The First Meeting by HelenKay Dimon

One of my favorite parts of a romance novel is when the hero and heroine meet. Who am I kidding?  I love the zapping attraction and the smart banter. Give me those two and I am lured in by the sexy set-up and ready to go. When the hero and heroine already know each other the meet has a different feel, but when they are meeting for the first time there is a chance for sparks.

In Just What He Wanted, my 4^th book in the Holloway series for Carina Press, the couple meets and things go a little haywire. Easygoing Travis thinks he’s visiting the new manager at the campground owed by his boss. Travis is expecting a guy named Andy. Instead, he gets a hot, curvy blond female named Andie. She doesn’t know he’s been set up to think she’d be someone else…someone without cleavage. She’s too busy fighting off heavy smack of attraction that hits her for a guy who’s obviously younger (by about 10 years) and hot enough to have women waiting in the bushes to jump all over him.

The meet goes like this:

He was six-feet of hello-there-handsome. She ignored that and pretended to be a mature professional, though him looking like that didn’t make it easy. “Good afternoon.”

Up close, only a few feet away, she got a nice view. Green eyes, not dark or almost brown. A pale shade of green.

He smiled. “I’m looking for Andy Patterson.”

And he had one of those deep voices with a slight southern lilt. Man, he got sexier by the second. “You found her.”

His smile faltered. “Excuse me?”

The cute one seemed a bit slow. “I’m her.”

“Her?”

The conversation got stuck. She tried again because it was either that or look in on the cabin the writer guy checked out of that morning. She never saw him so much as open a window in the two days since she arrived. She seriously considered setting off a disinfectant bomb and hunting down a hazmat suit.

But she had another male to deal with at the moment. “You seem to like asking questions.”

“What?”

Well, that didn’t work. She thought the 38Ds would give him a hint, but she spelled it out anyway. “You’re looking for Andy with a ‘y’ but it’s Andie with an ‘ie’.”

“Ma’am?”

“You don’t need to call me ma’am.” Mostly because it made her feel ninety.

“Okay.”

The poor thing looked like he’d been hit with a big stick. “Andie as in Andrea, but no one ever calls me that. Well, not more than once.”

“Andie.”

“There you go.” He’d stopped frowning and making every response sound like a question. She decided that amounted to progress. Of a sort.

Really, with a start like this how could these people not get together?

Guest Post & Excerpt with HelenKay Dimon is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Hello,

I am so excited to be a part of the Bookpushers team!  This is such a
wonderful group with eclectic tastes and I’m thrilled to be a  part of it!

My first foray into romance was at the grand age of 12 when I read ‘Once a
Princess’ by Johanna Lindsey.  It had so much more than any of the more
age-appropriate books that I was supposed to read, and at that time, the
talking book library didn’t realize how old I was and sent me anything I
wanted.  From there, I springboarded into fantasy with David Eddings and
Mercedes Lackey.  I read whatever I could get in Braille or on cassette, and
since my parents couldn’t read in the manner that I could, I snuck many
books past them.

With the advent of Bookshare, the digital expanse of the National Library
Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and the accessibility of
iBooks, the B&N app, and most recently the Amazon Kindle App, I feel like a
kid who can finally  peruse every fabulous aisle in the candy store.  I have
to tell you, that feeling is absolutely amazing.

Some of my favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Julie Garwood,
Lauren Dane, Kit Rocha, Janette Oke, Patricia Briggs (I blame  Has so much
for that one), Nalini Singh, Mercedes Lackey, David Eddings,  Cynthia Sax
(who I affectionately refer to as my book crack addiction) and there are so
many others.

One of my favorite books, while not a romance, is called ‘Breaking the Cycle’
by Zane and various other authors. It is an anthology that deals with the
difficult topic of domestic violence and is hands-down one of the most
heart-breaking yet amazing books I’ve ever read.

I love romance in its myriad of forms and crave the happily ever after.  I look forward to getting to know and sharing my opinions with all of you!

*********

And for our second announcement.

We have planned a Kate Daniels series read-a-long event for the lead up to the release of Magic Rises. Below are the scheduled dates for the read-a-long. We would love for you to join us in the reread for the next Kate Daniels book.

We willl start with Magic Bites in June the 14th (Discussion here)

Followed by:

June 21st Magic Burns

June 28th Magic Strikes

July 5th Magic Bleeds

July 12th Gunmetal Magic

July 26th Magic Slays

and 2nd August Magic Rises

We will have no scheduled discussion the week for July the 19th but we will have an interview and an excerpt of Magic Rises from Ilona Andrews on Tuesday the 16th of July!

New Reviewer & Kate Daniels read-along is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Hello everyone! Huge thanks to the Book Pushers for having me as a guest today! I’m thrilled to be here to celebrate the release of my new Bliss book, KISSING THE MAID OF HONOR.

 The Art of Banter

In my new release from Entangled Publishing, KISSING THE MAID OF HONOR, my hero and heroine do a lot of bantering. Which really is the DBA for flirting, but because they both believe they’re supposed to stay away from each other (he’s her best friend’s brother), they pretend to ignore what it really is. I had the best time writing the sexual tension between them while slowly showing the build-up to something more.  Luke is charismatic, the hometown hero who doesn’t mind attention, and is helpless to stop the growing feelings he has for Sela. Sela is the small town sweetheart, hates attention, and the last person she wants to get up close and personal with is Luke.

Yet… they’re drawn to one another. The fact that she’s the maid of honor and he’s the best man doesn’t help matters. So they tease each other…

“Close your eyes and feel the movement. Let the music guide you,” the dance teacher said softly.

            Luke waited for Sela to shut her eyes. Christ, she was pretty. The woman made scrubs look sexy. But it was what she had on the inside that suddenly made his mouth drier than the Sahara Desert.

            Her eyes fluttered open. “You can wipe that smug look off your face. You’re not that good of a dancer.”

            “No?” Without missing a beat, he spun them around, their steps in perfect tandem. An invisible string kept them in harmony. The flush of Sela’s cheeks kept energy humming through his veins.

            Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, and Luke imagined she’d much rather have a sword in her hand so they could fence instead of move with each other.

            “You know what they say about show-offs, don’t you?” she said.

            “Tell me.” He twirled them away from the others, his fingertips increasing the pressure on her shoulder blade.

            “They’re compensating for something else. Usually something small.” Her gaze dipped below his waist as they both stepped back.

            He laughed. For the second time in the last hour she’d done what few women could—raise his hackles in the most engaging way.

            “Sweetheart, there’s nothing small about me,” he whispered when they came together. “And if you need proof, I’d be happy to show you.”

The thing with bantering, I think, is that it catches on like wildfire and once you start with someone—someone you’re attracted to—it’s hard to stop. Joking and quips are fun, exciting. The mind has to stay sharp and thoughts swirl through your head on the best response.

“I think I may have snorted frosting up my nose,” Sela said.

“Is that what that sound was? I thought Mrs. Witt’s pig had gotten loose.”

Sela gasped. “You did not just compare me to a pig.”

“No. I compared your snort to an oink.”


“And you’re an expert on pig sounds because?” She squared her shoulders, ready to spar with Luke until she won. He might think he could best her like he had so many times in high school, but she was older now. Wiser. Less intimidated when she wasn’t thinking how gorgeous he was.

He leaned closer. “Because I like to play dirty,” he said, his voice low, husky.

She faltered for a second, her body reacting to his nearness and words with uncharacteristic need. The more time she spent with Luke Watters, the more she couldn’t fight his pull. “Or it takes one to know one.”

Friendly verbal sparring ups the tension between characters. It gives the reader a glimpse into their personalities, and for me, it escalates the will they or won’t they? The when will they? How will they? Will they get to it already? LOL

So what about you? Do you like the long, drawn out passion between characters? Or do you prefer they start with a bang?

Enter Robin’s Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win one of 5 Bridesmaid Gift Packs, all full with lots of girly swag!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Robin Bielman is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Loose Ends That Matter

With One for the Wicked wrapping up the Dark Mission narrative, I’ve been asked a lot about how I feel ending the series. Some have wondered if I’d ended of my own free will, or if Avon requested the end. To the latter, I want to say that I had a very deliberate “end” in mind when I started the series—no more than 6 books max, but likely 5. Don’t worry, nothing got cut!

Ending a series is always a bittersweet moment, but I’m not here to talk about that. I’ve covered that six ways over and then some! Instead, I’ll talk about the things I didn’t resolve.

Of course, I can’t talk about that without talking about the things I did. Because it’s a romance, and because I believe in my couples, I can assure you that I bring resolution to every couple we’ve met along the way. Silas and Jessie (working through over- protective urges), Naomi and Phin (my most worrisome couple!), Caleb and Juliet (oddly enough, my most secure), Simon and Parker (he’s in a bad way at the end of Sacrifice the Wicked, I know) and, yes, even Jonas and Danny (who, if you recall, weren’t completely committed as they worked through Jonas’ hangups).

We’ll see how it all resolves, but I don’t leave those kinds of threads hanging. When I spend so much time involved with people, nothing frustrates me more than a lack of closure—one way or another. Instead, I like to leave a certain ambiguous future. The loose threads I enjoy most are the ones that lead off to a feeling—like hope or optimism, or terrible dread—but who don’t outline what happens after the curtain falls. If the bad guy is brought down, what happens after? Are you the sort to imagine a happily ever after, or do you look at all the obstacles left behind? Do you believe in redemption, or in consequences?

I do this because while I believe that couples should get together in a romance, I love leaving a certain amount of “lack of control” in their lives. Sure, they may commit to one another, but can they handle what comes next? That kind of intrigue fascinates me, and  I’ll totally admit to leaving a little bit of that behind when I finished One for the Wicked.

What’s your favorite ending? Do you like it all wrapped up neatly, with every detail laid out for you, or do you like to make up some of the details yourself? Are you the type to dwell on an ending, or is it over once you close the book? 

Guest Post with Karina Cooper is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Be sure to check back throughout the day to see some of OUR animal adoption stories!

Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May).  As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal.  Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.

For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.

And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane.  Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.

Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.

***

My Rescue Story, by Jill Shalvis…

At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals.  All of them rescued, always.  It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.

A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full.  Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints.  We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler.  Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog.  Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab.  And four teenage girls.

Actually, it wasn’t a house.  It was a zoo.

But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab.  And we missed having two dogs.  Yes, we’re crazy.  Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.

No.  No way.  I was adamant.  I had enough on my plate.  But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.

So we left the mountain…

And drove…

And drove…

We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.

The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first.  We had no idea what we were going to find.  A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me.  I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.

Any animal in need is welcome.

Even the funny looking ones…

The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it.  She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.

We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs.  And she did have two puppies.  She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.

 But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts.  Nope, it was her little baby brother.  The runt.

He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.

And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down.  I tried.  I tried hard.  But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart.  I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.

“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.

I told him to zip it.  We were taking this dog and that was that.  Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.

So we never put him down again.  Meet Frat Boy…

 ***

Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…

Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series.  One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs!  Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…

1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell.  This will warn you to run like hell as well.  Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.

2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog.  No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself.  And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story.  Solid alibi.

3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries.  Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you.  And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him.  Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.

4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman.  If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in.  Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.

5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat.  Always.  Just be forewarned.  Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner.  They have a habit of being a total bed hog.

***

Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us!  If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…

Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!

For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA).  To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!

4/29/2013            USA Today’s Happy Ever After         Special Feature!

4/29/2013            Fresh Fiction                                                         Spotlight

4/30/2013            RT Book Reviews Online                        Special Feature!

5/1/2013              Happily Ever After Reads                                 Spotlight

5/2/2013              Teresa’s Reading Corner                                   Spotlight

5/3/2013              The Book Reading Gals                                     Spotlight

5/4/2013              Book Crack                                                            Spotlight

5/5/2013              Love Romances & More                                    Spotlight

5/6/2013              Books-N-Kisses                                                 Spotlight

5/7/2013              RT Book Reviews Online                               Spotlight

5/8/2013              Cocktails & Books                                             Spotlight

5/9/2013              The Book Pushers                                            Spotlight

5/10/2013            Kindles & Wine                                                 Spotlight

5/11/2013            My Book Addiction & More                         Spotlight

5/12/2013            Eye on Romance                                              Spotlight

5/13/2013            eBook Obsessed                                              Spotlight

5/14/2013            My Friend Amy                                                 Spotlight

5/14/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/16/2013            The Romance Dish                                           Spotlight

5/16/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/17/2013            Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind                 Spotlight

5/18/2013            Romantic Book Affairs                                   Spotlight

5/19/2013            Ramblings from This Chick                            Spotlight

5/20/2013            Under the Covers Book Blog                       Spotlight

5/20/2013            The Romance Studio                                      Spotlight

5/21/2013            Chick Lit Reviews                                              Spotlight

5/26/2013            The Reading Café                                             Spotlight

5/27/2013            Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews             Spotlight

5/28/2013            Stuff and Nonsense                                        Spotlight

5/29/2013            Thoughts in Progress                                      Spotlight

Read Humane Spotlight is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Which Immortal Personality Do You Have?

Hi everyone! I’m Sherry Soule—waving from the SF Bay Area as I’m chilling on my laptop and chatting on Twitter about my favorite books and movies. Thanks for letting me hang out today.

To celebrate the release of author, Sherry Soule’s new adult, fantasy novel, IMMORTAL ECLIPSE, take this fun quiz to see which immortal personality BEST suits YOU!

1.     What’s your favorite footwear?

a.      Manolo Blahnik

b.      Prada

c.      Christian Louboutin

d.      Steve Madden

2.    It is dinnertime. What are you in the mood for?

a.      Steak and potatoes

b.      Salad and iced tea—please

c.      Fruit plate and diet soda

d.      Chinese takeout

3.    What is your dream destination?

a.      Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

b.      New York. Architecture and culture

c.      Bloomingdales—there’s a sale!

d.      Paris. The city of romance!

4.    What’s your favorite book?

a.      Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

b.      Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

c.      Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

d.     The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole

5.   Favorite supernatural hunk?

a.    David Boreanaz—super hunky!

b.    Damon Salvatore—so romantic!

c.    Sam Winchester—heavy sigh!

d.    Eric Northman—yummy

6.    What’s your favorite TV show?

a.      True Blood

b.      Once Upon a Time

c.      Sex in the City

d.      The Vampire Dairies

7.   What’s your ideal job?

a.     Museum Curator

b.     Librarian

c.     Fashion Photographer

d.     Estate Caretaker

8. What pet would you like to own?

a.      Fish

b.      Cat

c.      Horse

d.      Dog

9.  Favorite movie?

a.     This Means War

b.     Mr. and Mrs. Smith

c.     Sense and Sensibility

d.     Titanic

10.  Do you believe in the supernatural? 

a. Of course

b. Maybe

c. Nah

d. Not sure

If you answered… 

Mostly a’s: You are adventurous, clever, and outgoing. Let’s party!

Mostly b’s:  You are smart and humorous. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with a fashionata like you.

Mostly c’s: You are not only stylish—you have great taste in movies and literature.

Mostly d’s: You are a true romantic, and devoted to your family and friends.

Please include your answers in the comments!

Where you can find author, Sherry Soule online:

Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com

Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/tdro6f

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken

Author Bio 

Sherry Soule is the bestselling author of the acclaimed young adult Spellbound series. She writes urban fantasy, an odd hybrid of the horror genre that includes elements of mystery, romance, fantasy, and suspense for teens and adults.

Immortal Personality Quiz with Sherry Soule is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Where did Elves come from?

Before I had ever heard of Tolkien, I saw a cartoon The Shoemaker’s Elves. In the cartoon, the elves were tiny. As a child, though, I did not think Elves were tiny. Not even Santa and his Elves could convince me of their tiny size. It was not until as an adult and read Tolkien and watched the Lord of the Rings movies that I found there were others who believed as I did that Elves were tall.

But Elves did not originate from The Shoemaker’s story or Tolkien. They are in German, British, Scandinavian, and even Old English and Norse mythology and folklore. Even in Iceland, there are beliefs in Elves. In these histories the Elves are either benevolent or malicious toward humans. Things such as tangles or hiccups were blamed on the magic of Elves. The German word for nightmare is Alpdrücken, or “elf-pressure”[1]

To me, Elves can be good or evil. It is their actions that prove their temperament. Skin coloring does not denote wickedness in my story. For example, in my second novel of The Garnet Dagger Trilogy, I introduce the Drow. These are dark or grey-skinned Elves who usually are thought of as evil with a few exceptions like Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore. Once again, my characters are good or evil based on their deeds, not their classification.

I wrote Brock, an Elvin, in my story The Garnet Dagger from the viewpoint of benevolent Elves. He and his people are mostly benign, but keep the humans away from their lands with a magical barrier. However, Brock is fascinated with them and that is what gets him into trouble.

So how do I write a character of a mythical being? I blended my imagination with Native American and the positive stories of Elves from Tolkien and other myths and legends.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf

[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/184516/elf

Andrea’s Bio: Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always enjoyed creating characters and stories. But it wasn’t until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.

What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).

Andrea writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.

She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.

The Garnet Dagger is her debut novel and is a paranormal romance with Crimson Romance.

Kindle iTunes Nook Sony Kobo

Guest Post with Andrea Cooper is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

The Lure of the Ensemble Cast by Stephanie Tyler

I’ve always loved ensemble casts in TV shows, movies, and obviously, books.  The more characters, the better, because I feel no character lives in a vacuum and I want to see their multi-layered world.

For instance, Leverage, for me, is an awesome ensemble show – each of the characters has their own deal, their own backstory, their own reasons why they are that way they are.  (Um, hello, Elliot anyone?) And I love watching those reasons come out for the slow reveal over a season or even a series as a whole.

The A-Team (both the original and the new) is another example of a great ensemble.  I love how the characters play off one another.  I especially like guy banter

So it’s no surprise that Surrender, which is the first book in my Section 8 series utilizes an ensemble cast.  My characters come together under less than idea circumstances in order to, at first, save themselves, and later, to save one another.  Watching the characters come to rely on one another because they want to, not because they have to, is one of the things I enjoy most about reading and writing the ensemble cast of characters.

Surrender is Dare’s book, but it’s also Avery’s book as well.  She’s Dare’s half sister and she’s really the glue that holds this team together.  So in Surrender, you’ve got a very romantic love story, plus lots of action…plus Avery and her interesting love life.

So, tell me—what are some of your favorite ensemble casts in movies / TV / books?  Comment for a chance to win an eCopy of Surrender (either Kindle or Nook)!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Stephanie Tyler is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Follow along all week—each stop you comment on enters you to win a $10 gift card to Riptide Publishing! Giveaway entry closes March 22^nd at 11:59 p.m.

All About Josh

by Aleksandr Voinov

Funnily enough, when I came up with Josh, Malcolm’s personal trainer in City Mouse, he wasn’t quite that abrasive and nasty. In fact, he was fairly understanding to a different guy when he made his first appearance in a book I wrote in around 2008/2009, and which remains unpublished. He started out as a minor character, then I realised I’d based him on somebody I’d met (several somebodies, actually), and it turned out he was a transman. Now, all this was way before I’d fully embraced my own identity, and I’m not going to write about that part. Or maybe just a little.

See, image can be everything. I grew up with a fitness-obsessed gay uncle who invested a tremendous amount of energy on looking his best (including the family-first cosmetic operation), and he did. He had enormous doubts about being able to “pull” when he got older (aka: past thirty), and it struck me how desperate the race for beauty, attractiveness and competitiveness in the “gay scene” is. I assume some of that went into Malcolm. Now, Josh is the flipside. Born female, he’d be worried about “passing” – being accepted as male from an early stage, even before hormones and operations. Turning him into a fitness freak—to build the shoulders and pecs and overall “male” physique—seemed logical. He simply devoted himself to building the body he wanted to attain, becoming very good at it and then choosing to teach others how to do it. So far, so good.

Josh is also my first transman. I’ve written about a transwoman in Special Forces, but Josh was always closer to home and at times too close for comfort. In City Mouse, he’s pretty unpleasant to Malcolm, which might shock some people – he is trans*, after all, so shouldn’t he be like, a spokesperson for the trans* community? Shouldn’t he be nicer? Is Aleks Voinov saying that all trans people are body fetishists and generally unpleasant?

None of that was my intention. Essentially, I’ve been irritated by trans* people always being portrayed either as victims, psychopaths or saints. Even in our genre, trans* people often die (sometimes after having been raped—which absolutely reflects real-life violence against trans people, see Boys Don’t Cry). Then there’s the psychopath (Silence of the Lambs).

Then there’s the saint—like we all turn into amazing, sweet, self-sacrificing, selfless people upon discovering our trans* identity. I’ve read a number of books where trans* people were not really people at all—they were too good to be true, mouthpieces of some Big Important Message that was being preached to the choir.

As a writer, I actually find that mildly offensive—nobody gets a halo just because they are trans*. Or gay. Or black. Or have to use a wheelchair. We are all still people first, with our flaws and issues, and Josh has both. So, yeah, Josh is being superficial and extremely body-conscious, he’s even a little arrogant. But I’m letting you in on a secret now: He has a different side. It’s just that he doesn’t particularly like Malcolm very much, so he’s hitting Malcolm’s buttons, because he can’t really believe that Malcolm is turning into a Real Human Being. For the screentime they have together, he’s having fun jerking Malcolm’s chain, and Malcolm doesn’t really notice (because Malcolm is a self-centered guy, he barely notices that). So, yeah. Not very nice. Though I think Malcolm deserves it a little bit after how he treated other people. All Josh is turn the tables on him.

Book blurb:

A magical weekend, a breathless declaration, a happy ever after . . . Right?

Wrong.

When Malcolm Kavanagh took his first step toward emotional maturity by declaring his love to Owen Watson, that was just the first chapter in their story.  Anyone who’s ever been in love knows that happy endings take a lot more work than that.

One problem: Malcolm has never been in love. He doesn’t know the rules of a relationship and isn’t confident enough to trust that his is real. He learns the ropes by sharing his life and his flat with Owen, but relationship boot camp proves a challenge. Everything is a struggle, from accepting Owen’s low-status job to putting his boyfriend above his personal trainer.

Luckily, Owen knows a little more about relationships, and labors patiently to survive the first six weeks of their life together. From the art galleries of Cambridge to the tawdry majesty of the Dominion theatre, Owen adapts to England while Malcolm adapts to the whole human race. Maybe, if Owen is patient enough and Malcolm learns to give, the two of them can make it past Relationship Armageddon to a real happy ending.

Buy link: Riptide Kindle Nook Sony Kobo

Author bios:

Amy Lane exists happily with her noisy family in a crumbling suburban crapmansion, and equally happily with the surprisingly demanding voices who live in her head. She loves cats, movies, yarn, pretty colors, pretty men, shiny things, and Twu Wuv, and despises house cleaning, low fat granola bars, and vainglorious prickweenies. She can be found at her computer, dodging housework, or simultaneously reading, watching television, and knitting, because she likes to freak people out by proving it can be done.

You can find Amy at:

• Website: www.greenshill.com
• Blog: www.writerslane.blogspot.com
• Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/#!/amymaclane
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001702070484

Aleksandr Voinov has been published for twenty years, both in print and ebook. He has ten years’ experience as a writing coach, book doctor, and writing teacher, and he works as a financial editor in the research department of a pan-European investment bank.

After co-authoring the M/M military cult classic Special Forces, Aleksandr embarked on a quest to write edgy, dark, sometimes literary M/M and gay fiction (much of which is romance/erotica)—the only way he can use his American Literature degree these days. He’s been published with Heyne/Random House, Carina Press, Samhain Publishing, Loose Id, Dreamspinner, Storm Moon Press, and others.

You can find Aleks at http://aleksandrvoinov.com.

Guest Post and Giveaway with Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Researching Different Jobs Within the Military

I’m Kaylea Cross, and for those of you who don’t know me, I’m a military junkie. No one’s really sure how this came to be, but I think it started with my love of history from a really early age and grew from there. I write mostly military romantic suspense, and one of my favorite parts of being an author is the research I get to do about my characters.

Now, being a civilian, I guarantee I won’t always get all the military details right. Sometimes I simply can’t find the information I’m looking for and have to make my best guess, or sometimes I have to manipulate a scenario to fit the plot better. At any rate, I love learning about what my military characters do out there, and I hope readers can tell that I gave it my best shot.

In my Bagram Special Ops series, I featured both military heroes and heroines, all of whom serve overseas in Afghanistan. I have Pararescuemen and Combat Controller heroes, and pilot and Security Forces heroines. Aside from reading non-fiction titles and scouring the Internet for info, I have one or two awesome inside sources I can go to with specific questions. One’s a recently retired Pararescueman, and he’s been awesome to me even though he knows I’m writing romance books (I love that guy!). I’ve interviewed pilots and other Air Force members, and even tried to ask something on a Spooky gunship crew FB page, but got shot down hard. Wasn’t my finest moment, and I think they’re still grumbling about me over there. Lesson learned!

On the whole though, people have been very helpful. Because I’m such a fan of the military, it’s important to me to portray our men and women in uniform in a positive light, and I love it even more when I can add in little nuggets of information I’ve learned during my research efforts. I hope readers will learn something new about various branches of the military with each of my books. Hey, it’s interesting stuff!

Tactical Strike is the second book of the Bagram Special Ops series. The first is Deadly Descent, and the third, Lethal Pursuit, will be out in September.

I hope you enjoy the book!

Kaylea Cross

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Guest Post & Giveaway with Kaylea Cross is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter