Release day! Under a Moonlit Night

*throws confetti*

It’s release day today for Under a Moonlit Night, a collection of sexy shifter stories! In addition to my story, “Ripped Awake,” the collection features stories from some of my buddies too! Lea Griffith, Cherie Nicholls, and Lynn Lorenz all have a sexy shifter story to tell as well.

 

McCallan’s Secret by Lynn Lorenz

When Carrie McCallan, matriarch of the lumber company McCallans, finally decides to remarry, she’s faced with not only letting a man into her life for the first time since her husband’s death, but telling this man about her family’s secret. Not so hard, unless the secret is your family is a pack of werewolves. Carrie will have to take a chance on Leon Wong and discover if he loves her enough not to turn and run.

Ripped Awake by Vanessa North

Lacey Evans is tired of waiting for something to happen. She always expected more from life. Then a mysterious stranger comes into her diner, confused and needing help, and finally she catches a glimpse of a passion exceeding expectation. Rip went into hibernation in 1911. When he opens his eyes to a changed world in 2012, Lacey is the only part of it that makes sense. What can a one hundred thirty-year-old bear shifter offer a modern woman?

Tracing His Heart by Cherie Nicholls

Carter Jones, known as Jones to his friends, lost part of his soul a long time ago. He had to make a choice between his pack and his heart, a choice that has haunted him and his wolf for years. Rhea Gracefield, Domme, business woman, and lone wolf, was forced out of her pack when the wolf she loved told their secret. What happens when Jones finds his way in to the Domme’s Domain?

Bear With Me by Lea Griffith

Tyee Clark screwed up bad and he’s been hiding to lick his wounds. The last thing he expects is to find the woman he craves more than anything else taunting him. She should know better than mess with a sullen grizzly. Unless she means it. Lily Baskins has been hurt bad and she’s been waiting for the right time to institute a whole lot of payback. She’s not about to let sleeping bears lie. Not when she knows what she wants and is willing to face down a beast to get it. Lily’s had the man. Now she wants the bear.

Under a Moonlit Night is now available from Liquid Silver Books

A first-timer’s recap of RT

As a bibliophile, I find it hard to separate “fangirl,” “author,” and “overenthusiastic geek.” Thankfully, there was plenty to love at RT for all parts of my geeky persona.

Fangirl-me got to hug Victoria Dahl, take a photo with Amy Lane (gawd, I love her), and spend hours chatting with L.A. Witt about books and writing and pervy things too. (yeah, I totally love her too!)

As an author, I attended several workshops which really fueled up my muse and got me planning what’s next in my pipeline. I have a few works I need to go ahead and finish up, but I will be taking a hard look at my southern gothic hoodoo-riddled M/M romantic suspense very soon, and I totally blame Cherry Adair and Gennita Low for sparking THAT particular muse. (and for the giggles and guffaws from attending their workshop). I also have plans to return to writing F/F fiction, thanks to an invigorating discussion with Danielle Monsch, Dorothy Shaw, and Saranna DeWylde. Inspiration was found everywhere. What an amazing thing.

As an overenthusiastic geek, I found myself surrounded by my very oldest and dearest friends: books. One evening, I snuck back to my hotel room, crawled into bed, and took a couple hours to just read and enjoy a book. (The Closer You Get by L.A. Witt, which was awesome, highly recommend!) As good as a battery recharge, just those few hours fueled me for the rest of the week.

I was thrilled to meet two fellow Musa Publishing authors, Grace Wen and Andy Dunn. You might wonder what an erotic romance author, a category romance author, and a sweet M/M romance author could find to talk about, but it turns out, quite a bit. A lovely reminder that no matter what genre or heat level we write, we all want the same thing: to tell a darned good story.

And yes, I am totally going to New Orleans next year.

So, I’ve been a rather busy V…

I’ve been running around like mad the past few weeks, getting ready for my very first book convention. I’m headed to Kansas City tomorrow for the RT Booklovers Convention, and I am super excited! And yes, I am one of those people who says things like “super excited” with no trace of sarcasm or irony.

If you’ll be in Kansas City, I’ll be at the LSB publisher spotlight on Wednesday afternoon, and also at the e-book expo, as well as attending various workshops and parties. Please say hello if you see me!

If you can’t come to Kansas City, check out the hashtag #RT13 on twitter to enjoy the fun vicariously. To see what I’m up to at RT, you can follow my instagram, vanessanorth. Now, my phone has a wonky touchscreen I didn’t have time to get fixed before RT, so many images will be posted without comment. Feel free to caption them yourself and give me a laugh.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you in KC!

xoxo,

V

Scorching Reviews LGBT blog hop!

Hello everyone! So excited to be a part of the Scorching Reviews LGBT blog hop event–though I’ve been reading M/M romance for awhile now, I only began writing it in the past year, so I am thrilled to have recently had my first M/M romance published recently, and doubly excited for this event because I can showcase my two favorite guys, Lincoln and Eddie.

Don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for the grand prize, a $25 gift card!

My first M/M romance, Shifter’s Song, was released last month, and I’ll be hosting a drawing to give away an ebook copy of Shifter’s Song to one of the commenters on this post.

Shifter’s Song is part of the Wiccan Haus shared world series from Musa Publishing. It’s a story of two shifters who meet at the Wiccan Haus resort, though both are there for very different reasons. In some ways, it’s a coming-out story, in other ways, it’s an action/adventure story with a heaping dose of snarky humor. Edouard Bonsaint is a big brawny bear shifter–who can’t shift. Lincoln Tucker is a guyliner-wearing pop singer who is deep in the closet twice over due to his very public career. Both need to find self-acceptance in order to be together, but they can’t do it alone.

The Wiccan Haus: Shifter’s Song

Blurb:

Edouard Bonsaint has a bear-sized problem. He hasn’t shifted in ten years, and isn’t sure he even can anymore. Chaperoned by his youngest brother, Bruno, he heads to the Wiccan Haus to ask Rekkus for help. But when Bruno doesn’t show up on the other side of the portal, Edouard’s inability to shift is no longer his biggest problem.

Lincoln Tucker has it all: money, fame, and a golden voice. But he’s in the closet twice over–few people know he’s gay, and even fewer know he can shift into a songbird at will. Downtime at the Wiccan Haus between tours allows him to be himself. Throw a big toppy bear-shifter into the mix, and Lincoln might just have all he’s ever wanted–if he can trust himself to hold on to Edouard.

With passions and tempers burning hot, can Lincoln help Edouard bring forth the bear and save his brother?

Excerpt:

“Tell me about your brother,” Lincoln finally said, setting down the cup of tea Sage had brought him.

“Bruno is…quiet. He’s the kind of guy who thinks about everything at least three times before he actually does it. He’s a writer, and he doesn’t seem to mind if most of his friends are fiction. He’s kind of a loner.”

“I’m sorry he’s missing.”

“Yeah.” Edouard tried to swallow a bite of his food but it felt like it would stick in his throat. Finally, he managed to get it down and took a sip of water. He looked back across the table at Lincoln and his hand paused halfway back to the table, forgotten.

The look on Lincoln’s face was thick and carnal, determined. He’d seen that look on the dance floor of the gay bar he visited in Quebec City sometimes—when another man looked at him that way, it usually meant he was going to get lucky. Edouard felt heat flood his gut as he met Lincoln’s eyes. Lust, hot and sharp, flared up, and his jeans suddenly seemed three sizes too small. Paired with it was a raging sense of guilt that he was even thinking about sex while his brother was missing.

“What do you do? For a living, I mean,” Lincoln asked.

“I’m a wildlife photographer. I sell prints through my website, and I’ve had some pieces in some pretty big magazine spreads. Being not-quite-human helps me get closer to the animals. I understand them better.”

“What do you shift into?” Lincoln asked. Edouard bristled, then realized Lincoln was just making typical Para small-talk. Still, he was surprised as anyone when he answered.

“I don’t, that’s the problem—why I came to the Haus.”

“Okay, what are you supposed to shift into?” If there’d been any mocking to Lincoln’s voice, Edouard wouldn’t have answered, but all he heard was curiousity.

“The Bonsaints are a very old brown bear clan.” He pushed his food around on his plate some more as he said it, uncomfortable with this line of questioning. He could talk about photography all night long, but shifting…no.

“You’re kidding me.”

Edouard looked up to see Lincoln laughing.

“What?”

“Bear? It’s just…” Lincoln’s laugh died down and he glanced around the room, as if to be certain no one listened. “…the beard, the muscles…”

Ah. Yeah, that. He was pretty sure Lincoln was gay now. Otherwise he wouldn’t be snickering at Edouard with that sly little smile on his face. Okay, it was a little funny. Guilt-be-damned—he smiled back. Fine, he could be just as unsubtle when it suited him.

“So what does a twink like you shift into?”

“How do you know I’m a shifter?” Lincoln leaned close and Edouard breathed in his scent. Clean and cold, nothing he’d ever smelled before, but also sex and magic, as familiar as it was strange. The combination sent a shudder of lust through Edouard, and one look at Lincoln’s face, eyes sparkling with challenge, and he knew he’d sensed it too. Maybe Lincoln wasn’t a shifter, but he certainly hadn’t objected to being called a twink. Too young for you, Edouard.

“So what are you? Changeling? Fae?”

“No, you were right the first time.” Lincoln sat back in his seat. “Tell you what, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Edouard, unfortunately, chose the exact wrong moment to take a sip of his water, because at Lincoln’s innuendo-laden statement, it sprayed out his nose and started a coughing fit.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Wake the bear, and I’ll show you what I look like in my other form.”

“No. Of all the people on this island, you’re the last person I’d want to see that part of myself.”

Lincoln’s face stiffened into a smiling mask, and Edouard glanced away. It’s for your own good, kid.

There you have it, a little peek at Shifter’s Song–to be entered into the drawing to win a copy, comment on this post! Do you have a favorite coming out story? How about a favorite LGBT romance? Do tell! <3

Please check out the rest of the hop, all the other authors, and their fantastic giveaways: To get back to the Linky list, please click on this link (or click the hop graphic at the top of this post):

http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/lgbt-fiction-blog-hop-1st-6th-april.html?zx=b8f298d3206af14d

and in case you missed it, the link to the rafflecopter grand prize:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b94182126/

as always, thanks for reading!

xoxo,

V

Welcoming guest SS Hampton, Sr.

Hello friends! Today I am bringing you all a guest post from my friend and fellow Musa Publishing author, SS Hampton, Sr. SS is a writer of horror, science fiction, erotica, and military fiction. Can we bring him to the “dark side” of love, kisses, and happy ever after? We’ll see!  xo, V

Writing a Romance Novella—Maybe

I am meandering today and I suspect that is because I am appearing on the blog of Vanessa North, Romance Novelist. You see, I am so old that I don’t remember what romance (and love) is like. I was married once and that ended in a bitter divorce and custody battle. More than 10 years passed before I was engaged to be married—and that ended disastrously. In between those two events I started falling in love (I think) with a young lady. Such emotions were frightening to me so I turned away and never spoke to her again.

And so I—a writer of horror, science fiction, fantasy, erotica, and military fiction, most with characters without an emotional connection with a loved one—find myself here. Why? Maybe it is because I am thinking of trying my quill pen at writing a romance story. (Several of my stories have come close but I do not think they could truly be called “romances.”) Certainly there seems to be a huge market “out there,” especially when the market is sub-divided into Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Time-travel Romance, Erotic Romance, etc.

According to the “Readership Statistics” of the Romance Writers of America (2008), “In 2008, romantic fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales, with 7,311 romance novels published and making up 13.5% of the consumer book market” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_novel). That is a lot of novels and a lot of sales. And a lot of readers. Further, “Over 74 million people claimed to have read at least one romance novel in 2008…and…romance readers were more likely to be married or living with a partner” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_novel).

I have never read a romance novel and I have never scoffed at such a market. Hell, my own step-father reads romance novels (I think he likes the Harlequin novels the best). But I have to wonder, why do people read them, especially if they are married? Is there something lacking in their lives, in their marriage, or their partnership? Or is it merely “entertaining escapism” similar to the way many of us like to escape into the literary or film worlds of science fiction, fantasy, horror, erotica, and military fiction, albeit devoid of romantic elements?

Just as I wonder why people want to read romance novels, I sometimes wonder why I want to try writing one. Okay, novella. Novellas of 15,000-25,000 words are okay. Novels can have such a huge word count of 50,000+ words that they are a little frightening. Almost as frightening as falling in love.

Maybe the urge is because deep down inside I would like to experience romance and love one more time before I cross over to the other side. That would be out of character for me because I tend to be a loner; when attending work holiday functions (when I was employed) or military unit functions I have never brought anyone as a guest. Hell, I do not even date—being unemployed, not having my own vehicle (I share the family vehicle with my son), and having to count pennies, kind of puts a damper on the idea of dating. Oh yes—I am not good looking and I am also brown (full blood Native American). Then again, perhaps some of us are not meant to experience romance and love.

So, writing a romance novel—I have a feeling that will be a difficult proposition. It is far easier for me to write of a dwindling number of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder against an overwhelming enemy force, of frightened soldiers encountering the supernatural, of hungry ghouls in the American West, or even star ships passing through prehistoric nebulas thousands of light years distant. But to write of caring, love, and romance between a man and a woman? Maybe even writing of the two of them finding Happily Ever After, or at least Happy For Now?

That can be frightening too.

Yet, I have such a strong urge to light a candle in the scriptorium, sharpen the writing edge of a feathered quill pen, set out the inkwell, spread sheets of polished parchment on the table, and scribble a story of love, adventure, challenges, romance, and Happily Ever After. Or at least Happy For Now.

Wish me luck!

 

Good Luck, SS! Can’t wait to hear where the muse takes you next! -V

 

BLURB: While on much-needed R& leave from Iraq, Corporal Ronnie Edson enjoyed a night with a beautiful woman. He thought that would be the end of it, but on the flight back to Iraq he sees an impossible sight: the woman dancing on the wing of the plane. She’s come for him, and she won’t leave without him.

 

EXCERPT:

A yellowish glow flared in the living darkness like a newborn sun; the hiss and sputtering of the flickering glow sounded like the background static of the prehistoric universe.

The soft footsteps of an enraptured, puzzled voyeur emerged from a darkness that pulsed with hidden life, desires, needs, and temptations.

A nude woman sat on a silk-cushioned bench in front of a large, dark vanity table and ignored the silent voyeur. Her long blonde hair with purplish highlights fell to the small of her back. She looked into the central mirror and a pair of movable side mirrors that were shaped like Gothic cathedral windows. By each side mirror, a candelabra with a trio of tall scented candles bathed her pale flesh in their soft glow.

She felt his eyes studying her as she applied, with slow measured strokes, black and red eye shadow to her upper eyelids, and under her eyes; at the outer corner of her eyes the eye shadow narrowed to a point, like Minoan or Egyptian eye decoration on wall paintings. Her blue, almond shaped eyes were brighter than a cloudless sky at high noon. Black eyeliner highlighted the brightness of her eyes while mascara deepened the blackness of her eyelashes.

Her deep blue eyes blinked once as she looked into the Gothic mirrors and caught a glimpse of the silent man. She listened to the murmuring shadows in the mirrors, while an even deeper, sensual darkness, like a black satin ribbon, twisted around the unsuspecting man and flowed through him.

A hint of a smile came to her face as she shifted on the silk cushion and lazily ran a red fingernail along a length of her dark thigh high stockings. She sensed his growing lust for her. Her hand trailed up her hip to a garter belt decorated with ruffled silk, then across a topless black and red velvet and lace corset. Her seductive smile deepened as she peered into the Gothic mirror at the man, now shrouded within the ghostly, satiny ribbon.

She applied dark lip liner to her full lips, followed by blood red lipstick. The young woman paused and chose a brush that sparkled in the candlelight. She carefully applied gold glitter to her eyebrows…

 

http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=280

SS Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced grandfather to 13 wonderful grandchildren, a published photographer and photojournalist, and a member of the Military Writers Society of America. He is a serving member of the Army National Guard with the rank of staff sergeant, with prior service in the active duty Army (1974-1985), the Army Individual Ready Reserve (1985-1995) (mobilized for the Persian Gulf War), and enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2004, after which he was mobilized for Federal active duty for almost three years. Hampton is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle (2004-2006) and Iraqi Freedom (2006-2007). His writings have appeared as stand-alone stories and in anthologies from Dark Opus Press, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy, Melange Books, Musa Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and as stand-alone stories in Horror Bound Magazine, Ruthie’s Club, Lucrezia Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk Journal, among others. Second career goals include becoming a painter and studying for a degree in photography and anthropology—hopefully to someday work in and photograph underwater archaeology. After 12 years of brown desert in the Southwest and overseas, he misses the Rocky Mountains, yellow aspens in the fall, running rivers, and a warm fireplace during snowy winters. As of December 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hampton officially became a homeless Iraq War veteran.

Melange Books

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/sshampton/index.html

Musa Publishing

http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=50

MuseItUp Publishing

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=514&category_id=60&manufacturer_id=249&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Amazon.com Author Page

http://www.amazon.com/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ

Amazon.com. UK Author Page

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SS-Hampton-Sr/e/B00BJ9EVKQ

Goodreads Author Page

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6888342.S_S_Hampton_Sr_

Introducing Seamus…

Ladies and Gentlemen… meet Seamus, sometimes called “Shameless,” the star of my free read over at Love, Lust, and Laptops.

Seamus is a dancer who really, really loves his job. He loves showing off his hot dancer’s body, he loves performing, and he especially loves applause.  ”Performance anxiety” is not in Seamus’s vocabulary.

When a tall, dark, and “drop-dead” stranger walks into Lucky’s, is he looking for “Shameless” or for the man hiding inside the superstar in his sequin-studded g-string?

A free short story from Love, Lust, and Laptops, “Seamus” is performing live, right now.

My happy news!

Last summer, I got this idea in my head I wanted to write a contemporary M/M re-telling of beauty and the beast, maybe with some environmental pollution stuff thrown in.  I started thinking about my characters, got my father figure who made a mistake, my righteous beauty, my aggressive, territorial beast.  Once I had a villain or two, I was ready to roll. The end result is a gritty retake on the fairy tale, which I’ve called “Hostile Beauty.”

Hostile Beauty was contracted last week by Musa Publishing’s Erato imprint and will be published this fall! I can’t even begin to say how excited I am about this story.  I’ll be updating soon when I can announce a release date.