Heroes are HERE! With Cool Stuff for YOU!

Hi Everyone--
Welcome to a Hero's Blog Hop! Over 125 authors, all with sensational prizes PLUS, the best grand prizes around.This hop runs until midnight on July 31st!

I'm Tara Lain and i write The Beautiful Boys of Romance. In case it's not clear, those guys are my gorgeous heroes! Only being married to my own hero could possible entice me away from them for even a minute. On this Hop, we're celebrating the guys who make our hearts beat fast. And speaking of beating fast, i think i can get a pitter patter for the prizes you can WIN:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack! (US only)

And that's not all. Here on my blog, you can also win:

• A $5 GC to Amazon
• Your choice of the first three books in the Genetic Attraction Series -- The Scientist and the Supermodel, Genetic Attraction, or Deceptive Attraction.
• A Volley Balls T-shirt, a Golden Dancer drawstring back pack, and a Tara Lain mirror compact (US only, sorry)

Here's what you have to do to WIN!! 

• Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL (if you forget your email, you won't be able to win the grand prizes!!!!)
• Follow this blog if you don't already
• (optional) Like my Facebook Page
• (optional) Like my Amazon Page
• If you are a fan, become my Fan on Goodreads
• And if you DON'T want to be on my mail list, say NO in your comment

So, let's talk about heroes. If you've read my books, you know that i seldom write traditional alpha males. There's almost always a surprise. For me, a lot of the fun of a character comes from the unexpected.

• One of my most alpha of heroes is Rodney Mansfield in Fire Balls. Rod is a karate black belt, a powerful top in bed, and takes out a huge villain with a karate kick to the jaw. But, Rodney is also five foot six, has pink hair, six earrings and is flamboyantly gay. 
• Daniel Terrebone in Golden Dancer is rich, tall, strong, handsome, and may well be an art thief. But, surprise, he loves to bottom in bed.
• Killian Barth in Spell Cat may be the most powerful male witch in ten generations, but he's also a geeky professor of history.

And that brings us to my two newest unlikely heroes -- Tommy Riley and Shay Shaleen in Genetic Celebrity, my new MMF menage that came out on July 24th.  Tommy is quiet, smallish, strawberry-blond, pretty and a great cook. He's also a fantastic businessman and a hell of a lover.Shay Shaleen is an androgynous street kid who becomes a supermodel. Like Tommy though, he discovers he loves home and family more than the glamorous life he commands. Here's a blurb and an excerpt from the book:

Excerpt: Genetic Celebrity by Tara Lain; MMF Menage with Food!

Available at Loose Id  Amazon

Tommy Riley loves cooking and the simple life. But his passion for Angie “Booky” Edelson is anything but simple. Beautiful, ambitious, hard-driving and 10 years older than Tommy, Booky represents all the things Tommy has tried to leave behind. Besides, she only seems to love him for his food! Then Tommy’s boss brings home Shay Shaleen, a pierced, tattooed, androgynous street kid for Booky to turn into a top male model. Tommy sizzles for the beautiful guy but Shay gets caught up in the flattery of a famous fashion designer. Why does Tommy have to fall for two people who can’t love him back? Is there a recipe for blending with these genetic celebrities?

THE MUSIC CHANGED to something classical. Baroque, he thought. Tommy looked up from his program. The show had been incredible, in no small part due to Shay. Every outfit the guy wore looked even more special just because he wore it. All around them, people were still whispering about the amazing new model—the face of de Chauvigny. Booky was in hog heaven. How did he feel? Confused.

Every time Shay walked out on the runway, Tommy’s cock leaped. Yet he was sitting here with his thigh pressed to Booky’s, their fingers twining and his brain plotting how soon he could get his dick back in her. 

Maybe how he felt was normal. Hell, Shay was beautiful, and he had sucked Tommy’s cock. Really well. Of course, so had Booky. Tommy had gone from lonely masturbation to two fantastic hookups in a few days. It was lucky he didn’t have cock whiplash. Shay’s hadn’t been for real, but Tommy’s cock didn’t know that.

One of the female models walked out in a beautiful ruby-red evening gown. Sinuous and silky, it clung to her thinness like it was moving on its own. These women were beautiful, but he had no cock response. Booky, with her full breasts and cute round butt, did it for him down to the ground. The only model who turned him on was Shay.

Two more female models pranced down the aisle in gowns, their exaggerated walks and somber faces showing the clothes to advantage. They must be getting near the end.

Again the music changed subtly, this time to the Pachelbel Canon. The runway sat empty. The lights turned a little pinker, and a background of flowers came on the screen at the back of the stage. He could feel people holding their breath. He knew he was.

Out onto the stage walked Roan wearing a tuxedo to die for. The lights glistened off the sheen of the fabric and the shiny black hair that hovered around his face. People started to applaud. Technically it should be for the clothes, but Tommy knew it was for Roan. He was that famous in his own right, and this was his first appearance in the show.

He walked to the end of the runway with that graceful stride that made everyone else look clumsy, then turned and walked back to the place where he’d entered. But he didn’t exit. Instead, he stepped to the side and waited.

The lights came up a little more, and the music swelled.

The bride. Here comes the bride.

Shay.

The gown filled the stage, billowing white poufy stuff that shone like silk, as simple as a song. The high collar pushed up under Shay’s chin with a ruffle, and the slashed shoulders showed off his beautiful collarbone.

As he stepped out, people gasped. The pale hair piled on his head and fell in tendrils around his face. An embroidered veil covered the shaved side. His expression was…interesting. Bemused, with a slight smile as if he had seen himself and been just as mesmerized as the audience.

Someone whistled. Applause began and grew. He glided to the end to thunderous clapping that drowned out the music, then turned and walked halfway back until Roan came forward to meet him. Roan tucked Shay’s arm around his, and they walked again the full length of the runway, bride and groom, husband and husband.

Tommy felt wetness sliding down his cheek. His heart didn’t fit in his chest. Shay was so beautiful, and Tommy loved him.

Booky pressed a hand to his arm. “Are you okay?”

He swiped at the tears. “Yeah. They just look so…special.”

She beamed. “They do, don’t they?”

The place was going ape shit. When Roan and Shay got back to the head of the runway, they moved to the side. The parade of models passed in front of them, their jewels and satins sparkling. De Chauvigny stepped out at the end of the row, and Roan and Shay flanked him. He took both their arms and walked the runway between them to cheers, flashes, and applause. A man sitting next to Tommy was madly filing a story on his laptop, and fashion bloggers tweeted and texted in every corner.

Tommy wasn’t sure he could move, his cock hurt so bad.

*********************

Want the chance to win more prizes? Come over to my other blog Beautiful Boys Books and enter to win gift cards, books and swag in my Genetic Celebrity Blog Tour. Don't miss it. 

And NOW, visit all the fabulous authors in the HERO Blog Hop. Enter to win at every stop, and you'll be entering to win the grand prizes as well! Thank you for coming by! : )

Release Day Blog Swap! Kay Berrisford Brings "Catching Kit" and TWO Books for You

Hi everyone--
RELEASE DAY at Loose Id for both me and my friend Kay Berrisford! Congratulations, Kay. Kay's new novella, Catching Kit, sounds elvishly, kinkily marvelous and i'm going to let her tell you about it! But i have to brag about her contest! Kay will give one commenter who leaves their email a copy of BOTH Catching Kit and one of her bestselling Greenwood novels, Bound for the Forest or Bound to the Beast. How's that for a great prize? (And as soon as you read Kay's great post and excerpt and enter to win, hop over to Kay's blog where she is featuring my new release, Genetic Celebrity -- a MMF menage with FOOD!) Take it away, Kay!

Elves, Olympics, and the London Underground!

Last time Tara was on my blog, she wrote a great piece about how real life experiences and settings are great inspiration for her writing. I totally agree with her, although having set my first two novels, Bound for the Forest and Bound to the Beast, in various historical periods, a ton of old-fashioned book research was needed to get my settings right.  Not that I’m complaining. I love history. But after Bound to the Beast, I decided it was time to take the plunge into the present. The end result, my first contemporary m/m paranormal novella, Catching Kit, is published today.

Catching Kit is set in London – which is one hell of an exciting place to be right now.  This week, after a 70 day tour around the country (which a bunch of GLBQT writers have been following on a collective blog http://wecarrythetorch.wordpress.com/) the Olympic Torch arrives in the stadium in Stratford for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The city has been abuzz with preparations (and grumblings about the disruption and cost – hey, we like grumbling !) for months.  It was fun to set my first contemporary story in a city with so much life and history, and though there’s no reference to the Olympics in Catching Kit, it does start with a chase.  We first meet our hero, government agent and elf hunter, Denny, on the London underground, where he’s had the misfortune to spot a target “Ethereal Being” he’s supposed to catch...and instantly fancy the pants off the guy.  But the elf, Kit, is as quick as he’s hot, and the race is on.

It was great fun setting Kit and Denny’s increasingly kinky adventures in and around the places I grew up, though maybe because London is steeped in so much history, I couldn’t quite keep the past out of the present.  While the novel is set solely in 2012, Kit claims he’s been hanging around since at least Shakespeare’s time, an era visitors can still vividly imagine when they visit the rebuilt Globe Theatre. Though it didn’t make it into the final draft of the story, I ended up doing a ton of research about what London was like during the Second World War Blitz, when the city landscape was dramatically altered forever, and the time when Kit was last in town – or so he says.

I’m going to be honest with you, though.  Love London as I do, I’m going to be avoiding the place with all the crowds over the next few weeks.  But I hope a few of you would like to drop by and share a little slice of life in London and the suburbs –  with a touch of the paranormal – in Catching Kit.

Thanks Tara for letting me blog here today.  It’s an honor to share a release day with one of my fave authors!  Tara is blogging today over at my place - http://kayberrisford.com/ - where you can win Genetic Celebrity and other awesome prizes.  If you would like to win a copy of Catching Kit, plus your choice of either of the Greenwood novels, Bound for the Forest or Bound to the Beast, please leave a comment here!

Links:

Kay’s blog: http://kayberrisford.com/

Kay on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kay-Berrisford/e/B006JLQ4L8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Kay on All Romance: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Kay+Berrisford

Kay on Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a67995/Kay-Berrisford/?

Kay on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.berrisford

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KayBerrisford

Livejournal (please do friend me!): http://kayberrisford.livejournal.com/

And here is a delightful excerpt from Kay's new book--

Catching Kit, my first m/m contemporary BDSM paranormal, is available from Loose Id on 24th July, 2012. Novella, 36,000 words approx.


He was supposed to trap him—not fall in love.
When government agent and Ethereal Being hunter, Denny, has to imprison an elf in his garage overnight, his life spins out of control. Caught and cuffed on the London underground, Kit shatters everything Denny’s been taught about elves. How can Kit be a dangerous, mind-reading cipher who preys on human emotions? Kit’s gorgeous and funny, he’s got a cute arse. He even shares Denny’s quiet kinks for bondage and cross-dressing. Or so Kit claims.


When Kit wiles his way into Denny’s house for a session of mind-blowing sex, the elf seems too good to be true–till reality strikes. Denny’s fucked an elf. A prisoner in his charge. If he doesn’t take Kit to the containment depot he’s in big trouble, and Kit’s about to drop an equally devastating bombshell.  The elf’s been searching a thousand years for a bloke like Denny. He ‘gets’ Denny’s kinks, adores role play and women’s panties, and now he needs Denny’s love to survive.
I
s Kit preying on Denny’s emotions, or can Denny trust him? If so, dare Denny break the law and gamble his life to save the Ethereal Being in his bed?

Denny picked up his mug and took a sip of the remaining mulled wine. It seared like a flame on his tongue, spicy and faintly sweet. It was good. Damn good. He smoothed his lips together.

“Elves don’t even have names,” he said.

“Yes, we do. Although I suppose your sort would say I stole it.” Kit’s words grew garbled, as if he knew he played for time. “I…I borrowed it from a man I once met in a tavern, a very interesting man who used beautiful words and gave beautiful kisses, although he was a little…fierce sometimes. In, uh… I think the year was 1592.”

“Fifteen-fucking-ninety-two?” Taking another sip, Denny glanced at the clock. It read 10:55 p.m. When the time reached eleven o’clock, he’d get rid of the elf.

“Yes, that’s what they said. Well, not fifteen-fucking-ninety-two. The year of our Lord 1592 was a nobler choice of words. And the man from whom I borrowed my name—he was called Kit Marlowe.” The elf balanced a saucepan on the draining board and reached for a chipped Crystal Palace FC mug.

Kit Marlowe.

Wasn’t that Christopher Marlowe, some playwright, a bit like Shakespeare but less famous? And wasn’t he gay or something? And murdered? “Pull the other one. You can’t expect me to believe you were about in Shakespearean times.”

“Oh, I had a ball back in my theater days, in the reign of good Queen Bess.”

Theater? Kit hadn’t been leeching this crap off Denny. History wasn’t his subject, and neither was Shakespeare. The elf must have bugged some West End actor before he’d been caught.

Denny scowled into his mug. The EB mustered a bright smile, took off the yellow gloves, and turned to spoon the pasta bake onto two plates. It was now 10:57 p.m.

Nearly time to get Kit back to the garage, although Denny twitched with indecision.

And his stomach grumbled.

“You must be starving.” Kit placed one of the plates in front of Denny. Then he sat down opposite, pronged two tubes of pasta with his fork, and popped them into his mouth. He slowly licked white cheese sauce from his lips, and Denny fought a faint ache in his groin. “Yeah, elves do eat. At least we do when we need to. And this isn’t bad, is it? It’s better than gingerbread and those little sets of dried herbs. I ate those for a month. Oh, and boiled sweets.”

And Kit still had such shiny teeth? Okay, that had to be rubbish. Denny wouldn’t listen. But he was bloody hungry. They’d eat the pasta, and then he’d put Kit out.

He couldn’t help but hear what Kit said as they dined. The elf claimed he’d materialized just after Christmas in the bargain basement of a department store among all the leftover festive items, of which he’d grown fond.

“So lovely to see Christmas still going on,” said Kit. “That’s the thing with moving on all the time; sometimes customs just vanish. I miss St. Bartholomew’s Fair, you know.”

Kit had grown so attached to the bright Christmas decorations that he’d wasted no time removing Denny’s tree from its box under the stairs to remind him of his most recent home. He’d remained in the store several weeks, chatting to staff and customers and reading his way through any books and newspapers he found lying about. “Working out how the world works these days, what laptops are, and what all the new words mean.”

Then his body grew solid enough to set off the alarms at night, and he’d had to leave. He’d spent his days and nights after that busking on the Underground network, as the great outdoors freaked him a bit at first.

“After last time I was in London,” explained Kit, “with all the bombs.”

“Right, that’s it.” Denny pushed his half-eaten meal away and got up. Swallowing a mouthful quickly, Kit rose too, turning to drop his plate in the sink behind him. Denny hurried about the table, grabbed him by the elbow, and spun him around. “Why do you keep going on about bombs?”

Kit furrowed his brow, and that strange look glazed his eyes, whispering of memories. Shouting of pain. “I was here in 1941.”

Denny shook him. “You’re telling me you were in London in the Blitz as well as in Shakespearean times? You must think I’m loopy.”

Kit drilled his gaze into him and fluttered his long lashes. “No. I think you’re horribly messy. Apart from your underwear drawer. You keep that neat enough.”

Denny froze. “You’ve been poking around my things?”

“I loved your things. They were beautiful.”

A hot flush spread from the base of Denny’s neck to his brow. The elf had been messing with his most intimate possessions.

His women’s underwear. His sex toys.

Yet his humiliation burned out quickly. This elf had cut to the heart of his “disgusting habits” and didn’t seem bothered at all.

Kit arched a brow, overtly flirtatious. “I hope you don’t mind. I, uh, tried some on.”

“You what?”

“Your lace thong.” Kit dropped his voice to a sexy growl. “I’m wearing it now.”

Kit grabbed Denny’s wrist and pushed Denny’s hand down the back of those scruffy black trousers. Next thing Denny knew, he was grasping one of Kit’s buttocks. Smooth flesh yielded to muscles hard as nutshells beneath. Then Kit steered Denny so his fingertips slid up the elf’s crack. He felt the delicate thread of lace spreading Kit’s arse, slicing down that warm, vulnerable cleft between.

Denny had never sprung into full erection so quickly in his life. He yanked his hand away.

“You had no right to mess with my stuff.” Although that particular thong had always been a bit small for him and didn’t quite suit. It felt hot on Kit. It must look hot on Kit. “Y-you’re going straight back to the safe.” He grasped the elf’s shoulders as if they’d been fused together, acutely aware of Kit’s breathing, hot against his neck. Of the hard line of his hip brushing intimately close to Denny’s groin.

“What are you waiting for?” murmured Kit.

Denny had no idea. The tap dripped, water smacking against metal the only interruption to the buzzing of the light and the relentless pounding of Denny’s blood.

He felt as unsteady as he felt horny. The deeper he scrutinized Kit’s face, the more emotions he seemed to read there. Every trace of mirth on the elf’s lips died, replaced by a firmly set line, a smoldering sincerity. His eyes spoke of joy, hope, desperation.

And raw hunger.

Kit rose onto tiptoes, lifted his chin, and it seemed electricity arced between them. Delicately he brushed Denny’s mouth with his own. The elf tasted of wine, cheese sauce, and something heady and enticing that might have been the spices. Or might just have been Kit. Whatever it was, Denny needed more.

He grabbed Kit by the collar and kissed him hard.

*********

Does that sound fun or what?! Leave your comment with your email and i'd love it if you were to follow this blog. Then go over to Beautiful Boys Books and hop on the Genetic Celebrity Blog Tour! Thank you so much for coming by and celebrating our release day!

Bear Shifters Heat Up "Mating Season" by Allie Ritch-- A Copy for You!

Hi everyone--
I know my pal, Allie Ritch, is a great favorite of yours, and today's new release won't disappoint. Allie is bringing us Mating Season and she'll be giving away a copy to some lucky person who comments with their email! The setting for Mating Season my be frozen, but this book sounds hot! Here's Allie --

Mating season on the arctic planet of Jensen is a time for eligible men to winter with a potential spouse. In the past, Koll’s big size and gruff disposition have scared off many available women. When Shila literally falls into his arms, he hopes maybe this year will be different.

Shila belongs to a race of shifters who are able to transform into enormous frost bears. She loves Koll’s large body and sexy growl, and she understands the benefit of having a strong protector. With two male shifters stalking her, she needs Koll to keep her safe. But can he defeat the competition?

***

A lot of people assume that if you’re a writer of m/f romance and a woman, then you must invest a lot of yourself in your heroines. Well, yes. This is true not only for my heroines, but for my heroes, my villains, and my minor characters, as well. Every single character, good or bad, comes from my imagination, so they all have a bit of me in them. In writing Mating Season, though, I have to admit I had an extra special attachment to the hero, Koll.

In Mating Season, the arctic planet of Jensen is a beautiful and brutal setting in winter. The man vs. nature conflict makes village life—the strength of the community—essential for the inhabitants. The problem is that Koll doesn’t quite fit in. He’s a giant who towers over his peers, a grown man who still carries the insecurities of the boy everyone made fun of for his size.

I can really relate to that. Although I’m now average size for a woman, I grew extremely fast. I reached my full height by the time I was eleven years old. As you can imagine, I was the kid shoved to the back of all the photos, even when my classmates caught up to me and all you could see was my forehead. Growing that fast meant it took a while to get my coordination, too. Up until college, I have a lot of memories of being pinned spread eagle on the concrete with my backpack on top of me.

With age, of course, I’ve grown into my body and accepted myself, but first impressions are powerful. Late bloomers experience the flip side of the coin and can probably relate with Koll’s friend, Gilby, who’s the smallest man in the village. Of course, Gilby makes up for his size by being the most boisterous.

Koll finally accepts himself when he meets Shila, the one woman who fits him perfectly. As a bear-shifter, Shila has a very different perspective on life. She thinks Koll’s big, strong body and growled responses are sexy, not a drawback. Isn’t that the best part of love? True love highlights the positives and makes you the best version of yourself. And once Koll accepts himself, his community does, too.

This was the first book I’ve written a dedication for. I wrote, “This one is for all the people who have ever struggled to fit in.” Have you ever struggled to fit in or find your place in the world?

For a chance to win a copy of Mating Season and follow Shila and Koll’s journey, just include your e-mail address in your comment. And here’s a sneak peek of what you might win:

Excerpt:

By nightfall Shila was a very satisfied woman. Koll was a vigorous lover, and after several rounds in bed, he’d heated a bath and made love to her in there. She’d especially enjoyed the experience since she adored the water as both woman and bear. Thanks to her people’s quick healing, she was only a little sore, and the tenderness between her legs made her feel smug and well-serviced.

She was ready to go outside, though. Too much time cooped up made her restless, and she was anxious to examine her surroundings. The moment she stepped outdoors, she sniffed the air to see if there were any signs of Tartok and Cikuq. Although the brothers were wily, they’d have a hard time beating her nose. They definitely weren’t anywhere near Koll’s home, which gave her hope that maybe she’d shaken them for good.

“Show me the whole village,” she told Koll.

He stood beside her, looking delightfully furry with his coat on.

Shila expected him to protest since most males liked to keep their mates to themselves, but he actually looked pleased.

“This way.” He took her hand and kept hold of it as he led her forward.

Behind them, Koll’s sled hound, whom he’d introduced as Greyfell, followed at a respectful distance. The canine had barked and growled when Koll had first let him out, but Shila had quickly established the hierarchy. Her bear could eat a hound like him for dinner, not that she’d put him on the menu. She clearly outranked him.

“Are you warm enough?” Koll kept her close as they fought their way through the snow past the nearest houses.

Shila nodded. She rarely got cold, and at the moment, her hand was throwing off more heat than his was. Maybe he was chilly? Shaking loose of his grip, she put her arm around him and pulled him in tightly enough they bumped thighs when they walked. She didn’t mind sharing her body heat and was pleased to feel his stride fall into sync with hers.

“Better?” she asked.

He returned a smile—one of the full ones he’d started to give her after their first round of sex. “Much.”

Still alert for the brothers stalking her, Shila sniffed every corner of the village while Koll told her the names of everyone who lived in each home they passed. Relief flooded her when she was certain there was no sign of her pursuers. Then she realized she was being herded into a squat building filled with villagers.

“What’s this?”

Koll answered with his usual succinctness. “Tavern.”

She might have guessed as much from the odor of alcohol permeating the place. The clawless people had a perplexing habit of poisoning their liver in small doses to addle their senses. When she was younger, she used to watch the villagers stumbling out of such places from afar. Their tipsy antics were always good for entertainment.

There were a lot of people here tonight, like bears gathering at an especially good hunting spot. So many voices should have formed a cacophony. Instead, there was a steady murmur. Even that died the moment they caught sight of her and Koll. Several men and women gaped, although they didn’t bare their teeth. Shila didn’t care for their intense eye contact, but since they smelled of surprise and curiosity, she didn’t take it as a threat.

A man near the back, one who appeared especially drunk, chortled. “Will you look at that?” He hiccupped. “She’s nearly as big as he is!”

Shila felt Koll tense a second before he stepped forward and pinned the fellow with a lethal glare. “Careful.”

***

Website/Blog: http://allieritch.wordpress.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allieritch

Liquid Silver Books Buy Link: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/matingseason.htm

ARe Buy Link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-matingseason-882394-140.html

Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mating-Season-ebook/dp/B008MICWMG/ref=la_B007NL8FMO_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1342620628&sr=1-5

***********************

Leave your comment with your email to WIN! Tuesday, July 24th, two things happen -- Kay Berrisford brings her new book to this blog with a great giveaway and Genetic Celebrity releases from Loose Id! Go over to Beautiful Boys Books to follow the Blog Tour.See you there!  :  )

Sneak Peek: Genetic Celebrity. Passion and Whipped Cream

Hi everyone-- I have great guests on this blog tomorrow through Wednesday, so here is a quick sneak peek of my upcoming new release, Genetic Celebrity. I'm deep in writing world right now finishing up the next Aloysius Tale which i hope to complete this weekend! Then, i'll focus totally on Blog Tours and Prizes and fun stuff. Here's your official nibble. Please note, this excerpt is ADULT!

Excerpt ADULT: Genetic Celebrity by Tara Lain; MMF Menage with Food!

Available July 24th at Loose Id  Amazon

Tommy Riley loves cooking and the simple life. But his passion for Angie “Booky” Edelson is anything but simple. Beautiful, ambitious, hard-driving and 10 years older than Tommy, Booky represents all the things Tommy has tried to leave behind. Besides, she only seems to love him for his food! Then Tommy’s boss brings home Shay Shaleen, a pierced, tattooed, androgynous street kid for Booky to turn into a top male model. Tommy sizzles for the beautiful guy but Shay gets caught up in the flattery of a famous fashion designer. Why does Tommy have to fall for two people who can’t love him back? Is there a recipe for blending with these genetic celebrities?

She got up and hopped over beside Shay on the bed. “It’s insane, but the only men I know who turn me on are you two. Maybe it’s because I’m man enough for the three of us. I don’t need you to support me, although I’m sure either of you easily could. I don’t even need you to protect me since I’m a killer with a can of mace.” She laughed. “But the idea of being your girl”—she took Tommy’s hand and kissed it, then turned to Shay—“and your girl is the most”—she giggled—“thrilling thing I can imagine. It’s nuts, I know, but there you are.” She put her hands in her lap and waited.

Oooookay. “Are you talking about a ménage?”

Shay cocked his head. “What’s that mean?”

“Threesome?”

His eyes widened. “Yeah, are you?”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes.”

Silence.

“Uh, I mean if either of you is interested.”

Shay nodded. “I am.”

Wow. Tommy had always envied Roan but never thought he’d be in the same place. “I guess I am too.”

“I think you have to do more than guess, Tommy.” She seemed anxious.

The truth was, he wanted them both and didn’t want to choose. If he had to, he’d choose Booky. But if he could have Shay too… “Of course I am too.”

She let her breath out slowly.

They sat there.

Tommy peered at their faces. They were both staring at their hands. “So what do we do now?”

Shay glanced up, and his beautiful face was pure mischief. “Hey, I have the least to say about this, but I think we fuck.”

Booky looked at Tommy.

Somewhere in his brain, this had been the outcome he’d wanted. A way to have both Booky and Shay. But faced with the reality, wow. Just wow. He shook his head. “I’ve got to ask this. I’m the touchy-feely one around here, so I want to know if this is just sex or if it’s something more. Is it just for tonight?” He turned to Shay. “You’re young, so you probably don’t even know what you want.”

“Hey, man, that’s partly true, but I know I want you and not just for some one-nighter. When I came down this morning and Booky was setting the table and you were cooking, I knew…well, it was like a family. And shit, who has any guarantees about anything?”

Had him there.

Booky cocked her head. “Are you sure you don’t just see me as your mother?”

Shay shrugged. “I never had a mother that I knew. I like you taking care of me. But I definitely want to fuck you. Is that a bad thing?”

“I like taking care of you. And I still want to fuck you.”

Shay spread his hands. “So…”

Somebody had to do something. Tommy rose up onto his knees and scooted forward to the two of them. 

He hooked an elbow around Booky’s neck and then leaned over and did the same to Shay, pulling them both to him. Head to head to head.

With a nuzzle, he got his lips onto Booky’s. He explored the seam with his tongue. She murmured. He pulled back and leaned in to Shay. Though the man had sucked his cock, they’d never kissed. Very gently, he brushed his lips back and forth across the full Cupid’s-bow mouth. So soft. Even softer than Booky’s. Shay nibbled back.

Tommy sat back again and pulled his arms together so that their two heads got closer. Surprisingly, Shay took the lead and pressed his lips against Booky’s. Another murmur from her. Shay opened his mouth and covered hers. Her murmur turned to a whimper. Tommy could see her lips opening as Shay pushed inside. 

That was so sexy. He removed his hands and sat back on his heels. The curvy brunette and the stem-thin blond curled their bodies together like a chocolate and vanilla pudding. Shay’s hands slid down her back to those taut glutes and pulled her in tight. Hard breathing and groping fingers.

Oh baby, who knew his cock enjoyed being a regular voyeur? But watching did it for him. Je-zus. His brain flashed pictures in front of his eyes like a porn movie, and he wanted to see every scene. He tugged on Booky’s robe until the tie came loose. He tapped her arm, and still kissing frantically, she extended it so he could pull the silk off one arm and then the other. Those proud breasts stuck out like happy melons into Shay’s bare chest. Tommy dragged the robe from her legs, and bingo, she was mother-naked.

*********************

Hope you enjoyed it.  Be sure and participate in the Blog Tour starting on July 24th at Beautiful Boys Books. And right now over there, you can win a copy of another book in the Genetic Attraction Series, Deceptive Attraction. Go enter.  I also love blog followers, so if you don't already, please follow this blog.  

Tomorrow, i have author Allie Ritch here with a fantastic bear-shifter book, and on Tuesday, Kay Berrisford and i are swapping blogs.  She has a wonderful new elf novella with her own brand of kink! Both Allie and Kay will be giving away great prizes.  Plan to come back here. :  )

Meet Some Kinky Hula Hoopers! "Calling the Show" by J. A. Rock -- One for You

Hi everyone-- I'm welcoming J. A. Rock, my fellow LI author, to the blog today and her new book, Calling the Show sounds like so much kinky fun! Before i hand over the reins to J.A., i want to tell you to be sure to leave a comment with your email. J.A. is generously giving away the winners choice of the new book or either title from her backlist. Go over to her website to check out the book you want to win. Okay, J.A. is on deck!

Meet the Kinky Hula Hoopers of Calling the Show

I’m so happy to be here today on Tara Lain’s blog to discuss my just-released novel, Calling the Show. Calling the Show is part of Loose Id’s Pick Your Pleasure series this July (as is Tara’s Genetic Celebrity!), and it centers on two college theater students, uptight stage manager Jesse and free-spirited light board op Sim, who bond through theater, Hula-Hooping lessons, and BDSM.

Calling the Show is a book of firsts for me—my first non-Domestic Discipline novel, my first time taking two characters from enemies (or at least, decidedly not-friends) to lovers. Definitely my first book involving Hula-Hoops. And my first book where both MCs are young—but legal, of course—and there’s almost no age gap between them.

When I write BDSM relationships, I tend to go for the older, experienced dominant/younger, less experienced submissive combo. Things feel safer for me that way, since if you’ve got a young or inexperienced dom wielding scary implements, there’s a whole set of issues the book has to tackle before readers can stop holding their breath like they’re in the passenger seat next to a teenager who’s just learning to drive. Which is great, if the dom’s learning process is part of the story. But up to this point, I’ve focused mostly on subs’ journeys, and I’ve made the characters swinging the paddles well-practiced and sure of themselves.

The situation in Calling the Show is different in that the characters are college-aged, and they’re both exploring their interest in kink for the first time. They’re not sure who’s dominant who’s submissive—they both like elements of each role. Eventually they even hold a kinky contest to determine who fits the dominant mold better.

What was interesting to me as a writer when I worked on this book was how enthusiastic the two characters were about exploring. This was the first book I wrote from an outline, and so I’d expected it to be a much more organized writing experience than I’ve had in the past.

Jesse and Sim made it clear exactly what they thought of my outline. There were times the two of them seemed out of control, and I felt helpless as I tried to wrangle them. My previous novels, By His Rules and Wacky Wednesday, both feature wild brats paired with calm, experienced tops. So during those writing processes, even if my brats were behaving badly and doing things I hadn’t expected them to do, I felt like I had allies in my top characters. The wrangling was their responsibility, not mine.

But two college boys discovering first love, the joys of spanking, and the unforeseen benefits of Hula-Hooping? They fed off of each other’s energy and left me sitting in front of my computer screen with my fingers crossed, hoping I’d end up with a coherent novel when they were done getting high on their own awesomeness.

I know author-character relationships are different for every writer. I’m definitely someone who bonds with my characters—who has conversations with them and feels proud when they grow throughout the course of a novel and learn to make mistakes gracefully and sacrifices wisely. So it was funny to me to feel almost left out at times during Calling the Show. Once Jesse and Sim fell for each other, they seemed to need only each other, and not me. But we eventually found a balance between chaos and structure, and I’m very proud of my boys. And I think they’re glad I was there on occasion to wave the outline at them and be like, “Back to business.”

Here is a blurb and an excerpt from Calling the Show:

Senior stage manager Jesse Ferelit and sophomore light board operator Simon Whedon meet while crewing a college theater production. Jesse hates everything about Sim, from his lack of theater experience, to his obsession with LGBTQ politics, to his infatuation with, of all things, Hula hoops. Well, he doesn't hate everything. He doesn't mind Sim's eyes, or hair, or his surprising ability to be cool in a crisis. But Jesse is graduating in just a few months, and if there's one thing he does not have time for, it's a relationship. 

Sim knows exactly what he likes: civil rights, the circus, and sex. And he knows what he likes about Jesse. In the control booth, Jesse is exactly Sim's type—a natural leader, collected and confident. But outside the booth, he seems reclusive, acerbic and uptight—hardly Sim's type at all. Is a relationship with Jesse a real possibility, just a fantasy, or a hopelessly lost cause?

When Sim offers to teach Jesse how to hula hoop as a way to relax and loosen up, the lessons ease the two men into an unexpected shared world of sex, kink, friendship, and eventually love.

****

Jesse was getting better at keeping the hoop up, but he got frustrated easily if he lost it. He could do it pretty well around his upper arm but had trouble controlling it around his wrist and hand.

“It hurts when I do it around my wrist,” he said. “I mean, not bad, but I’ve seen bruises.”

“That’s normal,” I said. “The wrists and ankles aren’t very protected. You get used to it, though.”

“I want to do it above my head, on my fingertips, like you do.”

“In time. Let’s go around the waist for a few minutes.”

We launched our hoops, but he lost his after a few seconds. “Dammit.”

“Gotta stay relaxed,” I said, spinning my hoop over my head. “Don’t sweat it if it falls. This is supposed to be stress relief, remember?”

“Yeah,” he muttered. He started the hoop again. It made two circuits, tilted, and fell to the floor. “Fuck. I had it the other day.”

“Here.” I stepped toward him. He froze as I got in the hoop with him—though I left the hoop on the ground. “Turn around.”

Cautiously he turned so his back was to me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rocked back and forth, pulling him with me. “Nice and easy. Just like this.”

My nose barely came up to his shoulder. His back was warm, and I liked the way his ab muscles moved under my arms as we rocked.

“Let all that tension out.” I said, jostling his stomach.

He took a deep breath.

“This is what you want it to feel like when you’ve got the hoop going.”

“Hey, Sim?”

“Yeah?

He didn’t say anything, but I imagined he might have been about to address the fact that my dick was poking his ass. I let go of him and stepped out of the hoop. “Try again,” I said.

He picked the hoop up and gave it a spin. This time it stayed up. He had to thrust his hips awkwardly a couple of times to keep it going, but he looked much more relaxed. “Nice,” I said.

When he finally lost the hoop, he laughed. “All right. Your turn, Whedon. Show me something I haven’t seen.”

I started the hoop around my waist, then took it up around my shoulders and finally around my neck. Then I brought it back down to my waist, around my thighs, and finished with it around one ankle.

“Pshh.” He rolled his eyes. “Show-off.”

I got the hoop going around one arm, then drew my arm into the hoop so the hoop circled my elbow. I passed it behind me onto the other elbow and finished with it around my opposite hand.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll never be as good as you.”

“Who says?”

“I say.”

I started the hoop around my waist again, but he reached out and knocked it to the floor. “Hey,” I said.

“What’s the matter? Can’t keep your hoop up?”

I stuck my tongue out and headed for the corner where we’d left our water bottles. As I passed him, he smacked my ass.

Oh God.

****

Doesn't that sound FUN! Be sure and leave a comment with your email to win. I also love blog followers! Remember to enter my  Pre-Tour Giveaway going on at Beautiful Boys Books. Go over there and enter to win Deceptive Attraction. And remember, Genetic Celebrity releases on July 24th. MMF menage with food fun!  

Thinking Up Hot Ideas

Hi everyone--
People always ask writers where they get there ideas. Once you're a pretty steady novel writer, it's hard to answer that question because the answer is everywhere. But that wasn't true for me for many years. I've been a non-fiction writer my whole adult life. Because i write for marketing reasons, the ideas are always present in my clients' products and services, or i pry them out of engineer's minds. For years, people told me i should write a book, but i simply couldn't imagine what i would write about. And you probably know the story -- i started reading erotic romance and, for the first time, thought it would be fun to actually write a book. But what about?

Okay, so i knew erotic romance--all romance, in fact -- is fantasy and i've always been good at fantasies. So i thought, what are some of my favorite fantasies? Hmm. I've always thought older woman/younger man books were hot, so i decided to try that. Okay, i needed an older woman. It would be great if she was a powerhouse. I like powerhouse females. So a client of mine worked in a company that did genetic sequencing and the person who had invented their system was a woman. Okay, cool. I made my heroine a geneticist.And the younger man would be her research partner. Then i know you know this part. I read my first male/male book and loved it. I wanted to write some M/M romance so, bingo, i added another man to the book. I kept imagining this scene in which the heroine asks the hero about his girlfriend and finds out it's his boyfriend. I don't have to tell you that the book is Genetic Attraction, my first published novel that went on to be nominated for Best Contemporary Romance of 2011.

By that time, ideas were starting to show up pretty regularly. A friend showed me an Aussie Bums bathing suit commercial and my beach romance, Volley Balls, grew out of it. Another friend from London took me to the ballet and i created Golden Dancer, the MMM menage that is also romantic suspense. I saw a picture of a black cat and created Spell Cat, my MM paranormal about witches.

Most recently, Loose Id asked me to write a book for their Pick Your Pleasure special collection. I remembered that one of my characters was a gourmet cook and decided to make the pleasure food! The book is Genetic Celebrity, and it releases on July 24th with a healthy dose of food porn.

A friend of mine today told me a story and then said, "Don't put it in a book." He's wise to admonish me because another friend's stories about rebreather diving made it into Beach Balls. Today, ideas fly at me from every corner. There are so many books i want to write, there won't be enough years to complete them all. Never again will i say "I don't know what to write about." And that's a lot of fun.

Thank you for visiting the blog. I love blog followers.And if you would like a chance to win Genetic Attraction, go over to Beautiful Boys Books and follow the directions!   : )

How to Market Your Books! Learn Without Charge.

Hi everyone--

I belong to a great group called Marketing for Romance Writers. It has tons of smart members who share ideas and help each other in the wild, woolly world of book marketing. This group is run by my friend, Kayelle Allen, who is clearly any author's secret weapon. Now, the amazing Kayelle has cooked up a marvelous Marketing Summer Camp that you can attend FOR FREE. All you have to do is sign up for MFRW and follow along. The Summer Camp is this coming weekend and promises to be packed with incredible information on everything from how to set up a Twitter account to the secrets of secondary marketing. Here is what Kayelle says about the Summer Camp:

Subject:
Marketing Summer Camp July 14-15, 2012

Marketing Summer Camp is a free, two-day online conference designed to help authors learn the basics of marketing and promotion, and to fine tune skills already obtained. It will include guest speakers, pitch opportunities, prizes, top giveaways, and plenty of learning and fun. It will be held on the Yahoo group, Marketing for Romance Writers. Membership is open to published as well as non-published authors, editors, publishers, literary agents, author promotion services, cover artists, and virtual assistants. MFRW members are automatically signed up for Camp. If you want to take a particular course, read the messages posted with that title of the class. If you want to skip that class, don't read them. It's going to be that easy. Handouts and goody bags will be up for grabs once the conference begins. Giveaways include advertising packages, blog tours, and more. Discounts on services will also be available for all attendees.

PITCH APPOINTMENTS
There will be pitch appointments with multiple publishers for camp attendees. These will take place after camp so you don't have to miss classes.

Sign up by joining the group: http://is.gd/mfrwgroup

To learn more:
Website: http://is.gd/mfrworg
Paperli: http://is.gd/mfrwpaperli
Newsletter: http://is.gd/mfrwnews
Facebook group: http://is.gd/mfrwfb
Marketing Camp Schedule: http://is.gd/mfrw_camp_hours

Seriously you guys, you just don't get this kind of opportunity for free very often. In a week and a half i'm attending the RWA Conference for which i paid BIG bucks. So if you've ever even thought of writing a book -- or if you want to learn some basic marketing for any other type of business -- join MFRW and set aside some time to attend or review these fabu workshops.  Hope to see you there! 

And remember, over at Beautiful Boys Books we're having the Genetic Celebrity  Pre-Tour where you can win copies of The Scientist and the Supermodel, Genetic Attraction, or Deceptive Attraction. So go over and comment Now, Thank you so much for coming by. : )

What i'm Writing--Just for You!

Hi everyone--

Since we've had a lot of blog hops lately, i thought i'd take a minute to bring you up to date on what's going on in my writing life. As you may know, my new release, Genetic Celebrity, comes out on July 24th. In preparation for the release, i'm having a pre-tour contest highlighting the other books in the Genetic Attraction Series. If you go over to Beautiful Boys Books right now (until July 12th) you can win a copy of The Scientist and the Supermodel or a lovely notebook if you've already read the book.After the 13th, you can win Genetic Attraction, and starting on the 18th, you can win Deceptive Attraction. So get over there.

The Genetic Celebrity Blog Tour starts on July 24th -- RELEASE DAY! This means i am madly writing blogs as we speak. Have any topics you would like to see a blog about?  Let me know!

Most important, i am currently writing the sequel to Spell Cat. This book takes place in the same witchy world and stars Sammy, the friend of Jimmy Janx, we met in Spell Cat. This is a complicated story with people who aren't what they seem so it's very challenging to write. And, of course, Aloysius the black cat familiar, plays a key role. If all goes well, you might see this story in the fall.

Following the completion of this book, i will plunge into one of two stories. Either i'll write the next fairy tale romance to follow Sinders and Ash, or the next book in the Balls to the Wall Series. Yes, it will be Jerry's story. I have ideas for both, so i guess it will depend on which one is yelling loudest when i get to that point.

Speaking of Balls to the Wall. I anticipate having the print anthology of the first three books in the series available at the end of August! So, for you print book lovers, you'll have another Tara Lain book for your collection. You do know that Sinders and Ash is available in print? Go over to Amazon to take a look.

That's the update. I hope you're playing in The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads Contest. There are great prizes. Go over and sign up. Talk soon. Thanks so much for coming by. : )

A Little Mascara Tip from Adam! Guys in Guyliner.

Hi everyone--

I'm waiting to hear back from a special guest blogger on her scheduling, so in the meantime, enjoy a short beauty tip from our favorite mascara wearer, Adam Lambert. Plus, a few sigh moments with some of the prettiest men in guyliner. Bill Kaulitz goes over-the-top, and our delicious vampire, Ian Somerhalder, shows the beauty of subtlety. Thanks so much for visiting the blog. I love blog followers!

The Genetic Celebrity Cover is HERE! YUM (literally)!

Hi everyone-- Here it is. The cover for Genetic Celebrity which releases on July 24th from Loose Id as part of their special Pick Your Pleasure series!! Created by the talented Valerie Tibbs, the cover capture the passion of the menage, the attraction of the young genetic celebrity, Shay Shaleen, who becomes a supermodel, and the delicious food obsession they all share.

This is my first menage of 2012, so  i hope you all enjoy it! It is book 4 in the award-winning Genetic Attraction Series, but it really stands alone. For those of you who have enjoyed the series, you'll meet many of your favorite characters, especially Roan Black.

Leave me comments and let me know how you like the cover!  And if you want to follow this blog, i would love that!  : )