Guest Star, V.L. Locey presents Top 5 Hockey Movies

You've all met my friend V.L. Locey before; she writes some of my favorite romances... so here she is to tell you all about her new release.

Top 5 Hockey Movies

There is nothing like sitting down in the offseason to enjoy a good hockey flick! Of course, enjoying a hockey movie during season is quite enjoyable as well. Just don't forget to plan your movie time to coincide with the game that night! Here are five of my favorite hockey movies in no particular order. Do they match yours? If so or if not tell me your favorite hockey movies in the comments section!

1 - Slap Shot - This movie is a classic, and one of the funniest sports flicks I have ever seen. In addition to the humor we get the joy of watching Paul Newman *sigh* and Michael Ontkean *sighs again* playing on the same team.

2 - Goon - Goon was easily as funny as Slap Shot but it had a nice little romance included. For me, that romance made the film less gritty than Slap Shot, but just as endearing.

3 - Mystery, Alaska - This is a wonderful little comedy about the residents of Mystery, Alaska, and how the team from Mystery that plays special "Saturday Night" games finds itself playing a televised game against the New York Rangers.

4 - Miracle - What a great movie! Based on the amazing 1980 USA Olympic teams win over the seemingly unbeatable Russian team, this film will make anyone stand up and cheer, be they a hockey fan or not.

5 - The Mighty Ducks - One of the most endearing and entertaining movies that you and your family will ever watch. The Ducks is a feel good film for kids and adults that spawned a couple of sequels as well as an animated series.

Buy Links:

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/zt8vncq

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/646762
B&N-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tape-to-tape-v-l-locey/1124036811?ean=2940153103211

Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/tape-to-tape-the-venom-series-3

Blurb:

Venom defensive coach Dot "The Shadow" West has made a nice life for herself. She's found a new position on an up-and-coming women's professional hockey team, her daughter is thriving, she gets along well with her fellow coaches and her players admire and respect her. She's proud to have accomplished so much by herself. Everything is running smoothly in her life with no help from anyone, thank you very much.

Sadly, there's one annoying glitch in Dot's new life, and it's in the form of good-looking Theo Grier, former Wildcat goalie and co-host of a controversial sports talk radio show based in Philadelphia, home of the Venom. When Dot loses her cool and calls in to spar with Theo on the air her structured and solitary existence takes a sudden unexpected turn. Before she can hip check the smug fool out of her life she somehow ends up working with him on a new talk radio sports program.

Can she defend her heart against the unwanted feelings Theo is stirring up? Or will she continue to guard herself, and her past decisions, against the offensive moves being made by the ex-goalie? The only man to ignite her passions - and ire - in years?

Excerpt:

"Security lets you down here?" I asked.

"I'm an old 'Cat. They love me down here," he informed me. I walked past him and began to pull on a mitten. "I thought maybe we could grab a cup of coffee and discuss the show next Monday." That made me pause for a scant moment but just for a moment. I kept walking and dressing. Theo caught up to me with ease. His legs were as long as a thoroughbred's. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you. I then chose to ignore you." I wrapped a red and black scarf around my neck, nodded at Eddie the security guard stationed by the staff/players entrance, and then stepped out into a freezing cold Philadelphia night.

"You plan on treating me this coldly forever?" Theo asked as I slid past him. If he thought holding the door open for me would chill me out, he was sorely mistaken.

"Probably," I said with my eyes locked on my blue Honda Pilot. "My grandmother always said that the best way to deal with a wart was to freeze it."

"Ouch," Theo chuckled while keeping up with my pace easily. Each breath out clouded in front of my face. "I hope I'm just a finger wart and not an anal wart."

"Oh, you're an anal wart. One of the biggest ones that I have ever had the misfortune to encounter," I parried as my Honda got closer and closer. Theo jumped ahead of me to bar my path. I gave him a lethal glare. He smiled and held out his hand. I eyed it warily as if it were an asp ready to strike.

"Coach West, I think we need to start over," Theo said as his hand hung in the cold air. I raised my eyes from his big hand to his face. Then I gave him a strong "Please spare me" look. The man didn't have the sense to stop trying to be sexy. A gust right off an iceberg howled around the Houseman, lifting Theo's white scarf high into the air behind him. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Coach West. I'm Theo Grier, ex-goalie and world's largest walking anal wart."

I snorted and glanced up at the LED parking lot light wobbling overhead.

"Could that have been a smile I saw on 'The Shadow's' face?" Theo asked. I rolled my eyes then shook my head.

"It was a tiny sneeze."

"Right, a sneeze," he said with just a hint of skepticism. "Maybe you should shake my hand so you can get out of this nasty cold weather. A hot cup of coffee at the Black Boar Bar & Grill might be just what you need to help thaw out, Coach West."

"For your information, Mr. Grier, I do not need to thaw out. I'm quite comfortable, toasty warm, hot even," I replied keeping my arms crossed over my chest.

"Yes, that you are," Theo said in a vibrating voice that had dropped just a smidgeon. There was something about his voice, the way he held himself, and that damned large hand of his still waiting for mine that made me feel a trifle too warm inside my coat.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Grier." I pushed around him.

"How about honesty then," he said and then planted his massive self in front of me once again.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that," I sighed.

"When I see something I want, I go after it."

"And you want me?" I asked.

"Yeah, I want you to shake my hand and join me for coffee," he countered smoothly. I studied his face then with a huff extended my hand, all toasty warm in my mitten, to him. His fingers curled around mine, making my hand glow like a red coal in a fire pit. We shook slowly, one could have said sensuously, but handshakes with mittens blocking the skin-to-skin can't be sensual, can they?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

Author Links:

Website - http://vlloceyauthor.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/VL-Locey/124405447678452
Twitter - https://twitter.com/vllocey
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/vllocey/
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807700.V_L_Locey
My blog- http://thoughtsfromayodelinggoatherder.blogspot.com/
tsú - https://www.tsu.co/vllocey

Gone Writing Publishing Backlist Books and Upcoming Releases

Pink Pucks & Power Plays (Book One of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
A Most Unlikely Countess (Book Two of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
O Captain! My Captain! (Book Three of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
Reality Check (Book Four of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
Language of Love (Book Five of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
Final Shifts (Book Six of the To Love a Wildcat Series)
Clean Sweep (Book One of the Venom Series)
Twirly Girl (Book Two of the Venom Series)
Tape to Tape (Book Three of the Venom Series)

Coming Nov. 16…Roster Addition (a To Love a Wildcat hockey romance novella)

Torquere Press Backlist and Upcoming Releases

Two Guys Walk Into an Apocalypse (Part of the He Loves Me For My Brainssss anthology)
Two Guys Walk Into an Apocalypse 2: It Came From Birmingham
Two Guys Walk Into an Apocalypse 3: He's a Lumberjack and He`s Undead
Love of the Hunter
Goaltender`s Penalty
All I Want for Christmas - A Toms & Tabbies Tale
Early to Rise - A Toms & Tabbies Tale
Every Sunday at One (Part of the 2013 Charity Sip Anthology)
Night of the Jackal
An Erie Halloween
An Erie Operetta
An Erie Garden Party
Back to the Garden (Also part of the Mythologically Torqued Anthology)

Ellora`s Cave Backlist and Upcoming Releases

Bound, Boarded and Bagged
Two Man Advantage
Game Misconduct
Full Strength
Shutdown Pair
Long Change

Independent Releases

Coming October 5, 2016…On Broadway (part of the Changing on the Fly M/M hockey romance charity novella)
Coming Dec. 20, 2016…Holly & Hockey Boots (a gay erotic holiday hockey romance)

Guest Post : Heat Wave: Plattsburg by Thomas Grant Brusso

Your usual blogger: I'm really excited to have Thomas Grant Brusso here. When JM put out the call for submissions, I decided where I wanted to host my story before I decided the content of my story. Lake Champlain is a really lovely area, and I spent a lot of summers taking the ferry back and forth from Plattsburgh, NY to Burlington, Vermont. I chose the Vermont side of the water for my story. Imagine my delight when Mr. Brusso selected the Plattsburgh side of the same body of water. 


I started publishing my short fiction in August 2014 when JMS Books LLC accepted my first short story, “A Light in the Dark,” a gay contemporary romance. Then in April 2015, my second romance story, “Something Beautiful Remains,” was released. “Heat Wave: Plattsburgh” is my third and most recent story. I had fun writing it. Setting the story in my hometown in upstate New York gave me the opportunity to include the theater at SUNY Plattsburgh as a backdrop for the story. The theater is a magical place and I captured all the dramatic elements of it during those scenes.

“Heat Wave: Plattsburgh” centers around two young men, Jace and Germain, who meet by chance, slowly build an amiable, romantic relationship, and find ways to escape the heat wave that has assaulted the small community. It is a gay contemporary romance.

My story is one of 18 that are included in the Heat Wave anthology series distributed by JMS Books LLC through July and August. Check out the other stories written by the wonderfully talented authors at JMS Books. It is an honor to be part of the series.

“Heat Wave: Plattsburgh” is now available at JMS Books LLC. It will be released through other online distributors on August 16, 2015. Amazon Pre-Order

Guest Post, LaQuette...

Protected Heart: Queens of Kings: Book 3

by LaQuette

Publisher: Hot Ink Press

Release Date: June 25, 2015

Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/ProtectedHeart

Blurb:

When trust becomes a matter of life or death…

Heart Searlington, captain of the seventy-fourth precinct in Brooklyn, New York, has everything she could ever want. The sexy as sin husband, the perfect house, and the perfect addition to their family, four-month-old Amare.

But when a senseless act of violence threatens the lives of two people she loves, Heart does what comes natural to her…she protects what’s hers.

Kenneth Searlington, billionaire real estate tycoon, is living the ultimate dream—family, friends, and wealth. Life couldn’t be more perfect, until trusting the wrong friend puts his life on the line.

When he can’t trust friends or family, Kenneth takes matters into his own hands. Who should Kenneth trust? The wife who lied, or the friend and family who betrayed him? Maybe the only person he can trust is himself? When protecting the heart she loves forces Heart to omit certain truths about herself and those she loves, can Kenneth see past her betrayal long enough for her to keep him alive?



Excerpt: The subtle touch of fingers so familiar to his skin he could confuse it for his own grazed the slick skin of his shoulder until it slid down his back as smoothly as the droplets of water raining down on him. “You okay?” she asked softly into his ear. “I was afraid today was too much for you. You’ve only been back home a handful of days.” He nodded his head, eyes still closed to the streaming water saturating the thick strands of his hair. He felt her hand crawl back up the length of his back, the movement making the muscles that rested just beneath her digits twitch in anticipation. Heart was right, he had returned from the hospital several days before, but in that time the two of them had barely spent any alone time together. They’d both been physically present, and usually that was all it took to stoke the embers that always seemed to be on a low simmer just waiting for an excuse to fan the flames to full blaze. But since his release there had been something there, something that was keeping them from being them. Kenneth turned his head slightly toward the sound of her voice. He opened his eyes just enough to see the water-sprinkled vision of her standing to the side of him. He pulled her into his embrace and pinned her back against the wall between his outstretched arms. There was nothing like the sight of his wife naked and waiting for him. No matter how difficult things were between them they’d always had this. It baffled him that he’d allowed whatever this was between them to fester to the point where he hadn’t touched his wife in days. The knowledge that she’d kept something so important from him fucked with his head in a way he hadn’t anticipated. Truth was he really hadn’t even given serious thought as to why her omission of the facts about Bryan and Justice impacted him so much. But to deny himself this, this connection, this reassurance that his world was grounded, that they were whole, what the fuck was he thinking? He positioned her directly under the spray of water and watched the fullness of her hair flatten against her scalp and back. She would bitch at him later about having to go to the hairdresser, but the thought of that conversation alone was pulling up the corners of his mouth into a wicked smile. He allowed his fingers to rest at the base of her head, fingers caressing her nape in just the right way to make her fall into his touch. His heart tightened slightly. They’d been stressed and their connection strained, but underneath all the bullshit, it was still there and he was grateful for it. Their connection is what kept his soul intact, what kept him sane enough to deal with the rest of his life when dealing with the craziness that wealth brought. “We have a lot to discuss, Heart.” “Kenneth I—” He leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to stop whatever it was she was about to say. Words weren’t what they needed now. He giggled to himself. If their shrink could hear his thoughts she’d be jumping up and down screaming her opposition to his line of thinking. Kenneth wasn’t against therapy. It had definitely worked to get the two of them back on track, and he definitely wanted them to sign up for a session or two after this latest fiasco, but this wasn’t something that needed fixing. This was the one way that their communication was perfect and they were absolutely in sync. He plunged his tongue inside the warmth of her mouth and savored the sweet hint of apple juice that danced on his taste buds. He pulled back just a moment to give them each a chance to breathe. “I’m not avoiding the conversation we need to have, and as soon as we’re finished in here we’re going to throw on some clothes and go downstairs in the kitchen and hash this shit out over a cup of coffee. But right now, I just need to feel my wife.”


  Author Bio Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LaQuetteonAmazon Facebook: Http://www.Facebook.com/LaQuetteTheAuthor Twitter: @LaQuetteLikes Website: http://www.LaQuetteLikes.com 2015 Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award Finalist in Erotic Romance, LaQuette, a native of Brooklyn, New York, spends her time catering to her three distinct personalities: Wife, Mother, and Educator.

Writing--her escape from everyday madness--has always been a friend and comforter. She loves writing and devouring romance novels. Although she possesses a graduate degree in English Lit, she'd forego Shakespeare any day to read something hot, lusty, and romantic. She loves hearing from readers and discussing the crazy characters that are running around in her head causing so much trouble. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter, her website, Amazon, and her Facebook group, LaQuette's Lounge.

Other Titles by LaQuette

 Divided Heart: Queens of Kings: Book 2 Blurb: The last two years of Heart MacKenzie Searlington’s life have been a constant forward motion of change. She’s been promoted to NYPD captain of the seventy-fourth precinct in Brooklyn, a job she never wanted, but is slowly finding her way through with the help of a dedicated second in command and a house full of exemplary officers. Married to the sexy and powerful mogul, Kenneth Searlington, Heart is living all of the dreams she never knew to ask for before she fell in love with the man that stole her heart. Although Kenneth bathes her in his love and devotion, insecurities from the past still haunt her and cast a dark veil over their union. Kenneth Searlington knows only one thing, he worships his wife. He has a singular purpose: to love her as hard as he can for the rest of their lives and to neutralize any threat that dares to come up against them. But how does he protect them when that threat comes from the woman he loves? Thrown by a devastating loss, Heart allows pain and despair to drive a wedge so large between them they may never be able to recover. Pushed beyond his limits, excluded and taken for granted, Kenneth has to decide whether to allow darker urges to control him, or to use his rage to fight for the one thing he adores, Heart. Can they mend the rift, or will a divided heart end their legendary love? Available on Amazon

Heart of the Matter: Queens of Kings: Book 1 Blurb: Heart “Mac” MacKenzie is a tough police lieutenant in the NYPD servicing the rough streets of Brooklyn, New York. She’s a strong leader who doesn’t mind getting in the trenches with the men and women she leads at the seventy-fourth precinct. Her house, her people, and her family—both blue and blood—are the only things that matter. She would live and die for the blue wall that shields her from a traumatic past. When her captain assigns her a high-profile kidnapping case that she doesn’t want, and insists she allows the missing girl’s irritatingly sexy uncle to tag along during the investigation, her blood boils. Mac has no choice but to do what she always does when things get out of control, lay down the law—her law. Kenneth Searlington is a rich playboy from the Upper East Side of Manhattan. With stunning looks and an unlimited source of wealth, he’s used to being the center of everyone’s attention, especially the women that he comes in contact with in high society. His life is fun and carefree until his niece, Merridith is kidnapped, and he’s forced to seek out the help of his godfather an NYPD police captain, David Porter. Afraid and frustrated, Kenneth defers to his uncle’s expertise and his promise that he’s putting his best cop on the case, Lieutenant MacKenzie. When Kenneth discovers “Mac” is actually a sexy as sin lady cop with a fiery temper to match, he decides mixing a little business with pleasure might be just the thing he needs to distract him from long-standing family issues that are trying to crawl their way back into the forefront of his life. Each used to having their own way, can these two work together long enough to bring an innocent child home? Or will they settle their differences and unyielding attraction in a more carnal way and get right down to the heart of the matter? Available on Amazon    




 My Beginning Blurb: Genesis Lawrence left her home and family in Brooklyn, New York ten years ago and never looked back. When you've spent your entire life protecting yourself from the ones that are supposed to love you, running to the other side of the country seems like the best idea ever. Emotionally bankrupt, she begins rebuilding her life after failed familial connections and a broken marriage leave her too raw to ever believe happiness exists for her. Work as a Physical Therapist in her rehab clinic is all she knows and all she wants. Drew Marrack has spent the last year of his life trying to end the soul-searing pain of losing his mother by any means necessary, even if that means ending him—literally. After a tragic accident and a r resulting disability that devastates the tattered remnants of his world, only one name can give him a brand-new start: Genesis. Pain, heartache, secrets, and tragedy from the past bring them together, and then fight to tear them apart. Is new love strong enough to give them the fresh beginning they both need, or is this simply the beginning of their end? Available on Amazon

Introducing TB Bond

From your regular author: TB is one of those friends I met because I simply cannot act like a civilized human being.

If I see someone reading a book that I've read and that I like, even though I know, deep down in my soul, that it is completely wrong of me to do this; I interrupt their reading to express delight that they're reading a book that I like. 

(I also met Elizabeth L. Brooks this way, so honestly, it's not going to discourage me from this reprehensible behavior...)

I don't even remember what she was reading, but we ended up chatting for a while and exchanging contact information. We've been to the movies a few times together, and done some social stuff, and then I find out to my delight, that she's also a writer. So, of course, when I started work on Coming Together: Among the Stars, I send her a "hey, look what I'm doing, want to submit something?"

I'll tell ya something, too. She wrote one of the best hate-sex pieces I've ever read. Great, great stuff and you should totally check it out, if you haven't already.

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

I have so many stories in my head. It’s a challenge getting them into a media where other people can enjoy them. I have a strange brain in that I am very analytical and whimsical. It makes it hard for me to communicate ideas sometimes because it’s either too in the “clouds” or it’s too complex. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and I make the oddest grammar mistakes. There are days when I wonder if English is my third language and if someone can create telepaths–because talking to people is so hard. Then there are others where it’s “boom, I nailed it”.

When did you find out that you wanted to be a writer? What inspired you to put pen to paper?

When I wrote my first ‘long’ story at twelve years old. I had watched the classic movie, The Bad Seed, and immediately set pen to paper when my ideas started to flow. The story was thirty pages and was about a teenage serial killer. I applaud my mom for not freaking out and for encouraging me to keep writing. So my inspiration started with movie murders and my mom.

Of your published works, do you have a favorite? Why?

It’s a toss up between Shenanigans and The Sweetest Thing. Shenanigans was my first novel, so it has a special place in my heart. The Sweetest Thing has a funny memory attached to it. I had a fellow author accidently use my male lead’s name in her story in the middle of a love scene. Talk about your Freudian slips. I immediately thought of lyrics to an Alanis Morsette’s song– “…and are you thinking of me when you…” I’m sure you can figure out the rest

How do you decide on character names?

I select most of my names from people I’ve encountered (I use that term loosely). I’ve  also been known to also create names from my surroundings. I have a unusual name so I don’t mind my characters having one. I do have to make sure there’s a story or some sort of ‘response’ when other characters ask about the name in a story. The craziest name I’ve made to date is York Mint, the male lead in Love in a Space Elevator. His parents were space hippies– enough said.

How much of your life and the people you know end up in your work?

I would say about a third of my life since I started writing professionally. I take elements of situation or a person and meld it with my characters. So an event in my book might be several things mashed into one or it may be someone else’s experience. I try to make sure someone I know can’t say, “Hey, that happened to me. Why did you do that?”

Plus, I am a fan of learning from other’s experiences, especially the bad ones.

What projects are you currently working on? Are you willing to share a small excerpt from a work in progress?

I have a side series about a supernatural dating agency called Paris in Springtime (PST). It’s a series of one-shots about various couples paired by the PST matchmakers. It’s set in the world of the Love, Sex, and Magic series, but the characters from that series do not necessarily appear in Paris in Springtime. The fun thing about PST is that some couples don’t realize they are being set up due to the means PST uses.  One or both characters sign up with the agency, which boasts a 100% success rate, and then actions take place to get them together. Part of the magic of PST is they set up elaborate situations that make the couple fall in love on their own then send a bill.
In one of the stories I’m working on, Hunter’s Creed, the heroine is a vampire hunter and she believes she researching her next mark when in fact she’s falling for one of PST’s matches. You can check out an excerpt of Hunter’s Creed on my site

http://www.bondgirlblue.com/excerpts/hcSample.pdf

I’m having fun with the concept overall. There are three stories in the hopper for the series. I’m even working on a Christmas story where Santa meets his mate when she moves into the house next door to him.

What's your writing routine?

Honestly, I’m still trying to pin it to something consistent. Typically I run the scene in my head like a movie and then write a scene. Once, I tried listening to seductive music while blowing bubbles. I wrote two sexy, short stories using that method. I tried doing the same thing again and no dice.

What writers or novels do you consider “must reads”?

My taste in books is all over the place. I’ll read just about anything if the concept is interesting. I tend to read mostly romance, though when I was kid I only read murder mysteries and romance. I’m a bit tapped out in mysteries since I usually solve them early in book.

Jim Butcher is one my fave authors, I have almost the entire Dresden series and I have all of the Codex Alera series. I love his take on the supernatural. The writing is smart, amusing, and imaginative all things I strive for in my writing. I highly recommend him for lovers of paranormal and adventure.
For romance adventure, I recommend Larisa Ione’s Demonica/Lords of Deliverance series or Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. These series are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but very good reads and I love the world building.

Candy O'Donnell's Paranormal Suspense Novel, Psychic Perception

Author: Candy O’Donnell

Title: Psychic Perception
Series: Psychic Series
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Publishing House: Crushing Heart & Black Butterfly Publishing

Excerpt:

 As I stood over the bloodied, twisted corpse, my nerves tangled within over how to write the young woman’s tragedy, let alone tell her parents and the world about her. Horrendous images came to my mind of how to describe what happened to her; how it happened, the circumstances surrounding this case, and of course the perp’s name, whoever he might be. It was too daunting while thinking of my soon to be ex-husband.

My rigid body sat at the desk as I mulled over what to write. Mine was a sinister life, observing death through my psychic eye while seeing and feeling everything the victim was feeling. My reflections took me back to the haunting dreams that tormented me as I placed my hands on the keyboard and began to type. Inside my head, I knew where Faith would be found. It was not a pretty sight, but it was something that was a permanent part of my life. This need to know took place daily as my mind raced over what to think of next. How agonizing to believe that true evil was out there, waiting for any unsuspecting person to fall into its clutches.

I typed fast, and then slowed when an inaccuracy occurred. This assignment was not for the faint of heart, and those who might accomplish it needed to possess a hardened outer shell to protect them from the monstrosities that walked among us. Again, I relapsed into the past, and my musings directed my gaze to where I spotted the manila envelope from the lawyer’s office. I chose to ignore it, but could not. My hand lifted it up and I ran my fingertips over its smooth edge. It was something that I did with every piece of mail I received.

Shaking my head, I inhaled and tried not to allow my mind to wander. It needed to be focused on the task at hand, and my fingers began their dance along the keyboard once again. My hands typed what I had witnessed as my stomach did flops. So I continued on, because this job would never be finished if I did not believe that there was some good left in this world.
I began,

About the Author

Candy O’Donnell lives in California with her best friend Jim, and two enthused teenagers. This family also includes two happy dogs, a languid cat and an energetic cockatiel. At the age of twelve, she wrote her first mini book and has not looked back when her first title was published in 2007. Today, Candy writes whatever story crops up in her imagination and lately, she is including friends as cover models for her books. She composes numerous genres as a way of expressing herself fluently. Her early years were spent reading the works of Walter Farley, Stephen King, and other titles focused on history.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and culture in 2010 and she also has 6 grad units in criminal justice. After instilling herself in the family business, they are about to embark on a journey of merging with another.

Buy Link

Get your copy at Amazon

Links

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCandyODonnell
http://authorcandydonnell.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @Candyodonnell

Amazon Author Page
FB Candy’s Angel’s Fan Page
FB Promote Your Books!
hPromote Your Zombie Books
Google+
GoodReads
Pinterest

Bonus Excerpt

I sat at my desk in the living room clutching the envelope, and my fingers shook at the thought of examining its contents. I tore it open, glancing over my name written in bold print at the top of the first page. The divorce papers did not make any sense at all to me; the thought of a divorce was something that I had never allowed to penetrate my mind. When confusion set in, I tossed the envelope aside and stared down at Faith’s picture lying on the wooden desk before me. The deceased young woman glared back with still eyes. I could still feel her from the day before when I had visited with Lorraine.

My mind began to wander through the windowpanes, where birds sang happily to one another in the mulberry tree swaying outside. A light breeze stirred while I was in my trance. The crushing weight of life had suddenly taken its toll on me, and I felt as if reality was slipping away when I heard the doorbell ring.

I jumped at its familiar sound and strolled toward the entrance of my cozy home to see who had decided to visit me so early…I was not expecting any visitors today. My heart thumped wildly after I flung open the large wooden slab to see my ex-husband, Steve, standing there with flowers clenched in his fist. I opened the door tentatively; I had recently learned of his violent background with his last girlfriend, the one before me. He had shown tendencies to slap and yell whenever he thought things were against him.

I could not inhale when he stepped over the threshold and offered me the sweet smelling lilies. He seemed to be waiting for something; he might have wanted me to say something that hinted that I wanted him back. “I want to wish you a happy birthday before the divorce is finalized.”

Introducing Delilah Night: Author of Love is a Virus

One of the best things to come out of working on an anthology like Coming Together (aside from the feeling of doing awesome things for charity) is the friendships that I've gained through the process. Delilah has become one of my darling Facebook Friends (she lives in Asia, so it's not like we can get together for coffee, although that would be cool...) and I'm really pleased to be able to introduce you to her today. 

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

The biggest challenge to my writing career is struggling to balance writing and parenting.  Do I go grocery shopping while they’re both at school, or do I write and accept the karma that comes from making that choice (two children both fighting over who gets to sit where in the grocery cart and then complaining when I put groceries in there with them). When my three year old won’t stay in bed, I can easily lose an hour of writing time putting her back down. Sometimes after a day of parenting, I’m exhausted and my brain can’t do anything more complex than stare at Netflix.


Of your published works, do you have a favorite? Why?

Of my published stories, I’d have to say my favorite is “Love is a Virus,” and not just because it’s in Among the Stars.  I really like the eroticism of playing with power dynamics, and I love Saanvi and Lily. I love the kind of ending that changes part or all of what you think you know about the story.


Do you ever want to go back and edit an older story?

I can’t read “Renewal,” which was my first professional sale. While it’s a story that means a lot to me emotionally—a couple trying to find the spark again after becoming parents drew heavily from my own experiences—my writing style has evolved a lot in the past four years. When I recently tried to read it, I desperately wanted to pick up a red pen.

How much of your life and the people you know end up in your work?

A lot of my experiences have ended up in stories. Not necessarily the sex, but the little details. In an upcoming story “Petticoats and Push-Up Bras” my main characters work at the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, which I did in college. I’m in an interracial marriage, and you’ll notice that increasingly my characters are too. A scary encounter with a monkey in Cambodia has been written into my WIP set in Siem Reap.

What projects are you currently working on? Are you willing to share a small excerpt from a work in progress?

My current major project is a novella set in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  RJ and Meg are ex-lovers who broke up six years ago. She thinks they’re having one last fling. He wants to win her back. Will he succeed, or are the wounds from the break-up too deep to overcome?

Since I just mentioned it, here’s part of the scene with the monkey. It’s a first draft section I haven’t edited yet, so please excuse the rough edges.

The man on the motorbike offered Meg a grape to give to the baby, who had now hopped from the bike back to the ground. She thanked him and gently held it out to the tiny monkey just as the motorbike rider had.

“That’s not a good idea. You should warn your lady,” Darany said. “Miss—”

A large monkey bared massive fangs, hissed, and reached for Meg’s grape. She shrieked and dropped it, stumbling back and away from the far less adorable adult.

“Weren’t you the one who handed me that book? No touch monkey and other travel lessons learned too late?” RJ forced his tone to remain calm even as adrenaline pumped through his body.

“Thanks for the reminder.” Warily, she looked at the large monkey. It had devoured the grape she’d dropped and was now scavenging for other food. She swallowed, squared her shoulders, and lifted her camera again. Meg gave the big monkey a dirty look, turned, and began to shoot the baby once more.

After a few minutes she spoke again. “I would’ve been fine. Probably.”

Delilah Night  is an American expat who doesn’t miss shoveling snow now that she lives near the equator.  She does, however, miss Target and Panda Express (and of course her friends and family). While her love of science fiction was inspired by “The Trouble With Tribbles,” it was Wesley Crusher of TNG who inspired her to begin writing erotica.  You can find her stories in Coming Together:Among the Stars, Other Days, Summer Loving, and Nine-to-Five Fantasies among others.

Introducing Elliot DeLocke

I still have a few more of the Coming Together writers around... sorry this one's late but I was out of town all weekend at a convention and I didn't get his interview stuff until Saturday, when I was already there... the hotel's wireless was erratic (put 3,000 geeks in the same building and we're all trying to run our devices... not so good...) enough that I didn't bother trying to post it.

So, before I let Elliot take it away, let me tell you a bit about my first interaction with him...

I'm still a relatively fresh editor; this is the first time I've completely run an editing process from concept to final product (any errors remaining in the printed version are mine!) and I'm getting submissions in... I'm trying to be all professional and stuff, but you all know me by now, it ain't working. I glance at Sense-Think-Act and read the cover letter attached. Elliot DeLocke. Hmmm. 

When I write back to inform him that I've gotten his submission, I say this:

(oh, please tell me your pen name / legal name is a play on words for Elliot Ness, because that's just awesome.)

Which turns out to be the case... so, I'm already in love with this writer and I haven't even read the story yet... (I have a stuffed Loch Ness Monster whose name is "Elliot") I was really, really hoping his story would be wonderful, because his name is wonderful... and I think you'll agree that Think-Sense-Act is just a lovely little piece of smut... so, without further running of my mouth, let me turn this over to Elliot.

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?


One of my writing goals is to publish a collection of short stories. I've written quite a few short pieces, but not really enough to fill out a whole collection. And my stories tend to be in a variety of genres and styles, so I'm not sure how thematically cohesive or interesting a collection would be with what I've got.

My greatest challenge, then, is to find a consistent voice in my writing and apply it across enough written short pieces to fill out a collection. I still feel like I'm finding my distinct voice, and working towards finding the style and themes that are interesting enough for me to want to stick with them across multiple stories.

contains my post-apocalyptic short “Valentine’s Day”

What's the worst thing that ever happened to you that you've incorporated into a story?

I've spent many years in difficult, painful and very unsatisfying relationships, and elements of this tend to creep into my writing (sometimes even when I'd prefer they didn't). In erotica, the most important character interactions are sexual. Having experience with damaged or dysfunctional relationships - full of misunderstandings, bad intentions, secrets and lies - can show you how those issues influence physical/sexual interactions, is actually great fodder for a smut writer who wants something resonant and plausble. Cliché it may be, but sometimes suffering really does lead to better art.

How much of your life and the people you know end up in your work?

A fair bit. I tend to write from ideas or scenes - I get a picture in my head, and work the story and characters backwards from there.  Some of the scenes come directly from my life, and as such, tend to be populated by characters that are amalgamations of friends or acquaintances. Even when I'm writing fantasy or sci-fi, I usually base characters from how people I know might act in that situation. My day job takes me to some interesting places and lets me meet a variety of people, so that gives  me quite a bit of fodder.

What's your writing routine?

At the moment, mine would be the "all over the place" routine. My life is fairly hectic with family, work and extra-curricular obligations, so I write whenever I can: during my lunch break at work, in the evening (if it's free), on weekends. It's not the most productive routine, but I'm still getting stuff done.

The routine that has worked best for me in the past is to write first thing in the morning, every morning. I woke up, rolled out of bed and got straight into it,  before coffee, breakfast or a shower. Sometimes I'd oversleep and only get about fifteen minutes done, but that was still fifteen minutes more than the day before.

The best thing about doing it first thing in the morning is that I felt like I'd already achieved something creative that day. There was no nagging sense of "when will I find time to write today?" and I could have the evenings to relax instead of feeling obligated to write. When life settles down again, I'll be aiming to get back into this routine.

What writers or novels do you consider “must reads”?

I think it's essential to read something completely different every now and then - a different genre, a new writer, something in some medium or style that's nothing like what you are usually into. Making the effort to read outside of your preferred tastes, to experience something that's new or different, is a great way to get new ideas and learn new writing tricks. So I'd consider a "must read" to be anything that you might not normally put on your "must read" list - try a different genre, some literary fiction, some YA, a comic or gamebook.

The next out-of-the-box novel on my list is "Angela's Ashes". I prefer genre fiction - sci-fi, fantasy, noir and the erotica equivalents - so a door-stopper memoir about growing up poor and Irish is about as far out of my wheelhouse as I could imagine. But enough well-read people have recommended it to me that I'm really looking forward to it.

Elizabeth L. Brooks (again!)

Happily, I still have some more writers for you to meet from my Coming Together: Among the Stars anthology... today, Elizabeth L. Brooks is back to talk about her latest work and to remind us all of how very freaking old I am... because what are best friends for?

Hello, Lynn's readers!

I have known Lynn for a long time. A really long time.

No, longer than that.

(a note from your writer: A Long Time, No, really... I don't always remember to tag her when she's on the blog, but she shows up more than anyone else, except maybe me... maybe.)

Lynn and I have been friends through college and boyfriends and girlfriends and breakups and post-college poverty. Through moves and marriages and pregnancies and children. Through one bad accident and several terrifying hospitalizations and more diets than I can shake a stick at and one divorce that wasn't as bad as it could have been but still wasn't anything like easy. We've been each other's beta readers and co-authors and editors and will always be each other's biggest fans.

Once, when we were hanging out with a bunch of friends, she happened to mention that we'd known each other for over ten years. I nearly did a spittake -- it couldn't have been that long, could it? -- and then added it all up, and sure enough: over ten years. Holy crap. That made me feel kind of old.
The near-spittake reaction was kind of funny, though, so after that, once a year or so Lynn would casually drop into a conversation how long we've known each other, and I would gasp and flail about how it couldn't possibly have been that long and oh god how old we were getting. (Mostly how old I was getting, because when I look at Lynn, I still see the same girl I roomed with in college.)

A few years back, it occurred to me that Lynn and I have been friends for literally more than half my life. And once I got over that shock, the actual number of years stopped surprising and horrifying me. (It's closing in on 25 years now, if you're curious.) I still act shocked sometimes when Lynn brings it up, though, because there's something comforting about having an in-joke that is literally decades old.
I understand about the bonds of a long-standing relationship, is what I'm saying.

In (Why Don't You) Come Between Us, my most recent story from Hot Ink Press, Treyvon thinks he understands those bonds. He's part of a threesome with Mike and Joey, but Mike and Joey were together for a long time before they invited Treyvon into the mix. The two of them have history, and Treyvon doesn't want to intrude on that. But what Joey and Mike need him to understand is that he can't come between them the way he fears, and that they need him as much as they need each other.


Buy Link Amazon

Guest Post: Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese (and some more announcements)

Announcements

Hello everyone, your favorite crazy writer here... (I may well be truly losing my mind, it's possible. Come visit me in the mental hospital, would you? It gets boring.)

Today I have... Blissemas with Tabitha Rayne (who I was introduced to recently because she did some lovely portrait work for my dear friend, Malin James... so y'all should definitely go check her out...)

And A Marked Man is out today - I'm having my Facebook release party today as well, so if you haven't signed up, drop by and say hello. I'll be giving away prizes and swag, posting excerpts, taking questions, and generally being "around" for most of the day... 

The Guest Post

Our protagonist in Evergreen, Liam, is a supporting character in Starling, Book One in our Love in Los Angeles series. (Book Two, Doves, comes out January 21, and Book Three is out in June), but this is a standalone story and you don’t have to have read Starling to be able to enjoy Evergreen.

In Evergreen, Liam’s joined by several characters that readers of Starling have already met. These include his fiancee Carly, his asexual boyfriend and also boss Victor, and his costar and ex-lover Alex. Throughout the story, Liam pesters them for help sorting out his woes with his childhood best friend and long-term lover Charles. Unfortunately for Liam, however, they’re all tied up -- figuratively and otherwise -- with their own relationship issues.

Throughout the story we see bits of all of those negotiations. And all of them are kinky in some way to someone. After all, the title of the anthology Evergreen is published in is Santa’s Little Kinksters. But what kink looks like for each couple in the story is different.

Sometimes, that kink is pretty explicit. There’s not much that’s understated about someone being tied to a bed.

Other times, however, the kink is much more subtle. It’s all still kink, though, even if it’s just someone getting excited about the marks his fingernails leave on his boyfriend’s skin.

So here’s to all the kinksters, Christmassy and otherwise, and all the adventures and exploits they get up to at the holidays and year-round.

Blurb:

When bisexual polyamorous TV star Liam Campbell returns home to New York City for the holidays he finds out his his best friend (with benefits) Charles Ortwin has recently acquired a serious boyfriend. Thrown by not being the center of everyone's attention, Liam seeks out advice from three of his chosen family: ex-lover and co-star J. Alex Cook, boss and asexual romantic companion Victor Salcido Santillan, and fiancée Carly Amadahy, each of whom are tied up with their own sensual pleasures.

When a holiday party ends in a series of arguments between Charles, the new boyfriend, and Liam, it takes a snowy Christmas, a bit of honest communication, and some delightful sexual agony to put everything back as it should be.




Bio:

Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese are authors of the gay romance series Love in Los Angeles, set in the film and television industry (Starling (September 10, 2014), Doves (January 21, 2015), and Phoenix (June 10, 2015)), all from Torquere Press. Their gay romance novella Midsummer (Summer 2015), about a summerstock Shakespeare company, is from Dreamspinner Press. Racheline is a NYC-based performer and storyteller; Erin is a writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. They write stories and scripts about the intersection of private lives, fame, and desire.

Social Media Links:

Joint Blog: http://Avian30.com
Joint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Erin.and.Racheline
Erin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/erincmcrae
Racheline’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/racheline_m
Erin’s Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8323893.Erin_McRae
Racheline’s Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1015335.Racheline_Maltese

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Evergreen/dp/B00R4XEG6A/

Torquere: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=4330

More Announcements!

The Sexy Librarian's Big Book of Erotica is out on audible.com... so if you like to listen to your smutty stories, they're now available that way...

Even More Announcements!

Torquere's still giving away two free books every day, so here's today's offerings. You are downloading these, right? I am. Every. single. one. I anticipate reading quite a lot in 2015...

Angel of 13th Street by Eden Winters

The Angel. That’s what the young hustlers call Noah Everett, the man who’ll help them get off the streets. Once a hustler himself, Noah doesn’t take his own good advice, which is, “Don’t let this ruin your life.” Haunted by the past and those he couldn’t save, Noah carefully keeps others at bay until his self-imposed loneliness is shattered by determined, ambitious, but homeless eighteen-year-old Jeremy Kincaid.

A ruthless pimp has targeted Jeremy, but if Noah will fight to get anonymous young men out of the life, he’ll fight harder to keep Jeremy from getting in, even if it means a return to old stomping grounds to make a deal with the devil. To save Jeremy, Noah risks more than just his body. He risks his soul as well, because Willie Carnell, pimp, was once Billy Cordell, Noah’s lover.

GET FOR FREE

All I Want for Christmas by V.L. Locey

Alexander Dawson thought this Christmas would be a lonely one. He has no way of knowing that his cantankerous cat, Mister Tibbets, will turn a simple online shopping trip into a cataclysmic Christmas conundrum. Alex ends up on a madcap dash to another state during a snow storm to return a painting to dreamy wildlife artist, Cooper Reynolds.  Once he stumbles across Cooper's remote log cabin, he and the sexy but emotionally distant painter end up sharing more than a kiss under the mistletoe.

Things aren't all holly-jolly for the men though. Cooper gets a terrible case of icy feet, and Alex hits the road as soon as the snowplow clears it, feeling hurt and angry. Can Alex, Cooper, and their feline friends find a way to have purrfect holiday together?

GET FOR FREE

Introducing Essemoh Teepee

So, Coming Together: Among the Stars came out yesterday! Wahee! Huzzah! I'm excited...

~*~*~*~

Blissemas is still progressing... Stop by to see what lovely surprises Megan Slayer has for you... don't forget to comment on each blog to gain an additional entry into the drawing for a kindle paperwhite...

~*~*~*~

So let me introduce Essemoh Teepee, author of Gyozo's Mate, a story about galaxy-wide clairvoyance and soul mates... a lovely piece, I adore it...

When did you find out that you wanted to be a writer? What inspired you to put pen to paper?

Essemoh seeks inspiration in Vegas

I have always read voraciously, SF, SFF, thrillers you name a genre and I have probably read some of it, although erotica and erotic romance didn’t feature. (One can’t count Playboy and Men Only.)
I had never considered writing fiction. My career has been in science education, business management and development, so my writing was usually pure communication, prosaic and to the point!

I was in a senior position in 2000 and took up painting as relaxation. I enjoy the act of creation, paint flowing on one’s brush and the expression of imagination. I am drawn to portraiture, but painting can take a long time; frustrating when you want results.

In 2005 I picked up a copy of ‘Bloody Bones’ by Laurell K Hamilton to see what all the Nouveau Vampire fuss was about. (It had only been Mr Stoker’s Dracula until then.) I quite liked the blend of Crime Noir and erotic sex integral to the workings of the plot and nature of the characters. Exploring a little more made me think I could write something. Possibly SF or SFF putting the sex back in where it had been left out in what I had read. I found I enjoyed creating worlds and populating them from my imagination without having to wait for the paint to dry! It turned out my characters were extremely horny and there was a LOT of sex in my writing.

Tell me about your first publication. Who was it with? How did you feel when you got that acceptance?

I have the writer’s cliché on my study wall. A copy of my first ever cheque for a professionally published story. Circlet Press accepted my 6,000 word story ‘KATT’ for the anthology ‘Kneel to Me’ in 2008. (I met Cecelia Tan of Circlet at an erotica writer’s conference in Las Vegas 2011 and thanked her for the recognition and encouragement the acceptance gave me.) So many people write in hope of some success, to get professionally published. To have someone actually pay you real money ($25 may not be wealth but it is riches!) for something you have created out of your own head is very special. I liked what I wrote and feedback from the free platforms like Literotica had been encouraging, but Circlet gave me affirmation. KATT was first person and it had Space Opera, tentacles, BDSM and even a little D/s romance thrown in.

How much of your life and the people you know end up in your work?

People do ask this don’t they? I would have to have a severe case of Satyriasis or the wealth and connections of a Mr. Grey to match up to just some what is in my work. I would also probably be in jail if I had done some of the things I have written about.

That being said, I have been fortunate to travel extensively and I people watch. Many stories, characters and scenes can explode out of observation and onto the page. The story you have in Under the Stars, ‘Gyozo’s Mate’ came from spotting a well-endowed stripper leaving a seedy night club one morning on the Island of Gran Canaria and letting my imagination off the leash. I usually like to settle on a character’s name first before I fill out the rest of the details and back story. I get a lot of my characters names from peering at tags on shop workers, waiters and bar staff!

What projects are you currently working on? Are you willing to share a small excerpt from a work in progress?

I am collaborating with a colleague at eSensual Books, Genevieve Ash, on a series of full length novels with the thread title ‘Research’. Contemporary erotic romance with a twist. We are taking all the clichés and turning them on their heads, a lot of fun and humour as well as hot sex. The cast of evolving characters run through all the books. They each have problems, needs, emotional issues and angsts to be worked out in couples, trios, and other multiples that may come along for the ride. Each novel takes one of the classic genres and runs with it, wildly tearing of all its clothes along the way. (You really should take the time to meet Chaddie’s Angels!)

Practical Research is an HFN Erotic Romance set in San Francisco, finished and ready to be published.  (Agents, Publishers, and Moviemakers please get in touch!)

Where Essemoh works

Captivating Research is a blockbusting erotic adventure story set in the Arab Peninsula. It is in final draft and nearing completion.

Academic Research, a whodunit is set in the ‘dreaming Spires’ of Oxford University, is in the early stages of preparation, plotting and drafting.

There is an excerpt from Captivating Research that your visitors can access and read here

Tell us three things about you that are interesting.

1. I write and produce Audio Erotic Experiences using a technique I developed called Directed Erotic Visualisation© (if you want to know what that is and try it for yourself, you can find out more and download some free audios here)

2. I am directly responsible for men and women having more than 6.5 million orgasms across the globe since 2008. (see 1 above)

3. I have a beard

~*~*~*~

Torquere's Free Books

Ghost's Sight by Morwen Navarre

When Gerry is injured on a hunt, he is taken to the Witch’s home to save his badly broken leg. There he meets and is intrigued by her enigmatic ward. Ghost is equally captivated by Gerry, but all the young man has ever known is a solitary life as a witch’s apprentice. Gerry wants to make a life with Ghost, and he's willing to leave the security of his family to create a family of their own. Now Ghost must decide if that new family is a chance worth taking, and the choice seems clear: Ghost loves Gerry too much already to say no.

But when Ghost disappears on his way to join Gerry, the young hunter will need to hunt a more dangerous prey to find the missing apprentice, and Ghost will need all his skill to survive until Gerry can find him.

GET FOR FREE

Never Too Early: The Beginning by Chris Owen and Tory Temple

Firefighters Chancellor Shanahan and Tucker McBride have been together for years. They've been through the rough patches and come out the other side, although shift work, misunderstandings, and stubborn personalities can make things interesting. Chance knows that he and Tucker love each other, however, and neither of them have any interest in other people. So what happens when they meet another couple with a similar relationship? An unlikely friendship could take a possible turn.

Jake and Tor are a pair of cowboys who have weathered the storms of a decade together and have finally settled into their lives. They have a ranch, they have family, and they have each other. A rare vacation leads to a friendship, which leads to questions and a revival of long finished conversations. Is moving forward also a step back in time to issues they’ve already put to rest?

GET FOR FREE

Introducing the awesome Malin James, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

Blissemas Update! Still blissing the missing, or something like that. Sorry I missed reminding you over the weekend; I had something like 35 people in my house and I am exhausted... So, today is Jessica Jarman


I really adore Malin, she came onto my radar several months ago and we've had some of the best, in depth conversations about erotica and life and books that I could possibly hope for. She's also a big music fan and doesn't mind when I throw videos at her...

I quite literally jumped up and down in my office when I first got her submission... and then I read it. Oh, my lord...! I'm telling you, you will love this story...

So, let me let Malin talk to you for a while...

What are your greatest challenges in your writing career?

I’m not sure if it’s my greatest challenge, but complacency is certainly the most consistent one. It’s easy to relax once you’ve met a long-term goal, but that’s exactly when I find that I need to kick it up a notch, and try things that intimidate me or make me nervous. Like writing a novel, which I’m in the middle of doing right now, and which terrifies me daily. But the alternative is complacency and that scares me more.

Of your published works, do you have a favorite? Why?

I’m not sure I have a favorite yet—different stories appeal to different parts of my personality. That said, I’ve definitely written stories that I’m not as fond of. Putting that aside though, the story I did for Rose Caraway’s Kiss Me Quick’s podcast, “Bound / Unbound,” is really special to me. It’s based on the first draft of one of the first erotic stories I ever tried to write. I couldn’t write it then, but everything fell into place as I was writing it for Rose. And, of course, hearing her narrate it was a dream.

What are your biggest pet peeves for other people's grammar? Are there any mistakes that you find yourself making regularly?

It’s not really a grammar mistake, but I’m not sure how else to categorize it. I hate it when people use the word “literally” in a figurative statement. You didn’t “literally die” when you saw the puppy—if you had you wouldn’t be telling me about it. Either skip “literally” or use it correctly. Please. This would literally make me happier than if the Oxford comma came back into fashion.

How do you decide on character names?

It depends. Most of my protagonists end up naming themselves very early on, even in short stories. I just sort of know what his or her name is. That said, the protagonist of “The Master” a novella length story I have coming out in an anthology for Sweetmeats Press this spring went through three name changes before I was done.  I feel like character names are like suits. You can feel when they fit.

Malin's desk; I find myself squinting at her artwork... how about you?

What writers or novels do you consider “must reads”?

This is hard because I would recommend different books to different people, but that’s kind of a cop-out so here are some of the books that I can’t imagine not having read.

1. Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks is the most beautifully structured novel I’ve ever read.  Plus, Banks’s Culture series is awesome.

2. The Bloody Chamber and The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter were my first introduction to a bold, unapologetic, profanely literary treatment of sexuality. She’s a big one in my influences.

3. Hemingway’s short stories, especially “The Killers,” “Hills Like White Elephants” and “Clean Well-Lighted Place.”

4. Dracula by Bram Stoker. I freaking love this book. I love everything about it.

5. Anything by Sarah Waters, especially Tipping the Velvet. This was the first time I read a mainstream, literary novel with lesbian relationships at the center. It’s heartbreaking and sexy to the point of being nearly pornographic at times. After reading this, I started reading a lot more erotica.

6. Anais Nin’s diary. I love Volume 1, (1931-1934). Her short stories are excellent, but for me, her “liary” is where it’s at.

Tell us three things about you that are interesting.

1. I have an MA in medieval literature but decided against getting a PhD because there are so few teaching positions for medievalists.

2. I went to NYU on an acting scholarship and completed my acting training at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I was a stage actor for about 5 years. My favorite roles were Masha in The Seagull and Olivia in Twelfth Night.

3. In an alternate life, I would want to be a museum curator if I couldn’t be a writer. Writer is still my fantasy job though.