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Monday, October 6, join Claire Thompson and L. Picaro in the Realms of Love Chat Castle for a fun hour with these two exciting authors. There will be give aways during the chat so be sure to arrive on time: 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific at Realms of Love.

Handyman What can a hot, sexy Wall Street trader and a simple handyman possibly have in common? Handsome, sexy and gay, Will Spencer used and discarded lovers as easily as he made his Wall Street stock trades. He was used to taking what and who he wanted.  Jack Crawford, frightened by an erotic encounter years before, has never embraced his deepest sexual longings. In an unlikely pairing, Will and Jack explore an incendiary relationship, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, always scintillatingly erotic.

Sub for Hire Writer by day, sub for hire by night. Blond, built and hot as they come, Josh knows his dream of D/s romance has no place in the dark dungeons where he bares his body for any Master’s whim. Breaking his own promise to himself, Josh finds his heart captured by the sexy Dom, and his carefully compartmentalized world crumbling. Somehow he must face and conquer his fierce desire for a man he might never see again, a man who regards him only as a sub for hire.

Claire Thompson bio: Enter the world of Claire Thompson, whose novels focus on the romance of erotic submission. Lose yourself in the sexy, sensual world of m/m erotic romance and BDSM. With over thirty-five novels published and counting, passion is the byword and romance is the key.

Coming Home Robert has lived with college quarterback Jerry Bronson for the better part of three years now.  During that time, Jerry has been a rock solid roommate. At his parents' insistence, Robert is bringing Jerry home for a holiday visit.  But who is he bringing home? Roomate? Friend? or Lover? 
 

Escaping your past is hard when you're a former porn star.  In L. Picaro's Gamble Everything one man is trying to do just that, but someone else is intent on making him remember all that he'd rather forget.

Burn Card by Laura Baumbach

Las Vegas criminalist Cody Baxter struggles to save himself and his kidnapper before Cody’s lover, Gil, finds him — and rescue becomes revenge. 

The locker room of the crime lab smelled like an odd combination of flower-scented body sprays and manly deodorant. Coed, so there were separate showers. It was essentially a room full of rows of metal clothes lockers divided by wooden benches.
  Mid-morning, only a dozen or so officers and criminalists working for the Las Vegas crime lab were in sight, most having just finished an off-hours shift or overtime. This was a place to wind down from a long shift or rev up for a new one. 
  Only three hours into his usual dayshift, Cody Baxter was neither finishing nor preparing for a new day. But he was changing his clothes. He pulled a fresh black T-shirt out of an open locker and tossed it onto the bench behind him. It was identical to the shirt he was wearing except that the one he had on was torn, dirty, and splattered with what looked like dull, dark stains of a faintly deep red substance.
  His locker was directly across from the main entrance to the room. He contemplated going and shutting the door, but he decided it took too much energy. Let the gawkers look.
  Using his open locker door as a partial shield, Cody dropped to the bench, his jeans-clad legs slightly parted, balancing his small, wiry frame in a ready stance. A guy couldn’t work with body fluids, debris, and dead bodies and not get dirty occasionally. While his compact, toned body was nothing to be ashamed of, he preferred to draw as little attention as possible when he occasionally needed to change his shirt. He was a private kind of guy, liking it best when people ignored him and let him do his job. The less attention, the better.
  Lord knows he’d had enough attention this morning to last him for a long while. Even now, a copy of the offending paper lay on the end of the bench, the pages folded back to reveal the smiling candid snapshot of him and media darling Gil Turko. 
  The T-shirt just cleared his head, forcing spikes of dark hair to stick up at all angles. A recently abused muscle spasmed. Breath caught in mid inhalation, Cody waited for the twinges to pass, the lean muscles of his abdomen clenched while his arms were left encased in the soft cotton of the shirt, his movements briefly frozen.
  He flinched, worked his shoulder to loosen it up. “Ah! Damn it.” He let out a long, tired breath. “Whoa. That hurt.” Folding the soiled shirt, he laid it in the bottom of his locker. He jerked only a little when an unexpected hand lightly touched his bruised arm. 
  “Hey, you need to see a medic before we go back out? You’re moving slow, bud.”
Working the shoulder more vigorously, he ignored a fresh stab of pain. Cody shook his head and grunted an unconvincing, “Nah.”
  “You sure? You took down two big guys, Cody. One of them had at least six inches and a hundred pounds on you.” Eric Wren propped a foot on the bench beside Cody and leaned his arm on his knee, a casual stance that had the added benefit of blocking Cody from the view of the busy traffic in the hallway. 

It's Vampire Author Hour at Realms of Love. This week's Realms of Love Author Chat has Jeanne C Stein joining hostess Lizzie T Leaf and YOU Monday September 8 at 9 PM EDT/6 PM PDT. Jeanne C Stein is the author of the wildly successful Anna Strong Chronicles. She's got some exciting news about the series to share with us. Lizzie T Leaf writes humor with heat including the hilarious DEAD Faint and Waking up DEAD. Be sure to register/log in early for this exciting chat.
   
Anna Strong was a tough-as-nails bounty hunter until the night she was attacked by a vampire and changed forever

Since then, Anna has struggled to adapt to her supernatural status while clinging to the vestiges of her humanity. Avery - the sinister vampire who transformed her - is dead, and Anna learns that she’s entitled to his vast fortune. Then a predatory werewolf comes forward, claiming to be Avery’s widow. She demands the entire estate and makes it clear that she and her pack think nothing of killing Anna and those who matter to her to get what’s owed them. Now Anna must protect those she loves from a werewolf out for the two most precious things in the world: blood and money.

We learned this about Jeanne Stein from an interview she did at PopSyndicate.com. Stop by the chat Monday night to learn more.

Who is Jeanne Stein? Jeanne Stein is a woman of a certain age who finds herself in the incredibly wonderful position of starting the career of her dreams at the time of life when most sane people are thinking of retiring. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

How long have you been writing? A very long time. Decades. It’s only been in the last four years that I found my niche. 

What inspired you to write about protagonist Anna Strong? I’ve always been attracted to the vampire genre. It’s sexy, romantic, thrilling, scary. It appeals to the part of us that wants to live forever. It appeals to the part of us that wants to be super strong and super smart and fearless. Anna Strong is all that. And she’s intensely loyal and protective of the ones she loves. It’s very easy to write about a protagonist you admire and I admire Anna greatly.

After a night of passion Deb Stein wakes up to the scent of pine and the discovery her life has changed forever.  Now instead of the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs, she’s in the spotlight as Dovey Divine who takes it off for a roomful of lusting strangers.  Her goal now is revenge on the man who turned her into one of the living dead.

Aaron Lowell’s one night stand left him consumed with guilt in taking his partner to the dark side.  He knows she’s out for blood his blood and he can’t blame her anymore than he can forget her.

It is widely rumored that Lizzie T Leaf is the terrestrial manifestation of a love goddess from a distant planet. She busies herself tantalizing men and entertaining all with her writing of vampires, toy soldiers, cougars and phone sex.

Vincent Diamond, Kiernan Kelly and Kayelle Allen chat in the Realms of Love Chat Castle Monday July 7. Be here at 9 PM EDT for a fun chat with these ManLove authors. There'll be at least one give-away of a download of an ebook. More chat details at Realms of Love.

Wulf is the first book in the Tales of the Chosen series from Kayelle Allen.  Lust. Power. Forgiveness. Can a romance live forever?

Check out the excerpt of Robin Leigh Miller's Boomer's Fall at Romantic Observer. It's a paranormal romance from Cerridwen Press.

She banged her head back against the wall. It wasn’t just his sexy body that had her intrigued. His personality was just as fascinating. This was a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. She respected that, yet there didn’t seem to be a cruel bone in his body—not that she’d seen anyway. Of course time would tell.
God this was a dangerous game she was playing but for Raya’s sake it needed to be done. She almost lost her daughter yesterday she wouldn’t allow it to happen again. Ben would understand that in the end. He’d have to.

http://ebooks4u.livejournal.com/10062.html

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.

http://www.whatweread.com/whatwereadcom/manlove-writers-in-ancient-rome.html

Phaze Books Erotic Writers Chat Monday at Realms of Love

Yeva Weist, Teresa Noelle Roberts and Victoria Blisse chat with you in the Realms of Love Chat Castle Monday February 18 at 9 PM EST. The Phaze writers are a fun group of folks, so stop on by and check out what they have cooked up for you this month.

Victoria Blisse is a mother, wife, Christian, Manchester United fan and erotica writer. She is equally at home behind a laptop or a cooker and she loves to create stories, poems, cakes and biscuits that make people happy. She was born near Manchester, England and her northern English quirkiness shows through in all of her stories. Passion, love and laughter fill her works, just as they fill her busy life. If you want to know more about Victoria and her books please check out her website at http://www.victoriablisse.co.uk Victoria loves to make new friends, so if you're on Myspace pop over and say hello: http://www.myspace.com/victoriablisse Or send an email to her at Victoria@victoriablisse.co.uk .

In Curvaceous, Victoria Blisse brings to you an abundance of romance, love and lust in five sizzling short stories featuring the lushest ladies and their lusty lads. Features expanded versions of favorites Getting Physical and Naughty Rendezvous, and the never before released Sweet Thing! 

Teresa Noelle Roberts http://teresanoelleroberts.blogspot.com/

Lady Sun Has Risen In a world where high culture and barbarian nomads clash, the educated believe magic to be a myth-but sometimes the gods still take a hand in human affairs. And when the gods meddle during the erotically charged Spring Equinox festival, lust can turn to love against all logic.

Miryea, a female physician from the Soranian Empire, thinks her interest in sexy, infuriating half-nomad Adimir is a case of opposites attracting. Nothing serious could come of their attraction, but a fling with Adimir sounds like the perfect way to celebrate Spring Equinox, when wild sex spurs the new growing season.

Adimir has no problem with this plan.

Especially since he's already figured out Miryea's just the kind of woman he likes-a strong woman who melts for spanking and rough-and-tumble foreplay.

But Lady Sun and the Lord of Grain, the eternally committed, eternally contentious divine lovers whose passionate reunion marks the beginning of spring, have their own plans for Miryea and Adimir. And gods and goddesses get what they want, even if it takes a slave raid, acts of heroism, and a display of sex-magic the likes which hasn't been seen in Sorania in decades.

Yeva Wiest is one femme who loves her wife, freelance writing, traveling, and her wild little pug. She is currently working on a sexy new series. Yeva's erotic fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies including Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2008. Be sure to watch for her new story on CleanSheets.com, "Her Little Hand." And don't miss her newest novella, Apache Eyes , an erotic lesbian western. For more information about Yeva visit her myspace site, http://www.myspace.com/yevawiest or go to http://www.glee.com/Yeva_Wiest

Apache Eyes is an erotic western romance set against the untamed wild of the Arizona Territory . Combing fantastic magical scenes, Old West shoot-outs and hot lesbian sex, this story has enough action to keep one coming back for more.

Jenny Braden weaves her tale of loss and love that proves nothing can stop the course of true love-not cultural differences, not a cavalry, not even a canyon possessed by the devil. When Jenny falls under the spell of Miakoda, the daughter of the legendary Apache chief Cochise, she is forever lost in the power of Miakoda's Apache eyes.

Night Moves is available now at Aspen Mountain Press. This paranormal, manlove, erotic romance anthology features stories by Matt Brooks, Erastes, Kiernan Kelly and Kira Stone.

Four stories of vampires and their lives and how they interact with those around them make up this hot m/m anthology.

Kira Stone’s Immortal Steps reveals a hidden vampire society amongst our own where being a person with vampiric DNA can be dangerous when Hunters want you for your hormonal serum and the larger sum your body parts will bring.

Matt Brooks poses the question in Inferno about what happens to a vampire who hasn’t been turned completely because he doesn’t have the heart to hunt.

In Theron’s Boys Kiernan Kelly tells of a group of men seduced by the vampire Theron and the not so pleasant way he controls their lives.

An artist is given his greatest commission and perhaps a chance to pay off his family’s debt to his Patron in Chiaroscuro by Erastes.

Both the ManLove Books blog and Realms of Love have the word on the ManLove Authors Chat at Realms of Love Monday night July 2 at 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EDT.

Join Claire Thompson, Kiernan Kelly, Lee Rowan and James Buchanan as they answer your questions and talk about their current and upcoming releases of erotic romance.

There's a romance author chat each Monday night at Realms of Love. Stop by and spend some time with some fun romance writers and readers.

Aspen Mountain Press is celebrating their birthday next month. Join authors Kara Griffin, Rob Graham, Melissa Glisan and Lucynda Storey in a romance writer chat at Realms of Love Monday, June 24. The fun starts at 9 PM EDT/ 6 PM PDT. The details of the celebration will be revealed. There will be give-aways of ebook downloads during the chat.

Kara Griffin's latest with AMP is Fishing Lures and Love Tackle, a mortal/goddess romance:

Keely Crystal , Kuku-lau the Goddess of Deception, has always known who her love will be.  Their destiny has been foretold by the Goddess of Earth herself.  But when Keely sets out to meet her intended before their destined time, she unintentionally deceives him. 

Martin Stokes is tired of dealing with deceiving women.  He intends to change the way he deals with them.  But when he meets the enchanting, sexy, woodland nymph, while fishing, he has second thoughts.  The connection he feels for Keely uncovers a love deeper than he’s ever experienced. 

Is his fate as the Goddess’s protector sealed, even though she deceived him?  Martin must forgive her before the Goddess of the Earth sends another protector in his place.  He just can’t let that happen.

Rob Graham's In the Dark is a vampire romance:

Georges Bellveau is a vampire.  With great willpower he controls his urges to feed, keeping his blood lust under control.  When he meets Diane Patterson love enters into his carefully balanced equation.  Can he keep his condition a secret?  And when another other worldly creature threatens to expose him by threatening DIane, will she be able to accept the truth?

Melissa Glisan has just released Ware Wishes:

At Satin Knights, nothing is what it seems – including the talent. Songs simmer and clothes are stripped away - as are the club’s secrets. But the roots of deception go deeper and tangle in the lives of Jennifer Taylor and Rayn DeSantis in unexpected ways. Before they can make sense of the situation, an old promise comes due…one that could kill...  

Blind Devotion by Lucynda Storey will soon be re-released at Aspen Mountain Press:

When Azari runs from a wild animal, she has no idea her life is about to change irrevocably. Unwittingly, she has awakened two mythical beings intent on possessing her. Escaping to an isolated cabin, Azari meets an unlikely protector, Tor, the High Priest of Eiliki. Together, Azari and Tor face the greatest challenges of their lives – survival. Will Tor’s blind devotion to the Goddess prevent him from accepting the greatest gift he’s ever been given, or will the dogma of his religion and his own past keep him from making the right decision?

Join this fun group of romance writers for chat, give-aways and details of the Aspen Mountain Press Birthday Celebration, Monday, June 25.

The Romance Studio has reviewed Simply Irresistible by Lucynda Storey. This is a hot bdsm romance novel.

Here's part of what Sandra from the Romance Studio had to say:

Ms. Storey has written a great book that I was hooked on from the first chapter. It kept me anxiously turning the pages to the very last. This is a well-written scorching story that would not be for the faint of heart, but I found to be interesting, suspenseful and very sexy, with a sweet, almost innocent heroine and a strong, honest, sexy as sin hero.

You can download Simply Irresistible by Lucynda Storey from Loose-Id.

This week the fun loving authors from Phaze Books join us for the weekly romance writer chats at Realms of Love.  Yeva Wiest, Monique Lamont, Victoria Blisse and Aurora Black chat with you, revealing their most intimate secrets and sharing the answers to the age-old mysteries of romance writing. You don't want to miss this one! Be at Realms of Love, Monday, May 21 at 6 PM PDT/9 PM EDT. Be sure to register and/or log in,  

Monique Lamont's Healing Hearts: Yasmine Sousa, a dietitian and co-owner of Healthy Fit, finally out of a bad marriage has sworn never to trust her heart again. Struggling to fill her empty life, Yasmine desires to adopt a set of twins from an orphanage, but with her single life the possibility of her dream becoming a reality is fading fast. Until she meets Jason Richardson, an overworked business executive who has a heart attack. Sparks fly at their first meeting and neither care to see each other again. Then Jason finds out he's up for the position of vice president, but his boss has concerns about his health and tells him if he wants the job, he needs to get a life.

After repeated accidental meetings, with Jason's career on the line and Yasmine's maternal future hangs in the air, Jason convinces her they should marry. Reluctant, Yasmine finally agrees but in name only. Soon neither of them are able to fight the sensual pull between them. It's one thing to give their bodies, but will either of them believe in what they could have permanently to allow their hearts to be healed?

Victoria Blisse will tell us about Masquerading Hearts: Laura craves revenge. After  Jacks betrayal with a bitchy blonde she can think of nothing but avenging her broken heart. In the drive for closure she moves from one night stand to one night stand fueling the pain not quelling it as her conflicting emotions for Jack still run riot within her.

Reluctantly attending a party she finds herself seduced by a sexy stranger but as they move to the bedroom, Jack enters...Will a foursome bring the closure she needs? Is Jack the only one who can fix the heart he broke? or is this all just another act in this erotic
masquerade?

Yeva Wiest teases us with Paybacks are Hell: What is the best way to get revenge on an ex-boss? Woo the boss' sexy daughter. (F/F content)

Aurora Black gives us I Heart You. Rachel Malone has it all: beauty, brains and talent. She has brought the world of erotic romance to its knees, but something crucial is missing from her life: a man to play power games with. One night at a routine book signing, she finds the spice she needs in the form of Lucian Drake. Sinfully handsome and more erotic than any hero she's ever written, he is the perfect man to help her live out her wildest fantasies.

When a copy of Rachel's latest steamy offering finds its way into his hands, Lucian Drake can't rest until he meets the woman behind the sensual words. He longs to experience her passion and lose himself in the enigmatic depths of her eyes. As their torrid affair deepens into love, danger lurks in the shadows as someone tries to tear them apart... literally.

Want to chat with other folks who enjoy romance reading and writing? Join us at Realms of Love each Monday at 9 PM EDT/6 PM PDT. It's easy and it's fun.

Coffee Time Romance gave Dara Edmondson's Jilted 5 Coffee Cups!

Congratulations Dara and Aspen Mountain Press. 

This is an amazing story of love, life, losses, and gains that all of us face in our lives. Sometimes we do not make wise choices and have to live with the consequences. Jilted will touch every emotion you have. I found myself needing the tissues more than once. This is a poignant story of two women, each strong in her own way, but vulnerable at the same time. Rich secondary characters round out this story beautifully. This is wonderful story from Ms.Edmondson.

JILTED Review at Coffee Time Romance

Here's an excerpt from Jilted:

Amy Worth climbed out of her father’s Town Car and opened the back door to retrieve her wedding dress and veil. 

 “I wish you’d think about staying with Silvie and me a few more days, honey.  There’s no shame in taking some time off to recover from such a major—upset in life,” her father said.  “I hope you know Evan’s a jerk for leaving you.  You were the best thing that ever happened to him.”

 Amy shook her head.  “I know, Daddy.  And thanks for the offer, but I have to face this house and my life, such as it is.  I appreciate your hospitality.”  One night of listening to Silvie’s I-told-you-so’s was more than enough.  She knew what she needed was time to think and regroup–alone.  “I love you.  I’ll call in a couple days.”

Dan Worth pursed his lips as he’d always done when he was worried as far back as Amy could remember.  “All right, honey.  I love you too.”

She watched the car disappear into the red November sunset, then turned toward her house.  The two-story Tudor had been her dream home.  She’d talked Evan into it.  As a handyman special, the price had been within their reach.  But the work it needed would have taken years to complete on their tight budget.  Would it ever get done now?  She couldn’t even bring herself to care.  Evan was gone and life as she knew it was over.

Shuffling toward the front door, a sense of dread gripped her.  Although she’d been staying there alone since they’d closed on it a month ago, the reality that she was going to live there as a single woman hit her like a freight train.  She stopped at the threshold and stared at the rotting beam, the peeling paint.  Slipping her key in the lock she prayed the old wooden door would hold up for a while longer.  Its hinges were rusted and they creaked as she pushed it open. 

The foyer was empty but for her suitcase and garment bag.  Two plane tickets lay on top, for yesterday’s flight to Bermuda.  At least she knew Evan hadn’t used them to take Candee with two e’s at the end of her name on the honeymoon he’d promised to Amy.  She sucked in a breath and strode into the living room.  She carefully set her tear-stained white gown across the plastic-draped couch and surveyed the area.  A couple of empty boxes flanked the wall.  The smell of fresh paint filled the air.  Masking tape framed both windows.  The dingy yellow walls were partially covered by clean cream-colored paint.  Dark wood beams ran the length of the ceiling.

She headed into the kitchen, her favorite room in the house and the only one that needed no repairs.  The same heavy beams crossed the ceiling as in the living room.  The two windows on the back wall were the only original ones in the house.  Thick, leaded glass, diamond-shaped panes distorted the view just enough to give privacy but still allow lovely prisms of light to enter.  A built-in table and bench were done in dark walnut, as were the cabinets.  Sturdy chains held the medieval-looking chandelier over the dining table.  Boxes were still scattered on the counters and floor, waiting to be unpacked.  This room was made for people to fill it and celebrate in it, not to sit alone and wallow in grief and loss. 

A green light flashed on the answering machine on the counter.  She hit the button.

“This is Ken Epstein from Mazel Tov Catering.  We didn’t receive final payment for your event Saturday.  Please give me a call.  We accept credit cards.  Thanks.”  Beep.

Her head started pounding.  She rubbed her temples and took a deep breath, trying to rid her brain of thoughts of her ill-fated wedding. 

She lifted the phone off its cradle and tried to think of whom she could call.  What friend would listen to her woes?  Carla and Emily were Evan’s friends’ wives.  She wasn’t comfortable spilling out her heart to either of them.  She thought of Sharon and Julie, friends from beauty school she hadn’t spoken to since things had grown serious between her and Evan.  Why hadn’t she stayed in touch with Natalie, a high school buddy she’d run around with until a year or so ago?  Even Maryann, her old next-door neighbor hadn’t called for ages.  But she couldn’t blame Maryann or any of the others. It wasn’t their fault.  The fault lay on Amy’s shoulders.  Had she been so wrapped up in Evan’s world that she’d completely lost her own?  She’d yet to meet a single neighbor since she’d moved in.  The fortyish woman next door constantly tended her beautiful garden.  Amy wished now she’d introduced herself to the woman.  Or to the young mother across the street. 

Pulling open the pantry, the bottle of vodka on the upper shelf called to her.  It was Evan’s favorite–a pricey Scandinavian brand he mixed with orange juice.  She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed it.  Taking a juice glass from the cabinet, she sat at the table and poured a small amount of the clear liquid, then downed it in two gulps, wincing at the strong taste.  The burning in her stomach only lasted a moment.  The second shot went down easier.  Fifteen minutes later she’d consumed four drinks and decided to stop, lest she get sick later.  Swaying a bit when she stood, she replaced the bottle on the top shelf, pushing it as far back from the edge as she could.  The liquor-induced fog didn’t eradicate thoughts of Evan or her ruined future.

She opened the door off the kitchen and stumbled three steps down into the one room they’d redone almost to completion–Evan’s office.  A can of dark green paint sat beside a box overflowing with books and magazines.  A framed photo of Amy and Evan and a pencil cup filled with his collection of vintage letter openers poked over the top of the carton.  Picking up the picture, she felt the familiar stab of pain before she shoved it deep into the box with the rest of their yesterdays.  She scanned the formal wallpaper, a burgundy and green paisley.  Not very masculine, she’d told him.  But he had liked it. 

A white chair rail separated the top of the wall from the bottom, the under portion painted dark green.  What would she do with this room now?  She hated the colors, loathed the darkness.  Anger and frustration bubbled in her gut.  Grabbing one of the antique letter openers, she flung it toward the wall, its point landing squarely in the middle of a paisley swirl.  It felt good to destroy something Evan loved.  She took another dagger, aimed it at his precious college diploma and let it fly.  Glass exploded everywhere.  But she needed to destroy more of him.  Rummaging through the box, she dug out a thick black marker and drew a huge face on the wallpaper, complete with a double chin.  She barraged the paisley portrait with knife-like letter openers, leaving it looking like a dagger-covered pincushion.  Then, as the piece de resistance, she pried open the paint can with the last letter opener and flung the remnants of green paint at the wall.  It seemed to move in slow motion, sliming a green track as it went.  Heavy drips landed on Amy’s jeans.  She tossed the can toward the door, spattering the last few dark droplets across the pristine white door and the beige Berber carpet he’d picked out. 

When the buzz in her head finally died down, she heard knocking.  She spun around, trying to discover the source of the sound.  She bounded up the steps and back into the kitchen.  A woman stood at the backdoor, banging on the glass.

* * * *

Falon O’Malley stopped pulling weeds from around her daffodils when she heard the racket next door.  Things banging and glass breaking.  She hoped everything was all right.  She’d only seen her new neighbor a few times, taking out the trash and moving in boxes.  But the sounds coming from the house weren’t normal move-in noises.  Getting to her feet, she marched to the back door and knocked hard on the wood part, peering through the leaded glass.  After a few moments, something moved into the light.  The door inched open.
The woman she’d seen there peeked out at her.  Disheveled brown curls flew in every direction.  “Yes?” the woman said, opening the door all the way.  Her face was red and her chest rose and fell like she’d been breathing hard.

 “Everything okay in here?” Falon asked.  Her gaze traveled down the woman’s body.  Large green stains on her pant legs dripped onto the floor.  “What happened to your jeans?”

'“Oh, God.”  She ran to the sink, grabbed a wad of paper towels and wiped the drips from the floor.  “I had a little accident with paint,” she said.  She ripped off more towels and patted her jeans. 

Falon took a step inside.  “I’m Falon.  I live next door.”  She pointed toward her house. “Sounded like the Marx Brothers were painting.  I was working in my garden.”  She pointed toward her house again.  “It’s right next to your window.  I heard noises so I peeked in.  Sorry.”
Amy smiled.  “This is really embarrassing.  I spilled some paint on myself.  I’m such a klutz.  I’d shake your hand if mine weren’t both covered in paint.  My name’s Amy.”  Her face grew rosier.  “I…I was angry with my ex-fiancé.  I guess I was executing him in effigy.”

Falon snorted.  “Sounds like some of my exes.”  She brushed her bangs off her face.

Amy blotted the paint from her jeans then washed her hands.  “You want a glass of wine or something?”

Falon nodded.  “Sure.  Let me go lock up my place and I’ll be right back.”

* * * *

Amy took advantage of the opportunity to change her pants.  Returning to the kitchen, she met Falon at the back door.  “Come on in.  I have a bottle of very expensive Shiraz Evan brought back from Australia.  Let’s crack it open, hmm?  I’m on a quest to polish off all his prized spirits.”  He wanted to save it for a special occasion, he’d told her.  This was special.  He’d gone and left her for a bimbo named Candee with two e’s. 

Amy pulled the bottle from her countertop wine rack and rummaged through a drawer for the corkscrew. 

Falon extended her hand.  “Allow me.  I work in a bar.”

Amy gave her the bottle and corkscrew.  It was probably a good thing since Amy still swayed as she tried to stand still.  She watched the woman work out the cork like a pro.  Her shoulders were broad but her waist thin and she looked to be about forty.  Her slim build seemed contradictory to her huge chest.  Implants, Amy decided.  

 “I’ll assume Evan is the ex?” Falon asked sliding her lanky frame onto the bench seat and depositing the bottle between them on the table.

Amy nodded.  “We were supposed to get married yesterday.  He left me at the altar looking like a fool.”

“Wow.  I thought that shit only happened in the movies.”

Amy raised an eyebrow as she poured wine into two Waterford glasses.  At least some of her wedding gifts were being put to good use.  Most she’d have to return.  “Unfortunately not.”  She handed Falon one glass and tapped hers against it.  “Cheers.”

“To getting even,” Falon said.  She downed half the glass in one gulp.  “So what did the jerk have to say for himself?”

Amy sipped her wine, savoring its fruity flavor.  It soured on her tongue when thoughts of Evan’s betrayal crept into her mind.  “He left me a note.  Didn’t even have the balls to tell me in person.  My dad went to his apartment when he didn’t show up at the synagogue and found it taped to his door.”  The wine’s warmth started spreading to her extremities.  Some of the tension eased.  Telling a stranger about her problems was better than holding them inside or dealing with her family’s pity.  Between her sister Nancy’s sympathetic headshakes and Silvie’s annoying clucking, Amy was over being with them for a while.

“What an asshole.  What’s your game plan?”

Amy stared at her, not comprehending.  “My game plan?”

Falon jumped off the bench and threw her hands in the air.  The bottom of her T-shirt lifted above her bellybutton.  A silver bar pierced the skin.  “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of what you could do to him.  Twist his weenie with a pair of vice grips, pull out his fingernails, screw up his credit.  Do anything, but don’t let the scumbag get away with it.”

Amy’s eyes opened wide.  She hoped Falon was kidding about the torture.  “I can’t really do anything.  He took off with someone named Candee to parts unknown.”

Falon sank her fists into her hips.  Could her shorts be any shorter or tighter?  “Oh, honey.  There are loads of things you can do.  When I lived in Vegas, this orthodontist I was living with dumped me for a showgirl.  So I cancelled all his credit cards, had the power and water turned off at his house and office and I gave his Social Security number and all his passwords to some guy named Rico who paid me twenty bucks for them.  I heard through the grapevine it took him months to undo the damage Rico did.”  She crossed her arms, obviously impressed with herself.

Amy tittered nervously, trying to remember where her Social Security card was.  This was not a woman she ever wanted to piss off.  “I could never do anything like that.  Anyway, I have no idea where he went.”

Falon waved her hand in the air.  “That should be easy to figure out.  Where does he work?”

“He works from home.  He’s a headhunter.”  She pointed to the room off the kitchen she’d just destroyed.  “That was going to be his home office.”  Heat surged to her face.  “I’ve made a bit of a mess of it.”

Falon started toward the room. 

“No, get away from there,” Amy said as she stood.  Bad enough she’d had the tantrum, but for anyone to see the evidence was mortifying.
It was too late.  Falon descended the steps and started laughing.  “Like hell you could never do anything like that.  You definitely have a little anger in you, Lovie.”

Amy followed her inside and stared at her handy work with shame.  “I guess I lost it.”  She shrugged.  “I feel so helpless.  He’s off with Candee and I’m all alone.  And to make matters worse, this damned house is falling apart.”

Here's the latest slash offering from Aspen Mountain Press:

New Releases - Fresh Air - Aspen Mountain Press - Plain Brown Wrapper

Fresh Air

Author: Thom Jaymes
Artist: Jinger Heaston

Price: $2.29

What We Read has some good tips abour marketing for romance writers written by Sandra Hicks, Editor and Publisher of Aspen Mountain Press. Here's some excerpts:

Who is your audience?

Check your website statistics and see where your unique visitors are coming from. Having a large number of “hits” is misleading. You want a large number of unique visitors, visitors that stay and read your excerpts. Your web host or webmaster should be able to help you determine how long visitors stay on particular pages, where they connected with you from, and what pages they visited.

Website

The number one tool of an electronic author is a web site. There is no getting around it. You need one. Many authors also use MySpace, FaceBook and geocities free of charge. Websites can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want. Buy a domain name, using your name or penname if at all possible and keep it in force. Domain names run about $4-$12.00 a year. Some sites will also purchase other names that are similar to theirs in order to prevent knock-offs.

How often do you communicate and do you communicate something of value to your fans on a regular basis?

One such site to post excerpts is Romantic Observer Save a copy of your excerpts with the purchase link in notepad. Notepad gets rid of the funky squiggles and stuff that sometimes shows up in email. Pay attention to the words in your excerpt that are italicized as notepad strips that formatting. You may also need to separate paragraphs, but once this is done, you can use your excerpt pretty much everywhere with a copy and paste.

Read the full article: eBook Reading and Writing » Electronic Marketing for Romance Writers

The stories about a certain romance publisher are getting worse. Romance Writers Beware.

Bounced checks, danger of losing RWA status due to changing into a subsidy publisher, principals making rude comments to their own author at Romantic Times.

The publisher is on Piers Anthony's list. He is warning you and so will your fellow authors if you ask them.

There are plenty of reputable publishers out there. Do your homework and don't get burned.

ManLove authors chat at Realms of Love the first Monday of each month. Lee Rowan, Kirby Crow and Claire Thompson will join Lucynda Storey in the Realms of Love Chat Castle Monday, May 7. There will be give-aways of free downloads of the author's books. 

2007 Eppie Winner Lee Rowan had been writing for ages and finally got the nerve to sent a story to an editor.  Lee's  happily hitched with a houseful of cats, a Faithful Dog, and a backyard that's haven to enough birds, squirrels, and other critters that it sometimes looks like a Disney cartoon.  She is still bemused that she find it easier to write m/m than m/f.

Claire Thompson is a multi-published author whose work includes the male/male erotic romance Golden Boy and its sequel Golden Man. With over twenty-five published novels under her belt, Claire's work has focused primarily on the romance of erotic submission and BDSM. Her latest passion is male/male love. Claire has several new male/male erotic romance novels scheduled for release this year.

Each week, Lucynda Storey hosts writers of a different genre in chats at Realms of Love.  

ManLove authors chat the first Monday of the month, Lizzie T Leaf hosts the romance chat the second Monday. Phaze Books authors chat the third Monday of the month. Aspen Mountain Press writers chat the fourth Monday. The romance writer chats start at 9 PM EDT. You must register and log in to chat. Come on by for the fun! 

 TwoLipsReviews.com - The Defense by Stacy Lynn Schlegl

Stacy Lynn Schlegl's novel The Defense has gathered another great review; this time at Two Lips Reviews. Frost Liked It! She gave it 5 Kisses:

Samantha is somewhat on the plump side. Thin and athletic growing up, once she started college she began to blossom, a little too extensively. Now twenty-five and working at a community outreach clinic full-time while simultaneously studying psychology in graduate school, Samantha hopes to save the world one individual at a time, and hopefully somewhere along the road find unconditional love, if it actually exist. Meantime both she and her father are continually berated by her bigoted mother for their weight. Mom fixes greasy fried and starchy dinners, and then refuses to let either of them eat anything but salad and vegetables.

 <snip>

The Defense constitutes a fantastic one-novel cheering section for all of us who don't fit the mode of the Perfect 1O. Author Stacy Lynn Schlegl deserves readers' commendation for going to bat for the non-perfect among us, and for championing loving the human race in its entirety without judgmentalism or prejudice and bigotry. In addition, a strong story line and lovable, appealing characters make The Defense a book that readily earned its place on this reader's Keeper Shelf.

You can buy Stacy Lynn Schlegl's BBW romance novel The Defense at Aspen Mountain Press.

Join Pearl X Jones, Melissa Glisan and Lucynda Storey  Monday, March 26 at 9 PM Eastern/ 6 PM Pacific in the Romance Author Chat at Realms of Love. There will be give-aways of downloads from Aspen Mountain Press.

Pearl X Jones' Reach Out and Touch Someone is coming soon from AMP: A goddess business, a broken phone system and a chance meeting. What will happen if you dare to reach out and touch someone?

Fool's Gold by Melissa Glisan is also coming soon from AMP. It's got mystery, cops and hot action. Melissa will tell us more.

The Captive's Release is the latest ebook available from Aspen Mountain Press and Lucynda Storey: 

Women in Talone have freedom of choice in their marriages.  Not so for Princess Finola who is being given, against her will to King Lacombe of Hamre.  When she flees, she runs straight into a group of his soldiers. Now she is a captive. 

Her situation is made worse by her intense physical attraction to the mysterious, masked stranger who reveals dark secrets about the man she thought she loved. Who can she trust? Who will be responsible for  "The Captive's Release"?

Be at Realms of Love each Monday at 9 PM Eastern/ 6 PM Pacific for a real good time chatting with some fun Romance Authors.

Aspen Mountain Press is celebrating Read an E-book Week by offering a 50% discount coupon on all purchases during the week.

Aspen Mountain Press has published some great writers including JM Snyder, Lizzie T Leaf, Laura Baumbach and Lucynda Storey.

Looking for great reads at a discount price? Check out the details at Realms of Love.