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Ancient Rome is the theme for this month's ManLove chat at Realms of Love. Join James Buchanan, Jardonn Smith and William Maltese as they chat with you about their work, their obsessions and the burgeoning ManLove community.

There will be give-aways, good conversation and fun! Give yourself a relaxing hour with these intelligent, engaging authors and the friendly folks at Realms of Love. Sign in to the chat at 9 PM EST Monday March 3.     

William Maltese was born in the United States Pacific Northwest. He has a BA in Marketing/Advertising and spent an honorable tour of duty in the United States Army (achieving the rank of E-5).

The author, who started his career writing for men pulp magazines, has since written over 200 books, non-fiction and fiction, the latter including every genre.

His success in erotica and mainstream publishing, including translations of his work into over a dozen foreign languages, earns him his long-standing listing in WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA.

Released February 1, 2008:
Carthage 146 B.C. from SUCKS! BOOK #1 OF THE DRAQUAL VAMPYRE CHRONICLES by William Maltese

HIS MUSCLED BODY glistens with perspiration that drools his torso. He squeegees wet from his hairy chest and belly, using the flats of his hands. The leading edges of his little fingers collide with his dick that has spewed enough cream to swamp a Carthaginian war ship. He returns his hands to his nipples and leaves them resting there.
“I need a drink.” Romilius gets to his feet and favors one badly bruised-on-the-marble-floor knee. He crosses the few feet to a sandalwood stand and its ewer of Athenian hand-crafted silver from Laurium. The silver is embossed with a scene of the Minotaur, with very large cock, who looks as if he wants to do more to Theseus than kill him. The fine wine is poured into a silver chalice with Cretian bull-leaping motif, made by Mago the Carthaginian. Romilius’s taste buds miss the finer nuances of the vintage as he swallows.
He walks to the balcony. The eruptions of more flames in the city below indicate the speed of the hastily encroaching Roman enemy from harbor into the city proper, soon to raid and incinerate this very house. The still-distant sounds of battle — triumphant bellows of conquerors and the agonizing cries of vanquished — carry all-too-clearly on an incoming breeze.
“Vlad isn’t going to make it back on time, is he?” Romilius says more to himself than to the vampire on the floor behind him.
“Of course, he is,” Alenius counters; if Vlad were coming back, with an escape plan to rescue Romilius from the city, he would likely have showed before now. “He’s always true to his word.”
“There’s always an exception to everything, isn’t there?” Romilius says. He takes another swallow of the wine he’s poured. “This is such a time. There’s no way Vlad gets back in this city …”
A decided exaggeration, as Romilius and Alenius both know; Vlad’s return only necessitates the brief moment to metamorphose leathery wings, and a fly-in, especially on the obliging updrafts caused by a city more and more in flames.
Less exaggeration, of course, is Vlad returned and Romilius still not rescued. Vampire wings aren’t constructed for transporting other than their owners, no matter how artists fancifully portray them eagle-like lifting heavy prey.
“I want you to suck me dry,” Alenius says. He turns from the balcony and from the portrait of destruction painted on the city landscape. “I mean, suck the blood from my veins.”
“You and I know that’s not going to happen,” Alenius says. He gets to his feet, not bothering to dress. Wings don’t easily sprout beneath clothing, and he’s prepared, very soon, to fly out as chances become more and more slim that Vlad will fly in or arrive any other way that provides rescue for Romilius. “I’ve promised Vlad that any complete draining of your blood, if and when, will be his doing. I’m a vampire of my word.”
“What was I saying about exceptions to the rule?” Romilius says; Alenius joins him on the parapet. The young man’s nakedness, chalice in hand, is silhouetted against a backdrop more and more flame-lit. “Would Vlad prefer me permanently dead or capable of resurrection — whether the latter sees me returned as your minion or his?”
“He was very emphatic when he warned me — as my friend, and my lover — against my doing the deed,” Alenius reminds. “I emphasize ‘very’. He and his family have plans for you that, as far as I can determine, don’t include recruiting you into our life-style — which I’m not sure you would enjoy, anyway. There are so many things that can be done by those who can abide sunshine that can’t be so easily accomplished by us permanently relegated to the shadows. Were I to deprive Vlad of what he and his may expect from you and from yours in the daylight, he wouldn’t likely be pleased.”
“If I die, here, at the hand of some Roman soldier, of what benefit am I to Vlad, to Vlad’s family, to you, or to anyone? Better, yes, that I survive to see at least another night?”

Gay classic from 1973:
GAIUS MAXIMUS by William Maltese (writing as William Lambert, III)

[The author will be providing several additional short excerpts from this classic collector’s novel of the Roman Empire while chatting on Realms of Love on 3 March 2008].

GAIUS MAXIMUS, commander of the Roman forces in Britain, was anxious to have the boy Gerwyn brought to his tent. But Drak Thormu, the Druidic religious leader, had requested an audience to warn him that the boy had been consecrated to the gods.
“They were here in this place long before your Greek or Roman gods were spawned in other places.” Drak said. They have claimed the boy for their own. Had your men not interrupted the ceremony at Braknoida, it would even now be completed.”
“The boy is a captive of war,” Gaius said, showing his anger. He is one of the spoils I have claimed. He is now my property: one more slave to be used as I see fit. If I see fit to pull him naked into my bed then that is how it shall be…”

Jardonn Smith is the author of five books and instigator of the web site www.jardonnserotictales.com , where men are worshiped by women, men, and women and men together. It's also home to Uncle Jasper McCutcheon and his audio erotica adaptations of his books and Jardonn's books, plus his rather popular Five-fingered Bedtime Stories and Swinging with Marrieds.

Jardonn sees his men as heroic creatures who must be chained to their altars for proper praise. Defiant, strong and virile, they must suffer through interrogations and punishments before the men who love them can save them. His latest book, The Tortured Secutor, is no exception. 

Set in 3rd Century AD Rome, the tale is of a gladiator, Philo, granted his freedom by Emperor Aurelian, only to be caught up in a web of treachery surrounding the murdered wife of an evil patrician. Philo's abducted, taken to a dungeon of torture, while the man who loves him, a physician at the Ludus Magnus where slaves are trained to be gladiators, devises a plan to rescue our hero. You can listen to a Jasper audio rendition of Philo's brutal introduction to the Ludus Magnus here http://www.jardonnserotictales.com/jaspstrStoryTime9.mp3

Jardonn will talk about this and all of his books, and he'll be giving away a signed copy of The Tortured Secutor. If asked, he'll also talk of Uncle Jasper and his three books of hetero mayhem. Same concept, but with women doling out the punishments and the lovemaking. Jasper is proud to be one of six finalists for the prestigious Diagram Award from TheBookSeller.com, an annual note to books with the most unusual titles, in Jasper's case, I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen. He might be coerced into giving away a copy of this book, too.

James Buchanan, is a multipublished author of, primarily, homoerotic romance & fiction. Life wise, James grew up in a small Texas town, hours away from any other small Texas town and about as far west as you could go and still be considered in Texas. A stint at the University, where James ostensibly majored in English, garnered him a degree useful for being someone’s secretary. The absolute lack of employment opportunities sent James to Southern California. After a stint in County Mental Health (administration not client) he ran screaming into the field of Law. So far he has been practicing for nine years and someday I might even get it right.

Currently James volunteers as the Obelisk Awards Coordinator, List Dom and MySpace WebMaster for the Erotic Authors Association. He also edits the newsletter for the ManLoveRomance Author Co-op. His novella Twice the Cowboy won both the Preditors & Editors Best Romance Novella of 2006 but also the Golden Rose 2007 award for Best Novella.

In a bold stroke of either genius or idiocy, James recently purchased a Harley and is trying not to kill himself on it.

Out already:
The Good Thief by James Buchanan
What if the wrong guy turns out to be the right guy for you? Career criminal Caesar Serrano is faced with that question when he finds himself falling for LAPD officer Nathan Reilly.

Waking in Nate’s bed after hooking up at a party, both are a little shaken; not only because of what they did the night before but because Nate gets called into work and Caesar discovers that Nate is an officer with LAPD. Caesar bolts from Nate’s house while the officer is still in the shower. When Caesar finds himself confronted by evidence of a horrific crime the only person he knows to turn to is Nate. The resulting investigation the Blue Brigade into lock-step. Can they overcome their prejudices and come together to keep Caesar alive and bring a monster to justice?.

Coming in March:
Cheating Chance Book One of Taking the Odds by James Buchanan
Nick O'Mallley is an agent for the Nevada Gaming Commission. He's also a Goth with a hearse he's restoring, and an ex lover he's only just getting over. Brandon Carr is a cop with the Riverside PD. Lucky for him, he's in Vice where his tattoos and biker boy looks serve him well. The two meet at a Goth convention in San Diego and the sparks fly immediately. So much so that a weekend fling turns into more and Brandon spends his four day weekend visiting Nick.

Things aren't all sparks and roses though: the two do live a four hour drive apart, and Brandon's not out. Add to that a murder right in front of them, a company trying to cheat the system and the Mexican Mafia, and Brandon and Nick's relationship will need to overcome a whole slew of obstacles in order to work.

Despite everything, can Brandon and Nick make a go of it? Taken a chance on these two and find out.
A Little Trust, a short story featuring Nick and Brandon from Cheating Chance, will be released March 15, 2008, as part of the Ropes Toy Box from Torquere Press. Book two of the Taking the Odds series, Inland Empire is now running as a Turn of the Screw Novel.

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