The mop monster shook its head, mimicking Josh’s movements. Damn it! He never knew if any of these monsters understood him. Weren’t they supposed to be, like, missing links or something? Shouldn’t communication be easier? Josh pointed at the dead skunk, and wondered if he was gonna be able to keep from barfing. If he threw up, would Bigfoot throw up too? “No. That’s not good here. We only take cash.”

Sasquatch pointed at the skunk like Josh was doing, shaking its head and making little grunting noises that might have been an attempt at mimicking his words. He just wasn’t getting through to the walking shag carpet, was he? “Okay, we’ll take credit cards. Hell, I’ll settle for a geode if you’ve got it, but I don’t want roadkill. Okay? Get it out of here.” He began making shoving movements with his hands, which the ambulatory area rug simply mirrored. Christ on a pogo stick, it was like talking to his one-year-old cousin.

Josh looked around behind the counter and found the broom, which he used to push the corpse off the checkout counter. Not his silver werewolf broom, just the everyday kind he used to sweep up after lizard guys who couldn’t navigate the cereal aisle without knocking the Cheerios off with their tails.

The rug monster caught the corpse before it hit the floor and tried to put it back, but Josh shooed him off with the broom. “Take it outside!” He pointed vehemently at the door, and finally Shaggy seemed to get it, stomping off outside and carrying its carrion with it.

Purchase Peek-A-Boo here.

You can contact Andrea here:

Email address: aspeed2@gmail.com

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads Page

The Grand Prize – The Infected series ebook collection

Question for the grand prize, which will be drawn for at the end of the tour:

What two things does the yeti try to give Josh? Simple, but you'll have to have read the story.

Amara's New Adventures

2012-01-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

My poor blog here. I have been neglecting it. Bad Amara. Bad.

Thing is, I can't seem to shake this book blog burnout I have goin' on. I thought a couple weeks off would cure me. But... it hasn't.

I still have some things coming up. I'm in several Riptide Blog tours, Andrea Speed and Rhianon Etzweiler are coming up soon. The uber big deal is the Buck Angel interview, working on that jewel right now.

Reading has become nada. I'm actually still off playing jewelry maker. And loving every minute of it. Some of you know, some of you don't, but I've slipped into one of my other personas, started a web page, an Etsy shop and am currently teaching myself how to make wire wrap jewelry.

Amara, aka Freia has teamed up with daughter and started... Tiger Swan Creations. I am Tiger, she is Swan. (One of these days I'll get Swan to actually post some of her stuff, she currently just keeps it for herself. )

It's been nothing but fun. And I even sold a couple of things too. BOh-nUUUUSSSSS. (<---sings that part)

Since I am just learning, it's rather slow going. I tend to mess up more that I finish, but... that's ok. Fun is where it's at. And every day, I get a little better at it and mess up a little less. W00T!

Wanna see some of mah goodies? I want to share :D :D :D Sooooo... don't say no, you totally wanna see :D :D :D I know you do.

Amethyst Knots

Aquamarine Bows

Sterling Emeralds

Twisted & Banded

Antique Copper & Agates

Mah jewel-er-ies :D :D

Right now I'm busy trying to finish a Tree of Life pendant, I'm not sure who's winning, me or the tree, but it's gettin' there.

Sadly, as far as my book blog, review / blog requests are just not happening. I'm off on new adventures at the moment, and can't seem to find reading time no matter how hard I try.

Now I'm off to Tweedleville. Tweedles doesn't seem to understand how I just need to stay home and twist and wrap and make stuff.

Jerk.

Later taters!! :D :D

Amara's Place 2011 Faves Winners!

2012-01-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

And the winners of the Amara's Place Faves of 2011 Giveaway are...

*drum roll*

The Dark Soul Series (vol 1-3) by Aleksandr Voinov

~ Jibreil O ~

Angel of the Deep by Kirby Crow

~ Anne Brooke ~

Thanks for playing everyone. I'll be back in a few days for the Andrea Speed, Josh of the Damned Blog tour.

Later taters!

Amara's Place Faves of 2011 Giveaway

2011-12-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I've been sitting here thinking about the books I've read this year, admittedly I didn't read as much as I was hoping, but out of the ones I did manage to read, I wanted to share the ones I liked the most, and the ones I loved SOOOOOO much, I want to not only share which they were, but give them away so you too can see how much they rocked.

So, to the blog I go, with ... *drumroll*...

The Amara's Place Faves of 2011 Giveaway

*whispers* original title yeah? *winks*

It won't be any surprise I'm sure, that most of my faves this year were written by Aleksandr Voinov. He is still just rockin' mah socks with his books. The guy never fails; I still just hang on every word that drips from his pen, or his keyboard as the case may be.

My faves list starts there, in no particular order because I can't choose which I like best...

KENDRAS! I love him so hard. I still regret not licking him in that interview too darn it. Mamba fail. I'll get him next time for sure *winks*

Dark Edge of Honor... definitely at the top of my list. Aleksandr Voinov and Rhi Etzweiler make one helluva team. These two need to get together and give me more. MOAR!

Not to be left out of the faves list, the fantabulous Rachel Haimowitz....

Out of the Haimowitz books I read this year, I have to say, it was Counterpoint that did it for me. Freyrik and *gasp* Mah Ayden! Love 'em.

Another one of my faves, to my own surprise because I don't love tentacles at all...

First Watch by Peter Hansen. I loved this book. All I want from Peter now is... MOAR!!!

Now, moving on to the books I absolutely loved soooooooo hard, I want to do a special giveaway. 2 giveaways actually.

Amara's book uber love fest, you gotta read it so I'm going to give it to you, is...*drum roll*...

Yep, Aleksandr again. Shocking, I know. But I can't help it. Silvio just... does things to me. He owns me completely. He may be my favorite Voinov character. I love him waaaay beyond hard.

My new favorite book, is actually by a new to me author, and an OHMYGAWD WOW book of uber awesome.

Angels of the Deep by Kirby Crow. What a fabulous book. I'm in love.

There you have it. Amara's faves of 2011.

Now, giveaway deets. I want to giveaway the Dark Soul series, yes, all three books AND a copy of Angels of the Deep. In return, I want to know what YOUR favorite book was. To enter, leave me a comment, tell me what your favorite book this year was, and I'll pick 2 winners on Jan. 7th.

That's all for me, for now. Happy New Year everyone!

Later taters!

The fine details...

Giveaway is for eBooks.
Contest closes January 6th, 2012
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
2 winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosenwinners do not respond to my email within 48 hours, another winner will beselected.
Contest is open worldwide.
Must be 18 yrs. old or older.

Wrapping up

2011-12-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Well, tonight wraps up the hugeamous Riptide blog tour, at least here at my place. I've still got some winners to pick and a whole lot of comments to go thru so I can send them off to Riptide for the big end of tour giveaways, but other than that.. tis pretty much a done deal.

You guys rocked it. Thanks everyone for coming to the blog and playing along. You all rocked mah socks. And thanks Riptide for letting me play blog with you. :)

Tomorrow I want to have a special year end goody of my own. I thought I'd do some kind of "Amara's Favorite Books This Year" giveaway or something, so be sure to check back for that.

Other than that, this silly little blog grrl is blog tired. I think I may take a week or so off. January will find another couple blog tours here but until then, I'm off playing jewelry maker. And having a blast. Daughter and I have teamed up to become... Tiger Swan Creations. I'm working on opening up an Etsy shop, just finished building our new website/blog and now it's time to get back to actually trying to MAKE the jewelry. I've posted a couple of things on the new site, but the store remains bare. Boooo.

Turns out there's a lot more involved in selling my wares than I realized. lol go figure.

Anyhoo, I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I'm off to put together a special giveaway, wrap up a blog tour and play jewelry.

Later taters!

Excerpt & Giveaway: Dark Soul (vol 3) by Aleksandr Voinov

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Aleks is back again with more Silvo. W00T! I meant to have a review for this one, being as I love Silvio and all, but I didn't quite get it finished. But really, what's left for me to say on the subject. Amara's special review... Aleksandr Voinov rocks mah socks, I love Silvio HARD hard, Dark Soul is da bestEST evah! Hot, intense, friggin' hot... did I mention hot?

Now there's a review. ;)

One of these days, I'll get aaaall caught up on those. But in a nutshell, that really is it. This one is smokin' hot and Voinov fantabulous. And my oh my... look at that cover. That baby makes me drool. This one might be my favorite. Not sure, close call between Dark Soul vol 1 and 3. Best covers evah.

Have a taste of a juicy excerpt. Dark Lady I, my fave in this one.

Enjoy!

Dark Soul (vol 3) by Aleksandr Voinov

eBook release: Dec 19 2011

Word count: 20,700

Page count: 84

Heat Wave: 5 - Very explicit love scenes

Erotic Frequency: 3 - Moderate

Type: Part of a Series

In "Dark Lady I," as Silvio Spadaro plans totake on the Russian hit squad that kidnapped his boss, he decides the best wayto deal with four extremely dangerous men is to become an even more dangerouswoman.

In “Dark Lady II,” Stefano discovers yet anotherdisturbing—and arousing—truth about Silvio and how easily Silvio can use aman’s weakness to his own ends.

“Dark Brother” brings another player to Stefano Marino’shousehold. Franco Spadaro has just been released from the French Foreign Legionand is catching up with his little brother. In the middle of a war, a skilledsniper comes in right on time—but two Spadaros might be more than Stefano canhandle.

This title is #3 of the Dark Soul series.

Excerpt

Dark Lady

He spotted the hooker first, but dismissed her presenceat the bar. Pavel, however, elbowed him in the side and pointed. Stupidbastard, pointing at anybody or anything.

Sergei considered snatching Pavel’s hand and breaking hisfinger against the table, but refrained.

Vasily must have noticed the sudden swell of adrenaline;he grinned that odd little grin of his that meant trouble or death. Sergei gavehim a minute nod. Vanya remained oblivious, staring into his vodka shot as iflamenting the absence of pickles.

Suddenly, the hooker was upon him—literally. BeforeSergei could shove her down on the floor, one long leg lifted in his field ofvision, clad toe to mid-thigh in black latex, tight and shiny as if somebodyhad dipped her leg in crude oil. The chrome-plated heel was absurd—only a womanwould wear something so like a weapon and yet so useless. Then she shifted hersmall ass in her tight black skirt onto him.

Pavel’s eyes got all round and he pursed his lips. Sergeiglanced at the hooker now settling on his knee, facing him, rubbing her groinalong his thigh as she scooted closer, legs wide open. It didn’t even take aninvitation; it was all there, right in his face.

“Hey, big boy,” she purred, voice smoky.

Sergei put the shot glass down on the table and leanedback. Dusky mascara and eye makeup contrasted the bob-cut platinum wig. Thattight skirt too short to pose a real obstacle to sitting as widely open as shesat now. Her flat belly was bared, however, showing off some nice smoothmuscles. Built like a stripper, slim and trim but with power underneath. Shewore a dark lace bra on top, framed by a short shirt knotted underneath hersternum, making the most of breasts she didn’t really have. Not even enough tofill one hand.

A black leather collar with a D-ring and chrome platingcompleted her barely-there dress. She looked like something out of BladeRunner, or possibly a throwback from the eighties, which were only romanticizedby people who hadn’t been alive then.

“Lucky bastard,” Pavel muttered in Russian.

That did it. Sergei placed a hand on her thigh, felt hergrind against him, subtly, but definitely there. Bitch was getting off on him,and he was amazed at the cheek to just sit in his lap and rub her pussy againsthis thigh.

“Want drink?” he asked.

“I’d love a drink,” she said, and Sergei motioned forPavel to refill his glass. Pavel did so, and Sergei offered the shot to thehooker. She kicked it back like a pro, making the D-ring on her collar jingle.She laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning in. “Can you show a girla good time?”

The longer she rubbed and ground against him, the morelikely that became. “What do you charge?”

“Dollars,” she murmured low in his ear. “Depends if yourfriends want to join in or not. A blowjob won’t be as expensive as taking allof you.”

Taking all of you.

“What’s she say?” Pavel asked, and the others leanedforward, too.

“She says she’s for sale—and could take us all,” Sergeitranslated.

“Fuck,” Vasily muttered.

Tension surged, and Sergei knew the others were up forit. Few things he didn’t know about them. They’d trained together, livedtogether, and fought together for more than ten years. Few things men didn’tshare after so much time.

He glanced around, noticed assent in the group and thatlithe, nubile body on top of his. Drinking wasn’t his priority anymore. “All ofus?”

She turned her head, looking at Pavel, then Vasily andVanya—slow, provocatively slow, her black eyes unblinking, simultaneouslystaring at his comrades and into the distance, spaced out or drugged. Then shesmiled. “You might break me.” She ground against him as if that idea turned heron.

He slid his hand between her crotch and his legs. Sheexhaled, a raspy, almost hollow sound, and pushed into his hand. What he feltthere wasn’t quite what he expected, but it didn’t matter. He grabbed her neckand pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear. “So are you boy or girl?”

In response, she licked his ear. “Do you care that much?”She ground against him again. “You like ass, don’t you?”

Sergei laughed. “What about a transvestite?” he asked theothers in Russian.

“If you do it, I do, too,” Vasily said, always the mostadventurous of the lot. But who said snipers were sane.

Sergei grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up—which gota delighted squeal from her—and stood. She wasn’t tall, but now that he saw herfrom this angle, she did have broader shoulders than most women, and what he’dthought was lankiness were clearly male proportions. Tiny ass with almost nocurves anywhere, but she was cleverly dressed to downplay that. And herbreasts—well, looked like she really didn’t have any.

He grabbed her neck and kissed her, deeply, harshly, andfelt her yield like a woman would. This should prove interesting. “So you muchdo you charge?” he asked.

“For all of you? Four hundred.”

He had no clue if that was expensive or cheap. Probablycheap, in this country. Precious little else they could spend their money on,anyway. “Pay upfront?”

“Always.” She nodded at him, dark eyes very earnest.“Just a moment.” She walked purposefully to another scantily-clad woman at thebar, touched her shoulder, whispered something in her ear, and got a nod and asmile in return.

One hooker telling another she was heading out to work.Sergei didn’t like the other hooker gazing at him and his team, but thatcouldn’t be helped now. In the gloom, she wouldn’t be able to give a very gooddescription to anybody if the Italians tracked them.

When she came back, he pulled his wallet out and paid hernear the door. Pavel and Vasily stood ready to cut her off if she decided tomake a run for it, as unlikely as it was in those boots.

She folded the bills over one finger and pushed the moneyinto a side pocket of the stupid little silver handbag dangling from hershoulder. “I know a good motel nearby.”

“No, you’re coming to our place.”

She paused, a blink that turned into real hesitation,despite the money. Bad experiences? Fear?

Caution? “I don’t know you at all.” You could dowhatever to me and not pay was what her tone said.

She fingered the bag, tempted, reluctant, torn betweenthe money and the fear.

Sergei watched her, realizing that, unlike with a lot ofpeople, he really couldn’t tell which way her decision would fall. She hadstrange black eyes, pools of darkness, almost as liquid as an animal’s. Shebreathed deeply a few times, looked up into his face, and Sergei smiled at therealization she was reading him. “I won’t hurt you,” he said in English.

“What about your friends?”

“They play rough, but they don’t kill.” Unless paidto and ordered.

She shuddered and bit her lip. “Let’s ride, big guy.”

They surrounded her on the way to the car, almost likeguarding her, and maybe that was how she saw it, but Vasily’s wolfish grin tolda different story.

She followed, lengthening her stride to keep up, and slidinto the car when Pavel opened it. Vasily went after her, pushing her down andpressing against her. Pro that she was, she just opened her legs for him andallowed him to hump her right there.

Pavel glanced at Sergei. “To the safe house? Really?”

Sergei shrugged. “Most dangerous thing about her arethose boots.”

Pavel glanced inside the car. “Guess Vasily will havesearched all her cavities before we arrive.”

“Get in the car. Vanya, drive.”

Once Pavel was inside, Vasily was forced to share theattentions, and the hooker was thoroughly groped and touched all over. Thecontrast between the large men and the slender figure turned him on. Also thather hands were also all over Vasily and Pavel, and within moments she wasrubbing their dicks through their trousers.

Nobody seemed to mind that she wasn’t actually a woman.In Pavel’s case, that might be because of the vodka. And Vasily—Sergei assumedthe sniper didn’t care what exactly he put his dick in as long as it breathedand didn’t go “baaah.”

In any case, Vasily kept her mouth busy, sticking histongue almost down her throat, while Pavel kissed and licked and nipped at herlong, strong neck, one finger hooked into the D-ring at her collar as if tomake sure Vasily wouldn’t grab her and carry her off.

Sergei twisted the rearview mirror so Vanya wouldn’t getdistracted, and kept watching their surroundings. Running into cops was thelast thing he wanted. Yesterday’s shooting was all over the news, and somenewspapers were speculating wildly about the cause of the attack. It wasdefinitely drawing heat to that Italian motherfucker, and with the interest ofthe press and the police awakened, Marino would have to keep his head down.Which suited Sergei’s objective just fine.

However, neither he nor his men were inconspicuous, whichmeant keeping a low profile, eating in fast food joints, leaving no papertrails, no witnesses, no potential trouble. Sergei didn’t mind being a ghost somuch, hovering at the edges of society; after all these years, he struggledimagining being anything else.

The safe house was a bit out of the way, in a rundownpart of the city, with no direct neighbors. Just a closed-down printing shop toone side, and to the other a boarded-up apartment building awaitinggentrification or a wrecking crew. This part of the city was holding its breathfor rebirth, but would only succumb to cancer.

The car stopped and Sergei stepped out. He watched whileVasily composed himself and got out of the car, raging erection pushing againsthis fly. Pavel was no better, but he didn’t grin as gleefully as Vasily andactually helped the already disheveled hooker out of the car.

Vasily winked at him. “You’re gonna be first?”

“Yeah.” Sergei usually didn’t pull rank, but she’d cometo him, and while that decided nothing really, he figured it was important toshow who was leading. Besides, she’d made that possible; his body respondedreadily to hers.

They escorted the hooker to the nondescript two-bedroomhouse. Sergei had claimed the master bedroom for himself (having his own showerseemed like the height of luxury), while the rest shared the other doublebedroom, or had until Vasily had complained of Vanya’s snoring and moved ontothe couch in the living room. It was the shared bedroom they were heading to.

The hooker reached the bed, glanced at it, and turned toSergei, looking nervous. But then she stepped closer, met his eyes for a longmoment, and went down on her knees. Sergei inhaled sharply when she opened hisfly and rubbed him through his boxers before pulling down his trousers farenough to pull his boxers down, too.

She didn’t tease much—straight to business, her lipsparting for him and taking him in without reluctance. He grabbed her neck, hersmooth, long movements much like he’d jerk off when he had time and wanted tomake it last. His gaze fell on Vasily, who stared at her face, her lips, and ofcourse at Sergei’s dick, eyes glowing with cold, calculating lust.

Pavel made a rude comment in Russian, while Sergeistepped out of his boots and trousers, allowing the hooker to keep jerking himoff while he undressed. “Get on bed now.”

She stood and plucked the silver handbag from hershoulder, then fished out a tube of lube and a long strip of condoms.

Vasily scoffed. “I’m not putting one of those on,” hesaid in Russian.

She seemed to catch the gist of that protest and lookedat Vasily, her dark eyes steady and not afraid at all. “I’m not worried aboutyou,” she said, “but you might want to be worried about me. I fuck men for aliving, not you.”

Sergei huffed laughter and responded in Russian. “You putthat on. I’m not nursing you through some infection. If you catch anything, I’mputting you down like a dog.”

Vasily stared at him with the “try it” expression hesometimes used when given an order not directly related to a job. Sergeiassumed those were shows of machismo. Vasily thought of himself as the secondman on the team, while, for Sergei, the hierarchy was flat indeed: him at thetop and the other three on the level underneath.

He met that stare, then grabbed the hooker and pushed herto the bed. She lay down on her back, booted legs spread wide. He got on top,noticed her shifting something between her legs, then she reached for thecondoms. She ripped one open with skill, then put it on him as she must havedone a million times.

She curved her spine, since he wasn’t going into herpussy, but once she was positioned right, he could push easily against her ass.She was lubed up already there, but Sergei still pulled the lube closer. Justin case. She smiled at him and licked her lips. “Give me that fat cock,please.”

Giveaway: Aleksandr Voinov backlist ebook

The finedetails...

This week’s giveaway is for an eBook copy as listedabove.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
All commenters will also be entered in end of tourgiveaway of AP 3 prize packages. Detailshere.
All comments will also be entered in the year-endRiptide grand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eachpost commented on counts as an entry.
Backlist book giveaways do NOT include booksreleased in the last 3 months.
This week's giveaway doesNOT include Riptidereleases.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.
Swag giveaways USA only

Excerpt & Giveaway: Rubbed the Right Way (Romeo Club #2) by Brita Addams

2011-12-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

Rubbed the Right Way (Romeo Club #2) by Brita Addams

eBook release: Dec 5 2011

Word count: ≈4,700

Page count: ≈17

Heat Wave: 5 - Very explicit love scenes

Erotic Frequency: 5 - Lots and lots!

Type: Part of a Series

Are you willing to put yourself in our hands?

After being stood up by his ex in Costa del Sol, RomeoClub member Brady seeks a cure for rejectionitis among the welcoming andwell-toned arms of a number of other Club members. After a night of beachfrontfantasy and erotic massage, Brady needs no coaxing to put himself into the ablehands of Kyle, the Romeo Club's master masseur.

To Kyle, "deep tissue massage" means much, muchmore than rubbing out tense shoulders and backs. Beneath Kyle's sure fingersand even surer cock, Brady reaches heights of pleasure beyond his wildestimaginings. Just one problem with what Kyle has to offer: after sampling hismany skills, Brady knows he'll need to come back for a second taste, and athird, and a fourth . . .

Once you've been rubbed the right way, you'll never thinkof erotic massage quite the same again.

This title is #2 of the Romeo Club series

Excerpt

Erotic massage: sexual stimulation, arousal, andfantasy.” Or so read the graphic brochure. I tore my gaze from the promisedpleasure, swallowed hard, and checked my watch for the fifth time as I pacedthe massage room at Romeo’s. The masseur was now ten minutes late. Damn it,waiting was not my forte.

Sensual Latin rhythms wafted in the background, taking me back to the El OceanoHotel in Costa del Sol, where I’d waited for three days before accepting thatwhat’s-his-name wasn’t going to show. I swayed to the beat, remembering thehotel’s balmy, open-air ballroom; after I accepted the painful truth, I wastedno time getting into the vacation mood again. I spotted Paolo, the impressivelyhung pool boy, treated myself to an overabundance of mojitos, and indulged inthe best beach sex I’d ever had. Sure cure for rejectionitis. Before thesupposed honeymoon ended, there had been many Paolos, and each and every oneproved to be just what I’d needed to forget the asshole.

Framed, sepia-toned photographs on the wall distracted me from my heart-mendingromp through Spain. Mmm, the genital massage looked inviting. Oily, stronghands sliding over Señor Cock, playing with my balls, working me over until Iwas hard as stone . . . No help needed there. The photos did a fine job, thankyou very much.

Since Spain, I’d enjoyed living out my beachfront fantasy with several menin the rooms at Romeo Club. One pseudo-Paolo heightened my interest when hemassaged my ass—inside with his ample prick and outside with strong hands—allwhile he had me bent over a large piece of driftwood. My orgasm that night blewmy world apart, rocket’s red glare and all that.

Another glance at my watch fed my impatience. Fifteen minutes late, and mecooling my heels with a boner the size of New Jersey. Damn it!

I picked up a bottle of Romeo Club Midnight Madness Aromatic Massage Oil. Theirown brand. Impressive. All natural, sweet almond scented. Condom-safe. Hmm,good to know.

The white cloth covering an array of defined ridges and bumps captured myattention, leading my imagination to the pleasurable but perverse, firmlychampioning huge butt plugs and dildos. I do love having my ass stretched, andwhen pseudo-Paolo had indicated the use of anal toys during the mini-massage,seeking out the club’s masseur had required no further incentive.

I’d barely lifted the corner of the cloth when the door opened, leaving me towonder if I was right about what lay beneath. I jerked my head up and salivatedas a lean, muscular guy with legs that went on for days strolled in and shutthe door. My entire body took notice. Damn, he was gorgeous! Not a blond hairout of place, and a strut that exuded confidence. Bare-chested and six-packsolidly defined, he filled out his track pants admirably. My knees turned tojelly, and we hadn’t even been introduced.

He approached with an outstretched arm and a smile that lit his eyes. “Hey, I’mKyle. And you must be Brady.”
Kyle’s firm, vigorous handshake assured me my body would be well tended inhis hands.

“That I am.”

“Sorry I’m a few minutes late.” With a palm to his crotch, Kyle adjusted hisdick. “Some things can’t be hurried; you know what I mean?”

Giveaway…Brita Addams Backlist book of choice

The fine details...

Today's giveaway is for an eBook copy as listed above.
To enter, leave a comment on this post telling meyou’d like to be entered in the giveaway.
Commenters will also be entered in end of pre-partygiveaway of 2 prize packages. Detailson the party page.
All commenters will also be entered in year-end Riptidegrand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Each post commentedon counts as an entry.
Please include a valid email address or we won’t knowwhere to contact you.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.
Swag giveaways USA only

Interview & Giveaway: L.A. Witt

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today I my Place gets a visit fromL.A. Witt. Yaaaay! Thanks so much for the visit m’dear. Welcome to the Place.

First of all where are you from? Bornand raised about 30 minutes outside of Seattle.

What do you like to read? Pretty much anything that soundsinteresting. I mostly read science fiction and fantasy, but I’ll read anything.

What do you love about being anauthor? Besides having a 15 second commute, working in my pajamas, listening tomy own music, having my cat on my desk, taking breaks/vacations whenever Iwant, and being able to chat while I work? Being an author.

Where do you get yourinspiration? Take two (or three)characters, put them in a crappy situation, ~~add water~~ remove clothing,stir vigorously.

Do you tend to base your characterson real people or are they totally from your imagination? They’llusually have a real person’s face, but the characters come from my imagination.Meaning I need a visual of some sort – usually a photo, either of a celebrityor just some random picture I found online – so I can put a face with the name,but the character evolves on his or her own.

What are your current projects? It changes constantly, but I’m workingon a BDSM novel at the moment, plus rewriting a hetero BDSM story that I wrotein 2010. Hoping to have both of those done and submitted by the end of theyear, but considering I’m traveling and relocating from October thru December,I don’t expect to be quite as productive as I usually am.

Where do you get the names for your characters? Sometimes they come to me. Sometimes Ihave to spend an inordinate amount of time poring over a very tattered babyname book that lives on my desk. There is frequently some brainstorming with myMinion and my writing buddies.

What are you working on next? At themoment, I’m working on a contemporary gay BDSM novel called Where There’s Smoke. Afterthat, it’s on to the not-yet-titled second book in the Tooth & Claw series (book #1, The Given & The Taken, is due out in January from Samhain).

What would you advise an aspiringauthor? Sit down and write. The bookwill not write itself, so put your butt in a chair, your fingers on a keyboard,and write until you finish. If it sucks, don’t panic. That’s what editing isfor. And for the love of all that’s goodand unholy, when you submit your work, be persistent. You will get rejected.Probably a few times (I have about 300 rejections under my belt). Keep at it, be open to criticism, keepimproving, and keep writing.

Is there anything you'd like totell your readers? No matter what anyonesays, argyle socks do not, in fact, go well with strappy stiletto dress shoes.

How can readers connect with you? My website, my professional blog, and my personal blog. I’mGallagherWitt on Twitter, and readers are welcome to e-mail me at thethinker42@gmail.com if they havequestions, comments, or Jared Leto’s home phone number.

This week’sgiveaway…L.A. Witt backlist book

The finedetails...

This week’s giveaway is for an eBook copy as listedabove.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
All commenters will also be entered in end of tourgiveaway of AP 3 prize packages. Detailshere.
All comments will also be entered in the year-endRiptide grand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eachpost commented on counts as an entry.
Backlist book giveaways do NOT include booksreleased in the last 3 months.
This week's giveaway doesNOT include Riptidereleases.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.

Riptide "Why We Bought It" ~ A Chip in His Shoulder by L.A. Witt

2011-12-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

A Chip in His Shoulder by L.A. Witt

eBookrelease: Nov7 2011

Wordcount: 24,600

Pagecount: 84

HeatWave: 4 - On-screen,mildly explicit love scenes

EroticFrequency: 2 - Not many

Type: Standalone

Blurb: “Contract killer” is afitting job for a vampire, and it suits Liam just fine. Cast down from thewealth and status of the Sky for taking a human lover, Liam lurks in the poorand pollution-choked Gutter, killing to survive. Between his natural strengthsand his Cybernetix mods, no mark has ever escaped him.

Liam’sex-lover Daniel is the heir to Cybernetix—and its greatest threat. Horrified bypeople less man than machine and the exploitation of Gutter factory workers,he’d rather destroy Cybernetix than inherit it . . . if his father doesn’tdestroy him first.

Yearsof anger and a heap of mods have kept Daniel and Liam apart. When Liam is hiredto slaughter a man in his glass Sky tower, he walks right into a Daniel-shapedtrap. Daniel’s father has betrayed them both, and only by working together canDaniel and Liam survive the coming day. They have no reason to trust eachother, but as the dawn looms, a bargain that began with the simple urge to livesoon reminds them of the love they once shared. Can they find each other again,or will the Cybernetix assassins find them first?

Why we bought it:Chip in His Shoulder

To know LA Witt means to love her. I have to say, I waslate to that particular party – Rachel contracted A Chip in His Shoulder, but she told me “trust me, you’ll love herwriting.” I trust Rachel a great deal, so when I read the story that Lorihanded in, I had one of these “oh shit, this is good” moments which acquisitions editors live for.

Let’s see, so this has cybered people and cyberware madein sweatshops in a dystopian future where some people live on the top ofskyscrapers and can breathe fresh air, and the rest of the population lives inthe dog-eat-dog world underneath, caught in an eternal haze of pollution. I’vealways been a fan of cyberpunk, have written some stories (actually: novels)myself, and most recently Break and Enterwith Rachel, which was still pretty fresh in my mind when I read that story, so it just hit me inall the right places.

Liam’s a vampire who has been tossed into the Gutter,literally, and who claws his way back to take revenge on his ex-lover. A drivenmain character, a score that needs settling, and then, in perfectly executedcyberpunk tradition, both get screwed. All this is told with such energy andverve that I dare anybody to breathe while reading this (obviously you have to,because it’s a novella). It’s very well done and atmospheric, bringing ustension galore, grime and grit (which I personally love), and tender moments andunexpected humor counterposed against that. Lori navigates these waters withamazing skill, always hitting the perfect note. (Also, she puts her charactersthrough hell and high water before they make it out alive – which I personallylike. I hate easy victories.) So imagine my “yay!” moment when she said there’sa sequel in the works. Can’t wait to get my hands on that.

This week’sgiveaway…L.A. Witt backlist book

The fine details...

This week’s giveaway is for an eBook copy as listedabove.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
All commenters will also be entered in end of tourgiveaway of AP 3 prize packages. Detailshere.
All comments will also be entered in the year-endRiptide grand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eachpost commented on counts as an entry.
Backlist book giveaways do NOT include booksreleased in the last 3 months.
This week's giveaway doesNOT include Riptidereleases.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.

Enter to win an L.A. Witt backlist book!

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

A Chip in His Shoulder by L.A. Witt

eBookrelease: Nov7 2011

Wordcount: 24,600

Pagecount: 84

HeatWave: 4 - On-screen, mildly explicit lovescenes

EroticFrequency: 2 - Not many

Type: Standalone

Blurb: “Contract killer” is afitting job for a vampire, and it suits Liam just fine. Cast down from thewealth and status of the Sky for taking a human lover, Liam lurks in the poorand pollution-choked Gutter, killing to survive. Between his natural strengthsand his Cybernetix mods, no mark has ever escaped him.

Liam’sex-lover Daniel is the heir to Cybernetix—and its greatest threat. Horrified bypeople less man than machine and the exploitation of Gutter factory workers,he’d rather destroy Cybernetix than inherit it . . . if his father doesn’tdestroy him first.

Yearsof anger and a heap of mods have kept Daniel and Liam apart. When Liam is hiredto slaughter a man in his glass Sky tower, he walks right into a Daniel-shapedtrap. Daniel’s father has betrayed them both, and only by working together canDaniel and Liam survive the coming day. They have no reason to trust eachother, but as the dawn looms, a bargain that began with the simple urge to livesoon reminds them of the love they once shared. Can they find each other again,or will the Cybernetix assassins find them first?

Excerpt

“Why is my son stillalive, Liam?” The irritation in Richard Harding’s voice set my teeth on edge.“I’m running out of patience.”

“Do you want it donequickly, or do you want it done right?” I muttered as I adjusted my cellphone’s earpiece. “Choice is yours, but it’s one or the other.”

“I want it done. You’re notgetting sentimental about this job, are you?”

I stopped dead in mytracks, my boot scuffing on the sidewalk. “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s a valid question,don’t you think? Given your . . . history with Daniel.”

I nearly gave in to theurge to grind my teeth. “That was a long time ago. This is business.”

“Then get it done. This istaking entirely too long.”

I started walking again,taking longer, faster strides. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my dusterand nestled my face into the high collar to keep from choking on the downdraftof thick, acrid pollution. “For the record, that UV-resistant mod that’s been‘in development’ since the dawn of time would have sped up this processconsiderably.”

“That mod is still in theexperimental phase,” he said. “You know that.”

“Then this will take sometime. If you wanted it done faster, you might have lit a fire under the assesof the people who could give me the ability to move around in daylight.”

He huffed. “Just get itdone. I’m a patient man, but—”

“Has the money beentransferred?”

“Yes.”

I stepped up to the curband gestured for a cab. “All of it?”

“Yes. All of it. Now getit done, Liam.”

I laughed. “Or what?”

Silence. Long, tellingsilence: Harding was desperate. He had to be. Men didn’t put themselves on myradar unless they had no other options. For Harding to contact me and offer upso much money, he had to be beyond desperate. Pity for him he didn’t realizeI’d have done the job for a fraction of the price. Had I ever crossed pathswith Daniel Harding again, I’d have put a few bullets in him for free.

But when a man offers you$10 million to take out his own son, you don’t argue.

And neither, apparently,did he, because his end of the line was still silent.

I laughed. “That’s what Ithought.” As a cab nosed toward me and slowed down, I added, “Your son will betaken care of.” Before Harding could say anything more, I disconnected thecall.

I opened the cab’s doorand slid into the backseat. The first taste of the air in there made my eyeswater; there were disadvantages to an enhanced sense of smell, and enclosingmyself in the capsule of filth and sweat that was a taxicab was one of them.

“The microchip factory onFourth Street,” I said, trying not to let on that I was gagging.

The driver grunted anaffirmative and pulled out into traffic.

I could walk to thefactory in twenty minutes, but the sidewalks between here and there were agauntlet of thieves. Though muggers didn’t scare me in the least, they were aninconvenience. A delay. And every minute wasted was a minute closer to sunrise.

Streetlights glowedhalfheartedly along the roadside, yellow clouds of mist swarming around eachburning bulb. Passing cars sliced hazy bands of amber and gold into the fog,some with headlamps so dim and old they were barely functional. Even with thehorrendous visibility down here, workers could only spend so much of theirpittance of a salary on anything they couldn’t eat.

There was a time whenartificial lights, even this foggy darkness, necessitated a pair of sunglassesto keep from burning my eyes. These days, the caustic air stung, but my mostrecent optical mod included a self-adjusting tint that kept out even the mostbrutal fluorescents and mercury vapors. Now if the cybernetic companies couldjust do something about my skin, I’d be happy. But of course, they’d have tospend less time creating super-soldiers and sex goddesses if they actuallywanted to outfit the city’s vampires with a mod to keep us from bursting intoflames on contact with the daylight.

But of course that was,and probably forever would be, “still in development.”

While the cabbie drove, Itook off my earpiece and dropped it in my pocket. It was just a decoy device,something to tell passersby and anti-mod activists that no, I was notspeaking tosomeone using a communications implant. What they didn’t know wouldn’tinconvenience me.

With my left hand, Ipressed the tiny nodule between the middle and third knuckles on my right hand.Everything in my field of vision darkened except the glowing blue-greendisplays visible only to me. I moved my hand until the nodule—now glowing thesame color—lined up with the option for “display account.” I logged in andpulled up the transaction history.

As promised, Harding hadmade the deposit. I transferred the money to another account, then split itbetween four others. Harding hadn’t been thrilled about having to pay in fullupfront, but he wanted me and no one else for this hit, so he’d grudginglyagreed to my terms. I wanted to be damn sure he didn’t pull a fast one and tryto withdraw the money between now and when the hit was complete.

I couldn’t blame him if hedid. $10 million was a lot of money, even for a cybernetics tycoon. For me, itwas a fortune and then some. After this hit, I’d be out of the Gutter and outof this Godawful line of work.

I closed the display anddeactivated the nodule, returning my vision to normal. Through the cab’s dingywindow, I watched rundown people going about their business beside the line ofdecrepit cars in front of filthy, vandalized buildings. Third shift employeesshuffled into factories, looking just as exhausted and haggard as the secondshift shuffling out. This was the part of town where the destitute built themods that bettered the lives of the wealthy.

I sighed and pulled mygaze away.

The cab lurched to a haltat the base of a brick-front building covered in a spiderweb of graffiti. Thebuildings in the Gutter were nearly indistinguishable from one to the next, butthis was the right place. I’d been here enough times; I knew.

I paid the driver, thenstepped out and immediately buried my face in my jacket collar again. Here inthe industrial heart of the city, the pollution was even thicker and moreacrid. My eyes watered, and on top of the lingering aftertaste of the rancidair inside the cab, every whiff turned my stomach. There were mods on themarket now that filtered better than my zipped-up jacket collar, but thosecompromised senses on which I relied, so I dealt with it.

I looked up at thefactory. High above me, the feeble glow of the sixth-floor windows was justbarely visible in the haze. The seventh floor wasn’t visible at all, but I’ddone enough recon to—

Footsteps. Behind me.Three meters to the rear and half a step to the left. All my senses immediatelyshifted, homing in on the approaching individual. Faulty attempt at stealth.Rapidly decreasing intervals between footfalls. Ambush.

I rolled my eyes. I don’t have time for this.

I spun, and my would-beattacker skidded to a startled halt, lip curled into a snarl and knife in the air.

“Just gimme your cash,man.” His voice shook in spite of his aggressive stance. “I don’t want no harm,just—”

“Put that knife awaybefore you hurt yourself. You don’t know who you’re fucking with.” With that, Iturned on my heel and started toward the side of the factory. Damned Gutter ratcouldn’t hurt a vampire if he wanted to.

“Hey! Hey!” The muggerlunged at me, and I spun around again. We collided and the blade bit into mypalm, but a swift kick to the idiot’s side sent the knife clattering to thepavement and its owner flying into the wall. He hit hard, grunting as his facemet brick beneath a yellow spray-painted “Sky Must Fall” slogan. Groaning, hecrumpled to his knees on the sidewalk.

I glared at the thin,shallow wound on my hand. What the fuck? Times really were getting dangerouswhen petty thieves carried weapons that could penetrate a vampire’s flesh. Myarm tingled as nanobots scrambled through my system to take care of the damage.I shuddered and rolled my shoulder; the microscopic machines had saved my lifenumerous times, but I never could get used to that skin-crawling sensation whenthey were on the move. My palm burned, and I flexed and straightened my fingersas the tissue fused back together.

While the nanobots didtheir job, I turned to go, leaving my would-be assailant to figure out what hadjust happened.

I made it three or foursteps, then stopped and looked back. The mugger wasn’t seriously injured, buthe was still disoriented. He’d probably have a hell of a headache, but as soonas he was steady on his feet, he’d accost the next passerby. On the other hand,as long as he was down, he was vulnerable to the next thief.

I chewed my lip. I was nostranger to the desperation that drove men to crime, especially down here in theGutter. This was the cruelest part of a cruel world—a place that had driven meto make my living committing murder—and theft probably wasn’t just a hobby fora man with ragged, mismatched sneakers barely held together by fraying laces.

I had no qualms aboutlaying waste to the wealthy assholes who forced the rest of us to live likethis, but the Gutter rats were like kin to me. It was us against them, soalthough I couldn’t afford the delay, I backtracked toward the mugger.

When I picked up theknife, his eyes widened. He stared up at me, holding his head in one hand andshowing his other palm.

“Don’t . . . please . . .”He whimpered, drawing back and cringing like he was looking into the face ofdeath.

If you only knew.

I knelt and laid the knifeon the pavement. Then I grabbed his wrist, dug a few tattered bills out of mypocket, and pressed the money into his palm. As I stood, I toed the knifetoward him. “Careful where you point that thing. Now get the fuck out of here.”

Then I walked away.

I went around to one ofthe factory’s side doors. Through bribery, the black market, and athinly-veiled threat, I’d obtained an access code and a badge. I glanced up anddown the narrow alley, making sure I was alone. Then I swiped the badge andpunched in the access code. The kid who’d hooked me up obviously valued hislife, because the LED turned green and the door unlatched, just like it hadduring the other night’s test run. I pulled it open and slipped into thefactory.

The inside of the buildingwas sweltering. The acrid stench of pollution wasn’t as strong, but the air wasmetallic and stank of brass, industrial lubricants, and heated rubber.Machinery clanged and rumbled. Conveyor belts hummed. Components clicked andclattered. Though I moved with practiced stealth, the factory’s noise gave meadded insurance as I slipped past the workers.

I made my way to the backstairwell, then up to the seventh floor, where a second access code let me intothe maintenance facility for the train station perched on top of the building.From there, I went into the restroom where I’d hidden a briefcase and backpackin the ceiling tiles. I quickly changed into the suit from the backpack, hidthe bag and my duster back in the ceiling, and took the briefcase with me.

At the sink, watching myreflection in the mirror, I carefully peeled away the false skin that hid thevisible mod on my face. Black silicone and titanium covered my temple andformed a crescent around my left eye. It wasn’t all that useful now that I’d hadthe new display implanted with my ocular mod, and down in the Gutter, it wasjust the kind of thing that would make me a target of the anti-mods. Where Iwas going, though, a mod marked me as one of the elite.

I discarded the false skinand scrutinized my reflection. Adjusted my tie. Tugged at my sleeve. Smoothedmy hair. Once everything was perfect, nothing wrinkled or out of place, Ipicked up the briefcase and left the gentlemen’s room. Looking like any otherbusinessman on his way home from a late night at the office, I strolled throughthe thin crowd on the train platform to the stairwell.

At the top of the stairs,I took a deep breath of crisp evening air and looked around. Though the Gutterwas less than ten meters below my feet, it was a different world up here.Immense glass and metal buildings strained for the stratosphere all around me,and like crystalline capstones, glass penthouses gleamed and glittered on topof each towering structure. The elite of the elite lived in those. Cyberneticstycoons. Software lords. Heirs and heiresses to this or that empire.

Huge fans below thestreets kept the industrial pollution of the Gutter down, and the air up herewas perfectly crystal clear.

Everything was perfect here. The people of the Sky would never acceptanything less.

This week’s giveaway…L.A. Witt backlist book

The fine details...

This week’s giveaway is for an eBook copy as listedabove.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
All commenters will also be entered in end of tourgiveaway of AP 3 prize packages. Detailshere.
All comments will also be entered in the year-endRiptide grand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eachpost commented on counts as an entry.
Backlist book giveaways do NOT include booksreleased in the last 3 months.
This week's giveaway doesNOT include Riptidereleases.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.

Interview & Giveaway: Rhi Etzweiler

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Guess what, guess what! Rhi is visiting my Place today!!! Yaaaaaay!

heehee, I like hangin' with Rhi. *big grin* It's fun.

Amara: Hi Rhi! Welcome back to the Place. Come in,come in, please, make yourself comfortable. I’m so excited that you’re here.*smiles* Thanks for coming to sit and chat with me. Let’s start with the obvious. Please tell me alittle bit about yourself.

Rhi: I’mhaving difficulty with this question. Is “I have a crooked nose” an acceptableanswer?

Amara: *laughs* Um… noooo…

Rhi: Oh,fine. *waves to readers* Hi, I’m Rhi. I like cheesecake. And Bull’s Blood. AndI write genderfuck, when I’m not writing military speculative fiction gayromance thrillers.

*whispers*Why does this feel like a Dating Service or something?

Amara: Because I’m trying to hook you up. *rollseyes* Duh. *winks* Kidding, don’t lookat me like that. *sticks tongue out at Rhi*

Now let’s talkbooks. Tell me about your current book.

Rhi: *whisperssome more* Which one? The only one out on the market? The one scheduled forrelease in December? Or the one I’m working on? This question always confusesme. What’s “current?” I mean, I know what currant is. It’s the best preservesever. Great on banana bread, too.

Amara: *laughs* Ok, ok, let’s start with the one outon the market. Tell me about that one.

Rhi: “DarkEdge of Honor” is a military science fiction romance thriller. Say that fivetimes real fast, right? Anyways, it’s about two soldiers who fall for eachother. Reminiscent of that old 80’s science fiction romance movie, “Enemy Mine,”after a fashion. Love that movie. Imagine my surprise when my co-authormentioned it was his favorite romance? *laughs* Yeah, not so surprising, is it.Aleks and I wrote DEoH together in the summer of 2010, over the course of aboutsix weeks. It only took that long for Carina Press to snatch it up.

Amara: Of course they did, that book friggin’ ROCKS!*smiles* I heart that one.

Rhi: *laughs*Can’t blame you, so do I.

Amara: Ok, now tell me about your upcoming release.Ya know, the Riptide one with the fantabulous cover!

Rhi: Ohyes, the Riptide release with the genius for a cover artist. “Blacker ThanBlack” is a mildly dystopian futuristic urban fantasy murder mystery. Black isthe narrator throughout the course of the story, and it starts out with achi-sale gone bad and a very irate energy vampire of a john.

Amara: *whispers* Your energy vampire rocks too.*smiles* Alright, please tell us, in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

Rhi: Can I use a grammatically torturousrun-on sentence?

Amara: Um… no.

Rhi: Oh, alright. No need to give me a hairyeyeball, it’s common knowledge that I suck at following directions.

*clears throat and inhales deeply*

Since I’ve every intention of making “BlackerThan Black” the “shot heard round the world” – make sure you read it, so youknow why the hell everyone’s in an uproar.

Amara: Ha! Uproar W00T! Go Rhi, Go Rhi! Um, sorry, I’ll try to save the claymores forafter the interview. *winks*

So, how has itbeen working with Riptide?

Rhi: Preppingfor their launch has been an interesting experience for me. It’s difficult toacclimate to the idea that people want to talk to me, or hear from me – I’veanswered more interview questions and written more guest blog posts in the pastcouple months than a politician getting ready for a presidential campaign.*laughs*

Myfull-length novel, “Blacker Than Black,” doesn’t release until late in thelaunch cycle so things have been relatively low-key thus far. We’re bouncingaround promotional ideas for it, and optimal review venues.

Amara: Sweet. Have any other books inthe works? Goals for future projects?

Rhi: “Frailty”– the aliensmut gunporn military science fiction story – has been contractedwith Riptide, although I don’t have a specific release date for it yet. I’mstill working on the first installment of the epic military fantasy series aswell. The Riptide editors are making hairy eyeballs and groping in a molestingfashion whenever I mention that one, as well, so I expect I’ll be writingsomething else to send off to Carina in the near future.

Amara: Awesome. *grins* Ilike the epic military fantasy. Ok, lets talk fun stuff. I wanna know..how did youcelebrate the sale of your first book?

Rhi: I celebrated by framing the cover letterfrom the contract, when Carina sent back the countersigned copy. I showed it to everyone who’d stand stilllong enough to look at it. Hey, it was my first—but I’m certain I’ll have thatsame level of response with each one I sell. Because each will be a momentousfeat, in its own way. Getting that acceptance email had a strange effect on me.I think I may have acquired a bottle of white merlot wine and drank the entirething. Not sure. That day is a little blurry, actually.

Amara: Do you listen tomusic when your write?

Rhi: Absolutely. It’s become a ritual magic,of sorts. Trance music lacks lyrics to interfere with the muse conversations,for the most part, and creates a “space” that blocks out distractions, noisefrom the neighbors, etc. I have specific playlists of trance mixes that createthe type of ambiance I want in the prose I write, and I play them while transcribingor writing. Art influencing and inspiring art, after a fashion. I firmlybelieve it translates over from one medium to the other, that the music a writerlistens to while writing influences the cadence of prose and word selection ina given sentence or scene. When I’m just doing blogposts or website updates, Ilisten to more lyric-centric music, like Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC, Aerosmith, P!nk,or whatever strikes my mood at the time.

Amara: You have won onemillion dollars what is the first thing that you would buy?

Rhi: A million isn’t enough to buy all ofLiechtenstein, so… I guess I’d have to settle for a deserted island in theSouth Pacific. With coconut trees and swarms of big, happy fish in theshallows. Wanna come visit? I cook a mean coconut-battered Mahi-Mahi.

Amara: Ha! Visit? Sorry, I’m coming to live. Deal with it.

If you came with a warning label, what would it be?

Rhi: Warning: (Contains) Nuts.

Amara: *laughs* Yeah you do.

Who is your favorite fictional hero?

Rhi: VinDiesel’s Riddick character from “Pitch Black” and “The Chronicles of Riddick”is a very fascinating execution of the anti-hero concept. And he’s just … sodamned hot. And he has a brain. Amazing. I think they “shined” his character’seyes so he wouldn’t seem like he was running around eye-fucking everyone, but…Total fail, there. It just makes the eyes a greater focal point. The reason Ilove the character so much, though, is because he’s a marriage of primal mindand intellect. Riddick is the quintessential survivor, with the brawn and witboth. It’s an amazing combination when executed properly, and in my mind it wassuccessfully executed. I aspire to create a character of that magnitude in oneof my stories.

Amara: Mmmmmm, Vin Diesel. He’s yummy. *smiles* That was fun. Thanks so muchfor coming over and chatting with me. I hope we get to do this again.

Rhi: Thanksfor having me again, Amara. It was fun, actually—and I promise, we’ll doit again soon! *puts on Kevlar and ducks inside the up-armored Humvee, yells inmuffled voice* Okay, you can throw the hand grenades around now!

Amara: Hand grendades W00T!!!!!!!!!!!!! *shouts* Incoming!!!!

Hee hee. :D

Linkage

Email address: Rhianon.etzweiler@gmail.com

Website URL: http://www.rhianonetzweiler.com

Blog URL: http://rhianonetzweiler.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!musefodder

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rhianon.etzweiler

Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4867331.Rhianon_Etzweiler

GR Q&A group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/58149

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rhianon-Etzweiler/e/B005E0C7X4/ref=sr_tc_2_rm?qid=1312474013&sr=1-2-ent

Google+ : https://plus.google.com/100899759625591158649

“DEoH”buy link: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/500C2827-18EF-48C4-9F0B-27CDDB78B01E/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=984CBCC2-F241-4129-87A7-E58097CA3B71

This week’s giveaway… Any one backlist book fromRachel Haimowitz, Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt, Brita Addams, or Cat Grant(“Frontlist” books, i.e. Riptide releases and newest non-Riptide release, areexcluded, as are the Courtland Chronicles).

The fine details...

This week’s giveaway is for an eBook copy as listedabove.
To enter, leave a comment on this post.
All commenters will also be entered in end of tourgiveaway of AP 3 prize packages. Detailshere.
All comments will also be entered in the year-endRiptide grand prize giveaway of an ereader; Kindle, Nook or iPad. Eachpost commented on counts as an entry.
Backlist book giveaways do NOT include booksreleased in the last 3 months.
This week's giveaway doesNOT include Riptidereleases.
Winners will be selected at random using Random.org
If the chosen winners do not respond to my emailwithin 48 hours, another winner will be selected.
By entering the contest, you are confirming you are atleast 18 yrs old.
eBook giveaways open worldwide.

MOAR Rhi!
Exclusive extra Blacker Than Black scene: Remembering
Riptide: Why We Bought it by Aleksandr Voinov

:D