20 December 2012

The Next Big Thing

Welcome to the Brien Michaels edition of the Next Big Thing! I was tagged in by the fabulous VJ Summers and I'm gonna be talking about my upcoming release from Loose Id.

What is the working title of your book?

Not Like the Movies

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It came from a Carrie Underwood song, interestingly enough. That's so funny to me because the title is from a song by Katy Perry. *Shrugs*


What genre does your book fall under?


Contemporary m/m erotic romance.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When he learns his roommate's true identity, Jay must decide if he wants to continue the relationship they started through phone sex.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It's actually releasing on Tuesday from Loose Id! Leave a comment if you want to be notified by email when it's available.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About a month. Shocking, since it's only a novella, but things got really hectic around that time.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I have no idea, actually. It's got phone sex, and secret identities, and holidays and a strip tease...I'm not sure I've ever read another book quite like it. But if anything, I would say one of Daisy Harris's Holsum College stories. Mainly because it takes place on a college campus and has that whole self discovery thing going on.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

This is actually Book 2 in my Sexy College Studs series. Book 1 was inspired by a call for submissions Riptide Publishing put out last year, so I guess this book wouldn't exist had I not seen that. But this story in particular is inspired by the Carrie Underwood song Quitter, and I certain guy I know, who I shall refer to as Silk.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Have you ever read phone sex? Cuz it's all up and through this book. Also, it's a guy's journey to falling in love the first time. Who doesn't love that?




Blurb:

Jay has spent the last decade in front of a computer. He watches movies, taking everything he knows from them. But lately he’s started to want more. Including a one night stand with his super-hot roommate Chris. Starting off slow, he’s called the Sexy College Studs hotline, and the sexy sounding Duke.

Chris has had everything handed to him his entire life, but college life is tough. In an effort to earn more cash, he’s been working for Sexy College Studs. On the phone, he goes by the name Duke and is in high demand, with more repeat customers than any other guy in the company. But his clients bore him. Except the mysterious Kyle, the guy with the strange fascination with movies, who wants him for companionship, not just sex.

When Jay and Chris find out each other’s true identities, it’s weird for both of them, but Chris is up for the challenge. He wants a month to prove to Jay that true love isn’t what you see in the movies. But he falls for Jay harder than he expected. If he wins, he gets the relationship he’s always craved, but if he loses, he could lose Jay forever.



Not Like the Movies releases from Loose Id on Christmas Day.

09 December 2012

Not Like the Movies

Bask in the beauty of the cover for Not Like the Movies, releasing on 12/25/12 from Loose Id! Artwork by the fabulous Valerie Tibbs.




01 November 2012

Welcome Back Tara Lain!

Today sees the return of the amazing Tara Lain, who I met at GRL this year and, let me tell you, she is just as amazing as she seems! Without further ado, take it away, Tara!






Real Life Magic

Hi everyone. I'm delighted to be visiting with Brien today. We just got to meet face-to-face at GayRomLit for the first time where I got to discover how very young he is and he got to discover how very not young I am! LOL. It was a fantastic retreat and I had a great time. I bet Brien did too.
If you have read any of my books, you probably know that, like Brien, I write contemporary romance. That's what I love to read and to write. I enjoy the fantasy-like quality of romance presented in a realistic setting. Somehow that makes it more fun and exciting for me. I guess it doesn't surprise me when true love wins in Camelot or Regency England or in outer space, but when people get a happy ever after in our real world, it makes it even more special.

BUT, I also love paranormal romance. I've worked my way through a lot of vampires and werewolves and elves in my time. So it's not surprising that I even like my paranormal romance contemporary. I've gobbled my way through a bunch of Charlaine Harris, Laurell K Hamilton and J.R. Ward to say nothing of Lynn Lorenz. So when I decided to take a turn at paranormal romance myself in Spell Cat, I set my witch story in New York City in the relative normality of a college. The same setting holds true for my new novel, Brush with CatastropheBrush with Catastrophe is the sequel to Spell Cat and the second of the Aloysius Tales.

In Brush with Catastrophe, my hero is a college student and a painter. Oh yes, and a witch. And his painting is also his witchy talent. He's a prophetic painter--what he paints always comes true. He's gay but sadly has a huge crush on his BFF Ryder (nickname Alvish) who is straight and human but keeps changing so much he's barely recognizable. Then this really gorgeous angel-looking guy shows up. But the angel just might be a devil. The fun for me is having all these extraordinary things happening in a perfectly ordinary setting -- like a one-room student apartment or a coffee shop. I guess no matter how extraordinary the paranormal happenings--lightning used as a weapon and humans changing into something new-- nothing is as amazing as true love.

Would you like to win a $10 Gift Card or a signed copy of Golden Dancer in print, or a bag of swag, or a choice of ebook from my backlist? Just leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL.  Winners will be announced on November 5th! Just come to my book blog Beautiful Boys Books to see the winner. Hint-- every comment is entered for the Gift Card, but the other prizes will be awarded to people who comment on the “mystery” blogs during the tour. Only I know which ones they are. So hop over to Beautiful Boys Books and look at the tour schedule. You may want to add a comment to some of the other blogs just to up your chances of winning the prizes. And thank you so much for visiting!





Excerpt Adult: Brush with Catastrophe by Tara Lain; MM Paranormal with Witches!
Available from Loose Id   Amazon

Sammy Raphael is a crappy witch. And on top of that, he can't get a boyfriend. Where other supernaturals can bring down lightning and manifest wealth, Sammy can paint. True, the “prophetic” paintings he does at night always come true, but they never predict anything important. Then he paints a gorgeous guy and it turns out to be his secret crush, Ryder. But the guy has changed so much he's almost unrecognizably beautiful. And then Sammy paints an angel who turns out to be a witch. But is that witch also a devil? And why the hells does Ryder keep changing? Aloysius, the black cat familiar, always backs the winner. So why is he backing Sammy?

Heat. Bubbling, boiling. Hells, what kind of dream was this? Turn over. Reset. Sammy shifted but couldn't move from his back. Wait. Breathing in his ear. Not Al's. Shit, his cock was on fire! Sammy shot to the edge of his bed and sat up. His cock throbbed. “Hells. What the fuck is going on?”
Lucien beamed at him, lying on his side on the bed, fully clothed. Had the guy been jerking Sammy off? “Ah, my dear. I knew you regretted our not having sex, so I thought I'd do something to relax you.”

“What the fuck? How did you get in here? What is this?”

Lucien laughed as he reached out his hand and grabbed Sammy's cock. “Don't pretend you don't want it, darling. This hard-as-a-spike penis of yours tells a different story.”

Gods, his rubbing felt good. But somehow not in a good way. Sammy's body wanted to surrender, but his brain screamed at him. He hadn't asked for this. He summoned what will he could and pulled his body back against the headboard. “Look, I get that you might think I want sex. But that doesn't mean you can break into my place and force yourself on me. Go home and call me tomorrow, like you said.”
Lucien sat up, and his eyes narrowed. “Perhaps I made a mistake. But since I am here now, with cock at the ready, why don't we just fuck?” He dived toward Sammy, who skittered off the edge of the bed and hit the wall hard with his back.

“Have you lost your mind? Get away from me.” His heart beat fast, and his cock had definitely given up any desires and was in full-flight mode with the rest of Sammy's body.

Lucien came up on his knees. “You need more persuasion, little witch?”

“No!” Was Lucien being cute? Maybe he was turned on by violence like that other witch who had come from Europe and tried to seduce Killian.

Lucien began a low, mumbling chant. Then Sammy heard a shriek from the bathroom. Aloysius. “Al!” The damned witch had locked the familiar away. Shit, how much power did that take?

The chanting got stronger. Sammy felt like energy flowed out of his fingertips and formed a puddle on the floor. Soon he'd be that puddle. He inched away from Lucien, his naked back still to the wall in the narrow space behind the bed.

Lucien gazed at him, and his blue eyes shone. “Stop being silly, Samlyn. Let's just have sex and get it over with.”

“If you're trying to woo me, asshole, you sure have a funny way of showing it.” But his knees felt like rubber.

“Merrrrrwaorrrr.” The shriek echoed through the room. Sammy's neighbors were pretty private, but somebody had to hear that cat. Surely they'd report it.

Lucien walked on his knees across the bed toward Sammy. Sammy wanted to run, but no body part was cooperating. The angel beamed. “Let me get that lovely penis back in action. I can make you come until you black out from pleasure. You know I can.” He mumbled the chant.

“No, Lucien, no!”

Lucien's brilliant beauty darkened. “Now you're just being silly, aren't you? Say you're being silly.”

“Merwaaaaoooowr.”

Lucien spat, “Shut up, you fucking cat.”

“Merwaoooowwwwrrrrrr.”

The caterwauling shrieked through the room; Sammy's ears hurt, and Lucien cringed like it pained him too.

Lucien raised the decibels on his chanting, and Sammy flowed to the floor like his bones had dissolved.

The witch leaned over him, grasped Sammy's hair, and pulled his head back. “Time to fuck, little witch.”

Had to fight. Had to. This witch would not force him. No!

“Merwaooooowrrr. Merrrwaoooorrrr. Merwaowrrrrr.”

Lucien unfastened his fly and pulled out that unfurled cobra cock.

Sammy's brain screamed. Shit, no. Not in me!

Lucien shoved Sammy until he fell sideways with his ass twisted toward Lucien. The strange dick that got scarier looking by the second pushed against his ass. Sammy took a deep breath and managed to raise a leg high enough to slam Lucien hard back on the side of the bed. Lucien's golden head cracked on the footboard.

“How dare you?” Lucien rose back up. “It's time to stop playing.”

Playing? Was the guy nuts? Sammy scooted along the wall until Lucien grabbed his hair. Ouch! Hells.

Lucien's chanting got louder, and that cock reptile came straight at Sammy's mouth.

“Merwwwwwaaaaaowwwrrr.”

Were the walls shaking? Gods, blackness. Couldn't fight. Going under. Felt good to give up. Give up.
***********************
E-mail:                   tara@taralain.com
Website:              http://www.taralain.com
Author blog:       http://taralain.blogspot.com
Book blog:           http://beautifulboysbooks.blogspot.com
Goodreads:        http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain
Twitter:               http://twitter.com/taralain
Facebook:           http://www.facebook.com/people/Tara-Lain/100001514105686
FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Lain/205042046209804

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Lain/e/B004U1W5QC/
B&N  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tara-Lain?keyword=Tara+Lain&store=book
ARe http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Tara+Lain

Bio:



Tara Lain's first erotic romance novel was published in January of 2011. She's now on book 16. Her novels have garnered awards for Best Series of 2011, Best Contemporary Romance, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm, and she carries her promotional instincts into her writing career as well. She lives  with her soul-mate husband in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books.  Passionate about diversity,  justice, and new experiences , Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

22 September 2012

Blog Tour and Cover Reveal

So this has been a whirlwind couple months! It's been ages since Last Friday Night came out, so I'm thrilled that I've got a new release in just over a week! It's my first book with Loose Id and is a sexy little story about discovering your sexuality through the magic of phone sex. The book is called As Long As You're Mine (which is a total nod to how obsessed I am with the musical Wicked) and is the first book in my Sexy College Studs series.

Which brings me to the reason for this post. I'm going on tour! This is definitely the largest blog tour I've done so far, so I hope everyone can come out to visit me. There'll be prizes at most stops, including at $25 Amazon GC to one random commenter at the tour's conclusion. But before I announce the stops, who wants to see the cover art? I know you do...


Isn't it awesome? I love it soo much!

Now, about this here blog tour... Stops and dates are as follows:

10/2 (Release day): Mama Kitty Reviews

10/3: Tara Lain's blog

10/4: Unapologetic Fiction with Sommer Marsden

10/5: Avril Ashton's blog

10/7: Angela Kay Austin's Romancing the Pen

10/9: Elise Hepner's blog

10/10: Leah Braemel's blog


It's not as ambitious as some tours I've seen, but hey. Hope to see you all there. :-)

10 June 2012

Six Sentence Sunday 6/10/12




Greetings, sixers! This week's six is from my erotic horror story ShadowBird Rising. Have you ever woken up in a dark place and didn't know where you were?


I pushed at the block, but it gave no purchase, so I shoved it. I panicked when it still would not move and I cried out for help, though the sound that escaped my throat was far from a cry. The raspy syllable that met my ears scared me more than anything and, in a fit of terror, I punched what I could only assume was my coffin. A splinter lodged itself deep in my knuckle, but I heard the wood crack, so I punched again. And again. After a moment dirt fell into my face and I coughed and sputtered, spitting it out of my mouth. 


For more authors who may or may not be spitting stuff out of their mouths, be sure to check out the official Six Sentence Sunday site here.

27 May 2012

Six Sentence Sunday 5/27/12



Greetings, sixers! It's been a long while, but I'm back and raring to go. This week's six is from my story in the Mommy Porn anthology Glamazon. Have you ever stood back and watched someone do something incredibly hot?


Anna wondered how many other women were standing at their windows watching him turn something as simple as washing his car into a womans fantasy. She wanted to go out and talk to him. Hell, she could think of way better uses for her mouth than talking, but hed never go for her. Wyatt McCray was young with the face and body of a god and apparently hung like a fucking ox; why would he ever want a tired looking, flabby mother of three? She sighed and, just as she started to turn away, Wyatt looked up and their eyes met.
The shock ran all the way to her pussy and it throbbed for him.

For more authors who may or may not be able to think of better things to do with their mouths, be sure to check out the Six Sentence Sunday Site here.

19 February 2012

Six Sentence Sunday 2/19/12




Welcome back sixers! Today's snippet is from my recently completed novella As Long As You're Mine. When you were in college, did you ever get paired on an assignment with someone you really liked?

Zac’s heart raced and he reread the name scrawled across the top of his paper several more times, hoping it would change. God, why did Cassie have to hate him so much? Not only had she given him a song from the most amazing musical ever to perform, it was by far the most intimate song in the entire show and she’d paired him with the hottest guy in the entire class. He didn’t think he could do this.
He’d been getting ready to traipse down to Cassie’s office and demand a new partner, but when he looked up, Wade was strolling towards him, hands stuffed in his pockets. Zac swallowed, his breath deserting him as he drank in Wade’s muscles, the plaits in his hair, the darkened caramel complexion of his skin.


For more authors who may or may not be getting ready to demand a change, be sure to check out the official Six Sentence Sunday site here.

07 February 2012

Guest Blogger!

Howdy everyone! Today's a guest blogging day here, and I get to interview the HILARIOUS Tristram La Roche, a fellow Etopia Author. The man himself needs no introduction so, without further ado, take it away Tris!




Brien: What made you want to become an author?

Tris: Years of pent up ideas finally beat me into surrender. I also fancied the idea of putting the finishing touches to my latest novel while cruising the Aegean in my 100 foot yacht. Oh, come on – let me dream!

Brien: What/who has been your biggest inspiration over the years?

Tris: The pursuit of truth and fairness has always inspired me to keep going, whatever I’ve been doing. In answer to who, that has to be my partner. He has undying faith in me – it’s humbling and a challenge.

Brien: Has being published affected the way you write, at all?

Tris: It does boost your confidence and thus gives you the ability to hone and use your own voice. I write more now and I guess that comes from the knowledge that I can actually sell my work, whereas before my first contract there was always the doubt.

Brien: Do you plan on visiting any conventions where readers will get to meet you? Or are you more of the Lemony Snicket, hide in the shadows type?

Tris: I would go meet my readers if I knew of any suitable conventions in the UK. I think you have more of them in the US. I am a private person, but I’m also outgoing, perhaps a little flamboyant. I have toyed with the idea of creating a drag act because I like being the focus of attention.

Brien: Tell me about your latest release.

Tris: It’s an historical entitled The Hun and The General. Yes, The Hun is indeed Attila the Hun, the famous – or perhaps infamous – barbarian king. The idea was actually sparked off by a fan who casually posted on Goodreads, “Oh, I wish someone would write an M/M about Attila the Hun, and make him the sub.” Well, I like a challenge so I did it. I did a fair bit of research to try and make sure the general backdrop was historically correct, but I have taken some liberties. Well, if I was going to put Attila in a gay relationship with a Roman general I felt I may as well! I’ll quote the official blurb, since it sets the scene nicely – but the story is quite hot and explicit in places, much more so than the blurb might suggest:

Livianus is bored and longs for action. His reward for serving Rome is the governorship of a quiet corner of Gaul, but as he whiles away his days at his sumptuous villa, his thoughts turn to Attila the Hun, the feared barbarian with whom Livianus once enjoyed an intimate friendship. When a desperate emperor asks him to return to Pannonia to broker a truce with Attila, Livianus’s old passion flares.

Attila is losing the will to go on. He is tired of being a tyrant but his people’s future depends on him. The arrival of Livianus renews Attila’s spirit as he prepares to march on Constantinople. Livianus has nothing to bargain with, but when the emperor’s sister delivers a proposition for Attila, a new and brighter future seems to lay directly ahead. For the people, and especially for the two men.

But the deadly hand of the emperor isn’t interested in peace, and as their plans are destroyed, only one course of action remains open to the Hun and the general.

Brien: Now that all that’s out of the way…Besides writing, what’s your favorite way to kill time?

Tris: I’m terrible because if I’m not working I find it very hard to relax. I have to keep my mind occupied. Reading works, and I read lots. When I can’t read anymore I love to watch a good film, either at home (one of my luxuries is home cinema because I live in the back of beyond and would go insane without it) or at the cinema. I love to go to concerts – I’m a big fan of opera and classical music. I also love travelling and good restaurants. Of course, the best thing of all is just to be at home with my boyfriend and a good bottle of wine, some music in the background, lots of candles.

Brien: Do you have any quirks people might consider odd?

Tris: Maybe you should ask others – like Annie Melton, our publisher at Etopia Press! I don’t know really. I’m told that I can come over as unfriendly, brusque at times. We have a TV programme here called Doc Martin – I don’t know if it’s made it across the pond because it is very, very British – but your Brit readers will know what I mean when I say I’m often compared to Martin. In reality, I’m not at all unfriendly, quite the opposite, but if I go to buy the newspaper I don’t want to have a conversation with the vendor that takes ten minutes, I just want the sodding paper!

Brien: Outside of your own, what’s your favorite genre to read?

Tris: Horror. The more disturbing the better.

Brien: If you woke up tomorrow and found out the world had ended and there were only a handful of survivors, what would your first instinct be?

Tris: To get everyone together as far as it were possible; there is strength in numbers. But always aware of the danger; from a personal point of view it could be safer to get as far away as possible, but I would want to organize and try to rebuild something.

Brien: What can we expect next from you?


Tris: I will always write gay literature. It’s in my blood, in my soul. I’ll definitely write more historicals because I enjoyed writing The Hun and The General so much. I sense I’m going to write more literary works, too. I’m feeling deep, these days.


Now how about an excerpt from The Hun and The General?
Gaul, Western Roman Empire
Livianus dismissed the women. There was a limit to how often he could screw them in one day, and when he wasn’t up to the balls in one of them they bored him almost to death. Their twittering voices and silly small talk, worrying about mirrors and makeup and which of the new slaves had the biggest cock—it all annoyed him. It made his teeth ache.
He launched himself off the edge of the pool and swam to the far side where six lion-headed pipes spewed crystal spring water from their gaping maws. The cascade massaged Livianus’s tense neck muscles and drowned the fading chatter of the women.
His villa in Gaul had been a gift from the senate. A reward for leading successful embassies to the barbarian hordes, time and again averting costly wars the failing empire could ill afford. From here, retired from his position as army general, he acted as governor of this imperial outpost. If the truth be told, he had little to do but add his seal to bureaucratic decrees, read his vast collection of scrolls, eat, drink, and fornicate. Many a man would kill for it, but this life was no good for one who had walked with giants.
He swam the length of the pool and reclined on the semi-circular steps, looking out beyond the curved colonnade of porphyry columns, across the undulating fields of crops, vines, and orchards, to the hills that rose like a blade to scratch the skies. He longed to leave this place and cross that distant ridge, to return to his homeland and feel the buzz of life again.
Livianus snapped his fingers, and a male slave appeared at the top of the steps to wrap a toga around him as he emerged from the water. The heat overpowered him immediately, and he sat down on a seat of carved stone. “Bring me wine, Publius.”
The slave bowed and hurried down the pergola toward the main hub of the villa. Livianus wiped himself with a towel and squinted at the sun as the first chirp of cicadas announced noon. Soon he would be called for lunch. Today he’d make the women eat in their own dining room; any more of their chattering, and he’d have one of those headaches that lasted an entire lunar cycle.
He rubbed his temples with his fingers. The problem was a total lack of intellectual stimulation. The minor bureaucrats that Valentinian sent out here were those unfit for higher office. None could match Livianus’s quick thinking and wit. While his muscles softened, his brain rotted in his skull. Life had become one long blur of gluttony and debauchery. And if he continued to fornicate like this, his cock would wither and fall like a leaf in the autumn.
The slave returned with a jug and a gold goblet. He set them down on a table, which he drew close to Livianus.
“Leave me. Just go.” He dismissed Publius with a wave of a hand and poured himself some wine. His mouth tingled as the cool wine swept across his taste buds like the rising tide on a dry shore. Not as good as he’d produced at home, but not bad. Given time, this Gaulish wine might win favor. Now all he needed was someone to share it with, someone to engage his rusting mind.
He laughed. Of all the people he’d met, it was the barbarian who came most often into his thoughts at times like this. Attila, King of the Huns. The empire viewed Attila as a sub-human warmonger who lived only to murder, pillage and rape, a hideously ugly creature with a deformed skull, flat nose and eyes that could see into your bones. A killing machine, without even a hint of intellect.
Livianus rose, sipped his wine, and strode to the end of the terrace. How wrong they were. When he’d been sent by Theodosius and Valentinian to meet with the Huns, Livianus imagined that he might never return. He’d heard the stories of outsiders being impaled, a horrific reprisal the Huns had perfected that involved the careful insertion of a sharpened stake up the rectum and through the body without damage to the internal organs. The spike would exit through the chest, just below the collarbone, and the victim’s legs and arms were then lashed to the stake to prevent slippage when it was erected in the ground. Death, they said, could take three days. If they felt kindly, they crucified you.
Livianus winced and rested against the balustrade. His worries had proved unfounded. Although he’d been met by a fearsome barbarian horde that showed little kindness as he was led to their leader, Attila himself disproved all that Livianus had been taught.
Taller than legend said and with a strange, uneven beard, Attila had a face that, though scarred, was a match for any Roman noble’s. His nose had been broken, yet this somehow lent a sculptural air to his whole appearance. But the eyes captivated Livianus on that first meeting, as green as precious stones and with a depth that betrayed a soul such as no animal on earth could possess. Livianus liked the barbarian leader instantly, and something in those eyes seemed to reciprocate.
Livianus sighed. Attila would liven this place up. He smiled at the impossible thought and drained his goblet. As he turned to reach for the jug, a blur caught his attention far away beyond the orchards at the limit of his estate. He leaned on the balustrade and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. A dust cloud rose in the still air. Ahead of it, something approached at great speed. As it grew nearer, the unmistakable thunder of horse’s hooves announced a visitor.


Well, indeed! Thanks for dropping by, Tris! Everyone you can find Tristram online at:
 
 
 

And you can buy The Hun and The General from