Some Exciting News from Tara Lain

If you enjoyed Genetic Attraction, good news....Tara just signed the contract for the next book of this series. Deceptive Attraction is the sequel to Genetic Attraction and is a M/M/F Menage. Then in May 2011,  The Scientist and the Supermodel will be out from Loose Id and is the Prequel to Genetic Attraction. Got all that straight? *grins*

Then Tara sold Golden Dancer as well and it's a M/M/M Romantic Suspense, her first one, to Loose Id! Find out more about Tara's books at her website or her blog.

Genetic Attraction
Book 1
Tara Lain
Buy at Loose Id HERE or Amazon HERE
Contemporary Menage

NOW AVAILABLE

At a conservative Long Island University, renowned researcher, Dr. Emmaline Silvay, has two great loves – her life-saving work, and her younger research partner, Jake Martin. The romantic love is impossible. She’s his boss and he lives with his girlfriend. The the “girlfriend” is actually a boyfriend, the beautiful and infamous supermodel, Roan Black.

Resigned to a platonic relationship, Em accepts a weekend invitation to their home, but the men have a menage on their minds. She can’t resist, doesn’t even want to. But their intentions go far beyond passion. They want her to “be a part of them”. Their three-way love defies propriety and the standards of the University that funds their work. The supermodel’s fame makes secrecy impossible. Their ménage threatens to crumble all she’s worked for. What will give way to make room for genetic attraction?

Coming soon to Loose Id....

Prequel to Genetic Attraction~ The Scientist and the Supermodel
Coming May 22nd, 2011
More information can be found HERE

Geneticist Jake Martin is straight. Why is his cock hard for a man? Model Roan Black doesn’t like straight guys in denial, but this one is so sexy. Is there a future for a scientist and a supermodel?

Guest Author Day with Cassandra Carr

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

I live in Western New York with my incredibly supportive husband and two-year-old daughter. I stay at home with my daughter now, but my background is in marketing.

I write erotic romance. Why? Because I like it and I think I’m good at it.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

I was definitely an avid reader! I read a lot of the classics – A Wrinkle in Time, Judy Blume books, the Trixie Belden series…

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

Talk to Me is my debut novel. It’s about an ex-hockey player turned sports talk radio show host named Drew and his new producer, Jamie. It’s a contemporary m/f erotic romance.

Drew seduces Jamie with his voice, and that concept is what inspired me to write the book. I thought it would be cool to base an initial attraction on one aspect of a person – in this case, his voice. Obviously he’s hot – he’s an erotic romance hero after all – but Jamie is really drawn to his voice.

Did your book require a lot of research? How long does it take to write a book for you?

It did take some research, because I’m a stickler for details. I asked a friend of mine who is a sports talk radio host a bunch of questions and also got a tour of his station.

I write fast, but since this was my first erotic romance, it took about fifteen months from start to finish. My new submission to publishers, a series of books with bull rider heroes, is taking significantly less time. I just submitted the first one, which I started in early October 2010. Since then I’ve also written the first draft for the second book, so yeah, I write fast. ;-)

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

Probably the ability to drink without getting sick or a hangover. I do enjoy my fruity martinis…

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

A servant? Why do I have to be a servant? My hands are far too delicate for that sort of work! All right, fine – I’m going to say Henry VIII. I bet his life was fascinating to observe.

What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

I think e-books will definitely have a place in publishing for the foreseeable future. I don’t think they’ll replace paper books, but they’ll be important to certain demographics, including forward-thinking romance readers.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I love the very first hero I ever created, Sebastian. He’s the perfect combination of smart, sexy, and strong. I don’t think I’ve ever hated any of my characters, but I pity Jamie’s sister, Alison. She has some serious issues.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her when she refuses to inspire you?

For the most part I get along with my muse. If she refuses to inspire me I usually work around her. After all, if you indulge your muse’s bratty moods they’ll only continue.

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects.

Yes, the series about bull riders is out on submittal to publishers at the moment and I’m just starting another series, this one with heroes who are geeks. Personally, I adore geeks (I married one!) and I think they should be able to have hot sex too.

Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?

No, though I am finding it enjoyable to write with a nice fruity martini by my side.

Which do you prefer:

Denim or Leather on a man/woman/significant other?   Oh, I like both, but since I write some BDSM stuff I’m going to say leather on a man.

Irish or Italian accent in a man?  Italian. I *loved* the accent when I was there.

Front seat or Back seat to make out in?  Either one can work. Not that I’d know… *whistling*

Dark eyes or Light eyes? Dark eyes, especially if they’re blue. I’m a total sucker for blue eyes.

Sleeping bag or Bed? A bed. I’m too old to be sleeping in a sleeping bag if I don’t have to.

Dinner or Movie for a first date?  Dinner – you can’t talk and get to know each other during a movie.

Coffee or Tea?  Neither – hot chocolate is where it’s at!

Chiseled jaw line or Chiseled abs?  OMG I’m such a fan of chiseled abs! Yum.

 Sneak Peek into Talk to Me

Available at Loose Id Publishing

Buy HERE at Loose Id

Erotic Contemporary

Radio producer Jamie MacMahon is in over her head with ex-hockey player-turned host Drew Milan. She’s attracted to the man who earned the nickname “the Beast” during his playing days from the moment they meet, but he’s her boss and she loves her new job. She’s made plenty of mistakes with men and loathes the thought of being yet another plaything for Drew, a man who sleeps with women but doesn’t date them.

Drew doesn’t want to lose a great producer and knows Jamie deserves a real relationship, but can’t stay away from the sizzling chemistry they create every time they’re together. Jamie’s insecurities and the very real prospect of having to leave a great job if this thing doesn’t work out clash hard with Drew’s fears about opening his heart and the possibility of losing his first competent producer. Nothing's going to get resolved if one of them won't say it: "Come on, baby, talk to me."

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: D/s elements, fetish, spanking, strong language ("dirty" talk).

Excerpt:

The elevator doors opened, and Drew hurried to unlock his apartment and punch his code into the security pad before continuing straight to his bedroom. He spun and picked Jamie up as she neared the door, and she let out a squeak of protest.

“Drew!”

“What? I’m trying to be romantic. Efficient too.” He grinned at her when she struggled to get out of his grip. The way she fought against him both amused and aroused him. “Not so fast,” he warned her. “I’m not planning to let you get away until I’m good and finished with you.”

Jamie cocked an eyebrow. “Good and finished? Be still my heart! Such dreamy talk from a man like you! I had no idea.”

Drew laughed and dropped Jamie on the king-size bed with enough force to make her bounce, then climbed on top of her. Before she could protest again, he’d pressed his erection into her belly and taken her lips in another deep kiss. Jamie melted beneath him, snaking her hands around his neck while his found her hips, pulling her closer. “You need to get naked,” he declared, rolling off her.

“Just me? That’s hardly fair. If I’m getting naked, then this time, so are you.” Her beautiful, full lips pouted at him.

He stood up, and in seconds, his pants and boxer briefs landed in a heap on the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and added it to the pile. “Your turn.”

Jamie rose up on her elbows and stared at him in disbelief. “How did you do that so fast? And may I add, very nice.” She smiled and waggled her eyebrows, giving him a quick once-over.

“When I want something, I don’t waste time. And I want you naked. Now.”

He reached over and started yanking her top over her head, but she batted his hands away.

“Hey -- stop that. You’re going to dislocate my shoulder with your beastlike strength.”

Drew laughed but allowed Jamie to gently pull her blouse over her head. He took it and tossed it on the chair near the window. Next she tugged her jeans off, leaving her in only her bra and panties, which Drew made short work of.

He groaned when she was fully nude. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous, you know that? And I’m gonna put my hands and my tongue and my mouth and my cock everywhere on and in your beautiful body, so you better be ready.”

Jamie shivered, and he covered her body with his, kissing her briefly before moving down her jawline, sucking and licking. This is gonna be good.

Cassandra Carr lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out on Twitter. Her debut novel, Talk to Me, was released by Loose Id on March 22, 2011. For more information about Cassandra, check out her website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com, "like" her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.

My Personal Review for As You Are by Ethan Day

I love Ethan Day and his book. There I said it and there is no twelve step program to get involved in either to cure me of this addiction. Not because I find this author’s books charming, out loud funny and romantic in the least but because I don’t consider myself as having a problem at all.*grins* 


AS YOU ARE has two people finding out they are just right for one another but first they need to confront themselves and their perceptions of what love really is. Is it just like those old Hollywood glamor movies where the hero sweeps the heroine (or hero in this case) off their feet or is it more complex than that?


Julian Hallowell is a man who knows that "THE ONE" will swoop down and give him the full "I Love you, Man" speech and sweep him off his feet. Well he hopes anyways. Julian has been in love with his roommate, Danny, for over a year and though the path to true love is never smooth says it all. Through the course of the story, we find Julian finally seeing that hey Danny isn't really into you at all and finds himself dating Andy, a nice young man who turns Julian on like no tomorrow and tries to forget his feelings for Danny. I just love the fact Julian was as complicated and had insecurities like everyone else. He wasn't perfect which had me liking him even more.Perfect characters annoy me and Julian was far from perfect. He had the perfect love in his head and nothing and no one was going to deny him that-even as the reader & Julian found out, love is messy and doesn't always go according to plan.  


AS YOU ARE is one of those stories where you, the reader, find you want these people to be your friend in real life. The characters are multi-dimensional, delightful and absolutely enjoyable-warts and all. The writing is tight and story moves along at a nice pace. The author knows his characters and keeps the reader glued till the very end when the reader will find out if Julian gets his happily ever after with Andy or not.

Mr. Day delivers funny, romantic, real story that will leave you giggling at times and sighing at other times. A talented author, Ethan Day delivers another winner in AS YOU ARE and I, for one, can not wait to see what else this author has in store for his readers in the future. I am sure it will include snarky and wonderful heroes who find that love is not that smooth path they thought all along.Want to read a story that leaves a smile on your face? Grab AS YOU ARE and settle in for an afternoon of reading pleasure. I would hope Ethan comes back to Julian in the future. I would love to see what he has been up to along with all his family and friends.

Guest Author Day with Penny Brandon

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

I live in NSW Australia, close to the beautiful Blue Mountains. Born and raised in England, I moved to Ireland and lived there for four years before pulling up roots and moving to Australia in my early twenties. I love to travel, and I go back to England and Ireland for visits but intend to see more of Australia and bring those travel experiences into my books.

I write m/m erotic romance which I absolutely love. To me there is nothing more inspiring than writing about two people falling in love, and when both of them happen to be male, it just makes it more interesting.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

My first book was Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, which are crime/adventure books for children. I read the whole series of twenty one books when I was about ten years old. Then somewhere in my teens I found horror -- which I became addicted to. I still read it. The gorier the better.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

Blind Passion is about Adam, who believes no one would be interested in a relationship with him because of his lack of sight, and Luke, who’s hiding something in his past he doesn’t want Adam to find out. A special link binds them together, but it takes patience, gentleness and trust to make them fall in love.

I love characters that work to overcome their fears and are prepared to face challenges life throws at them. What inspired me to write this story was my own challenge of writing scenes where a main character couldn’t see. It made it interesting because he had to use his other senses to “see” things. A lot of fun when thinking up the sex scenes.

Did your book require a lot of research? How long does it take to write a book for you?

Blind Passion did require more research than normal because I had to study ways a blind person interacts with the world around him. I wanted to be accurate on how acute his other senses would be and how he could train himself to use them better. It took me about three months to write the story, then another three months to edit it. From start to finish that seems to be the average length of time for me to get an idea out of my head and on to paper.

If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?

I’d eat more chocolate.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

I would never want to be a servant to anyone, but let’s just say I wouldn’t have minded bringing cups of tea to Mary Shelley while she was writing Frankenstein or to Bram Stoker while he was penning Dracula.

What do you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

E-publishers are going to become the leaders of the industry. There are so many medium devices with which to download e-books to and there are so many genres in which readers may not want to go to a bookshop for, so the idea of being able to download a book instantly and remain anonymous is a distinct advantage.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I actually pitied Luke in Blind Passion because he was so scared of loving Adam and being rejected, but it was only because he was hiding something from his past. What I felt for Adam was nothing short of admiration. Despite his lack of sight he lives his life to the full.

I fell in love with Kyle from Bringing Him Home because though he put himself in a bad situation he tries everything he can to redeem himself to Jared.

I could never hate or fear any of my characters because they just wouldn’t be mine otherwise.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/it/he refuses to inspire you?

If I have a muse I’d love to meet him. It would have to be a man because of what goes on in my head. Where are you my man of inspiration? Maybe chocolate is my muse…

Do you have another book in the works? Would you like to tell readers about your current or future projects?

I have several books bouncing around in my head (must be the chocolate). The characters are set, the plots are ready, I’ve just got to get my fingers onto a keyboard. I’ve just had Bringing Him Home accepted by Loose-Id, a m/m contemporary which has both protagonists agonizing about living together in a rural town. I’ve also got a series I’m working on about a mirror that shows you your one true love. Kind of clique I know, but there are twists. I also have a proposal, Murphy’s Law, with Loose-Id for a “December Holiday” collection they are doing. If it all works out well I could have at two to three more books out this year. I keep up to date postings on what I’m doing on my blogpage www.pennybrandon.blogspot.com if readers would like to follow.

Have you ever experience weird cravings while you write? If so, what kind?

Please see above re the chocolate. I’ve eaten two HUGE bars in one sitting while on a writing spree. Why is chocolate good for the creative process but bad for my hips?

Which do you prefer:

Denim or Leather on a man/woman/significant other?

Denim. The softer the better.

Irish or Italian accent in a man?

My husband is Irish. Does that answer your question?

Front seat or Back seat to make out in?               

Only a teenager would make out in the front. I once was a teenager…

Dark eyes or Light eyes?

Actually I like hazel because they change color in moments of passion.

Sleeping bag or Bed?

Bed. Softer and more room. Though you can really snuggle in a sleeping bag.

Dinner or Movie for a first date?

I would prefer a dinner as a first date, but my husband took me to see Bambi. I cried. Seriously, who would take a woman to see a film about a deer that dies?

Coffee or Tea?

Neither, can’t stand the stuff. Give me a plain glass of ice cold milk. Isn’t chocolate made of milk?

Chiseled jaw line or Chiseled abs?

I’d go for the abs though I’d know they’d never last but at least the guy went to a lot of effort to get them.

If you got three wishes from a genie, what would they be? (They can be silly, serious or in between).

Wish one. To become a character in one of my books, but then I’d have to write a m/f/m ménage.

Wish two. Go back to my mid twenties but have the knowledge I have now.

Wish three. Yeah, you guessed it, a never ending bar of chocolate – without putting on weight.

If you could spend a day with one actor/actress, who would it be and what would you do together?

I would love to spend the day with Sandra Bullock and try to persuade her to turn one of books into a movie. Failing that I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to the Grand Canyon and some of the Old West ghost towns.

What is on your bucket list to do before you pass from this earthly plain?

Jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute that works.

Swim with some sharks.

Travel to the most northern/southern/western/eastern tip of Australia.

Go on an African Safari.

 Sneak Peek into Blind Passion

Available at Loose Id Publishing

MM Contemporary Paranormal

 

Attraction for Adam was not a handsome face, a striking smile, or beautiful eyes, but a scent that would drive him to distraction or a voice that could make his heart beat faster. When the combination of the two walked into his life in Luke, Adam couldn’t help but want him. But how was he supposed to know if Luke felt the same attraction? He had no prior experience, no past encounters, nothing to help him. Not even his sight.

One look at Adam and Luke wanted him. Sensual, gorgeous, kind, with a strength that Luke was drawn to, Adam was everything Luke desired. Being in Adam’s arms, showing him the pleasure of a man’s body, being touched, held, and desired in return, had Luke wanting more, had him wanting what he knew he couldn’t have.

It didn’t matter to him that Adam was blind, but Adam deserved more than someone like him. Luke was a man with a broken past and falling in love with Adam was a foolish thing to do, especially because Adam would never love him back if he found out what Luke was hiding.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices, voyeurism.

Excerpt:

Adam groaned, releasing the banked-up tension and frustration that threatened to overwhelm him. He’d never felt this way before, never been turned on like this. Being gay wasn’t a problem; it was just another circumstance he lived with, like his blindness. It was just that his blindness made being gay hard, if not impossible to act on or even appreciate. He could never tell if another man was interested in him. He didn’t know what signals to pick up on or what signals to give. Until now that hadn’t really been an issue, because he’d never felt an attraction for anyone. But he was undeniably attracted to Luke, and he honestly didn’t know what to do about it. Getting hard in front of Luke was definitely not something he should do, but it wasn’t something he could control either.
The instant Luke had walked into his home four days ago, Adam had been intensely aware of him. Luke smelled like a hot summer’s day just after the grass had been cut and before a rainstorm was about to break; he sounded like a soft breeze whispering across a pebbled beach—soothing yet edgy. Combined, they triggered something deeply primal in Adam. He needed Luke, needed to hear his voice, to smell him…touch him.

And God help him—if there was one thing he desperately wanted to do, it was to taste him.

Adam rubbed his hands over his face and winced. He was an idiot for thinking about Luke that way. He was an idiot for thinking about any man that way. He sighed, resigned, acknowledging what he knew to be an unending fact—his blindness would make sure it was never going to happen.

http://www.loose-id.com/Blind-Passion.aspx

Guest Author Day with Elizabeth Silver

1. What do you write and why?

I write erotic m/m contemporary romances, although lately I’ve been playing with some science fiction and historical ideas. I’ll be staying with the erotic m/m romance genre, of course; it’s where I’m happiest, I think. I love the lush decadence that comes with a really good erotic romance, that thrill that is entirely different than the warm fuzzies I get from oh-so-discrete romances. And as for m/m? Well, why not? Love is love! I’ve got ideas for a m/f romance or three, and I’ve been very slowly cooking a f/f fantasy plot that I probably could never do enough justice to. But that’s not the point – the point is that I love romance, I love love, and we all find it in our own ways. Right?

2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write?

Everything! I am a textbook (ha!) definition bibliophile, so I read all kinds of things. Classics, romances, mysteries, scifi, fantasy, urban fantasy, YA, erotica, poetry… my TBR pile, physical and digital, is epic. Give me a well-thought out world and solid characters, and I am all set to camp out until your plot unfolds. Lately, I’ve been reading mostly digital books, but that’s because I’ve had the good fortune to be able to do reviews for some very talented writers.

3. What publisher(s) do you write for?

Loose Id is the only publisher I’m with, actually. I love being with them, they have always treated me so wonderfully.

4. How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first short story when I was 10. It was about my cat, and I made her into a feline detective, solving crime for the neighborhood pets from her office in the back of our garage. It was most awesome, and I haven’t looked back since. Flash forward to last year when my first book was actually released (Winner Takes All, co-written with Jenny Urban), and now I can actually tell people I am a writer, instead of how I “want to be one.”

5. How do you world build?

I start with a basic concept, probably my main character and his motivations and obstacles. The world around a character plays an integral part in who he is and how he reacts to stimuli, so you can’t fully know or understand him until you know where he’s coming from. It involves a lot of asking myself yes, but why? But it pays off. For example, Jenny and I are working on a piece right now that’s in the not-too distant future. When I decided how far off it was, I had to ask how things had gotten to that point from where we as a society are now. How did technology seemingly not evolve for so long? What could have happened? And how did humanity manage to recover? Once I had the answers to those questions, the rest came easier.

6. It’s the month of love and romance. What was the funniest/ greatest Valentine your Significant Other ever gave you?

The greatest Valentine he ever gave me was his heart. My husband and I will be hitting our 11^th wedding anniversary this year, and we were together long before that, too. He likes to send me Godiva and roses at the office every year because it’s his excuse to pamper me, but that man has never once let me forget how very much he loves me, and I couldn’t ask for anything greater.

7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks?

Personalities evolve as a matter of the plot. Two laid-back hippies would never have worked in our first book about a couple of business men with a history of betting on everything they came across. Looks… Looks are often random. I try not to make them all look the same, so I do try to go for diversity whenever possible (again, everyone falls in love, not just the blonds!).

8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines:

In our most recent book, I had Steve Jacobson. Oh, Steve! How I adored him! A middle school gym teacher with an over-abundance of energy, Steve was desperately in love with both of his best friends. He didn’t let his emotions suppress his personality, though; he was still stubborn, fun, and caring. Always open and honest, he still managed to surprise even his friends a few times when they peeled back layers on him. Heck, he even surprised me!

9. Are you a pantser or plotter?

Plotter. I don’t outline (ew), but I do set down, at least in my head, what I want to have happen, so that I’m prepared for what’s to come. Sometimes that changes as the story develops and characters grow, but the overall loose structure holds enough to carry me through. When I want to get fresh with Jenny (my best friend, co-author, and a proud pantser), I threaten her with story-boarding. :p

10. What's your latest release and tell me about it:

My latest release is a m/m/m contemporary, Where the Heart Is. Co-authored with Jenny Urban, this one is about three lifelong friends who are forced to face their feelings for each other, or risk losing their friendship forever. Steve, Jason and Chris are all secretly in love with one another, but all reluctant to make a choice. And how can they? They’ve been friends for twenty years, gone through puberty, high school, college, the murder of Jason’s parents… there’s too much on the line. But then Steve decides he can’t stand it anymore and announces that he’s leaving, and their friendship is thrown into chaos. It’s what happens after that that starts the big changes.

11. What genre haven’t you tried, yet, that you would love to explore?

Urban Fantasy. I am kind of desperately in love with Harry Dresden, no lie.

12. If you could take one of your characters out on the town, who would it be and what would you do?

Chris Lee from Where the Heart Is. He comes from a comfortably well-off family, and he knows how to party. Plus, he’s an artist, so he’d get invites to all the cool places. Anything else we might do would be classified. *ahem*

13. Favorite naughty dessert and decadent drink.

Tiramisu, hand-made. Hot cocoa, made with real chocolate, topped with real whipped cream. Gotta love the classics.

14. If we looked on your bookshelf right now, what are some of the titles we would find?

Okay, since I have a book addiction, I’ll only do a few from my TBR shelf. Eragon, by Christopher Paolini (I will read it, Mom, I swear!); The Time Machine/The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells; Living Nightmare, by Shannon K. Butcher; My Give a Damn’s Busted, by Carolyn Brown; The Broken Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemisin (OMG TOP OF THE LIST); and Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher.

The scary thing is, if I had a week all to myself, I would plow right through those and then some.

15. Where can we find you on the internet?

http://www.UrbanSilver.net

http://www.twitter.com/LizSilverWrites

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3482277.Elizabeth_Silver

http://trulymadlydeeplyromanceauthors.blogspot.com/

 Sneak peek into Where the Heart is

Written by Elizabeth Silver and Jenny Urban

Available at Loose Id HERE

LGBT Multicultural Menage

It was just supposed to be their annual ski trip, but tension and an argument, a blizzard, no power, and the threat of loss erupts into sex. Best friends Jason, Chris, and Steve will never be the same.

Jason, Steve, and Chris have seen each other through the toughest times of their lives, but when they’re snowed in together on their annual Thanksgiving ski trip, they learn that you can still have secrets even after twenty years. After Steve reveals he’s on the verge of a major decision that could break them apart, those secrets -- their desires -- might be the only thing that could save them.

Then a blizzard hits and snows them in, and there’s nowhere to run from the feelings they’ve been ignoring for years. None of them want to choose one and risk the other, but before the week is out, they’re going to have to find a way to make the three of them work again. If not, they're going to lose each other after all.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/m).

Excerpt:

They barely made it back to the cabin before the storm made driving impossible, killing off their visibility entirely. Chris said, for about the hundredth time, that he was glad Jason always drove to the mountains. Chris’s car, a sweet ride that he’d paid more for than Steve thought he should have, would have been stuck in a snowbank half a dozen times just on the trip from the lodge alone. Steve’s car wasn’t up for conquering anything bigger than a parking-lot snowdrift, either, so it really was nice to let someone else worry about the transportation.

To make it up to Jason for having to deal with the nerve-wracking drive, Chris volunteered to bring in more wood when they got back, while Steve built up the fire again. They had such comfortable, lived-in rhythms with one another, Steve knew without looking that Jason had already settled on the couch again with his book within minutes of stripping off his outerwear. The fact that he knew Jason that well made Steve’s chest ache, and he knew he had to talk to his friends, had to tell them at least one of his secrets. He had one that wouldn’t keep, and he owed it to them to tell them as soon as possible.

He waited until Chris came back in, then grabbed beers for all of them and handed them out silently, still trying to figure out what words would be best. Inspiration failed him, though, and he just sat in his chair, knee bouncing as he ran his free hand though his hair. If only he weren’t so in love with them, it wouldn’t be so important that he get this right.

Then again, if he weren’t in love with them, this wouldn’t be an issue to begin with.

“Just spit it out, Stevie,” Jason said quietly, not looking up from his book.

All of a sudden, Steve didn’t want to tell them after all. But then he made the mistake of looking at Chris, of letting that warm, dark gaze hold him, and he knew there was no weaseling out of this.

Guest Author Day with Neil Plakcy

Plotting the Romance by Neil Plakcy

Find more about this author HERE

 First of all, what is plot? A good definition might be “the series of events that give a story its meaning and effect.”

In traditional romance novels, the plot is typically that two people meet, fall in love, encounter obstacles, surmount them, and then live happily ever after. But how does that translate into the actual book?

I use a technique that I learned in graduate school, one based on the three-act structure of screenwriting. I’ll use the first book in my Have Body, Will Guard series, Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, as an example.

I start out with an idea. In this case it was “I want to run away.” I remember clearly driving home from my college teaching job one day, cranky with my partner about something, thinking how great it would be to just pick up and leave.

But my teacher protagonist, Aidan Greene, couldn’t be walking away from a positive relationship. That’s not very sympathetic. Instead, suppose he was kicked out by his long-term partner, for no good reason. In desperation, he opened up his computer and searched for a job somewhere far away, teaching English as a Second Language.

No book has only one inspiration, at least for me. I remembered a photo on my hard drive, of a well-built naked man showering outdoors. I decided that would be Liam McCullough, professional bodyguard. Aidan lands in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, and while walking around before his job is to start, he catches a glimpse of Liam showering naked.

So I’ve brought my characters together and started the sparks flying. But what happens next? I needed some action. So I killed someone.

I’ve been writing a mystery series for years, so that’s my first reaction. Drop a body in to the action and see what happens.

At this point I had to sit down and brainstorm where this book was going, and that’s where screenplay structure comes in. A screenplay is divided into three acts. At the end of Act 1, there’s a plot point, an action that shifts the direction of the book and sends it going somewhere else. In Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, it’s the first time Aidan and Liam have sex, about page 90. That’s when they both admit to falling in love.

Up to this point, Liam has been pressuring Aidan for his help, which Aidan has been providing reluctantly. Now, Aidan commits to the adventure whole-heartedly. He wants to ride the first wave of love and see where it goes, even if that takes him out in the desert on a crazy adventure.

Once I knew what that point would be, I just had to write my way there, developing the characters and seeing what kind of trouble they would get into. As I approached that first plot point, though, I had to start thinking about the end of the second act, when things would change again.

What was that going to be? Aidan and Liam were heading toward a rendezvous with a Tuareg tribe in the Sahara. What would happen when they found the tribe, though? They thought they were trying to connect with this tribe to hand over the number of a Swiss bank account, intended to help these nomads make the transition to settled life.

What they didn’t know until they found the tribe, though, was that the money was in exchange for a piece of information the tribe had. Once Aidan and Liam had that information, everything changed. They couldn’t simply turn around and go home. They had to act on what they knew, calling on Liam’s background as a former US Navy SEAL, and Aidan’s clever resourcefulness.

As soon as I knew what that piece of information was, I knew what the third act would involve. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure how the book would end, but I did know that I had to keep on building their relationship as Aidan and Liam continued on this quest. I looked for small ways to show their deepening love, as they shared more about their backgrounds and their emotions. And all the time I tried to keep the tension going as things keep making their situation more difficult.

I’m a happy ending kind of guy. Why go to all the trouble of inventing this great couple and making them attractive to each other only to break them up at the end? Not for me. But how exactly were Aidan and Liam going to get out of the situation? Where were they going to end up?

Those answers came to me as I wrote my way feverishly toward the end. That always happens to me-- my fingers can’t type fast enough to spin the story out for me. I want to know how things come out! I want to feel that rush of exhilaration as Aidan and Liam both recognize that their relationship is deeper than just hot sex on a desert run.

 I said above that plot is the series of events that give a story its meaning and effect. Putting Aidan and Liam through all these dangers makes them recognize that they are kindred souls, and that they belong together. They earn that happy ending through facing their fears and overcoming obstacles. By the end of the book, the reader has suffered through those things, too, and can revel in the idea that love conquers all-- even a series of three wrong turns in the desert.

There are two books so far in the Aidan & Liam series, with a third coming in 2011:

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert: http://www.loose-id.com/Three-Wrong-Turns-in-the-Desert.aspx

Dancing with the Tide: http://www.loose-id.com/Dancing-with-the-Tide.aspx

 **~~**

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert

LGBT Suspense

From the moment he sees handsome Liam McCullough showering naked behind a Tunisian bar, ESL teacher Aidan Greene wants to screw the sexy bodyguard. At first, though, a dead courier and beefy hired thugs get in the way. But Liam soon convinces him -- with wiles and smiles and solid logic -- to join him on a race across the desert for a rendezvous with a Tuareg tribe at a remote oasis. Then nothing can stop them from getting naked and getting it on. Together they explore the passion Liam hid from as a closeted Navy SEAL, and the love Aidan's missed after his longterm boyfriend kicked him to the curb.

From the back of a motorcycle to a Turkish bath to a remote dune in the desert, these two Romeos find ways to bring each other to the heights of pleasure. So what if they’re carrying the password to a million-dollar Swiss bank account and being chased by Libyan intelligence agents determined to stop them at all costs? Love and lust fuel their passion and not even three wrong turns in the desert will keep them from surviving this adventure alive -- and together.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable. Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices.

Guest Author Day with Treva Harte

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?

I’m currently finishing up – I keep finishing it up and it returns – a story about a punk band from the ‘70s.  And I’m starting a sequel to my story Maxxed Out about two guys who are in love but keep doing their best to mess a good thing up.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Sleep.  And chocolate.

What is the hardest scene you have had to write (published or not)? Why?

I don’t have any one.  Every book has this terrible stopping point and I don’t know when or where or why until I think about it.  It usually means that somewhere I’ve gone in the wrong direction and I have to backtrack and redo.

If you had a reporter follow you around for the day, what would the readers get to see in your daily schedule?

Probably a blur while I deal with the family daily crises—they all happen at once--and then long hours of me just sitting at the computer.  I don’t think reality television is ready for my day.

When you begin your stories, do you go with the flow, or go with an outline?

I hope there is a flow. Sometimes there is just an ooze.  But I know there is rarely an outline.

Is it hard coming up with titles or characters names?

Not really.  Sometimes I start thinking of a story just based on a title or name that I like.

What does your workstation look like?

Actually right now it’s relatively clean.  I had to dump a lot of things because a computer tech was coming to fix my computer a few weeks ago.  This is not a normal state, though.

When you're not writing, what do you like to do to just kick back and have fun?

What is this “kick back and have fun” of which you speak?  I like going out to eat with the family or friends.  That’s about as wild as I’ve gotten recently.  I need to look into that problem.

Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?

My writer’s block comes, as I said, when I try to force the story to do something it shouldn’t be doing.  I have to go back and redo.

Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?

Yes. Absolutely.  I read everything.  I lived in an old Victorian house where my great-great aunts, who were schoolteachers, had bookcases filled with books.  So I mean I read EVERYTHING.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

My latest book came about because I loved the guys in Maxxed Out and readers had lots of questions about the secrets they still had by the end of the story.  I always had in mind a sequel but I wasn’t going to do it unless readers liked the first story.  So this is my chance to explain the boys better.

Is there any books coming that you are itching to read (either electronic or print) from your favorite authors?

I probably can’t say what books because all my LI authors are my favorites.

If you were to replenish your cabinets with one junk food, what would it be?

Chocolate.  Lots of chocolate. Something along the line of popcorn cakes with salsa is good, too.

What is one thing scientists should invent?

I’m not sure they can invent this – it’s more a superhero thing—but the ability to sleep and continue work would be really cool. 

Are you a morning person or a night person?

Morning.  My DH, who is a night person, thinks there is something seriously wrong with me.  

Where can readers find you on the ‘Net?

Lots of places.  The two easiest are:

www.trevaharte.com

and facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000504111608

Thanks so much for the interview!

 Sneak peek into Maxxed Out, available at Loose Id Publishing

LGBT Contemporary

Max knows his family and friends aren’t sure what to make of his moods and impulses. But he’s in college now and ready to show them he’s grown up and ready to make mature choices. At least he’s ready for a serious relationship and almost ready to tell his family he’s gay. He could use a little help, though. With his loving big brother gone forever, who is left to ask for help? Daniel Rocco, his brother’s best friend and his longtime crush, of course. Daniel is solid and reliable--the opposite of Max. But for some reason, Daniel seems terrified of what Max might do next.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: male/male sexual practices.

		Go, Max! Go, go, go! Instead of obeying the voice screaming in my head, I ran my hand through my hair. The still-damp tips of it clung to my fingers. The shower had helped. The coffee had helped. I still felt like shit, but I was hoping—God, I was hoping really hard—that this visit would help the most. I went through names on the apartment mailboxes—Andrews, Wilson, Sullivan…Rocco. Funny that I didn’t know exactly where Daniel lived nowadays. I suppose it was funny that I thought I should. It wasn’t like we hung out all the time. I hadn’t seen him for years, except sometimes at the tail end of Christmas, when he’d show up to see Mom and Dad. After all, he wasn’t my friend. Well, not exactly. I hesitated before I pressed on the buzzer. Should I forget it? Naw. Go, Max. Go on. All that didn’t matter. Daniel would help if I needed it. And fuck. I needed him to help. I pressed down hard on the button, telling myself I was ready to take the first step. Anything had to be better than what I’d been doing—not doing—for years. “Yeah?” “Daniel? It’s Max. Max Richards.” “Yeah?” There was a slight pause. He had to remember me, right? I shuffled my feet, trying to think of how to identify myself to my brother’s best friend. It had never occurred to me that he might not know who I was. Damn it, there was a good reason why I never planned ahead. Things never worked according to plan. “Well, hell. Come on up.” My breath whooshed out. If Daniel really hadn’t remembered me, I’d—I don’t know what I’d have done or felt, because it hadn’t happened, thank God—but it wouldn’t have been good. My legs were shaking as I headed up the stairs to 2C. There he was—one arm curled over the door, one on the door frame—big, wide, with a scowl on his face. He looked even larger than I remembered, which was weird. Didn’t you usually discover people and places were smaller in real life than in your memory? Just my luck that Daniel was even more imposing now than he’d been when I was twelve and first really noticed him. I would have laughed but kept it in since it would have come out as more of a terrified giggle. In a way, this visit was all Daniel’s fault for being larger-than-life. Then I realized something strange had happened. The adrenaline that usually buzzed in my body slowed down at the sight of him. I think I stopped breathing when reality finally met up with my plan. Here I go. This is it. The moment stretched out, stilled, froze. All I could see was Daniel looming over me. For once in my life everything was settled and calm. Perfect. Then I took a deep breath, and time hummed back to normal speed. Go, go, go. “Can I come in?”